Search

This paper presents the experimental investigation into the performance of the uncoated carbide tool when high speed drilling (HSD) of Ti6Al4V. Machining responses such as thrust force, torque, vibration, chip formation and surface integrity of drilled surface were evaluated at various cutting conditions. Results show that cutting speed and feed significantly influenced the above responses. Folded wavy type chips and curly type chips were produced under all tested cutting conditions. It was also found that the transition from aperiodic to periodic chip formation occurred as the cutting speed increases. In addition, improvement of the drilling performance was also recorded as a result of reduction of acceleration amplitude during peck drilling method was adopted. Observation on the subsurface of the drilled workpiece indicates a severe plastic deformation at all tested cutting conditions.

Potential engineering applications of magnesium (Mg) and Mg-based alloys, as the lightest structural metal, have made them a popular subject of study. However, the inferior corrosion and wear characteristics significantly limit their application range. It is widely recognized that surface treatment is the most commonly utilized technique for remarkably improving a substrate's surface characteristics. Numerous methods have been introduced for the surface treatment of Mg and Mg-based alloys to improve their corrosion behavior and tribological performance. Among these, thermal spray (TS) technology provides several methods for deposition of various functional metallic, ceramic, cermet, or other coatings tailored to particular conditions. Recent researches have shown the tremendous potential for thermal spray coated Mg alloys for biomedical and industrial applications. In this context, the cold spray (CS) method, as a comparatively new TS coating technique, can generate the coating layer using kinetic energy rather than combined thermal and kinetic energies, like the high-velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray method. Moreover, the CS process, as a revolutionary method, is able to repair and refurbish with a faster turnaround time; it also provides solutions that do not require dealing with the thermal stresses that are part of the other repair processes, such as welding or other TS processes using a high-temperature flame. In this review paper, the recently designed coatings that are specifically applied to Mg alloys (primarily for industrial applications) employing various coating processes are reviewed. Because of the increased utilization of CS technology for both 3D printed (additively manufactured) coatings and repair of structurally critical components, the most recent CS methods for the surface treatment, repair, and refurbishment of Mg alloys as well as their benefits and restrictions are then discussed and reviewed in detail. Lastly, the prospects of this field of study are briefly discussed, along with a summary of the presented work.

Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys are potential metals for biodegradable implants because of several benefits, including a reduction of stress shielding effect in the implant for orthopedic application and the elimination of the step of a second surgery to remove the implant. On the other hand, unexpected degradation can cause the Mg to collapse, and the implant fails; thus, many studies have been done to control the rate of degradation of Mg alloys. Heterogeneous corrosion of these implants leads to rapid mechanical properties loss, limiting the clinical applications. Adding ceramic reinforcements to the Mg matrix as so-called Mg nanocomposites is one method to enhance the ductility and also mechanical properties of the Mg alloys without a noticeable weight cost. Good corrosion resistance and noticeable mechanical properties of the Mg-based nanocomposites have developed their applications. However, it is difficult to uniformly disperse the ceramic-based nanoparticles as reinforcements in the Mg matrix and attain desired characteristics. As a result, selecting Mg-ceramic composite production methods and reinforcing types to overcome Mg restriction and increase the favorable material features based on their applications is critical. As a result, this review study focus on the different fabrication techniques and reinforcement material types and their influence on Mg-ceramic composites’ mechanical characteristics, in vitro corrosion performance and biocompatibility. The potential applications, and future research ideas of Mg matrix nanocomposite are investigated. The existing successes in this field are discussed, and future investigation areas are identified in order to boost the usage of degradable Mg-based composites.

Due to their low shrinkage and easy moldability, metal epoxy composites (MEC) are recognized as an alternative material that can be applied as hybrid mold inserts manufactured with rapid tooling (RT) technologies. Although many studies have been conducted on MEC or reinforced composite, research on the material properties, especially on thermal conductivity and compressive strength, that contribute to the overall mold insert performance and molded part quality are still lacking. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of the cooling efficiency using MEC materials. Thus, this research aims to appraise a new formulation of MEC materials as mold inserts by further improving the mold insert performance. The effects of the thermal, physical, and mechanical properties of MEC mold inserts were examined using particles of brass (EB), copper (EC), and a combination of brass + copper (EBC) in irregular shapes. These particles were weighed at percentages ranging from 10% to 60% when mixed with epoxy resin to produce specimens according to related ASTM standards. A microstructure analysis was made using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to investigate brass and copper particle distribution. When filler composition was increased from 10% to 60%, the values of density (g/cm3), hardness (Hv), and thermal conductivity (W/mK) showed a linear upward trend, with the highest value occurring at the highest filler composition percentage. The addition of filler composition increased the compressive strength, with the highest average compressive strength value occurring between 20% and 30% filler composition. Compressive strength indicated a nonlinear uptrend and decreased with increasing composition by more than 30%. The maximum value of compressive strength for EB, EC, and EBC was within the range of 90–104 MPa, with EB having the highest value (104 MPa). The ANSYS simulation software was used to conduct a transient thermal analysis in order to evaluate the cooling performance of the mold inserts. EC outperformed the EB and EBC in terms of cooling efficiency based on the results of thermal transient analysis at high compressive strength and high thermal conductivity conditions.

The extended application of value stream mapping has more recently been clarified to fulfill the triple bottom line requirements in the manufacturing systems. Thus, there is a glaring lack of literature on this sustainable-oriented lean tool, among these minute studies, the research attention has mainly been given to the environmental issues, largely neglecting the societal aspects. To complement and support this narrow body of knowledge, this article is aimed at developing a social value stream mapping methodology, which we refer to as Socio-VSM, for visualizing and assessing the societal sustainability performance in the context of manufacturing. In doing so, it identified and incorporated crucial societal metrics into the proposed approach, which was made based on the conventional value stream mapping method. For validation purposes, a case study entailing a hard disc drive substrate manufacturing industry was applied for the documentation and reporting of results derived from the implementation of the proposed methodology and for testing and making conclusions about its effectiveness. It makes the valuable theoretical and practical contributions to narrow the gap on this long-neglected scope.

Magnesium-based composites have recently been studied as biodegradable materials for preparing orthopedic implants. In this article, the graphene oxide (GO) and GO-Cu nanosystem has been homogenously dispersed as a reinforcement in the matrix of Mg-Zn (MZ) alloy using the semi powder metallurgy (SPM) method, and subsequently, the composite has been successfully manufactured using the spark plasma sintering (SPS) process. GO and GO-Cu reinforced composite displayed a higher compressive strength (~55%) than the unreinforced Mg-Zn sample. GO and GO-Cu dual nanofillers presented a synergistic effect on enhancing the effectiveness of load transfer and crack deflection in the Mg-based matrix. Besides, the GO-Cu dual nanofillers displayed a synergistic influence on antibacterial activity through combining the capturing influences of GO nanosheets with the killing influences of Cu. However, electrochemical and in-vitro immersion evaluation showed that Cu-GO reinforcement had a slightly negative effect on the corrosion behavior of the Mg-Zn sample, but the incorporation of GO enhanced corrosion resistance of the composite. Moreover, MZ/GO and MZ/GO-Cu nanocomposites showed acceptable cytotoxicity to MG-63 cells and revealed a high potential for use as an orthopedic implant material. Based on the research results, MZ/GO-Cu nanocomposite could be used in bone tissue engineering applications.

Recently, increasing public concern about hygiene has been driving many studies to investigate antimicrobial and antiviral agents. However, the use of any antimicrobial agents must be limited due to their possible toxic or harmful effects. In recent years, due to previous antibiotics’ lesser side effects, the use of herbal materials instead of synthetic or chemical drugs is increasing. Herbal materials are found in medicines. Herbs can be used in the form of plant extracts or as their active components. Furthermore, most of the world’s populations used herbal materials due to their strong antimicrobial properties and primary healthcare benefits. For example, herbs are an excellent material to replace nanosilver as an antibiotic and antiviral agent. The use of nanosilver involves an ROS-mediated mechanism that might lead to oxidative stress-related cancer, cytotoxicity, and heart diseases. Oxidative stress further leads to increased ROS production and also delays the cellular processes involved in wound healing. Therefore, existing antibiotic drugs can be replaced with biomaterials such as herbal medicine with high antimicrobial, antiviral, and antioxidant activity. This review paper highlights the antibacterial, antiviral, and radical scavenger (antioxidant) properties of herbal materials. Antimicrobial activity, radical scavenger ability, the potential for antimicrobial, antiviral, and anticancer agents, and efficacy in eliminating bacteria and viruses and scavenging free radicals in herbal materials are discussed in this review. The presented herbal antimicrobial agents in this review include clove, portulaca, tribulus, eryngium, cinnamon, turmeric, ginger, thyme, pennyroyal, mint, fennel, chamomile, burdock, eucalyptus, primrose, lemon balm, mallow, and garlic, which are all summarized.

A new genus and species, Afranthrene cinerea gen. & sp. nov., from Angola is described and depicted. The new genus belongs to the Adixoa Hampson, [1893] genera group and is related to the African genera Fortikona Bartsch & Sáfián, 2023, Rubukona Fischer, 2007 and Thyranthrene Hampson, 1919. The female, early instars and host plant of the new species are unknown.

Despite considerable research efforts in recent years, the deeper phylogenetic relationships among skipper butterflies (Hesperiidae) remain unresolved. This is primarily because of limited sampling, especially within Asian and African lineages. In this study, we consolidated previous data and extensively sampled Asian and African taxa to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships within Hesperiidae. The molecular dataset comprised sequences from two mitochondrial and two nuclear gene regions from 563 species that represented 353 genera. Our analyses revealed seven subfamilies within Hesperiidae: Coeliadinae, Euschemoninae, Eudaminae, Pyrginae, Heteropterinae, Trapezitinae, and Hesperiinae. The systematics of most tribes and genera aligned with those of prior studies. However, notable differences were observed in several tribes and genera. Overall, the position of taxa assigned to incertae sedis in Hesperiinae is largely clarified in this study. Our results strongly support the monophyly of the tribe Tagiadini (Pyrginae), and the systematics of some genera are clarified with comprehensive discussion. We recognize 15 tribes within the subfamily Hesperiinae. Of these, nine tribes are discussed in detail: Aeromachini, Astictopterini, Erionotini, Unkanini (new status), Ancistroidini, Ismini (confirmed status), Plastingini (new status), Gretnini (confirmed status), and Eetionini (confirmed status). We propose four subtribes within Astictopterini: Hypoleucina subtrib.n., Aclerosina, Cupithina, and Astictopterina. Furthermore, we describe a new genus (Hyarotoidesgen.n.) and reinstate two genera (Zeareinst.stat. and Separeinst.stat.) as valid. Additionally, we propose several new combinations: Zea mythecacomb.n.,Sepa bononiacomb.n. & reinst.stat., and Sepa umbrosacomb.n. This study, with extensive sampling of Asian and African taxa, greatly enhances the understanding of the knowledge of the skipper tree of life., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Temperature is thought to be a key factor influencing global species richness patterns. We investigate the link between temperature and diversification in the butterfly family Pieridae by combining next generation DNA sequences and published molecular data with fine-grained distribution data. We sampled nearly 600 pierid butterfly species to infer the most comprehensive molecular phylogeny of the family and curated a distribution dataset of more than 800,000 occurrences. We found strong evidence that species in environments with more stable daily temperatures or cooler maximum temperatures in the warm seasons have higher speciation rates. Furthermore, speciation and extinction rates decreased in tandem with global temperatures through geological time, resulting in a constant net diversification., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This study confirms Mount Cameroon as an unprecedented hotspot for the diversity of many-plumed moths, with the discovery and description of nine new species: Alucitafako Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucitapyrczi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucitasroczki Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucitapotockyi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucitasedlaceki Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucitatonda Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucitaerzayi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucitasokolovi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , and Alucitahirsuta Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov . Additionally, four additional species are reported from the Mount Cameroon area as new for the country: Alucitaagassizi , Alucitadohertyi , Alucitaplumigera , and Alucitarhaptica . Of the 89 Alucitidae known from the Afrotropics, the studied area hosts 36 species, most of which are endemic to the area. This unprecedented level of diversity and endemism within this lepidopteran family highlights Mount Cameroon's significance as a stronghold for specialised insect taxa. Efficient conservation efforts are necessary to protect these ecosystems and their associated unique microlepidopteran diversity., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Peter Ustjuzhanin, Vasily Kovtunovich, Sylvain Delabye, Vincent Maicher, Szabolcs Sáfián, Alexander Streltzov, Robert Tropek.)

Butterflies are a diverse and charismatic insect group that are thought to have evolved with plants and dispersed throughout the world in response to key geological events. However, these hypotheses have not been extensively tested because a comprehensive phylogenetic framework and datasets for butterfly larval hosts and global distributions are lacking. We sequenced 391 genes from nearly 2,300 butterfly species, sampled from 90 countries and 28 specimen collections, to reconstruct a new phylogenomic tree of butterflies representing 92% of all genera. Our phylogeny has strong support for nearly all nodes and demonstrates that at least 36 butterfly tribes require reclassification. Divergence time analyses imply an origin ~100 million years ago for butterflies and indicate that all but one family were present before the K/Pg extinction event. We aggregated larval host datasets and global distribution records and found that butterflies are likely to have first fed on Fabaceae and originated in what is now the Americas. Soon after the Cretaceous Thermal Maximum, butterflies crossed Beringia and diversified in the Palaeotropics. Our results also reveal that most butterfly species are specialists that feed on only one larval host plant family. However, generalist butterflies that consume two or more plant families usually feed on closely related plants., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Africa has undergone a progressive aridification during the last 20 My that presumably impacted organisms and fostered the evolution of life history adaptations. We test the hypothesis that shift to living in ant nests and feeding on ant brood by larvae of phyto-predaceous Lepidochrysops butterflies was an adaptive response to the aridification of Africa that facilitated the subsequent radiation of butterflies in this genus. Using anchored hybrid enrichment we constructed a time-calibrated phylogeny for Lepidochrysops and its closest, non-parasitic relatives in the Euchrysops section (Poloyommatini). We estimated ancestral areas across the phylogeny with process-based biogeographical models and diversification rates relying on time-variable and clade-heterogeneous birth-death models. The Euchrysops section originated with the emerging Miombo woodlands about 22 million years ago (Mya) and spread to drier biomes as they became available in the late Miocene. The diversification of the non-parasitic lineages decreased as aridification intensified around 10 Mya, culminating in diversity decline. In contrast, the diversification of the phyto-predaceous Lepidochrysops lineage proceeded rapidly from about 6.5 Mya when this unusual life history likely first evolved. The Miombo woodlands were the cradle for diversification of the Euchrysops section, and our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that aridification during the Miocene selected for a phyto-predaceous life history in species of Lepidochrysops , with ant nests likely providing caterpillars a safe refuge from fire and a source of food when vegetation was scarce., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2023 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The nymphalid butterfly Euphaedra neophron (Hopffer, 1855) is the only structurally coloured species representing the genus along the Indian Ocean coast in East Africa and Southern Africa, with a distribution from southern Somalia to the Kwa-Zulu-Natal region of South Africa. The range of E. neophron is subdivided to several, geographically distinct populations, currently recognised as subspecies by taxonomists on the basis of violet, blue, and green-coloured morphs. We investigated the optical mechanism of all these morphs by various materials science techniques. We found that the structural colour is generated by the lower lamina of the cover scales and the different colours are tuned according to their thickness, which was also proved by modelling. The colour tuning of the different subspecies does not reflect any clinal pattern, be it geographical or altitudinal.

A new species in the genus Precis (Papilionoidea, Nymphalidae, Nymphalinae), described in this paper as P. koivoguii sp. n., was discovered in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea, West Africa, and specimens were also identified from the neighbouring mountainous area in Ivory Coast in the broader Guinea Highlands. In appearance the species is similar to some wet season forms of the widely distributed P. pelarga and the Madagascan P. andremiaja, but in size and wingshape, it also resembles P. ceryne, and could have been a natural hybrid between this latter species and P. pelarga. The specific distinction from these taxa was confirmed by marked differences in male genitalia and constant phenotypic characteristics. Based on the type series, it was thought that the new species might be endemic to mid- and high-altitude habitats, particularly forest-scrub-grassland edges or wetlands in the broader Guinea Highlands but a new photographic record from western Ghana suggests a much wider distribution in suitable habitats of the Upper Guinean forest zone.

Similarities in male and female genitalic structure isolate a small group of taxa in the genus Iolaus Hübner, [1819], subgenus Philiolaus Stempffer & Bennett, 1958, related to Iolaus aequatorialis Stempffer & Bennett, 1958. They are assigned to the newly proposed I. aequatorialis species group with two new species recognised and described. This action also clarifies previous taxonomic misunderstandings involving a few other species with similar facies because of a lack of information on male and female genital morphology.

Compared to other regions, the drivers of diversification in Africa are poorly understood. We studied a radiation of insects with over 100 species occurring in a wide range of habitats across the Afrotropics to investigate the fundamental evolutionary processes and geological events that generate and maintain patterns of species richness on the continent. By investigating the evolutionary history of Bicyclus butterflies within a phylogenetic framework, we inferred the group's origin at the Oligo-Miocene boundary from ancestors in the Congolian rainforests of central Africa. Abrupt climatic fluctuations during the Miocene (ca. 19-17 Ma) likely fragmented ancestral populations, resulting in at least eight early-divergent lineages. Only one of these lineages appears to have diversified during the drastic climate and biome changes of the early Miocene, radiating into the largest group of extant species. The other seven lineages diversified in forest ecosystems during the late Miocene and Pleistocene when climatic conditions were more favorable-warmer and wetter. Our results suggest changing Neogene climate, uplift of eastern African orogens, and biotic interactions have had different effects on the various subclades of Bicyclus, producing one of the most spectacular butterfly radiations in Africa. [Afrotropics; biodiversity; biome; biotic interactions; Court Jester; extinction; grasslands; paleoclimates; Red Queen; refugia forests; dependent-diversification; speciation.]., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Systematic Biologists.)

The tribe Junoniini is a predominantly Paleotropical group of the cosmopolitan butterfly subfamily Nymphalinae (Nymphalidae), with highest diversity in the Afrotropical region. Its systematics and relationships are not entirely resolved. Question marks remain concerning the validity of some genera; and the apparently close relationship between the Indo-Australian genus Yoma and the Afrotropical Protogoniomorpha, as evidenced by molecular phylogenies, remains a puzzle. Here, we present a cladistic analysis, based on 42 characters of the male and female genitalia of 41 species of Junoniini belonging to six genera, nearly all of them continental Afrotropical, and 3 species of two Indo-Australian genera Yoma and Rhinopalpa. A ML COI-based tree is produced for 36 species of Afrotropical Junoniini and Yoma. The molecular data are consistent with previous studies. However, morphological analysis does not confirm a close relationship between Protogoniomorpha and Yoma. Despite the evolution of a number of modifications, the male genitalia within all genera and species of the Junoniini share a cohesive build plan, in particular a transformed sacculus, from which Yoma is highly divergent. The position of the genus Kamilla, previously synonymized with Junonia, is discussed. Three East African coast taxa, Junonia elgiva stat. reinst., Protogoniomorpha nebulosa stat. reinst. and Salamis amaniensis stat. reinst., and one from central Africa, Precis silvicola stat. reinst. are raised to species level, based on comparative analysis of their male genitalia.

Five new species of Epitola s.l. (Lycaenidae: Poritiinae) are described in the genera Stempfferia Jackson, 1962 and Cephetola Libert, 1999. Stempfferia salonga sp. n. was found in the 'Cuvette Centrale' of the Democratic Republic of Congo and a single specimen was identified also from southern Cameroon. The similar S. buea sp. n. is known only from the unique holotype collected at the foothills of Mount Cameroon, while S. michelliberti sp. n. is distributed in lowland rainforest between southeast Ivory Coast and Guinea. The new species of Cephetola were found only in Liberia. Cephetola praecox sp. n. is known from a single upland forest locality in the Putu Range, whereas C. wologizi sp. n. was collected also in upland forest in the Wologizi Mountains.

Butterflies and moths are conspicuous flower visitors but their role in plant-pollinator interactions has rarely been quantified, especially in tropical rainforests. Moreover, we have virtually no knowledge of environmental factors affecting the role of lepidopterans in pollination networks. We videorecorded flower-visiting butterflies and hawkmoths on 212 plant species (> 26,000 recorded hrs) along the complete elevational gradient of rainforests on Mount Cameroon in dry and wet seasons. Altogether, we recorded 734 flower visits by 80 butterfly and 27 hawkmoth species, representing only ~ 4% of all flower visits. Although lepidopterans visited flowers of only a third of the plant species, they appeared to be key visitors for several plants. Lepidopterans visited flowers most frequently at mid-elevations and dry season, mirroring their local elevational patterns of diversity. Characteristics of interaction networks showed no apparent elevational or seasonal patterns, probably because of the high specialisation of all networks. Significant non-linear changes of proboscis and forewing lengths were found along elevation. A positive relationship between the lengths of proboscis of hesperiid butterflies and tube of visited flowers was detected. Differences in floral preferences were found between sphingids and butterflies, revealing the importance of nectar production, floral size and shape for sphingids, and floral colour for butterflies. The revealed trait-matching and floral preferences confirmed their potential to drive floral evolution in tropical ecosystems.

Several new butterfly species in the family Lycaenidae were found during recent field surveys in Liberia. Amongst these, quite a few were collected as singletons or in small series, represented by only one of the sexes. This paper describes and illustrates the previously unknown sexes of four of those species which were subsequently found, adding new locality records to their known distribution.

Mount Cameroon, SW Cameroon, has already been described as a unique hotspot of the many-plumed moth (Lepidoptera, Alucitidae), with their local diversity unrivalled in the entire Afrotropics. We confirm its importance with description of seven new species: Alucita bakweri Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucita jana Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucita bakingili Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucita tatjana Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucita zuza Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , Alucita deja Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. , and Alucita bokwango Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. nov. These descriptions have raised the known local diversity of many-plumed moth species on Mount Cameroon to 22, i.e., over a quarter of the known Afrotropical biodiversity of this group. This study also emphasises the great conservation importance of the area., (Peter Ustjuzhanin, Vasily Kovtunovich, Vincent Maicher, Szabolcs Sáfián, Sylvain Delabye, Alexander Streltzov, Robert Tropek.)

Background: The biodiversity of West and Central Africa is understudied, including butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera). Cameroon, through its position in between few biogeographic regions and diversity of habitats, is an important hotspot of lepidopteran diversity. However, the country also ranks low when it comes to local biodiversity knowledge. During our long-term ecological projects in the Cameroonian part of the Gulf of Guinea Highlands, we collected rich material of butterflies and moths, including a number of interesting faunistic records., New Information: In this study, we report 31 species of butterflies and moths which have not yet been recorded in Cameroon. These species comprised eight new genera records for the country. In many cases, our records represented an important extension of the species' known distribution, including ten species whose distribution ranges extended into the Guinean biogeographic region. We also comment on the species' elevational distribution ranges on Mount Cameroon where most of our records originated. Additionally, we confirm the presence of a butterfly Telchinia encedena , after more than a century since its first and so far its only record in Cameroon., (Sylvain Delabye, Vincent Maicher, Szabolcs Sáfián, Pavel Potocký, Jan E.J. Mertens, Łukasz Przybyłowicz, Mercy Murkwe, Ishmeal N. Kobe, Eric B. Fokam, Štěpán Janeček, Robert Tropek.)

Amerila is one of the most studied Afrotropical genera of Arctiinae. However, based on a regionally constrained sample of specimens from Mount Cameroon, we show how superficial our knowledge on these tiger moths is. Among six collected Amerila species, A. femina's female is described here for the first time, and A. mulleri and A. roseomarginata had never been recorded before in the country. Moreover, novel biological data are presented, including individual species' elevational ranges. Finally, female reproductive organs of the genus are illustrated here for the first time. The value of such regional studies is highlighted, with some remarks on necessary requirements of such small-scaled field sampling.

During extensive field work in West Africa (Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Sierra Leone), the authors collected two skipper species in the genus Andronymus (Lepidoptera, Hesperiidae), which would not fit the descriptions of any existing taxa. Both are described as new, A. magma sp. nov. is known only from Cameroon, while A. fenestra sp. nov. was found in a few localities in the Liberian sub-region of West Africa.

The knowledge of the clearwing moth genus Lolibaia Gorbunov Gurko, 2017, recently described from South Sudan and until now known only from a single, damaged specimen, is extended by three new species from different parts of Africa including the as yet unknown female of the genus. L. jurateae sp. nov. is based on a single male from Kakamega Forest, Kenya; L. triangularis sp. nov. is based on six males from different localities in north-western Zambia, and L. polythyris sp. nov. is described from two females from the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Provinces, South Africa.

Although seasonality in the tropics is often less pronounced than in temperate areas, tropical ecosystems show seasonal dynamics as well. Nevertheless, individual tropical insects' phenological patterns are still poorly understood, especially in the Afrotropics. To fill this gap, we investigated biodiversity patterns of Lepidoptera communities at three rainforest localities in the foothills of Mount Cameroon, West Africa, one of the wettest places in the world. Our multitaxa approach covered six lepidopteran groups (fruit-feeding butterflies and moths, the families Sphingidae, Saturniidae, and Eupterotidae, and the subfamily Arctiinae of Erebidae) with diverse life strategies. We sampled adults of the focal groups in three distinct seasons. Our sampling included standardized bait trapping (80 traps exposed for 10 days per locality and season) and attraction by light (six full nights per locality and season). Altogether, our dataset comprised 20,576 specimens belonging to 559 (morpho)species of the focal groups. The biodiversity of Lepidoptera generally increased in the high-dry season, and either increased (fruit-feeding moths, Arctiinae, Saturniidae) or decreased (butterflies, Sphingidae) in the transition to the wet season in particular groups. Simultaneously, we revealed a strong species turnover of fruit-feeding Lepidoptera and Arctiinae among the seasons, indicating relatively high specialization of these communities for particular seasons. Such temporal specialization can make the local communities of butterflies and moths especially sensitive to the expected seasonal perturbations caused by the global change. Because of the key role of Lepidoptera across trophic levels, such changes in their communities could strengthen this impact on entire tropical ecosystems.

A new species of Sesiidae, discovered during a Lepidoptera survey in the Nimba Mountains, Guinea (West Africa) is described as Conopsia puehringeri sp. nov. The new species is compared to its potential sister species C. bicolor (Le Cerf, 1917), in sense of external morphology and genitalia structure. Male specimens and genitalia of both studied species are depicted.

Fifteen species of many-plumed moths are recorded from the Mount Cameroon area, SW Cameroon, West Africa. Nine species: Alucitalongipenis Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , A.lidiya Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , A.ludmila Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , A.escobari Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , A.mischenini Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , A.fokami Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , A.janeceki Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , A.besongi Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , and A.olga Ustjuzhanin & Kovtunovich, sp. n. , are described as new for science. Four species are recorded as new from Cameroon: A.acalyptra , A.chloracta , A.coffeina , and A.spicifera . By these records, the Mount Cameroon area has become the richest known Afrotropical locality for the Alucitidae, highlighting its tremendous value for biodiversity conservation.

The butterfly Mimeresia neavei (Joicey & Talbot, 1921) is the only species in the exclusively African subtribal clade Mimacraeina (Lipteninae: Lycaenidae: Lepidoptera) having sexual dimorphism expressed by structurally blue-colored male and pigmentary colored orange-red female phenotypes. We investigated the optical mechanism generating the male blue color by various microscopic and experimental methods. It was found that the blue color is produced by the lower lamina of the scale acting as a thin film. This kind of color production is not rare in day-flying Lepidoptera, or in other insect orders. The biological role of the blue color of M. neavei is not yet well understood, as all the other species in the clade lack structural coloration, and have less pronounced sexual dimorphism, and are involved in mimicry-rings.

There have been no special studies on plume moths of Liberia until recently. In the World Catalogue of Insects (Gielis 2003) only two species are reported from Liberia: Agdistis tamaricis (Zeller, 1847) and Megalorhipida leucodactyla (Fabricius, 1794) despite its well-known richness for other Lepidoptera groups (Fox et al. 1965, Larsen 2005) and its biogeographic position in the centre of the Upper Guinean biodiversity hotspot (Myers et al. 2000).

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.

Two new endemic butterfly species from the genus Bebearia: B. oshogbo sp. nov. and B. wojtusiaki sp. nov., are described from western Nigeria; B. oshogbo is most closely related to the Guineo-Congolian B. tentyris (Hewitson) and the Upper Guinean B. osyris (Schultze), whereas B. wojtusiaki constitutes a morphological and biogeographic link between the Central African B. plistonax (Hewitson) and the Upper Guinean endemic B. arcadius (Fabricius). The finding of these new species gives further strong evidence that western Nigeria should be recognized as a distinct biogeographic sub-region of West Africa, as the area hosts a substantial number of endemic taxa (listed in the discussion).

A field survey of Mount Cameroon, South-West Province, Cameroon, revealed two butterfly species new to science. Lepidochrysops liberti sp. nov. (Lycaenidae) flies in the extensive mosaic of natural clearings in sub-montane forest above 1100 m a.s.l., whereas Ceratrichia fako sp. nov. (Hesperiidae) locally inhabits the forested narrow gullies in the same vegetation zone. Observations on the habitat and behaviour of both species are also presented.

Members of the skipper tribe Baorini generally resemble each other and are characterized by dark brown wings with hyaline white spots. These shared characteristics have caused difficulties with revealing the relationships among genera and species in the group, and some conflicting taxonomic views remain unresolved. The present study aims to infer a more comprehensive phylogeny of the tribe using molecular data, to test the monophyly of the tribe as well as the genera it includes in order to clarify their taxonomic status, and finally to revise the current classification of the group. In order to reconstruct a phylogenetic tree, the mitochondrial COI-COII and 16S genes as well as the nuclear EF-1α and 28S genes were analyzed using parsimony, maximum likelihood, and Bayesian inference. The analysis included 67 specimens of 41 species, and we confirmed the monophyly of Baorini, and revealed that 14 genera are well supported. The genus Borbo is separated into three clades: Borbo, Pseudoborbo, and Larsenia gen. nov. We confirmed that Polytremis is polyphyletic and separated into three genera: Polytremis, Zinaida, and Zenonoida gen. nov., and also confirmed that the genus Prusiana is a member of the tribe. Relationships among some genera were strongly supported. For example, Zenonia and Zenonoida were found to be sister taxa, closely related to Zinaida and Iton, while Pelopidas and Baoris were also found to cluster together.

The cossid or the Carpenter Moths (Lepidoptera, Cossidae) include about 1000 species worldwide (van Nieukerken et al., 2011), of which 750 species belong to five subfamilies that occur in the Old World (Yakovlev 2011). The Cossidae are still relatively poorly known from vast areas of the African continent, despite recent reports on the fauna of Malawi (Yakovlev & Murphey 2014), Zimbabwe (Yakovlev & Lenz 2014), and Zambia (Yakovlev 2014). The first results of an ongoing revision of the South African Cossidae have also been published (Mey 2015).

Afrotropical Acraeini butterflies provide a fascinating potential model system to contrast with the Neotropical Heliconiini, yet their phylogeny remains largely unexplored by molecular methods and their generic level nomenclature is still contentious. To test the potential of mitogenomes in a simultaneous analysis of the radiation, we sequenced the full mitochondrial genomes of 19 African species. Analyses show the potential of mitogenomic phylogeny reconstruction in this group. Inferred relationships are largely congruent with a previous multilocus study. We confirm a monophyletic Telchinia to include the Asiatic Pareba with a complicated paraphylum, traditional (sub)genus Acraea, toward the base. The results suggest that several proposed subgenera and some species groups within Telchinia are not monophyletic, while two other (sub)genera could possibly be combined. Telchinia was recovered without strong support as sister to the potentially interesting system of distasteful model butterflies known as Bematistes, a name that is suppressed in some treatments. Surprisingly, we find that this taxon has remarkably divergent mitogenomes and unexpected synapomorphic tRNA rearrangements. These gene order changes, combined with evidence for deviating dN/dS ratios and evidence for episodal diversifying selection, suggest that the ancestral Bematistes mitogenome has had a turbulent past. Our study adds genetic support for treating this clade as a distinct genus, while the alternative option, adopted by some authors, of Acraea being equivalent to Acraeini merely promotes redundancy. We pave the way for more detailed mitogenomic and multi-locus molecular analyses which can determine how many genera are needed (possibly at least six) to divide Acraeini into monophyletic groups that also facilitate communication about their biology., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Finding of two undescribed species, closely related to Eresiomera paradoxa (Schultze, 1917) in Liberia and the Democratic Repubic of Congo led the authors to revise the material available in the African Butterfly Reserarch Institute (ABRI), Nairobi. Examination of the material revealed that the placement of E. paradoxa and the related species neither in the genus Eresiomera Clench, 1965, nor in Pseuderesia Butler, 1874 in which the species was originally described, is satisfactory, based on characters offered by the wings and genitalia. Solving the problem a new genus, Parasiomera gen. nov. is erected for E. paradoxa and related taxa and two new species are described: P. alfa sp. nov., P. kivuensis sp. nov. The taxon orientalis Stempffer, 1962 orignally described as subspecies of Pseuderesia paradoxa is also elevated to species rank and placed in the new genus resulting the new combination and new status Parasiomera orientalis (Stempffer, 1962). To secure objectivity of the name usage of P. paradoxa, the only existing syntpe is designated as lectotype.

Two Geritola (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) species, closely related to the Central African G. nitidica, have been recognised as new to science. G. wardi sp. n. was captured in small series in Mabira, an eastern outlier forest in Uganda, while G. pacifica sp. n. was discovered in Liberia, in classic Upper-Guinean hyper-wet rainforests. Both of them are described in comparison to their allopatric relative G. nitidica, including male genitalia.

Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - http://www.predicts.org.uk). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.

A new species belonging to the recently revised Neurellipes mahota-group has been found in the Cross River Loop, Eastern Nigeria. It resembles the recently described Liberian N. georgiadisi Larsen, 2009, but differs from it by the wing shape and the extent and shape of orange patches on the hindwing, also on the forewing, especially in the discoidal cell. The species is described as N. rhoko sp. n.; a detailed comparison with the other species in the N. mahota-group is given, as well as notes on the biogeography of N. rhoko and its Liberian sub-region vicariant N. georgiadisi.

Updated data on the distribution, ecology and taxonomy of Euphaedra cyparissa (Cramer) and Euphaedra sarcoptera (Butler) are presented. Three new subspecies of Euphaedra cyparissa and one of Euphaedra sarcoptera are described and their geographic distribution is presented. The monophyly of the genus Euphaedra sensu Hecq is assessed based on morphological, in particular male and female genitalia, and behavioural traits. Possible evolutionary reasons for the convergence of colour pattern between the sympatric subspecies of Euphaedra cyparissa and Euphaedra sarcoptera are discussed.

Two new butterfly species belonging to the genus Aphnaeus (Lycaenidae: Theclinae), A. mirabilis sp. n., A. nimbaensis sp. n. were found in the Nimba Mountains, Western Range, Liberia in February 2012. Both are illustrated and described in comparison with closely related species: A. flavescens Stempffer, 1954 and A. liberti Bouyer, 1996, respectively. Genitalia of the male holotype of A. nimbaensis are also illustrated.