From museum drawer to tree: Historical DNA phylogenomics clarifies the systematics of rare dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae) from museum collections.

Although several methods exist for extracting and sequencing historical DNA originating from dry-preserved insect specimens deposited in natural history museums, no consensus exists as to what is the optimal approach. We demonstrate that a customized, low-cost archival DNA extraction protocol (∼€10 per sample), in combination with Ultraconserved Elements (UCEs), is an effective tool for insect phylogenomic studies. We successfully tested our approach by sequencing DNA from scarab dung beetles preserved in both wet and dry collections, including unique primary type and rare historical specimens from internationally important natural history museums in London, Paris and Helsinki.

New or poorly known species of Sinodrepanus Simonis, 1985 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Oniticellini), with the first identification key for the genus.

The taxonomy and distribution of seven species of Sinodrepanus Simonis, 1985 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Oniticellini) is studied. Sinodrepanus schoenfeldi Montanaro, new species from India and Laos is described and illustrated. The morphologically similar and poorly known Sinodrepanus exsul (Sharp, 1875) is redescribed and illustrated, including the previously unknown female.

Beyond natural language: an ontology-based description of a new dung beetle from Madagascar (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae).

Background: The dung beetle genus (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae, Scarabaeini), predominantly found in the arid regions of the Old World, includes three endemic species inhabiting the dry ecosystems of western and southern Madagascar. These species are presumed to form a monophyletic clade nested within the African .Semantic modelling of phenotypes using ontologies represents a transformative approach to species description in biology, making phenotypic data FAIR and computable.

Computable species descriptions and nanopublications: applying ontology-based technologies to dung beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae).

Background: Taxonomy has long struggled with analysing vast amounts of phenotypic data due to computational and accessibility challenges. Ontology-based technologies provide a framework for modelling semantic phenotypes that are understandable by computers and compliant with FAIR principles. In this paper, we explore the use of Phenoscript, an emerging language designed for creating semantic phenotypes, to produce computable species descriptions.

Towards computable taxonomic knowledge: Leveraging nanopublications for sharing new synonyms in the Madagascan genus (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae).

Background: Numerous taxonomic studies have focused on the dung beetle genus d'Orbigny, 1915, endemic to Madagascar. However, this genus stilll needs a thorough revision. Semantic technologies, such as nanopublications, hold the potential to enhance taxonomy by transforming how data are published and analysed.

A new species of Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 endemic to the Arabian Peninsula (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Onthophagini).

Onthophagus (Furconthophagus) shaykh Montanaro Ziani, new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Onthophagini), until now confused with Onthophagus (Furconthophagus) aethiopicus dOrbigny, 1902, is described, illustrated, and compared with morphologically similar taxa. The phylogenetic relationships between the new species and the Palaearctic Onthophagus (Furconthophagus) furcatus (Fabricius, 1781) are briefly discussed.

Taxonomic notes on the genus Sinodrepanus Simonis, 1985, with description of the male of S. falsus (Sharp, 1875) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Oniticellini).

The taxonomy of two species of the genus Sinodrepanus Simonis, 1985 (Scarabaeidae: Oniticellini: Drepanocerina) is clarified. The male of Sinodrepanus falsus (Sharp, 1875) is described and illustrated for the first time, while Sinodrepanus exsul (Sharp, 1875), until now considered by most authors a synonym of S. falsus, is recognized as valid species, as already suggested by Simonis (1985).