One-quarter of freshwater fauna threatened with extinction.

Freshwater ecosystems are highly biodiverse and important for livelihoods and economic development, but are under substantial stress. To date, comprehensive global assessments of extinction risk have not included any speciose groups primarily living in freshwaters. Consequently, data from predominantly terrestrial tetrapods are used to guide environmental policy and conservation prioritization, whereas recent proposals for target setting in freshwaters use abiotic factors.

Mechanical network equivalence between the katydid and mammalian inner ears.

Mammalian hearing operates on three basic steps: 1) sound capturing, 2) impedance conversion, and 3) frequency analysis. While these canonical steps are vital for acoustic communication and survival in mammals, they are not unique to them. An equivalent mechanism has been described for katydids (Insecta), and it is unique to this group among invertebrates.

The first records of Microprosthema pernambucensis (Bochini, Cunha, Terossi & Almeida, 2020) and Odontozona addaia Pretus, 1990 from the tropical eastern Atlantic (Decapoda: Stenopodidea).

Two species of stenopodidean shrimps are newly recorded from the tropical eastern Atlantic, each representing considerable extensions to their previously known biogeographical ranges. The shrimp genus Chicosciencea Bochini, Cunha, Terossi & Almeida, 2020, is confirmed as a junior synonym of Microprosthema Stimpson, 1860. Microprosthema pernambucensis (Bochini, Cunha, Terossi & Almeida, 2020), previously only known from northeastern Brazil, is reported for the first time from the tropical eastern Atlantic based on material collected in subtidal lava tubes on the coast of Sal, Cabo Verde, and re-illustrated in view of the limited original description.

Rediscovery of the Endangered Pseudophilotes fatma (Oberthür, 1890) (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) in Algeria after 71 years, with an update on its distribution and designation of a lectotype.

Pseudophilotes fatma (Oberthür, 1890) is a Palearctic butterfly species endemic to the Maghreb region, characterised by a highly restricted distribution and "Endangered" conservation status. Recent field observations in Batna Province, northeastern Algeria, have documented new localities for P. fatma, marking its rediscovery after a 71-year absence.

The genome sequence of the yellow mealworm beetle, Linnaeus, 1758.

We present a genome assembly from a male yellow mealworm larva (Arthropoda; Insecta; Coleoptera; Tenebrionidae). The genome sequence has a total length of 277.00 megabases.

The last days of Aporia crataegi (L.) in Britain: Evaluating genomic erosion in an extirpated butterfly.

Current rates of habitat degradation and climate change are causing unprecedented declines in global biodiversity. Studies on vertebrates highlight how conservation genomics can be effective in identifying and managing threatened populations, but it is unclear how vertebrate-derived metrics of genomic erosion translate to invertebrates, with their markedly different population sizes and life histories. The Black-veined White butterfly (Aporia crataegi) was extirpated from Britain in the 1920s.

The origins of mammal growth patterns during the Jurassic mammalian radiation.

We use synchrotron x-ray tomography of annual growth increments in the dental cementum of mammaliaforms (stem and crown fossil mammals) from three faunas across the Jurassic to map the origin of patterns of mammalian growth patterns, which are intrinsically related to mammalian endothermy. Although all fossils studied exhibited slower growth rates, longer life spans, and delayed sexual maturity relative to comparably sized extant mammals, the earliest crown mammals developed significantly faster growth rates in early life that reduced at sexual maturity, compared to stem mammaliaforms. Estimation of basal metabolic rates (BMRs) suggests that some fossil crown mammals had BMRs approaching the lowest rates of extant mammals.

Allometry and ecology shape eye size evolution in spiders.

Eye size affects many aspects of visual function, but eyes are costly to grow and maintain. The allometry of eyes can provide insight into this trade-off, but this has mainly been explored in species that have two eyes of equal size. By contrast, animals possessing larger visual systems can exhibit variable eye sizes within individuals.

Increasing control over biomineralization in conodont evolution.

Vertebrates use the phosphate mineral apatite in their skeletons, which allowed them to develop tissues such as enamel, characterized by an outstanding combination of hardness and elasticity. It has been hypothesized that the evolution of the earliest vertebrate skeletal tissues, found in the teeth of the extinct group of conodonts, was driven by adaptation to dental function. We test this hypothesis quantitatively and demonstrate that the crystallographic order increased throughout the early evolution of conodont teeth in parallel with morphological adaptation to food processing.

A new interpretation of Pikaia reveals the origins of the chordate body plan.

Our understanding of the evolutionary origin of Chordata, one of the most disparate and ecologically significant animal phyla, is hindered by a lack of unambiguous stem-group relatives. Problematic Cambrian fossils that have been considered as candidate chordates include vetulicolians,Yunnanozoon, and the iconic Pikaia. However, their phylogenetic placement has remained poorly constrained, impeding reconstructions of character evolution along the chordate stem lineage.

Preserved appendages in a Silurian binodicope: implications for the evolutionary history of ostracod crustaceans.

Ostracod crustaceans originated at least 500 Ma ago. Their tiny bivalved shells represent the most species-abundant fossil arthropods, and ostracods are omnipresent in a wide array of freshwater and marine environments today and in the past. gen.

Ediacaran marine animal forests and the ventilation of the oceans.

The rise of animals across the Ediacaran-Cambrian transition marked a step-change in the history of life, from a microbially dominated world to the complex macroscopic biosphere we see today. While the importance of bioturbation and swimming in altering the structure and function of Earth systems is well established, the influence of epifaunal animals on the hydrodynamics of marine environments is not well understood. Of particular interest are the oldest "marine animal forests," which comprise a diversity of sessile soft-bodied organisms dominated by the fractally branching rangeomorphs.

An atlas of spider development at single-cell resolution provides new insights into arthropod embryogenesis.

Spiders are a diverse order of chelicerates that diverged from other arthropods over 500 million years ago. Research on spider embryogenesis, particularly studies using the common house spider Parasteatoda tepidariorum, has made important contributions to understanding the evolution of animal development, including axis formation, segmentation, and patterning. However, we lack knowledge about the cells that build spider embryos, their gene expression profiles and fate.

Siwalik sabrecats: review and revised diagnosis of fossils from the foothills of the Himalaya.

The diagnosis of different fossil taxa in small collections from disparate geographical and temporal contexts is a common challenge in palaeontology. The likely number of morphospecies of the extinct sabretooth cat is a classic example and subject of long-standing debate. While analyses of global fossil collections have provided insights and hypotheses, specimens from the foothills of the Himalaya-the Siwaliks-have been overlooked in recent treatments due to poor characterization and a confused taxonomic history.

Palaeogenomic insights into the origins of early settlers on the island of Cyprus.

Archaeological evidence supports sporadic seafaring visits to the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus by Epipaleolithic hunter-gatherers over 12,000 years ago, followed by permanent settlements during the early Neolithic. The geographical origins of these early seafarers have so far remained elusive. By systematically analysing all available genomes from the late Pleistocene to early Holocene Near East (c.

Interdisciplinary public engagement: untapped potential?

Public engagement projects developed by university-based academics tend to focus on specific academic topics. Yet, the problems and topics that our audiences want to engage with are broad, challenging, and can't be explained or solved by a single academic subject or expertise. In this article, we capitalise on our experience working with academics at the University of Oxford, and a workshop for public engagement professionals that we co-organised with the National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement, to advocate for a novel approach: interdisciplinary public engagement (public engagement projects that bring together academics from several academic disciplines).

Moss bugs shed light on the evolution of complex bioacoustic systems.

Vibroacoustic signalling is one of the dominant strategies of animal communication, especially in small invertebrates. Among insects, the order Hemiptera displays a staggering diversity of vibroacoustic organs and is renowned for possessing biomechanically complex elastic recoil devices such as tymbals and snapping organs that enable robust vibrational communication. However, our understanding of the evolution of hemipteran elastic recoil devices is hindered by the absence of relevant data in the phylogenetically important group known as moss bugs (Coleorrhyncha), which produce substrate-borne vibrations through an unknown mechanism.

Three new species of Afropselaphus Jeannel, 1950 (Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae) from Greece and a redescription of Pselaphogenius treskanus (Karaman, 1940).

Three new species of the genus Afropselaphus Jeannel, 1950, Afropselaphus taygetensis sp. n., Afropselaphus tymficus sp.

Spilogona dispar (Falln, 1823) and its Palaearctic relatives (Diptera: Muscidae).

A key is given to Spilogona dispar (Falln, 1823) and three related Palaearctic species. Spilogona paradispar sp. nov.

Redescription of Caridina sobrina Riek, 1953 stat. nov. and description of a new species of Caridina from south-eastern Queensland (Decapoda, Atyidae).

Caridina sobrina Riek, 1953, only known from Fraser Island (Queensland, Australia), is redescribed and elevated from subspecies to species level. A morphologically very similar species, Caridina pagei sp. nov.

A giant stem-group chaetognath.

Chaetognaths, with their characteristic grasping spines, are the oldest known pelagic predators, found in the lowest Cambrian (Terreneuvian). Here, we describe a large stem chaetognath, gen. et sp.

Reconstructing the feeding ecology of Cambrian sponge reefs: the case for active suspension feeding in Archaeocyatha.

Sponge-grade Archaeocyatha were early Cambrian biomineralizing metazoans that constructed reefs globally. Despite decades of research, many facets of archaeocyath palaeobiology remain unclear, making it difficult to reconstruct the palaeoecology of Cambrian reef ecosystems. Of specific interest is how these organisms fed; previous experimental studies have suggested that archaeocyaths functioned as passive suspension feeders relying on ambient currents to transport nutrient-rich water into their central cavities.

The genome sequence of the Swift Louse Fly (Latreille, 1812).

We present a genome assembly from an individual female (the Swift Louse Fly; Arthropoda; Insecta; Diptera; Hippoboscidae). The genome sequence is 177.0 megabases in span.