A new species of the genus Ovalona Van Damme & Dumont, 2008 (Cladocera: Anomopoda: Chydoridae) from South-East Asia, related to Australian Ovalona archeri (Sars, 1888).

A new species of Ovalona Van Damme & Dumont, 2008 (Cladocera: Anomopoda) related to the rare Australian species Ovalona archeri (Sars, 1888), is described from the Mekong Delta, South Vietnam. Ovalona garibiani sp. nov.

Redescription of Ilyocryptus raridentatus Smirnov, 1989 (Cladocera: Ilyocryptidae).

During recent years, many taxa of water fleas (Crustacea: Cladocera) with wide distribution ranges were revised and finally accepted as groups of cryptic species. Here we provide a redescription of Ilyocryptus raridentatus Smirnov, 1989 (Anomopoda: Ilyocryptidae). Our study clearly confirms that I.

A new species of Neohylomys (Eulipotyphla: Galericidae) from northern Vietnam.

A new species of gymnure of the genus Neohylomys is described from northern Vietnam based on morphological and molecular differences. The species Neohylomys vietnamensis sp. nov.

New data on distribution of Phoenicurusia transcaucasicus (Miller, 1923) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) with description of a new subspecies from Iran.

Distribution of Phoenicurusia transcaucasicus (Miller, 1923) in Iran and neighbouring territories is clarified based on analysis of DNA barcodes, the male genitalia and wing pattern of adults. Our study revealed the widespread distribution of Ph. transcaucasicus throughout northern, northeastern and central Iran.

Morphological description and DNA barcoding of Diamesa achipseensis sp. nov. (Diptera: Chironomidae: Diamesinae) from Southwestern Caucasus.

Illustrated description of adult male, as well as DNA barcoding, of Diamesa achipseensis sp. nov. in comparison with close related species D.

Study of rarely occurring males of Bosminopsis сf. africanus Daday, 1908 (Cladocera: Bosminidae) from SE Asia permits clarification of male-character based differentiation within the genus.

The genus Bosminopsis Richard, 1895 (Cladocera: Bosminidae) is common in the tropics and subtropics of different continents. B. deitersi Richard, 1895 was regarded as a cosmopolitan taxon, but in our previous publications, we have demonstrated the presence of at least four species in the world fauna.

Three new species of the genus Pseudachorutella Stach, 1949 (Collembola, Neanuridae) from Russia.

Three new species of the genus Pseudachorutella, namely P. circassiana sp. nov.

Amarysius coreanus (Okamoto, 1924), stat. rest.-a species of Korean fauna (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae).

N/A.

On a small collection of linyphiid spiders from mountain Phoenix, Liaoning Province, China, with the description of a new species (Linyphiidae).

A small series of spiders collected from a low mountain Phoenix in Liaoning Province of China, contains five linyphiid species, one of which, Platyspira scissa sp. nov. (♂, ♀), is described as new.

How do trematode clones differ by fitness-related traits and interact within a host?

Polyclonal infections are widespread and provide evidence of facilitation, competition, and neutral interactions between parasite clones, even within the same host-parasite system. The outcome of coinfections is usually assessed by means of parasite infection intensities, while other important fitness-related traits, e.g.

Soil microbiomes show consistent and predictable responses to extreme events.

Increasing extreme climatic events threaten the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems. Because soil microbes govern key biogeochemical processes, understanding their response to climate extremes is crucial in predicting the consequences for ecosystem functioning. Here we subjected soils from 30 grasslands across Europe to four contrasting extreme climatic events under common controlled conditions (drought, flood, freezing and heat), and compared the response of soil microbial communities and their functioning with those of undisturbed soils.

Trophic Position Stability of Benthic Organisms in a Changing Food Web of an Arctic Fjord Under the Pressure of an Invasive Predatory Snow Crab, .

The introduction of a large predatory snow crab, , into the Kara Sea is a unique situation where the impact of an invasive species affecting an otherwise undisturbed ecosystem can be observed unhindered by other ecosystem stressors. Trophic interactions are one of the principal relationships between animals and can help assess an ecosystem's stability. The trophic positions and sources of organic material for the most common benthic species of Blagopoluchiya Bay sampled at different stages of the invasion were calculated using stable isotope analysis.

Hearing Sensitivity to Gliding Rippled Spectra in Hearing-Impaired Listeners.

Objectives: Sensitivity to the gliding of ripples in rippled-spectrum signals was measured in both normal-hearing and hearing-impaired listeners.

Methods: The test signal was a 2 oct wide rippled noise centered at 2 kHz, with the ripples gliding downward along the frequency scale. Both the gliding velocity and ripple density were frequency-proportional across the signal band.

Role of Storage Lipids in Vertical Migrations of Beaked Redfish Sebastes mentella in the North Atlantic.

The contents of main classes of storage lipids (triacylglycerols, cholesterol esters, and waxes) in muscles and the liver of the beaked redfish Sebastes mentella were studied across the depth gradient and in different areas of the North Atlantic. Significant differences in storage lipid contents were observed between fish from different fishing horizons. The depth-dependent changes in lipids in fish tissues and organs were assumed to indicate that triacylglycerols (TAGs), cholesterol esters (CEs), and waxes are utilized as energy sources, in particular, to maintain the buoyancy during vertical migration.

New record and phylogenetic assessment of (Braun, 1902) (Digenea: Psilostomidae), a parasite of Eurasian Coot Linnaeus, 1758 (Aves: Rallidae).

Phylogenetic studies of aberrant species are of considerable scientific interest because their taxonomic rank in traditional systems based on morphological characters is not infrequently overestimated. (Braun, ) is one of the few psilostomid digeneans devoid of the pharynx. This is considered a sufficient basis for assigning it and similar species to the subfamily Apopharynginae.

Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Genes Allele Diversity in Landlocked Seals.

The allelic diversity of exon 2 (DQB gene) and exon 3 (DRB gene) of major histocompatibility complex class II was studied for the first time in two species of the landlocked pinnipeds, Baikal (N = 79) and Caspian (N = 32) seals, and these were in compared with the widespread Arctic species, the ringed seal (N = 13). The analysis of the second exon comprising the antigen-binding region revealed high allelic diversity in all three species but the pattern of the diversity was the most specific for the Baikal seal. This species differs from the other two by the smallest number of alleles in the population, yet they have the largest number of alleles per individual and by the maximum similarity of individual genotypes.

Ecology and social behavior of the tamarisk gerbil : insights from long-term research in the wild and semi-natural environments.

The present review provides a compilation of the published data on the ecology and social behavior of tamarisk gerbils. Both field studies and direct observations under semi-natural conditions provide evidence that the tamarisk gerbil is a nocturnal herbivorous rodent that lives in highly seasonal habitats and displays seasonal fluctuations in reproduction and spatial organization. A typical feature of the tamarisk gerbils' spatial organization is higher mobility of males during the breeding season (as compared with the nonbreeding period) and formation of temporary aggregations of males competing for access to receptive females; the composition of these aggregations was variable and depended on the reproductive condition of the females.

Alien Rainbow Trout in the Balkhash Basin (Kazakhstan, Central Asia): 50 Years of Naturalization.

Rainbow trout, or mykiss (), is one of the most popular species used in aquaculture and has been naturalized worldwide, including in the Central Asian Balkhash basin, which has unique aboriginal fish fauna. Both rainbow trout from European farms and wild mykiss from Kamchatka were introduced to some mountain lakes and rivers of the Balkhash basin about 50 years ago. This study investigates the current distribution and life history traits of the alien species and its possible impact on the local fish fauna.

The Correlation between Serum Cortisol Concentration in Mammals and the Level of Global Seismic Activity.

A positive correlation was found between the level of global seismic activity and dynamics of cortisol concentration in blood serum of male rabbits (r=0.33, p=0.01) and Campbell's dwarf hamsters (r=0.

Effects and phenotypic consequences of transient thyrotoxicosis and hypothyroidism at different stages of zebrafish Danio rerio (Teleostei; Cyprinidae) skeleton development.

The effects and consequences of changes in thyroid hormones (THs) level are among the actively studied topics in teleost developmental and evolutionary biology. In most of the experimental models used, the altered hormonal status (either hypo- or hyperthyroidism) is a stable characteristic of the developing organism, and the observed phenotypic outcomes are the cumulative consequences of multiple TH-induced developmental changes. Meanwhile, the influence of the transient fluctuations of TH content on skeleton development has been much less studied.

Determinants of environmental changes in human-modified ecosystems: Effects of plastics on moisture gradients, nutrients, and clay properties.

Plastic pollution poses a significant threat to ecosystem health worldwide. This study examines the determinants of environmental changes in human-modified ecosystems through a quantitative-qualitative system dynamics modeling approach: field experiments conducted on a 310 m unsaturated clay-rich bed and a 2.5 m clay-rich shore of a plastic-impacted pond in Shenzhen, China, and a 1.

Phylogenomic analysis of the Lake Kronotskoe species flock of Dolly Varden charr reveals genetic and developmental signatures of sympatric radiation.

Recent adaptive radiations provide experimental opportunities to parse the relationship between genomic variation and the origins of distinct phenotypes. Sympatric radiations of the charr complex (genus Salvelinus) present a trove for phylogenetic analyses as charrs have repeatedly diversified into multiple morphs with distinct feeding specializations. However, charr species flocks normally comprise only two to three lineages.

Scaling the high latitudes: evolution, diversification, and dispersal of Coryphella nudibranchs across the Northern Hemisphere.

Nudibranch molluscs Coryphella are widely distributed and species-rich gastropod group lacking fossil record and displaying a complex distribution across both Southern and Northern hemispheres. In this paper we provide a detailed review of the morphology, ecology, and distribution of Coryphella, estimation of divergence times between species, an ancestral area reconstruction, and a population analysis of widely distributed trans-Arctic species Coryphella verrucosa to investigate the evolution, phylogeographic patterns and reconstruct possible historical routes of oceanic dispersal. The inclusion of a larger sample size and five molecular markers has revealed a complex evolutionary history of Coryphella, shaped by transgression, vicariance, and dietary shifts, and overall driven by the pervasive effect of glacial cycles.