Institute of Natural Sciences

The distal limb of many hooved mammals (ungulates) has become highly specialised, with tendonised muscles and elongate bones and ligaments. Several clades of ungulates retain fleshy, muscularised distal forelimbs; these include hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs. Of these species, tapirs (Tapiridae: Tapirus ) represent the most plesiomorphic manus anatomy for its higher taxonomic group (Perissodactyla); the tetradactyl manus of tapirs is reminiscent of the earliest members of the lineages leading to modern horses (equids) and rhinocerotids. Within the tapir manus, osteological evidence indicates clear differences in load distribution, digit use during locomotion, and phylogenetic signal in the shape of certain bony elements. To date, no quantitative investigation has ever been performed to explore differences in the muscular anatomy of the tapir distal forelimb (manus). Here, we conducted a comparative muscle architecture quantification of the muscles which are intrinsic to the tapir manus, across all four extant species ( Tapirus indicus, T. bairdii, T. pinchaque, T. terrestris ). Despite limited sample sizes, we observed notable variation across the different species with regard to the force‐generating potential of the muscles (based on physiological cross‐sectional area, PCSA) and the shortening range of each muscle (based on fascicle length). High force‐generating capacities were recovered for the interosseus muscles (preventing hyperextension) for the third and fourth digits, as may be expected for a mesaxonic manus such as that of Tapirus . Our results also indicate subtle differences in patterns of force‐generating potential in the interosseus muscles between specimens housed in captivity and those from the wild, specifically living in upland rainforest and exhibiting ranging behaviour up and downhill on a regular basis. These data offer tantalising insights into the variation in the force‐excursion relationship in the muscles of the ungulate manus, providing both qualitative and quantitative information for veterinarians, biologists, and palaeontologists investigating perissodactyl locomotor anatomy and evolution.

Marine sedimentary rocks of the late Eocene Pagat Member of the Tanjung Formation in the Asem Asem Basin near Satui, Kalimantan, provide an important geological archive for understanding the paleontological evolution of southern Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) in the interval leading up the development of the Central Indo-Pacific marine biodiversity hotspot. In this paper, we describe a moderately diverse assemblage of marine invertebrates within a sedimentological and stratigraphical context. In the studied section, the Pagat Member of the Tanjung Formation records an interval of overall marine transgression and chronicles a transition from the marginal marine and continental siliciclastic succession in the underlying Tambak Member to the carbonate platform succession in the overlying Berai Formation. The lower part of the Pagat Member contains heterolithic interbedded siliciclastic sandstone and glauconitic shale, with thin bioclastic floatstone and bioclastic rudstone beds. This segues into a calcareous shale succession with common foraminiferal packstone/rudstone lenses interpreted as low-relief biostromes. A diverse trace fossil assemblage occurs primarily in a muddy/glauconitic sandstone, sandy mudstone, and bioclastic packstone/rudstone succession, constraining the depositional setting to a mid-ramp/mid to distal continental shelf setting below fair-weather wave base but above storm wave base. Each biostrome rests upon a storm-generated ravinement surface characterized by a low-diversity Glossifungites or Trypanites trace fossil assemblage. The erosional surfaces were colonized by organisms that preferred stable substrates, including larger benthic foraminifera, solitary corals, oysters, and serpulid annelid worms. The biostromes comprised islands of high marine biodiversity on the mud-dominated Pagat coastline. Together, the biostromes analyzed in this study contained 13 genera of symbiont-bearing larger benthic foraminifera, ~40 mollusk taxa, at least 5 brachyuran decapod genera, and 6 coral genera ( Anthemiphyllia , Balanophyllia , Caryophyllia , Cycloseris , Trachyphyllia , and Trochocyathus ), as well as a variety of bryozoans, serpulids, echinoids, and asterozoans. High foraminiferal and molluscan diversity, coupled with modest coral diversity, supports the hypothesis that the origin of the diverse tropical invertebrate faunas that characterize the modern Indo-Australian region may have occurred in the latest Eocene/earliest Oligocene.

This paper focuses on the Eben-Ezer Tower, an iconic structure built with Upper Cretaceous flint nodules by Robert Garcet, stone flint cutter, in the Geer River valley, Belgium. The tower integrates geology, mythology and art brut architecture. Constructed between 1948 and 1963, the tower symbolizes peace and features sculptures of cherubs inspired by biblical visions. It represents Garcet’s philosophy and his reaction to the devastation of war, blending esoteric imagery with raw art. Emphasis is placed on the tower’s artistic features: gargoyles, symbolic engravings, and esoteric themes drawn from the Apocalypse, reflecting Garcet’s mystical vision. Like its counterparts, the Eben-Ezer Tower was created without formal training, emphasizing resilience and individual vision. Its distinctiveness earned its official monument status in 2021, solidifying its place in cultural heritage. This study highlights the importance of art brut structures in promoting tourism and cultural awareness while advocating for the preservation of these unique artifacts of human creativity. The Eben-Ezer Tower is compared to two similar constructions in France (the Ideal Palace by Ferdinand Cheval and the Picassiette House by Raymond Isidore), sharing themes of personal creativity, Christian symbolism and the importance of the value of work. The paper situates the Eben-Ezer Tower within a broader European narrative of raw art and personal philosophy. This unique building is part of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, a hub of cultural, historical and natural activities.

Meiofauna are frequently overlooked in biodiversity assessments, resulting in a lack of understanding regarding their current status, the potential impact of anthropogenic activities, and climate change. This study on the intertidal zone of the Small Beach of Ostend marks a new effort to characterize meiofaunal communities along the Belgian coast. Sampling was carried out on five separate occasions throughout the year, with abiotic data collected during each event. Collected specimens were sorted according to their taxonomic group, resulting in a retrieval of 1742 organisms. Among these, Platyhelminthes and Nematoda were most abundant. Through metabarcoding of the 18S ribosomal region, a biodiversity assessment was conducted, yielding a total of 106 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs). After filtering out rare reads, 65 metazoan ASVs were retained: 18 representing Platyhelminthes, 16 Nematoda, 15 Copepoda, 12 Polychaeta, and 4 Acoela. Identification of the ASVs through blasting generated 23 unique species-level identifications. The highest species richness was observed among Proseriata and Nematoda, each comprising six different species. Additionally, four different species of Polychaeta and Copepoda, two species of Acoela, and one species of Rhabdocoela were identified. Compared to findings on similar beaches along the Belgian coast from about 40 years ago, the meiofaunal communities on this beach exhibit an overall low species richness. Finding fewer and other species might be linked to the potential impact of beach nourishments, human trampling, and climate change. However, confirming this hypothesis requires future research.

Here, we report fossil isopods preserved in laminated oil-shale mudstone (dysodile) from the Lower Cretaceous of Lebanon (Lower Barremian, 125 Ma, Grès du Liban Alloformation, Jezzine District). Based on a variety of proxies, their palaeoenvironments are determined to have been a shallow freshwater lake. The fossil isopods were studied using modern imaging techniques, such as multispectral imaging and photometric stereo, allowing for a detailed comparison of these specimens with comparable extant and fossil taxa. The conspecific fossils are herein recognized as remains of a new species—†Dysopodus gezei gen. et sp. nov.—of uncertain affinity within Cymothoida and bearing a strong resemblance to its non-parasitic lineages (Cirolanidae). A conspicuous pleotelson and uropod morphology set it apart from most species, with the notable exception of †Pseudoplakolana chiapaneca gen. nov. et comb. nov. from the Cretaceous of Mexico, originally attributed to an Australasian lineage (herein disputed). So far, the biogeographical distribution of the peri-Mediterranean underground fauna has predominantly been explained through a passive isolation process of former marine species, driven by regressing coastlines. Stemming from a freshwater lake environment, the 125 million-year-old fossils from Lebanon provide an unconventional perspective on the evolutionary origin of extant cave- and groundwater-dwelling cymothoidans.

Limited post-release movements are crucial for the success of conservation programs involving translocation. While exploring their new habitat is imperative, excessive dispersals can undermine these efforts. In this study, we examined the short-term (60 days) and long-term (14 months) post-release movements of 43 Black Grouse (Lyrurus tetrix) that were translocated to the Hautes Fagnes (Belgium) in 2018-2019 and 2022 to evaluate their acclimation in the context of a population reinforcement. Our findings revealed significant individual variability in the extent of movements, yet mobile individuals exhibited a consistent trend: they engaged in exploratory movements for a period of 10-20 days after release. No discernible sex-related disparities in exploration distance were observed between years; however, the timeframe for reaching the farthest distance from the release point varied across years. After this exploratory period, the birds returned and settled in the target area (the moorland and peatland habitats of the Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve), but this could be reinforced by the isolated situation of the target area, other moorland and peatland areas being beyond the observed range of our birds' explorations (maximum 22 km). The translocated Black Grouse settled in the central part of the reserve, despite a large available surface of moorlands and peatlands around, coinciding with the presence of other individuals and currently active leks in this sector. In both sexes, the exploratory period was followed by alternating periods of low mobility during summer and winter, and high mobility in autumn and spring. This mobility pattern aligns with typical behaviour observed in this species and is notably connected with periods of activity on leks in spring and autumn and a distinct restricted spatial behaviour during the winter. These findings suggest effective acclimation of the translocated grouse, contingent on other factors such as good survival rates and successful breeding.

The genomic study of specimens dating to the Early and Middle Pleistocene (EP and MP), a period spanning from 2.6 million years ago (Ma) to 126 thousand years ago (ka), has the potential to elucidate the evolutionary processes that shaped present-day biodiversity. Obtaining genomic data from this period is challenging, but mitochondrial DNA, given its higher abundance compared to nuclear DNA, could play an important role to understand evolutionary processes at this time scale. In this study, we report 34 new mitogenomes, including two EP and nine MP mammoth (Mammuthus spp.) specimens from Siberia and North America and analyze them jointly with >200 publicly available mitogenomes to reconstruct a transect of mammoth mitogenome diversity throughout the last million years. We find that our EP mitogenomes fall outside the diversity of all Late Pleistocene (LP) mammoths, while those derived from MP mammoths are basal to LP mammoth Clades 2 and 3, supporting an ancient Siberian origin of these lineages. In contrast, the geographical origin of Clade 1 remains unresolved. With these new deep-time mitogenomes, we observe diversification events across all clades that appear consistent with previously hypothesized MP and LP demographic changes. Furthermore, we improve upon an existing methodology for molecular clock dating of specimens >50 ka, demonstrating that specimens need to be individually dated to avoid biases in their age estimates. Both the molecular and analytical improvements presented here highlight the importance of deep-time genomic data to discover long-lost genetic diversity, enabling better assessments of evolutionary histories.

Although tropical rainforest ants are abundant and have high species richness, with their community structure well known at the canopy and ground levels, the understory is frequently neglected. To fill this gap, we looked for ants nesting in this stratum in an Amazonian rainforest and noted the occurrence of colonies in the debris accumulated between the fronds of the palm tree Astrocaryum sciophilum or associated with eight myrmecophytes (i.e., plants that shelter ant colonies in hollow structures called domatia). We analysed these plant–ant relationships by conducting a network approach looking for the degree of specialisation between partners (specialisation index), the differences in intensity between links (weighted nestedness) and the proportion of realised interactions relative to the number of potential interactions (connectance), including ground‐ and canopy‐nesting ants. This results in a highly modular pattern of interactions with one module per plant species based on the 98 ant species recorded. We showed the importance of ground‐nesting species for Astrocaryum , although 40.5% of them sheltered a colony of the arboreal Odontomachus hastatus . Among myrmecophytes, a strong specificity was noted for Hirtella physophora (Chrysobalanaceae) and Maieta guianensis (Melastomataceae) that sheltered at more than 90% Allomerus decemarticulatus and Pheidole minutula , respectively. Cordia nodosa (Boraginaceae) has an intermediary value (45.3% associated with Allomerus octoarticulatus ), whereas Cecropia obtusa (Urticaceae), Duroia longiflora (Rubiaceae), Tachigali paniculata (Fabaceae) and Tococa guianensis (Melastomataceae) can shelter several ant species belonging mostly to a single genus. Tachia guianensis , considered a ‘non‐specialised’ myrmecophyte, shelters species from different genera.

A new species of the genus Multinervis Li & Li, 2013, Multinervis phongdienensissp. nov., is described from two locations in Central Vietnam, Thưa Thien-Hue Province: Bach Ma National Park and Phong Dien District. It represents a second species for the genus and for the fauna of Vietnam, where the type species, M. guangxiensis Li & Li, 2013, has also previously been recorded from Northern Vietnam. Illustrations, a differential diagnosis to distinguish the two Multinervis species and a distribution map are provided. Multinervis phongdienensissp. nov. is characterized by the absence of forewing crossveins in the claval region, the reduced subgenital plates being almost entirely fused, the absence of a subgenital angular projection and the unusual lateral flanges of the male connective.

The Ebo forest in Cameroon, a biodiversity hotspot in the Gulf of Guinea, hosts conservation valuable plant and animal species, including a geographically isolated small gorilla population. Despite its ecological significance, the forest faces threats from unsustainable activities by adjacent communities and newly authorized logging operations. To address threats, the community-led conservation initiative ‘Club des Amis des Gorilles’ (CAG) was established in 2012 in three villages near the Ebo gorilla habitat. This study assesses potential changes in communities’ opinions on the Club’s role in biodiversity conservation and household well-being over its 5-year existence. A questionnaire was administered to household heads in 2013 and in 2017 in CAG-affiliated villages. The study revealed that CAG is an effective strategy for engaging local communities in conservation, with about 80% of residents being members during both surveys. The majority of respondents (92% in 2017) maintained positive opinions about CAG, highlighting its importance in biodiversity conservation and community well-being. Despite CAG’s prominent role in education, hunting practices remain prevalent in the region, likely due to the remoteness of the area, which makes hunting a more substantial source of protein and income than agriculture. The situation could worsen following the recent two logging concessions establishment, particularly if these do not adhere to strict conservation measures. In perspective, CAG proposed the establishment of the gorilla habitat as a community-sanctioned ‘no-go-zone’ to human activities to enhance their protection. To ensure the sustainability of this community-led initiative, there is a need for incentive support from stakeholders.

Spiriferides are the most diverse brachiopods found in the Lower Devonian (except the top part of the Emsian) of the Ardenne Allochthon, with at least 53 species belonging to 20 genera identified so far on the southern margin of the Dinant Synclinorium. They are followed by the strophomenides, orthides, and rhynchonellides, whereas the spiriferinides only include some poorly known Cyrtina species. In Belgium, the oldest spiriferides are from the Silurian Colibeau Formation (Condroz Inlier). Sporadic delthyridid occurrences are recognised within the Pridoli (lowermost Gedinnian; Quadrifarius) and the lower Gedinnian (Howellella) of the Ardenne Allochthon. After the ‘Rhenish Gap’ (sensu stricto), corresponding to the installation of a facies inappropriate for brachiopods during the late Gedinnian–early Siegenian, the onset of the middle Siegenian (top of the Mirwart Formation; Gensberg regional event) is characterised by the development of the Cyrtospiriferoidea and, to a greater extent, of the Delthyridoidea; a first peak in diversity is reached during the deposition of the La Roche Formation (late Siegenian). After an interval poor in brachiopods at the lower–upper Emsian transition, the Hierges Formation (upper Emsian) recorded the maximum spiriferide diversity (e.g. Brachyspirifer, Paraspirifer) and the first occurrences of Adolfioidea (Adolfia) and Reticularioidea (Rhenothyris) in this area. The end of the Emsian (Moulin de la Foulerie Formation) is characterised by the predominance of Paraspirifer and Sollispirifer representatives. The primary type specimens (holotype, lectotype, neotype) of the spiriferides firstly described in the Lower Devonian of the Ardenne Allochthon are re-illustrated, and some of them are briefly discussed.

The evolution of baleen whales (Mysticeti) comprises two main phases, namely, (i) a Paleogene phase, which saw the diversification of stem lineages, and (ii) a Neogene phase, dominated by modern-looking, toothless, baleen-bearing forms in the monophyletic group Chaeomysticeti. These two phases are separated by a global turnover event coinciding with a gap—or “dark age”—in the mysticete fossil record. This dark age occurred between 23 and ~18 Ma and is apparently detected worldwide, except in Zealandia. Here, we report on a new mysticete fossil from the Lower Miocene (Burdigalian: ~19.2 Ma) strata of the Chilcatay Formation cropping out at the newly discovered locality of Cerro Tiza (East Pisco Basin, Peru), which represents a limited but precious testament from the last phase of the baleen whale dark age. Two previously mentioned, slightly geologically younger fossils from the same formation are also reappraised herein, revealing the occurrence of at least another baleen whale taxon in the upper Chilcatay strata—one that belongs in the mysticete crown group. Although the Early Miocene remains a problematic time interval for the fossil record of baleen whales, our new results encourage the search for mysticete fossils in the Lower Miocene strata of the East Pisco Basin, whose basin fill preserves a cornucopia of extraordinarily informative marine vertebrate fossils of the Cenozoic age, as well as in coeval deposits worldwide.

Background In response to the ongoing biodiversity crisis amongst arthropods, it is essential to implement efficient conservation strategies to safeguard both species diversity and the vital ecosystem services they provide. Developing such strategies requires reliable predictive models that can identify the species that are the most vulnerable to current and future threats, including those posed by climate and land-use change. Species life histories are central to these models, as they influence both population dynamics and spread rates. New information To support this effort, we compiled a dataset with key traits for arthropods based on several literature sources and expert knowledge. The dataset contains data on body size, life history, thermal niche and ecology for 4874 northwestern European species across 10 different orders. By gathering these essential trait data, we aim to create a robust foundation for predicting species vulnerability and anticipating shifts in arthropod communities in response to global change.

The integration of geotechnical and geophysical well logs, along with biostratigraphic and sediment analyses of borehole Schoten (northern Belgium), provides a better characterization of the glauconite-rich sandy Miocene successions near their type sections. It also provides a way to correlate the latter with more distal areas along the southern North Sea Basin. In the Schoten area, the Rupelian Boom Formation is unconformably overlain by the Lower to Middle Miocene Berchem Formation, which is in turn unconformably overlain by the Upper Miocene Diest Formation (Borsbeek Member). The Berchem Formation is formally subdivided into the Edegem, Kiel and Antwerpen members, which can be identified on the gamma-ray log of borehole Schoten. Sediment analyses show that the glauconite content and the local presence of phosphatic nodules are the main factors contributing to the fluctuating gamma-ray values. For the first time, the geophysical log signatures of the members of the Berchem Formation were correlated across large areas and major fault systems, which shows the regional significance of the boundaries between these members. Indeed, the boundary between the Edegem Member and the Kiel Member corresponds with the boundary between the Dutch Veldhoven and Groote Heide formations, known as the Early Miocene Unconformity. The overall higher gamma-ray values for the middle Miocene Antwerpen Member and equivalents in the upper part of the Dutch Groote Heide Formation are likely related to the eustatic sea level highs during the Miocene Climatic Optimum.

A BioBlitz is a rapid and intensive survey of a specific geographic area that brings together experts and often lay participants to assess biodiversity, typically of macrobiota that are easily observed and identifiable on-site. This concept has become popular across taxonomic fields, attracting interest globally to increase knowledge of local biodiversity. Inspired by the success of the approach, we undertook a ‘ParasiteBlitz’ at an unexplored locality (Stono Preserve, Charleston, South Carolina, USA) to determine its feasibility for parasites, whose assessment of diversity is largely neglected worldwide. We assembled a team of parasitologists with complementary expertise. Over 12 days (3 days in each habitat) in April 2023, we intensively screened fishes and aquatic invertebrates for parasites, and sampled sediment and water for environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding from four aquatic habitats: wetland, freshwater pond, brackish impoundment, and tidal creek. We incorporated assistance from non-parasitologists and students. Details on methodologies and results are provided in individual papers in this Special Collection. Traditional methods revealed the presence of ca. 100 species of seven major metazoan parasite taxa, and the eDNA survey yielded over 1,000 amplicon sequence variants identified as parasites, most with sequences unmatched in GenBank, and resulting in only a few species identified as named species in the one-year post-Blitz timeframe we imposed upon ourselves for identification. Limitations and challenges of the ParasiteBlitz are discussed, and our results support that this approach can be effective for rapid discovery of the dimensions of parasite assemblages in an understudied environment and contribute to parasitology knowledge.

Clinostomum is a genus of parasitic trematodes found worldwide, infecting a wide range of hosts, including freshwater fishes, snails, birds and occasionally humans. In this study, clinostomid metacercariae were collected from Nile tilapia raised in fish farms in the Upper Tana River region, Kenya. The prevalence of infection was 17.2%, with metacercariae infecting the skin, gills and buccal cavity of the fish. Using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and molecular methods targeting both nuclear ribosomal (ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2) and mitochondrial (COI) regions, the metacercariae were identified as C. cutaneum, C. phalacrocoracis, C. tilapiae and Euclinostomum heterostomum. The three species of Clinostomum have previously been reported to infect fish or piscivorous birds in Kenya, while this is the first report of E. heterostomum in this country. SEM analysis revealed new ultrastructural features of C. cutaneum, including an excretory pore surrounded by minute spiny papillae, an everted cirrus and dome-shaped papillae on the tegumental area around the genital pore. The cirrus lacked basal papillae, showing morphological variation between the adult and metacercarial stages. Our study, therefore, provides new insights into the phenotypic identification of flukes that may be pathogenic to fishes and humans and, therefore, of scientific and practical importance.

Several Convolvulaceae species harbor heritable fungal endophytes from which alkaloids are translocated to reproductive tissues of the plant host. Evidence for the distribution and ecological role of these fungal alkaloids, however, is lacking or incomplete for many host species and growth forms. Here we report on the identity of the fungal endophytes and quantities of alkaloids present in the leaves and seeds of the arborescent morning glory, Ipomoea murucoides (Convolvulaceae). Young folded leaf samples taken from the wild, harbored mycelium of one of two fungal taxa wrapped around the leaves’ glandular trichomes. Most trees harbored the swainsonine producing Ceramothyrium (Chaetothyriales) fungi while a few trees were found to harbor a Truncatella (Xylariales) species, suggesting endophyte replacement. Seeds had higher concentrations of the indolizidine alkaloid swainsonine than leaves. Additionally, seeds from trees harboring Ceramothyrium fungi exhibited less bruchid damage and had higher concentrations of swainsonine than seeds from trees harboring Truncatella fungi. Five sesquiterpenes were detected in the leaf trichomes in both Ceramothyrium and Truncatella colonized trees. The seed content of the tropane alkaloids, tropine and tropinone, did not differ significantly among the two fungal symbionts. It is likely that the host allocates the defensive chemicals from leaves to seeds, protecting them from seed predators such as bruchid beetles. Overall, our field data show that Ipomoea species provides an interesting opportunity to study vertical and horizontal fungal symbiont transmissions.

The Middle Danube region is a key area for understanding Upper Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer behaviours in a climatic context due to its long loess–palaeosol sequences and rich archaeological record spanning from the onset of the Upper Palaeolithic to the Last Glacial Maximum and beyond. Recently, new approaches focusing on high-resolution studies of the stratigraphy, geoarchaeological studies at microscopic scale and investigations of organic matter at molecular scale (biomarker analyses) have shown great new insights in human behaviour. Many sites in the Middle Danube region have been excavated a long time ago without opportunity to apply such approaches. The aim of this paper is to introduce Ollersdorf-Heidenberg, a loess open-air site. The site is located ~ 26 km northeast of Vienna close to the Morava River valley and preserves several Upper Palaeolithic archaeological horizons. The site has been known since a pipeline construction in 1998. Here, we report the first results of new research at the site including new excavations in two trenches. We describe and analyse the stratigraphy, present a first radiocarbon date, describe and analyse lithic and faunal collections, and assess potential in situ combustion activity and the preservation of organic matter. Research at the site is ongoing, but our preliminary results let us suggest good preservation of organic matter and, hence, Ollersdorf-Heidenberg has a remarkable potential for providing valuable insights in past hunter-gatherer behaviours at the climatic downturn towards the Last Glacial Maximum.

Updated checklist of bees of mainland France (Hymenoptera: Apocrita: Apoidea). - The checklist of bees from metropolitan France is presented here, with an update of the previous checklist published in 1995 which included 865 species. A total of 150 species have been added to this previous checklist, 114 thanks to new distributional records and 36 due to an update of their taxonomic status. In addition, 32 have been removed from the previous list, along with 12 species recently reported in French territory whose presence has either been refuted, deemed doubtful, or requires confirmation. This work results in a list of the 983 confirmed bee species for metropolitan France. This high species richness is related to the high variety of climatic and biogeographic contexts throughout the country. The amount of changes between the previous and the current checklists, most of them related to changes that happened in the past few years, illustrates the importance of keeping our efforts on improving the knowledge of the French bee fauna even today and in the years to come. This update represents an initial step toward supporting these efforts, including the forthcoming red list of French wild bees.

Cytheridella whitmani Martens, sp. nov. is described from lakes on Cape Cod (MA, USA). The species differs from its congeners mainly by the shape of the female carapace and by the morphology of the hemipenis, especially of the distal lobe and the copulatory process. The literature on the genus is reviewed and the synonymy of the fossil Cytheridella boldii Purper, 1974 with the type species C. ilosvayi Daday, 1905, both described from South America, is confirmed. The status of Cytheridella americana (Furtos, 1936) is reverted to that of “uncertain species”. Beside the type species and the new species, the genus currently includes only three further species from Africa: C. monodi Klie, 1936, C. damasi Klie, 1944 (with synonym C. chariessa Rome, 1977), and C. tepida Victor, 1987. The morphology of the new species is discussed in comparison with the congeneric species, especially regarding the valve ornamentation, the structure and function of the third thoracopod, the hemipenis and the caudal ramus. It is suggested that C. whitmani is a recent invasive species in the lakes of the Cape Cod peninsula. Its occurrence at northern latitudes is unexpected, as its congeneric species are consistently (sub-) tropical.