Thierry Backeljau

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences · Taxonomy and Phylogeny

Using external morphology of adults and tadpoles, osteology from high-resolution microcomputed tomography, vocalization analysis, and DNA sequence data, the identity of a reproducing Belgian population of invasive Xenopus at the current northernmost edge of the distribution of the genus in Europe was assessed. All data concur to an identification a...

The assassin snail genus Anentome is widely distributed in South East Asia. In Thailand, the genus comprises at least six species, one of which is Anentome wykoffi, a species that may act as an intermediate host of parasitic trematodes. Recent fieldwork has shown that A. wykoffi is far more common and widespread in Thailand than has been assumed, y...

A new species of the giant pill millipede genus Sphaerobelum is described: Sphaerobelum turcosa sp. nov. from the northeastern part of Thailand. Species delimitation is based on morphological characters and COI sequence data. The new species can be clearly discriminated from congeners by its greenish-blue body color, the face mask-like appearance o...

In the Botanic Garden Jean Massart in Auderghem (Brussels, Belgium), mosquitoes were collected with Malaise traps (2016-2017). These mosquitoes were stored in 70% ethanol and sorted out for morphological identification. Due to the long-term ethanol storage in Malaise trap, species-specific characters like scales may be lost, hindering morphological...

Snorkel snails (genus Rhiostoma) are widely distributed in Indo-China and on the Malay Peninsula. The shell morphology is traditionally used for species identification yet in Thailand, the common snorkel snail, Rhiostoma housei, shows considerable variation in shell morphology within and between populations. Therefore species identifications and de...

This paper reports on the chemical composition and antimicrobial activity of the defensive secretions of the giant millipede, Anurostreptus sculptus (Spirostreptida: Harpagophoridae). The chemical composition of the defensive secretions was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, demonstrating the presence of at least 13 identifiable comp...

The stylommatophoran land-snail genus Corilla is endemic to Sri Lanka and India's Western Ghats. On the basis of habitat distribution and shell morphology, the 10 extant Sri Lankan species fall into two distinct groups, lowland and montane. Here, we use phylogenetic analyses of restriction-site-associated DNA sequencing (RADseq) data and ancestral-...

Heavy metals in coastal waters are a great environmental concern in the North Sea since the middle of the 20th century. Regulatory efforts have led to a significant reduction in atmospheric and water-transported heavy metals. Still, high concentrations of these in sediments remain a risk for ecosystems, requiring close monitoring. Here, we investig...

Two new millipede species of the genus Coxobolellus Pimvichai, Enghoff, Panha & Backeljau, 2020 from Thailand are described: Coxobolellus saratani sp. nov. from Loei Province and Coxobolellus serratoligulatus sp. nov. from Uttaradit Province. The descriptions are based on gonopod morphology and two mitochondrial gene fragments (COI and 16S rRNA). T...

The Barcoding facility for organisms and tissues of policy concern (BopCo: https://bopco.myspecies.info/) is a Belgian federal focal point for identifying biological materials upon request. It provides access to the expertise and infrastructure necessary to identify organisms of policy concern and their derived products. The species identifications...

The assassin snail genus Anentome Cossmann, 1901 is widely distributed in freshwater habitats throughout Southeast Asia, especially Thailand. One of its species, viz. A. helena (von dem Busch, 1847), is an intermediate host of various parasitic trematodes. As such, this study investigates the taxonomic diversity of larval trematodes infecting Anent...

Aedes japonicus has expanded beyond its native range and has established populations in several European countries including Belgium where the species was first reported in 2002 at Natoye. During a recent nationwide monitoring program (MEMO, Monitoring of Exotic Mosquitoes, 2017-2020), Natoye was monitored to check for the efficiency of the intensi...

Culex pipiens s.s. is one of the most common mosquitoes found breeding in human habitats throughout the temperate northern hemisphere. The species is easily confused with Culex torrentium as they only differ by a few subtle morphological characteristics. Further, Culex pipiens biotypes, which are morphologically indistinguishable, are known vectors...

Metastrongyloid nematodes are cardiopulmonary parasites affecting domestic cat (Felis catus) and wildcat (Felis silvestris) populations throughout Europe. Terrestrial snails and slugs may act as intermediate hosts of these parasites. The present study reports on the identity of the intermediate hosts in areas in Greece where domestic cats and wildc...

The Barcoding Facility for Organisms and Tissues of Policy Concern acts as a focal point for identifying biological materials upon request, by providing access to the expertise and infrastructure necessary to identify organisms of policy concern and their derived products. BopCo’s identification service is available to all stakeholders who deal wi...

A new genus of the millipede family Pseudospirobolellidae, Siliquobolellus gen. nov. , is described from limestone mountains in Thailand, based on three new species, viz. Siliquobolellus amicusdraconis gen. et sp. nov. from Uthaithani Province, Siliquobolellus constrictus gen. et sp. nov. from Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and Siliquobolellus prasan...

While contemporary changes in feeding preferences have been documented in phytophagous insects, the mechanisms behind these processes remain to be fully clarified. In this context, the insect gut microbiome plays a central role in adaptation to novel host plants. The cucurbit frugivorous fruit fly Zeugodacus cucurbitae (Diptera, Tephritidae) has oc...

Despite their past importance as vectors of indigenous malaria, the species composition and spatial distribution of the members of the Anopheles maculipennis complex have been studied to a limited extent in the Netherlands. Therefore, this investigation focuses on the distribution of the members of this complex in the Netherlands, including Anophel...

The assassin snail genus Anentome is widespread in Southeast Asia, and is distributed all over the world via the aquarium trade. One species of genus Anentome , Anentome helena , is known to act as intermediate host of parasitic trematodes. This study investigates the taxonomic diversity of larval trematodes infecting A . helena and Anentome wykoff...

Ocean acidification and global climate change are predicted to negatively impact marine calcifiers, with species inhabiting the intertidal zone being especially vulnerable. Current predictions of organism responses to projected changes are largely based on relatively short to medium term experiments over periods of a few days to a few years. Here w...

This survey reports on the DNA identification and occurrence of Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens s.s. in Belgium. These native disease-vector mosquito species are morphologically difficult to separate, and the biotypes of Cx. pipiens s.s. are morphologically indistinguishable. Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens s.s. were identified using the COI and...

‘MEMO: Monitoring of Exotic MOsquitoes in Belgium’ is a sampling event dataset published by the Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) in Antwerp, Belgium. It forms part of the early detection of exotic mosquito species (EMS) along high-risk introduction routes in Belgium, where data are collected at defined points of entry (PoEs) using a standardise...

This survey reports on the DNA identification and occurrence of Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens s.s. in Belgium. These native disease vector mosquito species are morphologically difficult to separate and the biotypes of Cx. pipiens s.s. are morphologically indistinguishable. Culex torrentium and Cx. pipiens s.s. were identified using the COI and A...

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has become an essential tool in the search for and detection of invasive species. In aquatic environments, water samples can be collected and filtered after which DNA can be extracted and analysed to detect the presence of a target species using quantitative PCR (qPCR). The African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) is such an aq...

A new genus of the millipede family Pachybolidae from Southeast Asia is described: Macrurobolus gen. nov. , with Spirobolus macrurus Pocock, 1893 as type species. This latter species is DNA barcoded (COI) and redescribed based on male morphological characters, which hitherto were unknown. The new genus differs from other pachybolid genera by having...

Hitherto, the millipede genus Apeuthes (family Pachybolidae, subfamily Trigoniulinae) was only known from three species described in Vietnam based on morphological characters. The present study uses two partial mitochondrial gene fragments (cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) and 16S ribosomal RNA) and morphology to define four new Apeuthes species from M...

This study provides the first data on the genital anatomy, jaw and radula of Guladentia subtussulcata (L. Pfeiffer, 1863). The auxiliary copulatory organ of this species is very peculiar, similar to that of Jeanneretia L. Pfeiffer, 1877, and different from that of other cepolids. It consists of an elongate, pedunculate mucus gland inserted apically...

Aedes japonicus has established in many European countries. Our study had two objectives: (1) investigate the origin of new introductions in eastern Belgium; and (2) verify the origin of specimens that were recently recorded at Natoye, while the species was declared eliminated after control campaigns. To this end, genotypic variation at 7 microsate...

This paper reports on the first record of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793), in the southern Black Sea, based on a sample of 235 specimens collected from rocky shores 23 km west of the city of Ordu, northern Turkey. Species identification was confirmed by nucleotide sequencing of two mitochondrial gene fragments, viz. COI and 1...

This paper reports on the first record of the Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas (Thunberg, 1793), in the southern Black Sea, based on a sample of 235 specimens collected from rocky shores 23 km west of the city of Ordu, northern Turkey. Species identification was confirmed by nucleotide sequencing of two mitochondrial gene fragments, viz. COI and 1...

Many nominal species of microscopic animals traditionally fitting the ‘everything is everywhere’ paradigm have been revealed to be complexes of cryptic species. Here, we explore species diversity within the micrometazoan flatworm Gyratrix hermaphroditus—unique among meiofauna because of its global occurrence in a wide variety of brackish, freshwate...

This study provides the first data on the genital anatomy, jaw, and radula of 4 Jeanneretia species (Helicoidea: Cepolidae). The auxiliary copulatory organ in this genus is highly peculiar and differs from that of other cepolids. It consists of an elongated, pedunculated mucus gland inserted apically on a muscular papilla (dart sac absent) and a st...

The present study aimed at identifying the members of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (Diptera: Culicidae) occurring in Belgium. Therefore, the second internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA (ITS2) and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) loci were sequenced in 175 and 111 specimens, respectively, collected between 2...

The poor understanding of changes in mollusc ecology along rivers, especially in West Africa, hampers the implementation of management measures. We used a self-organizing map, indicator species analysis, linear discriminant analysis and a random forest model to distinguish mollusc assemblages, to determine the ecological preferences of individual m...

Background Aedes japonicus japonicus has expanded beyond its native range and has established in multiple European countries, including Belgium. In addition to the population located at Natoye, Belgium, locally established since 2002, specimens were recently collected along the Belgian border. The first objective of this study was therefore to inve...

The fragmented population of alpine salamanders from the Dinaric Alps belongs to a distinct evolutionary lineage known as Salamandra atra prenjensis. However, the phylogenetic relationships within this lineage are unknown since previous studies did not comprehensively include Dinaric population fragments. In this study, we use six microsatellite lo...

The fragmented population of alpine salamanders from the Dinaric Alps belongs to a distinct evolutionary line-age known as Salamandra atra prenjensis. However, the phylogenetic relationships within this lineage are unknown since previous studies did not comprehensively include Dinaric population fragments. In this study, we use six microsat ellite...

A thorough knowledge of the presence and spatio-temporal distribution patterns of vector species are pivotal to assess the risk of mosquito-borne diseases in Europe. In 2018, a Culex larva was collected during routine monitoring activities to intercept exotic Aedes mosquito species in the port of Antwerp (Kallo, Belgium). The larva, collected from...

The European Union prohibits the import of meat (products) unless specifically authorised and certified as being eligible for import. Nevertheless, various scientific papers report that passengers from west and central African countries illegally import large quantities of meat, including bushmeat, into Europe via its international airports. They a...

Accurate biological models are critical to predict biotic responses to climate change and human‐caused disturbances. Current understanding of organismal responses to change stems from studies over relatively short timescales. However, most projections lack long‐term observations incorporating the potential for transgenerational phenotypic plasticit...

Most molluscs possess shells, constructed from a vast array of microstructures and architectures. The fully formed shell is composed of calcite or aragonite. These CaCO3 crystals form complex biocomposites with proteins, which although typically less than 5% of total shell mass, play significant roles in determining shell microstructure. Despite mu...

Background: The metastrongyloid nematodes Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, Troglostrongylus brevior and Angiostrongylus chabaudi are cardiopulmonary parasites affecting domestic cats (Felis catus) and wildcats (Felis silvestris). Although knowledge on these nematodes has been improved in the past years, gaps in our knowledge of their distribution and r...

Currently no comprehensive checklist of fresh and brackish water gastropods from Bénin exists, and those for adjacent West African areas are outdated. Yet, such checklists provide essential biodiversity information and a consistent taxonomic and nomenclatural framework for that biodiversity. Here a first checklist of the fresh and brackish water ga...

Pseudospirobolellidae is a poorly known family of spirobolidan millipedes with only two genera and five described species. Yet, the descriptive taxonomy and molecular systematics of this group have been largely neglected. Therefore, the present work presents an integrative taxonomic study of new pseudospirobolellid taxa in Thailand. To this end, tw...

Lake Baikal is populated by an endemic genus of oligochaetes (Baikalodrilus), which currently comprises 24 morphospecies. The genus can be considered as a ‘species flock’. However, the validity of many species is questionable: the great similarity in their description and the lack of unequivocal diagnostic characters often lead species identificati...

The increasing urbanization process is hypothesized to drastically alter (semi‐)natural environments with a concomitant major decline in species abundance and diversity. Yet, studies on this effect of urbanization, and the spatial scale at which it acts, are at present inconclusive due to the large heterogeneity in taxonomic groups and spatial scal...

The taxonomy of the speciose genus Ganesella W.T. Blanford, 1863 and the endemic genus Globotrochus Haas, 1935 is unclear since the anatomical characters of the the type species of these two genera have never been reported before. Therefore, the present paper provides the first anatomical descriptions of the reproductive apparatus, pallial system a...

The hoverfly genus Eristalinus (Diptera, Syrphidae) contains many widespread pollinators. The majority of the species of Eristalinus occur in the Afrotropics and their molecular systematics still needs to be investigated. This study presents the first complete and annotated mitochondrial genomes for five species of Eristalinus. They were obtained b...

The Barcoding Facility for Organisms and Tissues of Policy Concern (BopCo) is jointly run by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) and the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA), and is part of the Belgian federal contribution to the European Research Infrastructure Consortium LifeWatch. As such, BopCo is financed by the Belgian S...

Background: Notwithstanding the prohibition at national and European Union level to import individual consignments of meat (products), various publications report that large quantities of meat, including bushmeat, are entering Europe via its international airports, without authorization or certification. These studies suggest an organized market fo...

Background: Compared to other European countries, Belgian customers are moderate consumers of fish and seafood products. The Belgian fishery and aquaculture sectors, however, are relatively small and a large part (81% in 2016) of the fish and seafood consumed in Belgium is imported, half of which originates from outside Europe. Since the scale of t...

Semi-aquatic freshwater earthworms in the genus Glyphidrilus from Southeast Asia are characterized by both an extreme morphological crypsis among divergent phylogenetic lineages and a high morphological variability within the same phylogenetic lineages. The present study provides a new taxonomic framework for this problematic genus in SE Asia by in...

Background Hyperdiverse mtDNA with more than 5% of variable synonymous nucleotide sites can lead to erroneous interpretations of population genetic differentiation patterns and parameters (φST, DEST). We illustrate this by using hyperdiverse mtDNA markers to infer population genetic differentiation and connectivity in Melarhaphe neritoides, a NE At...

Native to the Indo-Pacific, the Manila clam has been introduced to North America and Europe, becoming the most economically-important cultured bivalve species worldwide. Research on this species is inconvenienced by the co-existence of several scientific synonyms; non-taxonomists do not necessarily understand why this is so, what names are valid, a...

Free access until November 28, 2018: https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1XsSoACeXzgRM

Lake Baikal is populated by an endemic genus of oligochaetes (Baikalodrilus), which currently comprises 24 morphospecies. The genus can be considered as a 'species flock'. However, the validity of many species is questionable: the great similarity in their description and the lack of unequivocal diagnostic characters often lead species identificati...

Mitochondrial DNA hyperdiversity is primarily caused by high mutation rates (μ) and has potential implications for mitogenome architecture and evolution. In the hyperdiverse mtDNA of Melarhaphe neritoides (Gastropoda: Littorinidae), high mutational pressure generates unusually large amounts of synonymous variation, which is expected to (1) promote...

Supplementary Tables S1, S2, S4, S5, supplementary Fig. 2

.gb files of corrected mitogenome annotations

The European Union prohibits any personal consignment of meat (products) from entering the Union unless specifically authorized and certified as being eligible for import. Notwithstanding these regulations, various recent papers report that large quantities of meat, including bushmeat, are entering Europe via its international airports without such...

Based on the current spread of exotic mosquito species (EMS) in Europe, the number of interceptions in Belgium and suitability models developed for Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in Europe, EMS are likely to establish and spread in Belgium. A prerequisite for their control is their early detection. Therefore, the Belgian federal authorities and the feder...

The introduction and establishment of exotic mosquito species (EMS) and sporadic outbreaks of autochthonous Aedes-borne disease cases in South European countries emphasize the importance of EMS surveillance. The Belgian government set-up a nationwide inventory of mosquito biodiversity (MODIRISK project) between 2007 and 2010. This was an essential...

In July 2017, a three year monitoring project (MEMO) aiming at detecting and evaluating the occurrence and invasion phase of exotic mosquitoes (EMS) in Belgium started. Adult traps and ovitraps were placed and larval sampling was conducted at 23 locations. These locations were selected based on their high potential of introducing EMS. DNA-based tec...