A multi-taxon analysis of European Red Lists reveals major threats to biodiversity.

Biodiversity loss is a major global challenge and minimizing extinction rates is the goal of several multilateral environmental agreements. Policy decisions require comprehensive, spatially explicit information on species' distributions and threats. We present an analysis of the conservation status of 14,669 European terrestrial, freshwater and marine species (ca. 10% of the continental fauna and flora), including all vertebrates and selected groups of invertebrates and plants. Our results reveal that 19% of European species are threatened with extinction, with higher extinction risks for plants (27%) and invertebrates (24%) compared to vertebrates (18%). These numbers exceed recent IPBES (Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) assumptions of extinction risk. Changes in agricultural practices and associated habitat loss, overharvesting, pollution and development are major threats to biodiversity. Maintaining and restoring sustainable land and water use practices is crucial to minimize future biodiversity declines.

Four new species of Wahnesia Frster, 1900 from the DEntrecasteaux, Louisiade and Woodlark island groups, Papua New Guinea (Odonata: Argiolestidae).

The species of the damselfly genus Wahnesia Frster, 1900 occurring in the DEntrecasteaux Islands, Louisiade Archipelago, and on Woodlark Island are reviewed, and four new species are described: W. muyuw from Woodlark Island, W. misima from Misima Island, W. tagula from Tagula (Sudest) Island, and W. rossel from Rossel Island, these latter three islands all lying in the Louisiade Archipelago. In addition, new information is presented on the identification and distribution of the two previously described species from the DEntrecasteaux islands: W. annulipes (Lieftinck, 1956) from Goodenough, Fergusson, and Normanby islands, and W. armeniaca (Lieftinck, 1956) from Goodenough and Fergusson islands. Illustrations are provided for the male abdominal terminalia and genital ligula of the four new species, as well as the wings and a color photograph of a live male of W. muyuw, and the ligula of W. armeniaca, accompanied by updated distribution maps for all species treated.

Phylogeny and classification of Odonata using targeted genomics.

Dragonflies and damselflies are a charismatic, medium-sized insect order (~6300 species) with a unique potential to approach comparative research questions. Their taxonomy and many ecological traits for a large fraction of extant species are relatively well understood. However, until now, the lack of a large-scale phylogeny based on high throughput data with the potential to connect both perspectives has precluded comparative evolutionary questions for these insects. Here, we provide an ordinal hypothesis of classification based on anchored hybrid enrichment using a total of 136 species representing 46 of the 48 families or incertae sedis, and a total of 478 target loci. Our analyses recovered the monophyly for all three suborders: Anisoptera, Anisozygoptera and Zygoptera. Although the backbone of the topology was reinforced and showed the highest support values to date, our genomic data was unable to stronglyresolve portions of the topology. In addition, a quartet sampling approach highlights the potential evolutionary scenarios that may have shaped evolutionary phylogeny (e.g., incomplete lineage sorting and introgression) of this taxon. Finally, in light of our phylogenomic reconstruction and previous morphological and molecular information we proposed an updated odonate classification and define five new families (Amanipodagrionidae fam. nov., Mesagrionidae fam. nov., Mesopodagrionidae fam. nov., Priscagrionidae fam. nov., Protolestidae fam. nov.) and reinstate another two (Rhipidolestidae stat. res., Tatocnemididae stat. res.). Additionally, we feature the problematic taxonomic groupings for examination in future studies to improve our current phylogenetic hypothesis.

Snail shell colour evolution in urban heat islands detected via citizen science.

The extreme environmental conditions that prevail in cities are known to cause selection pressures leading to adaptive changes in wild, city-dwelling, organisms (urban evolution). The urban heat island, elevated temperatures in the city centre due to a combination of generation, reflection, and trapping of heat, is one of the best recognised and most widespread urban environmental factors. Here, we use a citizen-science approach to study the effects of urban heat on genetically-determined shell colour in the land snail Cepaea nemoralis in the Netherlands. We use smartphone applications to obtain colour data on almost 8000 snails throughout the country. Our analysis shows that snails in urban centres are more likely to be yellow than pink, an effect predicted on the basis of thermal selection. Urban yellow snails are also more likely to carry dark bands at the underside of the shell; these bands might affect thermoregulation in yet underexplored ways.

Nannophlebia leoboppi sp nov., a new dragonfly species from New Guinea (Odonata: Anisoptera: Libellulidae).

Nannophlebia leoboppi sp. nov. is described and figured based on a male specimen collected in the Star Mountains of Central New Guinea. This relatively large representative of its genus is compared with its probable nearest relative, N. antiacantha Lieftinck, 1963, which is also partially figured. The new species brings the total number of Nannophlebia species to 25.