Seventh BMC ecology image competition: the winning images.

The seventh BMC Ecology competition attracted entries from talented ecologists from around the world. Together, they showcase the beauty and diversity of life on our planet as well as providing an insight into the biological interactions found in nature. This editorial celebrates the winning images as selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and senior members of the journal's editorial board. Enjoy!

BMC ecology image competition 2018: the winning images.

The sixth BMC Ecology Image Competition received more than 145 photographs from talented ecologists around the world, showcasing the amazing biodiversity, natural beauty and biological interactions found in nature. In this editorial, we showcase the winning images, as selected by our guest judge, Professor Zhigang Jiang from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with help from the journal's editorial board. Enjoy!

BMC ecology image competition 2017: the winning images.

For the fifth year, BMC Ecology is proud to present the winning images from our annual image competition. The 2017 edition received entries by talented shutterbug-ecologists from across the world, showcasing research that is increasing our understanding of ecosystems worldwide and the beauty and diversity of life on our planet. In this editorial we showcase the winning images, as chosen by our Editorial Board and guest judge Chris Darimont, as well as our selection of highly commended images. Enjoy!

BMC Ecology Image Competition 2016: the winning images.

The 2016 BMC Ecology Image Competition marked another celebration of the astounding biodiversity, natural beauty, and biological interactions documented by talented ecologists worldwide. For our fourth annual competition, we welcomed guest judge Dr. Matthew Palmer of Columbia University, who chose the winning image from over 140 entries. In this editorial, we highlight the award winning images along with a selection of highly commended honorable mentions.

The genera Anafroptilum Kluge, 2011 and Neocloeon Traver, 1932, reinstated status, in North America, with remarks about the global composition of Centroptilum Eaton, 1869 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae).

The mayfly genus Centroptilum Eaton, 1869, s.s., (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae), as presently understood, is not known to occur in North America. Nearctic species recently classified there belong either to Anafroptilum Kluge, 2011 or to Neocloeon Traver, 1932, reinstated genus. The North American endemic Neocloeon differs fundamentally from Anafroptilum in that it possesses a patella-tibial suture on the foreleg of larvae and female adults, a characteristic that is shared with certain other baetid genera. Neocloeon includes the obligate parthenogen N. triangulifer, new combination, and a sexual species, N. alamance, reinstated combination. Nearctic Anafroptilum include: A. album (McDunnough, 1926), new combination, A. asperatum (Traver, 1935), new combination, A. bifurcatum (McDunnough, 1924), A. conturbatum (McDunnough, 1929), new combination, A. minor (McDunnough, 1926), new combination, A. ozarkense (Wiersema & Burian, 2000), new combination, A. semirufum (McDunnough, 1926), new combination, and A. victoriae (McDunnough, 1938), new combination. Further study will be required to determine the species composition of Anafroptilum and Centroptilum, s.s., in the Palearctic and Oriental realms. Anafroptilum and Neocloeon are part of the Cloeon complex of genera, but Centroptilum, s.s., is not.

A new species of Cincticostella Allen, 1971 (Ephemeroptera, Ephemerellidae) from Yunnan, China and establishment of a new species complex.

Cincticostellajianchuan sp. nov. from Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, is described based on chorionic structure, nymph, and winged stages. The new species is closely related to C.fusca (Kang & Yang, 1995), but it can be distinguished in the male imago stage by its mesonotum and penes morphology, coloration, and the forking point of the stem of MA+Rs on the forewing; in the nymph stage, it can be distinguished by the length of the posterolateral projections of abdominal segment IX and the setation of the abdominal terga. Compared to other congeners, nymphs and male imagoes of the new species and C.fusca share several morphological characteristics, such as a larger body, mesothorax with medially notched anterolateral projections, forefemur without a subapical band of transverse spines of the nymphs, the area between C, Sc and R1 of the forewings distinctly pigmented, and an apical sclerite on the ventral face of the penes of the male imagoes, supporting the proposition of a new species complex, the jianchuan complex. The systematics of Cincticostella and related genera are discussed briefly.

The adults of Camelobaetidiusjanae Dominique & Thomas, 2001 and C. yacutinga Nieto, 2003, with a new synonym for C. leentvaari Demoulin, 1966 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae).

The genus Camelobaetidius Demoulin, 1966 has 39 species distributed throughout the Nearctic and Neotropical Regions, being one of the most studied genera of the family Baetidae. Based on material from Brazil, the aim of the present paper is to describe adults of C. janae Dominique & Thomas, 2001 and C. yacutinga Nieto, 2003, and to recognize a new synonym for Camelobaetidius leentvaari Demoulin, 1966 (= C. mantis Traver & Edmunds, 1968 nov. syn.) based on the examination of type material.

2023 BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition: the winning images.

In 2023, researchers from around the world entered the BMC Ecology and Evolution photography competition. As a result, we received a spectacular collection of photographs that capture the wonder of nature, those looking to understand it and glimpses into long lost worlds. This editorial celebrates the winning images selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution and senior members of the journal's editorial board.

A Review of the Genus Serratella Edmunds, 1959 in China with Description of a New Species (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae).

Species in the genus Serratella Edmunds, 1959 from China have never been compared and photographed systematically. Six valid Chinese Serratella species are recognized and revised in this paper. Among them, the imagos of S. brevicauda Jacobus et al., 2009 are unknown; the nymph of this species has a stout, strong body, with remarkably short caudal filaments and maxillary palpi. In contrast, only the imago stage of Serratella fusongensis (Su and You, 1988) (=Serratella longipennis Zhou et al., 1997, syn. nov.) is known; it has relatively long penes with small dorsal projections. The nymphs of S. setigera Bajkova, 1967 have small abdominal tergal spines but distinct, stout, blunt bristles on the spines, and the apexes of the male penes are round and shallowly divided. The fourth species, S. acutiformis sp. nov., which was collected from Western China, has sharp penial apexes (imagos) and large abdominal spines (nymphs). Unlike the former four species, S. ignita (Poda, 1761) and S. zapekinae Bajkova, 1967 has sub-quadrate penes without prominent dorsal projections. The nymph of S. ignita has lateral hair-like setae on the caudal filaments, while the nymph of S. zapekinae lacks such setae but has pairs of tubercles on the head and pronotum. Some characters used in the generic delineation of the genera Ephemerella Walsh, 1862 and Serratella, such as nymphal maxillary palpi and hair-like setae on caudal filaments as well as features of the imaginal penes and forelegs, are varied in Chinese species. However, all species in this paper have bifurcate ventral lamellae of gill VI. Our work highlights a need for further comparative systematic study of the genera Serratella, Ephemerella, and another related genus Torleya Lestage, 1917.

A new species of Acentrella Bengtsson, 1912 (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) from Thailand.

Following a series of biodiversity surveys conducted in Thailand, Acentrella fimbriata sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on the nymph, male subimago and egg stages. Our new species can be distinguished from other Acentrella species by the following combination of characteristics in the nymphal stage: a head capsule relatively densely covered with long, fine, simple setae, increasing in number on the genae and clypeus; the scape and pedicel densely covered with long, fine, simple setae along the inner margins; femoral margins with dense, irregular rows of long, simple setae; terga lateral margins with numerous fine, simple setae, increasing in number posteriorly; terga posterior margins with poorly-developed denticles, and with scattered ovoid and truncated translucent scales, increasing in number laterally; and gills on segments IIVII with abundant long, fine, simple setae apically. This species prefers cobble substrates in shallow and slow-moving water, where it is found covered with sediment. Extensive new reports of Acentrella (Liebebiella) vera (Mller-Liebenau, 1982) are given that show it to be a species widespread in Thailand and that provide basis for comparisons to our new species. Global systematics of Acentrella Bengtsson, 1912 are discussed.

A new species of Clypeocaenis Soldn 1978 (Ephemeroptera: Caenidae) from Tamil Nadu, India.

Clypeocaenis malzacheri sp. nov. is described from the Kottakudi River in southern India, based on larvae and eggs. Clypeocaenis malzacheri sp. nov. appears to be closely related to C. bisetosa Soldn. The new species is distinguished from this species and other congeners based on the structure of the frons; the structure, setation, and maculation of legs; the shape and orientation of the abdominal tergum II projection; and by the shape and denticulation of abdominal sternum IX. Updated couplets for an identification key to Clypeocaenis larvae in the Indomalayan region are provided. The total number of Clypeocaenis species is thereby increased to twelve in the world and seven in India.

2022 BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition: the winning images.

In 2022, researchers from around the world entered the BMC Ecology and Evolution photography competition. The contest produced a spectacular collection of photographs that capture the wonder of the natural world and the growing need to protect it as the human impact on the planet intensifies. This editorial celebrates the winning images selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution and senior members of the journal's editorial board.

A new species of Notacanthella Jacobus & McCafferty, 2008 (Ephemeroptera, Ephemerellidae) from Yunnan, China.

Notacanthellajinwu Li & Jacobus, sp. nov. is described based on egg, nymph, and winged stages from Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China. The nymph of the new species is closely related to N.commodema (Allen, 1971), whose nymphs share a similar tuberculation of head, pronotum, and mesonotum. However, the nymph of our new species can be distinguished based on the structures of male sternum IX and abdominal tergal tubercles. In addition, the new species is distributed in subtropical high-altitude areas. The description of the male imago of the new species is the first certain one for the genus Notacanthella. Data associated with our new species allow for expanded discussion and diagnosis of Notacanthella and closely related genera. An identification key for nymphs of these groups is provided.

Overview of Indian and Nepali representatives of the Cincticostella nigra (Uéno, 1928) complex (Ephemeroptera, Ephemerellidae), with discussion about Cincticostella Allen, 1971 species complexes.

The concept of the Cincticostella nigra (Uéno, 1928) (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae) complex is clarified and Indian and Nepali representatives of the complex are reviewed. Four new species are described viz. Cincticostella changfai Martynov & Palatov, sp. nov., Cincticostella funki Martynov, Selvakumar, Palatov & Vasanth, sp. nov., Cincticostella shinichii Martynov & Palatov, sp. nov. and Cincticostella wangi Selvakumar, Martynov & Subramanian, sp. nov. The larva of C. corpulenta (Braasch, 1981) is re-described, based on the holotype and paratypes. Cincticostella gosei (Allen, 1975) is recorded from India for the first time. Morphological differences of the species complexes of Cincticostella Allen, 1971 are analysed. A new species complex, Cincticostella gosei complex, is proposed. Summaries of distribution data and habitat preferences, as well as new larval diagnoses, are presented for all species of the Cincticostella nigra complex.

Inaugural BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition: the winning images.

The inaugural BMC Ecology and Evolution image competition attracted entries from talented ecologists and evolutionary biologists worldwide. Together, these photos beautifully capture biodiversity, how it arose and why we should conserve it. This editorial celebrates the winning images as selected by the Editor of BMC Ecology and Evolution and senior members of the journal's editorial board.

Overview of Indian Hyrtanellini (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae), with new species and records from related regions.

The Hyrtanellini (Ephemeroptera: Ephemerellidae: Ephemerellinae) from India and related regions are reviewed, including three new species viz., Serratella palatovi Martynov, Selvakumar Jacobus, sp. nov., Torleya simbalbarensis Selvakumar, Subramanian, Martynov Jacobus, sp. nov., and Torleya dibruensis Selvakumar, Martynov Jacobus, sp. nov.; and first country records of Teloganopsis jinghongensis (Xu, You Hsu, 1984) and Hyrtanella grandipennis (Zhou, Su Gui, 2000). Description of Serratella palatovi sp. nov. is based on material from Thailand, India and Nepal; Torleya simbalbarensis sp. nov. and Torleya dibruensis sp. nov. are described based on material from India. For now, the tribe Hyrtanellini in India comprises eight species from the genera Serratella Edmunds, 1959, Torleya Lestage, 1917, Teloganopsis Ulmer, 1939 and Hyrtanella Allen Edmunds, 1976. Additional records of Teloganopsis jinghongensis from Thailand, Torleya nepalica (Allen Edmunds, 1963) and Torleya coheri (Allen Edmunds, 1963) from Nepal also are provided here. All Indomalayan Hyrtanellini species are discussed to some extent.

Mayfly taxonomy (Arthropoda: Hexapoda: Ephemeroptera) during the first two decades of the twenty-first century and the concentration of taxonomic publishing.

The twentieth anniversary of the first issue of Zootaxa (De Moraes Freire, 2001) provides an appropriate opportunity to reflect on some trends in global Ephemeroptera taxonomy publishing over the last two decades, with a focus on the description of new species and the outsized role of the journals Zootaxa and ZooKeys, in particular. Detailed reviews of world Ephemeroptera knowledge up to about 2000 were collected in a series of nine papers from a symposium on the subject, published together in the proceedings of the ninth International Conference on Ephemeroptera (Domínguez 2001). Domínguez Dos Santos (2014) provided updates and analysis for South America up to the year 2012. More recent detailed accounts of regional and taxonomic diversity, and other aspects of mayfly biology and ecology, were reviewed by Jacobus et al. (2019), while Ogden et al. (2019) discussed current issues involving higher classification.

Some notable records of mayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) from big rivers in Indiana.

OBJECTIVES: Mayflies (Insecta: Ephemeroptera) were collected from the Ohio River, Wabash River and White River in Indiana during July and August 2019, with the goals of confirming the continued existence of historic populations of species and discovering previously undocumented populations. DATA DESCRIPTION: Notable new data for Ephoron album (Say) (Polymitarcyidae), Heptagenia elegantula (Eaton) (Heptageniidae), Pentagenia vittigera (Walsh) (Palingeniidae), and Tortopsis primus (McDunnough) (Polymitarcyidae) are reported.

A New Species of Vietnamella Tshernova 1972 (Ephemeroptera: Vietnamellidae) from Thailand.

The larva, male subimago, female imago, and eggs of V. nanensis sp. n. are described based on specimens from Mae Hong Son and Nan provinces, Thailand. The female subimago is described based on a photograph of a specimen reared to the imago stage. The species previously was distinguished only by DNA barcode data and designated as Vietnamella sp. C. Based on morphology, the larva of the new species can be distinguished with the following combination of characteristics: (i) pattern of serration on the ventral margin of the forefemur, (ii) posterolateral margins of abdominal terga with pairs of acute tubercles, especially terga VI and VII, (iii) a well-developed pair of median ridge projections on tergum X, (iv) the second segment of the maxillary palp being about 1.3× the length of the third segment, and (v) females containing eggs with prominent protuberances on the chorionic surface. A key to larvae of all known species in the genus is provided.

Towards a comprehensive barcode library for arctic life - Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera of Churchill, Manitoba, Canada.

BACKGROUND: This study reports progress in assembling a DNA barcode reference library for Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, and Trichoptera ("EPTs") from a Canadian subarctic site, which is the focus of a comprehensive biodiversity inventory using DNA barcoding. These three groups of aquatic insects exhibit a moderate level of species diversity, making them ideal for testing the feasibility of DNA barcoding for routine biotic surveys. We explore the correlation between the morphological species delineations, DNA barcode-based haplotype clusters delimited by a sequence threshold (2%), and a threshold-free approach to biodiversity quantification--phylogenetic diversity. RESULTS: A DNA barcode reference library is built for 112 EPT species for the focal region, consisting of 2277 COI sequences. Close correspondence was found between EPT morphospecies and haplotype clusters as designated using a standard threshold value. Similarly, the shapes of taxon accumulation curves based upon haplotype clusters were very similar to those generated using phylogenetic diversity accumulation curves, but were much more computationally efficient. CONCLUSION: The results of this study will facilitate other lines of research on northern EPTs and also bode well for rapidly conducting initial biodiversity assessments in unknown EPT faunas.