Fauna of some families of Coleoptera (Insecta) in the Republic of Mordovia (Russia).

Background: Biodiversity conservation is an important goal of most ecosystem management efforts. Therefore, proper monitoring of biodiversity requires constant attention. Coleoptera should be monitored as an essential part of the overall biodiversity. Special monitoring is needed for families that are active as predators (e.g. Coccinellidae) or are saproxylic species (e.g. Elateridae and Cerambycidae). The aim of the research is to describe the fauna of seven families of Coleoptera (Elateridae, Drilidae, Lycidae, Lampyridae, Cantharidae, Coccinellidae and Cerambycidae) of the Republic of Mordovia (the centre of the European part of Russia). The results are based on faunistic research, the main part of which was carried out in April-October 2007-2023 and on material from museum collections. The collecting was made using several different methods (by hand, light trapping, on different lures, into pitfall traps etc.). GPS coordinates are given for each faunistic record. New information: The dataset contains information on seven species new to the region: Malthodesflavoguttatus Kiesenwetter, 1852, Malthodesminimus (Linnaeus, 1758) (Cantharidae); Scymnusrubromaculatus (Goeze, 1777) (Coccinellidae); Anoploderarufipesventralis Heyden, 1886, Tragosomadepsarium (Linnaeus, 1767), Xylotrechusarvicola (Olivier, 1795) and Xylotrechusibex (Gebler, 1825) (Cerambycidae).

Spider fauna (Arachnida, Araneae) in Mordovia State Nature Reserve and National Park "Smolny" (Russia).

Background: Ecosystems in protected areas are richer in animal and plant species diversity ("biodiversity hotspots") due to more stringent conservation conditions. Of particular importance is scientific research and monitoring of this diversity in such areas. The aim of this study is to describe a set of data on Araneae occurrence in two protected areas: Mordovia State Nature Reserve and National Park "Smolny". New information: About 29,000 individuals are identified to the species level. In total, 342 species were recorded for both PAs. The greatest species diversity was recorded in the families Linyphiidae (109 species; 32%), Lycosidae (38 species; 11%) Gnaphosidae (28 species; 8%), Araneidae (25 species; 7%), Salticidae (24 species; 7%), Thomisidae (23 species; 7%) and Theridiidae (22 species; 6% from total species diversity). The five species most abundant in the lower stratum (litter and moss layer) of biocenoses were Diplocephaluspicinus, Micronetaviaria, Tenuiphantestenebricola, Diplostylaconcolor and Abacoproecessaltuum and the five species most abundant in the vegetative stratum (herb, shrub and tree stems and canopy) were Linyphiatriangularis, Enoplognathaovata, Evarchafalcata, Misumenavatia and Evarchaarcuata. The dataset contains information on the occurrence of seven rare species (Centromerusnurgush, Centromeruspersimilis, Diplocephalusdentatus, Entelecaraflavipes, Metapanamomopskaestneri, Pelecopsisradicicola and Porrhommamicrocavense), three species (Agalenatearedii, Neosconaadianta, Thanatusoblongiusculus) that entered here from the steppe zone and two synanthropic species (Steatodacastanea, Tegenariadomestica).

Fish occurrence in the Kama River Basin (Russia).

Background: Dataset contains information on fish occurrences in the Kama River Basin (Russian Federation). The Kama River is the largest tributary (1805 km) of the Volga River and is geographically often considered the main river due to the larger volume of water at their confluence. New information: Dataset is based on our own field studies conducted during 2008-2021. It includes 6,447 occurrences relating to 48 taxa, 46 of which were identified at species level and two at the genus level. All occurrences have coordinates and belong to 13 families of Actinopterygii. All presented data are published for the first time.

Biodiversity of Coleoptera (Insecta) in Mordovia State Nature Reserve (Russia) using fermental traps.

Background: Protected areas are unique ecosystems that are minimally affected by anthropogenic activities. Therefore, in many cases, they are refugia and relevance of faunistic research is undeniable here. A simple method of catching insects, such as trapping with the help of fermental traps, was used in this area for the first time. The authors of the dataset used this method from 2018 to 2021. One thousand and fifty-one traps of our own design were installed. The dataset includes data on 367 species from 52 families (6,497 records of 44,600 specimens). Ten species were dominant in the traps (Cryptarchastrigata, Protaetiamarmorata, Glischrochilusgrandis, Glischrochilushortensis, Soroniagrisea, Rhagiummordax, Lepturathoracica, Lepturaquadrifasciata, Quediusdilatatus and Protaetiafieberi). These species accounted for 76.9% of all individuals in the total amount of captured specimens. Cryptarchastrigata was the most numerous species (28.8% of the total) and the most frequently encountered species (64.9%). The greatest species diversity was recorded in the families Cerambycidae (53 species), Elateridae and Curculionidae (39 species each), Nitidulidae and Coccinellidae (22 species each). The dataset contains information on the occurrence of 15 rare species. New information: We have recently published a checklist of the Coleoptera of Mordovia State Nature Reserve (Egorov et al. 2020). It included 2,145 species from 88 families. However, the published list did not contain information about the occurrence of various species of beetles, especially caught in recent years. Part of this list contained information about species collected using fermental traps. However, the list of species did not provide information about specific locations.

Fish occurrence in the Kuban River Basin (Russia).

BACKGROUND: This publication describes a dataset containing information on 1328 occurrences of fishes in the Kuban River Basin, the longest river of Northern Caucasus and representing its own freshwater ecoregion (428 Kuban Ecoregion). All observations have precise geo-referencing with the names of water bodies (rivers, lakes etc.). The dataset is based on both literature data (509 occurrences) and our own sampling (814 occurrences). Observations were carried out between 1889 and 2020. NEW INFORMATION: The majority (> 61%) of occurrences in the presented data are published for the first time. This extended dataset contributes significantly to fish fauna survey in the Kuban River ecoregion.

Occurrence of butterflies and moths (Insecta, Lepidoptera) in Mordovia State Nature Reserve.

BACKGROUND: Faunistic research in protected areas is of greatest interest since these are the most unique places in the region. Many of these are islands of minimal anthropogenic impact, such as the Mordovia State Nature Reserve (Russian Federation), founded in 1936. The purpose of the publication of the basis of faunistic research - occurrences of species, is availability of factual information to a broad range of researchers and its implication in research on a wider scale. NEW INFORMATION: For the first time, a total of 7,606 records of Lepidoptera occurrences from the Mordovia State Nature Reserve with coordinates have been published as a dataset. It is necessary to embed them in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) in order to make them accessible to everyone. As a result of research from 2007 to 2021, more than 600 taxa were identified for the first time for the territory of Mordovia State Nature Reserve, including more than 450 species for the Republic of Mordovia, four species for the Middle Volga Region and eight species for the Middle and Lower Volga Region.

Ground beetle fauna (Coleoptera, Carabidae) of Mordovia State Nature Reserve (Russia).

BACKGROUND: Protected areas are organised in different climatic zones, which usually include typical ecosystems characteristic of certain climatic zones. In most cases, protected areas are biodiversity hotspots. These areas are benchmarks in terms of nature conservation and to determine their biological diversity is becoming an important task. It is important to investigate the carabid family of protected areas within the framework of understanding the overall biological diversity of these systems. In addition, ground beetles, as one of the largest groups of ground-based inhabitants, are indicators of the state of ecosystems and serve as markers of their well-being. NEW INFORMATION: We present 2,969 new occurrence records comprising 226 species of Carabidae, belonging to eight subfamilies, from the Mordovia State Nature Reserve (central Russia). Ten species are listed for the first time for the Mordovia State Nature Reserve fauna after previous research: Cicindelamaritima, Bembidionstriatum, Dyschiriusangustatus, Dyschiriusarenosus, Notiophilusaestuans, Bembidionargenteolum, Bembidionvelox, Bradycelluscaucasicus, Cymindisangularis and Syntomustruncatellus, five of which were first recorded for the Republic of Mordovia (Egorov et al. 2020). Previously, this information was not published anywhere and we wanted to make it available to everyone by embedding it in the global database on biodiversity (GBIF).

Fish occurrence in the middle Volga and upper Don regions (Russia).

BACKGROUND: In ichthyological publications from both Russia as a whole, and from the study region, lack of data indicating the actual results of observations in a specific place all result in publication of a generalised analysis. Although our publications contain such data, they are, however, not convenient for users performing global analysis. The main purpose of publishing a database is to make our data available in the global biodiversity system to a wide range of users. Dataset represents a significant addition to the distribution of species in this area. The data can be used to analyse future changes in ichthyofauna, as well as to help the authorities to manage their territory more efficiently.This publication describes a dataset that contains information on fish encounters in the Upper Don basin and the middle Volga (centre of the European part of Russia) over a 30-year period (1990-2020). The dataset contains information on 6400 occurrences of 394341 specimens of 56 species, 99.9% of specimens being identified to the species level. A total of 883 sites were studied, of which 253 were in lentic biotopes (lakes - 121, ponds - 123, backwater - 5, reservoir - 3, pit - 1), 630 were in lotic (rivers - 628, stream - 1, channel - 1). One collecting site has an average of 7.2 species (from 1-21 species per location). Only those species that form self-reproducing populations are given. The dataset is a compilation of data from several working author groups. All observations have precise geo-referencing with the names of water bodies (rivers, lakes etc.). NEW INFORMATION: All presented data are published in the form of a database for the first time. Some data form the basis of previously-published works (3998 observations, 62%) and some are published for the first time (2402 observations, 38%). A large amount of data comes from small water bodies that have been neglected by previous researchers.

Occurrence of the amphibians in the Volga, Don River basins and adjacent territories (Russia): research in 1996-2020.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge about the distribution of living organisms on Earth is very important for many areas of biological science and understanding of the surrounding world. However, much of the existing distributional data are scattered throughout a multitude of sources, such as taxonomic publications, checklists and natural history collections and often, bringing them together is difficult. A very successful attempt to solve this problem is the GBIF project, which allows a huge number of researchers to publish data in one place in a single standard. Our dataset represents a significant addition to the occurrences of amphibians in the Volga, Don riverine basins and adjacent territories.The dataset contains up-to-date information on amphibian occurrences in the Volga river basin and adjacent territories, located for the most part on the Russian plain of European Russia. The dataset is based on our own studies that were conducted in the years 1996-2020. The dataset consists of 5,030 incident records, all linked to geographical coordinates. A total of 13 amphibian species belonging to nine genera and six families have been registered within the studied territory, although the distribution of amphibian species in this region of Russia has not yet been fully studied. This is especially relevant with the spread of cryptic species that can only be identified using molecular genetic research methods.The main purpose of publishing a database is to make our data available in the global biodiversity system to a wide range of users. The data can be used by researchers, as well as helping the authorities to manage their territory more efficiently. NEW INFORMATION: All occurrences are published in GBIF for the first time. Most of the data are stored in field diaries and we would like to make it available to everyone by adding it in the global biodiversity database (GBIF).

Morphological and mtDNA data reveal broader distribution of Alburnoides holciki (Teleostei: Leuciscidae) in inland waters of Central Asia.

Alburnoides holciki was described from the Hari River basin, which was the only basin it was known from. Populations from the Amu Darya basin were previously recognized as A. eichwaldii or Alburnoides sp. Our study recognized specimens of Alburnoides from the Amu Darya basin as A. holciki based on morphological data and the COI barcode gene. The population from the Zeravshan basin showed some morphological differences compared to others but were similar in the COI gene and needs further investigation. New results extend the range of A. holciki for almost 1000 km -from the Hari River to the upper Amu Darya tributaries in Tajikistan. The intraspecific genetic similarity in the COI gene between populations in the Hari and Amu Darya rivers supports the geographical hypothesis of a recent connection of these rivers.

DNA barcoding of the fishes of the genus Alburnoides (Actinopterygii, Cyprinidae) from Caucasus.

Spirlins of the genus Alburnoides are widespread fishes, which taxonomy has been rapidly developing in recent years. Mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) was used as DNA barcode marker to create a reference dataset of Caucasian Alburnoides and to test its barcoding efficiency. All four previously known Caucasian species of Alburnoides were confirmed as valid species with high genetic distances to sister species as well confirmed as Caucasian endemics. Alburnoides samiii, previously known from Sefidroud basin (Iran), was discovered in Transcaucasia. The accuracy of species identification of Ponto-Caspian Alburnoides by DNA barcodes was 100%. In addition, one potentially new species within A. gmelini was revealed. Despite the limited ability of COI to infer phylogenetic relationships, study provided evidence that Ponto-Caspian lineage of Alburnoides includes significantly larger number of species from Caspian Sea basin and inland basins of Central Asia.

A century in synonymy: molecular and morphological evidence for the revalidation of Glyptosternon osсhanini (Herzenstein, 1889) (Actinopterygii: Sisoridae).

Exostoma oschanini, presently treated as a junior synonym of Glyptosternon reticulatum, is revalidated within Glyptosternon based on a phylogenetic analysis of the CO1 gene and morphological characters. Glyptosternon oschanini is known to occur in tributaries of the Syr Darya River in Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan and may also occur in the Amu Darya River drainage. A morphological diagnosis and description are provided for G. oschanini. Exostoma gracile is a junior synonym of G. oschanini rather than of G. reticulatum.