Examining the sleeping habits of preschool and elementary school children in Southern Slovakia.

OBJECTIVES: Our research aimed to examine children's sleeping habits from preschool to the end of elementary school age. Developing proper sleeping habits in childhood is essential, as it is decisive for the rest of our lives. METHODS: A total of 339 children (160 males and 179 females) took part in the research, of which 145 were preschool-age children (3-7 years old), 72 lower-grade elementary school children (6-11 years old), and 122 upper-grade elementary school children (12-16 years old). The questionnaire was completed in a paper form (elementary school students) and online (kindergarten children). RESULTS: The research results show that most of the children spend enough time sleeping following the recommendations. In case of the kindergarten children, the younger ones also sleep in the afternoon on weekends (average of 3.66 years, 28.3%), and the older ones do not sleep in the afternoon either in kindergarten during the week or at home at the weekend (average of 5.22 years, 46.2%). The use of blue light typically increases with age; 39% of the preschoolers, 61% of the 6-11-year-olds, and 67% of the 12-16-year-olds use it before falling asleep. Sleep aids and rituals are used by 87.6% of the preschoolers, 67.4% of the 6-11-year-olds, and 34.4% of the 12-16-year-olds, because significantly more preschoolers find it more difficult to fall asleep than older children. At night, 40% of the preschoolers wake up at least once (due to biological needs - 46.3%), 32% of the 6-11-year-olds wake up at night (due to nightmares - 42.3%), and 41% of the 12-16-year-olds also wake up all night (due to biological needs - 31.9%, and due to noise - 29.8%). CONCLUSION: Although the children get enough sleep, significantly more upper-grade school children feel tired in the morning. It is essential to help sleep and eliminate factors that prevent falling asleep to create a healthy circadian rhythm in the life of children.

New data on the valvatiform-shelled Hydrobiidae (Caenogastropoda, Truncatelloidea) from southern Greece.

The minute valvatiform-shelled Hydrobiidae are less studied than other hydrobiid gastropods. In this paper, new data on these snails are presented, which have been collected at twelve springs in southern Greece: one in Boeotia, one on Evvoia Island, and ten on the Peloponnese Peninsula. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear histone (H3) have been used to confirm the determinations and infer the relationships of the studied gastropods. They represent the genera Daphniola, Graecoarganiella and Isimerope. New localities, expanding the known geographic ranges, have been presented for Daphniolahadei and Daphniolalouisi. A species of Daphniola found at two localities has been identified as a species new to science, and its description, including the shell, penis, and female reproductive organs is given. Possible relationships between Graecoarganiella and Isimerope are discussed; their representatives are possibly new species. At one locality a single specimen likely represents a new genus: it was found to be most closely related with Islamia, but genetically (p-distance) too distant to be congeneric with Islamia.

Range-constrained co-occurrence simulation reveals little niche partitioning among rock-dwelling Montenegrina land snails (Gastropoda: Clausiliidae).

AIM: Taxon co-occurrence analysis is commonly used in ecology, but it has not been applied to range-wide distribution data of partly allopatric taxa because existing methods cannot differentiate between distribution-related effects and taxon interactions. Our first aim was to develop a taxon co-occurrence analysis method that is also capable of taking into account the effect of species ranges and can handle faunistic records from museum databases or biodiversity inventories. Our second aim was to test the independence of taxon co-occurrences of rock-dwelling gastropods at different taxonomic levels, with a special focus on the Clausiliidae subfamily Alopiinae, and in particular the genus Montenegrina. LOCATION: Balkan Peninsula in south-eastern Europe (46N-36N, 13.5E-28E). METHODS: We introduced a taxon-specific metric that characterizes the occurrence probability at a given location. This probability was calculated as a distance-weighted mean of the taxon's presence and absence records at all sites. We applied corrections to account for the biases introduced by varying sampling intensity in our dataset. Then we used probabilistic null-models to simulate taxon distributions under the null hypothesis of no taxon interactions and calculated pairwise and cumulated co-occurrences. Independence of taxon occurrences was tested by comparing observed co-occurrences to simulated values. RESULTS: We observed significantly fewer co-occurrences among species and intra-generic lineages of Montenegrina than expected under the assumption of no taxon interaction. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Fewer than expected co-occurrences among species and intrageneric clades indicate that species divergence preceded niche partitioning. This suggests a primary role of non-adaptive processes in the speciation of rock-dwelling gastropods. The method can account for the effects of distributional constraints in range-wide datasets, making it suitable for testing ecological, biogeographical, or evolutionary hypotheses where interactions of partly allopatric taxa are in question.

Revision of the subterranean genus Spelaeodiscus Brusina, 1886 (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Spelaeodiscidae).

The Balkan genus Spelaeodiscus Brusina, 1886 is revised based on museum collections and newly collected samples from Montenegro and Albania. The following species and subspecies are introduced as new to science: Spelaeodiscus albanicus edentatus Páll-Gergely & P. L. Reischütz, ssp. n. (southern Montenegro and northern Albania), Spelaeodiscus densecostatus Páll-Gergely & A. Reischütz, sp. n., Spelaeodiscus hunyadii Páll-Gergely & Deli, sp. n., Spelaeodiscus latecostatus Páll-Gergely & Eross, sp. n. (all three from southern Montenegro), Spelaeodiscus unidentatus acutus Páll-Gergely & Fehér, ssp. n., and Spelaeodiscus virpazarioides Páll-Gergely & Fehér, sp. n. (both from northern Albania). For all species and subspecies diagnoses and suggestions for conservation status assessments according to IUCN criteria are provided. An overview is given regarding the habitat preference of Spelaeodiscus species, and the "scratch and flotate" method to collect subterranean gastropods.

First establishment of microsatellite markers in clausiliid snails (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Clausiliidae).

BACKGROUND: Clausiliidae (door snails) are gastropods with a very high diversity concerning shell morphology, especially of their complex closing apparatus, which provides the most important diagnostic traits for classification of taxa. Due to the high variability, a high number of taxa has been described, though their systematics and taxonomy is partially controversially discussed. Montenegrina is the second most speciose door snail genus in Europe. It is an obligate rock-dwelling land snail and has, compared to its complex systematics, a rather small distribution range in the western parts of the Balkan Peninsula. The different taxa themselves show a very narrow and patchy distribution range. As Montenegrina is comprehensively sampled over the whole distribution range, it is a perfect study system for general questions on speciation and morphological differentiation in land snails. To study the amount of gene flow between geographically close or co-occurring populations, highly polymorphic markers are needed. RESULTS: Thirteen microsatellite loci with a tetranucleotid repeat were isolated and tested in three geographically close Montenegrina populations (two populations of M. dofleini prespaensis from the Prespa Lake, n = 35 and one population from M. stankovici from the Ohrid Lake, n = 20). The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2 to 27. No significant linkage disequilibria between the same two loci were found in all three tested populations. The deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium reveal only for two loci a significant deviation from HWE in more than one population (Mont_5483 and Mont_4477). CONCLUSION: The 13 newly established genetic markers will help to gain better insights to the population genetic structure of Montenegrina and might reveal new results about speciation processes in co-occurring taxa. Furthermore, these microsatellite loci could also be tested in other clausiliid species.

Reconstructed historical distribution and phylogeography unravels non-steppic origin of Caucasotachea vindobonensis (Gastropoda: Helicidae).

Existing data on the phylogeography of European taxa of steppic provenance suggests that species were widely distributed during glacial periods but underwent range contraction and fragmentation during interglacials into "warm-stage refugia." Among the steppe-related invertebrates that have been examined, the majority has been insects, but data on the phylogeography of snails is wholly missing. To begin to fill this gap, phylogeographic and niche modeling studies on the presumed steppic snail Caucasotachea vindobonensis were conducted. Surprisingly, reconstruction of ancestral areas suggests that extant C. vindobonensis probably originated in the Balkans and survived there during the Late Pleistocene glaciations, with a more recent colonization of the Carpatho-Pannonian and the Ponto-Caspian regions. In the Holocene, C. vindobonensis colonized between the Sudetes and the Carpathians to the north, where its recent and current distribution may have been facilitated by anthropogenic translocations. Together, these data suggest a possible non-steppic origin of C. vindobonensis. Further investigation may reveal the extent to which the steppic snail assemblages consist partly of Holocene newcomers.

Six new subterranean freshwater gastropod species from northern Albania and some new records from Albania and Kosovo (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Moitessieriidae and Hydrobiidae).

During a field trip to the western part of the Balkan Peninsula in 2016, investigations of several caves and karstic springs revealed six new gastropod species living in subterranean waters and resulted in some note-worthy faunistic records. Five of the new species are assigned to the genus Paladilhiopsis Pavlovic, 1913, namely P. prekalensissp. n., P. lozekisp. n., P. szekeresisp. n., P. wohlberedtisp. n., P. falniowskiisp. n. and one to the genus Plagigeyeria Tomlin, 1930, namely P. steffekisp. n. New Albania and Kosovo distribution records are given for Iglica illyrica Schütt, 1975, Plagigeyeria zetaprotogona Schütt, 1960, Vinodolia matjasici (Bole, 1961), and the first georeferenced record is given for Saxurinator schlickumi Schütt, 1960. The most important environmental factors influencing habitat selection of these subterranean freshwater gastropods are briefly discussed.

New anatomical data and taxonomical notes on Metafruticicolinae (Pulmonata, Hygromiidae).

Based on the study of the reproductive tract of Metafruticicola occidentalis Subai, 1999, it is shown that the species belongs to a new subgenus ( Elbasania subgen. nov.). For comparison, the anatomy of seven species of the genus Metafruticicola (including type species) has been studied. It is shown that the species of this genus are clearly distinguished from one another by the structure of the copulative apparatus (mainly of penial papilla). Comparison of the genus Metafruticicola with the representatives of other genera of Hygromiidae that have no accessory organs on the vagina is conducted. We suggest that the genus Cyrnotheba Germain, 1929 may belong to the subfamily Metafruticicolinae while the genus Caucasocressa does not belong to this subfamily and might be included in the subfamily Monachainae. Problems of taxonomic structure of the genus Metafruticicola are briefly discussed.

Taxonomic revision of the rock-dwelling door snail genus Montenegrina Boettger, 1877 (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Clausiliidae).

The genus Montenegrina is revised on the basis of material available at the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Budapest), Naturhistorisches Museum Wien (Vienna), and the Naturmuseum Senckenberg (Frankfurt am Main), as well as newly discovered populations. The following new taxa are described: Montenegrina haringae sp. n., Montenegrina lillae sp. n., Montenegrina prokletiana sp. n., Montenegrina sturanyana sp. n., Montenegrina grammica erosszoltani ssp. n., Montenegrina grammica improvisa ssp. n., Montenegrina hiltrudae desaretica ssp. n., Montenegrina hiltrudae selcensis ssp. n., Montenegrina laxa delii ssp. n., Montenegrina nana barinai ssp. n., Montenegrina prokletiana kovacsorum ssp. n., Montenegrina rugilabris golikutensis ssp. n., Montenegrina rugilabris gregoi ssp. n., Montenegrina skipetarica danyii ssp. n., Montenegrina skipetarica gurelurensis ssp. n., Montenegrina skipetarica pifkoi ssp. n., Montenegrina skipetarica puskasi ssp. n., Montenegrina sporadica tropojana ssp. n., Montenegrina sturanyana gropana ssp. n., Montenegrina sturanyana ostrovicensis ssp. n., and Montenegrina tomorosi hunyadii ssp. n. A neotype is designated for Montenegrina helvola (Küster, 1860), and Montenegrina cattaroensis antivaricostata nom. n. was introduced to replace the junior homonym Clausilia umbilicata costata Boettger, 1907 (non Pfeiffer, 1928). Of each taxon types or specimens from the type localities are figured, and distribution maps are provided.

Revision of the genus Pseudopomatias and its relatives (Gastropoda: Cyclophoroidea: Pupinidae).

The present paper revises all species that have been assigned to Pseudopomatias Möllendorff, 1885 and Nodopomatias Gude, 1921. The following new species are described: Pseudopomatias abletti Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (northeastern India), Pseudopomatias harli Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (northeastern India), Pseudopomatias linanprietoae Páll-Gergely n. sp. (Laos), Pseudopomatias maasseni Páll-Gergely & Hunyadi, n. sp. (Vietnam and China), Pseudopomatias nitens Páll-Gergely n. sp. (Vietnam), Pseudopomatias prestoni Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (northeastern India), Pseudopomatias reischuetzi Páll-Ger-gely, n. sp. (north-eastern India), Pseudopomatias shanensis Páll-Gergely n. sp. (Myanmar) and Pseudopomatias sophiae Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (Vietnam). Pseudopomatias fulvus is moved to the synonymy of P. amoenus. Csomapupa n. gen. is erected for Pseudopomatias grandis and P. luyorensis. Another new genus, Vargapupa is erected with two species, namely Vargapupa biheli Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (Vietnam) and V. oharai Páll-Gergely, n. sp. (Laos). Both new genera are probably closely related to Pseudopomatias and Nodopomatias. All the currently available type specimens of species in these groups are figured. Anatomical information of P. eos and DNA sequence data of two Pseudopomatias species indicate that the genus is a member of the family Pupinidae. The other pre-existing hypothesis, namely that Pseudopomatias is a member of the Cochlostomatidae, is not supported by our results.

New records of subterranean and spring molluscs (Gastropoda: Hydrobiidae) from Montenegro and Albania with the description of five new species.

A short overview of subterranean Balkan hydrobid genera, with special focus on genus Bythiospeum Bourguignat, 1892 and Iglica A.J. Wagner, 1928 is given. In addition, based on recently collected material in Montenegro (Vitoja Spring) and Albania (Krumë), five new species are described, namely: Bracenica vitojaensis n. sp., Islamia montenegrina n. sp., Lanzaia pesici n. sp., Bythiospeum szarowskae n. sp. and Pseudamnicola krumensis n. sp. The holotypes and paratypes are depicted. In addition a re-description of Bythiospeum gittenbergeri (A. & P.L. Reischütz, 2008) is given and the types of the Iglica spp. deposited in the NHMW are depicted, some of them for the first time.

Citizen science reveals unexpected continental-scale evolutionary change in a model organism.

Organisms provide some of the most sensitive indicators of climate change and evolutionary responses are becoming apparent in species with short generation times. Large datasets on genetic polymorphism that can provide an historical benchmark against which to test for recent evolutionary responses are very rare, but an exception is found in the brown-lipped banded snail (Cepaea nemoralis). This species is sensitive to its thermal environment and exhibits several polymorphisms of shell colour and banding pattern affecting shell albedo in the majority of populations within its native range in Europe. We tested for evolutionary changes in shell albedo that might have been driven by the warming of the climate in Europe over the last half century by compiling an historical dataset for 6,515 native populations of C. nemoralis and comparing this with new data on nearly 3,000 populations. The new data were sampled mainly in 2009 through the Evolution MegaLab, a citizen science project that engaged thousands of volunteers in 15 countries throughout Europe in the biggest such exercise ever undertaken. A known geographic cline in the frequency of the colour phenotype with the highest albedo (yellow) was shown to have persisted and a difference in colour frequency between woodland and more open habitats was confirmed, but there was no general increase in the frequency of yellow shells. This may have been because snails adapted to a warming climate through behavioural thermoregulation. By contrast, we detected an unexpected decrease in the frequency of Unbanded shells and an increase in the Mid-banded morph. Neither of these evolutionary changes appears to be a direct response to climate change, indicating that the influence of other selective agents, possibly related to changing predation pressure and habitat change with effects on micro-climate.