Alpine Entomology

Boletina kowarzi Stackelberg, 1943 (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) is recorded from Central Europe for the first time in nearly 150 years. The species was originally described based on …

Hispaniodirphia lemaireiana Rougerie & Herbin, 2006 is an endemic saturniid moth restricted to the montane pine forests of Hispaniola. Here we provide the first description of the…

Although Europe is the best-explored continent entomologically, major gaps remain, especially in alpine regions and within taxonomically challenging “dark taxa”, such as parasitoi…

The diving beetle Rhantus procul sp. nov. is described from around 2,000 m a.s.l. at Mount Pompangeo in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Besides Rhantus suturalis (W.S. Macleay, 1825)…

The temperate Palaearctic genus Camarotoscena (Liviidae, Liviinae) is revised to contain 10 species confirming previous morphology-based species concepts. The results of the molec…

Northeastern Algeria has recently emerged as a hotspot of freshwater biodiversity and a refugium for both mountainous cold stenothermic and Afrotropical relict species. Intensive …

The presence of the rare alpine insect Hemerobius schedli Hölzel, 1970 was confirmed with preserved museum specimens in Basel and London. In addition, live specimens were collecte…

Carcina ingridmariae sp. nov. is described from the eastern Mediterranean region (Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, Türkiye). The species differs strikingly from the so far only repr…

Mayflies (Ephemeroptera) play a crucial role in nutrient cycling and energy transfer between ecotones, making them key indicators of freshwater ecosystem health. As part of a broa…

Dichotrachelus sonjae sp. nov. was discovered in a cold north-exposed scree slope in the Togano ridge area in Piemonte North of Val Grande. It is described and compared with the m…

The genus Limbodessus Guignot, 1939 from New Guinea is reviewed. Eight new species are described from the Central Mountain Range of New Guinea, from altitudes of 1,800 up to 3,500…

Same-sex and interspecific sexual behavior have been documented in arthropods, but records remain very scarce. We report a mating attempt of a male Dociostaurus kraussi (Ingenitzk…

Anthophora onosmarum is a poorly known bee species described from the Caucasus (Georgia). New fieldwork has revealed that the species is present in Bulgaria and Greece, and is als…

Überprüfte Sammlungsexemplare und aktuelle Funde des besonders selten gefundenen und nur äusserst lokal vorkommenden Adosomus roridus aus der Schweiz führten zur Entdeckung von Ei…

A new species of concealer moths (Oecophoridae), Denisia cryptica sp. nov., is described from specimens collected in the south-western Alps (Italy, France). It differs from simila…

Records of Choerades mouchai Hradský, 1985, are reported from Switzerland. These are the first records of the species published since its description and extend its known range to…

A new osmiine bee species, Hoplitis (Hoplitis) onosmaevae sp. nov. (Megachilidae), is described. So far, this species is exclusively known from the Mercantour National Park in the…

Ambrosia beetles are highly successful as invaders because they are often transported internationally with wood packaging and other wood products and because their inbreeding mati…

Five species of Psyllinae are recognised from Gunung Kinabalu, all previously unknown, and are formally described and named: Cacopsylla graciliforceps sp. nov., C. kinabaluensis s…

The first Orchesiini of South Africa, Parvapila lyncispinnae gen. nov. and sp. nov., is described. Specimens were collected at the foot of the Langeberg Range and of the Kogelberg…

Anlässlich einer Exkursion in die Gebirgszüge im Norden Portugals konnten Imagines und Larven der wenig bekannten Donus-Art vom Doldenblütigen Heidekraut (Erica umbellata L.) auf …

The larva of Isoperla orobica Ravizza, 1975, an endemic Alpine species, is described with information about the distribution and ecology in Switzerland. New barcodes were generate…

The fourth species of Anchonidium sensu stricto from Western Europe is described, photographed and compared with its congeners; an updated key of the genus is given. The habitat i…

The carabid beetle Nebria taketoi Habu, 1962 is endemic to the high-altitude mountains of Honshu, Japan; due to its rarity, it is one of the least taxonomically studied species am…

Cloeon vanharteni Gattolliat & Sartori, 2008 was newly discovered in the framework of our study of Ephemeroptera in the Draa basin, located in the southern region of the High Atla…

The theory of niche differentiation implies some extent of specialization of species with regard to key resources, notably food. Coprophagous (dung-eating) insect larvae play a cr…

The species of the subgenus Stichoptera occurring in Switzerland are revised, based on a combination of literature data, old museum specimens and recent material. Four species, on…

Investigations of material collected partly in 1999 and mainly between 2006 and 2016 in New Guinea, mostly along the high, central mountain chain of the island, further increased …

Carabid beetles of the tribe Licinini use their asymmetric mandibles to open the shells of land snails. Prey handling of large snails has been described in a few Licinini species.…

Identifying alien species is important to ensure the early detection of biological invasions and survey shifts in species distributions in the context of global change. Here, we r…

Megacraspedus peslieri was described from the Pyrenees in 2018 and subsequently also discovered at a few localities in the northern Cottian Alps (Italy). The hitherto unknown fema…

The Draa river basin is located south of the High Atlas Mountain rangee in Morocco. The Ephemeroptera (mayflies) fauna of its three sub-basins: the High, Middle, and Lower Draa ar…

Eryngiofaga perrara sp. nov. is described, diagnosed and illustrated from two adult specimens found on Mount Pilatus (Switzerland, Obwalden). The new species is morphologically mo…

A new species of Baetidae, Alainites siamensis sp. nov., is described from Thailand. This new species is closely related to Alainites lingulatus Tong & Dudgeon, 2000, Alainites la…

A fairyfly (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae) Cleruchus breviclava Triapitsyn & Coray, sp. nov. is described and illustrated. The new species is an egg parasitoid of the invasive Cis chinen…

Samples of the tree fungus Antrodia xantha were collected on Pinus strobus in the therapy garden of the UPK campus (University Psychiatric Clinics) in Basel in summer 2021. The sa…

A focused search in very high (2500–3200 m asl) Alpine mountain tops in France resulted in the discovery of the very rare Alpine-endemic syrphid Platycheirus altomontis Merlin & N…

We use molecular phylogenomic as well as morphological data to provide a taxonomic update on New Guinea endemic Philaccolilus diving beetles. In these lotic beetles, we find crypt…

A new Periscelididae species, Periscelis (Myodris) haennii sp. nov., is described from Losone near Locarno, Canton Ticino (Southern Switzerland). It has been found during a biodiv…

A new species of the xanthopygine genus Ikaros Chatzimanolis & Brunke, 2021 is described from Colombia: Ikaros navarretei sp. nov. Illustrations and a key are provided to identify…

Two new species of the diving beetle genus Liodessus Guignot, 1939 are described from high mountain regions in Venezuela: Liodessus meridensis sp. nov. from Laguna de Mucabají, Mé…

Gunung Kinabalu is famous for its exceptionally diverse fauna and flora, rich in endemism. An example is the psyllid genus Ctenarytaina that is represented by four, apparently end…

Lyonetia ledi Wocke, 1859 (Lyonetiidae), was hitherto considered as a boreal species with a circumpolar distribution pattern and relict populations in isolated peat bogs north-eas…

Female and male reproductive traits co-evolve through pre- and post-copulatory sexual selection and sexual conflict. Although males typically transfer many sperm during copulation…

Mitrapsylla rupestris sp. nov., associated with Poiretia bahiana C. Mueller (Fabaceae, Faboideae, Dalbergieae), is described, diagnosed and illustrated. The new species is morphol…

Foraging provides the basis for animal reproduction, but requires energy and time to be sustained, entailing a trade-off. Whereas females should maximize their time foraging for r…

A specimen of Stactobia eatoniella, a hygropetric species of micro-caddisfly considered extinct in Switzerland, was discovered in the Morge in Valais in March 2020 during routine …

Analysis of wing pattern, genital morphology and results of DNA barcoding indicates that the name Dichrorampha montanana sensu auct. actually comprises two species. D. alpestrana …

Evidence for selective disadvantages of large body size remains scarce in general. Previous studies of the yellow dung fly Scathophaga stercoraria have demonstrated strong positiv…

The Darwin wasp Xorides ater is a solitary idiobiont ectoparasitoid of wood-boring beetle larvae. It occurs across the Palaearctic, and in Switzerland seems to be restricted to ar…