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AIM: Three broad mechanisms have been proposed to explain geographic variation in species range size: habitat area/heterogeneity, climate seasonality and long‐term climate variability. However, it has proved difficult to disentangle their relative role, particularly as temperature seasonality often covaries with the amplitude of long‐term temperature oscillations. Here, we shed new light onto this debate by providing the first continental‐scale analysis of range size and beta diversity in groundwater habitats, where taxa are not exposed to latitudinal variation in temperature seasonality. LOCATION: Europe. METHODS: We compiled and mapped occurrence data for 1570 groundwater crustacean species. Generalized regression models were used to test for latitudinal variation in geographic range size and to assess the relative role of the three broad mechanisms in shaping present‐day patterns of range size. We partitioned beta diversity into its spatial turnover and nestedness components and analysed their latitudinal variation across Europe. RESULTS: Median range size increases with latitude above 43° N and the range size of individual species is positively correlated to latitude, even after accounting for phylogenetic effects. Long‐term temperature variability accounted for a substantially higher variation in median range size of groundwater crustaceans across Europe than precipitation seasonality and habitat heterogeneity, including aquifer area, elevation range, climatic rarity and productive energy. Spatial turnover contributes significantly more to beta diversity in southern regions characterized by stable historic climates than it does in northern Europe. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Our findings add support to the historic climate hypothesis which suggests that patterns of increasing range size and decreasing species turnover at higher latitudes in the Palaearctic region are primarily driven by long‐term temperature oscillations rather than by climatic seasonality and the availability and heterogeneity of habitats.

We investigated the associations between ecological (density, shelter structure), morphological (body mass, hair morphology) and physiological traits (basal metabolic rate) of small mammals and ecological (seasonality of reproduction, microhabitat preferences, abundance, host specificity) and morphological (presence and number of combs) traits of their flea parasites that shape host selection processes by fleas. We adapted the extended version of the three‐table ordination and linked species composition of flea assemblages of host species with traits and phylogenies of both hosts and fleas. Fleas with similar trait values, independent of phylogenetic affinities, were clustered on the same host species. Fleas possessing certain traits selected hosts possessing certain traits. Fleas belonging to the same phylogenetic lineage were found on the same host more often than expected by chance. Certain phylogenetic lineages of hosts harbored certain phylogenetic lineages of fleas. The process of host selection by fleas appeared to be determined by reciprocal relationships between host and flea traits, as well as between host and flea phylogenies. We concluded that the connection between host and flea phylogenies, coupled with the connection between host and flea traits, suggests that the species compositions of the host spectra of fleas were driven by the interaction between historical processes and traits.

AIM: Under the Hutchinsonian concept of the realized niche, biotic interactions and dispersal limitation may prevent species from fully occupying areas that they could tolerate physiologically. This can hamper the translation of physiological limits into climatically defined range limits and distorts inferences of evolutionary changes of the adaptive limits (i.e. niche conservatism). In contrast, heritable physiological limits should conform more closely to the position of the niche in the climatic hyperspace. Here, we hypothesize that a measure of niche position in the climatic hyperspace is more reliable than niche boundaries to capture the variability and evolutionary pattern of physiological tolerance. LOCATION: Neotropics and Palaeartic. METHODS: We used phylogenetic and non‐phylogenetic regressions to test the relationships between physiological requirements and macroecological niche features (i.e. based on known species distributions) among anurans. We use larval critical thermal maximum (CTₘₐₓ) as a measure of physiological response and maximum temperature (Tₘₐₓ), temperature variability (Tᵥₐᵣ) and the position and breadth of niche in climatic hyperspace as measures of the realized niche in geographical space. We also compare evolutionary rates among these parameters using the phylogenetic signal representation curve. RESULTS: CTₘₐₓ is better correlated with niche position (r² = 0.414) than with Tᵥₐᵣ, and CTₘₐₓ is unrelated to either Tₘₐₓ or niche breadth. CTₘₐₓ and macroecological niche position also show similar and rapid evolutionary rates, i.e. faster than Brownian motion, whereas Tₘₐₓ and Tᵥₐᵣ evolve more slowly and niche breadth evolves at random. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: The transferability between thermal tolerance and realized climatic niche limits is weak. Only macroecological niche position in the multivariate climatic hyperspace correlates with physiological tolerance. It thus appears to be more suitable for describing the variability and evolutionary pattern of the species' adaptive limits. We link these results to ‘niche dimensionality’, in that multiple interacting factors outweigh single factors in demarcating the species' realized climatic niche, thereby determining the conserved upper thermal limits of the species.

New records of 105 species of ichneumonids of the subfamily Ctenopelmatinae from Russia and adjacent territories are provided based on the collection of the Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences. Among them, 28 species are recorded in Russia for the first time. New data on the distribution of 54 ctenopelmatine species in the European part of Russia, the North Caucasus, Crimea, Siberia, and the Russian Far East are provided. The genera Synomelix Foerster, 1869 (with 3 species) and Bremiella Dalla Torre, 1901 are recorded in Russia for the first time. A replacement name Anoncus bipunctator nom. n. is proposed for the praeoccupied name Mesoleius bipunctatus Brischke. А new synonymy is established: Ctenopelma parvator Aubert, 1985 = Campodorus longicaudatus Hinz, 1969, syn. n. Lectotype of Euryproctus aberrans Woldstedt, 1876 in the ZIN collection is designated. А new combination is formed: Campodorus agilis (Brischke, 1871) (from Mesoleius ), comb. n.

AIM: We investigate patterns of phylogenetic diversity in relation to species diversity for European birds, mammals and amphibians to evaluate their congruence and highlight areas of particular evolutionary history. We estimate the extent to which the European network of protected areas (PAs) network retains interesting evolutionary history areas for the three groups separately and simultaneously. LOCATION: Europe METHODS: Phylogenetic (QEPD) and species diversity (SD) were estimated using the Rao's quadratic entropy at 10′ resolution. We determined the regional relationship between QEPD and SD for each taxa with a spatial regression model and used the tails of the residuals (QERES) distribution to identify areas of higher and lower QEPD than predicted. Spatial congruence of biodiversity between groups was assessed with Pearson correlation coefficient. A simple classification scheme allowed building a convergence map where a convergent pixel equalled to a QERES value of the same sign for the three groups. This convergence map was overlaid to the current PAs network to estimate the level of protection in convergent pixels and compared it to a null expectation built on 1000 randomization of PAs over the landscape. RESULTS: QERES patterns across vertebrates show a strong spatial mismatch highlighting different evolutionary histories. Convergent areas represent only 2.7% of the Western Palearctic, with only 8.4% of these areas being covered by the current PAs network while a random distribution would retain 10.4% of them. QERES are unequally represented within PAs: areas with higher QEPD than predicted are better covered than expected, while low QEPD areas are undersampled. MAIN CONCLUSIONS: Patterns of diversity strongly diverge between groups of vertebrates in Europe. Although Europe has the world's most extensive PAs network, evolutionary history of terrestrial vertebrates is unequally protected. The challenge is now to reconcile effective conservation planning with a contemporary view of biodiversity integrating multiple facets.

The nine species of the Epeolus julliani species group from the Palaearctic region are reviewed. Two new species are described and illustrated: Epeolus rasmonti Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. nov. (Russia, Mongolia, China) and E. kyzylkumicus Astafurova, sp. nov. (Central Asia). Epeolus julliani Pérez, 1884 and E. laticauda Bischoff, 1930 are newly recorded from Kazakhstan and E. seraxensis Radoszkowski, 1893 is newly recorded from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan. An identification key for both sexes of all members of this species group is presented.

Earthworms are among the most abundant and ecologically important invasive species, and are therefore a good object for studying genetic processes in invasive populations. Aporrectodea caliginosa is one of the most widespread invasive earthworms in the temperate zone. It is believed to have dispersed from Europe to all continents except Antarctica. It is known that A. caliginosa consists of three genetic lineages, and genetic diversity is high both among and between them. We attempted to use that high genetic diversity to study A. caliginosa dispersal in the Palearctic based on a sample of 40 localities ranging from eastern Europe to the Russian Far East, and to compare our data to other studies on this species in western Europe and North America. Two genetic lineages were found in the studied sample. Only negligible decrease in genetic diversity was observed for the lineage 2 of A. caliginosa from West Europe to the Far East, suggesting multiple human-mediated introductions. In contrast, lineage 3 is abundant in West Europe and Belarus, but is absent from the East European Plain, the Urals, and the Far East. However, it is present in West Siberia, where it has greatly reduced genetic diversity, indicating long-distance dispersal accompanied by a bottleneck event. Thus, although these two lineages of A. caliginosa are morphologically indistinguishable, they have dramatic differences in their distributions and dispersal histories.

Persecution and overexploitation by humans are major causes of species extinctions. Rare species, often confined to small geographic ranges, are usually at highest risk, whereas extinctions of superabundant species with very large ranges are rare. The Yellow‐breasted Bunting (Emberiza aureola) used to be one of the most abundant songbirds of the Palearctic, with a very large breeding range stretching from Scandinavia to the Russian Far East. Anecdotal information about rapid population declines across the range caused concern about unsustainable trapping along the species’ migration routes. We conducted a literature review and used long‐term monitoring data from across the species’ range to model population trend and geographical patterns of extinction. The population declined by 84.3–94.7% between 1980 and 2013, and the species’ range contracted by 5000 km. Quantitative evidence from police raids suggested rampant illegal trapping of the species along its East Asian flyway in China. A population model simulating an initial harvest level of 2% of the population, and an annual increase of 0.2% during the monitoring period produced a population trajectory that matched the observed decline. We suggest that trapping strongly contributed to the decline because the consumption of Yellow‐breasted Bunting and other songbirds has increased as a result of economic growth and prosperity in East Asia. The magnitude and speed of the decline is unprecedented among birds with a comparable range size, with the exception of the Passenger Pigeon (Ectopistes migratorius), which went extinct in 1914 due to industrial‐scale hunting. Our results demonstrate the urgent need for an improved monitoring of common and widespread species’ populations, and consumption levels throughout East Asia.

Four new species of Filatima Busck, 1939 are described from Central Asia: Filatima armata sp. nov. (Iran), F. subarmata sp. nov. (Pakistan, Iran), F. afghana sp. nov. (Afghanistan), and F. karii sp. nov. (Tajikistan). The hitherto unknown female of Filatima multicornuta Bidzilya & Nupponen, 2018 is described. Recorded to occur for the first time are Filatima textorella (Chrétien, 1908) from North Macedonia and Turkey, F. pallipalpella (Snellen, 1884) from Kyrgyzstan, and Filatima zagulajevi Anikin & Piskunov, 1996 from Kazakhstan. Filatima fontisella Lvovsky & Piskunov, 1989 is removed from the list of Russian Gelechiidae due to re-identification of the only record as F. multicornuta . An annotated checklist of Palaearctic Filatima species is provided.

We used an integrative-taxonomy approach to help resolve taxonomic issues within the genus Micropsectra (Diptera:Chironomidae). We used partial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and nuclear carbamylphosphate synthetase (CAD) sequences and morphological data to provide a framework for better understanding of North American species in this group of nonbiting midges. As part of our results, we describe 3 new species: Micropsectra neoappendica, n. sp., Micropsectra penicillata, n. sp., and Micropsectra subletteorum, n. sp., and 1 species new to the north-central USA, Micropsectra xantha (Roback). Two of the species, M. neoappendica n. sp. and M. subletteorum n. sp., initially appeared to be morphologically identical to species known from the Palearctic. However, molecular data indicated that they were genetically distinct, and reexamination of adult and pupal morphology revealed slight but consistent diagnostic differences. The implications of using species-level identifications for cryptic-species complexes in biological monitoring and conservation management are briefly discussed with reference to our findings. Our results emphasize the importance of using molecular tools in conjunction with traditional morphological techniques when studying Chironomidae diversity, especially when relying on diagnoses from other geographic regions.