Zoodiversity

Species Characteristics of Anthropogenic Pollution Effect in the Pelophylax esculentus Water Frog Complex (Anura, Ranidae). Changes in the Histostructure of the Liver

2025-08-26T09:45:49+00:00

The paper examined the specific features of hepatocyte damage, parenchymal repair processes and pigment accumulation in the livers of water frogs (Pelophylax esculentus complex) from a moderately polluted agrocenosis. It was demonstrated that hybrid individuals exhibit significant differences from their parental species with regard to the peculiarities of pigment metabolism in the liver. All hybrid frogs have a low pigment content in their livers. Additionally, the hybrid frog sample has a significantly higher proportion of animals with degraded connective tissue. The parental species do not differ in these parameters. The features of genetic material transfer that cause hybrids to differ reliably from parental species in terms of the presence of histological changes in the liver are discussed.

Spatial Dynamic and Ecology of a Male Eurasian Lynx, Lynx lynx (Carnivora, Felidae), in Volyn Polissia, Ukraine: First GPS-GSM Telemetry Findings

2025-08-26T09:45:45+00:00

In landscapes affected by human activity, understanding the spatial dynamics, predation behaviour and habitat preferences of large carnivores is essential for developing effective conservation strategies. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) plays a vital role in maintaining the ecological balance of temperate and boreal forests in Europe and Asia. However, the ecological patterns and behavior of lynx populations in Ukraine remain poorly studied. This study, based on GPS telemetry data collected from February to August 2023 in the Rivnenskyi Nature Reserve and adjacent territories, is the first to provide a comprehensive assessment of lynx home range, predation ecology and habitat selection in Ukraine. The average annual home range size of the lynx ranged from 181 to 255 km², depending on the home range estimator used (95 % MCP, KDE, and AKDE), with significant seasonal variation: larger ranges in summer (172 km², 95 % MCP) compared to smaller winter ranges (113.2 km², 95 % MCP). The lynx primarily preyed on roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and brown hare (Lepus europaeus), occasionally targeting smaller prey and carnivores, including the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides). Kills and resting sites were located in dense, low-visibility areas such as swampy coniferous and deciduous forests. Moreover, the study demonstrated that lynx actively avoided human settlements and roads, particularly during summer, highlighting the influence of anthropogenic factors. While our findings align with patterns observed in other European lynx populations, they also reveal regional variations driven by local landscape features. Of the lynx telemetry observations, 30.5% occurred within protected areas and 69.5% in forestry enterprises, degraded marshlands and hunting grounds. These results emphasise the importance of spatial ecology in carnivore conservation and highlight the need for continued monitoring to assess the impact of human activity on lynx populations in Ukraine. Furthermore, this study provides valuable insights for developing targeted conservation strategies involving local communities and stakeholders for the species in Ukraine and Eastern Europe. It also emphasises the need for standardised monitoring to facilitate comparative analyses of lynx ecology across different regions, including the Baltic and the Carpathians.

Identification of the European Species of Batakomacrus (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Orthocentrinae)

2025-08-26T09:45:50+00:00

The present paper provides a first illustrated key containing all European species of the genus Batakomacrus Kolarov, 1986. A new combination is established: Orthocentrus ambiguus Holmgren, 1858 is transferred to Batakomacrus and the following synonymy is proposed: B. ambiguus comb. n. = B. sylvicola Humala, 2010 syn. n. Batakomacrus ambiguus is recorded for the first time from Finland, Greece, Italy, Moldova, and Spain; B. caudatus (Holmgren, 1858) from Belgium; B. flaviceps (Gravenhorst, 1829) from Greece; and B. noyesi Broad, 2010 from Norway and Sweden. Males of B. ambiguus comb. n. and B. noyesi are described and illustrated.

New records of Chironomidae (Insecta, Diptera) in the fauna of the Lower Dnipro, Ukraine

2025-08-26T09:45:43+00:00

Based on the larval and pupal specimens 24 species /morphotypes of Chironomidae (Insecta, Diptera) are recorded for the first time in the Lower Dnipro region and Dnipro-Buh Estuary: Xenopelopia falcigera (Kieffer, 1911), Corynoneura scutellata Winnertz, 1846, Cricotopus (Isocladius) intersectus (Staeger, 1839), Hydrobaenus lugubris Fries, 1830, Limnophyes sp., Orthocladius (Euorthocladius) sp., Psectrocladius (Psectrocladius) sp. cf. zetterstedti Brundin, 1949, Chironomus (Camptochironomus) pallidivittatus Malloch, 1915, Ch. (Ca.) tentans (Fabricius, 1805), Ch. (Chironomus) cingulatus Meigen, 1830, Ch. (Lobochironomus) dorsalis Meigen, 1818, Demeijerea rufipes (Linnaeus, 1761), Dicrotendipes lobiger (Kieffer, 1921), Kieff erulus tendipediformis (Goetghebuer, 1921), Polypedilum (Polypedilum) nubifer (Skuse, 1889), Zavreliella marmorata (van der Wulp, 1858), Paratanytarsus inopertus (Walker, 1856), Pa. quintuplex Kieffer, 1922, Tanytarsus medius Reiss & Fittkau, 1971, T. pallidicornis (Walker, 1856), T. usmaensis Pagast, 1931, T. sp. cf. excavatus / nemorosus, T. sp. cf. formosanus Kieffer, 1912, T. sp. cf. lugens / glabrescens-type. Three species (X. falcigera, T. pallidicornis, T. usmaensis) and two morphotypes (T. sp. cf. formosanus, T. sp. cf. lugens / glabrescens-type) are recorded for the first time in the fauna of Ukraine.

A New Species of Carorita (Araneae, Linyphiidae) from Ukraine, with a Redescription of the Type Species of the Genus

2025-08-26T09:45:42+00:00

Carorita limnaea (Crossby et Bishop, 1927), the type species of the genus, is redescribed, and a new species Carorita podiliensis sp. n. from Ukraine is described.