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Article Reference Correction: Pahon Cave, Gabon: New insights into the Later Stone Age in the African rainforest
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
Article Reference A critical evaluation of fossil reports from the lower Palaeozoic of the Stavelot-Venn Inlier (Belgium, western Germany)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
Article Reference New records of the shining guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus (Nylander, 1846) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in Belgium
We report new records of the shining guest ant Formicoxenus nitidulus (Nylander, 1846) from ten sites across Belgium. The species was found in association with Formica rufa Linnaeus, 1761, Formica polyctena Förster, 1850 and Formica pratensis Retzius, 1783 nests across six provinces (Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Liège, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur). Records were obtained using selective traps, placed on the margins of host mounds as well as by direct observations on host nests. These observations indicate that F. nitidulus is more widespread in Belgium than previously thought.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference Uncovering ant diversity across forest successional stages in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve (DRC): Insights from Winkler and pitfall trap sampling
Litter ant communities constitute an important component of biodiversity in tropical regions. They are currently used in several ecosystem management programmes to as- sess forest health. The aim of this study was to uncover the ant diversity across forest successional stages (fallow land, secondary forest and primary forest) in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. These habitats were sam- pled at six localities using pitfall traps and Winkler extractions. In total, 190 ant species belonging to 50 genera and eight subfamilies were recorded in the Yangambi Biosphere Reserve. Ant diversity increased significantly along the successional gradient, being lowest in fallow land, intermediate in secondary forest, and highest in primary forest. Sixty ant species were shared across all three habitats, while each habitat supported a distinct assemblage of species. Primary forests contained the greatest number of exclu- sive species, followed by secondary forests and fallow land. Winkler extractors captured substantially more ant species than pitfall traps, recording nearly 50% greater species richness. However, a significant portion of the ant fauna in the Yangambi Biosphere Re- serve likely remains unrecorded, and additional sampling methods (like arboreal traps, net sweeping and baiting) could provide a more complete picture of its biodiversity.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference On the Darwin Core Term dwc:habitat, and the Need to Adopt a European Vocabulary Based on NATURA2000 and EUNIS Classifications, with a Comment on International Applicability
Darwin Core (DwC) is an essential standard for sharing biodiversity data. However, the term dwc:habitat suffers from an inherent ambiguity due to its free-text format. This ambiguity severely compromises the interoperability and reusability of habitat data, hindering large-scale comparative analyses and impeding the formulation of effective conservation policies. As a solution to this problem, we propose adopting controlled vocabularies and ontologies. The NATURA2000 and EUNIS habitat classifications emerge as ideal candidates to standardize dwc:habitat. NATURA2000 offers a consolidated regulatory framework and habitat type definitions with direct implications for European conservation, while EUNIS provides a more comprehensive, hierarchical, and scientifically grounded system with the ability to cross-map with other standards. The implementation of such vocabularies would significantly improve the quality, consistency, interoperability, and reusability of habitat data, more robustly supporting scientific research and conservation policies.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference Spiroplasma Display an Intricate Continuum of Infection Heterogeneity and Persistence in Myrmica Ants
Many bacterial taxa evolved facultative symbiotic associations with insects and spread through host populations by horizontal and maternal transmission. Co-infection at the individual host level may facilitate or constrain the spread of facultative symbi- onts. Due to insufficiently detailed genotyping, co-infections of maternally transmitted symbionts often remain hidden, limit- ing our understanding of (co-)infection dynamics. Spiroplasma bacteria exhibit multiple independent origins of symbiosis with insects and have poorly understood patterns of transmission and co-infection. Here, we examined these traits of Spiroplasma symbiosis using Myrmica ants, a system known for high frequencies of single Spiroplasma infections. Through exhaustive genotyping of 75 colonies across seven Myrmica species, we uncovered multiple cryptic co-infections involving two distinct Spiroplasma clades that display significantly different infection frequencies in workers. Within Myrmica ruginodis, infection heterogeneity was contingent on ant caste and was lower in workers. Remarkably, the sMyr Spiroplasma variant infected four Myrmica species and was widespread in queens and workers. We provide phylogenomic and functional genomic support for an exceptionally stable symbiosis with maternally acquired sMyr, with a predicted infection persistence of seven million years in the Myrmica scabrinodis species group. Our findings reveal that Spiroplasma can display complex infection heterogeneity and evolve an evolutionary stable maternally acquired infection within insect hosts.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference Brain size reduction in dogs was already established at least by the Late Neolithic of Western Europe, 5000 years ago
The timing and causes of brain size reduction in domestic dogs remain uncertain. Using endocast volume as a proxy for brain size, this study provides a first insight into long-term brain size evolution in the wolf-dog lineage. We compared endocranial volumes of 185 modern and 22 prehistoric wolves and dogs ranging from Western Europe to Australia, and spanning the Pleniglacial (35 000 yr BP) to the Late Neolithic (5000 yr BP). Our results reveal that Pleistocene so-called ‘protodogs’ show no brain size reduction compared with coeval Pleistocene wolves. Instead, we observed a slightly larger relative endocranial volume in the 35 000-year-old 'protodog' from Goyet, which could suggest increased behavioural flexibility in the presence of humans. In contrast, Late Neolithic dogs show a drastic brain size reduction (46\%) with endocranial volumes comparable to modern small terrier and toy breeds. We speculate that the anxious and wary temperaments of these Late Neolithic dogs, induced by the brain tissue reorganization associated with such a size reduction, could have served an alerting purpose, among the many other potential roles dogs could have played within these Late Neolithic socio-ecosystems.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference Planting food forests can increase soil biodiversity in agricultural landscapes of Northwest Europe
Food forests are an emerging agroecosystem in the temperate zone, aimed at providing food while supporting high levels of biodiversity. How food forestry impacts belowground biodiversity is, however, largely unknown. We compared communities of 12 taxonomic groups of soil organisms between 15 food forests and nearby grasslands, croplands and forests in Northwest Europe. Food forest soil communities appeared to differ from communities in grass- and croplands and more closely resembled forest communities in terms of total biomass or number of individuals of most taxonomic groups, with especially higher numbers of most macroarthropods. In terms of composition, food forest communities of most groups were overall intermediate between those in grass- and croplands and those in forests. For microorganismal and microfaunal groups, food forest communities bore a greater resemblance to grass- and cropland communities than to forest communities. Besides a higher alpha-diversity for non-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and certain macroarthropod groups in food forests, differences in alpha- and beta-diversity were overall limited. As food forests appear to support different soil communities than grass- and croplands, planting food forests could increase soil biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference Marine Chersodromia Walker (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Mediterranean coastline of Morocco: description of three new species with new records, supported by COI barcoding/strong
Three new species for science of Chersodromia Walker are described from the Moroccan Mediterranean coastline (C. kessabae sp. nov., C. moroccensis sp. nov. and C. estuaria sp. nov.), with the first record of Chersodromia oraria Collin, 1966 in Morocco and new distributional data are provided for Chersodromia pseudohirta Chvála, 1970. This study is based on intensive field surveys conducted by the third author along the Mediterranean coastline of Morocco between 2022 and 2024, targeting especially a variety of coastal habitats. Illustrations of the new species are given, along with COI barcodes of all species recorded. A key to the Moroccan Mediterranean species of Chersodromia is also provided.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
Article Reference Cataulacus nywelendefu sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a New Arboreal Ant from Tanzania
A new species of the genus Cataulacus: Cataulacus nywelendefu sp. nov. is described from the Segoma Forest in Northeastern Tanzania. An addition to the existing key for Afrotropical Cataulacus species is given.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA