Photo: Pond slider turtle living in Babaevsky Pond (Moscow, Losiny Ostrov National Park). Although these freshwater reptiles come from warm regions, they are able to survive in conditions of long cold winters. The pond slider turtle was discovered in the waters of the Babaevsky pond by biologists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS). This species of freshwater reptile is considered alien to the natural conditions of central Russia. The homeland of the red-eared turtle is North America. Historically, it was found only in the Mississippi basin (USA) and in the nearby territory of Mexico. Later, the turtle spread throughout the world, becoming invasive. In some countries, for example, in Australia, it is officially classified as a pest. Despite the fact that the pond slider turtle is considered a popular pet, not all owners realize the responsibility of keeping it. Since reptiles live for several decades, they require certain conditions and complex care. Some owners, after understanding that they care for the pet effectively, release them into bodies of water without thinking about the consequences. One of the key problems is the transformation of the ecosystem, which occurs due to the introduction of alien species into the natural environment. They compete with local species for food and habitat, which can lead to their displacement. The pond slider turtle is omnivorous, it can feed on frogs, dragonfly larvae and fish fry. In the capital, it has a direct competitor - the European pond turtle, which is listed in the Moscow Red Book. Both species occupy a similar ecological niche, feeding on almost the same thing, but the invasive guest is often stronger. At the same time, the increase in the population of the pond slider turtle occurs much faster than the European pond turtle. It should be taken into account that pond slider turtles do not only spread naturally. They are able to survive in long cold winters. In the fall, they bury themselves at the bottom of rivers and other bodies of water, hibernating until spring. The capital's Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection  calls on city residents to take a responsible approach to choosing pets. Before getting a pet, you need to study its needs, assess your capabilities and understand that its fate depends on its owners.

Figure 1. Cyathocotyle bithyniae Sudarikov, 1974 Scientists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS), the Rostov State Nature Biosphere Reserve and the Federal Center for the Study and Reproduction of Hunting Resources (Rostov-on-Don) discovered two species of flukes – Cyathocotyle fulicae and C. bithyniae – during a parasitological study of the coot in Russia and Belarus and studied them using morphological and molecular methods. “Cyathocotyle fulicae is a rare and poorly studied species of trematodes, known from two registrations, one of which was not supported by morphological evidence. Cyathocotyle bithyniae is also a poorly studied parasite, sexually mature individuals of which have so far been obtained only in laboratory conditions,” said Sergey Vlasenkov, junior researcher at the IEE RAS. Figure 2. Cyathocotyle fulicae Ginetzinskaja, 1952 The conducted study clarified the morphological features of these species and reconstructed their phylogenetic relationships. The authors put forward hypotheses about the belonging of C. bithyniae to the same species as the isolate of C. bushiensis from the USA, and C. fulicae to the dispersal larvae of flukes (cercariae) previously noted in the mollusk Bithynia tentaculata from Central Europe. Molecular data do not support the presence of the closest common ancestor in the molecularly characterized species of the genus Cyathocotyle, which indicates the need for revision of this group of flukes. The article was published in the journal Zoosystematica Rossica: Vlasenkov S.A., Lipkovich A.D. & Sokolov S.G. 2025. Redescription and phylogenetic analysis of Cyathocotyle bithyniae and C. fulicae (Trematoda: Diplostomoidea: Cyathocotylidae) from Eurasian Coot Fulica atra (Aves: Rallidae). Zoosystematica Rossica 34(1): 160–172. Doi: 10.31610/zsr/2025.34.1.160

Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow In the Moscow part of the Losiny Ostrov National Park, you can find the lesser butterfly-orchid, the marsh helleborine, the coralroot orchid, the bird’s-nest orchid and other interesting species. The Losiny Ostrov National Park is a unique natural area in Moscow, where rare plant species have been preserved. Orchids are blooming there now. Among them, the greater butterfly-orchid attracts special attention - a species listed in the Red Book of Moscow under the first category of rarity. Greater butterfly-orchid Greater butterfly-orchid is protected not only in Moscow, but also at the global level according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The orchid has two large basal leaves and a thin stem with delicate whitish-green flowers that have almost no scent. Every year, the plant forms a new tuber to replace the old one. The seeds of this orchid germinate only with the help of a special fungus that lives in the soil, so it can only be found in almost untouched forests with moist soil rich in mineral nutrients - most often in oak and linden groves. Biologists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS) have discovered four new habitats for this species, which confirms the uniqueness of the ecosystem of the urban part of Losiny Ostrov. Rare orchids of Losiny Ostrov Orchids are considered to be among the most vulnerable plants. Their seeds germinate only in symbiosis with fungi, and adult plants are extremely sensitive to environmental changes. However, in the national park you can find not only the green-flowered orchid, but also other rare species. Among them is the lesser butterfly-orchid, which belongs to the first category of rarity. This is an orchid with white flowers and two large leaves at the base of the shoot. It can be found on the edges of forests, in light birch forests and in meadows. Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow The same first category of rarity includes the marsh helleborine. This is a perennial plant up to 70 centimeters high, which grows on the outskirts of swamps, forest glades and groundwater outlets. The marsh helleborine blooms in June-July and bears fruit in September. Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow Visitors to the park may encounter the common spotted orchid, which is in the second category of rarity. This orchid species has pinkish-purple flowers and variegated leaves. It prefers to grow in the rich soils of broad-leaved forests and depends on symbiotic fungi. Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow Those who are lucky will be able to spot the eggleaf twayblade, a rather inconspicuous orchid with two oval-shaped leaves and small yellowish-green flowers, as well as the yellow coralroot orchid, the most secretive of Moscow's orchids. To notice the thin, delicate leafless stem of the orchid, you need to have not only knowledge, but also luck. Both of these species also belong to the second category of rarity. Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow In addition, the capital is home to the bird’s-nest orchid (third category of rarity). This species has no green leaves and receives nutrients from mycorrhizal fungi growing on tree roots. It is found in old forests, especially in linden and oak forests. Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow Early marsh-orchid, also belonging to the third category of rarity, is quite noticeable among the herbs during flowering. It has bright pink flowers, collected in a dense inflorescence. Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow The broad-leaved helleborine is a rare orchid that can withstand quite active recreation and can be found even in the most disturbed areas. It belongs to the fifth category of rarity. Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow Preservation of these species is an indicator of a healthy forest. Specialists from the capital's Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection urge people to be careful when walking around Losiny Ostrov. If visitors are lucky enough to come across one of these wonderful plants, they can admire their appearance and take a photo, but it is important to remember that they cannot be picked or damaged.

Photo: New species. A - dorsal view, B - ventral view, C, D - wing, E, F - examples of tergite 4 variability. Parasitic insects play a huge role in ecosystems, affecting the health, behavior and population dynamics of their hosts. However, many of them remain poorly studied, especially in remote regions. The ectoparasite family Hippoboscidae Samouelle, 1819 includes more than 200 species of flies. Among them, a large genus of bird parasites stands out — Ornithomya Latreille, 1802, widely represented in the Palearctic. Currently, it has 33 modern species. A new, 34th species was found and described by employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS) in the Lazovsky Nature Reserve (Primorsky Krai). The species was described in honor of an employee of our institute — Evgeny Nikolaevich Panov (1936-2024) — and was named Ornithomya panovi. Ornithomya panovi differs from other species by the almost complete reduction of tergite 4 (a sclerotized plate on the dorsal side of the abdomen). “Both classical morphology and genetic data were used in the description. It was discovered that earlier in 2020, the same species was found by another scientist in the Amur Region. However, that time the fly was incorrectly identified and classified as an already known species,” said Alexandra Yatsuk, PhD in Biology, research fellow at the IEE RAS. The work was published: Aleksandra Yatsuk, Emilia Nartshuk, Tatiana Triseleva, Valeriy Shokhrin, Oleg Tolstenkov, Andrey Safonkin, Alexandr Matyukhin. A new species of louse fly, Ornithomya Latreille, 1802 (Diptera: Hippoboscidae), from the Russian far East // International Journal for Parasitology: Parasites and Wildlife, 27 (2025): 101111.

Photo by: Ilya Ukolov Birds of prey are reluctant to inhabit large cities, especially large metropolitan areas. Here they find it difficult to find enough food and hide from the 24-hour city bustle. However, Moscow is characterized by the presence of large green areas: parks and squares, many of which have become a refuge for rare bird species, such as the rare Eurasian hobby (falco subbuteo), listed in the Red Book of the city and region. Photo by: Ilya Ukolov This rare bird does not nest in Moscow every year, usually choosing large parks (Losiny Ostrov, Ostankino, Bitsevsky, Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo, etc.) with old-growth pine forests. In 2025, during a survey of Moscow protected areas under an agreement between the Moscow Department of Nature Management and the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS), ornithologists from the institute and employees of the Krasnaya Sosna ecocenter established a nesting pair on the territory of the Moscow part of the Losiny Ostrov National Park. Photo by: Ilya Ukolov The falcons occupied a nest at a height of over 20 meters, and experts examined it at the end of June. To their great joy, it was discovered that the pair was incubating a clutch of two eggs. Ornithologists hope that the pair will successfully raise their offspring, and the young will join the city's group of these rare birds. Hobbies are very likely to nest late, their chicks hatch at a time when other birds of prey have long since left their nests and become independent. This is due to the falcons' specific diet, they are skilled swift hunters, and the timing of feeding the falcons coincides with the mass flight of young swifts. Photo by: Ilya Ukolov

The world's most authoritative scientometric databases Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus have provided new data on journals for 2024, according to which the Journal of Ichthyology returned to the second quartile (Q2) of Scopus (Q3 in 2022-2023) in the category "Agricultural and Biological Sciences, miscellaneous" and for the first time moved to the third quartile (Q3) of WoS (all previous years Q4) in the categories "Fisheries" and "Zoology". In 2024, the journal's SJR (scientific journal ranking - an analogue of the impact factor) increased in Scopus - from 0.217 to 0.325 and the WoS impact factor - from 0.5 to 0.8. The journal "Problems of Ichthyology" has been published under the auspices of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Biological Sciences Division) since 1953 and is the leading national scientific publication on all branches of ichthyology and biological foundations of fisheries. All articles published in the journal are peer-reviewed and contain original information that is the result of scientific research on taxonomy, evolution, molecular biology, morphology, fauna, zoogeography, genetics, physiology, ecology, behavior, reproduction, embryology, invasions and protection of fish and fisheries biology, as well as some applied aspects. The journal publishes articles on marine, oceanic and freshwater fish from any region of the globe. You can view information about the publication of scientific articles in the journal by following this link.

During the production of nutrient-rich larval biomass of black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens), a by-product called "zoocompost" is formed. Zoocompost is generally considered as a natural fertilizer that stimulates the growth and development of many agricultural plants, however, there are also indications of a possible antagonistic effect of zoocompost on soil pathogens. Due to the high degree of trophic relationship of some soil pathogens with soil invertebrates, the antagonistic effect of zoocompost may be associated with the effect of this additive on antagonistic soil fauna. However, quantitative data on the effect of zoocompost on soil mycobiota and fauna are fragmentary. The staff of four laboratories of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS), together with colleagues from four research institutes and the company "HEMA", conducted a complex laboratory experiment aimed at assessing the effectiveness of adding black soldier fly zoocompost, introduced at two different stages of winter wheat seedling growth (simultaneously with sowing or in the tillering phase), on the development of fusarium wilt of winter wheat, as well as on the chemical properties of the soil and the number of key groups of soil invertebrates (nematodes, mites and springtails). Represented: Relative values (in percent of the control) of the parameters that showed the strongest changes during the experiment. Asterisks indicate significant differences (p < 0.05) between the corresponding column and the control value (Dunn's criterion). The colors of the columns correspond to the four groups of parameters measured during the experiment (brown - soil properties; pink - fusarium abundance; green - plant properties; blue - ecological groups of soil animals). A light shade of the column color corresponds to the treatment with early application of zoocompost, a dark shade - to the treatment with late application. “Despite the fact that the biomass of fusarium fungi increased by 132% with late application of zoocompost compared to the control, the incidence of fusarium wilt decreased by 8%. At the same time, the content of available phosphorus in the soil increased by 21%, and the number of bacteriophage nematodes and predatory nematodes increased by 106% and 65%, respectively, with late application of zoocompost compared to the control. The number of mycophage mites increased by 106% with early application, and predatory mites showed a fivefold increase with late application of zoocompost,” said Anton Goncharov, PhD in Biology, Senior Researcher at the IEE RAS. Thus, the main mechanism of the influence of black soldier fly zoocompost is apparently the stimulation of saprotrophic mycobiota and an increase in the availability of soluble phosphorus for plants. The work was published in the European Journal of Soil Biology, Anton A. Goncharov, Alexander I. Bastrakov, Olga L. Makarova, Kirill A. Mashkov, Valentina N. Maygurova, Mikhail M. Karpukhin, Maksim I. Kartashov, Natalia A. Kuznetsova, Ivan V. Sotnikov, Ivan D. Tsvelev, Azida K. Tkhakakhova, Renat V. Khusainov, Nina A. Ushakova, Volume 125, June 2025, 103734.

Photo: Press Service of the Department of Nature Management and Environmental Protection of the City of Moscow The Russian Science Foundation has summed up the results of competitions for the implementation of initiative research by young scientists. From the IEE RAS, a grant from the RSF was received by P.G. Garibyan for the project “Features of zonal differentiation of communities and faunas of cladocerans of the Russian Far East and adjacent territories”. Congratulations and further fruitful research to Petr! Grants are allocated for the implementation of fundamental and exploratory scientific research in 2025-2027 to researchers aged up to and including 33 years old, who have a PhD degree. The list of winners is available at the link: https://rscf.ru/upload/iblock/be4/g5qr0mhsoz0fngcx2ldlutkb7j29e7os.pdf

Photo source Rats of the genus Rattus are very similar to each other. Unlike most mammal species, it is almost impossible to distinguish different species by the skull. Several species of rats are known to have populated almost the entire world, having learned to live together with humans. Naturally, they are actively studied. But mountain species living far from humans have been studied much less. One of these species is the Turkestan rat. It was described from the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan, and was almost immediately combined with the Himalayan field rat. This point of view was shared by Russian-speaking authors (in passing, mentioning that somewhere there, in the Himalayas, the same rat lives, of which they saw 1-2 specimens) and all the others (who wrote that somewhere there, in the Tien Shan, the same rat lives, specimens of which someone saw). In other words, taxonomists referred to each other, but no one compared the rats of the Tien Shan and the Himalayas. The name of the rats also changed between Turkestan and Himalayan. A joint Russian-Chinese team led by A.A. Lisovsky, a senior researcher at the Laboratory of Mammal Microevolution at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IEE RAS), and a candidate of biological sciences, collected material on both species and conducted a full-genome and morphological comparison. Interestingly, the number of Turkestan rats has significantly decreased in recent years, so some of the material for the work was taken from old museum collections (including those from the middle of the last century). In this work, together with the Chinese company BGI, it was possible for the first time to read complete genomes with good coverage for material of this age. “As expected, a comparison of the morphology of the two species did not yield any results. However, a study of the complete genomes showed that the Turkestan and Himalayan rats, although related, differ from each other no less than other species of rats,” said A.A. Lisovsky. The division of these rats into two species returned the Turkestan rat to its long-used Latin name Rattus turkestanicus, given by the Russian scientist K.A. Satunin in 1903. The work was https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/zsc.70003 in the journal: Lissovsky A.A., Liu N., Obolenskaya E.V., Ivanova E.A. & Ge D.Y. 2025. The New Old Rat (Rattus, Mammalia) From Turkestan: Revisiting From a Genomics Perspective // Zoologica Scripta. Vol.n/a. No.n/a. Related materials: RAS: "Whole-genome study shows separate evolution of Turkestan and Himalayan rats"

Photo: E.D. Varakina at the diploma presentation (Biological Faculty of M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University) Every year, the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences supervises final qualification works on biological and ecological topics. In 2024–2025, the following final works were prepared at the laboratories of the IEE RAS: "Analysis of the larval development of shield shrimp using the example of representatives of the genus Triops Schrank, 1803 (Crustacea: Notostraca)" – Bachelor student: Denis Alekseevich Polyakov – Scientific supervisors: PhD in Biology A.N. Neretina, DSc in Biology A.Yu. Sinev "Diversity of the genus Chirocephalus Prévost, 1803 (Crustacea: Anostraca) in European Russia" – Bachelor student: Nadezhda Nikolaevna Komova – Scientific supervisors: PhD in Biology A.N. Neretina, DSc in Biology A.Yu. Sinev "Features of the fauna of microcrustaceans (Crustacea: Cladocera, Copepoda) of the Trans-Baikal Territory" – Masters student: Elizaveta Dmitrievna Varakina – Scientific supervisors: PhD in Biology Neretina A.N., PhD in Biology Chertoprud E.S. "Identification of priority areas for the conservation of marine mammals in the eastern seas of the Russian Arctic" – Student: Gital Artem Valerievich (Lomonosov Moscow State University) – Supervisor: PhD in Biology Solovieva M.A. "Reconstruction of the evolutionary history of forest groove-toothed rats of the genus Desmomys Thomas, 1910" – Student: Buchneva Alexandra Andreevna (Timiryazev Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Agricultural Academy) – Supervisor: DSc in Biology Lavrenchenko L.A. "Taste attractiveness of sucrose solutions of different concentrations in connection with food preferences of students" – Student: Kulyukina Sofia Sergeevna (Moscow Pedagogical State University, Institute of Biology and Chemistry) – Supervisor: PhD in Biology Klyuchnikova M.A. "Resistance of cucumber lines of Russian selection to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla" – Student: Kramarchuk Kristina Nikolaevna (RSAU-MTAA named after K.A. Timiryazev, Institute of Agrobiotechnology) – Supervisor: PhD Butorina N.N. "Resistance of table carrot lines to the northern root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla)" – Student: Mezentseva Albina Ruslanovna (RSAU-MTAA named after K.A. Timiryazev, Institute of Agrobiotechnology) – Supervisor: PhD Butorina N.N. "Study of resistance of tomato lines to the root-knot nematode Meloidogyne incognita" – Student: Daria Sergeevna Nenakhova (Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev, Institute of Agrobiotechnology) – Supervisor: PhD in Biology N.N. Butorina "Comparative analysis of the helminth fauna of the digestive tract of white-tailed deer from hunting grounds in European Russia" – Student: Anton Yuryevich Danilkin (Moscow State Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Biotechnology - MBA named after K.I. Skryabin) – Supervisors: PhD in Veterinary Sciences N.V. Esaulova, PhD in Biology D.N. Kuznetsov “Chemoanalytical abilities of male Djungarian hamster Phodopus sungorus (Pallas, 1703): search for determining factors” – Student: Anton Pavlovich Zakharov (M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University) – Scientific supervisors: Vasilyeva N.Yu., Khrushchova A.M. "Protein concentration in urine in different species of rodents depending on various factors" – Student: Daria Pavlovna Rychkova (MPGU) – Scientific supervisors: Vasilyeva N.Yu., Khrushchova A.M. “The influence of nematode community structure on fusarium fungi in the winter wheat agroecosystem” – Student: Shcherbinina D.A. (M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University) – Scientific supervisor: Ph.D. Goncharov A.A. "The Effect of Adding Organic Mulch on the Activity of Insect Pests in the Winter Wheat Agrocenosis" – Student: Batalov D.A. (RSAU-MTAA named after K.A. Timiryazev) – Supervisor: PhD in Biology Goncharov A.A. "Registration and Primary Analysis of Electrical Activity of Adult River Lamprey Lampetra fluviatilis (Linnaeus, 1758)" – Student: Tyshchenko Alina Maksimovna (RSAU-MTAA named after K.A. Timiryazev) – Supervisor: PhD in Biology Zvezdin A.O. "Modeling of Tiger (Panthera tigris) Habitats in Khabarovsk Krai" – Student: Fomin A.D. (RGAU-MSHA named after K.A. Timiryazev) – Scientific supervisor: Ph.D. Yachmennikova A.A. “Some quantitative characteristics of the animal population of the North Ossetian Nature Reserve based on the analysis of camera trap data: monitoring within the framework of the leopard restoration project in the Caucasus” – Student: Parubok A.V. (RGAU-MSHA named after K.A. Timiryazev) – Scientific supervisor: Ph.D. Yachmennikova A.A. "Maternal behavior and physiological status of cubs during early postnatal ontogenesis in the Far Eastern forest cat" – Student: Markov Ilya Igorevich (RGAU-MSHA named after K.A. Timiryazev) – Scientific supervisor: Ph.D. Alekseeva G.S. "Ploidy of parthenogenetic offspring of Darevskia dahli (Darevsky, 1957) females from the zone of sympatry with the parental species Darevskia portschinskii (Kessler, 1878)" – Student: Elizaveta Sergeevna Mikhailovskaya (Russian State Agrarian University - Moscow Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev) – Supervisor: PhD in Biology E.A. Galoyan "Distribution of the genus Trachelipus (Crustacea, Isopoda) in the Caucasus" – Student: Daniil Ivanovich Polyakov – Supervisors: DSc, RAS prof. K.B. Gongal'skiy, DSc, prof. A.Yu. Sinev. (M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University) "Morphological approaches to the taxonomy of the family Agnaridae (Isopoda: Oniscidea)" – Student: Byzov Philipp Sergeevich – Scientific supervisors: Doctor of Biological Sciences, Prof. RAS Gongalsky K.B., Ph.D. Petrov P.N. (M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University) Congratulations to our dear students on their successful defenses and excellent grades! We wish you inexhaustible enthusiasm and good luck in all your endeavors! Let every day be a reason for joy - especially biological!