Fig. 1–4. Ornithomya helvipennis sp. n., male, holotype. 1–2 – general view: 1 – dorsal side, 2 – ventral side; 3 – head and chest, dorsal side; 4 – wing. Scale bars 0.5 mm. In Russia, the study of bloodsucking flies of the family Hippoboscidae Samouelle, 1819, which have important veterinary importance as carriers of various diseases, as well as ticks of the Epidermoptidae family and bird lice, continues. To date, one of the largest genera of bloodsucking flies, the genus Ornithomya Latreille, 1802, includes 31 species. Its representatives inhabit mainly temperate latitudes of the Old World. Scientists from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS described a new species of bloodsucker fly Ornithomya helvipennis sp. n. from Irkutsk (Russia). In this species, microtrichia cover the entire wing membrane, as in the species O. comosa Austen, 1930. The new species differs from the closest O. comosa in the light wing membrane and amber-yellow microtrichia, and from the species O. greeni (Maa, 1986) - in the presence of ocelli. It is proposed to create a “comosa” group within the genus Ornithomya Latreille, 1802 for the species O. comosa, O. greeni and O. helvipennis sp. n. These species have a common feature - microtrichia cover the entire wing membrane. An updated key for species of the genus Ornithomya found in Russia is presented. The article “Description of a new louse fly species of the genus Ornithomya Latreille, 1802 (Diptera: Hippoboscidae) from Irkutsk, Russia” is presented in the Caucasian Entomological Bulletin.

On may 23, the opening of a memorial plate and exhibition to the 140th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Ivanovich Shmalhausen will be opened at IEE RAS April 23 marked the 140th anniversary of the birth of one of the greatest biologists of the twentieth century, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, zoologist-evolutionist and experimental biologist, outstanding organizer of science and teacher - academician Ivan Ivanovich Shmalhausen. He left a huge scientific legacy, which had a great influence on the development of modern biology.  Ivan Ivanovich Shmalgauzen was a student and colleague of another famous scientist, academician Alexei Nikolaevich Severtsov, who in 1934 created the institute that now bears his name. He was replaced at this post two years later by Academician Shmalhausen. The A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS is holding anniversary celebrations dedicated to this date on May 23, 2024. At 14:00 there will be an academic council with a scientific report and a presentation about the academician, and then the opening of a memorial plaque and exhibition for the 140th anniversary of the birth of Ivan Ivanovich Schmalhausen, informal communication and a buffet reception. We will be glad to see all guests! If you are not from our institute, but would like to come to the events, please write to Anna Lavrova (89262551977 - Telegram, WhatsApp) so that we can issue you a pass. Exhibition “The Unknown Schmalhausen” April 23, 2024 marks the 140th anniversary of the birth of Academician Ivan Ivanovich Schmalhausen, an outstanding scientist whose works laid the foundation of modern evolutionary biology. I.I. Schmalhausen is the largest and world-famous evolutionary zoologist of the twentieth century.   He made a huge contribution to the development of issues of comparative anatomy and embryology, evolutionary morphology, the origin of terrestrial vertebrates, the study of the processes of growth of organisms, phenogenetics and morphogenesis, factors and patterns of evolution, biocybernetics. He created the doctrine of ontogenetic prerequisites for evolution, the theory of stabilizing selection and the concept of the unity of the mechanisms of micro- and macroevolution. About the contribution of Academician I.I. Much has been written about Schmalhausen in world and domestic science. Our permanent exhibition on the 1st floor presents materials about his scientific work. The exhibition “Unknown Schmalhausen” presents little-known facts about the biography and scientific activities of the academician. The exhibition presents previously unpublished materials about the ancestors and descendants of Academician I.I. Shmalhausen, about his life during the evacuation to Kazakhstan and in the Mozzhinka holiday village near Moscow after the notorious session of the All-Russian Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Photographs and personal belongings were donated to the exhibition by the family of Academician I.I. Schmalhausen. Exhibition “In the Shadow of Giants” Few modern researchers, with the exception of narrow specialists, will remember the name Makhotin today. And yet, he was an excellent morphologist researcher, the author of a number of scientific papers and thousands of drawings - for scientific articles, books and just for fun. He did not create outstanding theories, did not become an academician, his name is not in encyclopedias or on memorial plaques. He was always as if in the shadow of two great scientists - academicians Alexei Nikolaevich Severtsov and Ivan Ivanovich Shmalhausen. A student of the first and son-in-law of the second, Anatoly Anatolyevich worked with them all his life, learned from them, helped the great become great. And after their death, he preserved the memory of them. In many ways, it is thanks to Anatoly Anatolyevich that we can learn about their lives. It seems to us that it is quite appropriate in connection with the celebration of the 140th anniversary of Academician I.I. Shmalhausen, recall Anatoly Anatolyevich Makhotin. He was an amazingly erudite and charming man. Scientists, artists and people who had crossed paths with him constantly came to him and sat for hours talking. He had an amazing sense of humor, he managed to joke even when he was in a bad way. This small exhibition complements the exhibition by I.I. Schmalhausen. On it we present for the first time the drawings of A.A Makhotin (1919–1930) and those preserved in the family archive of academician I.I. Schmalhausen photographs.

From May 1 to May 31, the photo exhibition “Birds of Moscow Parks and Their Singing” is taking place in the Tagansky Park of Culture and Recreation in the children’s area. The theme of the photo exhibition is “The language of birds: a textbook on street stands.” The exhibition was prepared by employees of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution  RAS, incl. B.N. Veprintsev audio libraries of animal voices. The music library contains one of the world's largest collections of bird voice recordings. Greenfinch, chaffinch, great tit, blue tit, nuthatch, pika, robin, goldfinch, nightingale, chiffchaff, house sparrow, tree sparrow are presented with high quality photographs and a variety of sounds with decoding of their functions in the communication system of birds. Why were these species chosen? With a high probability you will meet them in May in any park in Moscow. Many stay in the crowns; it’s not easy to see them in the foliage, but you can always hear them. You will find QR codes for singing standards at the stands. You will be able to identify the species in the park by their voices, observe the behavior of birds and the phases of their life cycle. Record, photograph, identify species with your children. Watch the construction of nests, laying and incubation of eggs, hatching, feeding, and flight of chicks. Having learned to distinguish tree sparrows from house sparrows, you will be able to take part in the All-Russian Census of Sparrows, which is annually conducted by the Russian Bird Conservation Union in order to answer the question “Where did the sparrows disappear?” And then we can think about helping wintering species.” Address of the photo exhibition: Bolshoi Fakelny Lane, 8с2. The exhibition was prepared by employees of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences: the idea and organization of the exhibition was O.D. Veprintsev. Photos of birds - A.L. Mishchenko and D.G. Ivanov. Sound recordings of bird voices - B.N. Veprintsev, O.D. Veprintsev and others from the collection of the  B.N. Veprintsev Audio Library of Animal Voices. Texts - O.D. Veprintseva, A.L. Mishchenko, D.G. Ivanov. Design - T.I. Khokhlova, prototyping - Sv. Naidenko. Presentation on the website of the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences - A.N. Lavrova.

Fig.1. Unraveling the mysteries of ice caves. Photo: Leonid Kruglov The next Arctic season of the Russian Geographical Society has begun - in 2024 it will last from April to September. As part of the first stage of the expedition to Franz Josef Land in the Russian Arctic National Park, six scientific groups worked in parallel. They deployed a seismic observation network on the island of Alexandra Land, monitored polar bears, explored ice caves and local waters, and assessed the tourism potential of this harsh region. The expedition team launched and tested the seismic station and checked its operation in real time. The current expedition of the Russian Geographical Society to Franz Josef Land is a continuation of fundamental scientific research that has been carried out on the archipelago since 2021. This year, the expedition group consisted of specialists from the Russian Geographical Society and the Russian Arctic National Park, scientists from the O. Yu. Shmidt Institute of Physics of the Earth RAS, Institute of Geography RAS, A. N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution RAS, the Polar Branch of the All-Russian Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography, the Faculty of Geography of M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, the Unified Geophysical Service of the RAS. “Cooperation between the Russian Arctic National Park and the Russian Geographical Society has now reached a fundamentally new level. We have come a long way: from conducting joint expeditions in high-latitude archipelagos to strategic cooperation in the field of researching Arctic ecosystems,” noted the expedition leader, director of the national park Alexander Kirilov. — “In the current geopolitical situation, it is especially important to continue Russia’s Arctic research programs. Strengthening the civil and scientific presence in the Arctic will protect the interests of our country in this region.” For several years, the Russian Geographical Society, together with the Russian Arctic, has been carrying out systematic work on geology, geophysics, seismology, permafrost science, biology, and hydrometeorology in Franz Josef Land. “We have been working in these territories that are strategically important for Russia for a long time and systematically. Together with academic partners, the Russian Geographical Society is carrying out fundamental scientific research on the northernmost territory of Russia, assessing its recreational potential,” said Natalia Belyakova, director of the Department of Expedition Activities and Tourism of the Russian Geographical Society. — “To make it convenient for different scientific teams to study Arctic biomes, we began equipping an all-season scientific laboratory of the Russian Geographical Society at the Omega base. We select equipment according to the request of scientists: so that they do not have to take all the equipment with them, but use some of it on site. Our big dream with the Russian Arctic National Park is for the laboratory to become an Arctic office for scientists around the world.” How seismologists study earthquakes in the Arctic Fig.2: Scientific work on Alexandra Land. Photo: Petr Ushanov The scientific director of the expedition, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Alexey Sobisevich said that in 2021, surface manifestations of a supposedly strong earthquake were discovered on the island of Alexandra Land. Scientists conducted aerial photography of Cape Melekhov, analyzed digital elevation models and orthophotomaps. Based on these materials, the assumptions were confirmed. This year, the expedition team continued field research to clarify the scale of earthquakes in the distant past, study the seismic activity of the archipelago and assess the immediate prospects for the development of the seismic process. Including taking into account global climate change. “During the polar expedition, employees of the Institute of Earth Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences deployed a temporary network of seismic observations to study weak local seismicity,” noted Alexey Sobisevich.”Further development of field geological and geophysical research in the Arctic archipelagos, as well as the organization of permanent automated geophysical instrumental observation points are needed to help generate new knowledge about the Earth, including geophysics and seismology.” The conditions of this season allowed the scientists to accomplish everything planned. This time, research was carried out both on land and on the ice surface. This is the first large-scale test of seismic technology in real conditions. “We laid three profiles across Cape Dvoinoy not only on land, but also from the ice surface. One ran straight across the cape, and the other a little to the south, parallel to the first. If, when processing the data obtained, the results are similar to each other and to the one that passed on land to the north of the first two, then this will mean that we were able to determine the structure of a seismic fault from the ice surface. This will be a good experimental confirmation of the seismic exploration technology being developed at the Institute of Physical Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences,” noted Ruslan Zhostkov, senior researcher at the Institute of Physical and Physical Sciences of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences. This year's research will be the final one on the island of Alexandra Land in geophysical terms. As a result, a scientific article will be published about earthquakes, their nature and factors influencing their development. Monitoring polar bears - the main predators of the Arctic Fig.3: A scientific way to monitor a polar bear is using an immobilizing agent from a ground vehicle to take biological samples. Photo: Leonid Kruglov In April 2024, scientists examined the bays in Dezhnev Bay - it was necessary to record where exactly the expedition group would encounter polar bears and in what numbers. As a result, 11 different routes were taken around the island, and traces of seven bears were found. The nature of these tracks showed that the animals came ashore from drifting sea ice for a short rest, and then returned to the sea to hunt seals. It was also important to examine the slopes of the bays, which are suitable for polar bears to build their natal dens. These are places where females lie down in late autumn and where cubs are then born. The scientific team found several maternity dens, the exits of females were recorded, but the mothers had not yet given birth due to the cold. “We noted a small number of polar bears compared to previous years, which can be explained by rather low temperatures in the previous months and during the period of work: from –25 °C to –30 °C,” said the head of the polar bear research work, the presenter Researcher at the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Biological Sciences Ilya Nikolaevich Mordvintsev. “The result is complete ice constipation, the absence of cracks and gaps in the ice, as well as the almost complete absence of seals in the bays in the south of the island. The small number of natal dens is probably due to the short period of field observations and the lack of snow in early winter, when females lay in dens.” Ice caves - an indicator of climate change Fig.4: Exploring an ice cave. Photo: Leonid Kruglov As Bulat Mavlyudov, a senior researcher at the glaciology department at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, said, this year scientists continued to explore the snow cover and ice caves. This is necessary in order to understand what climate changes will occur in the region in the future. Glacial caves “live their own dynamic life” - they grow, melt, disappear, and in their place mountain valleys and rivers form. As part of this stage, scientific work took place within the boundaries of the Russian Arctic National Park. On this expedition, scientists studied a glacier cave in the Lunar dome. “Minus temperatures are the best time for research; in summer there is a risk of cave collapse,” noted Bulat Mavlyudov. “We wanted to carry out topographic survey in the cave in the usual format, but this turned out to be impossible - the mountain compass did not work in these conditions and, due to the strong magnetization of the rocks, showed the wrong direction. But it turned out that the GPS tracking worked well inside the cave. Then points were added to this track at which the distance to the walls and the distance to the ceiling were recorded. And, using these points, we have already built a full-fledged plan of the cave. Knowing how the ice cave changes over time, we will be able to understand how the Lunar Ice Dome changes not only from the surface, but also from the inside.” Fig.5: Scientists are exploring the depths of the sea for the presence of living creatures. Photo: Petr Ushanov What creatures live underwater at a temperature of –1.6 °C Another task of the scientists was to see what was happening in the sea waters near the island of Alexandra Land: who was surviving in such harsh conditions. These waters have been studied relatively little in relation to living beings, especially in winter. The temperature of sea water under the ice here in April reaches –1.6 °C and is close to the freezing point. We observed the underwater world of the water area around the island, this time using a drone. “Our work was carried out from the ice: several holes were drilled, from which a large polynya was created,” said Konstantin Sokolov, deputy head of the Polar Branch of VNIRO, Candidate of Biological Sciences. “Observations underwater were conducted using remote underwater instruments, including a special drone that is capable of descending to depth. We used it to make videos and photos. It can be considered that it was our eyes, which saw everything that was under the ice and at the bottom. The resulting materials even make it possible to count animals. For example, echinoderms, including sea urchins, sea anemones and brown algae, are distributed en masse there. There are very few fish - we observed only two individuals: a scaled sculpin and an Arctic staghorn sculpin. At one of the sites, numerous crustacean animals were noted - temistos, living under the ice, in the dark. We also measured the temperature and salinity of water, the thickness of ice and snow cover, took water samples for subsequent assessment of phytoplankton and pollutants, and collected zooplankton with a special net.” However, according to the scientist, there were no commercial fish in the harsh Arctic waters of Franz Josef Land in April. But in general, the subtidal ecosystem is characterized by high species diversity, significant numbers and biomass. Developing tourism in Franz Josef Land Fig.6: Conquerors of the Arctic deserts. Photo: Sergey Fadeichev The Arctic is a potentially popular region for travelers. However, due to the geographical remoteness and harsh climatic conditions, the scenario for the development of tourism in Franz Josef Land can only develop positively if several conditions are met. The most important thing is to improve the transport and tourism infrastructure. As Alexandra Nikanorova, senior researcher at the Faculty of Geography of Moscow State University, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, said, for this purpose, special attention should be paid to the development of civil aviation in the high-latitude Arctic. This will help improve accessibility to the region and reduce the time tourists spend getting to remote areas. To expand Arctic cruise routes across the archipelagos of the Arctic Ocean, including Franz Josef Land, new civilian ice-class vessels and technologically advanced Russian-made icebreakers should appear. These measures will increase the tourist flow and make a tourist’s stay in the Russian Arctic more comfortable. “It is important to create infrastructure for the development of nature-oriented types of tourism. The solution to the issue of modernization and construction of new visitor centers to form the supporting tourist framework of the national park remains a key issue. Particular attention should be paid to developing a unique travel concept that will give tourists an unforgettable and comfortable Arctic experience,” added Alexandra Nikanorova. The Russian Geographical Society is already inviting everyone to try a new format of travel in the concept of civic science and popular science tourism. Even if you are not a professional scientist, you can come to the archipelago with the Russian Geographical Society expedition and help in research by joining their scientific groups and performing simple scientific tasks under the guidance of experienced mentors. Related materials: EC Arctic: "Russian scientists fear for the fate of many mammals. Bears and walruses are being exterminated by poachers"

Fig. 1. Remains of skulls and mandibles of equids from the studied localities: A - chilotherium (Chilotherium schlosseri), B-D - aceratherium (Aceratherium incisivum), E-K - hipparions (Hipparion verae and H. tudorovense). In a new study published in the journal Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, employees of the Laboratory of Ecology, Physiology and Functional Morphology of Higher Vertebrates at the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution  RAS Ruslan Belyaev and Natalya Prilepskaya, together with their colleagues from the Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social and the V.I. Vernadsky State Geological Museum RAS, studied the feeding habits of carnivorous and ungulate mammals that inhabited the territory of the Northern Black Sea region in the Late Miocene. The unique collection of skulls, lower jaws and individual teeth studied in the work (Fig. 1) was assembled at the beginning of the 19th century by the Tiraspol icon painter and fossil hunter F.V. Frolov at the locations of the “hipparion fauna” discovered by him: Grebeniki (Ukraine), Chobruchi and Tudorovo (Moldova). The remains of the animals were collected by Frolov for sale to Moscow and Odessa Universities. Subsequently, the collection of the Geological Cabinet of the Imperial Moscow University passed into the funds of the V.I. Vernadsky Geological Museum, in which it is stored today. The age of the studied fossils corresponds to the end of the Tortonian (Grebeniki and Chobruchi ~8-7.5 million years ago) and the middle Messinian centuries (Tudorovo ~6.5 million years ago) of the Neogene period. The “Hipparion fauna”, named after the genus of Neogene three-toed horses, in the Northern Black Sea region was represented by elephants (Deinotherium and Stegodon), hornless rhinoceroses from the subfamily Aceratheriinae (Fig. 1), antelopes, camels, giraffes, bulls and horses, aardvarks, primates, saber-toothed cats from the subfamily Machairodontinae, hyenas and civets, as well as ostriches. But how could these animals, which we associate with the African savannah and equatorial forests, inhabit the territory of the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions? The answer to this question is connected to climate change. Moreover, the appearance and spread of the hipparion fauna is associated not with climate warming, but with the cooling and drying of the region. Fig. 2. A - mesowear index in modern and Neogene ungulates. Two-dimensional graphs of microwear of teeth in the studied ungulates (B) and carnivores (C, D). Graphs B–D show 95% confidence ellipses for microwear of teeth in modern folivorous and herbivorous ungulates (B) and various carnivorous species (C, D). The Miocene (23.0–5.3 Ma) was the last episode of warm climate at the planetary level, and its middle part was the warmest period in the entire Neogene. Thus, the average annual temperature in Eastern Europe was 15-18°C, and the average winter temperature was 7-12.5°C. The Middle Miocene flora of the East European Plain was dominated by extremely diverse and taxonomically rich forests: deciduous forests with various species of walnut, elm and beech, evergreens (including myrtle, laurel, magnolia), tree ferns and vines. Among the conifers, taxodium and sequoia remained. However, at the end of the Middle Miocene, a noticeable cooling and drying of the climate occurs. A decrease in the average annual temperature by more than 5°C opens the Tortonian Age in the lowland areas of the Northern Black Sea region. Along with the cooling and drying of the climate, purely herbaceous biotopes appear in the landscape. The regression of the huge Eastern Paratethys basin (the remnants of which are the Black, Azov, Aral and Caspian Seas) drains large areas of the shelf, which are immediately occupied by halophilic land plants. Amaranthaceae and wormwood begin to play a significant role, and in some places even dominate in the palynological spectra. In the late Miocene (~10-9 million years ago), the zone of continuous forests was divided into separate massifs, forests first disappear from watersheds, being replaced by open forests and remaining only in river valleys, and then in the open spaces between rivers there is a change from open forests to savanna-steppes, first prairie meadow type, and then dry. Climate and landscape changes in the region have been accompanied by changes in animal communities. The fauna of forest mammals, named after the small primitive horses of the genus Anchitherium the “anchitherium fauna”, is gradually replaced by the “hipparion fauna” of open spaces. By the end of the Tortonian, to which the faunas of the studied localities of Grebeniki and Chobruchi belong, the share of relicts of the anchiterium fauna in the communities of large mammals drops to 20%. As a result, in the Late Miocene of the Northern Black Sea region, an ecosystem most similar to that of the modern African savannah was formed. In order to study the feeding habits of fossil carnivores and ungulates, methods for analyzing meso- and microwear of tooth enamel, well established on modern mammals, were used. Both of these approaches make it possible to obtain reliable data for determining the diet of mammals over two different time periods - the average annual and the last weeks of life. Mesowear of teeth is based on assessing the morphology of the relief of the chewing surface of the tooth and allows us to assess the abrasiveness of food of ungulate mammals over long time periods. Tooth microwear analysis is based on counting the number of enamel microdamages on the chewing surface of teeth and is used to study both ungulates and carnivorous mammals. Observed wear patterns vary greatly depending on the food consumed, allowing the distinction between mammals specialized for different food sources. How similar was the diet of mammals in the modern and Neogene savanna? Most ungulates inhabiting savannah and woodlands in today's Africa are, to one degree or another, specialized in feeding on grass. The ungulates that inhabited the Late Miocene savanna of the Northern Black Sea region, on the contrary, were mostly leaf-eaters (Fig. 2). Thus, in the communities of herbivorous mammals from the large localities of Grebeniki and Chobruchi 1, foliage was characteristic of 65.3% and 82.8% of the studied individuals, respectively. This may indicate that specialization to a new food source (herbaceous plants that began to dominate the flora of the region) in ungulate mammals is somewhat delayed compared to changes in the landscape. At the same time, the studied material shows how in the late Miocene of the Northern Black Sea region there was a shift in the nutrition of hipparions from pure foliage (~8-7.5 million years ago) to a mixed diet of foliage and grass (~6.5 million years ago). Did any of the Late Miocene ungulates of the Northern Black Sea region manage to fully master feeding on grass? Yes, the study showed that hornless rhinoceroses from the genera Chilotherium and Aceratherium were herbivorous (Fig. 2). In addition to the conclusion about the nature of nutrition for hornless rhinoceroses, it was possible to confirm the hypothesis about the herd lifestyle of these animals. The variability in tooth wear indicates that the formation of both localities with numerous remains of hornless rhinoceroses (Grebeniki and Chobruchi 1) corresponds to short-term catastrophic events. The sudden death of a large number of rhinoceroses in a small area of territory indicates that these ungulates were characterized by living in fairly large permanent groups. It is interesting to note that among modern rhinoceroses, living in large permanent groups, as well as specialized feeding on grass, is characteristic only of white rhinoceroses. When studying predators, it was shown that the pattern of tooth wear in the mahairod (a large saber-toothed cat) was most similar to that of modern lions, indicating a specialization for feeding on the meat of large animals. Tooth wear in the most common Neogene hyenas of the genus Adcrocuta was found to be similar to that of the largest living hyena, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), as well as the fossil cave hyenas C. spelaea and C. ultima ussurica. This is especially interesting because, unlike other modern hyenas, the spotted hyena is an active predator that hunts as much as a lion, and is also capable of very effectively chewing even the thickest bones, digesting cartilage, tendons and bones. At the same time, microwear of teeth in young individuals of A. eximia differed significantly from adults; moreover, the noted pattern does not overlap with any of the carnivorous species studied to date. Significant differences in microwear between juveniles and adults of Adcrocuta must have had a behavioral basis. However, currently available data do not allow reliable interpretation of these differences. As a hypothesis, it can be assumed that it was not typical for adult Adcrocutus to carry the carcasses of killed ungulates into their shelters, as modern spotted hyenas do, and as a result, it was less common for the cubs to play and chew bones. Source: Florent Rivals, Ruslan I. Belyaev, Vera B. Basova, Natalya E. Prilepskaya. (2024) A tale from the Neogene savanna: Paleoecology of the hipparion fauna in the northern Black Sea region during the late Miocene // Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology, 112133, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.palaeo.2024.112133

Fig.1: (A) Anabar Plateau – the site where a new species was found (above); (B) researcher on an expedition (bottom left); (B) Diacyclops yabdar (bottom right) Photo authors: Aseev N.A (A, B) and Novikov A.A. (IN) Scientists from the Institute of Ecology and Evolution of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Moscow), together with colleagues from the Kazan Federal University and the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Irkutsk), described a species of copepods from the order Cyclopoida (Copepoda) that is new to science. Diacyclops dyabdar (Novikov, Sharafutdinova, Mayor & Chertoprud, 2024) inhabits flowing water bodies of the Lena River delta and the coast of Tiksi Bay, as well as the Anabar Plateau. The species is named after a creature from the mythology of the Evenks, the indigenous inhabitants of the north of Yakutia and the Krasnoyarsk Territory, to which the known range of the species is currently limited. The fairytale snake Dyabdar lives underground, and with its body makes river beds. This is consistent with the feature of the new Diacyclops, which lives exclusively in rivers and streams, and was only found twice in wet mosses. The described species differs well from the others in its large body size, ornamentation of the swimming legs and caudal branches. The results of molecular genetic analysis for four genes also confirm the specificity of the isolated taxon. In parallel with the description of the new species, a revision of the species group Diacyclops crassicaudis which it is included in, was carried out. Several taxa of the subspecific and species level were reduced to synonyms, since they did not have significant morphological and morphometric differences from the type representative of the group. The dubious status of two species and two subspecies of Diacyclops previously discovered in Iran is substantiated. It turned out that the descriptions of these taxa were based on immature individuals belonging to several different genera of the order Cyclopoida. Identification of new species from specimens that have not yet reached maturity is, unfortunately, not a rare story for copepods. This is due to the fact that in young individuals both the number of body segments and the structure of the limbs differ significantly from adults. However, sometimes it is quite difficult to accurately determine the molting stage, and with it the age of the crustacean, which leads to errors. Thus, thanks to research into the aquatic fauna of the Arctic territories, not only was a previously unknown species described, but also order was brought to one of the segments of the extensive genus Diacyclops. The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 23-24-00054. Novikov A.A., Sharafutdinova D.N., Mayor T.Y., Chertoprud E.S. 2024. A new species of Diacyclops (Copepoda, Cyclopoida) from the D. crassicaudis (Sars, 1863) species group with critical taxonomy remarks // Diversity. 16, 208. https://doi.org/10.3390/d16040208 Related materials: PoiskNews: "A new species of copepods has been discovered in Siberia. Ecological indicators of water bodies" Rambler. News: "Biologists have found a new species of copepods in Siberian streams" RSF: "Biologists have found a new species of copepods in Siberian streams" Mail.VFocus: "Biologists have found a new species of copepods in Siberian streams" Indicator: "Biologists have found a new species of copepods in Siberian streams" Scientific Russia: "A new species of copepods was found in Siberian streams"

It has recently been shown that there has been a widespread decline in terrestrial insect populations over the last century, but trends in other indicators of biodiversity are less clear. Authors from the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution of  RAS, the German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Studies (iDiv), the Universities of Jena and Halle (Germany), and the Center for Ecology and Hydrology (UK) studied long-term trends in 923 terrestrial insect communities, monitored in 106 publications. Based on the results of the study, scientists also found a decrease in species diversity. In studies that were carried out at the species level (551 points in 57 studies), a decrease in the numbers of initially abundant species was observed over time, but the amount of rare species did not decrease. At the population level, it was found that species that were most abundant at the beginning of the time series showed the largest average decline. The number of rare species also decreased on average, but this was compensated by an increase in the number of other species. The results indicate that the observed decline in overall insect abundance can largely be explained by widespread declines in previously abundant species. This contradicts the common belief that biodiversity loss is mainly characterized by the decline of rare species. Although the results show that fundamental changes are occurring in insect communities, it is important to recognize that they only reflect trends from those points for which sufficient long-term data are available. However, given the importance of abundant species in ecosystems, their overall decline is likely to have major consequences for food chains and ecosystem functioning. One of the authors of the study, Professor of the Russian Academy of Sciences Konstantin Gongalsky, says that according to the authors’ findings, the main reasons are recent anthropogenic changes. For example, special studies attribute the decline in the numbers of some common species to climate change, intensification of land use and a decrease in the nutritional value of plants. Some species may also have been abundant in the past because they were dependent on certain types of historical land use (such as traditional agriculture), but their numbers have declined recently as land use has changed. Massive species are often disproportionately important to the structure and functioning of ecosystems and to the diversity of higher trophic levels, so their decline has likely already led to widespread ecosystem restructuring, and the situation will continue to worsen. Van Klink R., Bowler D.E., Gongalsky K.B., Shen M., Swengel A.B., Chase J.M. 2024. Disproportionate declines of formerly abundant species underlie insect loss. Nature 628: 359-364. Related materials: Ведомости. Экология: "Ученые: насекомые исчезают из-за сокращения массовых видов"

Starting May 18, Russian cinemas will begin showing a documentary film shot entirely in the wild - on the territory of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve. The plot of the film is not fiction - it reflects the real story of a family of foxes in natural conditions and the flow of life situations that happened to them. This flow of situations is unique in the life of each animal and forms the system of its reactions to the outside world in a unique way. The film itself was conceived back in 2014, at that time Anna Yachmennikova, an employee of the Institute of Economics and Ecology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was working on the territory of the Kronotsky Nature Reserve. Anna studied the patterns in behavior formation of fox cubs in natural conditions. This work was a logical continuation of her dissertation work on the study of behavior formation in wolf cubs. The Kronotsky Nature Reserve managed to preserve the conditions of their natural life for animals without a trace of many years of human influence. And the opportunity to observe how animals develop in nature with all the nuances of their intraspecific relationships and the influence of the experience of interspecific interactions is a rare chance. Some of the results of this work were published in scientific articles: Formation of behavior of fox cubs (Vulpes vulpes) in the wild: development of interactions with crows (Corvus corone) and bears (Ursus arctos)), Hidden patterns in the play behavior of fox cubs (Vulpes vulpes) in the wild : differences in the structure of the game in ontogenesis. However, most of the materials are still awaiting publication. Following in the footsteps of Anna’s work and with the help of the understanding of foxes that she developed over 5 years in the Reserve, a film crew of only two people - Dmitry and Anna Shpilenok - was able to very accurately document the life of wild foxes of Kamchatka and observe the same family continuously for 3 years, which in itself is not easy. This film, in a way, also became an independent research work: very complex, both in terms of expedition and in terms of organizing filming and working with wild animals in natural conditions, which cannot be asked to turn around at the most favorable angle in front of the camera. Filming of the highest quality very subtly conveys all the unique beauty of the nature of Kamchatka, the features of facial expressions and the gracefulness of fox movements. Anna Yachmennikova became a scientific consultant for the film, thanks to this the film will turn out to be biologically literate and therefore conveys to a person far from events in nature its harmony and reflects the completeness of the interconnections of all living things - through the image of a fox. Anna herself admits that these red animals taught her a lot. A colorful popular science book was also released for the film - an educational guide about foxes, specially prepared and anticipating the flow of interest in the fox and its biology that will arise after the film. Related materials: AiF Kamchatka: "A film will be made in Kamchatka about the adventures and family life of foxes" Russian Geographical Society: "Social behavior of foxes" Elements: "Lecture by Anna Yachmennikova "Foxes - resourceful inhabitants of open spaces" Kamchatinfo: “Biologists in Kamchatka are studying the specifics of family relationships of Kronotsky foxes” AiF Kamchatka: “The main characters of the film “Kamchatka. A Tale of Foxes” do not aspire for stardom” News from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky - Bezformata: “Exemplary foxes live in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka” News agency "Kam 24": "Residents of Kamchatka will be told about the life of the foxes Egor and Anfisa" NEWs: "The biologist told how to behave when meeting a fox in the city" Basegi Nature Reserve: "A very caring father fox" Kamchatinfo: “A very caring father fox was discovered in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka”

Corresponding member of the RAS, Professor of the RAS Alexey Alekseevich Kotov for the third year in a row has been included in the Research.com ranking of the best scientists in the Animal Science section. The ranking is based on data combined from several sources, including OpenAlex and CrossRef. The position in the ranking is based on the scientist's D-index (Discipline H-index), which includes only articles and citation data in the discipline being studied. Congratulations to Alexey Alekseevich on his well-deserved regular inclusion in the ranking!

Congratulations to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War and colleagues on Victory Day! This holiday has become a symbol of the courage of our people, their unshakable fortitude and unyielding spirit! Today we remember everyone thanks to whom victory was achieved in the destructive war of the last century. We are proud of the successes and contribution to the victory of domestic scientists who solved the most important problems to protect the country and ensure the security of the state. Veterans paid a high price for victory, many of them are no longer with us. But we will never forget their deeds! We have a section on our website in which we talk about the Institute’s employees who participated in the Great Patriotic War. The section “They Fought for the Motherland” contains materials about the Second World War from the personal family archives of the institute’s employees. These living testimonies of the past terrible and difficult years will forever remain in the memory of our people and preserve the memory of the great achievement. Also on the website are published excerpts from the report of L.A. Orbeli “Biology and War”, prepared for the General Meeting of the USSR Academy of Sciences on May 7, 1942. Happy holiday to you, dear veterans and colleagues! We wish you good health, prosperity and fruitful work for the benefit of our Motherland!