Rediscovery of Scarabaeus sevoistra Alluaud, 1902 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeinae): biological notes and IUCN Red Listing

Scarabaeus sevoistra Alluaud, 1902 was previously thought to be extinct. While identifying Scarabaeinae species on the iNaturalist website, photos posted by citizen scientists were discovered and identified as this species by the authors. The importance of the rediscovery of the species is presented here. We provide new biological notes for the species and a key to separate the species from its congeners. Additionally, we formally give a conservation status for the species.

Conservation Status of Milkcaps (Basidiomycota, Russulales, Russulaceae), with Notes on Poorly Known Species

Mycological conservation has finally come of age. The increasingly recognized crucial role played by fungi in ecosystem functioning has spurred a wave of attention toward the status of fungal populations across the world. Milkcaps (Lactarius and Lactifluus) are a large and widespread group of ectomycorrhizal basidiomycetes; besides their ecological relevance, many species of milkcaps are of socio-economic significance because of their edibility. We analysed the presence of milkcaps in fungal Red Lists worldwide, ending up with an impressive list of 265 species assessed in various threat categories. Lactarius species are disproportionally red-listed with respect to Lactifluus (241 versus 24 species). Two species of Lactarius (L. maruiaensis and L. ogasawarashimensis) are currently considered extinct, and four more are regionally extinct; furthermore, 37 species are critically endangered at least in part of their distribution range. Several problems with the red-listing of milkcaps have been identified in this study, which overall originate from a poor understanding of the assessed species. Wrong or outdated nomenclature has been applied in many instances, and European names have been largely used to indicate taxa occurring in North America and Asia, sometimes without any supporting evidence. Moreover, several rarely recorded and poorly known species, for which virtually no data exist, have been included in Red Lists in some instances. We stress the importance of a detailed study of the species of milkcaps earmarked for insertion in Red Lists, either at national or international level, in order to avoid diminishing the value of this important conservation tool.

Why are so many Northern European aquatic invertebrates missing in red-listing and how can we improve assessments for those?

The biodiversity crisis is advancing rapidly. One tool to measure extinction risk is the Red List of Threatened Species which follows the IUCN evaluation criteria (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Many aquatic invertebrates in Northern Europe are completely missing a red listing process and are evaluated as Data Deficient (DD) or Not Evaluated (NE). In our project, we focus on marine crustaceans and freshwater molluscs (Bivalvia). A systematic survey of more than 440 crustacean and 44 molluscan species in 12 Northern European countries shows that while many freshwater bivalve molluscs and marine crustaceans have existing molecular barcodes as well as digital occurrence records in databases (e.g. in GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility), there exists no evaluation process or regular monitoring for those species and their population status. With such a high level of non-evaluation of species status, species action plans (for single species or multi-taxon approaches) are far away from reality. In general, traditional monitoring methods based on observational surveys are known to be inefficient, costly and time consuming. e-DNA allows us to detect species with a high level of sensitivity as long as those assays are well validated. Molecular occurrence records can be used to detect rare species and to collect population information. In our Swedish project, we are metabarcoding sediment and plankton samples using metazoan and taxon-specific primers to detect threatened aquatic species. During 2019 and 2020, we collected samples at 15 localities in two marine protected areas for marine crustaceans and at 15 different localities for freshwater molluscs at the Swedish west coast. At each location plankton, sediment and traditional aquatic monitoring samples were taken. The idea is to compare how the methods perform in finding rare species, which could improve the data for those groups so they can be evaluated in the next round of red listing (2025) in Sweden. During the entire project, there is an on-going dialogue with stakeholders and experts from the Swedish Species Information Centre, responsible for the red listing process in the country.

Conservation status of the recently described Ecuadorian Amazon parrot Amazona lilacina

SummaryAmazona lilacina is a threatened species endemic to Ecuador, existing across a patchwork of mangroves, lowland coastal forests, agricultural and community owned land. The species was described in 2014 and listed as ‘Endangered’ on the IUCN Red List, however, full assessment of the population was lacking. Using a combination of field observations, roost surveys and community questionnaires, conducted over the last 20 years, we provide up-to-date information on the species’ Extent of Occurrence, estimate its global population size, and evaluate its level of threat. Our results suggest the species occurs across an area of 19,890 km2 in three distinct geographically isolated subpopulations. Roost surveys across the range estimate the minimum remaining population at 741–1,090 individuals and we present evidence to suggest a 60% decline over the past 19 years in one part of the species’ range. We conducted community questionnaires with 427 people from 52 communities. The presence of pet parrots was reported in 37 communities, including 17 communities which reported pet A. lilacina. From this we predict that over half of all communities within our study area keep parrots as pets and at least 96 communities keep A. lilacina. Our findings justify an IUCN Red Listing of at least ‘Endangered’ for this species and highlight the need for conservation support. In order to assess population health in more detail, further research is required to assess genetic diversity and roost dynamics, and to identify areas that may be important for feeding and nesting throughout the range. As many of these areas are likely to overlap with community owned land, we suggest that future conservation actions should revolve around, and be led by, these communities.