Reconstruction of the last cretaceous anoxic event in the Tarfaya Laayoune basin (South of Morocco): Biostratigraphy and Paleoenvironment of the Oum Debaa Formation

The Tarfaya-Laayoune coastal basin developed in a stable passive margin, where sedimentation occurred in shallow bays. During the Late Cretaceous, bituminous and phosphatic series were deposited in the shallow depression such as Sebkha Oum Debaa. In this work, the age of these Cretaceous layers are refined using a palynological approach and their paleoenvironments are described using organic geochemistry. Based on quantitative and qualitative palynological analyses, the sediments revealed a rich and diverse dinoflagellate cyst assemblage (65 taxa); among them 9 important biostratigraphic markers: Andalusiella inflata, Andalusiella ivoirensis, Andalusiella mauthei, Cerodinium diebelii, Cerodinium speciosum, Dinogymnium acuminatum, Odontochitina porifera, Trichodinium castanea, and Trithyrodinium evittii. According to the reported stratigraphic dinoflagellate taxa distribution, an age range of late Campanian to early Maastrichtian is herein proposed for the Oum Debaa Formation. This biostratigraphy update has been correlated to the Tethyan and Sub-Boreal domains. On the paleoenvironmental level, geochemical proxies have displayed an anoxic lagoon depositional which is dominated by an intermediate climate between hot / humid and arid with an often low paleoproductivity regime which induces redox conditions.

Selected Diptera of City Park Kolmanka, Prešov (Slovakia)

In total 65 Diptera species from 20 families (Anisopodidae (2 spp.), Asilidae (1), Bibionidae (1), Clusiidae (1), Culicidae (8), Dolichopodidae (7), Drosophilidae (4), Dryomyzidae (1), Empididae (2), Heleomyzidae (5), Hybotidae (5), Lauxaniidae (4), Limoniidae (9), Opomyzidae (2), Pallopteridae (2), Psychodidae (6), Rhagionidae (2), Scatopsidae (1), Trichoceridae (1) and Ulidiidae (1)) were recorded. The species Drapetis flavipes Macquart, 1834 (Hybotidae), is recorded for the first time in Slovakia. Ten species belong among uncommon or rare (namely: Atypophthalmus (Atypophthalmus) inustus (Meigen, 1818), Calliopum splendidum Papp, 1978, Dioctria linearis (Fabricius, 1787), Cheilotrichia (Empeda) neglecta (Lackschewitz, 1927), Chrysopilus asiliformis (Preyssler, 1791), Ochlerotatus (Ochlerotatus) nigrinus (Eckstein 1918), Philosepedon (Philosepedon) austriacum Vaillant, 1974, Suillia variegata (Loew, 1862), Toxoneura modesta (Meigen, 1830) and Trichomyia urbica Curtis, 1839). On the other hand, two invasive species are also reported. Drosophila (Sophophora) suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) is an invasive crop pest and Aedes (Finlaya) japonicus japonicus (Theobald, 1901) is an invasive biting pest, a potential vector for various diseases. City parks are also important from the point of view of Diptera biodiversity and more attention needs to be paid to them.

A contribution to the knowledge of Agromyzidae (Diptera) of Zlaté Hory and its vicinity (Czech Republic)

Results of a biodiversity investigation of Agromyzidae (Diptera) in the cadastre of Zlaté Hory town (Silesia, Czech Republic) in June 2017 are presented. In the area under study a total of 43 species of 12 genera have been recorded including 29 species representing new additions to the fauna of Czech Silesia. Agromyza seticercus, Cerodontha (Poemyza) beigerae, Galiomyza galiivora, Liriomyza europaea, L. puella, Phytomyza aurei, Ph. cirsii, Ph. vilnensis and Pseudonapomyza palliditarsis being to most interesting species found in the area. The importance of these species from a faunistic point of view is discussed.

Moth flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) of the northern Hercynian Mountains and adjacent localities (Czech Republic)

New faunistic data from the northern Hercynian Mountains and adjacent localities (Czech Republic) collected mostly at 52 sites in 2004–2010 are presented. Altogether, 88 species of moth flies (adults) of 38 genera (approximately 49% of all species of the family registered from the Czech Republic) are known to occur in this area. Twenty of these species were classified in the national Red List 2005 of threatened invertebrates and 14 are nationally scarce, suitable for further monitoring. Katamormia bezzii (Salamanna, 1983) and Berdeniella longispinosa (Vaillant, 1985) are new for Bohemia. In the appendix, the updated checklist of family Psychodidae is given for the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus): some field observations in the Czechia

Historical data on birds are a cultural and scientific legacy of past generations of dedicated observers. This data cannot be deleted without obvious rebuttable evidence. An example of the Lapland Longspur (Calcarius lapponicus) is described.

Climate, Creativity, and the Evolution of Human Intelligence

The present essay compares two books dealing with the evolution of human mental abilities. Agustín Fuentes’ The Creative Spark focuses on creativity. Fuentes argues that creativity is the central element that makes human uniqueness, and highlights continuity between modern examples of creativity and early forms of human creative behaviour. Mark Maslin’s The Cradle of Humanity discusses the role of East Africa’s climate in increasing the intelligence of humans. To understand this role, Maslin combines geological and climatic data with the latest discoveries in human evolution and palaeontology. The essay compares the books’ content as well as their tone, and concludes on whether they might inspire future research on human evolution.

New and interesting records of Diptera on glacial sand deposits in Silesia (NE Czech Republic). Part 2 – Brachycera except for Schizophora

Records of 19 species of the dipteran families Bombyliidae (1 species), Mythicomyiidae (1 species), Therevidae (2 species), Empididae (3 species), Hybotidae (1 species), Dolichopodidae (8 species) and Syrphidae (3 species) from glacial sand deposits in the Czech Silesia (NE Czech Republic) are presented and their association with sandy habitats discussed. All of them are recorded from the Czech Silesia for the first time, 13 are new additions to the fauna of Moravia of which 9 are also new for the whole of the Czech Republic. Dialineura anilis (Linnaeus, 1761) (Therevidae) and Schistostoma truncatum (Loew, 1864) (Dolichopodidae) are classified as psammobiont, 6 species as psammophilous, viz. Exhyalanthrax afer (Fabricius, 1794) (Bombyliidae), Cliorismia rustica (Panzer, 1804) (Therevidae), Cryptophlebs kerteszi Lichtwardt, 1898, Melanostolus melancholicus (Loew, 1869) (both Dolichopodidae) and Paragus constrictus Šimić, 1986 and Pelecocera tricincta Meigen, 1822 (Syrphidae), and 3 species as probably psammophilous, viz. Medetera annulitarsus von Roser, 1840, M. grunini Negrobov, 1966 and Sciapus basilicus Meuffels & Grootaert, 1990 (all Dolichopodidae). Medetera grunini is recorded for the first time from Europe and represents a new westernmost limit of its distribution range in the Palaearctic. New southernmost records of Rhamphomyia murina Collin, 1926 (Empididae) and Drapetis monsmargila Grootaert, Beuk & Shamshev, 2020 (Hybotidae) are also given.

Hymenopteran color preference using multiple colours of pan traps in Slovakia

The study presents results of colour preference of insects (Insecta), mainly from the order Hymenoptera (families Apidae, Formicidae). The research was carried out in the vicinity of the Beniakovce village (near the Košice city) over the years 2010–2012. Trapping by coloured water traps was conducted at ten sites with 50 Moerick′s water traps coloured with five different colours (white, yellow, blue, purple, and red). On the study area there were 12 357 individuals captured, belonging to 17 higher taxa (class, order, suborder) or genus morpho group of families Apidae and Formicidae. The highest abundance was found in Diptera followed by Hymenoptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera. Obtained results were in accordance with literature data, which showed that yellow colour was the most preferred by insects. Our results confirmed high degree of diversity of insect’s fauna in the study area. Our study suggested that a modified Moerick′s water traps may be a valuable tool in studies on insect diversity, distribution, seasonal abundance, and foraging behaviour as well.

First record of Microterys turanicus Sugonjaev, 1965 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) from Europe

Microterys turanicus Sugonjaev, 1965 (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is added to the fauna of the Czech Republic and the whole of Europe on the basis of a record from the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts, Morávka (North Moravia, NE Czech Republic). The distribution and biology are reviewed and notes on the identification of the species are given along with illustrations of its habitus and some diagnostic characters.

Hiding in plain sight: new records and endangered flies (Diptera) from a tree-hole in an urban park (Prešov, Slovakia)

The cavities in trees (called dendrotelmata) in an urban environment stand at the periphery of researchers’ attention. This paper presents new data on the occurrence of three Diptera species considered as endangered, namely Systenus leucurus Loew, 1859, S. tener Loew, 1859 (both Dolichopodidae), and Lepiseodina rothschildi (Eaton, 1912) (Psychodidae) from just such a specific urban ecosystem in Prešov. The latter two species were also recorded for the first time in Slovakia. The distribution and conservation status of the reported species are reviewed and briefly discussed.