1. Submission Structure (Double-Blind Peer Review)

• File 1: Cover Part (with personal information)
  Include the complete names of all authors, institutional affiliations (university, institute), full addresses (street, city, state/province, country), and email addresses. Designate one corresponding author responsible for ensuring the accuracy and completeness of the author list and individual contributions. If submitted on behalf of a consortium, list all members and affiliations after the Acknowledgements section in the main text.
• File 2: Main Part (fully anonymized)
  This file must contain no identifying information about the authors or their institutions. It should include the Title, Abstract, Keywords, and Body Text.

2. General Manuscript Formatting

• Spacing & Fonts: Single-space all material (text, quotations, legends, tables, references). Separate paragraphs with a single blank line. Use a 12-point font (preferably Times New Roman or Arial).
• Capitals: Use sentence case. Capitalize only the first word of a sentence, proper names, headings/subheadings, and references to Tables, Graphs, and Figures (e.g., Figure 1). Software programs should be fully capitalized (e.g., ANOVA, PAUP).
• Italics: Use for scientific names of species/genera, long direct quotations, and variable/constant symbols (e.g., p, F, U, T, N, r). Do not italicize abbreviations like SD, SE, DF, NS, e.g., i.e., et al., or cf. Underlining is not acceptable.
• Abbreviations: Follow abbreviations with a period (e.g., i.e., e.g., cf.). Exception: Do not use a period if the abbreviation ends with the same letter as the full word (e.g., Dr, Mr, Eds) or for units of measurement (e.g., mm, cm, m, s, L).
• Dashes:
  • Hyphen (-): Links compound adjectives or prefixes.
  • En-dash (–): Links spans (e.g., 1977–1981, Figs 5–7, pp. 237–258), geographic associations (Murray–Darling River), or character states (red–purple). Do not add spaces around en-dashes.
  • Em-dash (—): Use rarely, only to introduce a subordinate clause (like parentheses). Do not add spaces.
• Footnotes: Avoid footnotes in the body text. Incorporate necessary information directly into the text to facilitate reading and ensure smooth software processing.
• English Language: Manuscripts must be written in grammatically correct, precise, and concise English (either British/Commonwealth or American, but consistent throughout). Non-native speakers are required to have their manuscripts professionally edited prior to submission. Avoid parenthetical comments and using italics/bold for emphasis.

3. Manuscript Structure and Headings

• Introduction: State the research purpose, questions, and historical basis.
• Methods: Provide sufficient detail for reproducibility (experimental design, sampling, statistics). Include manufacturer names, locations, and model numbers for equipment/software.
• Results: State findings concisely without interpretation.
• Discussion: Interpret results, relate them to previous research, and discuss implications. Address counter-intuitive findings. A "Speculation" subsection is permissible for new ideas.
• Conclusions: Clearly state main conclusions and their relevance. Summary illustrations may be included.
• Acknowledgements: (Anonymized in the main file; full version in the cover file).
• References: (See Section 5).

4. Abstract and Keywords

• Abstract: Must be informative, original, fact-based, and written in excellent English. Length: 200–250 words. Structure: Introduction (problem/purpose), concise Methods, Results, and Conclusion. Avoid generalities.
• Keywords: Provide 6–8 keywords in alphabetical order. They should ideally differ from words used in the title.

5. Citations and References

In-Text Citations

• One author: Smith (1990) or (Smith 1990)
• Two authors: Brock and Gunderson (2001) or (Brock and Gunderson 2001)
• Three or more authors: Smith et al. (1998) or (Smith et al. 1998)
• Multiple sources: Order chronologically by the earliest year: (Smith et al. 1998, 2000, 2016; Brock and Gunderson 2001; Felt 2006).
• Identical author/year: Distinguish with letters: (Reyes-Velasco et al. 2018a, 2018b).
• Species authorship: Include a comma between author and year: Brianmyia stuckenbergi Woodley, 2012.

Reference List Formatting

• List all authors (do not use "et al." in the reference list).
• Spell out all journal titles completely; do not italicize journal titles.
• Include DOIs or stable URLs for all entries whenever possible.
• Order references alphabetically by author name. If the first author is the same, order by the number of co-authors (lowest first), then chronologically:
  1. Smith J (2018) ...
  2. Smith J, Gunderson A (2017) ...
  3. Smith J, Gunderson A, Brock B (2011) ...
• Note: Personal communications and unpublished manuscripts should be cited in-text only, not in the Reference list.

• Journal Article: Polaszek A, et al. (2005) ZooBank: The open-access register... Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature 62: 210–220. https://doi.org/...
• Electronic Article: Mallet J, Willmott K (2002) Taxonomy: Renaissance or Tower of Babel? Trends in Ecology and Evolution 18(2): 57–59. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-5347(02)00061-7
• Book Chapter: Mayr E (2000) The biological species concept. In: Wheeler QD, Meier R (Eds) Species Concepts and Phylogenetic Theory... Columbia University Press, New York, 17–29.
• PhD Thesis: Dalebout ML (2002) Species identity, genetic diversity... PhD Thesis, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.

6. Illustrations, Figures, and Tables

• File Formats: EPS (preferred for diagrams/vector), TIFF (min. 300 dpi, LZW compression), PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP, SVG. Phylogenetic trees/cladograms must be vector files (EPS, SVG, or PDF). Max file size: 20 MB.
• Sizing: The journal prints in B5 size (max printing area: 128 mm × 199 mm). Combine individual figures into composite figures where possible.
• Figure Legends: List consecutively after References. Include: Figure number (Arabic numerals), short title (max 15 words), and detailed legend (max 300 words). Measurable traits must have mute scale bars, with real size defined in the caption.
• In-Text Citations: Use capital "F" and en-dash for ranges (e.g., Fig. 1, Figs 1–3, Fig. 2A–E). Cite figures from other publications in lowercase (fig. / figs).
• Google Maps: Must include visible attribution on each map (e.g., "Map data 2026 © Google").
• Tables: Number sequentially (Table 1, 2, 3). Provide a title (max 15 words). Format using word processor 'Table' objects (no tabs). Ensure all borders are visible as black lines. Do not use color, shading, or commas for decimals (use a full stop: 0.007 cm).

7. Geographical Coordinates, Altitude, and Units

• Coordinate Formats: Must include hemisphere (N/S/E/W) or minus signs for southern/western hemispheres.
  • Recommended: Degrees and Decimal Minutes (DDM) (e.g., 36°31.46'N; 114°09.84'W).
  • Alternatives: DMS (36°31'21"N) or Decimal Degrees (DD) (36.5243°N).
  • KML files: Must use DD format with minus signs (e.g., −36.5243; −114.1641).
• Accuracy & Rounding: Do not report false precision. Round GPS readings to reflect actual device accuracy (e.g., nearest second in DMS, four decimal places in DD). Always include an uncertainty figure (in meters) if reporting unrounded GPS data.
• Altitude: GPS elevation is not sea-level elevation. Round GPS elevation to appropriate precision (e.g., "ca 750 m").
• Geospatial Tables: We strongly encourage submitting a supplementary CSV/Excel table of localities (Species, Latitude, Longitude) to facilitate biodiversity database indexing.
• Units & Statistics: Use SI units. Use leading zeros for probability values (e.g., P < 0.001). Report two df values for F-statistics. State the year and version of statistical software used.

8. Taxonomic Treatments and Nomenclature

• New Species Criteria: Stand-alone descriptions are accepted for well-studied taxa, fossils, monotypic groups, or species with unusual characters, rich biological data, or high conservation/economic importance. Avoid stand-alone descriptions in hyperdiverse/poorly studied groups unless part of a broader revision.
• Mandatory Elements:
  • Type Material: Verbatim label data (in quotes), collection date, collector, locality, coordinates, elevation, habitat, and deposition repository. Holotypes must be in a publicly accessible collection.
  • Differential Diagnosis: Short, concise, sample-independent, and comparative. Cite reference taxonomy.
  • Morphological Description: Must meet minimum standards for the taxon group, supported by rich illustrations (photos, drawings, microCT).
  • Identification Key: Mandatory for stand-alone descriptions not part of a revision.
  • Etymology: Must state the Latin form (adjective, noun in apposition, genitive, or arbitrary) and gender.
• DNA-Based Descriptions: Permitted only in special cases (e.g., megadiverse taxa with strong barcode divergence). Must include: justification in Methods, rich illustrative material of vouchers, differential diagnosis, etymology, and GenSeq nomenclature (Chakrabarty et al. 2013).
• Sequence Data: Novel sequences require INSD accession numbers (GenBank, EMBL, DDBJ). Vouchered specimens are strongly recommended. Include a summary table linking species, specimen catalog numbers, GenBank numbers, and GenSeq nomenclature.

9. Materials Examined Formatting Guidelines (Darwin Core)

• Punctuation: Use a bullet point (•) to start each citation. Separate major fields with a semicolon (;). Separate elements within a field with commas (,).
• Country: List alphabetically in separate paragraphs.
• Repetitive Data: Use "same data as for holotype" or "same locality" consistently.
• Label Citations: Use double quotes (" ") only for verbatim label data that cannot be standardized.
• Author Interpretation: Use square brackets [ ] for interpreted data (e.g., translated labels or inferred coordinates).
• Repository Data: Format as InstitutionAcronym CatalogNumber (e.g., SAMC B7732). Define all acronyms in a "Repositories" list in the Methods section. Use "to" for ranges (e.g., NMNW 4590 to 4593).

10. Supplementary Files

• File Size: Maximum 20 MB per file.
• Accepted Formats:
  • Documentation: PDF
  • Datasets: XLS, ODS, CSV
  • Movies/Animations: MOV, MPG, SWF
• Requirements: Each file must be explicitly referenced in the main text (e.g., "See Supplementary File 1"). During submission, provide the file format, title of data, and a brief description. Files must be viewable with free, widely available software.