Acta Biologica Sibirica

New data on the spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) of Dagestan, Russia

Alexander A. Fomichev — 2026-01-15

The study presents a list of 93 spider species collected in Dagestan, 12 of which are new records for the region. The following six species are illustrated: Aelurillus laniger Logunov & Marusik, 2000, Arctosa personata (L. Koch, 1872), Arctosa ravida Ponomarev, 2007, Clubiona caucasica Mikhailov & Otto, 2017 and Cyclosa algerica Simon, 1885. I also provide photographs of live specimens for eight species, taken in their natural habitat, and present the first published photograph of the web of Atypus muralis Bertkau, 1890. Two species, Aulonia kratochvili Dunin, Buchar & Absolon, 1986 and Cyclosa algerica, are recorded for Russia for the first time; the former species is redescribed. A new species, Paracedicus ponomarevi sp. n. (Desidae), is described based on a female specimen. The family Desidae is reported from Russia for the first time. The current state of knowledge on the spider fauna of Dagestan and prospects for future research is discussed.

Meadow communities of the Middle Ob floodplain over two years under different flooding conditions

Egor E. Churakov — 2026-01-15

The paper presents a comparative analysis of changes in species, ecological and biological composition, dominant species composition, and net primary productivity (NPP) of floodplain meadows in low (2023) and high (2024) flooding years. Meadows in the study area exhibited higher productivity in 2024 compared to 2023. In 2024, NPP increased by 45.6% in the forb-grass meadow, by 37.8% in the sedge-reedgrass meadow, and by 34.5% in the elecampane meadow. Changes were observed in species richness, the proportions of ecological groups, and dominant species composition. The most significant changes were recorded in upland meadows that are not regularly flooded. The productivity of the forb-tussock sedge meadow remained virtually unchanged (an increase of only 1.4%), indicating stability and potentially maximum productivity under these conditions. An increase in NPP was attributed to the increase in both above-ground and below-ground phytomass and correlated with structural shifts in the grass stand toward a higher proportion of moisture-demanding species.

The spider wasp family Pompilidae (Hymenoptera: Aculeata: Pompiloidea) in Uzbekistan: annotated checklist with first faunal records

Natalya I. Lebedeva — 2026-01-22

This paper presents, for the first time, a review of the fauna of spider wasps (Pompilidae) of Uzbekistan. The review includes 132 species and 1 subspecies, 4 species undetermined to species level (sp.), belonging to 28 genera, 8 tribes, and 3 subfamilies recorded within the territory of Uzbekistan. The data are based on published literature and materials collected during 1909-1978, which are preserved in the Entomological Collection of the State Museum of Nature of Uzbekistan. Among these, 9 species are recorded for the first time for the fauna of Uzbekistan, namely: Cryptocheilus (Cryptocheilus) alternatus caspius Gussakovskij, 1952; Priocnemis (Priocnemis) minuta (Vander Linden, 1827); Priocnemis (Umbripennis) gypsochtona Gussakovskij, 1930; Tachyagetes (Tachyagetes) excellens (Haupt,1930); Arachnospila (Ammosphex) trivialis (Dahlbom, 1843); Arachnospila (Arachnospila) binaeva Haupt, 1930; Arachnospila (Arachnospila) rufa (Haupt, 1927); Paracyphononyx pavlovskyi Gussakovskij, 1952; Arachnotheutes rufithorax (Costa, 1882).

On the taxonomy of Salagena tesselata Distant, 1897 with description of a new genus and three new species (Lepidoptera, Cossoidea, Metarbelidae)

Polina D. Pavlova — 2026-01-24

A new metarbelid genus, Hermanstaudeilla gen. n. is described, delimited from Salagena Walker, 1865, with its type species Salagena tesselata Distant, 1897. Three new species, H. hillwoodi sp. n. (type locality: Zambia, Hillwood Farm), H. felixtarasenkoi sp. n. (type locality: Tanzania, Ushongo Beach), H. hackeri sp. n. (type locality: Ethiopia, Nechisar National Park) are described from eastern and southern Africa. Adults, genitalia and distribution of all taxa are illustrated in 18 colour figures.

Diversity of lichens of the genus Cladonia P. Browne (Cladoniaceae, Ascomycota) in the Karegodsky Nature Reserve (Tomsk Oblast, Western Siberia)

Daria I. Kazantseva — 2026-01-28

An inventory study of lichens of the genus Cladonia P. Browne was conducted in the Karegodsky Zoological Nature Reserve, located within the Ob–Chulym interfluve (Molchanovsky District, Tomsk Oblast, Western Siberia). Field investigations were carried out in August 2025 using route methods covering the main plant communities and substrate types. Pine forests, willow–poplar forests, birch–aspen forests, and anthropogenically disturbed areas were surveyed. More than 350 specimens were collected and identified. A total of 45 Cladonia species were recorded in the study area, which is comparable to the 44 species documented for the entire Ob–Chulym interfluve and indicates high representativeness of the reserve's lichen biota. Twelve species are reported for the first time for this physiographic region, substantially expanding knowledge of Cladonia distribution in Western Siberia. The highest species richness was observed in pine forests, characterized by high light availability and substrate diversity. Substrate preference analysis revealed predominance of epixylic and epigeic forms, as well as a high proportion of eurysubstrate species, reflecting the ecological plasticity of Cladonia in taiga ecosystems. The presence of pollution-sensitive species indicates favorable ecological conditions in the reserve. These data provide a foundation for future monitoring of lichen flora and assessment of natural complex dynamics in protected areas.

Two new records of the eumenine wasps (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae) from Uzbekistan

Gulnara S. Mirzaeva — 2026-02-12

During faunistic surveys of the family Vespidae conducted in Uzbekistan between 2022 and 2025, two eumenine wasp species – Euodynerus (Euodynerus) caspicus (Moravitz, 1873) and Symmorphus (Symmorphus) crassicornis (Panzer, 1798) – were recorded for the first time from Uzbekistan. These findings significantly expand the known distribution range of both species in Central Asia and contribute to the knowledge of the Eumeninae fauna of the region. Diagnostic characteristics and notes on habitat preferences are provided.

DNA Cytometry Image Analysis Software

Maxim G. Kutsev — 2026-02-12

The article presents the development of BioDecod, a tool for the automated detection and quantification of cell nuclei in images. BioDecod enables accurate nuclei identification and counting, measurement of their fluorescence intensity, and generation of structured data. This Windows-based application developed in TypeScript has user-friendly interface and a minimal number of adjustable parameters. In comparison with ImageJ and CellProfiler, BioDecod simplifies the analysis workflow by allowing users to work within a single window, visualize changes in real-time, and process up to 100 images simultaneously. The analysis algorithm involves image segmentation via adaptive thresholding to identify nuclei, size-based filtering, and calculation of integral fluorescence parameters across four channels, with subsequent data export to Excel. Data visualization is implemented through scatter plots and histograms, featuring functionality for population gating and automatic statistical calculations. A comparative analysis of BioDecod and ImageJ demonstrated the superior efficiency of BioDecod in image processing, evidenced by a lower coefficient of variation (CV) – 6.31–7.69 % versus 14.26–31.1 %. This improvement is attributed to BioDecod’s effective filtering of particle populations to exclude artifacts and image overlaps. BioDecod was validated using real-world samples – plants with genome sizes ranging from 0.45 to 64.54 pg. In summary, BioDecod provides a comprehensive solution for the acquisition and analysis of cell nucleus images, combining ease of use, configurable flexibility, and measurement precision, which makes it a valuable tool for researchers in the field of image cytometry.