Diversity and human perceptions of bees (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) in Southeast Asian megacities

Familiarity with, perceptions of and attitudes toward butterflies of urban park users in megacities across East and Southeast Asia

Perceptions of, and attitudes toward, wildlife are influenced by exposure to, and direct experiences with, nature. Butterflies are a conspicuous and ubiquitous component of urban nature across megacities that are highly urbanized with little opportunity for human-nature interactions. We evaluated public familiarity with, perceptions of and attitudes toward butterflies across nine megacities in East and Southeast Asia through face-to-face interviews with 1774 urban park users. A total of 79% of respondents had seen butterflies in their cities mostly in urban parks, indicating widespread familiarity with butterflies. Those who had seen butterflies also had higher perceptions of butterflies, whereas greater than 50% of respondents had positive attitudes toward butterflies. Frequent visits to natural places in urban neighbourhoods was associated with (i) sightings of caterpillars, indicating increased familiarity with urban wildlife, and (ii) increased connectedness to nature. We found two significant positive relationships: (i) between connectedness to nature and attitudes toward butterflies and (ii) between connectedness to nature and perceptions of butterflies, firmly linking parks users' thoughts and feelings about butterflies with their view of nature. This suggests that butterflies in urban parks can play a key role in building connectedness to nature and consequently pro-environmental behaviours and support for wildlife conservation among urban residents.

New and little-known species of the genus Sphecodes Latreille (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) from Southeast Asia

The available information about the cleptoparasitic bees of the genus Sphecodes in Southeast Asia is summarized. Thirty-one species are currently known from this area. Four new species are described: Sphecodesdiscoverlifei Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. nov. (Laos), S.engeli Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. nov. (Laos, Vietnam), S.ilyadadaria Astafurova, sp. nov. (Indonesia), and S.pseudoredivivus Astafurova & Proshchalykin, sp. nov. (Laos). Nine species are newly recorded from South East Asia: S.chaprensis Blüthgen, 1927 (Laos), S.howardi Cockerell, 1922 (Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand), S.kershawi Perkins, 1921 (Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand), S.laticeps Meyer, 1920 (Thailand, Vietnam), S.montanus Smith, 1879 (Laos), S.sauteri Meyer, 1925 (Laos), S.sikkimensis Blüthgen, 1927 (Laos, Myanmar), S.simlaensis Blüthgen, 1924 (Laos), and S.turneri Cockerell, 1916 (Laos). Based on type specimens, new synonymies have been proposed for Sphecodeskershawi Perkins, 1921 = S.javanensis Blüthgen, 1927, syn. nov.; S.simlaensis Blüthgen, 1924 = S.simlaellus Blüthgen, 1927, syn. nov.; S.laticeps Meyer, 1920 = S.biroimariae Cockerell, 1930, syn. nov. Lectotypes are designated for Sphecodesbiroi Friese, 1909, S.simlaellus Blüthgen, 1927, and S.laticeps Meyer, 1920. The female of Sphecodessauteri Meyer, 1925, and the male of S.turneri Cockerell, 1916 are described for the first time.

Insect diversity in the Saharo-Arabian region: Revealing a little-studied fauna by DNA barcoding

Although insects dominate the terrestrial fauna, sampling constraints and the poor taxonomic knowledge of many groups have limited assessments of their diversity. Passive sampling techniques and DNA-based species assignments now make it possible to overcome these barriers. For example, Malaise traps collect specimens with minimal intervention while the Barcode Index Number (BIN) system automates taxonomic assignments. The present study employs Malaise traps and DNA barcoding to extend understanding of insect diversity in one of the least known zoogeographic regions, the Saharo-Arabian. Insects were collected at four sites in three countries (Egypt, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia) by deploying Malaise traps. The collected specimens were analyzed by sequencing 658 bp of cytochrome oxidase I (DNA barcode) and assigning BINs on the Barcode of Life Data Systems. The year-long deployment of a Malaise trap in Pakistan and briefer placements at two Egyptian sites and at one in Saudi Arabia collected 53,092 specimens. They belonged to 17 insect orders with Diptera and Hymenoptera dominating the catch. Barcode sequences were recovered from 44,432 (84%) of the specimens, revealing the occurrence of 3,682 BINs belonging to 254 families. Many of these taxa were uncommon as 25% of the families and 50% of the BINs from Pakistan were only present in one sample. Family and BIN counts varied significantly through the year, but diversity indices did not. Although more than 10,000 specimens were analyzed from each nation, just 2% of BINs were shared by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, 4% by Egypt and Pakistan, and 7% by Egypt and Saudi Arabia. The present study demonstrates how the BIN system can circumvent the barriers imposed by limited access to taxonomic specialists and by the fact that many insect species in the Saharo-Arabian region are undescribed.