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Replacement names for the dung beetle genus Byrrhidium Harold, 1869 and the tribe Byrrhidiini Davis, Deschodt & Scholtz, 2019 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)
(Magnolia Press, 2025-03-12) Davis, Adrian L.V.; Deschodt, Christian M.; Scholtz, Clarke H.; adrian.davis@up.ac.za
Bouchard et al. (2024: 93) have pointed out that the dung beetle genus name Byrrhidium Harold, 1869 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is a junior homonym of the pill beetle genus name Byrrhidium Heer, 1864: 64, 65 (Coleoptera: Byrrhidae). This statement is a consequence of the action by Neave (1939), who, as First Reviser (ICZN 1999: art. 24.2; hereafter cited as “the Code”), selected the spelling Byrrhidium as the valid name for the pill beetle genus out of two spellings used by Heer (1864: 64, 65, 89—Byrrhidium or Byrrhydium). As regards the name Byrrhidium for the scarabaeine dung beetle genus, it must be ascribed to Harold (1869: 96) and not to Harold in Gemminger and Harold (1869: 997) as explained by Bouchard et al. (2024: 93). They state that “this name was first used by Harold in Gemminger and von Harold (1869a: 997) but it is not available from that publication since there is no description or indication, the sole species associated with the name being a nomen nudum”. Regardless of whether the dung beetle genus name Byrrhidium is attributed to Harold in Gemminger and Harold (1869: 997) or to Harold (1869: 96), the name is a junior homonym of Byrrhidium Heer, 1864. As a junior homonym, it cannot be used as the valid name for the scarabaeine dung beetle genus. Therefore, under Article 60.2 of the Code, its junior synonym Elassocanthon Kolbe, 1908 must become the valid generic name.
Phoberus sulcatus (Thunberg, 1787) sensu lato : in-depth morphological analysis of male genitalia reveals three cryptic species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Trogidae)
(Magnolia Press, 2025-07) Strumpher, Werner P.; Huchet, Jean-Bernard; Da Costa-Silva, Vinicius
In this study, we conducted a comprehensive review of the widely distributed keratin-beetle species Phoberus sulcatus(Thunberg, 1787) (Trogidae). Based on the examination of over 1,200 specimens across its entire known distribution range, we identified three distinct species within Phoberus sulcatus sensu lato. Consequently, Trox instabilis Haaf, 1953 is removed from synonymy with Phoberus sulcatus and formally transferred to the genus Phoberus MacLeay, 1819. Both species are redescribed and diagnosed. In addition, we describe a new species, Phoberus erwinhaafi Strümpher, sp. nov. The three species are allopatric and presently have non-overlapping distributions. Specifically, Phoberus sulcatusis confined to the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, the southeastern part of the Northern Cape and the eastern part of the Western Cape provinces. The revalidated and recombined Phoberus instabilis (Haaf, 1953) is widespread, occurring in Botswana, Lesotho, throughout the central and eastern interior of South Africa, and Zimbabwe. Phoberus erwinhaafi Strümpher, sp. nov., represents geographically distinct populations in Namibia and South Africa’s Northern Cape province. The distributions of all three species are mapped, and a neotype is designated for the missing type specimens of Trox sulcatus (originally described as Throx sulcatus). We also include an erratum correcting an error in Strümpher & Stals (2021).
Phylogenomics and the rise of the angiosperms
(Nature Research, 2024-05) Zuntini, Alexandre R.; Carruthers, Tom; Maurin, Olivier; Bailey, Paul C.; Leempoel, Kevin; Brewer, Grace E.; Epitawalage, Niroshini; Françoso, Elaine; Gallego-Paramo, Berta; McGinnie, Catherine; Negrão, Raquel; Roy, Shyamali R.; Simpson, Lalita; Romero, Eduardo Toledo; Barber, Vanessa M.A.; Botigué, Laura; Clarkson, James J.; Cowan, Robyn S.; Dodsworth, Steven; Johnson, Matthew G.; Kim, Jan T.; Pokorny, Lisa; Wickett, Norman J.; Antar, Guilherme M.; DeBolt, Lucinda; Gutierrez, Karime; Hendriks, Kasper P.; Hoewener, Alina; Hu, Ai-Qun; Joyce, Elizabeth M.; Kikuchi, Izai A.B.S.; Larridon, Isabel; Larson, Drew A.; De Lírio, Elton John; Liu, Jing-Xia; Malakasi, Panagiota; Przelomska, Natalia A.S.; Shah, Toral; Viruel, Juan; Allnutt, Theodore R.; Ameka, Gabriel K.; Andrew, Rose L.; Appelhans, Marc S.; Arista, Montserrat; Ariza, María Jesús; Arroyo, Juan; Arthan, Watchara; Bachelier, Julien B.; Bailey, C. Donovan; Barnes, Helen F.; Barrett, Matthew D.; Barrett, Russell L.; Bayer, Randall J.; Bayly, Michael J.; Biffin, Ed; Biggs, Nicky; Birch, Joanne L.; Bogarín, Diego; Borosova, Renata; Bowles, Alexander M.C.; Boyce, Peter C.; Bramley, Gemma L.C.; Briggs, Marie; Broadhurst, Linda; Brown, Gillian K.; Bruhl, Jeremy J.; Bruneau, Anne; Buerki, Sven; Burns, Edie; Byrne, Margaret; Cable, Stuart; Calladine, Ainsley; Callmande, Martin W.; Cano, Ángela; Cantrill, David J.; Cardinal-McTeague, Warren M.; Carlsen, Mónica M.; Carruthers, Abigail J.A.; Castro Mateo, Alejandra de; Chase, Mark W.; Chatrou, Lars W.; Cheek, Martin; Chen, Shilin; Christenhusz, Maarten J.M.; Christin, Pascal-Antoine; Clements, Mark A.; Coffey, Skye C.; Conran, John G.; Cornejo, Xavier; Couvreur, Thomas L.P.; Cowie, Ian D.; Csiba, Laszlo; Darbyshire, Iain; Davidse, Gerrit; Davies, Nina M.J.; Davis, Aaron P.; Dijk, Kor-jent van; Downie, Stephen R.; Duretto, Marco F.; Duvall, Melvin R.; Edwards, Sara L.; Eggli, Urs; Erkens, Roy H.J.; Escudero, Marcial; Fabriani, Federico; Fay, Michael F.; Ferreira, Paola de L.; Ficinski, Sarah Z.; Fowler, Rachael M.; Frisby, Sue; Fu, Lin; Fulcher, Tim; Galbany-Casals, Mercè; Gardner, Elliot M.; German, Dmitry A.; Giaretta, Augusto; Gibernau, Marc; Gillespie, Lynn J.; González, Cynthia C.; Goyder, David J.; Graham, Sean W.; Grall, Aurélie; Green, Laura; Gunn, Bee F.; Gutiérrez, Diego G.; Hackel, Jan; Haevermans, Thomas; Haigh, Anna; Hall, Jocelyn C.; Hall, Tony; Harrison, Melissa J.; Hatt, Sebastian A.; Hidalgo, Oriane; Hodkinson, Trevor R.; Holmes, Gareth D.; Hopkins, Helen C.F.; Jackson, Christopher J.; James, Shelley A.; Jobson, Richard W.; Kadereit, Gudrun; Kahandawala, Imalka M.; Kainulainen, Kent; Kato, Masahiro; Kellogg, Elizabeth A.; King, Graham J.; Klejevskaja, Beata; Klitgaard, Bente B.; Klopper, Ronell Renett; Knapp, Sandra; Koch, Marcus A.; Leebens-Mack, James H.; Lens, Frederic; Leon, Christine J.; Léveillé-Bourret, Étienne; Lewis, Gwilym P.; Li, De-Zhu; Li, Lan; Liede-Schumann, Sigrid; Livshultz, Tatyana; Lorence, David; Lu, Meng; Lu-Irving, Patricia; Luber, Jaquelini; Lucas, Eve J.; Luján, Manuel; Lum, Mabel; Macfarlane, Terry D.; Mansano, Vidal F.; Masters, Lizo E.; Mayo, Simon J.; McColl, Kristina; McDonnell, Angela J.; McDougall, Andrew E.; McLay, Todd G.B.; McPherson, Hannah; Meneses, Rosa I.; Merckx, Vincent S.F.T.; Michelangeli, Fabián A.; Mitchell, John D.; Monro, Alexandre K.; Moore, Michael J.; Mueller, Taryn L.; Mummenhoff, Klaus; Munzinger, Jérôme; Muriel, Priscilla; Murphy, Daniel J.; Nargar, Katharina; Nauheimer, Lars; Nge, Francis J.; Nyffeler, Reto; Orejuela, Andrés; Ortiz, Edgardo M.; Palazzesi, Luis; Peixoto, Ariane Luna; Pell, Susan K.; Pellicer, Jaume; Penneys, Darin S.; Perez-Escobar, Oscar A.; Persson, Claes; Pignal, Marc; Pillon, Yohan; Pirani, José R.; Plunkett, Gregory M. Plunkett; Powell, Robyn F.; Prance, Ghillean T.; Puglisi, Carmen; Qin, Ming; Rabeler, Richard K.; Rees, Paul E.J.; Renner, Matthew; Roalson, Eric H. Roalson; Rodda, Michele; Rogers, Zachary S.; Rokni, Saba; Rutishauser, Rolf; Salas, Miguel F. de; Schaefer, Hanno; Schley, Rowan J.; Schmidt-Lebuhn, Alexander; Shapcott, Alison; Al-Shehbaz, Ihsan; Shepherd, Kelly A.; Simmons, Mark P.; Simões, Andre O.; Simões, Ana Rita G.; Siros, Michelle; Smidt, Eric C.; Smith, James F.; Snow, Neil; Soltis, Douglas E.; Soltis, Pamela S.; Soreng, Robert J.; Sothers, Cynthia A.; Starr, Julian R.; Stevens, Peter F.; Straub, Shannon C.K.; Struwe, Lena; Taylor, Jennifer M.; Telford, Ian R.; Thornhill, Andrew H.; Tooth, Ifeanna; Trias-Blasi, Anna; Udovicic, Frank; Utteridge, Timothy M.A.; Valle, Jose C. Del; Verboom, G. Anthony; Vonow, Helen P.; Vorontsova, Maria S.; Vos, Jurriaan M. de; Al-Wattar, Noor; Waycott31,52, 130; Welker, Cassiano A.D.; White, Adam J.; Wieringa, Jan J.; Williamson, Luis T.; Wilson, Trevor C.; Wong, Sin Yeng; Woods, Lisa A.; Woods, Roseina; Worboys, Stuart; Xanthos, Martin; Yang, Ya; Zhang, Yu-Xiao; Zhou, Meng-Yuan; Zmarzty, Sue; Zuloaga, Fernando O.; Antonelli, Alexandre; Bellot, Sidonie; Crayn, Darren M.; Grace, Olwen M.; Kersey, Paul J.; Leltch, Illa J.; Sauquet, Hervé; Smith, Stephen A. Smith; Elserhardt, Wolf L.; Forest, Félix; Baker, William J.
Angiosperms are the cornerstone of most terrestrial ecosystems and human livelihoods. A robust understanding of angiosperm evolution is required to explain their rise to ecological dominance. So far, the angiosperm tree of life has been determined primarily by means of analyses of the plastid genome. Many studies have drawn on this foundational work, such as classification and first insights into angiosperm diversification since their Mesozoic origins. However, the limited and biased sampling of both taxa and genomes undermines confidence in the tree and its implications. Here, we build the tree of life for almost 8,000 (about 60%) angiosperm genera using a standardized set of 353 nuclear genes. This 15-fold increase in genus-level sampling relative to comparable nuclear studies provides a critical test of earlier results and brings notable change to key groups, especially in rosids, while substantiating many previously predicted relationships. Scaling this tree to time using 200 fossils, we discovered that early angiosperm evolution was characterized by high gene tree conflict and explosive diversification, giving rise to more than 80% of extant angiosperm orders. Steady diversification ensued through the remaining Mesozoic Era until rates resurged in the Cenozoic Era, concurrent with decreasing global temperatures and tightly linked with gene tree conflict. Taken together, our extensive sampling combined with advanced phylogenomic methods shows the deep history and full complexity in the evolution of a megadiverse clade.
Strategic critical success factors for multinational enterprises operating in the fast moving consumer goods industry in Nigeria
(Adonis & Abbey Publishers, 2025-03) Ashley, Natasha Lynne; Vogel, Adolf Johan; johan.vogel@up.ac.za
With a large market and the fourth biggest economy in Africa, Nigeria has attracted the attention of many enterprises in the fast-moving consumer goods industry (FMCG). However, Nigeria presents many challenges, as can be attested to by several multinational enterprises (MNEs) that have in recent times pulled out of this market. Consequently, this study set out to determine what the strategic critical success factors (SCSF) are for MNEs that operate in the FMCG industry in Nigeria. Conducting semi-structured interviews with 13 senior managers of MNEs operating in the Nigerian FMCG industry, the researchers identified 19 SCSFs. Of these, adapting to the external environment, understanding and adapting to consumer needs, and building relationships with stakeholders were found to be the most prominent.
Spatial distribution of fishmeal and fish oil factories around the globe
(American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2025-04) Shea, Lauren A.; Wabnitz, Colette C.C.; Cheung, William W.L.; Pauly, Daniel; Sumaila, U. Rashid
Fishmeal and fish oil (FMFO) are critical inputs for the compound aquatic feeds sustaining the fed aquaculture sector, yet there is limited publicly available information on the location of FMFO production factories around the globe. This makes it difficult to assess the environmental, social, and economic impacts of individual factories and the industry’s footprint as a whole. To fill this knowledge gap, we compiled location data for FMFO factories across 63 producing countries. We identified 506 factories owned and/or operated by 413 companies. We provide an open-source database that includes FMFO factory locations, company names, and raw material types. This study offers a first look at the spatial distribution of the FMFO industry and serves as a valuable resource for marine resource managers and policymakers. Knowing the locations of factories and where FMFO production is concentrated can inform the development of cooperative national and international policies to ensure environmentally and socially responsible standards.