Zwicknia gen. n., a new genus for the Capnia bifrons species group, with descriptions of three new species based on morphology, drumming signals and molecular genetics, and a synopsis of the West Palaearctic and Nearctic genera of Capniidae (Plecoptera)

The species of Leuctridae (Plecoptera) from Guangxi, China are reviewed. Two species of Rhopalopsole are described as new to science, R. cestroidea sp. nov. and R. triangulis sp. nov., belonging to the R. vietnamica group and the R. magnicerca group, respectively. Six species of Leuctridae are now known for Guangxi including two additional species of Rhopalopsole and one Paraleuctra recorded for the first time. The previously unknown female of R. duyuzhoui Sivec & Harper, 2008 is described from specimens from Guangxi. Characters are illustrated for the separation of R. furcospina (Wu, 1973) and R. sinensis Yang & Yang, 1993. Mitochondrial sequences of five Rhopalopsole species support their specific recognition.

Delving into the persistent impacts of colonialism within the sphere of modern science, we explore some of the deep-seated disparities between the Global North and South with regards to the scientific enterprise. Central to this inequality are the hurdles of language and financial support. As such, this work discusses the often-overlooked obstacles that Global South scientists face, including the additional efforts non-native English speakers must invest in reading and publishing, their higher rejection rates, and the widespread neglect of publications in languages other than English. These challenges not only hinder the advancement of science but also deepen existing divides. Furthermore, we examine the double-edged sword of and the geopolitical limits of open science. While these policies democratize access to scientific knowledge, they can inadvertently exacerbate the North-South inequalities due to, for example, the prohibitive costs associated with open-access publishing—a financial burden that is often unmanageable for researchers with limited funding. This funding gap severely restricts the Global South’s scientific capabilities and impact, affecting everything from conducting comprehensive research to attending scientific meetings. The culmination of these disparities not only diminishes the impact of Global South researchers in their fields but also traps them in a cycle of reduced funding and limited global networking opportunities. In addressing these complex issues, the contributions in this work highlight some of the most common and pronounced issues related to scientific inequalities, as well as suggesting possible ways of bridging these gaps in order to reach a more equitable distribution of resources and recognition in the global scientific community.

The generation of the high species diversity of insects in Japan was profoundly influenced by the formation of the Japanese Archipelago. We explored the species diversification and biogeographical history of the Nemouridae Billberg, 1820 family in the Japanese Archipelago using mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA markers. We collected 49 species among four genera: Indonemoura Baumann, 1975; Protonemura Kempny, 1898; Amphinemura, Ris 1902 and Nemoura Latreille, 1796 in Japan, China, South Korea and North America. We estimated their divergence times—based on three molecular clock node calibrations—using Bayesian phylogeography approaches. Our results suggested that Japanese Archipelago formation events resulted in diversification events in the middle of the Cretaceous (<120 Ma), speciation in the Paleogene (<50 Ma) and intra-species diversification segregated into eastern and western Japan of the Fossa Magna region at late Neogene (20 Ma). The Indonemoura samples were genetically separated into two clades—that of Mainland China and that of Japan. The Japanese clade clustered with the Nemouridae species from North America, suggesting the possibility of a colonisation event prior to the formation of the Japanese Archipelago. We believe that our results enhanced the understanding both of the origin of the species and of local species distribution in the Japanese Archipelago.

Alluvial aquifers are key components of river floodplains and biodiversity worldwide, but they contain extreme environmental conditions and have limited sources of carbon for sustaining food webs. Despite this, they support abundant populations of aquifer stoneflies that have large proportions of their biomass carbon derived from methane. Methane is typically produced in freshwater ecosystems in anoxic conditions, while stoneflies (Order: Plecoptera) are thought to require highly oxygenated water. The potential importance of methane‐derived food resources raises the possibility that stonefly consumers have evolved anoxia‐resistant behaviors and physiologies. Here we tested the anoxic and hypoxic responses of 2,445 stonefly individuals in three aquifer species and nine benthic species. We conducted experimental trials in which we reduced oxygen levels, documented locomotor activity, and measured survival rates. Compared to surface‐dwelling benthic relatives, stoneflies from the alluvial aquifer on the Flathead River (Montana) performed better in hypoxic and anoxic conditions. Aquifer species sustained the ability to walk after 4–76 h of anoxia vs. 1 h for benthic species and survived on average three times longer than their benthic counterparts. Aquifer stoneflies also sustained aerobic respiration down to much lower levels of ambient oxygen. We show that aquifer taxa have gene sequences for hemocyanin, an oxygen transport respiratory protein, representing a possible mechanism for surviving low oxygen. This remarkable ability to perform well in low‐oxygen conditions is unique within the entire order of stoneflies (Plecoptera) and uncommon in other freshwater invertebrates. These results show that aquifer stoneflies can exploit rich carbon resources available in anoxic zones, which may explain their extraordinarily high abundance in gravel‐bed floodplain aquifers. These stoneflies are part of a novel food web contributing biodiversity to river floodplains.