In Japan and Taiwan, five valid species of the genus Scolopendra Linnaeus, 1758 have been described: S. morsitans Linnaeus, 1758, S. subspinipes Leach, 1816, S. mutilans Koch, 1878, S. japonica Koch, 1878, and S. multidens Newport, 1844. Recently, an undetermined species was found in the Ryukyu Archipelago and Taiwan. Using molecular phylogenetic analyses with mitochondrial COI and 16S rRNA and nuclear 28S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes as well as conventional morphological examination, we successfully discriminated this sixth species as an independent lineage from S. subspinipes, S. mutilans, and other named congeners from East and Southeast Asia. Therefore, the species was described as S. alcyona Tsukamoto & Shimano, sp. nov. Several situational evidences suggest that this species prefers streamside environments and exhibits amphibious behavior.

Pest risk assessment is typically performed by expert taxonomists using a pest’s biological data. However, the biological data or expert taxonomists may be difficult to find. Here, we used species distribution modelling to predict potential invasion in which phytophagous quarantine pests survive in Taiwan; the pests (unrecorded yet in Taiwan) included were three notorious quarantine whiteflies (Crenidorsum aroidephagus, Aleurothrixus trachoides, and Paraleyrodes minei) and three aphids (Nasonovia ribisnigri, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, and Viteus vitifoliae). In brief, maximum entropy modelling (MaxEnt) was used to predict the suitability of the pests’ habitats under certain climatic conditions, and then receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed (to verify the prediction result). We then analysed environmental variables affecting the habitat suitability and matched them with Taiwan’s crop cultivation areas for the assessment of potential invasion. We observed that the habitat suitability of the cultivation areas of host plants was low for C. aroidephagus, A. trachoides, and N. ribisnigri but was high for the remaining three species. Moreover, precipitation of coldest quarter negatively affected habitat suitability for C. aroidephagus, P. minei, N. ribisnigri, and M. euphorbiae. Seasonal temperature changes also negatively affected the habitat suitability for A. trachoides. This is the first study to demonstrate the use of species distribution modelling as the preliminary step for the pest risk assessment of these emerging pests with limited biological data before their invasion.

Biological control commonly involves the commercialization and introduction of natural enemies. Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, a mite species widely used in the control of spider mites, was imported to Taiwan in the 1990s and was mass-reared and released into the field. However, none have been observed in comprehensive surveys of phytoseiid mites for over 30 years. In this study, the distribution of P. persimilis in Taiwan was predicted, and environmental variables that affect its distribution were analyzed. The mountainous region of southcentral Taiwan was determined to be suitable for the establishment of this species, whereas the four sites at which it was released in the 1990s, particularly those in southwestern Taiwan, exhibited low suitability. Notably, the minimum temperature of the coldest month was identified as a crucial limiting factor affecting the distribution of P. persimilis, indicating that a Mediterranean climate is more suitable for this species. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to predict the suitable distribution of exotic predatory mites in a biological control program. The present findings serve as a pivotal assessment framework for the commercialization and foreign introduction of natural enemies.

The present study is based on oribatid mite materials (Acari, Oribatida) collected from Taiwan in 2009–2010. A list of identified taxa, including 34 species from 30 genera and 21 families, is presented; of these, the subspecies Tectocepheus velatus sarekensis, the species Suctobelbella (Flagrosuctobelba) cf. elegantula, Paralamellobates misella, Protoribates paracapucinus, Perscheloribates nodosus and Scheloribates (Bischeloribates) dalawaeus, the subgenera Uracrobates (Parauracrobates) and Scheloribates (Bischeloribates), and the genera Scapheremaeus and Brassiella are recorded in the fauna of Taiwan for the first time. The species Camisia hamulifera and Fissicepheus defectus are recorded in the Oriental region for the first time. Two new species belonging to the genera Galumna (Galumnidae) and Uracrobates (Mochlozetidae) are described. Galumna (Galumna) tsengi sp. nov. differs from G. (G.) makilingensis Ermilov, Corpuz-Raros & Tolstikov, 2014 by the clavate heads of the bothridial setae, slightly dilated porose areas Aa in posterolateral parts, not boomerang shaped, and by the erect interlamellar setae, which are shorter than the lamellar setae. Uracrobates (Parauracrobates) newtaipeiensis sp. nov. differs from U. (P.) truncatus Ermilov & Martens, 2015 by the absence of well-developed lateral teeth on the lamellar cusps, foveolate notogaster and anogenital region and the medium length of the anal and adanal setae.

Banana production faces escalating threats from pests and diseases, especially in smallholder systems. This review provides a comprehensive assessment of artificial intelligence applications in banana health monitoring, focusing on deep learning models including convolutional neural networks, YOLO variants, and Vision Transformers. Unlike prior reviews, this work classifies model performance across mobile, UAV, and IoT-based systems and evaluates effectiveness under both controlled and field conditions. It introduces recent advances such as Swin Transformer and lightweight ViT architectures. Beyond technical capabilities, the review highlights barriers related to data quality, model generalization, cost, and infrastructure, and proposes strategies for improving adoption. By bridging technical advances with policy insights, the review offers a structured roadmap for scalable, inclusive AI deployment in banana pest and disease management.