The Saharan genus Ctenophilothis Kryzhanovskij, 1987 is revised. Its two species, C. chobauti (Théry, 1900) and C. altus (Lewis, 1885), differ mainly by the shape of their mandibles, protibia, and elytral striae. Ctenophilothis is likely a monophyletic genus known so far only from the Algerian, Moroccan, and Egyptian Sahara. The neotype of C. chobauti and lectotype of C. altus are designated. The extremely rare C. altus is redescribed and both species are illustrated by SEM micrographs. The male genitalia of C. chobauti are also illustrated.

The genus Reichardtiolus Kryzhanovskij, 1959 is revised herein. It now contains five species: R. duriculus (Reitter, 1904) from middle Asia (with a doubtful female specimen from western China that is here tentatively assigned to this species), R. pavlovskii Kryzhanovskij, 1959 from Turkmenistan, R. sphingis (Peyerimhoff, 1936), comb. n. (transferred from Saprinus Erichson, 1834) from Egypt and Jordan, R. perses sp. n. from Iran and R. aldhaferi sp. n. from Saudi Arabia. Except for R. pavlovskii, which is a rather distinct species known only from two females, the remaining species are allopatric, very similar externally and are best separated from each other by their male terminalia. R. pavlovskii is kept in Reichardtiolus only tentatively, pending the examination of more specimens, and especially its male genitalia. R. duriculus and R. pavlovskii are re-described, while R. perses sp. n., R. aldhaferi sp. n. and R. sphingis comb. n. are provided with diagnostic descriptions because of their overall similarity with R. duriculus. Morphological differences of all species are illustrated using SEM micrographs. Male genitalia of R. duriculus, R. sphingis comb. n., R. perses sp. n. and R. aldhaferi sp. n. are illustrated and a key to the species is given. R. duriculus is newly recorded from Tajikistan.

Based on the results of recent phylogenetic analysis of the higher taxa of the Saprininae as well as external morphological characters, especially the presence

Because animal carcasses often serve as reservoirs for pathogens, their location and removal are crucial in controlling the spread of diseases. During carcass decomposition, heat is emitted due to microbial activity and the development of maggots. Recent studies have shown that infrared sensors can be used to locate animal carcasses, but little is known about the factors influencing detection success. In this study, we investigated the potential of infrared technology to locate wild boar carcasses, as they play an important role in the spread of African swine fever. Specifically, we tested the effects of environmental and carcass conditions on the detection probability. A drone-based thermal camera was used to collect data during 379 flyovers of 42 wild boar carcasses in different stages of decomposition between September 2020 and July 2021. Generalized mixed-effect models and conditional inference trees were used to identify the environmental and carcass conditions that influenced the detection probability. Our results showed that the thermal camera accurately measured carcass temperature (R²=0.75, RMSE=5.89C). The probability of finding carcasses was higher in open habitats with air temperatures >3.0C and thus conducive to maggot development (detection rate 80). A forest canopy openness >29.3 and cloudy conditions or flights at dawn increased the detection rate. Moreover, carcasses infested with large amounts of maggots could be detected even in habitats with a more extensive canopy cover, whereas in dense forests, the detection probability was limited (6.4C (62). Our study demonstrates the utility of thermal imaging in searching for wild boar carcasses under specific environmental and carcass conditions and thus its use in supporting ground searches.