The potential of forest nature reserves as refuges for biodiversity seems to be overlooked probably due to their small size. These, however, may constitute important safe havens for saproxylic organisms since forest reserves are relatively numerous in Europe. Saproxylic beetles are among the key groups for the assessment of biodiversity in forest habitats and longhorn beetles may play an important role in bioindication as they are ecologically associated with various microhabitats and considered a very heterogeneous family of insects. To study the role of forest reserves as important habitats for saproxylic beetles, we compared cerambycid assemblages in corresponding pairs of sites (nature reserves and managed stands) in a forest region under high anthropogenic pressure (Upper Silesia, Poland, Central Europe). Moreover, we also intended to assess the role played by these beetles as bioindicators in the different forest types from this area. According to the obtained diversity index values, the most valuable stands are located in nature reserves, whilst sites with the lowest value included managed forests together with two homogeneous and relatively recently established nature reserves. Our analyses demonstrated a positive correlation between deadwood volume and biodiversity, for both species richness and abundance. Our results indicate that the decisive factor is the type of a given habitat, whose characteristics can be mainly influenced/determined by forest management. The potential role of longhorn beetles as bioindicators is highlighted and the effectiveness of using traps in this family, as well as general issues regarding the use of non-selective lethal traps in the study of single invertebrate groups in protected areas are discussed.

New data on distribution, biology, and ecology of some little-known cerambycid species, collected in the western part of Tajikistan, are presented. Arhopalus rusticus (Linnaeus, 1758) is recorded in Tajikistan for the first time. New localities of species considered pests or invasive species such as Aeolesthes sarta (Solsky, 1871) and Xylotrechus stebbingi Gahan, 1906 are also given. The list of the taxa collected by the first author during many years of field research in Tajikistan as well as photographs of poorly known species from his collection, including some endemics, are additionally provided. Furthermore, high quality photographs of some extremely rare species that were collected during our expedition, i.e., Turkaromia gromenkoi Danilevsky, 2000 and Ropalopus nadari Pic, 1894, with images of their habitats or feeding grounds are also presented for the first time.

New data on the distribution, biology, and ecology of the longhorn beetles occurring in Mongolia are presented together with a list of 35 species that were collected during a one-month entomological expedition in August 2015. New localities of some rare taxa endemic to Mongolia, such as Eodorcadion dorcas dorcas (Jakovlev, 1901), E. humerale impluviatum (Faldermann, 1833), and E. intermedium intermedium (Jakovlev, 1889) are given. High-quality photographs of several rather unique species, i.e., Pachytodes longipes (Gebler, 1832), Eodorcadion maurum australe Danilevsky, 2014, E. oryx (Jakovlev, 1895), Monochamus impluviatus impluviatus (Motschulsky, 1859), and M. sutor longulus (Pic, 1898) along with images of their habitats or feeding grounds are also presented. Furthermore, the ecological role of the fireweed Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop. in the case of boreal anthophilous cerambycid species is highlighted for the first time.

This paper discusses ecological adaptation based on a case study ofAnoplistes halodendriandAnoplistes kozlovi(Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) that occur in the arid zone of Mongolia. By applying an integrative taxonomy approach, we revealed one of the first documented cases of sympatrically occurring ecotypes in Polyphaga and the second case of ecotypes in the family Cerambycidae. The results of the analysis of the ecological data, molecular analysis of mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (ArgK and CAD) genes, as well as a detailed morphological examination, which consisted of a study on the male genitalia including the endophallic structures, supported the hypothesis that these two entities, which are commonly considered separate species, represent only ecologically adapted forms that are associated with rocky hills and sandy/gravelly plains, respectively. Therefore, a synonym is restored:Anoplistes halodendri minutusHammarström, 1892 =Asias kozloviSemenov and Znojko, 1934,syn. res.The differences in the elytral pattern and shade appear to be adapted to the different substrates in these distinct habitats. A probable scenario assumes that these two forms arose in parapatry, independently in multiple populations, under parallel speciation during the intensification of the aridification across the region in the period during which the Gobi Desert was formed (~ 24 to 2.6 Ma) and they may evolve into separate species in the future. The phylogenetic relationships of some taxa representing the most closely related genera of the tribe Trachyderini were analysed and the questioned species status ofAnoplistes jacobsoniwas confirmed. Low interspecific differences in the endophallic structures in the genusAnoplistesand between some species of the genusAmarysiusindicate that they are evolutionarily relatively young groups. The practical differences between ecotype and subspecies are also discussed.

New data on the distribution, biology and ecology of the longhorn beetles occurring in southern and eastern regions of Kazakhstan are presented together with a list of 78 species that were collected during two entomological expeditions conducted in May and June 2017. New localities of some rare taxa endemic to this region of Asia, such asPsilotarsusbrachypterusbrachypterus(Gebler, 1830),Stenocorusminutus(Gebler, 1841) andDorcadioncrassipescrassipesBallion, 1878 are given.ExocentrusstierliniGanglbauer, 1883 is recorded from Kazakhstan for the first time. Moreover, the occurrence of three species:AmarysiusduplicatusTsherepanov, 1980,RhopaloscelisunifasciatusBlessig, 1873 andSaperdaalbertiPlavilstshikov, 1916, which were recently found in the country, is also confirmed. Furthermore, high-quality photographs of several unique taxa, i.e.Psilotarsusbrachypteruspubiventris(Semenov, 1900),Xylotrechusadspersus(Gebler, 1830),X.alakolensisKarpiński & Szczepański, 2018,Anoplistesgalusoi(Kostin, 1974),A.jacobsoniBaeckmann, 1904 andObereakostiniDanilevsky, 1988 along with images of their habitats and feeding galleries are also presented. New localities of species considered serious pests or invasive, such asTuraniumscabrum(Kraatz, 1882) andTrichoferuscampestris(Faldermann, 1835), respectively, are also given. A new synonymy is proposed:CerambyxscalarisLinnaeus, 1758 =CerambyxhieroglyphicusPallas, 1773,syn.n.

This paper provides the first DNA sequences and phylogenetic insight into the Central Asian genus Eodorcadion. We used four molecular markers (COI, CAD, ITS2, and Histone 3) and investigated COI genetic distances to verify phylogenetic position of closely related taxa endemic to Mongolia of the ‘Eodorcadion intermedium species-group’. Histone3 data are presented for the first time for Cerambycidae species. We also designed new PCR primers for better amplification of the Cerambycidae COI barcode region. Morphology of all targeted taxa was examined by means of scanning electron microscopy. Our study showed that while there were very few nucleotide differences among COI sequences of three closely related taxa, such that they shared one haplotype, two of them were grouped separately in the all-data tree, and all three were morphologically distinguishable. Conversely, there was a clear barcode gap between E. intermedium intermedium and all the remaining taxa, including E. intermedium kozlovi. Based on the phylogeny, they belong to two different species-groups; thus, E. kozlovi is herein restored to specific rank. Using Bayesian analysis, we contrasted the COI-based tree with the one supported by nuclear data and showed that COI-only data are not sufficient to resolve the phylogeny of the recently derived flightless groups such as Dorcadionini. We conclude that the Eodorcadion intermedium species-group is a polyphyletic species assemblage, established based on the pattern of the elytral stripes, which may be a case of parallel evolution driven by ecological adaptation.