Insect monitoring is pivotal for assessing biodiversity and informing conservation strategies. This study delves into the complex realm of insect monitoring in the Global South—world developing and least-developed countries as identified by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development—highlighting challenges and proposing strategic solutions. An analysis of publications from 1990 to 2024 reveals an imbalance in research contributions between the Global North and South, highlighting disparities in entomological research and the scarcity of taxonomic expertise in the Global South. We discuss the socio-economic factors that exacerbate the issues, including funding disparities, challenges in collaboration, infrastructure deficits, information technology obstacles and the impact of local currency devaluation. In addition, we emphasize the crucial role of environmental factors in shaping insect diversity, particularly in tropical regions facing multiple challenges including climate change, urbanization, pollution and various anthropogenic activities. We also stress the need for entomologists to advocate for ecosystem services provided by insects in addressing environmental issues. To enhance monitoring capacity, we propose strategies such as community engagement, outreach programmes and cultural activities to instill biodiversity appreciation. Further, language inclusivity and social media use are emphasized for effective communication. More collaborations with Global North counterparts, particularly in areas of molecular biology and remote sensing, are suggested for technological advancements. In conclusion, advocating for these strategies—global collaborations, a diverse entomological community and the integration of transverse disciplines—aims to address challenges and foster inclusive, sustainable insect monitoring in the Global South, contributing significantly to biodiversity conservation and overall ecosystem health. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Towards a toolkit for global insect biodiversity monitoring’.

Pesticide residues are the traces of pesticide compounds that remain on or in the crop, water, soil and air after the application. Pesticide residues get into the environment as a result of application or by accident and can be found in the air, water and soil. Pesticide residues, if present in air, soil and water can pose a serious threat to biological diversity and human health. After depositing in the environment, the pesticides start to break down and forms metabolites that are more or less toxic. Pesticide residues decline as the pesticide breaks down over time, therefore the levels of residues are highest immediately after the application and diminish as the crops continue to grow. When exposed to sunlight or microorganisms in the soil, most pesticides degrade easily however, the utmost number of pesticides after application scatter into non-target areas or leach into groundwater or move in surface runoff by misuse and misapplication while handling or spraying. The impact of widespread usage of chemical pesticides has made an uncountable number of effects on human health, environment and other life forms and has turned into a serious issue across the globe. The present study aims to present an introduction to the environmental pesticide residues and various aspects highlighting their impact on nature and biodiversity.

The development and advancement of nanotechnology has led to widespread use of nanomaterials (NMs) in a wide variety of fields, including the environment, agriculture, biomedicine, industry, and human health. Nanomaterials may interfere with biological systems due to their smaller size and increased surface area ratios in terms of volume which may raise unanticipated toxicological apprehensions. The minute nature of the particles may cross biological margins and induce toxicity in vital organs like the human brain and placenta. Moreover, environmental exposures to NMs are inevitable, which have become crucial parts of our daily routine lives and consequently, search for the nanotoxicity is gaining attention to lessen or get rid of the toxic impacts of the NMs. The safety concerns and risk assessment of NMs have been raised significantly in research community circles, industries, and regulatory bodies. The information in the concerned section, obtained from current literature and toxicological effects of NMs research are assorted.

Myrmeleon trivialis was originally described by Gerstaecker in 1885 based on the description of one female specimen from Himalayas, India. However, this species is now widely spread in Pakistan, China, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. In India, it is known from Arunachal Pradesh, Darjeeling, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and West Bengal. The present study communicates the new record of Myrmeleon trivialis from Kashmir Valley (Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary, District Shopian), India. The study constitutes the first evidence of the occurrence of this species from the North-Western Himalayan Region of Kashmir Valley (Jammu and Kashmir, Union Territory) and extending the range of species into the Kashmir Himalayas. The addition of this species to the Jammu and Kashmir UT fauna makes a remarkable contribution to the Order Neuroptera, as the Neuropteran species from the Kashmir Himalayan region of India have been less explored compared to that of other Insect orders and families from the region.

Background: In the present era of scientific and technological advancements, the use of smartphones among people has witnessed a large-scale progression. The camera serves as an important tool on smartphones, and the quality of the built-in camera varies with megapixels. The quality of photography and videography can be enhanced by employing macro lenses that can provide precise and high-quality photographs for the documentation and monitoring of macroorganisms, particularly insects. We used a smartphone-macro lens setup (SPMLS), comprising a Redmi Note 8 Pro and Skyvik Signi-20 mm lens, along with Snapseed for image processing. The SPMLS, costing USD 217, was employed in the Hirpora Wildlife Sanctuary, Kashmir, during May to October 2021 for insect diversity documentation. The aim of this study is to introduce and demonstrate the utility of SPMLS as an affordable and portable photography solution for enhancing image quality in biodiversity documentation, making it accessible to a wide range of users. Results: In this study, we report a device that uses a smartphone and macro lens (SPMLS), which is a portable and low-cost photography gear for researchers, photographers, citizen enthusiasts, and the general public who are not able to buy high-end and costly photography equipment for field-based biodiversity studies. The utilization of SPMLS has significantly augmented the image resolution and pixel density, thereby substantially enhancing the overall photographic quality, demonstrating its substantial scientific utility. Conclusions: The SPMLS device presented in this study can be useful for researchers, scientists, students, citizen enthusiasts, and common people that are engaged in the biodiversity monitoring and conservation of animal and plant species across the globe. In addition, the post-photography part of this paper provides users with an outlook on image editing, processing, uploading, and marketing of photographs on different platforms.