Fifteen species of Haenydra from continental and insular Greece, including H. christinae sp.n. from the Peloponnesus (belonging to the gracilis‐excisa species group), are listed and briefly described. Detailed maps of the so far known distribution in the southern Balkans and in the Aegean areas of all the species dealed with are provided, including original drawings of the male genitalia of most species. The following new synonymy is proposed: H. excisa ssp. exclusa d'Orchymont, 1931 = H. phallica d'Orchymont, 1930. H. aroensis Ferro, 1991 is regarded as Peloponnesian subspecies of H. subintegra Ganglbauer, 1901 (stat. n.). Haenydra dalmatina Ganglbauer, 1901, erroneously recorded by Janssens (1965) from Greece, is excluded from the Greek fauna; H. leonhardi Breit, 1916, and H. phallica d'Orchymont, 1930 are both recorded from Greece for the first time.

A global genome database of all of Earth's species diversity could be a treasure trove of scientific discoveries. However, regardless of the major advances in genome sequencing technologies, only a tiny fraction of species have genomic information available. To contribute to a more complete planetary genomic database, scientists and institutions across the world have united under the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), which plans to sequence and assemble high-quality reference genomes for all ~1.5 million recognized eukaryotic species through a stepwise phased approach. As the initiative transitions into Phase II, where 150,000 species are to be sequenced in just four years, worldwide participation in the project will be fundamental to success. As the European node of the EBP, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) seeks to implement a new decentralised, accessible, equitable and inclusive model for producing high-quality reference genomes, which will inform EBP as it scales. To embark on this mission, ERGA launched a Pilot Project to establish a network across Europe to develop and test the first infrastructure of its kind for the coordinated and distributed reference genome production on 98 European eukaryotic species from sample providers across 34 European countries. Here we outline the process and challenges faced during the development of a pilot infrastructure for the production of reference genome resources, and explore the effectiveness of this approach in terms of high-quality reference genome production, considering also equity and inclusion. The outcomes and lessons learned during this pilot provide a solid foundation for ERGA while offering key learnings to other transnational and national genomic resource projects.

The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is an invasive pest from southeastern Asia and Melanesia that has spread widely across the Middle East and the Mediterranean Basin over the last 30 years. Its endophagous larvae cause huge amounts of damage to several palm tree species from the Arecaceae family. Many of these palms are economically important for agricultural and ornamental purposes. Therefore, a lot of attention has recently been focused on studying this species with the aim of identifying sustainable and effective eradication strategies. Sterile insect techniques are biological control strategies that are currently being investigated for their potential to eradicate this pest in selected invasion areas. Mating system features (e.g., polyandry and related features) can affect the success and suitability of these approaches. The main goal of this research was to assess the performance of a previously developed microsatellite panel in terms of the paternity assignment of progeny from laboratory mating experiments. Using a simulation approach, we evaluated the reliability of the microsatellite markers in the paternity tests both in complex laboratory experiment scenarios and on the progeny of wild-caught gravid females to help future studies on the RPW mating system. As a case study of the simulation results, we performed two double-mating experiments, genotyped the progeny and estimated the P₂ values to compare to the expected progeny genotypes according to the crossing scheme of each experiment. The results of our simulations on laboratory experiments showed that it was possible to carry out paternity assignments for all progeny with reliable statistical confidence using our 13 microsatellites set. On the contrary the low genetic variability measured in red palm weevil populations in invaded areas made the resolution power of our loci too low to carry out paternity analyses on natural populations. Results of laboratory crossing were completely congruent with the expectations from the Mendelian laws.

A molecular analysis was performed, combined with field data on insect/host-plant associations, in order to clarify taxonomic relationships within the W-Palaearctic Meligethes aeneus complex (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae, Meligethinae). The analysis was focused on the specific distinction of M. aeneus (Fabricius, 1775), and M. gracilis C.Brisout de Barneville, 1863, with special regard to populations occurring in sympatry. The genetic divergence between the two examined taxa, based on comparison between mtDNA sequence data, was congruent with distance values usually scored between related, but evidently separated, insect species. Genetic data and ecological evidence clearly show that Meligethes aeneus and M. gracilis, erroneously synonymized in a recent paper by a Russian author, are distinct biological species that frequently occur in syntopy in Western Europe.