Every newly described species expands our knowledge of a region’s biodiversity and helps us better understand the ecosystems it inhabits. In Central America, where major gaps remain in the insect inventory, discoveries like this are especially valuable.
A team of researchers described a new spider species of the genus Ixchela, found in a cloud forest in the department of Olancho, Honduras. With this discovery, Honduras becomes the Central American country with the greatest known diversity of this spider genus.
Every few years, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, in the United Kingdom, publishes a report summarizing the state of global knowledge on plants and fungi: their diversity, the threats they face, and the policies needed to protect them. The most recent edition, State of the World’s Plants and Fungi 2026, brings together the work of more than 400 scientists from over 170 institutions in 40 countries.
Dr. Eric van den Berghe, Associate Professor in the Department of Environment and Development Engineering, and his collaborators provided the first complete and annotated list of Tortricidae (leaf-roller moths) of Honduras. The research team documented 109 specimens. Seventy specimens were identified to the species level and 39 to the genus level, reflecting both the advancements and challenges involved in studying such a diverse family. The results were published in the journal Zootaxa.
Dr. Eric van den Berghe, Associate Professor in the Department of Environment and Development Engineering, and his team published a study in the journal Plants, People, Planet highlighting the fundamental role of herbarium collections in the development of effective conservation strategies.
Dr. Arie Sanders, Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, and his research team developed a participatory self-assessment tool that helps managers of marine protected areas (MPAs), policymakers, and communities examine gender dynamics, identify gaps, and reflect on opportunities for improvement.
Researchers from Zamorano University documented, for the first time in Honduras, the presence of the Asian lady beetle Cheilomenes sexmaculata. The finding identifies five morphotypes and provides key evidence of the expansion of this invasive species in Central America.
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