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Paphiopedilum fairrieanum, P. spicerianum, and P. venustum (Orchidaceae: Cypripedioideae) are reported to occur in Bhutan, of which the former is known to be Critically Endangered and the latter two are Endangered.  Based on numerous field trips conducted over the last decade, populations of P. fairrieanum and P. venustum were located in Bhutan.  No individual of P. spicerianum, however, was found despite many search attempts.  Its occurrence in Bhutan may have been originally erroneous.  Based on the accessibility of the habitats, six 10m × 10m quadrats were defined to enumerate the plant species found in the Paphiopedilum habitats.  Vegetation analyses and cluster dendrograms of the plant species composition indicated the presence of three forest types with distinct species compositions.  Paphiopedilum fairrieanum was found growing mainly as a lithophyte on seasonally dry limestone cliffs or on limestone outcrops with a comparatively open forest canopy.  These populations were mostly located on southwest- or northwest-facing slopes with soil pH ranging from 7.1 to 7.8.  Paphiopedilum venustum, in contrast, was a ground-dwelling species restricted to relatively dense forests with soil pH ranging from 7.1 to 7.5.

The species checklists for Bhutan published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) were originally collated for the publication ‘Biodiversity Statistics of Bhutan 2017, A Preliminary Baseline’ (BSB 2017). This document was published in 2019 and is the first comprehensive overview of Bhutan's species richness, recording more than 11,000 species across all five kingdoms. Collation of biodiversity checklists has been limited in Bhutan. Thus, this paper and its associated data provide an overview of all species from the kingdoms Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Chromista and Eubacteria in the country that have been recorded in scientific publications. The checklists showcase 11,175 species from the kingdoms Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Chromista and Eubacteria. Research conducted into identifying species from the kingdoms Protista and Archaebacteria revealed zero records. These checklists include at least 33 species new to science and 566 species new to Bhutan, discovered between 2009 and 2017. Unidentified species are not taken into account in this publication.

Citation: Gittenberger E, Leda P, Wangchuk J, Gyeltshen C, Stelbrink B (2020) The genera Erhaia and Tricula (Gastropoda, Rissooidea, Amnicolidae and Pomatiopsidae) in Bhutan and elsewhere in the eastern Himalaya. ZooKeys 929: 1-17. https://doi. AbstractShells of the Rissooidea species that are known from Bhutan are characterized. Tricula montana is reported from that country for the first time. Two Erhaia species from Bhutan are described as new to science, viz. E. jannei sp. nov., and E. pelkiae sp. nov., The holotypes of the Erhaia species that were described from Nepal are figured with photographs for the first time and compared with the congeneric taxa from Bhutan and India. Erhaia nainitalensis is considered a senior synonym of E. chandeshwariensis. An identification key is presented for the Erhaia species of the Himalayan foothills. A peer-reviewed open-access journalEdmund Gittenberger et al. / ZooKeys 929: 1-17 (2020)

The cosmopolitan slug Deroceras laeve (O. F. Müller) is reported from Bhutan for the first time, with the identity at one site confirmed through dissection. Here it was a minor pest of cabbage on a single farm at 2,780 m a.s.l. in north-western Bhutan. Two further, anatomically unconfirmed, records suggest that it is widespread in Bhutan. This, together with evidence that it is already widely distributed in nearby countries, suggests that it might have been in Bhutan for some time. Surveys are required to confirm its distribution and pest status in Bhutan, but current indications are that it is a very localised and occasional pest that can be readily managed through manual removal.