Anthropogenic freshwater habitats may provide undervalued prospects for long‐term conservation as part of species conservation planning. This fundamental, but overlooked, issue requires attention considering the pace that humans have been altering natural freshwater ecosystems and the accelerated levels of biodiversity decline in recent decades. We compiled 709 records of freshwater mussels (Bivalvia, Unionida) inhabiting a broad variety of anthropogenic habitat types (from small ponds to large reservoirs and canals) and reviewed their importance as refuges for this faunal group. Most records came from Europe and North America, with a clear dominance of canals and reservoirs. The dataset covered 228 species, including 34 threatened species on the IUCN Red List. We discuss the conservation importance and provide guidance on how these anthropogenic habitats could be managed to provide optimal conservation value to freshwater mussels. This review also shows that some of these habitats may function as ecological traps owing to conflicting management practices or because they act as a sink for some populations. Therefore, anthropogenic habitats should not be seen as a panacea to resolve conservation problems. More information is necessary to better understand the trade‐offs between human use and the conservation of freshwater mussels (and other biota) within anthropogenic habitats, given the low number of quantitative studies and the strong biogeographic knowledge bias that persists.

The state of Mato Grosso is the 3rd largest Brazilian state, is covered with three major Brazilian biomes, including the Pantanal, Cerrado, and Amazonia. To date, 449 ant species are recorded in literature for the state. In the present work, we documented the ants sampled along a fragmented landscape, in the municipality of Juara, in the Cerrado-Amazon transition zone in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The ant species were captured with Pitfall traps installed in 20 trails with 10 traps in each (totaling 200). Our results show 151 species, belonging to 43 genera and eight subfamilies, of which 28 species were recorded for the first time in the state and five species recorded for the first time in Brazil. Most genera collected were Pheidole Westwood, 1839 (45 species) followed by Crematogaster Lund, 1831 (11 species). By highlighting species recorded for the first time in state of Mato Grosso and Brazil, we hope to encourage new discoveries and increase the general knowledge of the ant fauna of different biomes in the region.

The phylogeny and taxonomy of freshwater mussels of the genus Castalia in South America is complicated by issues of morphological plasticity and limited molecular genetic data. We present field data on the distributions of the nominal Castalia ambigua and C. inflata in the upper Paraguay River basin in Brazil based on original occurrence data at 23 sample sites and on historical records. The upper basin has distinct highland and lowland regions, the latter including the Pantanal wetland, where “C. ambigua” occurs in the highlands and “C. inflata” occurs in both regions. At Baixo Stream in the highlands, we observed individuals with shell morphologies of either C. ambigua or C. inflata, and also individuals with intermediate shell morphology. DNA sequence variation in the upland Baixo Stream and two representative lowland populations were screened. Two mitochondrial and three nuclear genes were sequenced to test hypotheses regarding the number of species-level phylogenetic lineages present. Reported individual DNA sequences from Amazon-basin C. ambigua and other Castalia and outgroup species were included in the analysis as outgroups. Individuals from the Paraguay River basin exhibited 17 haplotypes at the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene and nine at mitochondrial 16S rRNA. Analysis of haplotype networks and phylogenetic trees of combined COI + 16S rRNA sequences among individuals with the respective shell morphologies supported the hypothesis that C. ambigua and C. inflata from the Paraguay River basin belong to the same species and one phylogenetic lineage. No variation was observed at the nuclear 18S rRNA internal transcribed spacer, 28S rRNA, or H3NR histone genes among individuals used in this study. Across all markers, less variation was observed among Paraguay basin populations than between Paraguay and Amazon basin populations. Our results collectively suggest that: (1) “C. ambigua”, “C. inflata”, and morphologically intermediate individuals within the upper Paraguay drainage represent one phylogenetic lineage, (2) a phylogeographic divide exists between Castalia populations occurring in the Paraguay and Amazon River basins, and (3) the evolutionary and taxonomic uncertainties that we have identified among Castalia species should be thoroughly assessed across their distribution using both morphological and molecular characters.

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