Motile homes: a comparison of the spatial distribution of epibiont communities on Mediterranean sea turtles

Understanding the ecological roles performed by an individual species requires knowledge from a wide range of disciplines; here we analyze the epibiont–host relationship found in marine turtles. During the study we recorded five new species of sea turtle epibiont: Laomedea flexuosa, Caprella fretensis, Hyale nilssoni, Hyale schmidti, Parasinelobus chevreuxi; as part of a total of nine zoological epibionts present on 35 female green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and 100 loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting in Cyprus. The two most commonly occurring epibionts were acorn barnacles Chelonibia testudinaria and Chelonibia caretta, with larger specimens of both species recorded on loggerhead turtles. We analyzed the spatial distribution of these two barnacle species upon the carapaces of their hosts. Specimens of C. testudinaria situated on the anterior half of the carapace were larger than those located at the posterior. A significantly larger proportion of loggerhead turtles (52.5%) hosted epibionts in comparison to green turtles (30.3%). All non-barnacle epibionts were associated with either posterior algal mats or carapace scars.     

Carapace epibionts of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) nesting at Canaveral National Seashore,Florida

A survey of the epibionts inhabiting the carapace of loggerhead sea turtles Caretta caretta (Linnaeus) nesting on Canaveral National Seashore, Florida was conducted from 2003–2004. Epibionts were sampled and identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. Eleven newly documented epibiont species were observed from 52 individual loggerheads. We present the first records of sea urchins as loggerhead epibionts. Data are presented on the behavioural, physical, and ecological characteristics of some of these newly documented species to understand better the relationship between loggerhead turtles and their epibiota.     

Community composition of laelapine mites (Acari: Laelapidae) associated with the nests and fur of Cerradomys subflavus (Wagner, 1842)

Knowledge about the role of the nest environment in the life cycle of laelapine mites associated with neotropical small mammals is unclear because nests have rarely been collected. Here we use infestation data to make predictions about host–mite ecology and examine the nests of the host to assess the validity of these predictions. Spool-and-line method was used to track Cerradomys subflavus nests. We found that: the structure of mite populations infesting the body of C. subflavus, was strongly biased toward the reproductive female stage; recaptured hosts were re-infested with laelapine mites at different rates; and female hosts were not more highly infested than males. We found strong evidence of nidicoly with both, Gigantolaelaps vitzthumi and Androlaelaps fahrenholzi. The G. vitzthumi was more abundant in the nests of female rodents and with both these mite species, we encountered males and immature mites in the nests, although not in the host fur.     

A new species of Munromyia Bezzi (Diptera: Tephritidae) reared from Chionanthus battiscombei (Oleaceae) in northern Kenya

Munromyia marsabitensis sp. nov. is described from the isolated mountains of Marsabit in northern Kenya. It can be distinguished from the two known congeners by the thoracic and abdominal colour patterns, structure of the male and female terminalia, and host plants. Larvae are seed predators, developing within the green, aborted fruits of Chionanthus battiscombei. Over 70% of sampled fruits (n?=?74) were infested with larvae, but nearly all of the individually infested fruits (96.1%) produced only one adult tephritid. Bactrocera biguttula, but not M. marsabitensis, was reared from ripe fruits of the same plant.     

Occurrence and influence of Orbione halipori Nierstrasz and Brender à Brandis (Isopoda: Bopyridae) on Metapenaeus joyneri (Miers) (Decapoda: Penaeidae) from the Zhujiang estuary,China

The bopyrid parasite Orbione halipori was recorded for the first time from Metapenaeus joyneri. Morphometric analysis indicated that infested male and female shrimp have slightly, but significantly, lower body weight than uninfested shrimp of the same carapace length. While the parasites sterilize their hosts, the low infestation rate (0·53%) appears not to pose a threat to the shrimp fisheries in the Zhujiang estuary.     

The food web of parasitoid wasps and their non-phytophagous fly hosts in birds' nests (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea,and Diptera: Cyclorrhapha)

We present a food-web study of the parasitoid wasps and their fly hosts found in the nests of cavity-nesting songbirds. This birds' nest parasitoid web is different from all parasitoid webs studied comprising exclusively non-phytophagous host species. A total of 490 nests were examined for host occurrence, abundance and parasitism rates. Thirty-two species of potential hosts and 10 species of parasitoid wasps were recorded in nests from 25 sites in northern Germany and from two additional sites in south-western Germany. Most of these species were rare and unspecialized. The only very common parasitoid was Nasonia vitripennis (Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae). The records of 14 regular host species from northern Germany, which are connected to all 10 parasitoid species, were used for further calculation of food-web statistics. The parasitoid communities in birds' nests were compared with other known parasitoid communities. The birds' nests exhibited a lower species richness compared with communities of phytophagous hosts, but showed similarities with communities of necrophagous or coprophagous hosts, or of parasitoid hosts. The parasitism rate was comparable in all host–parasitoid-systems, supporting the idea that the parasitism rate is independent of species richness.     

Life cycles and host–parasitoid relationships of five species of Leucospis wasps in Argentina (Hymenoptera: Leucospidae)

The genus Leucospis Fabricius is comprised of parasitoid wasps relatively uncommon in nature. Their immature stages develop on aculeate Hymenoptera, in particular solitary bees, but hosts are known for only around 25 Leucospis species (about 20% of 115–120 world species), so the true relationship of this family with bees is largely unknown. Here we report on individuals of five species of Leucospis wasps which emerged from nests of different bee and wasp species during distinct sampling periods during a trap-nesting programme, in two contrasting areas: agro-ecosystems and natural habitats in the Pampean region. Some of these nests were parasitised by L. cayennensis Westwood, L. coxalis Kirby, L. egaia Walker, L. pulchriceps Cameron and L. signifera Bou?ek. Our results expand the available information of host species for L. cayennensis, L. coxalis, L. egaia and L. pulchriceps and represent the first record of hosts associated with L. signifera. The hosts were only bee species of the genera Centris, Tetrapedia (family Apidae) and Megachile (Megachilidae). These species were more abundant in the natural reserve than in agro-ecosystems, suggesting that anthropogenic activities could negatively affect their populations. Most nests were attacked in one (43.7%) or two (40.7%) cells, but the remaining nests (16.5%) had more (up to seven cells). However, the position of the attacked cells was variable, suggesting that females of Leucospis species oviposit in recently built cells, and that the hatching of larvae is delayed, or that the first larval stage waits until the host larva reaches a sufficient size to attack.     

The reproductive cycle of Mothocya epimerica (Isopoda: Cymothoidae) a parasite of the sand smelt,Atherina boyeri (Osteichthyes: Atherinidae), in the Lesina Lagoon,Italy

The population of sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, living in the Lesina lagoon (Italy, south-western Adriatic Sea) is infested by the cymothoid isopod Mothoyca epimerica. Monthly samples of sand smelt were taken from July 1990 to May 1991. Male hosts were more infested than females. No relationship was found between the prevalence of infestation and the gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indices of sand smelt. Mothocya epimerica is a protandric hermaphrodite. Reproduction occurs about four times from early summer to early winter, at 2 month intervals. Females produce multiple broods and their life span is at least 6 months during the reproductive season. From February to May reproduction is considerably reduced.     

Reproduction,phenology and mortality sources of a species of Physalaemus (Anura: Leptodactylidae)

Physalaemus cf. fuscomaculatus is a foam-nesting frog of seasonally dry environments of south-eastern Brazil. We report on the reproduction and other natural history features of this species. Population parameters were based on trapped specimens. The advertisement call is described. The calling and spawning season is coincident with the rainy period. Calling and spawning were performed in ponds. Most of the adults were trapped in October and the juveniles during wetter months and the beginning of the dry season. At the end of the reproductive season, the median size of adults lowered. Egg clutches averaged 2350 eggs, each egg being about 1.4?mm in diameter. Males were more abundant than females in traps. Communal foam nests were frequent, involving up to 40 individual nests. Tadpoles entered the water within about 40?h. Maggots (Diptera) infested egg clutches; water bugs and mammals preyed upon adults. In this region, the dry/cold season may be so difficult for survival that early maturation at small size would be advantageous. The male-biased sample may be related to the greater motility of males. The rapid abandonment of the foam by the tadpoles and communal nesting may help to reduce predation by maggots. Skin toxins were not effective in deterring predation upon adults. The call of P. cf. fuscomaculatus differs from that of other species in the biligonigerus group and can help to define the specific status of the studied population.     

The diet of the Eleonora’s falcon (Falco eleonorae) in the Aegean archipelago (Greece)

ABSTRACT

In the present study we investigated the diet of Eleonora’s falcons in Greece and assessed the regional dietary pattern of 16 breeding colonies of the Aegean. Overall 224 nests were visited and a total of 8067 prey items were collected which contained two mollusca classes, seven insect orders, one reptile family, two mammalian taxa and at least 54 avian species. Cicadas were the most common insects found in pellets (45.1%) followed by flying ants (34.8%) and beetles (15.8%) while just 20 species (33.3%) accounted for over 90% of the avian prey items identified in bird remains dominated (>50%) by the Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus), the Red-backed Shrike (Lanius collurio) and the Whitethroat (Sylvia communis). Insect feeding peaked in late August (39.8%) and late September (20.8%), whereas bird remains built up in falcon nests from mid-August onwards, culminating in late September (57.2%) and declined abruptly afterwards. Overall the falcons’ diet diversity increased as the breeding season progressed and from the north towards the south Aegean. The avian prey species richness was negatively influenced by the distance of the colonies from the mainland and the weather conditions during September which coincides with the fledgling period of the young and the autumn peak of passerine migration.     

Prey-holding abilities of the nests and webs of jumping spiders (Araneae,Salticidae)

Three characteristics of the silk devices of 12 species of Salticidae and three species of spiders from conventional web-building families (Dipluridae, Eresidae and Stiphidiidae) were investigated: macrostructure; prey-holding ability (measured by escape time for five types of insects); and the structure of the silk itself, as revealed by SEM. Five types of salticid nests were recognized, and a few salticids build webs. The webs of the eresid Stegodyphus mimosarum consist of thick structural threads and fine cribellate fibres. Disparity of thread diameter, although not as extreme, was observed in the webs and nests of the other species. In the webs and nests of all species, there were threads that merely rode one over the other without forming junctions and secure ‘naked’ junctions lacking accessory fibres and ‘sleeves’. Ensheathed junctions, which had ‘sleeves’, were found only in webs of Portia (Salticidae) and Cambridgea antipodiana (Amaurobiidae). The cribellate webs of Stegodyphus mimosarum (Eresidae) had greater prey-holding ability than any other webs or nests tested, but all webs and nests were capable of detaining insects at least briefly. The distinctions between spider webs and nests and between sticky and non-sticky webs are discussed.     

Orb‐web spiders (Araneae: Araneomorphae; Orbiculariae) captured by hunting‐wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) in an area of Atlantic Forest in south‐eastern Brazil

Members of two hunting‐wasp families, Pompilidae and Sphecidae, are among the major predators of orb‐web spiders. In this study, we collected paralysed spiders from natural nests and trap‐nests provisioned by sphecids in an area of Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and compared these data with the composition of species collected by visual searching during one year. Prey preferences were analysed based on the relative abundance of spider species, their size and web characteristics. We also compiled a list of orb‐weavers captured by four sphecid genera reported in 40 other studies. A large number of prey was obtained from natural nests of Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) albonigrum in Parque Estadual Intervales, especially species of Eustala, Parawixia, and Araneus (Araneidae). Other prey, stored in trap‐nests by T. lactitarse and unidentified hunting‐wasp species, included Nephila (Tetragnathidae), Parawixia, Ocrepeira, Mecynogea, Acacesia (Araneidae), and other spider species that were less abundant. All the species that were heavily preyed upon had a relatively lower abundance in our samples of prey availability. The range of body sizes of spiders captured by Trypoxylon in our study area include the size of some abundant orb‐weavers always absent in their nests. These results indicate that factors other than abundance in the field and the spider's size influence prey selection or susceptibility to attack.     

Satellite flies (Leucophora personata,Diptera: Anthomyiidae) and other dipteran parasites of the communal bee Andrena agilissima (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) on the island of Elba,Italy

Solitary and presocial aculueate Hymenoptera are parasitized by a range of dipteran species in the families Anthomyiidae, Bombyliidae, Conopidae, Phoridae, and Sarcophagidae that are likely to impact on their hosts. We undertook a study over several years of a univoltine and communal bee, Andrena agilissima, and its main dipteran parasites, in particular the satellite fly Leucophora personata (Diptera: Anthomyiidae). Behavioural and ecological data were collected from one nesting aggregation of the host bee on the island of Elba, Italy, from 1993 to 2003, and from a foraging site of the bee, ca 5?km from the nesting aggregation. Other Diptera associated with A. agilissima at the field site were the bee fly Bombylius fimbriatus (Bombyliidae), the conopid fly Zodion cinereum (Conopidae), and the scuttle fly Megaselia andrenae (Phoridae). The phenology of the Diptera broadly overlapped with that of their host across the season of activity (end of April and all of May). Diurnal activity patterns differed slightly; L. personata in particular was active at the host's nesting site before A. agilissima. Female satellite flies also showed a range of behaviours in gaining entry to a host nest. We summarize published data on this and other Leucophora species that parasitize Andrena host bees. Host bees returning to their nests occasionally undertook zig‐zag flight manoeuvres if followed by a satellite fly that were generally successful in evading the fly. Satellite flies that entered a nest, presumably to oviposit, were less likely to remain therein if another host bee entered the same nest, suggesting that one advantage to communal nesting for this host is a reduction in brood cell parasitism by L. personata. We provide the first clear evidence for parasitism by a Zodion of any Andrena host. Both L. personata and M. andrenae concentrated their parasitic activities in the zone of the host nesting aggregation with highest nest densities. Three of the Diptera, L. personata, B. fimbriatus, and Z. cinereum, seemed to have extremely low rates of parasitism whilst that of M. andrenae appeared low. Though they have refined parasitic behaviour that allows them to gain entry into host nests (L. personata, B. fimbriatus, and M. andrenae) or to parasitize adults (Z. cinereum), these parasites seem not to impact upon the dynamics of the host A. agilissima at the nesting aggregation, and the host possesses traits to reduce parasitism.     

Does the river blenny Salaria fluviatilis (Asso, 1801) (Actinopterygii: Perciformes) still survive on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus?

The river blenny (Salaria fluviatilis) is rarely mentioned in the natural history literature of Cyprus. This has led to doubts about its existence there. Mistakes with mismatched fish collections have occurred in the past, so it is worth asking whether the recorded specimens are actually from Cyprus and whether the species survives there today. Archived correspondence from the original specimen collector confirms that the record of S. fluviatilis on Cyprus is genuine, yet our extensive surveys there during the last 4 years have failed to locate the fish. A review of the species’ Mediterranean island distribution shows that it exists on 10 islands that are either close to the mainland or are relatively very large in areal extent. Although the mystery of S. fluviatilis survival on Cyprus lingers, efforts must be made to survey all potential habitats and consider planning a re-introduction project if the population is confirmed as extinct.     

Breeding biology of the Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca) in southeast Brazil

ABSTRACT

Thraupis is a genus of the American endemic Thraupidae (subfamily Thraupinae), comprising seven species that inhabit tropical forests to urban centres. The Sayaca Tanager (Thraupis sayaca) is a disturbance-tolerant species of high representativeness in plant-frugivore networks, but information on its breeding biology is scarce and often restricted to non-systematic surveys. We studied the breeding biology of the T. sayaca, following 39 active nests in a periurban area of southeast Brazil during two breeding seasons (2017/2018, 2018/2019). The breeding season ranged from early September to middle December, and the nests were placed in native and exotic plants and human buildings (nest height above ground: 3.35 ± 1.73 m, mean ± SD). Only females incubated and brooded, but both adults built the nests, fed the nestlings, and removed their faecal sacs. Clutch size was 2.86 ± 0.38 eggs and nest attentiveness was 71.2%. The incubation and nestling periods were, respectively, 13.4 and 17.4 days. Males and females did not differ on nestling provisioning and nest sanitation rates. Nestling provisioning (13.35 ± 6.25 trips/hour) increased with nestling age, while mean brooding time was 37.2% and decreased with nestling age. Apparent nest success was 38.7%, and nest survival according to the Mayfield method was 27.2%. Five nests (20.8%) were parasitised by the Shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis), and we recorded five events of nest-site reuse. We concluded that the most remarkable breeding traits of T. sayaca in comparison with close-related tanagers are the use of anthropogenic nest sites, the higher clutch size and number of feeding trips, and the longer nestling period.     

Evaluation of the taxonomy of Helix cincta (Muller, 1774) and Helix nucula (Mousson, 1854); insights using mitochondrial DNA sequence data

Phylogenetic relationships of the Aegean Helix cincta and Helix nucula with congeneric species found in Greece were inferred using mitochondrial DNA sequence data. Twenty-three specimens from mainland Greece, Aegean Islands, Cyprus and North Africa were analysed, revealing that (1) H. nucula is monophyletic, (2) H. cincta from Greece and Cyprus is paraphyletic, and so questions arise regarding the taxonomy of this species, and (3) H. cf. cincta from Tunisia might be considered as a distinct evolutionary lineage. Moreover Helix valentini, an endemic species of Kalymnos Island group, is clustered within the lineage of H. c. anatolica, so supporting the synonymy of the two ‘species’, and the elevation of H. c. anatolica to species level. Hence, our results stress the need for a taxonomic reconsideration of H. cincta in the Aegean Sea, indicating that sequence data can prove useful in overcoming taxonomic issues at both species and subspecies level.     

Alien polychaete species (Annelida: Polychaeta) on the southern coast of Turkey (Levantine Sea,eastern Mediterranean), with 13 new records for the Mediterranean Sea

The examination of benthic material collected from different depths and habitats along the southern coast of Turkey (Levantine Sea, eastern Mediterranean) in September and October 2005 revealed 30 alien polychaete species belonging to 15 families. Thirteen species (Pisione guanche, Linopherus canariensis, Onuphis eremita oculata, Lumbrineris perkinsi, Dorvillea similis, Timarete caribous, Pherusa parmata, Pherusa saldanha, Streblosoma comatus, Polycirrus twisti, Laonome triangularis, Branchiomma bairdi and Janua steueri) are new to the Mediterranean fauna, 24 species are new to the Turkish fauna and 27 species are new to the Levantine coast of Turkey. The specimens collected from the Levantine coast of Turkey and northern Cyprus that were previously identified as Linopherus acarunculata and Branchiomma boholense are reidentified as L. canariensis and B. bairdi, respectively. In the light of present knowledge, the previous reports of Lumbrineris inflata and Streblosoma hesslei from the Mediterranean (Italian coast) could refer to the species L. perkinsi and S. comatus, respectively. The species new to the Mediterranean Sea are redescribed and discussed.     

Long-term increases in clutch size in common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) and diamondback terrapins (Malaclemys terrapin)

Clutch size (CS) is a well-studied life history characteristic, and optimal egg size theory predicts that CS should correlate positively with reproductive investment. Turtles are good subjects for studies of reproductive strategies because few turtle species exhibit parental care; therefore quantifying their short-term reproductive investment is mostly limited to measuring egg size and number. Clutch size is usually reported as an average value for each turtle population, and where CS variation is noted, it is usually attributable to variation in adult body size. In two long-term studies of ecologically dissimilar species we detected a dramatic increase in CS in a common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) population and in a diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) population. It is unknown whether these changes are due to either variation in adult body size or resource availability; but the temporal patterns we observed have apparently never been reported previously. These trends remain unexplained and should be explored further.     

Revisiting the saproxylic beetle ‘Propomacrus cypriacus Alexis & Makris, 2002’ (Coleoptera: Euchiridae) using molecular,morphological and ecological data

Propomacrus cypriacus a saproxylic beetle endemic to Cyprus, was described as a species distinct from P. bimucronatus on the basis of a few morphological characters and has been evaluated as Critically Endangered by IUCN, as it depends on veteran trees and has a restricted distribution. Herein we explored the distribution, ecology, morphology and genetic variation of the populations from Cyprus, and we attempted a phylogenetic analysis including related species based on two mitochondrial and one nuclear DNA markers. We also used published mtDNA divergence rates to date cladogenetic events. Despite extensive sampling, we found only a small number of individuals, adding a few additional localities to the known distribution of the species, and we identified two more host species to those previously reported. Morphological examination showed that only the form of male protibiae differs consistently in Cyprus populations compared to those of P. bimucronatus from Turkey and the Lebanon. Nevertheless, genetic analyses do not support a distinct species status for populations from Cyprus, which should instead be considered as a subspecies of P. bimucronatus. Morphological and ecological data further support this conclusion. Cyprus populations have diverged from nearby continental ones in mid to late Pleistocene.