Distribution and characterization of species of Gyrodactylus Nordmann, 1832 (Monogenea) parasitizing salmonids in the UK,and their discrimination from G. salaris Malmberg, 1957

The reported pathogenicity of the monogenean Gyrodactylus salaris Malmberg, 1957 on Atlantic Salmo salar in Norway has necessitated a national survey of salmonid sites throughout the British Isles to determine which species of the genus Gyrodactylus are resident on these hosts in British waters. Eight morphotypes were identified following examination of the opisthaptoral sclerites at both the light and scanning electron microscope level. Gyrodactylus truttae Gläser, 1974 was found on wild brown trout Salmo trutta in Scotland, England and Wales with an uncharacteristic morphotype, having long, thin marginal hooks. Two morphotypes of Gyrodactylus derjavini Mikailov, 1975 were recorded for the first time from Britain. G. caledoniensis n. sp. from Scottish S. salar is erected, based on differences in the shape and size of the marginal hooks. Two possible new species from English Salvelinus alpinus and a possible new species from Welsh S. salar and Scottish O. mykiss are described.     

Breeding preferences in the treefrogs Dryophytes japonicus (Hylidae) in Mongolia

ABSTRACT

When a species occurs over a broad range of climates and landscapes, the breeding ecology of that species is expected to vary locally. Additionally, a basic knowledge of breeding ecology is required before other types of studies may be conducted, such as physiology or conservation. In North East Asia, Dryophytes japonicus is distributed from Japan to Mongolia, where its breeding ecology is unknown. The objectives of this study were to understand the breeding requirements of D. japonicus in this part of its range. We collected data for Dryophytes japonicus at 56 sites located within 23 independent localities in Northern Mongolia during the breeding season 2017. The data collected included habitat type and co-occurring amphibian, fishes and bird species. Our results show that the species prefers circa 70 m long oxbow lakes for breeding, while habitat characteristics, water quality and co-occurring species were not significantly associated with the occurrence of the species. We therefore conclude that D. japonicus is behaviourally plastic in Mongolia, as it is in other portions of its range, and that the species can use several types of environments and co-occur with different species at its breeding sites. Corvus dauuricus was the only bird species significant predicting the occurrence of D. japonicus, likely because of overlapping ecological preferences.     

Climatic adaptations and distributions in the Drosophila takahashii species subgroup (Diptera: Drosophilidae)

Among subtropical species of the Drosophila takahashii species subgroup, temperature adaptations were related to altitudinal distribution; D. trilutea was adapted to lower temperature and occurred at high altitudes in September in Taiwan, D. takahashii was adapted to higher temperature and occurred mainly at low altitudes, and D. prostipennis was adapted to an intermediate range of temperature and occurred at mid to high altitudes. A temperate species, D. lutescens, was adapted to a wider range of temperature than the subtropical species: it was more cold-hardy than all three subtropical species and more heat-tolerant than D. prostipennis and D. trilutea. The temperature ranges encountered in the temperate region far exceed the range in subtropical areas, and this is likely to be reflected in the temperature adaptations of these temperate and subtropical species. D. lutescens has a photoperiodically controlled reproductive diapause. No latitudinal cline was observed on cold-hardiness of D. takahashii. By contrast, cold-hardiness and photoperiodic response differed between northern and southern populations of D. lutescens.     

The distribution of New Zealand and Australian terrestrial flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Turbellaria: Tricladida: Terricola) in the British Isles—the Scottish survey and MEGALAB WORMS

The New Zealand flatworm, Artioposthia triangulata, and the Australian flatworm, Caenoplana alba, have become quite widespread in the British Isles since their introduction, probably in the early 1960s. They are considered as pest species since they eat earthworms and consequently may affect soil structure and fertility. The distribution of the two species has been recorded by two surveys: a Scottish survey between 1991 and 1993, and a national survey, MEGALAB WORMS, in March 1995. The latter was organized as part of National Science Week by BBC TV Tomorrow's World, The Daily Telegraph newspaper and the Office of Public Service and Science. Results of both surveys are presented as distribution maps of confirmed records. New Zealand flatworms are common and widespread in Northern Ireland and Central Scotland, and occur less commonly in other parts of Scotland, and in Northern England. There are a few scattered records from Southern England. The Scottish survey has resulted in retrospective distribution maps. Australian flatworms are widespread in South West England, and are found in several places in North West England. There are also records from South and North Wales, Northern Ireland and one from Southern Scotland. There were many false and negative reports. There are records of both species from the Republic of Ireland.     

The distribution and habitat preferences of the Afro-European species of Dynamene (Crustacea: Isopoda)

Summary

The geographical distribution of the genus Dynamene is described in the light of the recent discovery of three new species. D. bidentata appears to have a Boreal distribution whilst that of D. edwardsi and D. magnitorata is Atlanto-Mediterranean. D. torelliae, D. bifida, and D. tubicauda have a Mediterranean distribution but the first species may extend into the Black Sea. Only one species, D. ramuscula, has been recorded outside the Afro-European region, in S.E. Australia. The ranges and habitat preferences of those species outside the Mediterranean overlap as do some of those within the Mediterranean, particularly in the Naples Bay region. Juveniles of D. bidentata inhabit and feed on intertidal algae while adults shelter in crevices and empty tests of Balanus perforatus, mainly below MTL. Settlement of males into barnacle tests appears to be random, but females show some degree of aggregation, perhaps to other females. Other species show the same change of habitat at sexual maturity and all inhabit intertidal or inshore localities.     

Sibling species in the marine pollution indicator genus Pontonema Leidy (Nematoda: Oncholaimidae), with a description of P. mediterranea sp. nov.

Species of the marine nematode genus Pontonema have been found to dominate the macrobenthos under abnormally high conditions of particulate organic enrichment. Populations from organically enriched habitats in six localities (Kiel fjord, Germany; the Garroch Head sewage-sludge dump ground in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland; Cornelian Bay, N.E. England; the Tyne estuary, N.E. England; Sete, N.W. Mediterranean, France; Blanes Bay, N.W. Mediterranean, Spain) have been compared. Multivariate analyses of 16 morphometric characters in males, and 13 in females, shows that each population is significantly different morphologically from every other population. However, there is morphological overlap between the populations, and it is considered pragmatic to recognize three species in this group, based on a few stable morphological characters: P. vulgare (Bastian, 1865) from the Baltic, P. alaeospicula Bett and Moore 1988 from the UK sites, and P. mediterranea sp. nov. from the Mediterranean. P. mediterranea sp. nov. is described. The species were not found to have established sympatry in this study, unlike many other opportunistic taxa from organically enriched habitats, and the significance of this is discussed.     

Composition and distribution patterns of chewing lice of two neotropical species of Turdus

We analyzed the prevalence and intensity of chewing lice on two neotropical species of Turdus and identified morphological parameters of birds influencing louse population dynamics. The study was conducted in southernmost Rio Grande do Sul state (RS), Brazil, between July 2009 and June 2010. Chewing lice were collected by dust-ruffling. The prevalence of chewing lice on both species of Turdus was high. Chewing lice from both species of Turdus exhibit similar composition and distribution patterns. However, chewing lice were more abundant on Turdus rufiventris, whereas species richness was higher on Turdus amaurochalinus. Myrsidea and Brueelia were the most prevalent and abundant genera on both host species in all seasons of the year. A predominance of chewing louse females and adults was observed. Aggregated distributions were observed. Body length was the only morphological parameter correlated with louse abundance, suggesting that specimens with a larger body have a higher abundance of lice.     

Diet of pine martens Martes martes L. in west Scotland

Diet of pine martens in a coastal Atlantic oakwood in western Scotland was assessed over a period of two years (1996-8) in the context of strong potential competition from a diverse guild of other predators also largely dependent on preferred small rodent prey. Analysis of prey remains in fresh droppings showed that despite the potential for competition, martens still preyed extensively on small mammals and birds, preying preferentially on voles and particularly Microtus agrestis L. Invertebrates were also important dietary items, with high intake of beetles (and particularly Geotrupes sp.) from March to September. Predation on birds and intake of earthworms were highest over the winter period; fruits (bramble and rowan berries) were also important over the autumn and (ivy berries) late winter. The diet described is similar to that recorded in other studies, with no significant shifts due to potential competition from other predatory birds and mammals on the same species-poor prey base. However, marten activity in the area was subject to sudden seasonal decline in both sign and sightings and it seems possible that the animals may be making gross range shifts in periods of relative scarcity of high quality foods, moving substantial distances to track local availability of preferred prey.     

The behaviour of Cotinis nitida Linnaeus,the green June beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), on mowed lawns makes them especially vulnerable to bird predators

ABSTRACT

Males of the green June beetle Cotinis nitida are regularly attacked by birds as they search for females on lawns but which bird species feeds on the beetle changes from year to year. In 2018 for the first time on a farm in northern Virginia, brown thrashers (Toxostomum rufum) joined blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) as major predators of the beetles. The two species employed very different tactics when hunting for June beetles, with the thrashers searching while walking forward on the mowed lawn while the jays scanned for beetles when perched in trees about the lawn. The beetles became very scarce at the lawn in early July in 2017 and 2018 and their predators apparently moved elsewhere. Subsequently, male beetles were occasionally observed patrolling a nearby hayfield in search of mates with rare copulations recorded after July 15. Because predatory birds could not exploit the beetles in the tall grass of the hayfield it seems likely that the mowed lawn constituted an evolutionarily novel ecological trap which made searching beetles conspicuous and easily captured by beetle-hunting birds.     

Pycnogonids caught in bathypelagic samples from the Rockall Trough,northeastern Atlantic Ocean

Summary

Four species of pycnogonids occurred in the pelagic samples taken in the Rockall Trough to the west of Scotland and Ireland. They are Pallenopsis calcanea, P. tritonis, P. scoparia and an unlikely record of a young Colossendeis species. Two juvenile pycnogonids were found attached to a single coronate scyphomedusan Periphylla periphylla, reinforcing the contention that they are probably associated with such organisms in the meso- and bathypelagic environments.     

A new Liparine fish from the Red Sea

Summary

The results of a two year study on avian haematozoa in Zambia identified some 29 parasite species including two new haemoproteids and one leucocytozoid. Haemoproteus and Leococytozoon were the most common genera observed. A taxonomic appraisal is given of small trypanosomes with a characteristic terminal kinetoplast and it is suggested that T. everetti, T. fiadeiroi and T. oenae may all be synonyms of T. lobivanelli. Haematozoa were considered to be responsible for the clinical condition of two sick birds. Histopathological studies on a small number of birds revealed schizonts in two birds only. Very few ectoparasites were found and most were considered to be of little significance as vectors.     

Plantes Cryptogames de France. Par I. B. H. I. Desmazières. Fasc. XVII. Lille, 1836

Summary

A new genus and species of pilargid polychaete, Litocorsa stremma, is described from silty grounds on the west coast of Scotland. Its relationship to other pilargid genera is discussed. Notes on two other pilargid species and a revised key to the genera of the Pilargidae are given.     

Diet of tropical insectivorous birds in lowland Malaysian rainforest

ABSTRACT

Despite the importance of diet in avian ecology, knowledge of bird diet in tropical regions, particularly South-East Asia, is limited. Assessing predator–prey relationships of how energy flows across ecosystems provides insight into niche segregation of sympatric species. We examined induced-regurgitation samples from 15 species of insectivorous birds – 12 babblers and three flycatcher-like species – from the Krau Wildlife Reserve, central Peninsular Malaysia. The main objective of this study was to compare and characterise the diet of similar trophically insectivorous birds so as to examine the occurrence of dietary overlap or segregation. The majority of identified prey items belong to the following arthropod taxa: Coleoptera (53%), Hymenoptera (19%), Blattodea (11%), and Araneae (11%). The diet of all bird species slightly overlapped (p = 0.070) but network analysis yielded a relatively low value (R_o = 0.53), indicating dietary divergence may have occurred among the studied bird species, possibly reflected by the variation in proportion of arthropod groups. A high proportion of Coleoptera and three other arthropod groups (i.e. Hymenoptera, Blattodea and Araneae) in the diet of studied birds could be related to their richness and abundance in aerial leaf-litter, the substrate preferred by most babblers. Dietary differences may further be explained by variations in bill shapes and sizes, likely corresponding to prey size. Unique foraging strategies (utilising different vertical strata, microhabitats, and attack manoeuvres) could also lead to dietary separation among sympatric species. Flycatcher-like species were expected to flycatch different prey items (families or lower taxa) versus the gleaning birds (most babblers). This study successfully discerned more details on the diets of insectivorous birds inhabiting Malaysian forests, providing a foundation for future studies on the ecology and biology of understorey birds.     

Insect infestations of small corpses

Reproducible studies of the insects associated with small (< 1 kg) corpses are hampered by dramatic variation, for no obvious reason, in the background carrion-breeding fauna. This variation can lead to undue emphasis being attached to the results from exposure of one, or a small number, of corpses. An experiment with much larger numbers of mice (319) and birds (38) has shown that in eastern Ireland there are at least 29 species of carrion insect (excluding Coleoptera) breeding in such corpses, many of them only in deciduous woodland, where the greatest number and variety of small vertebrates would be found. Inventories of the post-mortem fates of mice and birds are drawn up, and the effects of competition assessed by experiment. Some species of sarcophagid fly larvae kill their competitors. Of the 14 Irish sacrophagine species, only four bred in corpses. There was a gross imbalance of Calliphora spp., with hardly any C. vomitoria in any bait tested.     

Two new species of miniature psammophilic sarcoglanidine catfishes of the genus Microcambeva from the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae)

ABSTRACT

Trichomycterid catfishes of the Sarcoglanidinae, which includes small-sized species living in sandy river substratum, have been poorly represented in collections. We herein describe two new species of the sarcoglanidine genus Microcambeva, endemic to river basins draining the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. The presence of a distal widening on the posterior process of the autopalatine and a rudimentary anterior autopalatine ossification shared by the two new species, M. mucuriensis sp. nov. from the Rio Mucuri and M. jucuensis sp. nov. from the Rio Jucu basin, and M. draco from the Rio Jucuruçu basin indicates that these three species are more closely related to each other than to other congeners. Microcambeva mucuriensis seems to be more closely related to M. draco than to M. jucuensis in that the first two species share the presence of a well-developed anterior process of the interopercle. The two new species are also distinguished from congeners by the number of opercular odontodes and premaxillary teeth, and the relative size of the sesamoid supraorbital. Available evidence taken from this study and previous reports indicates that different sarcoglanidine lineages have adapted to live in distinct riverine habitats, with species of Atlantic Forest Microcambeva inhabiting clearwater streams and Amazonian sarcoglanidines found in tea-stained acidic-water streams.

http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8CFF9C88-1CEC-44AF-AD26-1D4A56F3D946