Checklist of the Odonata of Colorado

One hundred and one species of Odonata are recorded for Colorado, including 58 species of Anisoptera (of which 4 are new state records) and 43 Zygoptera (9 new state records). County records are indicated for each. Three major elements are recognized; predominantly eastern species occurring in the plains and mountain valleys east of the Rocky Mountains, Canadian Zone elements occurring principally above 2,440 m (8,000 ft) in the mountains, and Great Basin and western species occurring chiefly west of the mountains. The list is based primarily on the collections at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado, with additional records from the literature and from other collections.     

Larvae of the families of Coleoptera

Summary

A key to the known larvae of the familes of Heteromera (Cucujoidea) is presented for the world and a summary of about 44 additional characters where known for each family is also included to distinguish, characterize and classify the known larvae as well as place in the system the great majority of larvae that still remain to be discovered. The key is intended not only for those who wish to identify but also for those who want to learn the existing gaps in our knowledge on this subject and problems for future research, such as the immature stages of Dacoderidae, Diphyllidae, Merycidae, Pterogeniidae, Trictenotomidae, Xylophilidae (and the primitive genera and tribes of all others) which are still not known to science.     

Meristic studies of the Gulf of California species of Merluccius,with a description of a new species

Two distinct species of hake are found in the Gulf of California, and in view of the commercial importance of at least one of these, a detailed taxonomical study was carried out. A new species of hake is described from the northern Gulf of California: Merluccius hernandezi. A new population of Merluccius angustimanus was located off the coast of the state of Sinaloa, Mexico. A provisional examination of specimens from this population shows that it differs in important characteristics from the specimens described by Garman (1899) from Panama.

Merluccius hernandezi and M. angustimanus from Sinoloa are immediately separable by the shape of their caudal fin and the lengths of their pectoral fins: in M. hernandezi the caudal fin has a central lobe and in larger specimens it is truncate, while in M. angustimanus it is emarginate; the pectoral fin projects well beyond the anus in M. hernandezi but not in M. angustimanus.

A meristic index was devised which can be used successfully to distinguish between the two species in the field: only 4·13% of specimens studied would have been wrongly identified using this index.     

The hardness of the teeth of five species of echinoids (Echinodermata)

There is no significant (p?0·05) difference in the scratch hardness (Mohs' H = 4±0; mean ±1 S.D.) or indentation hardness (34·87±4·79 kp/mm²) of the teeth of Lytechinus variegatus, Arbacia punctulata, Diadema antillarum, Echinometra lucunter, or Eucidaris tribuloides. The hardness of the teeth of these echinoids gives them the ability to scrape or bore into hard carbonate substrata and to ingest calcareous plants. Differences in form and substructure do not affect the hardness of the teeth of these echinoids.     

A checklist of the corals of the island state of Rodrigues,Mauritius

The aim of this study was to create an inventory of the coral species which occur in the shallow waters around Rodrigues island. The stony corals of Rodrigues island have received limited study. Corals were recorded, photographed and collected from reef slopes and lagoons by scuba diving and snorkelling during October 2001. A collection of previously collected corals in Rodrigues was also studied. A total of 130 named species in 40 genera of hard corals (125 species in 37 genera of zooxanthellate Scleractinia) were found during the present survey, together with eight unidentified species; 47 species of coral were new records for Rodrigues, 37 of which were new reports for the southern Mascarene archipelago; 23 species represented extensions of their known ranges, including two species that were previously considered endemic to other areas. The number of species found is similar to that previously reported from Mauritius (134), and significantly more than reported in earlier studies of Rodriguan corals (up to 89 species). This also complements recent reports for Rodrigues (132 species) and Mauritius (163 species).     

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.     

Flora of the Orange Cliffs of Utah

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} The vascular flora of the Orange Cliffs area, defined here as part of the Colorado Plateau floristic province, harbors approximately 209 species in 123 genera and 49 families. A species checklist is provided with a discussion of physical and floristic aspects of the region. The flora is compared statistically to the San Rafael Swell flora, which is also a subset of the Colorado Plateau. We define six vegetation types and three edaphic communities; these are described and mapped. Of eleven endemic plant species in the Orange Cliffs, three are local and rare. Sites for Astragalus nidularius, A. moencoppensis, and Xylorhiza glabriuscula var. linearifolia are discussed and mapped.     

History of the naming of the Ferruginous Hawk

The Ferruginous Hawk, a breeding bird endemic to North America, was named Falco ferrugineus in 1838 by H. Lichtenstein, curator of the Berlin Zoological Museum. The type was collected by F. Deppe near present day Monterey, California. In 1844 G.R. Gray of the British Museum assigned the Buteo regalis to a Ferruginous Hawk specimen of unknown origin, but perhaps donated to the museum by John Phillips, a renowned British geologist. The species was known as Falco (Buteo) ferrugineus until the 1920s when it was discovered that this epithet was occupied. The next name in priority was Gray's Buteo regalis , which then became valid. The species has been known by a number of common names. Even though any reference to the rusty brown markings on the otherwise white plumage is no longer part of the species specific name, the Ferruginous Hawk continues to be the most frequently used common name.     

Annotated checklist of the marine Bivalvia of Rodrigues

This checklist illustrates and comments on the 109 species of marine bivalve currently known from Rodrigues. The fauna appears impoverished when compared to those of Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles. Low habitat diversity is postulated as the cause of impoverishment rather than the relatively young geological age of Rodrigues.     

Effects of chemicals on the germination of pollen grains of Torenia asiatica Linn

Germination studies of the pollen grains of a Scrophulariaceae plant, Torenia asiatica Linn. have revealed that the maximum percentage of germination and longer tubes were attained in 15 percent sucrose solution. Among the chemicals tried, calcium and boron enhanced germination. Less germination occurred among grains treated with potassium or magnesium salts. Abnormalities such as branched tubes with or without vesicles were found in chemically treated pollen grains.       

Habitat of three rare species of small mammals in juniper woodlands of southwestern Wyoming

Southwestern Wyoming constitutes the northern limit of the ranges of the cliff chipmunk ( Tamias dorsalis ), pinyon mouse ( Peromyscus truei ), and canyon mouse ( P. crinitus ). In addition to trying to determine their presence in the region, we wanted to identify habitat characteristics commonly used by each of these species. We used Sherman live-traps to sample 14 sites representing 2 distinct habitat types in 1998 and 1999: juniper-rocky slopes and juniper cliffs. Seventeen habitat characteristics were measured at capture locations for each species and compared with randomly located points. Best subsets multiple logistic regression was used to construct models that distinguish between used and available habitat for each species. The cliff chipmunk occurred in both rocky slopes and cliffs. The pinyon mouse was also captured in rocky slopes and cliffs and was most often captured in locations in the interior of the juniper woodland with high tree canopy cover, high forb cover, and low density of rock outcrops. The canyon mouse was captured only in cliffs at sites consisting of high forb cover, high rock cover, and high tree density.     

Synopsis of the life cycles of Digenea (Platyhelminthes) from lagoons of the northern coast of the western Mediterranean

The present document reports on the large amount of data relating to digenean parasites recorded from or known to be present in various hosts in lagoons of the northern coast of the western Mediterranean, which has been compiled from the literature of more than a century. In these lagoons, at least 72 nominal species of digeneans have been recorded. This total corresponds to approximately 12% of the 584 “marine” digenean species reported for Europe. Data are provided on the life cycles of 56 digenean species. The life cycle has been totally elucidated for 44 species (25 from fish, 19 from birds), and partly for the other 12 species (seven from fish, five from birds). This means that the life cycle is known for 61.1% of the recorded fauna (44/72) and partly for 16.7%, but remains unknown for 22.2%, making it, in this respect, one of the best understood digenean marine faunas in the world. In addition, a checklist is provided dealing with the cercarial and metacercarial forms recorded from lagoons of the northern coast of the western Mediterranean, which have been described only on the basis of characters of these larval stages and which remain without demonstrated links to a corresponding sexual adult stage in a vertebrate.     

Differentiation of body form of Protoplophoroidea (Acari: Oribatida) in the light of ontogeny of three species

The differentiation of body form of Protoplophoroidea in the light of ontogeny of Cosmochthonius ponticus Gordeeva, 1980 Gordeeva, EV. 1980. Oribatid mites of the family Cosmochthoniidae (Oribatei). Zool J., 59: 838–850. Russian [Google Scholar], Sphaerochthonius splendidus (Berlese, 1904) and Haplochthonius simplex Willmann, 1930 is investigated. These species have primitive characters, like dorsal transverse scissures on the hysterosoma, four pairs of adanal and anal setae, and two pairs of exobothridial setae. However, in C. ponticus three dorsal scissures occur during ontogeny, in S. splendidus three scissures are present in the juveniles, and one scissure in the adult, while in H. simplex three scissures occur only in the adult. These species also differ by expansion of new segments in the anal region during ontogeny; in S. splendidus this expansion is the smallest, while in H. simplex is the largest. Cosmochthonius ponticus has hypertrophied, erectile setae of the e- and f-series, S. splendidus has armour-like, dorsal, pleural and ventral plates, while H. simplex has thin cuticle and short dorsal setae.     

Relationship of diurnal habitat use of native stream fishes of the eastern Great Basin to pPresence of introduced salmonids

Introduced brown trout, Salmo trutta , are common to many streams of western North America. However, the ecological interactions between brown trout and native stream fishes are not well understood, particularly the nature and extent of antipredator responses of native species. We examined the effects of brown trout presence on diurnal habitat use by 2 small native fishes at a mesohabitat scale (e.g., pool, riffle, run, backwater, etc.). Adult and juvenile southern leatherside chub ( Lepidomeda aliciae , formerly Gila copei ) and juvenile mountain sucker ( Catostomus platyrhynchus ) were located in main channel pools in the absence of brown trout, but they were found almost exclusively in backwaters and cutoff pools (i.e., off-channel habitats) in streams where brown trout were abundant. Off-channel habitat appears to provide a refuge for native fishes in streams with abundant brown trout populations. Altered or degraded streams may not include sufficient off-channel refuge habitats to allow coexistence of native species and introduced brown trout.     

Preliminary index of authors of Utah plant names

Presented herein is an index to approximately 800 authors of vascular plant names of Utah. A standardized abbreviation is presented for each author. These are listed alphabetically. Following each abbreviation is the full name and birth and death dates (where available) of each individual. In some cases the date of publication is given when biographical information is not known.     

Evaluating the geographic distribution of plants in Utah from the Atlas of Vascular Plants of Utah

Locations of 73,219 vascular plant vouchers representing 2438 species were digitized from the Atlas of the Vascular Plants of Utah (Albee et al. 1988). Source maps consist of 1:6,000,000-scale shaded relief maps of Utah with points representing collection locations by species. Location points, representing 1 or more specimens, were transposed onto these maps from the approximately 400,000 herbarium records of 3 major universities and federal land management agencies. These source maps were digitized into an ARC/Info TM database in order to reproduce the atlas in digital form. Analysis of all locations revealed a mapping bias of the original authors to avoid placing sample locations on county boundaries and over major river corridors. A comparison between ecoregions and elevation showed that the Colorado Plateau and Wasatch/Uinta Mountains have the highest species diversity, and that areas of low elevation (1000-2000 m) have the highest number of unique species in the state. Further, species richness is related to elevation and to ecoregion boundaries.     

Bats of the White and Inyo Mountains of California-nevada

We surveyed bats throughout the White and Inyo Mountains of California and Nevada. From December 1990 to November 1996, we surveyed hibernating bats, and foraging bats from June 1992 to September 1996. The White-Inyo Range rests in a unique biogeographical junction between the Sierra Nevada, Mojave Desert, and Great Basin Regions. Elevational gradients of 305-4340 m, combined with limited human development, further enhance the interest of natural history and faunal distributions in this range. We found 13 bat species in the course of 2668 observations. Three of these species, the spotted bat ( Euderma maculatum ), silver-haired bat ( Lasionycteris noctivagans ), and hoary bat ( Lasturus cinereus ), have no previous records from the White-Inyo Range. We found bats in all vegetation zones except alpine, 3500-4342 m. Despite an abundance of mines in this range, only Townsend's big-eared bat ( Corynorhinus townsendii ) and western small-footed myotis ( Myotis ciliolabrum ) used them routinely. Our data also indicated the importance of surface water to bat populations in arid regions.     

Histology of the alimentary canal of the mature larva of Prodenia litura Fabr. (Lepidoptera)

Summary

The histology of the alimentary canal of the mature larva of Prodenia litura Fabr. is described in detail. The status of the oesophageal and stomodaeal valves, structure and morphological relationship of the mesenteric cells and the structure and formation of the peritrophic membrane are discussed. The oesophageal epithelium is deeply compressed by the intruding muscules and the chitinous intima bears prominent spines thus forming a valve. The structure and function of this valve is quite different from that of the stomodaeal valve. The interstitial cells give rise to two different forms of mesenteric cells, viz. the columnar and goblet cells. There are clusters of unspecified cells at the anterior end of the mesenteron. The role of these cells appears to be secreting chitin which helps in forming the peritrophic membrane.     

Checklist of Recent Mollusca of Wyoming, USA

Wyoming lacks a rich molluscan fauna due to its considerable elevation, extremes of temperature, the short period between killing frosts, scanty, moisture, and intermittent creeks. Recent mollusks found in the state total 42 genera (109 species), including 6 genera (23 species) of bivalves, 15 genera (42 species) of freshwater gastropods, and 21 genera (44 species) of land gastropods. Synonymy, the counties in which each species was collected, and habitat notes are given.     

Food of cougars in the Cascade Range of Oregon

Animal and nonanimal items were identified in the digestive tracts of 61 cougars ( Felis concolor ) collected between 1978 and 1984 from the western slopes of the Cascade Range in Oregon. Forty - two (69%) of the cougars were taken by hunters in December and January, 18 (30%) were killed at other times of the year because of their proximity to livestock, and one animal was illegally killed in November. Black-tailed deer ( Odocoileus hemionus columbianus ) was the most common prey item, although domestic sheep ( Ovis airies ), porcupines ( Erethizon dorsatum ), and a variety of small mammals were also recorded. Masticated grass was the most common nonanimal item.