Charles R. Bursey

Bio: Charles R. Bursey is an academic researcher from Pennsylvania State University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Physaloptera & Gekkonidae. The author has an hindex of 29, co-authored 443 publications receiving 4895 citations. Previous affiliations of Charles R. Bursey include Zoological Survey of India & Rio de Janeiro State University.

Gastrointestinal helminths of 51 species of anurans from Reserva Cuzco amazónico, Peru

Abstract: Six hundred eighty-two anurans representing 51 species collected from the Reserva Cuzco Amazonico, Peru, were examined for helminths, One species of Trematoda (Glypthelmins parva), 1 species of Cestoda (Cylindrotaenia americana), 14 species of Nematoda (Aplectana hylambatis, Batracholandros spectatus, Cosmocerca brasiliense, Cosmocerca parva, Cosmocerca podicipinus, Cosmocercella phyllomedusae, Ochoterenella vellardi, Oswaldocruzia lopesi, Physalopteroides venancioi, Rallietnema gubernaculatum, Schrankiana inconspicata, Schrankiana larvata, Schrankiana schranki, and Schrankianella brasili) were found. Larvae representing Acuarioidae gen. sp., Brevimulticaecum sp., Physaloptera sp., Porrocaecum sp., Ophidascaris sp., and the Acanthocephala were also found. No host harbored more than 4 helminth species (larval forms included, x ± SD): 1.4 ± 0.7 helminth species/infected anuran; 5.9 ± 13.6 helminths/infected anuran. Cosmocerca brasiliense had the greatest prevalence (162 of 682 anurans, 24%; mean intensity = 1.8); Aplectana hylambatis had the greatest mean intensity (13.4; prevalence, 33 of 682 anurans, 5%). No host species harbored more than 7 helminth species (larval forms included); 2.8 ± 1.6 helminth species/host species. Cosmocerca brasiliense was the most common helminth: 34 of 51 anuran species (67%). Twenty-nine new host records are reported.

Gastrointestinal Helminths from Six Species of Frogs and Three Species of Lizards, Sympatric in Pará State, Brazil

Abstract: Forty-three frogs representing 6 species (Dendropsophus cachimbo, Scinax fuscomarginatus, Leptodactylus fuscus, Leptodactylus martinezi, Leptodactylus mystaceus, and Leptodactylus rhodomystax) and 35 lizards representing 3 species (Kentropyx calcarata, Leposoma osvaldoi, and Potamites ecpleopus) collected in the Brazilian state of Para were examined for helminths. One species of Trematoda, Brachycoelium salamandrae, and 12 species of Nematoda, adults of Capillaria recondita, Cosmocerca brasiliense, Cosmocerca podicipinus, Falcaustra belemensis, Falcaustra maculata, Kentropyxia sauria, Oswaldocruzia vaucheri, Physaloptera retusa, Schrankiana formulosa, Schrankiana fuscus, Schrankiana schranki, and juveniles of Acuariidae gen. sp., were found. Only B. salamandrae occurred in both frogs and lizards. There were 1.53 ± 0.13 (x ± 1 SE) helminth species/infected frogs and 28.52 ± 11.7 helminth individuals/infected frogs and 1.12 ± 0.08 helminth species/infected lizards and 6.47 ± 1.58 helminth individua...

Gastrointestinal Helminths of 14 Species of Lizards from Panama with Descriptions of Five New Species

Abstract: One hundred ninety-one specimens representing 14 species of lizards, Ameiva ameiva, Basiliscus basiliscus, Corytophanes cristatus, Diploglossus monotropis, Echinosaura horrida, Gonatodes albogularis, Gymnophthalmus speciosus, Iguana iguana, Lepidoblepharis sanctaemartae, Lepidophyma flavimaculatum, Leposoma rugiceps, Mabuya mabouya, Polychrus gutturosus, and Thecadactylus rapicauda, from Panama were examined for helminths. Two species of Digenea, Mesocoelium monas and Parallopharynx arctus, 1 species of Cestoda, Oochoristica gymnophthalmicola n. sp., 21 species of Nematoda, 19 species capable of completing their life cycle in lizards, Africana telfordi, Aplectana herediaensis, Cosmocercoides variabilis, Cruzia mexicana, Cyrtosomum longicaudatum, Macdonaldius grassi, Oswaldocruzia panamaensis n. sp., Oswaldofilaria brevicaudata, Ozolaimus cirratus, Parapharyngodon colonensis n. sp., Physaloptera retusa, Piratuba digiticauda, Skrjabinelazia galliardi, Skrjabinodon caudolumarius n. sp., Skrjabinodon crassicauda n. sp., Skrjabinodon scelopori, Spauligodon oxkutzcabiensis, Spinicauda spinicauda, and Strongyluris panamaensis, and 2 species utilizing lizards as paratenic hosts, Ophidascaris sp. (larvae) and Acuariidae gen. sp. (larvae in cysts), and 1 species of Acanthocephala (cystacanths), were found. Thirty-seven new host records and 13 new locality records are reported.

Gastrointestinal Helminths from 13 Species of Lizards from Reserva Cuzco Amazónico, Peru

Abstract: One hundred sixty-four lizards representing 13 species collected from the Reserva Cuzco Amazonico, Peru, were examined for helminths. Two species of Cestoda (Oochoristica ameivae and Ophiotaenia flava) and 18 species of Nematoda (adults of Amphibiocapillaria freitaslenti, Cyrtosomum longicaudatum, Oswaldocruzia peruvensis, Oswaldocruzia vitti, Oswaldofilaria azeuedoi, Parapharyngodon scleratus, Physaloptera retusa, Physalopteroides venancioi, Piratuba digiticauda, Piratuba lainsoni, Piratuboides zeae, Rhabdias anolis, Skrjabinelzaia intermedia, Spauligodon oxkutzcabiensis, Spinicauda spinicauda, Strongyluris oscari; larvae of Dujardinascaris sp. and Hastospiculum sp.) were found. In all, 1,617 helminths were collected from 83 (51%) of the 164 lizards examined. Of these, 15 (0.9%) were larval forms, which are thought not capable of reaching maturity in lizards. No infected lizard harbored more than 3 helminth species: 1.70 ± 0.08 (x ± 1 SE) helminth species/infected lizard; 19.45 ± 2.82 helminth ...

Global effects of land use on local terrestrial biodiversity

Abstract: Human activities, especially conversion and degradation of habitats, are causing global biodiversity declines. How local ecological assemblages are responding is less clear--a concern given their importance for many ecosystem functions and services. We analysed a terrestrial assemblage database of unprecedented geographic and taxonomic coverage to quantify local biodiversity responses to land use and related changes. Here we show that in the worst-affected habitats, these pressures reduce within-sample species richness by an average of 76.5%, total abundance by 39.5% and rarefaction-based richness by 40.3%. We estimate that, globally, these pressures have already slightly reduced average within-sample richness (by 13.6%), total abundance (10.7%) and rarefaction-based richness (8.1%), with changes showing marked spatial variation. Rapid further losses are predicted under a business-as-usual land-use scenario; within-sample richness is projected to fall by a further 3.4% globally by 2100, with losses concentrated in biodiverse but economically poor countries. Strong mitigation can deliver much more positive biodiversity changes (up to a 1.9% average increase) that are less strongly related to countries' socioeconomic status.

A new species

Abstract: We redescribe the only previously known species of Myrsidea from bulbuls, M. pycnonoti Eichler. Sixteen new species are described; they and their type hosts are: M. phillipsi ex Pycnonotus goiavier goiavier (Scopoli), M. gieferi ex P. goiavier suluensis Mearns, M. kulpai ex P. flavescens Blyth, M. finlaysoni ex P. finlaysoni Strickland, M. kathleenae ex P. cafer (L.), M. warwicki ex Ixos philippinus (J. R. Forster), M. mcclurei ex Microscelis amaurotis (Temminck), M. zeylanici ex P. zeylanicus (Gmelin), M. plumosi ex P. plumosus Blyth, M. eutiloti ex P. eutilotus (Jardine and Selby), M. adamsae ex P. urostictus (Salvadori), M. ochracei ex Criniger ochraceus F. Moore, M. borbonici ex Hypsipetes borbonicus (J. R. Forster), M. johnsoni ex P. atriceps (Temminck), M. palmai ex C. ochraceus, and M. claytoni ex P. eutilotus. A key is provided for the identification of these 17 species.

The Biology of Caves and Other Subterranean Habitats

Abstract: Caves and other subterranean habitats with their often strange (even bizarre) inhabitants have long been objects of fascination, curiosity, and debate. The question of how such organisms have evolved, and the relative roles of natural selection and genetic drift, has engaged subterranean biologists for decades. Indeed, these studies continue to inform the general theory of adaptation and evolution. Subterranean ecosystems generally exhibit little or no primary productivity and, as extreme ecosystems, provide general insights into ecosystem function. The Biology of Caves and other Subterranean Habitats offers a concise but comprehensive introduction to cave ecology and evolution. Whilst there is an emphasis on biological processes occurring in these unique environments, conservation and management aspects are also considered. The monograph includes a global range of examples from more than 25 countries, and case studies from both caves and non-cave subterranean habitats; it also provides a clear explanation of specialized terms used by speleologists. This accessible text will appeal to researchers new to the field and to the many professional ecologists and conservation practitioners requiring a concise but authoritative overview. Its engaging style will also make it suitable for undergraduate and graduate students taking courses in cave and subterranean biology. Its more than 650 references, 150 of which are new since the first edition, provide many entry points to the research literature.

Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species

Abstract: AMPHIBIAN DECLINES: THE CONSERVATION STATUS OF UNITED STATES SPECIES. Michael Lannoo (ed.). 2005. University of California Press, Berkeley. ISBN 0-520-235924. XXI + 1094 p. $95.00 (hard cover).—During the past decade and a half, much has been discussed and published on amphibian declines. The new information obtained created a novel field of research in herpetology. The starting point of this new field was the First World Congress of Herpetology, held in Canterbury, England, in 1989, when herpetologists found that the amphibian disappearances they had witnessed individually were not merely rare, local phenomena but rather appeared to be occurring around the globe. The relevance of amphibian declines can be measured not only by the scientific production but also by the extensive coverage by the popular press. The book ‘‘Amphibian Declines: The Conservation Status of United States Species’’ summarizes the advances of this new research field, mainly in the United States. This is an extraordinary book based on the experience of an impressive team of specialists on amphibian declines and conservation, primarily focused on species from the United States. Because North American herpetologists have accumulated detailed data on native amphibians over many years, this book is very thorough. The book is divided into two parts; part one is a collection of 52 essays on conservation written mainly by researchers with extensive experience in amphibian conservation. This first part is divided into an Introduction and chapters titled Declines, Causes, Conservation, Surveys and Monitoring, Education, and Perspective. Part two corresponds to the species accounts for Anura and Caudata. An amazing total of 215 contributors participated in the two parts of the book, producing more than a thousand pages of rich information on amphibian declines and conservation in United States. The essays vary in detail and breadth of coverage, and there is some overlap among some of them, but this is to be expected in a book written by so many scientists. In the Introduction there are five essays that provide a historical perspective on the conservation of amphibians. In the Declines chapter five essays give a historical perspective as well, but there is also specific information on the decline of cricket frogs (Acris crepitans) and a data-rich essay on the decline of the salamanders of the genus Plethodon. Together the essays address all of the relevant topics of conservation and decline in amphibians. For example, the first essay by Tim Halliday addresses the main reasons for amphibian declines, summarizing recent progress that is improving our understanding on the causal factors promoting it. He indicates habitat destruction, climate change, pollution, increased UV-B radiation, and disease as the main factors, but also calls attention to the synergistic action among some of these causes. The necessity of a more ample comprehension of the conservation status of other groups of organisms is also highlighted, given that declines may also be severe in other taxa, such as bivalves. The lack of data on distribution, population structure, and habitat of amphibians makes the task of protection more difficult. In the second essay, Martha L. Crump discusses why some species are in decline while others are not. She compares studies in different parts of the world and concludes that the patterns associated with declines in one assemblage are not necessarily repeated in other assemblages. She did not find a clear pattern of differences (in phylogeny, distribution, habitat, activity, diet, body size, skin characteristics, and life history traits) between declining and non-declining species. She concludes that some species are less able to cope with anthropogenic environmental changes. In Causes, 12 essays adequately cover the main causes that have been proposed or demonstrated to be involved in amphibian declines. Global warming, UV radiation, chemical pollution, parasites and malformations, habitat destruction or alteration, and commercial trade of amphibians are among the treated topics. However, in this chapter some essays are not related to the causes of decline per se, such as the essay on the Lucké renal adenocarcinoma in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens). In this case there is no evidence that the carcinoma is a factor in frog population decline. In Conservation, 18 essays treat different aspects of amphibian conservation. There are essays on the conservation of specific taxa, such as one on the endangered Houston Toad (Anaxyrus houstonensis) that includes information on the major causes of decline and the politics that play an important role in conservation. The essay on fluctuations in the size of tiger salamander populations provides useful information for understanding the related natural and anthropogenic factors that affect this amphibian. The essay on the Texas spring and cave salamanders (Eurycea) shows that most species have restricted distributions and are threatened by human activities. The essay on the Southwestern desert bufonids indicates that, although these toads escaped the declines experienced by many anurans, some species are being eliminated from some areas as a result of habitat alteration. Two essays raise questions on taxonomic and systematic problems and the conservation status of the amphibians. They call attention to the necessity of clear and workable systems of classification to describe biodiversity, the importance of phylogenetic taxonomies, and the importance of conservation systematics in management and politics. The essay by Karen R. Lips and Maureen A. Donnelly is an exception in the book in that it aims to describe the nature, extent, and possible causes of amphibian declines in the tropics and not in United States. The limitation of this essay is the lack of data on tropical amphibian, which is not the authors’ fault (see below). Other essays in this chapter are on amphibian decline and management, landscape ecology, ecotoxicology, importance of museum collections in amphibian conservation, reserve network, population manipulations of imperiled species, exotic invading species of fish and amphibians and their impacts on the natural systems, and the importance of natural history in the conservation of amphibians. In the Surveys and Monitoring chapter, nine essays cover general and specific aspects, including methodological proposals. Some essays treat the distribution, decline, and monitoring of amphibians from specific places in the United States or from a general program, the North American