Showing papers in "Italian Journal of Zoology in 2000"
TL;DR: The architecture of the newly released medusae of Zanclella is exceptional due to a sharp compression of the exumbrella and of the presence of just two radial canals, and a phylogenetic scenario is suggested, in spite of the inconsistencies in the rates of change in the two main stages of the cycle.
Abstract: The genera Zanclea, Halocoryne and Zanclella are surveyed, with description of all known species, including eight new ones of Zanclea (Z. bomala, Z, divergens, Z. fanella, Z. giancarloi, Z. medusopolypata, Z. retraduis, Z. gilii, Z. hirohitoi), two new species of Halocoryne (H. frasca, H. pirainoid), and two new ones of Zanclella (Z. diabolica, Z. glomboides). For most species, the description covers the whole life cycle. The hydroids of this group can be symbiotic with either bryozoans, bivalves, or corals and only few species are not substrate‐specialist. Symbiotic relationships led to polymorphism and colony integration with the hosts. The morphologies of hydroid and medusa stages are often not consistent, so that species with very derived hydroids have non‐derived medusae (e.g., Halocoryne pirainoid), or species with very derived medusae have non‐derived hydroids (e.g., Zanclella diabolica). The architecture of the newly released medusae of Zanclella is exceptional due to a sharp compression ...
65 citations
TL;DR: The evolution of megadriles is characterized by numerous instances of convergence and remarkably slow speed, but speciation events in Megascolecidae and Eudrilidae were apparently very frequent.
Abstract: The evolution of megadriles is analysed employing the traditional comparative method supplemented with palaeogeographic information drawn from plate tectonics. The origin of the group is considered in relation to special physiological and developmental strategies which evolved in response to life in compact soil and the acquisition of a larger body size. Further evolution, also related to the terricolous habits, implied differentiations of intestinal structures and modifications of the mating mechanics. The required modifications went on in divergent ways in the three superfamilies Lumbricoidea, Megascolecoidea, and Eudriloidea. The most primitive among the Lumbricoidea, which stemmed from some strain akin to the Haplotaxidae, are limicolous and are distributed over a broad territory corresponding to the northern and central regions of the Lower Triassic Pangaea. Based on ovarian structure, these megadriles may be divided into a northern strain, that originated in Laurasia, and a southern strain,...
49 citations
TL;DR: The hypothesis that protection of piscivore and macrocar‐nivore species within the integral reserve suppresses populations of small‐sized microcarnivorous fish species, allowing ‘prey‐release’ of small benthic invertebrates is supported.
Abstract: Very few studies have addressed the effect of protection on macrozoobenthos in marine protected areas, and particularly for sites in the Mediterranean Sea. In the present study, the molluscan assemblages associated with photophilic algal communities of the Marine Reserve of Ustica Island, were investigated. A survey was carried out along transects from 1 to 15 m in depth, during the spring of 1996 at three different sites, subjected to different levels of reserve protection. Species richness and number of individuals reflected the level of protection, and both variables were significantly higher in the integral (most heavily protected) part of the reserve compared with the less well protected buffer areas. Species diversity values showed no correlation with the level of protection. The results reported here do not agree with previous findings on the ‘reserve effect’ involving large‐sized macrozoo‐benthic species. However, the data reported, together with a study on polychaetes from the same study...
48 citations
TL;DR: The boring sponge faunas from the Maldives and Seychelles show certain affinities among them and also with that of the entire Indo‐Pacific region.
Abstract: A collection of boring sponges from the Maldives and Seychelles coral reefs was studied. From the etched organogenous material, 16 boring sponge species (belonging to seven genera and five families), were identified; three of these species are new and two are reported for the Indian Ocean for the first time. A list of the boring species hitherto recorded from the area is given. The boring sponge faunas from the Maldives and Seychelles show certain affinities among them and also with that of the entire Indo‐Pacific region.
43 citations
TL;DR: Compared with faunal descriptions of the Israeli Mediterranean Sea benthos from the 1970s, two phenomena are now prominent: an increase of Red Sea immigrant species, and a drastic decline of biodiversity and species richness in several polluted sites, induced by anthropogenic stress.
Abstract: The Mediterranean Sea has undergone extreme changes over the last 30 million years, finally becoming a part of the Tethys enclosed within an internal basin and frequently opening into the Atlantic Ocean and the northern Red Sea. These events left behind them faunal elements from the respective oceans, which mixed with autochthonous species. The opening of the Suez Canal 138 years ago led to a renewed influx of Red Sea species that established themselves along the littoral, especially in the Levant region, and formed the mixed Red‐Mediterranean Seas communities. This study summarises data on species composition of benthic animal assemblages encountered along the Israeli Mediterranean littoral and sublittoral. The described assemblages are identified and named according to the leading taxa, separately for hard and soft substrata. Of over 500 taxa listed in this study, 60 species are of Red Sea or Indo‐Pacific origin, among them the largest in their respective communities. Compared with faunal descr...
42 citations
TL;DR: Investigation of soil microfungi in contrasting sites at the BIOTAS area at Edmonson Point indicated that both the presence of bird colonies and changes in temperature and UV exposure obtained by using plastic cloches influenced species composition and density.
Abstract: Cryptoendolithic microbial communities, living in porous sandstone rocks in the McMurdo Dry Valleys (Ross Desert) of Southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, were found within weathered pegmatite rocks in Northern Victoria Land, and the first endemic Antarctic fungal genus Friedmanniomyces endolithicus anam.‐gen. and sp. nov. was isolated from this community. Selected microfungi from these communities and from soil were examined for the production of extracellular enzymes and antibiotic substances. The cryptoendolithic strain CCFEE 5001 was particularly remarkable for consistent glycosidase activity, coupled with barely detectable growth. Chitinase activity was highest in the soil mi‐crofungus Verticillium cfr. lecanii (CCFEE 5003). This strain and its purified chitinase were active on Mucor plumbeus, Cladospori‐um cladosporioides, Aspergillus versicolor, and Penicillium verrucosum, producing mycelial damage and cell lysis. The strain CCFEE 5020, isolated from rocks, showed antibiotic activity against...
38 citations
TL;DR: Foraging flights in spring and summer differed from those in autumn and winter in the patterns of daily activity, the number of birds moving, and the sizes of the flocks.
Abstract: The first spatio‐temporal analysis of foraging flights of wild rock doves is here reported. Birds living in one of the last relatively pure demes of wild Columba livia in the Mediterranean region (Capo Caccia, NW Sardinia) were observed on their foraging routes and in the course of daily movements to and from the colonial site. Foraging sites were located by systematic searches of colour‐marked birds in the study area. The pigeons followed rather stable routes in reaching foraging sites, which are mainly located in agricultural fields up to around 19 km from the colonial site. In autumn, doves tended to reduce the extent of foraging flights, feeding almost exclusively on lenti‐scus fruits located near the colony. Foraging flights in spring and summer differed from those in autumn and winter in the patterns of daily activity, the number of birds moving, and the sizes of the flocks. The possible relationships between the spatio‐temporal characteristics of foraging flights and other aspects of the b...
28 citations
TL;DR: The type material of Spongilla lacustris, recently found in the Linnean herbarium, is described and Morphological diagnostic traits are described by SEM microphotography.
Abstract: The type material of Spongilla lacustris, recently found in the Linnean herbarium, is described. Type locality and present distribution are shown. Morphological diagnostic traits are described by SEM microphotography. This is the single species of Porifera out of 12 described by Linnaeus in 1759, with type specimen known. A lectotype is selected from two syntypes.
27 citations
TL;DR: The availability, at least in the vicinity of the census station, of pine seeds of the Calabrian black pine as main food resource strongly influenced habitat choice, and variation between stations in a tree species diversity index and in distance from the nearest plot of pine woodland significantly affected variation in drey density.
Abstract: Counts of squirrel nests (dreys) and vegetation surveys in 32 1‐ha census stations were carried out to estimate densities in different forest types and determine habitat selection of the subspecies of red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris meridionalis in the Sila Grande forests, Calabria, South Italy. Dreys were not built randomly, but the majority was constructed at 60–70% of the total height of the nest‐tree, pines and oaks being the preferred tree species. Mean drey densities, 2.75/ha, 2.78/ha, and 2.00/ha in, respectively, Cal‐abrian black pine forest, beech dominated mixed forest, and chestnut woodlands, did not differ between forest types and extrapolated to estimated squirrel densities ranging from 0.44 to 0.61 squirrels/ha. Variation between stations in a tree species diversity index and in distance from the nearest plot of pine woodland significantly affected variation in drey density: squirrels preferred forest habitats dominated by beech, with also black pine and oak available, or chestnut woo...
25 citations
TL;DR: The most important food items were adults and juveniles of planktonic copepods and decapod larvae, and the maximum values of stomach content were found in the samples collected during afternoon, while the stomachs of fish caught before sunrise were generally empty.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to obtain preliminary information about food composition and feeding habits of the adult sprat during its spawning season in the Adriatic Sea. The most important food items were adults and juveniles of planktonic copepods and decapod larvae. Cladocerans, mysids, appendicularians, isopods, ostracods, pteropods, bivalve larvae and fish eggs were also found; no phytoplankton or other algal remains were found in the stomachs. Significant differences between samples collected during night, morning and afternoon hours were found. The maximum values of stomach content were found in the samples collected during afternoon, while the stomachs of fish caught before sunrise were generally empty.
25 citations
TL;DR: Gppies with prior experience of the predator showed a greater tendency to approach a live predator when their shoalmate was visible on their right side, compared to without experience.
Abstract: Functional specializations of the right and left side of the brain have been shown to occur in all vertebrate classes and are known to affect various aspects of behaviour. Recent evidence suggests that cerebral lateralization influences cooperative predator inspection in fish. In order to confirm these findings, predator inspection was studied in female guppies (Poecilia reticulata) while a shoalmate (their own mirror image) was visible either on their left or right side. We used laboratory‐reared guppies with no natural experience of predators. One half of the subjects were sensitized to a predator by repeatedly introducing a hungry individual of the species Lepomis gibbosus into their home tank prior to the test, while the other half remained without any experience of predators. Guppies with prior experience of the predator showed a greater tendency to approach a live predator when their shoalmate was visible on their right side.
TL;DR: The 18S rDNA gene sequences of K. antarctica and other closely related species allowed us to verify that the Koliella genus belongs to Trebouxiophyceae, while as regards the other two taxa, one was found to belong to the Heterococcus and the other to the Pyramimonas genus.
Abstract: Results of analyses on pico, nano‐ and microphytoplankton from the sea‐ice of Terra Nova Bay, during austral summer 1995–96, are reported. In this environment, among the 116 taxa that we found, the most abundant were diatoms (102). The interior algal community of the sea‐ice was dominated by Fragilariopsis spp., Archeomonas areolata, and hypnozygotes of Porella glacialis. In the algal mat at the deeper layer of the ice, however, diatoms showed higher density. Photoautotrophic picoplankton was also present and red‐fluorescing cells, small eukaryotes and phycocyanin‐rich cyanobacteria prevailed over phycoerythrin‐rich cyanobacteria. Besides these data, ultrastructural, physiological and biomolecular surveys on three Antarctic sea water microalgae, of which only Koliella antarctica was known, were also carried out. The 18S rDNA gene sequences of K. antarctica and other closely related species allowed us to verify that the Koliella genus belongs to Trebouxiophyceae, while as regards the other two tax...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used satellite transmitters, time-depth recorders, and electronic tagging for monitoring feeding behaviour and nest attendance of Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae).
Abstract: About 2000 breeding pairs of Adelie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) nest in Edmonson Point (Wood Bay, 74°21’ S, 165°10’ E) The penguin colony is located on a raised terrace, divided into 13 discrete small units or colonies separated by unoccupied areas, where South polar skua (Catharacta maccormicki) nest Colony layout, breeding chronology, breeding success, diet, and foraging areas were studied for five consecutive austral summers Satellite transmitters, time‐depth recorders, and electronic tagging were used for monitoring feeding behaviour and nest attendance An Automated Penguin Monitoring System was installed which records weight, identity, and direction of penguins as they move between the sea and their breeding colony So far, the results of this study are documentation on colony trends, breeding biology, and differences in foraging strategies at different stages of the reproductive period and during different study seasons
TL;DR: The annual variations in plasma concentrations and thyroid and hepatic contents of thyroid hormones, as well as the activity of hepatic 5'‐T4 ORD (type II) monodeiodinase, in the male lizard, Podarcis sicula, during two consecutive years are described.
Abstract: The present paper describes the annual variations in plasma concentrations and thyroid and hepatic contents of thyroid hormones, as well as the activity of hepatic 5'‐T4 ORD (type II) monodeiodinase, in the male lizard, Podarcis sicula, during two consecutive years. Plasma concentration of T4 was low in winter and increased in March, reaching maximal levels in May‐June; plasma levels of T3 varied throughout the year, reaching minimum values in December and February. The thyroid content of T3 was high between March and July; the T4 content followed a similar seasonal pattern and showed a minimum in January and a maximum in July. Low hepatic contents of T3 and T4 were found in winter, increasing rapidly after spring to reach maximal values in July‐October. Moreover, the maximal activity of hepatic 5'‐T4 ORD (type II) monodeiodinase was observed in May and June‐July. Minimal activity was detected in winter and in October‐November. Plasma TSH levels were high between March and July and low from Novem...
TL;DR: Layering of distinct generations of colonies suggests the significant accretion of a persistent biogenic substratum in Anthozoa species found on subtidal hard substrata off Palaeochori Bay, an area characterised by submarine hydrothermalism.
Abstract: Eleven species of Anthozoa (two Octocorallia and nine Hexa‐corallia) were found on subtidal (2 to 90 m depth) hard substrata off Palaeochori Bay (SE Milos Island), an area characterised by submarine hydrothermalism For each species, depth distribution and habitat were recorded Their ecology at Milos was consistent with previous knowledge in other areas of the Mediterranean Sea The corallites of Caryophyllia inornata (and perhaps other species) were comparatively small‐sized, thus apparently conforming to the so‐called ‘eastern nanism’ (ie, high occurrence of dwarf individuals in the Aegean as compared to the western Mediterranean) for many Mediterranean benthic species Madracis pharensis was very common, especially in sites close to vents, locally covering up to 30% of the primary rock with a calcareous crust Skeletal bulk density (195–210 g‐cm‐3) was higher, and porosity (29%) lower, than in typical constructional corals Layering of distinct generations of colonies suggests the signifi
TL;DR: Feeding of tawny owl, Strix aluco, was studied from 14 localities of northern and central Italy, where it preyed mainly upon mammals and birds, but amphibians and invertebrates were also frequently eaten.
Abstract: Feeding of tawny owl, Strix aluco, was studied from 14 localities of northern and central Italy, where it preyed mainly upon mammals and birds, but amphibians and invertebrates were also frequently eaten Predation upon mammals was more important from autumn to spring, when alternative prey (amphibians, birds and invertebrates) were less available The food niche overlaps, the linear distances (in km) between the various localities were negatively correlated, and the mean size of prey taken increased with the proportion of forested territory However, where tawny owl preyed upon large forest mammals, it also preyed upon larger mammals not typical of forests Considering the relationships between forest structure and tawny owl diet, it was found that forest density was positively correlated with the proportion of arvicolids and negatively with prey size diversity and the proportion of myoxids The amount of forest territory within 1 km radius from each pellet collection site largely explained diet
TL;DR: The rare specimens with sperm clusters and young oocytes proved the occurrence of successive hermaphroditism as an underlying mechanism and some aspects of the reproductive biology of C. tarentina are compared with that of other Tetractinomorpha.
Abstract: The sexual reproductive cycle of the Tetractinomorpha Spirophorida Cinachyra tarentina was studied mainly using light microscopy on samples collected in South Italy over a 2‐year period. Some aspects of the egg morphology were observed using transmission electron microscopy. Each year, young oocytes in pre‐vitellogenesis appeared in May and coexisted with growing oocytes. Yolk‐filled eggs were present in June and July. Oogenesis preceded spermatogenesis which occurred only in June. Cinachyra tarentina is an oviparous species having small eggs ranging from 40 to 50 pm in diameter which are scattered in the mesohyl and have a nucleolated nucleus surrounded by dictyosomes of the Golgi apparatus. Growing oocytes and yolk‐filled eggs have an irregular surface because of the presence of numerous pseudopodia which protrude into the mesohyl. Even though apparently gonochoric individuals were mostly observed, the rare specimens with sperm clusters and young oocytes proved the occurrence of successive herm...
TL;DR: Immunocytochemistry shows that phenoloxidase is located inside the vacuoles of moru‐la cells, known to be the effectors of the rejection reaction, thus confirming the close relationship between the two cell types.
Abstract: Using a polyclonal antibody raised against purified phenoloxidase from the colonial ascidian Botryllus schlossen, we studied its distribution among haemocytes and its intracellular location. The enzyme is present inside granular amoebocytes and morula cells, thus confirming the close relationship between the two cell types, as suggested by previous histochemical and histoenzymatic analysis. Immunocytochemistry in both light and electron microscopy shows that phenoloxidase is located inside the vacuoles of moru‐la cells, known to be the effectors of the rejection reaction.
TL;DR: This survey of the Orthoptera of Şanliurfa (Urfa) province in southeastern Turkey recorded eighty‐six species and subspecies belonging to seven families and fifty genera, including seven species with subspecies endemic to Anatolia and seven species recorded as new for the southeastern Anatolia.
Abstract: Previous records and 1920 newly collected specimens formed the basis of this survey of the Orthoptera of Sanliurfa (Urfa) province in southeastern Turkey. Eighty‐six species and subspecies were recorded, both as the result of the field study and use of published data; they belong to seven families and fifty genera. Eleven genera and thirty‐two species were recorded for the first time from Sanliurfa. Seven species were recorded as new for the southeastern Anatolia. Eleven species with subspecies are endemic to Anatolia. Eremial faunal elements are dominant in the area.
TL;DR: A molecular analysis of the systematics of three Antarctic bivalve species suggests that the subclass to which Y. eightsi belongs is primitive, and that L. elliptica, which is usually placed among Anomalodesmata, shows a close relationship with Heterodonta.
Abstract: In this paper we performed a molecular analysis of the systematics of three Antarctic bivalve species: Adamussium colbecki, Laternula elliptica, and Yoldia eightsi. The taxonomic position of A. colbecki, that is included in the family Pectinidae by some Authors, and in Propeamussiidae by others, was studied by analysing 18S rDNA, mitochondrial 12S, 16S rDNA. The results showed that A. colbecki belongs to Pectinidae. No element of evidence supports the inclusion of A. colbecki in any other family. Also studied in this species was a repetitive DNA sequence which shows characters typical of the centromeric DNAs found in many other eukariotes. In the other two Antarctic species, we investigated only 18S rDNA and compared it with the sequences published in the literature of species belonging to various bivalve subclasses. These molecular data suggest that the subclass to which Y. eightsi belongs is primitive, and that L. elliptica, which is usually placed among Anomalodesmata, shows a close relationsh...
TL;DR: Due to the high incidence of broad‐ranging, often bipolar or subcosmopolitan species, the lichen flora of the survey area seems to be a young one, which mainly originated by long‐distance dispersal in the Quaternary period.
Abstract: After a brief summary of previous Italian lichenological research in Antartica, a key is provided for the identification of the 57 species of lichens and lichenicolous fungi which were hitherto recorded from the Terra Nova Bay area (Victoria Land, Continental Antarctica). The key is based on the analysis of the samples collected during the Italian Antarctic expeditions, and preserved in the TSB lichen herbarium. Due to the high incidence of broad‐ranging, often bipolar or subcosmopolitan species, the lichen flora of the survey area seems to be a young one, which mainly originated by long‐distance dispersal in the Quaternary period.
TL;DR: Diet of two syntopic populations of Rana dalmatina and R. synklepton esculenta were studied and results suggest that maintaining a highly diversified habitat is useful for avoiding competition between species.
Abstract: Diet of two syntopic populations of Rana dalmatina and R. synklepton esculenta were studied in order to collect data about competition and niche overlap in relation to habitats frequented. Field observations confirm previous ecological researches and show that the former species has a short aquatic phase during the mating period; it lives in woods after breeding relatively far from water. The edible frog, on the contrary, remains near damp areas during the whole activity period. Trophic niche breadth proved greater in R. dalmatina than in R. synklepton esculenta. Niche overlap between species was low, because of the different kind of habitats frequented, while that between sexes was low in R. dalmatina, because males and females show different activity patterns during the year. On the contrary, overlap was complete in R. synklepton esculenta. No correlation was found between the size of frogs and preys. In conclusion, frogs are opportunistic predators and our results suggest that maintaining a hi...
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the taxonomic sufficiency for impact studies is similar to studies in soft‐bottom benthic assemblages, and that identification of organisms to the level of family probably will be acceptable for most monitoring studies.
Abstract: Many recent studies have demonstrated that, in monitoring surveys, identification of organisms to the lowest possible taxon may not always be necessary to describe spatial patterns. In this study we examine faunal patterns at different taxonomic levels by means of multivariate analysis. The study site was located in the Bay of Marina Grande (Scilla, Tyrrhenian Sea), in the proximity of an outlet of a drain of domestic sewage. Macrofaunal abundance data from four hard‐bottom stations were analysed at the level of species, genus, family, class, and phylum. Transformation of data was also considered. The gradient of change in community structure was clearly detectable from matrices derived from species, genus, and family abundances constructed using identical transformation. This study, which is the first of this kind on Mediterranean hard‐bottom macrofaunal communities, demonstrated that the taxonomic sufficiency for impact studies is similar to studies in soft‐bottom benthic assemblages, and that ...
TL;DR: Average concentrations of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Mn and Fe were among the lowest ever reported for lichens of genus Umbilicaria, and Cd and Hg concentrations fell within the same range or were higher than those usually measured in samples from remote areas of the southern and northern hemispheres.
Abstract: Total concentrations of major and trace elements were determined in thalli of the epilithic lichen Umbilicaria decussata from 37 habitats in Victoria Land (continental Antarctica). Average concentrations of Pb, Cu, Zn, Cr, Mn and Fe were among the lowest ever reported for lichens of genus Umbilicaria. On the contrary, Cd and Hg concentrations fell within the same range or were higher than those usually measured in samples from remote areas of the southern and northern hemispheres. No impact of local or remote human activities was detected. Comparison between average metal concentrations in U. decussata samples collected in 1989 and 1999 did not show significant variations, and this result was assumed to be indicative of negligible changes in the environmental biogeochemistry of Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems. The ad/absorption of soil and rock dust particles, atmospheric depositions, marine aerosols, guano of seabirds, and the uptake of soluble elements from widespread salt encrustations and/or...
TL;DR: Examining the differences in body morphology, clutch size and viviparity between relatively elongated and non‐elongated species of Chalcides suggests the elliptic placenta might have evolved to maintain adequate clutch size by compensating for yolk mass reduction.
Abstract: This paper examines the differences in body morphology, clutch size and viviparity between relatively elongated and non‐elongated species of Chalcides. Reduction in egg size and placentome development in snake‐like species seem to be necessary consequences of evolutionary body attenuation in this group of skinks. In particular, the elliptic placenta might have evolved to maintain adequate clutch size by compensating for yolk mass reduction.
TL;DR: The larvae of Libellula depressa appeared to be a ‘spring species’, as defined by Corbet, and the population the authors studied had a mainly semivoltine life history and, probably, a small proportion of the larvae a unIVoltine cycle.
Abstract: The developmental stages of the larvae of Libellula depressa were investigated for three years in permanent freshwater pools in central Italy. Eleven instars (F‐0 ‐ F‐10) of L. depressa were discriminated by size and scatter plot. Scatter plots were constructed using the following measurements: labium length, head width, metafemur length, forewing‐pad length, and total larval body length. Prolarvae instar was derived by Dyar's law. The mean growth rate coefficient values were about 0.77 for isometric parameters and 0.51 for the forewing‐pad allometric parameter. L. depressa appeared to be a ‘spring species’, as defined by Corbet, and the population we studied had a mainly semivoltine life history and, probably, a small proportion of the larvae a univoltine cycle. Eggs showed direct development.
TL;DR: Behaviours related to a mechanical stimulation of the partner appear to play a fundamental role during breeding in the grass goby, i.e. the dark burrows excavated in the muddy seagrass beds where the visual communicative channel results of little use.
Abstract: The grass goby, Zosterisessor ophiocephalus, breeds in dark underground reproductive burrows excavated by the male in the intertidal muddy area of seagrass meadows. The present study under laboratory conditions, describes the behaviour exhibited by both male and female grass gobies during breeding. The most common behaviours displayed by the male involved physical contact with the female (e.g., prodding, tail beating), whereas the female mostly reacted by performing behaviours related to body and/or fin oscillations. The most frequent behavioural sequences performed were tail beating and prodding by the male, followed by female body arching and dorsal fin oscillations, and the latter followed in turn by male tail beating and prodding. Both sequences occurred with the highest frequency during courtship. A statistical analysis of the behavioural sequences indicated that the most significant ones were prodding by the male followed by female body arching, and the latter followed in turn by male prodd...
TL;DR: Results are consistent with the hypothesis that the genus Poicephalus is a natural assemblage that, after undergoing a very early separation from Psittacus and Agapornis, was subsequently affected by a number of discrete speciation events, especially during episodes of aridity resulting in fragmentation of forest habitats.
Abstract: Random amplified polymorphic DNA analysis of blood samples from eight African parrot species was performed to study the genetic relationship within the genus Poicephalus and among Poi‐cephalus and the two other main African parrot genuses, Agapornis and Psittacus. To this end, DNA from six Poicephalus species, one species, of the Agapornis group and the single Psittacus species was analysed. The amplification pattern was then converted into a binary matrix and scored by the unweighted pair‐group method algorithm. The resulting dendrogram showed a neat separation of all the Poicephalus on one side, from Psittacus‐Agapornis on the other side. Among the six analysed species of Poicephalus, two larger clusters occurred, one containing four species belonging to the P. meyeri superspecies and the other one containing the two species pertaining to the P. robustus superspecies. The larger one of these is further subdivided in two smaller clusters, each one containing two species, that is P. meyeri‐P. cry...
TL;DR: The mitochondrial COII gene was shown to be a useful marker at the population level in Isotoma klovstadi, and for studying phylogenetic relationships at the family level, while the nuclear EF‐lα and 28S rRNA genes were less useful.
Abstract: The mitochondrial COII gene was shown to be a useful marker at the population level in Isotoma klovstadi, and for studying phylogenetic relationships at the family level, while the nuclear EF‐lα and 28S rRNA genes were less useful. The populations of I. klovstadi from four collecting sites in North Victoria Land appeared to be fairly isolated from one another, with the exception of one population which has probably been influenced by immigrants from others. The position of Friesea grisea within the Neanuridae suggests that, in contrast with other morphological hypotheses, the subfamily Frieseinae is the sister‐group of the Pseudachorutinae. Comparison of the mitochondrial gene order in Gomphio‐cephalus hodgsoni and other insects suggested that some translocations in the tRNA genes may represent useful markers for reconstructing phylogenetic relationships within Arthropoda.
TL;DR: D Dugesia leporii sp.
Abstract: Dugesia leporii sp. n. from SW Sardinia is described. It is characterised by a comparatively small copulatory apparatus, the shape of the penial papilla, and the course and opening of the ejaculatory duct. The penial papilla, which has a penial valve, protrudes into an undivided atrium and is not provided with accessory structures. The taxonomic position of the new species within the D. gonocephala group is discussed.