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Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Fin-Mutant Female Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Exhibit Differences In Association Preferences For Male Fin Length, Jennifer M. Gumm, Jennifer L. Snekser, M. Kathryn Lovine
Fin-Mutant Female Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Exhibit Differences In Association Preferences For Male Fin Length, Jennifer M. Gumm, Jennifer L. Snekser, M. Kathryn Lovine
Faculty Publications
Females often choose to associate with males that have exaggerated traits. In fishes, this may reflect an overall preference for larger size in a potential mate. Female zebrafish (Danio rerio) prefer males with larger bodies but not longer fins. The availability of mutant and transgenic strains of zebrafish make this a unique model system in which to study the role of phenotypic variation in social and sexual behavior. We used mutant strains of zebrafish with truncated (short fin) and exaggerated (long fin) fins to further examine female preferences for fin length in dichotomous association tests. Wild type females showed no …
A Primitive Aphidiine Wasp In Albian Amber From Spain And A Northern Hemisphere Origin For The Subfamily (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae), Jaime Ortega-Blanco, Daniel J. Bennett, Xavier Delclòs, Michael S. Engel
A Primitive Aphidiine Wasp In Albian Amber From Spain And A Northern Hemisphere Origin For The Subfamily (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae), Jaime Ortega-Blanco, Daniel J. Bennett, Xavier Delclòs, Michael S. Engel
Faculty Publications
A description of a new genus and species of braconid, Archephedrus stolamissus, from Early Cretaceous (Albian) amber from Moraza-Peñacerrada I (Spain) is here provided. This is the first fossil Aphidiinae described in Cretaceous amber. The fossil has some typical characters of the subfamily but possesses a unique assemblage of characters among aphidiines, such as a fairly robust abdomen, with a more pronounced articulation between the first and second, instead of the second and third, metasomal segments, as well as several wing venational traits. The distribution of this and other aphidiine fossils, as well as their putative phylogenetic placement as …
A Remarkable Tiphiiform Wasp In Mid-Cretaceous Amber From Myanmar (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae), Michael S. Engel, Jaime Ortega-Blanco, Daniel J. Bennett
A Remarkable Tiphiiform Wasp In Mid-Cretaceous Amber From Myanmar (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae), Michael S. Engel, Jaime Ortega-Blanco, Daniel J. Bennett
Faculty Publications
The first tiphiid wasp (Aculeata: Euaculeata: Vespoidea: Tiphiiformes) in Cretaceous amber is described and figured. Thanatotiphia nyx, new genus and species, is represented by a male entombed in mid-Cretaceous (latest Albian) amber from Myanmar. Thanatotiphia possesses remarkable apomorphies in wing venation, lacks key traits of modern subfamilies, and is thus classified in a new subfamily, Thanatotiphiinae. The fossil is further shown to be nested well within the family, indicating that major lineages of Tiphiidae diverged by the mid-Cretaceous. The new taxon is compared with modern tiphiid subfamilies and the sparse fossil history of the family briefly overviewed.
Thermoregulation Of Male Elaphe Spiloides In An Agriculturally-Fragmented Forest In Illinois, C. Drew Foster, Sarabeth Klueh, Stephen J. Mullin
Thermoregulation Of Male Elaphe Spiloides In An Agriculturally-Fragmented Forest In Illinois, C. Drew Foster, Sarabeth Klueh, Stephen J. Mullin
Faculty Publications
Anthropogenic forest fragmentation increases the amount of edge habitat. Although edges are harsh environments for many native species, ratsnakes often prefer this habitat. We examined thermoregulatory effectiveness of Central Ratsnakes (Elaphe spiloides) using forest edges preferentially to determine if edge preference is driven by increased thermoregulatory efficiencies. Six male subjects were located every 1-2 days using radio-telemetry and temperature sensitive transmitters. Subjects did not thermoregulate more efficiently in edges than in forest. Snakes were thermoconformers in both habitat types suggesting edge preference might be driven by other factors.
Demographics Of A Geographically-Isolated Population Of Threatened Salamander (Caudata: Ambystomatidae) In Central Illinois, Stephen J. Mullin, Sarabeth Klueh
Demographics Of A Geographically-Isolated Population Of Threatened Salamander (Caudata: Ambystomatidae) In Central Illinois, Stephen J. Mullin, Sarabeth Klueh
Faculty Publications
Amphibian populations that use small isolated wetlands are often small in size, susceptible to stochastic extinction processes, and have little to no contact with other populations. One can ascertain the persistence of such populations only by obtaining data that allow the prediction of future changes in population’s size, and propensity to achieve a sustainable number of individuals. The number of metamorphosing larvae leaving a pond predicts the viability of a salamander population, and thus, the number recruited into the terrestrial adult population. The Jefferson Salamander, Ambystoma jeffersonianum, is a listed threatened species in Illinois, occurring at fewer than 15 ponds …
A Survey Of Reptiles And Amphibians On Kinmen Island, Taiwan, Daniel Saenz, Heather V. Podlipny, Pei-Yu Tasi, Brent Burt, Hsiao-Wei Yuan
A Survey Of Reptiles And Amphibians On Kinmen Island, Taiwan, Daniel Saenz, Heather V. Podlipny, Pei-Yu Tasi, Brent Burt, Hsiao-Wei Yuan
Faculty Publications
Little is known about the reptiles and amphibians of Kinmen Island, Taiwan. Until recently, Kinmen had been off-limits to outsiders. It wasn’t until the mid 1990’s that civilian travel was allowed to and from the island. We surveyed 8 sites from 19 May through 18 July 2005, using 15 m drift fences with collapsible funnel traps on the ends. We documented encounters with animals outside the traps and observed 258 individuals of 7 species during our survey. The herpetofauna encountered consisted of two anuran, two lizard, and three snake species. The two anuran species made up over 97% of the …
Ecological Parameters Of Coluber Constrictor Etheridgei, With Comparisons To Other Coluber Constrictor Subspecies, Robert R. Fleet, D. Craig Rudolph, J. D. Camper, J. Niederhofer
Ecological Parameters Of Coluber Constrictor Etheridgei, With Comparisons To Other Coluber Constrictor Subspecies, Robert R. Fleet, D. Craig Rudolph, J. D. Camper, J. Niederhofer
Faculty Publications
In 1998, we conducted a radio-telemetry study of Coluber constrictor etheridgei (Tan Racer) in the Angelina National Forest in eastern Texas. Individuals were located once daily from 12 June to 14 August. We determined home-range size, movement distances, movement frequency, and habitat use for this short-term study. We also determined food habits of this population by examination of fecal samples. We compared these parameters to other Racer taxa in Utah (C. c. mormon [Western Yellow-bellied Racer]), Kansas (C. c. fl aviventris [Eastern Yellow-bellied Racer]), and South Carolina (C.c. priapus [Southern Black Racer]). Compared to these populations, Texas Racers exhibited larger …