Zoology Commons^™

Observations On Relationships Between Limb Measurements And Mode Of Locomotion In Malaysian Turtles, Duayne Nyckel

Masters Theses

Twelve Genera (spanning three Families) of Malaysian Turtles were studied to determine whether bone lengths could be correlated to mode of locomotion. Ulna, humerus, tibia, femur, coracoid (among others) were measured and results were presented graphically. Five of the genera were observed singly in a large aquarium. Data were recorded on the amount of time each spent in different locomotor modes. Both limb length data and aquarium observations suggest that turtles can be grouped into three main locomotor habits (i.e. terrestrial walking, bottomwalking, and swimming). The terrestrial group includes the genera, Geochelone, Kinixys, and Gopherus. Bottomwalkers include …

Phylogeny And Paleobiogeography Of Short-Tailed Shrews (Genus Blarina), Cheri A. Jones, Jerry R. Choate, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Dental measurements of Pleistocene and Holocene shrews of the genus Blarina were analyzed in a multivariate assessment of phylogeny and paleobiogeography of the genus. Blarina brevicauda, or an indistinguishable precursor, apparently was the ancestral form. Two semispecies, brevicauda and talpoides, are recognizable early in the fossil record; these two phena probably appeared as a result of increasing diversity'in the environment of the late Irvingtonian. Evidently, repeated fluctuations of climate and the subsequent changes in range have not been sufficient to cause the cessation of gene flow necessary to complete speciation.

A second species, B. carolinensis, appeared in …

Operant Conditioning In The Water Snake (Nerodia Sipedon), Angela R. Deitz

Masters Theses

Six subjects of Nerodia sipedon were tested for runway acquisition. Five of six subjects met criterion for runway learning, demonstrating a significant decrease over the 25 day testing period in mean latency and running times. Four subjects completed 170 trials in a T-maze to test two-choice discrimination and reversal learning. All subjects met criterion for the initial discrimination and one reversal while two subjects completed four reversals and one subject met criterion for six reversals. Results are similar or superior to those previously reported for reptiles and other non-human vertebrates.

Results Of The Alcoa Foundation-Suriname Expeditions. Vii. Records Of Mammals From Central And Southern Suriname, Stephen L. Williams, Hugh H. Genoways, Jane A. Groen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The occurrence of three species of mammals previously unknown in Suriname is documented. The new taxa recorded include Vampyrops aurarius, Vampyrops lineatus, and Natalus tumidirostris. Additional information is provided on Centronycteris maximiliana, Sigmomys alstoni, Zygodontomys brevicauda, and Cavia aperea from Suriname.

Homing And Ecology In The Southern Flying Squirrel, Glaucomys Volans In Southeastern Virginia, Sherrie Lynn Sawyer

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to determine whether homing occurred in the southern flying squirrel, Glauaomys volans, and if so, the greatest homing distance. Information on the squirrel's ecology, reproductive biology and use of artificial nest boxes was also obtained. The study was conducted from November 1978 through March 1981, using nest boxes placed in a deciduous forest in southeastern Virginia.

For the homing experiments, twenty squirrels were released a total of 29 times along three lines at distances of 250 m to 1.6 km from the homesites. Squirrels were found to home successfully up to 1,000 m.

The …

Cameron B. Kepler's Review Of Janet Kear And A. J. Berger's The Hawaiian Goose: An Experiment In Conservation, Cameron B. Kepler

Pacific Studies

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of Small Rodents In Four Dismal Swamp Plant Communities, F. Elizabeth Breidling, Frank P. Day Jr., Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Diversity and density of small rodents in the Dismal Swamp are believed to be low. Reasons for this may be excessive predation, heavy interspecific pressure from large rodents, lack of suitable habitat, low food availability or flooding.

Rodent populations were evaluated using live-traps and pitfall traps in four different Dismal Swamp plant communities. Habitat was compared on the basis of phytomass studies previously reported. Flood levels were recorded during live-trapping sessions. Mast from trees was collected in modified mast collectors, and fed to Peromyscus leucopus in the laboratory.

Only two small rodent species were captured: Ochrotomys nuttalli and Peromyscus leucopus …

Dynamic Effects Of Food Magnitude On Interim-Terminal Interaction, Alliston K. Reid, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

We tested the assumption of a facilitatory relation between periodic food presentation and schedule-induced drinking by examination of (a) elicited drinking, (b) drinking in anticipation of food delivery, and (c) possible indirect effects of food delivery on drinking. We exposed rats to a fixed-time 60-second schedule in which interfood intervals ended in either one or four food pellets with equal probability. In Phases 1 and 3, a stimulus signaled the magnitude of upcoming food presentation. In Phase 2, the stimulus was eliminated. Changes in drinking and "head-in-feeder" distributions within interfood intervals demonstrated that head-in-feeder was controlled directly by food presentation, …

Status Of The Bat Myotis Keenii In The Arkansas Ozarks, Michael J. Harvey, V. Rick Mcdaniel

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Report On The Zygoptera (Damselflies) Of Arkansas, George L. Harp

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Of The Hiatt Prairie Region, Franklin County, Arkansas, Julie A. Huggins, George L. Harp

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

First Report Of Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat Maternity Colonies In Arkansas, David A. Saugey, Darrell R. Heath, Clark Efaw, Gary A. Heidt, Teresa E. Beggs

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Observaciones Sobre La Biología De Phyllomedusa Iheringi Boulenger, 1885, (Anura, Hylidae), Rafael O. De Sá, Annelise Gerhau

Biology Faculty Publications

RESUMEN:

Se presentan las características que permiten diferenciar las larvas de Phyllomedusa iheringi de las de otros anuros que habitan en nuestro territorio, junto con algunas observaciones sobre la biología de esta especie poco conocida en el Uruguay.

SUMMARY:

The characteristics that differentiate the larvae of Phyllomedusa iheringi from other anurans that live in Uruguay are presented here. Some observations on the biology of this species are also recorded.

Abundance And Seasonal Occurrence Of Psorophora Columbiae In A Northeast Arkansas Ricefield Community, Larry A. Olson, Julia A. Huggins

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Increased population levels of the dark ricefield mosquito, Psorophora columbiae (Dyar and Knab), have been shown to be associated with rice cultivation in Arkansas and several other states. Four standard New Jersey light traps were operated daily between May 30 and October 2 of 1981 and 1982 to determine the relative abundance and seasonal occurrence of this species in NE Arkansas. The effect of trap distance from nearby rice on the number of adult P. columbiae collected was assessed by comparing weekly totals from 2 traps located within 0.9 km of rice fields with totals from 2 traps situated beyond …

Arkansas Range Extensions Of The Seminole Bat (Lasiurus Seminolus) And Eastern Big-Eared Bat (Plecotus Rafinesquii) And Additional County Records For The Hoary Bat (Lasiurus Cinereus), Silver-Haired Bat (Lasionycteris Noctivagans) And Evening Bat..., Darrell R. Heath, Gary A. Heidt, David A. Saugey, V. Rick Mcdaniel

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Gastrointestinal Helminths Of The Cougar, Felis Concolor L., In Northeastern Oregon, Robert L. Rausch, C. Maser, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Helminths of nine species were identified from 39 cougars obtained in northeastern Oregon (Walbowa, Baker, and Union counties), viz., Taenia omissa Lühe, 1910 (100%); T. ovis krabbei Moniez, 1879 (61%); T. hydatigena Pallas, 1776 (10%); Mesocestoides lineatus (Goeze, 1782) (5%); Toxascaris leonina (von Linstow, 1902) (69%); Toxocara cati (Schrank, 1788) (15%); Physaloptera praeputialis von Linstow, 1889 (13%); Pterygodermatites affinis (Jagerskiold, 1904) (ca. 2%); and Trichinella sp. (larvae) (ca. 2%). In addition, undeveloped cestodes of the genus Taenia in 26 animals had lost rostellar hooks and could not be identified. Host-records, prevalence, and biological characteristics of some of the helminths are …

Karyotypic Relationships Within The Short-Tailed Shrews, Genus Blarina, Sarah B. George, Hugh H. Genoways, Jerry R. Choate, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Short-tailed shrews of the genus Blarina exhibit considerable geographic variation in both diploid number and fundamental number. Four chromosomal groups are recognized within the genus: Blarina brevicauda, FN = 48; 2N = 50, 49, or 48; B. carolinensis, FN = 45 or 44; 2N = 46, 39, 38, or 37; B. c. peninsulae, FN = 52; 2N = 52, 51, or 50; B. hylophaga, FN = 62, 61, or 60; 2N = 52. B. c. peninsulae also may be a distinct species, but exact determination must await location and analysis of a zone of contact with …

Parallel-Arm Maze Performance Of Sighted And Blind Rats: Spatial Memory And Maze Structure, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Sighted and peripherally blinded groups of rats learned to obtain a small reward from each arm of an eight-arm parallel maze, and a sighted group was similarly trained on a radial maze. The parallel-sighted and parallel-blind groups were equally slow, and much slower than the radial-sighted group, to attain criterion performance. The three groups shared several response characteristics: selectively avoiding the most recently entered arms, frequently choosing adjacent arms, and an absence of 'spatial generalization' among the arms. The findings support a simple model proposing how subjects identify and choose among the maze-arms.

Morphometric And Geographic Relationships Of Short-Tailed Shrews (Genus Blarina) In Kansas, Iowa, And Missouri, Nancy D. Moncrief, Jerry R. Choate, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Shrews of the genus Blarina from Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri were studied morphometrically and karyologically. The ranges of two species, B. brevicauda and B. hylophaga, overlap in a broad zone across southern Iowa and northern Missouri. Morphometric analyses revealed an unexpectedly large amount of cranial variation in B. brevicauda, and confirmed the presence of that species in the Kansas River Valley of northeastern Kansas. Considerable mensural overlap was found in geographic areas in which B. hylophaga and B. brevicauda are sympatric, evincing the need for further karyotypic and morphometric studies in those areas. No formal taxonomic changes are …

Food Habits And Ecology Of Beavers In Southeastern Virginia, John Lennox Echternach Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The food habits and ecology of three beaver colonies in James County, Virginia were studied. Vegetation surrounding the colonies was characterized as southern mixed hardwood forest or lowland swamp forest. Stream flow values ranged from 0.013 to 0.369 m³/sec. Water depth ranged from 0.5 60 4.0 m. Caloric value of 13 heavily used woody species ranged from 3305 to 6204 cal/g. Considerable seasonal variation was noted in most species with the lowest caloric values noted in summer. No relationship was found between caloric value and frequency of use. Fresh cutting was monitored on a weekly basis and a …

The Suriname Small Mammal Survey: A Case Study Of The Cooperation Between Research And National Conservation Needs, Hugh H. Genoways, Henry A. Reichart, Stephen L. Williams

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

A cooperative program between the Foundation for Nature Preservation in Suriname and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to survey the small mammals of Suriname is reviewed. The program has proven to be mutually beneficial and it is presented as a model for development of similar programs in the future. The technical assistance requested by the Foundation for Nature Preservation in Suriname concerned the distribution and natural history of small mammals, especially those occurring in the Nature Parks and Reserves. The Government of Suriname has established an excellent system of Reserves and Parks throughout the country. They are trying to …

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Of Three Acid Bogs On Crowley's Ridge In Northeast Arkansas, Jerry L. Farris, George L. Harp

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Qualities and quantities of parameters composing the bog systems in Northeast Arkansas are not entirely reflective of those defining bogs of the northern United States. While pH is restricting to the organisms of each bog studied (4.8-6.9), the major limiting factor is the amount of available water. Three acidophilic bogs with shallow water depths (2-30 cm) yielded a total of 75 aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa. The bog with greatest surface area supported 67 taxa and a mean numerical standing crop of 14 organisms/2 hr sampling period. The bog with the smallest surface area had 13 taxa and a mean standing crop …

Soil Traversing Arthropod Populations As Sampled By Pitfall Traps In Sunflower And Three Adjacent Habitats In Northeast Arkansas, Linda A. Lee, Harvey E. Barton

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Soil traversing arthropod populations were sampled by pitfall traps in sunflower (Helianthus spp.) and three adjacent habitats during the months of July, August and September of 1980 and May, June, July and August of 1981. In1980, four varieties of sunflower (Ellar, Hybrid 670, 891 and S-345) were planted. A single variety of sunflower (Ellar) was planted in1981. The three adjacent habitats in both 1980 and 1981 were a pine stand, grass border and fence row. Of 1,748 specimens collected in 1980, 17 orders and 48 families were represented. Four orders comprised 78% of the total catch: Hymenoptera (45%), Acari (17%), …

Selection Of Breeding Ponds By The Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma Annulatum, Peter P. Brussock, Arthur V. Brown

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Cave Fauna Of Arkansas: Further Records, James D. Dunivan, C. Renn Tumlison, V. Rick Mcdaniel

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Taxa Present In Two Ozark Springs In Randolph County, Arkansas, G. Randall Guntharp, George L. Harp

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Invertebrate Fauna Of Devils Den, A Sandstone Cave In Northwestern Arkansas, Stewart B. Peck, James H. Peck

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The same invertebrate fauna of 17 species was found in Devils Den Cave, Washington County, Arkansas, in 1969 and 1979. The fauna consists of 1 trogloxene, 14 troglophiles, and 2 troglobites, a spider, Porrhomma cavernicolum, and a collembolan, Pseudosinella dubia. Devils Den Cave has a well developed cavernicolous fauna, although it is in sandstone which generally supports a poor cave adapted fauna. The troglobites probably evolved in the vicinity of northwestern Arkansas in limestone caves or in deep forest soils of the Ozark region. They then dispersed overland, perhaps as recently as the late Wisconsinan, to occupy this sandstone cave.

Warmwater Fish Community Of A Cool Tailwater In Arkansas, Richard A. Frietsche

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A diverse warmwater fish community has persisted in the Lake Greeson tailwater, despite hydropower releases of cold hypolimnetic water. Forty-eight species of fish were collected by electrofishing in the upper 16.1 km of the tailwater. Hydropower releases have reduced the abundance of some of the warmwater sport fish in the upper tailwater, and their populations are probably maintained in part by recruitment from downstream. Angling effort has been diverted from the warmwater sport fish populations to a put-and-take trout fishery.

River Otter In Arkansas: Ii. Indications Of A Beaver-Facilitated Commensal Relationship, C. Renn Tumlison, Mark R. Karnes, Anthony W. King

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Dam building activities of beaver (Castor canadensis) create ponds that apparently augment habitat available to otter (Lutra canadensis). This paper considers possible effects of beaver activity and pond formation on distribution and populations of otter in Arkansas. Literature synthesis and analysis of harvest records were used to investigate the suspected relationship.

Systematic Review Of The Texas Pocket Gopher, Geomys Personatus (Mammalia: Rodentia), Stephen L. Williams, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The Texas pocket gopher (Geomys personarus), which occupies a range in southern Texas and extreme northeastern Tamaulipas, was examined for morphological variation. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to determine age, secondary sexual, individual, and geographic variation. Significant differences were found among the three age classes and between the sexes for 12 of 13 cranial measurements. Males displayed higher individual variation than females. Distributions of the six previously recognized subspecies (fallax, fuscus, maritimus, megapotamus, personatus, and streckeri) were examined. An additional subspecies is recognized and described. Of the seven subspecies of …