Zoology Commons^™

Occurrence Of Fig Wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) In Ficus Caria And F. Microcarpa In Hatay, Turkey, Mi̇kdat Doğanlar

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This study focuses on fig wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), considering that only 2 fig wasp species, Blastophaga psenes (L.) and Philotrypesis caricae (L.) (new record) are associated with Ficus carica in Turkey. Five fig wasps species, namely Eupristina verticillata Waterston, Walkerella microcarpae Boucek, Odontofroggatia ishii Wiebes, Philotrypesis taiwanensis Chen, and Philotrypesis emeryi Grandi were found on Ficus microcarpa (L.), which is an Asian fig tree, and has been ornamentally cultivated in Turkey since the 1930s. Among them, E. verticillata was detected as a specific pollinator of F. microcarpa, the rest of the species were not pollinators, and all of them are …

Microtaxonomy Of Fragmenting Enchytraeus Species Using Molecular Markers, With A Comment On Species Complexes In Enchytraeids, Rut Collado, Eva Hass-Cordes, Ruediger Schmelz

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Populations of Enchytraeus that reproduce by fragmentation are distributed worldwide, but their species-level taxonomy is unresolved because morphological differences are inconclusive. Therefore, we compared the isozyme and RAPD-PCR patterns of 5 populations of fragmenting enchytraeids from widely distant localities (Japan, Iran, Greece, and Brazil). Among these populations, 3 were identified (E. japonensis, E. bigeminus, and E. dudichi) and 2 were unidentified. Multiple isozyme bands suggested polyploidy in all investigated populations. In all RAPD-PCR algorithms except 1, the fragmenting group formed a cluster separate from 2 nonfragmenting Enchytraeus species. All 5 populations were clearly separable on the levels of protein and …

A General Review Of Parasitic Annelida (Hirudinea) Recorded From Different Habitats And Hosts In Turkey, Nai̇me Arslan, Ahmet Öktener

Turkish Journal of Zoology

To date, parasitic leech species have not been intensively studied in Turkey, and studies on the leeches of Turkey have concentrated primarily on lakes. According to literature data, a total of 13 parasitic leech species (3 species from marine fish, 8 species from freshwater fish, 1 species from brackish water fish, and 1 species from aquarium fish) have been recorded in different parts of Turkey. Interest in this group has increased during the last 2 decades, but a large part of the Turkish freshwater habitats remains to be studied with regard to the parasitic leech species. In this study, information …

A New Species Of Piaroa Villarreal, Giupponi & Tourinho, 2008 (Schizomida: Hubbardiidae) From Colombia, Osvaldo Villarreal Manzanilla, Luis Fernando García

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Piaroa guipongai sp. nov. is described based on specimens found in a secondary forest in the department of Tolima, Colombia, representing the third species of Piaroa Villarreal, Giupponi & Tourinho, 2008, and the first from this country. It shares with P. virichaj Villarreal, Giupponi & Tourinho, 2008 the shape and size of the male flagellum and the presence of a conspicuous ventral tubercle in the femur; however, like P. bijagua Armas & Víquez, 2009, it has a larger guard tooth on the chelicerae. When captured, the male holotype emitted an acetic acid secretion, as was previously observed with only 2 …

Investigation Of The Histological Development Of The Frontal Ganglion In Locusta Migratoria L. 1758 (Orthoptera, Acrididae), Meltem Kumaş, Hati̇ce Karaki̇şi̇

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The frontal ganglion plays a critical role in insect feeding and molting-related behaviors. It is present in all insect orders at all developmental stages. In this study, the histological development of the frontal ganglion of Locusta migratoria, the African migratory locust, was investigated. Ganglia were dissected at 3 distinct developmental stages and their histological structure was evaluated at the light microscope level. The development of the cells generating the ganglion in the first and fifth nymphal stages and in adults was determined using the variance analysis method. Total width and length of the ganglion cells as well as width and …

Spatial Ecology Of The Trans-Pecos Rat Snake (Bogertophis Subocularis) In The Chihuahuan Desert Of Trans-Pecos Texas, Arturo Rocha

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Trans-Pecos Rat Snake (Bogertophis subocularis) is a medium to large rat snake that occurs from south-central New Mexico, south-central Texas, down into the north-central and northeastern states of Mexico. There is paucity in the ecology of B. subocularis to date. Some North American colubrid snakes, such as Thamnophis sirtalis, are the most represented species in thermal ecology and life history studies in all reptiles. There is nothing known on the winter ecological aspects of this species, and very little information regarding its overall ecology. The goal of this study is to determine home range, movement patterns, habitats and utilization …

Evaluation Of Elevated Bait Trays For Attracting Blackbirds (Icteridae) In Central North Dakota, George M. Linz, Jamison B. Winter, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) became an economically important crop in North Dakota in the 1970s, providing a major source of food for post-breeding blackbirds (Icteridae). Reducing local blackbird populations with rice grains treated with an avicide is one proposed alternative for reducing sunflower damage. In fall 2007 and 2008, we evaluated the idea of attracting blackbirds to rice-baited trays attached to wire cages supplied with live blackbirds. During our observations (1011 h), we saw 3888 birds, consisting of 25 species and 12 families, on the bait trays. Blackbirds made up 90.4% of the bird observations, whereas sparrows (Emberizidae) made …

First Record Of The Mite Family Ctenobelbidae (Acari, Oribatida) From Turkey: Ctenobelba (Ctenobelba) Ayyildizi Sp. Nov., Şule Baran

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The family Ctenobelbidae (Acari, Oribatida) is recorded for the first time from Turkey. A new species of genus Ctenobelba, Ctenobelba (Ctenobelba) ayyildizi sp. nov., is described based on the specimens collected from chestnut forest in the province of Manisa, Turkey. An identification key to the known subgenera of the genus is given. Scanning electron microscopy photographs of the newly described species are also provided. The new species differs from the related species by anteriorly diverging lamellae.

Snowy Plover Buried Alive By Wind-Blown Sand, J. Daniel Farrar, Adam A. Kotaich, David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Brief description of an encounter with a Snowy Plover discovered at a nest site near the mouth of Tahkenitch Creek in Douglas County, Oregon. The plover was buried up to its neck in sand, presumably caused by high winds. The article describes the authors' efforts to resuscitate the plover.

Ramphotyphlops Braminus (Brahminy Blindsnake): Predation, Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

Ramphotyphlops braminus currently has the most widespread, near worldwide, nonindigenous distribution of any snake. In Florida, USA, R. braminus is rapidly expanding its distribution.

The stomach contents of a necropsied Dasypus novemcinctus (nine-banded armadillo) found on the premises of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services in Gaisesville in March 2011 included an intact adult R. braminus. Dasypus novemcinctus is nonindigenous in Florida. It has a primarily insectivorous diet but occasionally preys upon small vertebrates, including reptiles. This is the first record of R. braminus in the diet of D. novemcinctus.

A New Species Of Molinema (Nematoda: Onchocercidae) In Bolivian Rodents And Emended Description Of Litomosoides Esslingeri Bain, Petit, And Diagne, 1989, Juliana Notarnicola, F. Agustin Jimenez Ruiz, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

We report the distribution of 2 species of filarioid nematodes occurring in different hosts in the central region of South America. Molinema boliviensis n. sp. was recorded as a parasite of sigmodontine and echymyid rodents in Bolivia, and Litomosoides esslingeri was recorded in sigmodontine and ctenomyid rodents from Bolivia and Argentina. Molinema boliviensis n. sp. shares several similarities with other species reported in spiny rats; however, it can be easily differentiated by the presence of a flat anterior end, gradually tapering lappets and a tubercle present in posterior end, a short, uniform buccal capsule, an oval-shaped vagina vera, and a …

Four Events Of Host Switching In Aspidoderidae (Nematoda) Involve Convergent Lineages Of Mammals, F. Agustin Jimenez Ruiz, Scott Lyell Gardner, Graciela Teresa Navone

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The Great American Interchange resulted in the mixing of faunistic groups with different origins and evolutionary trajectories that underwent rapid diversification in North and South America. As a result, groups of animals of recent arrival converged into similar habits and formed ecological guilds with some of the endemics. We present a reconstruction of the evolutionary events in Aspidoderidae, a family of nematodes that infect mammals that are part of this interchange, i.e., dasypodids, opossums, and sigmodontine, geomyid, and hystricognath rodents. By treating hosts as discrete states of character and using parsimony and Bayesian inferences to optimize these traits into the …

A New Genus And Species Of Lungworm (Nemata: Metastrongyloidea) From Akodon Mollis Thomas, 1894 (Rodentia: Cricetidae) In Peru, Maria Elizabeth Morales, Scott Lyell Gardner, John E. Ubelaker

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Akodonema luzsarmientae n.g., n.sp. (Nemata: Metastrongyloidea) is described from the pulmonary arteries and heart from several individuals of "soft grass mouse," Akodon mollis (Rodentia: Cricetidae), collected in the region of Ancash, Peru. The new genus and species is distinguished by a reduction of the dorsal ray to two small widely separated papillae.

New Species Of Arostrilepis (Eucestoda: Hymenolepididae) In Members Of Cricetidae And Geomyidae (Rodentia) From The Western Nearctic, Arseny A. Makarikov, Scott Lyell Gardner, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Specimens originally identified as Arostrilepis horrida from the Nearctic are revised, contributing to the recognition of a complex of cryptic species distributed across the Holarctic region. Previously unrecognized species are described based on specimens in cricetid (Neotominae) and geomyid rodents. Arostrilepis mariettavogeae n. sp. in Peromyscus californicus from Monterey County, California, and Arostrilepis schilleri n. sp. in Thomomys bulbivorus from Corvallis, Oregon, are characterized. Consistent with recent studies defining diversity in the genus, form, size, and spination (pattern, shape, and size) of the cirrus are diagnostic; species are further distinguished by the relative position and length of the cirrus sac …

Return To Beringia: Parasites Reveal Cryptic Biogeographic History Of North American Pikas, Kurt E. Galbreath, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Traditional concepts of the Bering Land Bridge as a zone of predominantly eastward expansion from Eurasia and a staging area for subsequent colonization of lower latitudes in North America led to early inferences regarding biogeographic histories of North American faunas, many of which remain untested. Here we apply a host–parasite comparative phylogeographical (HPCP) approach to evaluate one such history, by testing competing biogeographic hypotheses for five lineages of host-specific parasites shared by the collared pika (Ochotona collaris) and American pika (Ochotona princeps) of North America. We determine whether the southern host species (O. princeps) …

Discovery And Description Of The "Davtiani" Morphotype For Teladorsagia Boreoarcticus (Trichostrongyloidea: Ostertagiinae) Abomasal Parasites In Muskoxen, Ovibos Moschatus, And Caribou, Rangifer Tarandus, From The North American Arctic: Implications For Parasite Faunal Diversity, Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt, Susan J. Kutz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Collections to explore helminth diversity among free-ranging ungulates in the North American Arctic revealed the occurrence of a third male, or "davtiani," morphotype for Teladorsagia boreoarcticus. Designated as T. boreoarcticus forma (f.) minor B, the males occurred with T. boreoarcticus f. major and T. borearcticus f. minor A in endemic populations of muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus wardi) and barrenground caribou (Rangifer tarandus groenlandicus) on Victoria Island, Nunavut, Canada, and in muskoxen and Peary caribou (Rangifer tarandus pearyi) on Banks Island, Northwest Territories, Canada. These specimens differ from conspecific morphotypes in the structure …

Discovery And Description Of A New Trichostrongyloid Species (Nematoda: Ostertagiinaw), Abomasal Parasites In Mountain Goat, Oreamnos Americanus, From The Western Cordillera Of North America [With Erratum], Eric P. Hoberg, Arthur Abrams, Patricia A. Pilitt, Emily J. Jenkins

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Marshallagia lichtenfelsi sp. n. is a dimorphic ostertagiine nematode occurring in the abomasum of mountain goats, Oreamnos americanus, from the Western Cordillera of North America. Major and minor morphotype males and females are characterized and distinguished relative to the morphologically similar Marshallagia marshalli/Marshallagia occidentalis from North America and Marshallagia dentispicularis, along with other congeners, from the Palearctic region. The configuration of the convoluted and irregular synlophe in the cervical region of males and females of M. lichtenfelsi is apparently unique, contrasting with a continuous and parallel system of ridges among those species of Marshallagia, including …

Evolutionary History Of Caribbean Species Of Myotis, With Evidence Of A Third Lesser Antillean Endemic, Roxanne J. Larsen, Peter A. Larsen, Hugh H. Genoways, Francois M. Catzeflis, Keith Geluso, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Scott C. Pedersen, Fernando Simal

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Currently, four species of Myotis are known from the islands of the Caribbean (Myotis dominicensis, M. martiniquensis, M. nesopolus, and M. nigricans). Myotis dominicensis and M. martiniquensis are endemic to the Lesser Antilles, whereas M. nesopolus and M. nigricans are considered conspecific with mainland populations. Recent phylogenetic and phylogeographic studies provided hypotheses regarding the origin and diversification of M. dominicensis and M. martiniquensis. However, these studies focused primarily on convergent morphology or distribution patterns of this genus and not on the evolutionary history of Caribbean Myotis. Here, we explore variation across multiple datasets …

Bats Of Barbados, Hugh H. Genoways, Roxanne J. Larsen, Scott C. Pedersen, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Peter A. Larsen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The chiropteran fauna of Barbados includes representatives of four families — Noctilionidae, Phyllostomidae, Vespertilionidae, and Molossidae — including 1 piscivore (Noctilio leporinus), 1 omnivore (Brachyphylla cavernarum), 1 pollenivore/nectarivore (Monophyllus plethodon), 1 frugivore (Artibeus jamaicensis), and 2 insectivorous species (Myotis nyctor and Molossus molossus). Despite an early report, we believe that preponderance of the evidence available at this time is that E. fuscus is not part of the fauna of Barbados. The Barbadian chiropteran fauna of 6 species is much smaller than those on the four neighboring Lesser Antillean islands to …

Examination Of Annual Variation In The Adult Sex Ratio Of Pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana), Justin D. Hoffman, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The adult sex ratio (ASR) is an important component of a population’s demographics and can be used as an indicator of a population’s status. However, the causes of annual variation in ASRs are unknown for many species. Fluctuations in ASR can arise through demographic stochasticity and intense selective harvesting. In this study we investigate the longterm patterns of variation in the ASRs (bucks: 100 does) for four populations of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) in western Nebraska. We used multiple variables in a model selection process to predict annual fluctuation of pronghorn ASRs. We found that the number of bucks: 100 does …

Genetic Diversity Of Neotropical Myotis (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) With An Emphasis On South American Species, Roxanne J. Larsen, Michelle C. Knapp, Hugh H. Genoways, Faisal Ali Anwarali Khan, Peter A. Larsen, Don E. Wilson, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Background: Cryptic morphological variation in the Chiropteran genus Myotis limits the understanding of species boundaries and species richness within the genus. Several authors have suggested that it is likely there are unrecognized species-level lineages of Myotis in the Neotropics. This study provides an assessment of the diversity in New World Myotis by analyzing cytochrome-b gene variation from an expansive sample ranging throughout North, Central, and South America. We provide baseline genetic data for researchers investigating phylogeographic and phylogenetic patterns of Myotis in these regions, with an emphasis on South America.

Methodology and Principal Findings: Cytochrome-b sequences were …

Four Events Of Host Switching In Aspidoderidae (Nematoda) Involve Convergent Lineages Of Mammals, F. Agustín Jiménez-Ruiz, Scott Lyell Gardner, Graciela Navone, Guillermo Ortí

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The Great American Interchange resulted in the mixing of faunistic groups with different origins and evolutionary trajectories that underwent rapid diversification in North and South America. As a result, groups of animals of recent arrival converged into similar habits and formed ecological guilds with some of the endemics. We present a reconstruction of the evolutionary events in Aspidoderidae, a family of nematodes that infect mammals that are part of this interchange, i.e., dasypodids, opossums, and sigmodontine, geomyid, and hystricognath rodents. By treating hosts as discrete states of character and using parsimony and Bayesian inferences to optimize these traits into the …

Leptodactylus Pentadactylus, Miriam M. Heyer, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus pentadactylus (Figure 1) are large, the head is about as wide as long, and the hind limbs are moderately long (Table 1; Heyer and Thompson [2000] provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are not visible externally or are moderately expanded as a single sac. Sexually active males usually do not have hypertrophied forearms (the largest male examined, 195 mm SVL, has very weakly hypertrophied forearms), only the largest males have a single small to moderate size black spine on each thumb. No males have chest spines. Dorsolateral folds are …

Preliminary Studies On Aquatic Oligochaeta In And Around Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, Mohammed Ibrahim Naveed

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Aquatic oligochaetes were studied in 2 lowland regions (the Chennai and Tiruvallur districts) and a mountainous area (Ooty) in Tamil Nadu, southern India. Quantitative core samples, 2.5 cm in diameter, were collected monthly from April 2005 to March 2006 in Kodungaiyur Swamp and Pandinellur Swamp, the 2 main sites commercially exploited for aquatic Oligochaeta in Chennai. Random qualitative samples were collected from other sites using corers or strainers. In total, 9 naidids and 4 tubificids were identified during this survey. Dero indica, D. zeylanica, D. digitata, and Pristina jenkinae are first reports from Chennai. L. hoffmeisteri, the worm commercially marketed …

Freshwater Oligochaetes (Oligochaeta, Clitellata, Annelida) Of North Pribaikalye (East Siberia, Russia), Irina Kaygorodova, Piet F.M. Verdonschot, Lyubov S. Kravtsova

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The oligochaete fauna of freshwater reservoirs and rivers in North Pribaikalye was investigated for the first time. In total, 38 oligochaete species were collected. Of these, 16 species belong to the subfamily Naidinae, 6 to Pristininae, and 10 to the 3 subfamilies of Tubificidae. In addition, 5 species belonging to Enchytraeidae and 1 widespread species belonging to the family Lumbriculidae, Lumbriculus variegatus, were collected.

Distribution Of Aquatic Oligochaetes (Annelida, Clitellata) Of High-Elevation Lakes In The Eastern Black Sea Range Of Turkey, Seray Yildiz, Murat Özbek, Mustafa Ruşen Ustaoğlu, Haşi̇m Sömek

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Many large and small lakes of varying depths are present in the Eastern Black Sea Range of Turkey, the nation's third most important glacial region following the Ağrı and Cilo-Sat mountain ranges. During the present study, 6 expeditions to collect aquatic oligochaetes from these lakes were conducted in July and August of 2005, 2006, and 2007; qualitative and quantitative samples were collected from 59 glacial lakes. We present and analyze the dominancy and distribution of aquatic oligochaete assemblages and their relation to environmental factors (temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, electrical conductivity, salinity, turbidity, PO_4^{-3}-P, HCO_3^{-}, organic carbon, hardness, Ca^{2+}, Mg^{2+}, Si, …

Checklist Of Questidae (Clitellata) And Aeolosomatidae (Oligochaeta) From South America, Martin Lindsey Christoffersen

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The faunistic assemblage of basal clitellates in South America presently has 2 marine species (Questa media Westheide, 1981 and Aeolosoma maritimum dubiosum Westheide & Schmidt, 1974), and 15 species of freshwater aeolosomatids: A. aureum Marcus, 1944; A. beddardi Michaelsen, 1900; A. corderoi Du Bois-Reymond Marcus, 1944; A. evelinae Marcus, 1944; A. flavum Stolc, 1903; A. gertae Marcus, 1944; A. headleyi Beddard, 1888; A. hemprichi Ehrenberg, 1831; A. hyalinum Bunke, 1967; A. marcusi Van der Land, 1971; A. sawayai Marcus, 1944; A. travancorense Aiyer, 1926; A. variegatum Vejdovsky, 1884; and A. viride Stephenson, 1911, and Hystricosoma pictum Schmarda, 1861, species inquirenda. …

About The Scientific Names Of Paraphyletic Taxa, Tarmo Timm

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The 'naturality' of monophyletic taxa in comparison with that of paraphyletic ones is discussed, with examples from Clitellata. Regular scientific names for paraphyletic taxa are inevitable in a workable biological classification.

Helminth Parasites Of The Lemon-Yellow Tree Frog, Hyla Savignyi (Hylidae), From Turkey, Hi̇kmet Sami̇ Yildirimhan, Nurhan Sümer, Sezen İncedoğan, Charles Robert Bursey

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Forty lemon-yellow tree frogs, Hyla savignyi, collected from Kırıkhan, Turkey (25 in April 2009, 15 in April 2010), were examined for helminths, and 21 frogs were found to be infected. One species of Monogenea (Polystoma integerrimum), 3 species of Digenea (Diplodiscus subclavatus, Halipegus kessleri, and Pleurogenoides medians), 1 species of Cestoda (Nematotaenia dispar), and 2 species of Nematoda (Aplectana brumpti and Cosmocerca commutata) were found. Hyla savignyi represents a new host record for Polystoma integerrimum, Diplodiscus subclavatus, Halipegus kessleri, Pleurogenoides medians, Aplectana brumpti, and Cosmocerca commutata.

Diet Composition Of Myotis Myotis (Chiroptera, Vespertilionidae) In Western Poland: Results Of Fecal Analyses, Agnieszka Graclik, Oskar Wasielewski

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The diet of greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis) was investigated by analysis of 900 droppings taken from 8 different bat colonies in western Poland. Three taxonomic orders (Coleoptera, Lepidoptera, and Diptera) and representatives of 2 other groups of arthropods (Chilopoda: Lithobiidae and Arachnida: Araneae) were identified in the droppings. Coleoptera was the most abundant prey found in fecal samples in all seasons. Study sites differed significantly in the composition of prey, which probably reflects the local foraging conditions for M. myotis.