Zoology Commons^™

Alloscorpiops Wongpromi Sp. N. From Thailand And Laos (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae: Scorpiopinae), František Kovařík, Michael E. Soleglad, Ondřej Košulič

Euscorpius

Alloscorpiops wongpromi sp. n. from Thailand and Laos is described and compared with all other species of the genus Alloscorpiops Vachon, 1980. A key is presented to all species of the genus. A. wongpromi sp. n. is characterized mainly by a higher number of trichobothria on the patella, which has 33–37 external and 21–22 ventral trichobothria, and a dark-colored telson. The subgenus Laoscorpiops Lourenço, 2013 is synonymized with the nominotypical subgenus, because it was based on misinterpretation of the trichobothrial pattern, with two ventral accessory trichobothria on the chela regarded as part of the external Eb series.

Response Of Male Centruroides Vittatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) To Aerial And Substrate-Borne Chemical Signals, Steffany B. Steinmetz, Karen C. Bost, Douglas D. Gaffin

Euscorpius

Chemical signaling promotes mate location throughout numerous animal taxa. In this study we investigated the possibility that striped scorpions, Centruroides vittatus, use chemical signaling in the form of odor plumes or substrate-borne deposits as communication channels. A Y-shaped arena was constructed to test scorpions’ use of air-borne chemical cues in the detection of potential mates. A second, circular behavioral choice chamber was used to test male scorpions’ responses to female deposits by direct substrate contact. Male scorpions showed no tendency to move toward the female in tests of air-borne chemical transmission but they did demonstrate behavior associated with chemical …

Scorpiofauna Of Kashan (Esfahan Province, Iran) (Arachnida: Scorpiones), Valerio Vignoli, František Kovařík, Pierangelo Crucitti

Euscorpius

This work contains the results of the zoological expedition of the Società Romana di Scienze Naturali to Kashan, in Iran. Four days of intensive field research provided interesting data on the community structure of scorpions of Kashan. Thirty-two scorpion specimens, all belonging to the family Buthidae, are listed and ecological notes are included. Iranobuthus krali Kovařík, 1997, Kraepelinia palpator (Birula, 1903) and Polisius persicus Fet, Capes & Sissom, 2001 were found for the first time in the examined localities. The species collected belong to different ecomorpho-types, characteristic for the particular geographic position of Kashan. We report presence of two species …

A Powerful New Light Source For Ultraviolet Detection Of Scorpions In The Field, Graeme Lowe, Steven R. Kutcher, Doug Edwards

Euscorpius

We describe a new portable solid-state ultraviolet (UV) light that should greatly improve the ease and effectiveness of fluorescent detection of scorpions in the field. The design is based on an array of InGaN light emitting diodes (LEDs). It is in-expensive, lightweight, simple to implement, energetically efficient and mechanically rugged. Scorpion cuticular fluorescence excited by an LED array is 13-fold brighter than excitation by previously available fluorescent tube lamps drawing the same current from the battery.

Genomic Legacy Of The African Cheetah, Acinonyx Jubatus, Pavel Dobrynin, Shiping Liu, Gaik Tamazian, Zijun Xiong, Andrey A. Yurchenko, Ksenia Krasheninnikova, Sergey Kliver, A. Schmidt-Kunzel, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, Warren E. Johnson, Lukas F. K. Kuderna, Raquel Garcia-Perez, Marc De Manuel, Ricardo Godinez, Aleksey Komissarov, Alexey Makunin, Vladimir Brukhin, Weilin Qiu, Long Zhou, Fang Li, Jian Yi, Carlos A. Driscoll, Agostinho Antunes, T. K. Oleksyk, Eduardo Eizirik, Polina Perelman, Melody E. Roelke, David E. Wildt, Mark Diekhans, Tomas Marques-Bonet, Laurie Marker, Jong Bhak, Jun Wang, Guojie Zhang, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Background

Patterns of genetic and genomic variance are informative in inferring population history for human, model species and endangered populations.

Results

Here the genome sequence of wild-born African cheetahs reveals extreme genomic depletion in SNV incidence, SNV density, SNVs of coding genes, MHC class I and II genes, and mitochondrial DNA SNVs. Cheetah genomes are on average 95 % homozygous compared to the genomes of the outbred domestic cat (24.08 % homozygous), Virunga Mountain Gorilla (78.12 %), inbred Abyssinian cat (62.63 %), Tasmanian devil, domestic dog and other mammalian species. Demographic estimators impute two ancestral population bottlenecks: one >100,000 years …

Exploration Of The Range Overlap Between Cynomys Leucurus And Cynomys Ludovicianus, Kenneth D. Choi

Honors Theses

The ranges of two species of prairie dogs, Cynomys leucurus and Cynomys ludovicianus, overlap in a narrow area in the western Great Plains in Wyoming. We used GIS software to map their distributions and infer land cover preferences within and on either side of the zone of overlap. In general, both species used habitats in proportion to their availability and did not display strong selection of their expected vegetation types (based on the literature). However, both species of prairie dogs were overrepresented in areas of human settlements and crops, which may indicate that these species prefer human-modified habitats, or perhaps …

Mesobuthus Eupeus (C.L. Koch, 1839) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) In Turkey, Ayşegül Karataş, Ahmet Karataş

Euscorpius

Distribution of Mesobuthus eupeus (C.L. Koch, 1839) (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Turkey is investigated and new distributional records are given. In addition, data on the variation of the number of pectinal teeth, and some ecological features of M. eupeus are provided.

Proceedings Of The 3rd Scorpiology Symposium (American Arachnological Society, 28th Annual Meeting), Victor Fet, Michael E. Soleglad

Euscorpius

Table of Contents

Victor Fet and Douglas D. Gaffin. Preface p. i

Karen C. Bost and Douglas D. Gaffin. Sand scorpion home burrow navigation in the laboratory p. 1

Douglas D. Gaffin and Mark E. Walvoord. Scorpion peg sensilla: are they the same or are they different? p. 7

J. Zachary Porterfield, Douglas D. Gaffin, Caitlin Porterfield and Curtis Johnston. Screening for scorpions: A non-invasive approach to tracking the movements of arachnids in sand p. 17

Tsunemi Yamashita. Surface activity, biomass, and phenology of the striped scorpion, Centruroides vittatus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) in Arkansas, USA p. 25

C. Neal McReynolds. Temporal …

Prey Capture Behavior In The East African Scorpions Parabuthus Leiosoma (Ehrenberg, 1828) And P. Pallidus Pocock, 1895 (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Jan O. Rein

Euscorpius

Prey capture behavior in Parabuthus leiosoma (Ehrenberg, 1828) and P. pallidus Pocock, 1895 was studied in the laboratory. The behavioral components involved in prey capture were identified and an ethogram is presented. The occurrence of the different prey capture components are analyzed and discussed.

A Review Of The Genus Isometrus Ehrenberg, 1828 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) With Descriptions Of Four New Species From Asia And Australia, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Four new species of the genus Isometrus are described: Isometrus (Reddyanus) bilyi from Australia, I. (R.) petrzelkai from Vietnam and Thailand, I. (R.) problematicus from India and I. (R.) khammamensis from India. Keys are presented to all species of both subgenera of Isometrus. Lectotypes are designated for I. (I.) thurstoni Pocock, 1893 and I. (R.) assamensis Oates, 1888. I. (I.) sankariensis Tikader & Bastawade, 1983 is synonymized with I. (I.) thurstoni Pocock, 1893. First time records include I. (I.) thurstoni Pocock, …

High-Level Systematics And Phylogeny Of The Extant Scorpions (Scorpiones: Orthosterni), Michael E. Soleglad, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

A number of authors (e. g. Birula, 1917a, 1917b; Mello-Leitão, 1945; Stockwell, 1989) addressed above-level systematics of extant scorpions, and accepted the grouping of scorpion families in several superfamilies. At the same time, Kjellesvig-Waering (1986) classified all extant scorpions under the same superfamily, Scorpionoidea. Sissom (1990) and Fet et al. (2000) did not list any superfamilies, considering the systematic situation above family (and often at the family level as well) unresolved. Most recently, Lourenço (2000a) listed six superfamilies, largely following the unpublished but important study of Stockwell (1989). The goal of this paper is to address scorpion systematics and phylogeny …

The Scorpion Sternum: Structure And Phylogeny (Scorpiones: Orthosterni), Michael E. Soleglad, Victor Fet

Euscorpius

The structure of the sternum of all major Recent scorpion groups is analyzed in detail. Based on this analysis, two fundamental sternum types are identified, described and illustrated, type 1 and type 2. These sternum types are distinguished by criteria based on external and internal structural features. The sternum types described herein are offered as a replacement for the various characterizations used throughout the last 140 years which emphasize only gross overall shape and proportions. Phylogenetic and taxonomic ramifications of these new sternal types are discussed. The Carboniferous fossil scorpion Palaeopisthacanthus schucherti Petrunkevitch is assigned to sternum type 1 …

2015 Fall Migration Bird Banding At Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area, Holly Garrod

Nebraska Bird Review

It was a different season of bird banding this year at Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. Due to construction at the nature center, the banding station was moved farther down the road to one of the picnic shelters. The habitat remained mostly the same, with Ponderosa Pine and multispecies-shrub understory dominating the unique ridge landscape characteristic of Wildcat Hills. The new site provided more shrub understory but lacked the running water of Turkey Creek and the bird feeders at the nature center. Bird Conservatory of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory) has been banding …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2015) 83(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2015 ... 154

2015 Fall Migration Bird Banding at Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area … 183

South Sioux City Fall Field Days ... 186

Index to Volume 83 … 192

Subscription and Organization Information ... 207

Fall Field Report, August–November 2015, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

To start, a housekeeping item: in the species accounts that follow, whenever I use the term "migrant" I am referring to fall migration only. Many species, of course, have differing migration strategies and timing in spring and fall.

Much of the data used in this report relating to western and Pine Ridge passerines comes from the outstanding banding efforts by Bird Conservancy of the Rockies (formerly Rocky Mountains Bird Observatory) at Chadron State Park (CSP) and Wildcat Hills Nature Center (WHNC) in Scotts Bluff Co. This year’s operators were Josh Lefever and Holly Garrod. Related to the Chadron State Park …

Index To Volume 83

Nebraska Bird Review

Aird, Bruce 156
Akers, Danny 135
Allen, Edward 5, 49, 56, 144, 157
Anderbery, DeAnna 49
Anderson: Branden 50; Kapri 50
Armknecht, Henry 5
Arp, Dennis 56
Arthur, Noah 5, 49, 57, 135, 158
Arterburn, S. W. 148
Aubushon: Cathy 49; Dorothy 49
Avocet, American 65, 88, 112, 164
Azar, Adrian 104

. . .

Yellowlegs: Greater 11, 65, 88, 112, 165, 186, 188; Lesser 11, 24, 66, 88, 112, 165, 186, 188
Yellowthroat, Common 79, 91, 121, 177, 190

Zambon, Teri 6
Zonotrichia/eucophrys: gambelii 180; leucophrys 82, 180; oriantha 82: leucophrys × oriantha 82
Zwartjes, William 106

South Sioux City Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2015 NOU Fall Field Days took place in South Sioux City at the Americas Best Value Inn on Sept. 25–27. There were about 50 in attendance at the meeting, which was organized by Dave Heidt, Robin Harding, Jan Johnson, and Betty Grenon.

On Friday evening Ponca State Park Superintendent Jeff Fields told the group about the changes that have happened in Ponca State Park since its beginning in 1934 as a Civilian Conservation Corps camp. It is the third oldest state park in Nebraska and now encompasses 2,400 acres. It boasts one of the oldest bur oaks in the …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2015]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household (one or more people) $25; Sustaining …

Failure Of A Heterologous Recombinant Sca5/Ompb Protein-Based Vaccine To Elicit Effective Protective Immunity Against Rickettsia Rickettsii Infections In C3h/Hen Mice, Sean P. Riley, Marissa M. Cardwell, Yvonne G. Chan, Ludovic Pruneau, Fabio Del Piero, Juan J. Martinez

Faculty Publications

Spotted fever group (SFG) rickettsial species are obligate intracellular tick-borne pathogens that are responsible for important human diseases. Previous reports have demonstrated the feasibility of using recombinant surface cell antigen Sca5/OmpB to elicit protective immunity against homologous challenges using murine models of Mediterranean spotted fever and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In addition, the feasibility of generating cross-protective immunity against related rickettsial species has also been established, but the molecular basis for these phenomena was not explored. Here, we demonstrate that vaccination of C3H/HeN mice with a recombinant OmpB domain derived from Rickettsia conorii induced high titer humoral immune responses that …

Spring Migration Ecology Of American Woodcock (Scolopax Minor) In The Central Management Region Of The United States, Cari Elizabeth Sebright

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

American woodcock (Scolopax minor) is a migratory game bird in population decline since the start of monitoring in 1968. Researchers are interested in gaining knowledge of spring migration ecology to improve migration habitat and mitigate population decline. I captured six woodcock with mist and hand nets on nocturnal habitat and marked them with VHF (very high frequency) transmitters in northern Arkansas. I documented the distance they traveled between nocturnal and diurnal habitats (n=27), and documented diurnal vegetation characteristics at sites used (n=25). I found that woodcock moved an average of 370 m (SE 25.31 m) with the longest movement being …

Calorimetry And Body Composition Research In Broilers And Broiler Breeders, Justina Victoria Caldas Cueva

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Indirect calorimetry to study heat production (HP) and dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for body composition (BC) are powerful techniques to study the dynamics of energy and protein utilization in poultry. The first two chapters present the BC (dry matter, lean, protein, and fat, bone mineral, calcium and phosphorus) of modern broilers from 1 – 60 d of age analyzed by chemical analysis and DEXA. DEXA has been validated for precision, standardized for position, and equations and validations developed for chickens under two different feeding levels. These equations are unique to the machine and software in use. Research in broilers …

Digestibility Of Two Complete Pelleted Diets By The Horse (Equus Caballus) As A Model Animal For Nondomestic Hindgut Fermenters, Emily M. Schwartz

Master's Theses

Estimating nutrient and energy requirements of exotic animals is a necessary component of nutrition management in zoos and other wildlife facilities. In the absence of species-specific data, domestic animal models are often referenced. Herbivorous hindgut fermenters, such as horses, zebra, and rhinoceros, rely on microbial fermentation in the cecum and colon to utilize dietary structural carbohydrates. The study objective was to measure the digestible energy of two (LOW, HIGH) complete pelleted diets by the horse as a model for nondomestic hindgut fermenters. Seven, individually housed, adult Quarter Horse (Equus caballus) geldings were assigned to one of two diets as 100% …

Genetic Analyses Determine Connectivity Among Cave And Surface Populations Of The Jamaican Endemic Freshwater Crab Sesarma Fossarum In The Cockpit Country, Manuel Stemmer, Christoph D. Schubart

International Journal of Speleology

The Jamaican freshwater crab Sesarma fossarum (Decapoda: Brachyura: Sesarmidae) is endemic to western central Jamaica where it occurs in cave and surface streams of karst regions. In the present study, we examine the population genetic structure of the species, providing evidence for intraspecific differentiation and genetic substructure among twelve sampled populations. Interestingly, crabs from caves appear genetically undistinguishable from representatives of nearby surface waters, despite previously observed and described morphometric differentiation. In contrast, genetic isolation takes place among populations from rivers and caves belonging to different watersheds. In one case, even populations from different tributaries of the same river were …

Examining Temporal Sample Scale And Model Choice With Spatial Capture-Recapture Models In The Common Leopard Panthera Pardus, Joshua F. Goldberg, Tshering Tempa, Nawang Norbu, Mark Hebblewhite, L. Scott Mills, Tshewang R. Wangchuk, Paul Lukacs

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Many large carnivores occupy a wide geographic distribution, and face treats from habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching, prey depletion, and human wildlife-conflicts. Conservation requires robust techniques for estimating population densities and trends, but the elusive nature and low densities of many large carnivores make them difficult to detect. Spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models provide a means for handling imperfect detectability, while linking population estimates to individual movement patterns to provide more accurate estimates than standard approaches. Within this framework, we investigate the effect of different sample interval lengths on density estimates, using simulations and a common leopard (Panthera pardus) …

Predicting Toucan Locations In Panama Using Arcgis, Daniel J. Herrera

Geography: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Toucans are omnivorous birds native to southern Latin America and South America. They are non-migratory, and their range is disputed among experts. In an attempt to develop a better understanding of the range and behavior of toucans, correlations between toucan presence and geographic features of the area were analyzed to create a location probability map.

Integrating Resource Selection Into Spatial Capture-Recapture Models For Large Carnivores, K. M. Proffitt, Joshua F. Goldberg, Mark Hebblewhite, R. Russell, B. S. Jimenez, H. S. Robinson, K. Pilgrim, M. K. Schwartz

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Wildlife managers need reliable methods to estimate large carnivore densities and population trends; yet large carnivores are elusive, difficult to detect, and occur at low densities making traditional approaches intractable. Recent advances in spatial capture-recapture (SCR) models have provided new approaches for monitoring trends in wildlife abundance and these methods are particularly applicable to large carnivores. We applied SCR models in a Bayesian framework to estimate mountain lion densities in the Bitterroot Mountains of west central Montana. We incorporate an existing resource selection function (RSF) as a density co-variate to account for heterogeneity in habitat use across the study area …

Gene Loss, Adaptive Evolution And The Co-Evolution Of Plumage Coloration Genes With Opsins In Birds, Rui Borges, Imran Khan, Warren E. Johnson, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Guojie Zhang, Erich D. Jarvis, Stephen J. O'Brien, Agostinho Antunes

Biology Faculty Articles

Background: The wide range of complex photic systems observed in birds exemplifies one of their key evolutionary adaptions, a well-developed visual system. However, genomic approaches have yet to be used to disentangle the evolutionary mechanisms that govern evolution of avian visual systems.

Results: We performed comparative genomic analyses across 48 avian genomes that span extant bird phylogenetic diversity to assess evolutionary changes in the 17 representatives of the opsin gene family and five plumage coloration genes. Our analyses suggest modern birds have maintained a repertoire of up to 15 opsins. Synteny analyses indicate that PARA and PARIE pineal …

Using An Agent-Based Model To Study The Effect Of Reproductive Skew On Mongoose Populations, Stacy Lee Mowry

Theses and Dissertations

Reproductive skew is the name given to the unequal partitioning of breeding

within social groups. Within these groups a mating hierarchy emerges wherein one dominant mating pair holds an unproportional majority of the group's reproductive benefit, while other members mate infrequently, yet allocate energy and resources toward the offspring of the dominant group members. In this paper, we use an agent-based model, which mimics dwarf and banded mongoose populations, to investigate how reproductive skew aftects the speed natural selection, and thus how reproductive skew affects fitness. The results of the model show that due to the geometric structure of skewed …

Métodos Cuantitativos Para La Conservación De Los Vertebrados, Michael J. Conroy, John P. Carroll, Juan Carlos Senar, Jeffrey J. Thompson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Este libro es destinado para el uso por biólogos del campo y otras personas, incluso biólogos de campo en el futuro que podrían estar en un curso de la universidad y trabajando en estudios y conservación de animales. Nuestro objetivo es que los biólogos usen este libro como (haciendo apología a nuestro colega Evan Cooch) una “introducción suave” al campo de la ecología cuantitativa. Esperamos convencer a los lectores que los métodos y aproximaciones del libro no son solo para los matemáticos, estadísticos y programadores de computadoras, sino que de hecho son herramientas esenciales para practicar la conservación en el …

The Examination Of Enrichment Using Space And Food For African Elephants (Loxodonta Africana) At The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Charlotte Hacker

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Concern for elephant welfare in zoological facilities has prompted a number of exhibit and management modifications, including those involving enrichment. Knowledge of how these changes impact measures of health and wellbeing, such as elephant movement and behavior, is crucial as the effects of multiple enrichment types and their interactions are largely understudied. The present study used observations and GPS unit collected data to determine the effects of space and food on the walking distance and behavior of thirteen African elephants, whose dominance structure was ascertained by the handlers at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park (SDZSP). This facility has two …