Zoology Commons^™

Spring Field Report, March 2016 To May 2016, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

In contrast to the fairly routine spring of 2015, this year saw an almost unbelievable parade of early arrivals. About 49 species, including virtually all taxonomic groups, had arrival dates at the early end of expected arrival dates, and a few species set record early dates. Notable early birds were Calidris shorebirds, flycatchers, and swallows, species which depend on available insect and pond-edge life, suggesting that organisms are "waking up" earlier than in previous years, helped, of course, by the mild 2015–2016 winter. On the other hand, there was only one late species: Purple Finch, which remained into mid-May at …

The Mute Swan In Nebraska: History And Current Status, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

Mute Swans (Cygnus alar) were introduced into North America during the late 1800s as decorative waterfowl and have established feral populations (Ciaranca et al. 1997). Currently, the range of wild populations of Mute Swans in North America includes the Atlantic Coast from Maine to South Carolina and the Great Lakes, with the exception of Lake Superior where it is not established (Baldassarre 2014). The current total North American population is estimated to be 22,000–25,000 (Baldassarre 2014), and populations continue to increase (Petrie and Francis 2003). Indeed, the growing concern over burgeoning numbers has resulted in many states and …

Nebraska Bird Review (June 2016) 84(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March 2016 to May 2016 ... 58

The Mute Swan in Nebraska: History and Current Status … 86

Gyrfalcon in Boyd County, Nebraska … 96

The Second Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas, Wayne J. Mollhoff [book review] … 97

Answers to the Photo Quiz (The Nebraska Bird Review, March 2016) … 100

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting, Kimball, May 20–22, 2016 … 102

Subscription and Organization Information ... 107

Gyrfalcon In Boyd County, Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie, David Heidt

Nebraska Bird Review

Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) is considered in Nebraska to be a "rare casual winter visitor statewide" (Sharpe et al. 2001). Since 1990, there has been only one NOURC (Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee) accepted record (Class III) for Gyrfalcon in Nebraska (Jorgensen 2003). This bird was a gray morph adult observed below Keystone Dam, Keith Co., 01 January 2001 (Silcock 2001). Nebraska has no April dates for Gyrfalcon, although South Dakota has several April records: 10 Apr 2001, Jones Co., and 23 Apr 1955, Pennington Co., (Tallman et al. 2002). Additionally, an immature Gyrfalcon was photographed 5 April 2010 …

Subscription And Organization Information [June 2016]

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 …

The Second Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas, Wayne J. Mollhoff, Bulletin Of The University Of Nebraska State Museum, Vol. 29, 2016 [Book Review], W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As suggested by its title, this book (“Second Atlas”) presents the results of a follow-up to the first Nebraska breeding bird atlas, The Nebraska Breeding Bird Atlas 1984–89 (“First Atlas”), also authored by Wayne Mollhoff. In this Second Atlas, Mollhoff acknowledges the foresight of John J. Dinan, Nongame Bird Program Manager at Nebraska Game and Parks Commission during the time of the First Atlas, in working toward a “follow-up project.” As Mollhoff says in the foreword to the Second Atlas, "His persistence in pursuing that goal ultimately led to the current project.”

The best feature of the Second Atlas is …

Neotype Designation For Scorpiops Pachmarhicus Bastawade, 1992 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), With Redescription And Notes On The Species, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Gaurang Gowande

Euscorpius

Scorpiops pachmarhicus Bastawade, 1992 was described based on specimens collected from Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh. An expedition to the type locality led to discovery of a population at the type locality which permit us to designate a neotype for the species as types of the species are presently not traceable.

Rescuing Perishable Neuroanatomical Information From A Threatened Biodiversity Hotspot: Remote Field Methods For Brain Tissue Preservation Validated By Cytoarchitectonic Analysis, Immunohistochemistry, And X-Ray Microcomputed Tomography, Daniel Hughes, Ellen Walker, Paul Gignac, Anais Martinez, Kenichiro Negishi, Carl Lieb, Eli Greenbaum, Arshad Khan

Selected Works Temporary Series

Biodiversity hotspots, which harbor more endemic species than elsewhere on Earth, areincreasingly threatened. There is a need to accelerate collection efforts in these regionsbefore threatened or endangered species become extinct. The diverse geographical, ecological,genetic, morphological, and behavioral data generated from the on-site collection ofan individual specimen are useful for many scientific purposes. However, traditional methodsfor specimen preparation in the field do not permit researchers to retrieve neuroanatomicaldata, disregarding potentially useful data for increasing our understanding of braindiversity. These data have helped clarify brain evolution, deciphered relationships betweenstructure and function, and revealed constraints and selective pressures that provide contextabout the evolution …

Rescuing Perishable Neuroanatomical Information From A Threatened Biodiversity Hotspot: Remote Field Methods For Brain Tissue Preservation Validated By Cytoarchitectonic Analysis, Immunohistochemistry, And X-Ray Microcomputed Tomography, Hughes, Ellen Walker, Paul Gignac, Anais Martinez, Kenichiro Negishi, Carl Lieb, Eli Greenbaum, Arshad Khan

Departmental Papers (Biology)

Biodiversity hotspots, which harbor more endemic species than elsewhere on Earth, areincreasingly threatened. There is a need to accelerate collection efforts in these regionsbefore threatened or endangered species become extinct. The diverse geographical, ecological,genetic, morphological, and behavioral data generated from the on-site collection ofan individual specimen are useful for many scientific purposes. However, traditional methodsfor specimen preparation in the field do not permit researchers to retrieve neuroanatomicaldata, disregarding potentially useful data for increasing our understanding of braindiversity. These data have helped clarify brain evolution, deciphered relationships betweenstructure and function, and revealed constraints and selective pressures that provide contextabout the evolution …

A Case Study: Observations Of Behaviors & Vocalizations In A Captive Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus) During Quarantine, Alexandra L. Dilley

Theses and Dissertations

Bozie, an Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), was relocated from the Baton Rouge Zoo to Smithsonian’s National Zoo. During a requisite 29-day quarantine period, I recorded Bozie’s stress-related behaviors and the vocalizations she produced when she was alone and with her keepers in free and protected contact.

The Origin And Expansion Of The Eastern Red Fox, Adrienne Egge Kasprowicz

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

When new populations are first identified in a region there are multiple potential sources: introduction of a non-native species, extra-range expansion of a nearby population, or demographic growth of a previously unnoticed species. Red foxes were absent or rare in the mid-eastern portion United States until the late 1800s. Their origins potentially include natural population increase/expansion, translocations from Europe, and, eventually, 20th century fur farming. In this study I attempt to identify the relative impact of native expansion versus human mediated introductions of both colonial era European foxes and early 20^th century fur-farm foxes on the establishment of red …

Temperature Variability And Multiple Environmental Stressors: How Will Tadpole Performance Change With Our Climate?, Diana C. Macklem, Tracy A. G. Rittenhouse, Ashley M. Helton, Jason H. O'Connor, Jaron T. Kolek

University Scholar Projects

This project seeks to analyze how predicted changes in climate and its interactions with other environmental factors will influence tadpole growth and development. Our first study examined how the frequency and magnitude of temperature variability affect wood frog and gray tree frog tadpole performance. We found that performance responses to repeatedly fluctuating treatments did not differ significantly from constant temperatures held at the same mean for wood frog tadpoles. However, elevated mean temperatures of 26 degrees Celsius caused tadpoles to metamorphose early, suggesting a potential developmental threshold. We found that gray tree frog performance was affected by fluctuating temperature treatments, …

Assessment Of Behavior And Social Dynamics In A Newly-Forming Group Of Captive Western Lowland Gorillas, Sarah Murphey Huskisson

Graduate Theses

This study presents behavioral data of a recently-formed western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) group at Riverbanks Zoo and Garden in Columbia, South Carolina, from the initial stages of group formation through the first several months after introduction. The group consists of a male (19 years), two half-sisters (both 10 years), and an unrelated female (20 years). I collected 15-minute focal animal samples for three hours twice a week in two observation blocks, the first lasting from 7/17/15 to 9/11/15, and the second lasting from 10/30/15 to 1/3/16. A total of 99.25 observation hours were collected. It was predicted that …

History And Current Status Of The Northern Saw-Whet Owl (Aegolius Acadicus) In Arkansas, Mitchell L. Pruitt

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The secretive Northern Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is believed to be much more widespread during fall and winter than previously thought. Of the few places in the southern United States conducting research on this species, all have been successful at capturing birds. A total of 12 historic records existed for Arkansas until my work began in fall of 2014. The first confirmed record was in 1959 and the most recent was in 2010. Over the course of two field seasons, I captured and banded 24 saw-whet owls in rural Madison County. All birds were mist-netted along a trail, in …

Validation Of The Use Of Doubly Labeled Water For Measuring Metabolic Rate In Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Horridus), Caitlin Hirsh

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

The doubly labeled water method is an isotopic technique for measuring field metabolic rate and water flux rates of free-living animals. We present a validation of the use doubly labeled water for measuring metabolic rate and water loss in Timber Rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus). For this study seven animals of varying body size were used with masses ranging from 148 to 650 grams. Prior to dosing, blood samples were taken to establish background isotope levels for each animal. Snakes were injected with water enriched with isotopes of oxygen (18O) and hydrogen (2H, deuterium). The injected isotopes were then allowed to equilibrate …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Stopover Ecology Of Ruby-Throated Hummingbirds (Archilochus Colubris) During Autumn Migration, Theodore Joseph Zenzal Jr

Dissertations

The Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris) is one of the smallest Nearctic-Neotropical migrants and the only species of hummingbird that breeds in Eastern North America, yet few studies have investigated the biology of Ruby-throated Hummingbirds when they stopover during migration. Given their small size, high metabolism, aggression, and specialized diet, hummingbirds may represent a migrant that operates on the physiological edge. Therefore it is important to understand the factors that influence their stopover as well as the decision to resume migration. Towards this end, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds were captured during autumn migration along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico to …

The Uas-Gal4 System In D. Melanogaster: An Insight Into The Influence Of Micrornas On The Developmental Pathways Of The Wing, Emily R. Wilson

Honors Theses

By examining genetic pathways in D. melanogaster, a better understanding of the homologous regulatory mechanisms in humans can be utilized to further enhance knowledge of the roles of microRNA within development. This study utilizes the UAS-Gal4 system in order to produce a mutant phenotype capable of being visually studied and analyzed, focusing on the developmental pathway of the wing in D. melanogaster. Dissections of the wandering third instar larvae yielded wing disc tissue expressing the downregulation of loquacious and CG17386.

Description Of Cranial Elements And Ontogenetic Change Within Tropidolaemus Wagleri (Serpentes: Crotalinae)., Nicolette L. Hill

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Tropidolaemus wagleri is a species of Asian pitviper with a geographic range including Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Bruniei, parts of Indonesia, and the hilippines. Tropidolaemus is a member of the Crotalinae subfamily, within Viperidae. The genus Tropidolaemus includes five species, and was once included within the genus Trimeresurus. While some osteologic characteristics have been noted a comprehensive description of cranial elements has not been produced for T. wagleri. An in-depth description of the cranial skeleton of Tropidolaemus wagleri lays the foundation for future projects to compare and contrast other taxa within Crotalinae and Viperidae. The chosen reference specimen …

Elevational Variation In Body-Temperature Response To Immune Challenge In A Lizard, Francisco Javier Zamora-Camacho, Senda Reguera, Gregorio Moreno-Rueda

Dartmouth Scholarship

Immunocompetence benefits animal fitness by combating pathogens, but also entails some costs. One of its main components is fever, which in ectotherms involves two main types of costs: energy expenditure and predation risk. Whenever those costs of fever outweigh its benefits, ectotherms are expected not to develop fever, or even to show hypothermia, reducing costs of thermoregulation and diverting the energy saved to other components of the immune system. Environmental thermal quality, and therefore the thermoregulation cost/benefit balance, varies geographically. Hence, we hypothesize that, in alpine habitats, immune-challenged ectotherms should show no thermal response, given that (1) hypothermia would be …

A New Species Of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 From Mount Honaz In Southwestern Turkey (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Gioele Tropea, Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Lydia Karampatsou, Aristeidis Parmakelis, Fatih Yeşilyurt

Euscorpius

A new species of scorpion, Euscorpius honazicus sp. n., is described from Mount Honaz, in the province of Denizli, in southwestern Turkey, based on morphological and molecular evidence, increasing to 14 the Euscorpius species currently recognized in Turkey.

Natural Skeletal Pathologies In A Population Of Gray Squirrels, Sciurus Carolinensis, From Putnam County, Georgia, Anna M. Bosch, Katelyn J. Benson, Alfred J. Mead

Georgia Journal of Science

Antemortem bone remodeling following severe trauma leads to bone disfigurement that serves as a skeletal record of the injury resulting from events such as nonfatal predator attacks, aggressive intraspecific interactions, or accidental injuries related to lifestyle hazards. In the current study, pathologic bone regrowth was analyzed in a sample of 91 eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) skeletons from Putnam County, Georgia. The occurrence, frequency, and position of bridging fracture calluses, bone misalignments, bone-surface perforations, and localized superficial calluses were recorded and compared to other terrestrial, semiarboreal, and arboreal mammalian species. Evidence of healed bone fractures was observed in 41% of …

The First Record Of Malformed Pectines In Genus Euscorpius (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Miroslav Šarić, Jovana Tomić

Euscorpius

A teratological change in a pectinal organ of Euscorpius cf. carpathicus (C. L. Koch, 1837) from Serbia had been examined using SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy), and compared to specimens with normally developed pectines. Possible reasons for this anomaly are discussed.

Global Phylogeny Of The Water Penny Beetles Using Both Molecular And Morphological Evidence (Co, Mathew Vincent Wood

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Psephenidae is a family of freshwater beetles usually found in swift streams worldwide. Their unique disc shaped and flattened larvae have made this a group of interest for scientists for centuries. Morphologically, this family has been relatively well researched, and systematically the family is fairly well known and supported as monophyletic. One issue with Psephenidae, and with many other insect groups, is the lack of the molecular phylogenetic analyses to test morphology hypothesizes.

After successfully sequencing these two genes from species representing nearly all of the known genera, the data were analyzed using both Bayesian and parsimony methods. Analyses …

A Retrospective Analysis Of Trends In Central Ohio Wildlife Health Using Records From A Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility, Rachel B. Dalton

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The analysis of records from wildlife rehabilitation facilities has shown great potential as a technique for monitoring health trends in local wildlife populations. We examined 45,668 records of animals admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation facility located in Ohio over a 10 year period (2005-2014). The objective was to examine how causes of admission for commonly admitted species may change over time and co-vary with seasonal patterns, with the goal of using fluctuations in wildlife admissions as a monitoring technique for population and ecosystem health. We assigned causes of admission to broad categories, such as “Collision with Non-Moving Object”, and a …

Effects Of Nutrition On Female Leopard Geckos, Lisa Keys, Dennis M. Ferraro

UCARE: Research Products

Nutrition has a dramatic effect on animal’s bodies and behaviors as they go through their lives. Looking at the effects of nutrition on captive animals is crucial to providing future animals with better lives. Since captive animals don’t get the variety of food items that they would get in the wild, supplementation is often used to meet the minimum dietary requirements. Looking at how supplementation affects female leopard geckos at breeding size, there were both positive and negative correlations with different supplementations used. After taking body measurements on females over several months on one kind of additional supplement, the control …

Molecular Analysis Confirming The Introduction Of Nile Crocodiles, Crocodylus Niloticus Laurenti 1768 (Crocodylidae), In Southern Florida, With An Assessment Of Potential For Establishment, Spread, And Impacts., Michael R. Rochford, Kenneth L. Krysko, Frank J. Mazzotti, Matthew W. Shirley, Mark W. Parry, Joseph A. Wasilewski, Jeffrey S. Beauchamp, Christpher R. Gillette, Edward F. Metzger Iii, Michiko A. Squires, Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

The state of Florida, USA, has more introduced herpetofauna than any other governmental region on Earth. Four species of nonnative crocodilians have been introduced to Florida (all since 1960), one of which is established. Between 2000–2014 we field-collected three nonnative crocodilians in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and one in Hendry County, Florida. We used DNA barcoding and molecular phylogenetics to determine species identification and native range origin. Also, we described diet, movement, and growth for one crocodile. Our molecular analyses illustrated that two of the crocodiles we collected are most closely related to Nile Crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) from South Africa, suggesting …

The Line Drawn On Pain Still Holds, Bjorn H. Merker

Animal Sentience

The many substantive criticisms raised against Key by me and by many of the other commentators will not disappear by ignoring or waving them aside with meta-discourse about anthropomorphism, just-so stories, or celestial teapots. The conceptual edifice Key inhabits and defends with such gusto may look like an impregnable fortress from the inside – and Key behaves as if it were. From the outside, however, it looks more like a ramshackle structure gaping with holes and pieced together from imperfectly understood neuroscience and often faulty literature citations.

Slavery, Welfare And The Sixth Extinction, Stephen R. Clark

Animal Sentience

Ng’s laudable concern for animal welfare would be welcome to any sensible slave-owner wishing to preserve his investment. What welfarism – for slave-owners and animal husbandmen – fails to call into question is whether we have the right to breed, hold captive and kill animals at all: If it matters, as the widely recognized slogan of ‘Five Freedoms’ suggests, that animals have the chance to live a ‘normal’ life, then more matters than keeping them ‘happy’ in subjection. Their lives – and also the lives of wild things – also deserve respect.

Scorpions Of Sri Lanka (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Chaerilidae, Scorpionidae) With Description Of Four New Species Of The Genera Charmus Karsch, 1879 And Reddyanus Vachon, 1972, Stat. N., František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, Kithsiri B. Ranawana, David Hoferek, V. A. Sanjeewa Jayarathne, Jana Plíšková, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Data about all 18 known scorpion species of Sri Lanka are summarized. All previously known species were newly collected and four new species discovered during a scorpiological expedition in 2015. Information is provided about their taxonomy, distribution, ecology, and reproductive biology, fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitat. Subgenus Isometrus (Reddyanus) Vachon, 1972 is elevated to genus level, Reddyanus stat. n., supported by new characters of setation on leg tarsomere II and hemi-spermatophore morphology. Charmus saradieli sp. n., Reddyanus ceylonensis sp. n., R. jayarathnei …