Zoology Commons^™

The Eighty-Seventh (1988) Annual Meeting

Nebraska Bird Review

The eighty-seventh Annual Meeting was held 20-22 May, at Camp Kiwanis in Scottsbluff, at the invitation of the Wildcat Audubon Society. There were about 85 effective registrations, including two from the state of Washington, one from New Jersey, and one from New Hampshire. There was the usual get-together and slide show on Friday night, Saturday and Sunday mornings were for birding, Saturday afternoon was the formal meeting, and Saturday night the banquet. In the afternoon R. George Corner spoke on Fossil Birds of Nebraska, II. (The II is in recognition of Myron H. Swenk's article. on fossil birds of Nebraska …

Tundra Swans In Lincoln County, Nebraska, Greg Windfield

Nebraska Bird Review

On 16 March 1988 Ron Hoffman and I observed nine Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus) on a sandpit lake approximately 4 miles east of the I-80 interchange at North Platte. The lake's legal description is Tl3N, R29W, SW¼ of Section 8. The Swans were reported to the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's North Platte office at 10:30 that morning by a former resident of Nebraska's Sandhills region. He thought the Swans looked identical to Trumpeter Swans (Cygnus buccinator) he had observed while living on a ranch near Hyannis. While leading us to the lake he mentioned that …

Two Species Of Marsh Wren (Cistothorus Palustris) In Nebraska, Donald E. Kroodsma

Nebraska Bird Review

The consequences of a grand evolutionary experiment are evident throughout Nebraska. During the Pleistocene, many taxa were apparently separated into eastern and western populations. Today many of these eastern and western counterparts meet in the Great Plains, especially in Nebraska. Some pairs now hybridize freely (towhees. orioles. flickers), while others do not (buntings, grosbeaks, meadowlarks) (see Rising 1983).

The Marsh Wren is still another, previously unrecognized, taxon that consists of an eastern and western counterpart. Data from Nebraska and elsewhere in North America suggest that there are two forms of the Marsh Wren, perhaps as vocally different from each other …

The Nebraska Bird Review June 1988- Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

The Eighty-seventh (1988) Annual Meeting ....................34

1987 Nebraska Nesting Survey ....................35

Two Species of Maarsh Wren (Cistothorus palustris) in Nebraska? ....................40

Nest Scrape Characteristics of Piping Plover and Least Tern in Nebraska ....................42

Occurrence of Ross' Geese (Chen rossii) detected from Avian Cholera Losses ....................44

Tundra Swans in Lincoln County, Nebraska ....................46

A Second Bald Eagle Nest in Nebraska ....................47

Book Reviews ....................48

Notes....................50

Echinococcus Vogeli Rausch And Bernstein, 1972, From The Paca, Cuniculus Paca L. (Rodentia: Dayproctidae), In The Departamento De Santa Cruz, Bolivia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Robert L. Rausch, Otto Carlos Jordan Camacho

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Among approximately 2,000 mammals examined for helminths in various regions of Bolivia during 1983-1987, cysts of Echinococcus vogeli Rausch and Bernstein, 1972, were found in a single paca, Cuniculus paca L., collected at La Laguna, Departamento de Santa Cruz (lat. 16° 36' W; long. 62° 42' S). This record, the first from Bolivia, represents a considerable extension of the known geographic range of this species in South America. Upon analysis of the morphologic characteristics of the protoscoleces derived from the cysts, the sizes of rostellar hooks from the material from the paca were found to be well within the ranges …

Histology Of The Ovaries And Fat Bodies Of Chthonerpeton Indistinctum, Rafael O. De Sá, Nibia Berois

Biology Faculty Publications

Histological analysis revealed three different stages in the development of ovarian follicles of Chthonerpeton indistinctum. These stages are identified by (1) location of the oocyte in the ovary wall, (2) oocyte morphology and staining characteristics, (3) development of the zona pellucida, and (4) organization of the follicular layer. Atretic follicles and corpora lutea also were found. Fat bodies are composed of well-developed adipose tissue.

Foraging Behavior And Switching By The Grasshopper Sparrow Ammodramus Savannarum Searching For Multiple Prey In A Heterogeneous Environment, Anthony Joern

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Switching among four alternative grasshopper species by the grasshop- per sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum) through frequency-dependent predation was ex- amined. Grasshoppers were presented against a heterogeneous natural background in an outdoor aviary where total density was held constant but relative density of each grasshopper species varied. Switching among prey, primarily between two of the four species, and inter-bird variability in switching was observed. Species-specific prefer- ences and interactions among the alternative grasshopper species affected the final diet choice as one grasshopper species was always preferentially selected and another disregarded independent of changes in relative density. Attributes of avian foraging behavior, including: …

Spatial Memory In Pigeons On A Four-Arm Radial Maze, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Pigeon spatial memory was examined using a four-arm radial maze. The maze had four arms, spaced at 90° intervals, extending radially from a central choice area. Subjects were forced into three arms, then permitted two choices to enter the remaining ann. Five subjects chose accurately (90% correct) with delays of 5 min or less, their choices depended on extramaze cues, and the food in the target arm provided no essential cues. After an incorrect first choice, subjects' second choices were more accurate than chance. These data suggest that, while spatial memory has many similar characteristics in rats and pigeons, pigeon …

1987 Christmas Count

Nebraska Bird Review

1987 CHRISTMAS COUNT

There were two new reporting areas this year - Loup City, and the Nebraska portion of the Sioux City count. One hundred fourteen species are included in the report, but two of them were only from Loup City and one only from Sioux City, to leave III species from areas that reported 109 species last year. One species was reported present during the count period, but not included in any count last year. This year's report form did not include a tabulation of such species. The total individual count this year was 408,096, with 394,127 from the …

1987 Treasurer's Report

Nebraska Bird Review

1987 TREASURER'S REPORT

1987 (Thirtieth) Fall Occurrence Report

Nebraska Bird Review

Two hundred ninety-six species (plus the possibility that the Waterthrush species was a Louisiana, and the Empidonax sp, reported was not one listed) were reported from fourteen "full-time" locations. plus four "spot~check" locations. The figures for 1986 were 293 and one possibility from 13 "full-time" and 4 "spotcheck" locations; 1985 283 and one possibility from 11 "full-time" and 8 "spot-check" locations; 1984 278 from 12 locations.

The information is presented in a rough west (left) to east (right) order. with locations of about the same latitude listed with the northernmost first. Two dates indicate the first and last records for …

Inca Dove In Nebraska, In Winter, Eileen Paine

Nebraska Bird Review

On 28 October 1987 my uncle, Lee Johnson,and J saw a small dove on the bird bath at my home in Kearney. We did not use binoculars, and thought it was a small Mourning Dove. On 2 November my son Gary Paine. and I saw it and used binoculars on it, noting its small size and rufous wings. We thought it was a Common Ground-Dove. and reported it to Dr. C. W. Bliese. On 2 December it was seen again on the bird bath and in trees. This time Margaret Triplett identified it as an Inca Dove, and the identification …

Notes-Nebraska Bird Review March 1988

Nebraska Bird Review

RED PHALAROPE. On 29 September 1985 Mark A. and Ed M. Brogie reported the occurrence of a Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicaria) at Willow Creek Recreation Area, Pierce Co., Neb. This bird was the first recorded sighting for the county and the second documented record for Nebraska ( NEB 52:72-73). On 26 September 1987 the authors observed and photographed a Red Phalarope along the beach near the group camping area on the south side of Willow Creek Recreation Area. The bird was quite unwary, and at one instance we were able to approach it within two yards distance as …

Nebraska Bird Review- Whole Issue March 1988 Volume 56 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

1987 Treasurer's Report..................2
An Inca Dove in Nebraska, in Winter..................3
I 987 Christmas Count ..................3
1987 (Thirtieth) Fall Occurrence Report ............10
Notes.........................22

Frugivorous And Animalivorous Bats (Microchiroptera): Dental And Cranial Adaptations, Patricia W. Freeman

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The most derived fruit-eating bats have small canines, wide palates and molars with a distinctive labial rim. Paracone and metacone have moved from a dilambdodont position in the middle of the tooth to the labial side of the tooth where they form the labial cutting edge. Along with the well-developed and close fitting labial cutting edges of the premolars and canines, this cutting edge skirts nearly the entire perimeter of the palate. The labial rim of the lower teeth fit inside the labial rim of the upper teeth like two cookie cutters nesting one inside the other. Frugivores have a …

Lasiurus Blossevilli (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) In Texas, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert J. Baker

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

First paragraph:

A bat netted in the ZH Canyon in the Sierra Vieja Mountains, 9 mi. W Valentine, Presidio Co., Texas, appears to be the first record of the western red bat (Lasiurus blossevillii teliotis) from the state of Texas. The specimen is an adult female that was taken on the night of 15 July 1969 by T. R. Mollhagen. The vegetation in ZH Canyon is typical low desert scrub but permanent water is present. Nets were placed in such positions as to catch bats attempting to drink at this water source.

Genic Studies Of Lasiurus (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae), Robert J. Baker, John C. Patton, Hugh H. Genoways, John W. Bickham

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Bats of the genus Lasiurus present a number of interesting systematic problems that are difficult to resolve by traditional techniques. Members of the genus share a suite of derived morphological (Hall and Jones, 1961; Handley , 1960) and karyotypic (Bickham 1979, 1988) characteristics. However, until 1960 (Handley, 1960), members were placed in two genera- Lasiurus and Dasypterus-based primarily upon the presence or absence of the small, first upper premolar. Handley (1960) analyzed the differences and similarities among these two genera and concluded they were not distinct even at a subgeneric level. One goal of this study was to provide …

Comments On Estimating Population Rate Of Increase From Age Frequency Data, C. Renn Tumlison, V. Rick Mcdaniel

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Although many papers have described assumptions and calculations of r from different kinds of data, none has compared estimates of r for the same real data set under different assumptions. We used the age distributions of gray foxes collected during six trapping seasons to estimate and compare r and lₓ series derived under different assumptions. Because trapped foxes are killed, they are believed by some to represent death history data. We found this treatment underestimates mortality so overestimates survivorship and leads to erroneous conclusions about the population. Use of a projection matrix allowed prediction of population size and thus allowed …

Invertebrates Associated With The Pincushion Moss (Leucobryum Glaucum) And Underlying Soil, Timothy R. Leffler

Masters Theses

A faunal study of soil invertebrates collected from pincushion moss (Leucobryum glaucum) and underlying soil in a mixed deciduous forest of Charleston, Illinois, was performed because it was discovered that moss habitats have been largely overlooked by investigators.

The results from this study suggest that moss habitats provide a buffer area from the external physical environment, provide protection from predators, a place for oviposition and may be used as a food source. Twenty-seven orders of invertebrates were collected (66,023 individuals). Acarina (57.9%) and Collembola (37.9%) made up the majority of the invertebrate population. Three abiotic factors (temperature, moisture …

Taxonomy, Systematics, And Ecology Of Helminth Parasites Of The Ringed Seal, Phoca Hispida Schreber, In Alaskan Waters, Ann Marie Adams

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

The genus Orthosplaochnus Odhner, 1905 (Trematoda: Campulidae) was revised, with eight species recognized. Odhneriella Skriabin, 1915 was placed in synonymy with Orthosplanchnus, and Hadwenius was shown to be valid. Orthosplanchnus rossicus (Skriabin, 1915) (syn. Odhneriella rossica) was redescribed.

Inconsistencies in the diagnosis of the Anophryocephalus Baylis, 1922 (Cestoda: Tetrabothriidae) were discussed, along with the basis for generis revision. The taxonomic histories of certain genera of nematodes (e.g., Contracaecum Railliet and Henry, 1912; Dipetalonema Diesing; 1861; and Pseudoterranova Mosgovoi, 1950) were given to explain their present status.

The helminth-fauna of the ringed seal in the North Pacific was compared …

Mandibular Dentition In Six Species Of Salamanders, Genus Plethodon (Caudata: Plethontidae), From Arkansas Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Richard A. Atwill, Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The mandibular (dentary) dentition of six species of Plethodon (P. caddoensis, P. dorsalis, P. fourchensis, P. glutinosus, P. ouachitae, and P. serratus) from Arkansas was studied using scanning electron microscopy. In all species, the mandibular teeth were bicuspid, and each tooth possessed a prominent labial cusp and a well-developed, inward-curving lingual cusp. All species showed similar tooth crown features, except P. caddoensis which exhibited a reduced tooth height and a reduced lingual cusp (only slightly larger than the labial cusp). We compared our data with other studies on premaxillary, maxillary, and palatal teeth in Plethodon and found overall similarities in …

Distribution And Status Of The Brazilian Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida Brasiliensis Cynocephala) In Arkansas, David A. Saugey, Gary A. Heidt, Darrell R. Heath, Tim W. Steward, Daniel R. England, V. Rick Mcdaniel

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Investigations of building infestations, mist netting activities, and specimens submitted to the Arkansas Department of Health document the Brazilian free-tailed bat to be found in 14 Arkansas counties. Both overwintering and maternity colonies were examined. Numbers of individuals ranged from one to several thousand.

Toe Tip Morphology In Six Species Of Salamanders, Genus Ambystoma (Caudata: Ambystomatidae) From Arkansas Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Stanley E. Trauth, J. D. Wilhide

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The toe tip friction surface in six species of Ambystoma (A. annulatum, A.maculatum, A.opacum, A. talpoideum, A. texanum, and A. tigrinum) from Arkansas was examined using scanning electron microscopy. We found no sexual dimorphism in cell surface ultrastructure. Variation within and between species was considerable. The most active burrower, A. tigrinum, possessed the most disorganized cell surface, whereas the least active burrowers (A.annulatum, A.maculatum, and A. opacum) had morphologically similar and relatively smooth toe tips. In A. talpoideum and A. texanum, cell surfaces exhibited microprojections. Only these two species possessed mucous pores in close proximity to the friction surface. The …

Sex Ratios In Bobcat Populations, C. Renn Tumlison, V. Rick Mcdaniel

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Reported sex ratios in bobcat populations have suggested great variation ranging from strong male bias to strong female bias. Explanations offered for these observations have included factors of mobility, activity, behavior, inaccurate data collection, hunting pressure, and population density. Ratios are probably most representative during the winter, when females are no longer under constraints of parental care. Sex determination should be made by experienced observers and preferably through internal examination. The most productive direction for interpretation of validated ratios appears to be in terms of population density, hunting pressure, and the timing of harvest.

Bats Of Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas, David A. Saugey, Dianne G. Saugey, Gary A. Heidt, Darrell R. Heath

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A survey was conducted from June 1982 through January 1987 to determine the occurrence of bat species in Hot Springs National Park, Garland County, Arkansas; an area of approximately 2025 hectares. A total of 309 bats in the families Molossidae and Vespertilionidae were captured. Species represented included: Eptesicus fuscus, Lasiurus borealis, Lasiurus cinereus, Nycticeius humeralis, Pipistrellus subflavus, and Tadarida brasiliensis cynocephala.

Eggtooth Development And Morphology In The Six-Lined Racerunner Cnemidophorus Sexlineatus (Sauria: Teiidiae) Using Scanning Electron Microscopy, Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Eggtooth development and morphology in the six-lined racerunner, Cnemidophorus sexlineatus, were examined using scanning electron microscopy. The anlage of the embryonic eggtooth emerges from the anterior surface of the palate relatively late during embryonic development. The eggtooth proper erupts through an epithelial sheath and grows anteriorly to project beyond the rostral scale. The mature eggtooth is hollow, has a wall made of enamel and dentine, possesses a sharply-curved body and has a flattened, pointed tip. The eggtooth is shed within several days after the young hatch.

Forest Habitat Use By White-Tailed Deer In The Arkansas Coastal Plain, T. B. Wigley Jr., M. E. Garner

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Forest habitat use by five radio-equipped white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was monitored in the Arkansas Coastal Plain during 1982-84. The deer were located 821 times. Use of forest types was compared to expected use as calculated from availability. The study area was also divided into 491 two-hectare cells for which timber characteristics and number of deer locations were determined. Pine sawtimber was the most heavily used forest type in all seasons and was used more often than expected during spring. Also used more than expected were brushy areas (clearcut but not site prepared) during spring, summer and fall and openings …

Reproductive Characteristics Of South Florida Sternotherus Odoratus And Kinosternon Baurii (Testudines: Kinosternidae), Walter E. Meshaka Jr.

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Mitochondrial Dna Polymorphism In Three Antillean Island Populations Of The Fruit Bat, Artibeus Jamaicensis, Dorothy E. Pumo, Everett Z. Goldin, Beth Elliot, Carleton J. Phillips, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The Neotropical fruit bat, Artibeus jamaicensis, occurs throughout Latin America and on many islands in the Caribbean. Populations from Jamaica (in the Greater Antilles) to Barbados (in the Lesser Antilles) have been classified as a subspecies (A. j. jamaicensisi separate from that on the Lesser Antillean island of St. Vincent (A. j. schwartzi). Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) was isolated from 54 individuals collected on these islands, analyzed by digestion with restriction endonucleases, and the restriction sites were mapped. Three different mtDNA genotypes (16,000 ± 200 bp) were identified: J-1 (16 animals from Jamaica, one from St. Vincent, …

Ecology And Interspecific Relationships Of The Painted Turtle, (Chrysemys Picta) In A Marsh-Fen Ecosystem, Eric S. Mcgee

Masters Theses

An ecological study of the painted turtle (Chrysemys picta) was conducted at the Fox River site in Chain O' Lakes State Park in northeastern Illinois from March to September in 1987. Findings were compared to two studies in 1986 concerning the common snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina) and Blandings turtle (Emydoidea blandingi) also present in the area. Population densities and composition were evaluated to determine the degree of interspecific competition.

Two hundred-forty five turtles were captured in 1986 and 1987. Painted turtles comprised 75 percent of the chelonian population, while Blandings turtles and snapping turtles …