bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Comb‐footed spider genera Theridion, Achaearanea and Anelosimus of Israel (Araneae: Theridiidae)
Authors: Levy G. , Amitai P. 
Published: August 2009

Israeli thendiid spiders of the genera Theridion, Achaearanea and Anelosimus have been revised. A relative richness in species is presented providing thereby updated information on the little known Mediterranean spider fauna. All type and non‐type material previously described from the Middle East, deposited in several European collections has been re‐examined, along with species from adjacent regions considered pertinent to the study undertaken. Altogether 21 species are recognized. Systematic, ecologic and all available zoogeographic information on taxa treated are discussed along with recent, pertaining literature. The presence of seven species formerly reported from Israel has been confirmed and the occurrence of another four species unknown hitherto from this region, has been proved. Some of these have never been adequately described or illustrated.Ten new species are described: Theridion ochreolus, T. agaricographus, T hierwhonticus, T. jordanensis, T. negebensis, T. gekkonicus, T. dafnensis, T. vallisalinarum, T. pustiliferus and Anelosimus giladensis. The male of Theridion melanostictum is described for the first time. Keys, illustrations of diagnostic characters and records of distribution are provided for each species, all readily applicable also in adjacent countries. These may provide clues for better understanding of zoogeographic patterns of the Palearctic fauna, including those of the Old World Desert belt extending south and east of the Mediterranean region.
Ontogeny of social behaviour related to feeding in the Crab‐eating fox (Cerdocyon thous) and the Bush dog (Speothos venaticus)
Authors: Biben Maxeen 
Published: August 2009

This study examines the development of social interactions involved in food apportionment in two captive parent‐raised litters of Crab‐eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous) and three of Bush dogs (Speothos venaticus), by presentation of live prey items and a regular food ration. Cerdocyon pups are initially very aggressive over food but, with experience, gradually develop the adult pattern of respecting ownership of food, without determining access by means of a dominance hierarchy. Adults mediate food transfers between pups and facilitate the learning process as well as the distribution of food resources. Speothos pups never fight over or defend food and show no important ontogenetic changes in response to feeding situations.
Behavioural ecology of the Greater one‐horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)
Authors: Laurie Andrew 
Published: August 2009

In the Chitawan Valley of Nepal there were estimated to be between 270 and 310 Greater one‐horned or Indian rhinoceroses (Rhinoceros unicornis L.). Population densities reached 4.85 rhinos/km2 in the favoured areas of high diversity of early successional vegetation types on the valley floor. The overall population composition was 32.3% adult females, 19.9% adult males, 21.2% sub‐adults and 26.6% calves. Females first calved at a mean age of 7.1 years and the median intercalving interval was 2.8 years. Causes of death included poaching, tiger predation on calves and fighting among males. The population was increasing.Rhinos fed from 183 species of plants belonging to 57 botanical families but grass (50 species) made up between 70 and 89% of their diet according to the season. Considerable seasonal variations in food availability resulted in movements of rhinos between vegetation types. Rhinos' ranges were smallest in the areas of greatest vegetational diversity.Rhinos rarely formed groups. The most common type consisted of sub‐adults–mainly males. Ten auditory displays were distinguished and visual displays, although less striking, included baring the lower incisor tusks. Scents were carried in the dung, the urine and the pedal scent glands. Squirt urination and foot‐dragging displays were performed by breeding males only.There was some degree of range exclusivity among breeding males but no true territoriality. Poor visibility and the relatively unpredictable distribution of resources in time and space have perhaps selected against a territorial mating system. Relationships between ecology and social organization are discussed with reference to other rhino species.Threats to the continued survival of the Indian rhino include poaching, agricultural encroachment and erosion. In order to spread the risk of a catastrophe, reintroductions of rhinos to other protected areas are proposed.
Histochemical and ultrastructural studies on the salivary glands of Helix aspersa (Mollusca)
Authors: Moreno F. J. , Pi∼nero J. , Hidalgo J. , Navas P. , AND J. Aijon , Lopez‐Campos J. L. 
Published: August 2009

A histochemical and ultrastructural study was carried out on the salivary glands of adult specimens of Helix aspersa. Histochemically four cell types were distinguished: mucocyte I, mucocyte II, pseudochromosome cell and protein cell. The first secretes neutral and acid mucins. Mucocyte II and pseudochromosome cells produce acid mucins and the protein cell secretes neutral mucins and proteins.The ultrastructural data for differentiating these four cell types is discussed. Mucocytes I have a characteristic arrangement of rough endoplasmatic reticulum and basal infoldings. Mucocytes II have pseudocrystalline formations in the rough endoplasmatic reticulum and intraluminary ducts. Pseudochromosome cells have typical granules with a reticular central zone. Protein cells have serous homogenous secretion.The epithelium of the salivary ducts is described.
Natural history of Theba pisana in Israel (Pulmonata: Helicidae)
Authors: Heller Joseph 
Published: August 2009

Theba pisana in southern Israel is a semelparous species with an annual life cycle. Young snails hatch in early winter, grow rapidly in spring and by summer they reach, first adult shell‐size, then adult shell‐weight. Shell‐size is negatively related to density, suggesting that, as in some other landsnails, there may be a density‐dependent inhibition of growth. Summer forces the snails into 3–4 months of aestivation.After the first winter rains the snails, awakened perhaps by the sudden drop in barometric pressure, emerge from aestivation. Only now are most of the spermatozoa and mature oocytes formed (maturation of gametes actually starts some two weeks before the first rains), and the snails copulate. No evidence of precocious breeding was found. The snails sometimes dig a few “sham” holes, perhaps to discourage egg‐eating predators, before finally depositing their eggs (mean clutch size: 80 eggs) in the last hole.In mid‐winter, the snails die. In a habitat where the sheltering conditions of the vegetation offer the snails more protection, the dying off process of the population is stretched over a few more months. This could, perhaps, be the first step towards the evolution of a bi‐annual cycle, such as is typical of T. pisana in some other areas of its distribution.
Gut contents of the ascidian Pyura praeputialis: endogenous and exogenous components
Authors: Goddard C. K. , Hoggett Anne K. 
Published: August 2009

The gut material of Pyura praeputialis consists of two components: exogenous seston and endogenous mucus in which the seston particles are embedded. It has not heretofore been possible to separate these components; it follows that quantification of each component had not been possible.A method is described for separating the endogenous and exogenous components. It allows an estimate of how much mucus is produced and what proportion is resorbed. It also allows an estimate of how much seston is ingested and what proportion is digested.
The skin of Ichthyophis (Amphibia: Caecilia): an ultrastructural study
Authors: Fox Harold 
Published: August 2009

The skin of the adult Ichthyophis spp. has been investigated using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and the various epidermal and dermal integral cellular components of this genus, of the order Caecilia, are compared and contrasted with those of members of the Anura and Urodela among the Amphibia. In general the epidermis of Ichthyophis is typically amphibian in appearance, though in terms of size the cells are large and of urodelan dimensions. Apart from the epithelial cells, in addition the epidermis includes a number of specifically different cells, some doubtless arising in situ, possibly from the stratum germinativum, others entering the epidermis from elsewhere.The dermis of caecilians is unique among living amphibians in possessing scales located in pockets, and for completeness their gross structure and arrangement are described and existing information on their ultrastructure is summarized. The cellular composition and arrangement of the dermal glands are described and the glandular components in the Amphibia are compared.
Histological, histochemical and ultrastructural studies on the bulbus arteriosus of the sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus and Pungitius pungitius (Pisces: Teleostei)
Authors: Benjamin M. , Norman D. , Santer R. M. , Scarborough D. 
Published: August 2009

The bulbar wall has three layers. Its lining consists of squamous‐columnar endothelial cells that store neutral mucopolysaccharides and are PAS‐positive. They do not contain large amounts of acid phosphatase, acid mucopolysaccharides, glycogen or lipids. A morphometric analysis shows that 32% of the cell volume in Pungitius and 12% in Gasterosteus is occupied by specific granules, 100–600 nm in diameter. According to X‐ray probe micro‐analysis, these granules bind chromium ions, even though the endothelial cells do not contain catecholamines. Rootlets, packed with plasmalemmal vesicles, extend from the endothelial cells into the middle layer of the bulbus. Here, smooth muscle cells alternate with elastic fibres. The staining reactions of bulbar elastica are compared with those in the mammalian aorta and the ligamentum nuchae. The outer layer of the bulbus is visceral pericardium and beneath its covering mesothelial cells are numerous collagen fibres, non‐myelinated nerves, occasional fibroblasts and melanocytes. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the bulbar lining is thrown into longitudinal folds, but that there are no trabeculae subdividing the lumen.Many features of the bulbus arteriosus may be related to the low systolic pressures of teleosts and to the proximity of their heart and gills. In contrast to mammals, only a small part of the arterial system can act as a windkessel. The bulbus is thus more distensible than the mammalian aorta and must lie within the pericardial cavity so that its greater excursions can be accommodated. Perhaps because the bulbus is so distensible, it has elastic fibres rather than lamellae. This in turn may affect the organization of the smooth muscle cells which do not form “span muscles” as in some mammalian aortae. Like most cells in the bulbus, they are joined to others by desmosomes. Evidently, firm cohesion is important in highly distensible vessels.
The biology and functional morphology of Eufistulana mumia (Bivalvia: Gastrochaenacea)
Authors: Morton Brian 
Published: August 2009

Eufistulana mumia Spengler 1783 (Gastrochaenidae) is one of the rarest of all bivalves, a preserved specimen only once having been previously reported upon (Fischer, 1866). Eufistulana lies buried in subtidal sediments, entombed, except for a siphonal orifice, in an adventitious tube of its own construction. The tube comprises four layers secreted in stages by an equal number of pallial glands, housed in the reflected middle folds anteriorly, the reflected inner folds further posteriorly and the siphons. The process of tube formation is discussed. The larva probably settles on a calcareous substrate, possibly an empty shell, and then proceeds to construct a vertical tube when the initial site of settlement has been penetrated. Periodic dissolution of the original tube basally, possibly by a gland in the foot, is followed by growth downwards with a concomitant secretion of new tube material. At the end of a phase of growth a new base to the tube is secreted.The true shell of Eufistulana is modified with the anterior face very reduced, laterally expanded and, in life. covered by reflected middle folds. The posterior face is elongate and covered by reflected inner folds. The ventral margin is widely emarginate. The pedal gape is small and the foot reduced, the sole acting as a sucker attaching the animal to the tube and leaving a characteristic impression. There is a tiny, papilla‐like anterior pedal projection to the foot. A septum in the tube separates tissues contained within the shell from the siphonal region, possibly restricting entry into the basal region of sediment and small, shelter‐seeking, invertebrates. Similarly, the tips of the siphons possess glands that produce a secretion which probably deters would be inhabitants of the siphonal region of the tube.The major specializations of Eufistulana to its mode of life are pallial. In other respects it is a typical bivalve with little reduction of the pedal apparatus and few modifications to the organs of the mantle cavity. The labial palps are small implying little food selection in the mantle cavity. The intestine is adapted for handling large amounts of sediment.Soft deposits have been colonized in a number of ways by a number of bivalve lineages. Eufistulana is an example of another way in which this habitat has been exploited, albeit from an ancestor that was probably a borer.
Locomotion in ground beetles (Coleoptera carabidae): An interpretation of leg structure in functional terms
Authors: Forsythe T. G. 
Published: August 2009

Recordings of maximum running speeds and maximum horizontal pulling (= pushing) forces have been obtained for 72 species of cursorial and fossorial ground beetles (Carabidae: Coleoptera) belonging to 19 tribes and 12 supertribes. Fore leg, pro‐ and meso‐femoral and tibial and mid leg measurements have also been made and all these parameters have been correlated with body lengths. It was found that those species (mainly Carabinae group I, i.e. Nebriini, Notiophilini, Loricerini, Elaphrini, Cicindelini) with relatively long, slender pro‐and mesofemora, long pro ‐ and mesotibiae and small meso‐coxal articulations were faster runners (i.e. sprinters) but weaker horizontal pushers. In contrast, species (mainly Carabinae group II, i.e. Broscini, Trechini, Pogonini, Bembidiini, Patrobini, Pterostichini, Zabrini, Callistini, Oodini, Licinini, Harpalini) with relatively short, broad pro‐femora, short (slender) mesofemora, short pro– and mesotibiae, and larger meso‐coxal articulations were stronger horizontal pushers but were slower runners. Carabinae group III (Scaritini), however, which have very short, narrow pro‐ and mesofemora, very short pro‐ and mesotibiae, and large meso‐coxal articulations were found to be very strong horizontal pushers but very slow (relatively) runners.The Carabini (including Cychrini), however, resemble Carabinae group II in their running and pushing abilities although their legs are structurally similar to those of Carabinae group I (i.e. relatively long and slender with small meso–coxal articulations). In fact, species of Carabini are fast walkers, their prey is generally slow moving (i.e. slugs, snails and caterpillars) and they hunt in restrictive habitats such as weed patches, meadows or woodland grass which produce a considerable amount of environmental resistance. Most Carabini have a heavy, powerful body which seems to be well adapted to overcoming this resistance.
The effect of female body condition on egg laying in Lesser black‐backed gulls Larus fuscus
Authors: Houston D. C. , Jones P. J. , Sinly R. M. 
Published: August 2009

Female Lesser black‐backed gulls, culled from a moorland nesting site in Lancashire for public health reasons, were examined to compare their body condition with the number and quality of eggs that they would lay. The clutch size and stage of the laying cycle of each bird were determined by examining their ovaries. Fat condition was obtained by extraction of the whole carcass with chloroform and an index of protein condition was obtained from the lean dry weight of the flight muscles. Oviduct eggs were analysed for the amounts of fat and protein present in the yolk and albumen.Lesser black‐backed gulls are not fully indeterminate layers. Most females develop only enough enlarged ova to produce the normal clutch of three eggs, with some birds able to lay an additional one or two replacement eggs if necessary. The female's protein reserve, but not her fat reserve, declined during egg formation and was correlated with the total number of eggs she could potentially have laid. Similarly egg quality, as measured by yolk weight and protein content, was correlated with female condition but not her fat reserves. Albumen weight was not correlated with body condition.It is shown that egg production is a demanding process in Lesser black‐backed gulls and breeding success is influenced by the amount of the female's protein reserve both through its effect on egg quality and on her ability to lay replacement eggs if necessary.
The food and feeding ecology of the giant petrels Macronectes halli and M. giganteus at South Georgia
Authors: Hunter S. 
Published: August 2009

Giant petrels are the chief scavenging seabirds in the Southern Ocean. Quantitatively analysed regurgitations from chicks of both Macronectes halli and M. giganteus at Bird Island, South Georgia throughout the chick rearing period consisted predominantly of adult Macaroni penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus. Significant quantities of burrowing petrels and krill were taken but the amount varied in different years. Only male M. halli fed regularly at fur seal carcases. Although 10 species were found in regurgitations, squid were unimportant in the diet. Fish are possibly more important during the winter.Intersexual differences in diet were of greater significance than interspecific ones with males taking more carrion and females more crustaceans. Chicks were fed during both day and night and in both species males received significantly more food than females during the fledging period. M. giganteus chicks received more than M. halli at all ages.Despite their extensive reliance on carrion both species take a variety of prey and this may be especially important during the winter when penguin and seal carrion is scarce.
Convergent evolution of shell colour patterns in two Caribbean terrestrial prosobranch snails
Authors: Goodfriend Glenn A. 
Published: August 2009

Two species of helicinid land snails, the Jamaican endemic Eutrochatella pulchella and the Cuban endemic Viana regina, display a colour pattern of white spots on a greenish background. Microstructural and optical investigations of the shells have revealed that the colour patterns are non‐homologous. In E. pulchella the white spots are associated with areas of granular shell structure, in which the crystals have an irregular, peak‐like form. In V. regina, there is no structural modification of the shell mineral associated with the spots. Modification of the organic matrix is responsible for the appearance of spotting. In V. regina, the shell pigment is yellow and located in the inner part of the shell. It appears greenish as seen from the outside through the translucent shell. The pigment fluoresces yellow under ultraviolet light. The greenish shell pigment of E. pulchella is non‐fluorescent and is uniformly distributed through the shell (except in the white spots).Since the colour patterns are non‐homologous, their similarity must have arisen through convergent evolution. The adaptive value of the colour patterns is thus indicated. Both species live exposed on limestone rocks and their colour patterns (at least in the case of E. pulchella) cause them to be very cryptic. Predation by visually oriented predators (perhaps birds) is a probable cause of selection for shell colour pattern.The association of polymorphism with wide habitat breadth and of monomorphism with narrow habitat breadth is proposed. This relationship is seen in the two helicinid species, both of which show little within‐population variation as compared with polymorphic snails (e.g. helicids), which occupy a wide range of habitats. The generally monomorphic character of populations of Jamaican snails may be a result of habitat specialization associated with the unusually high species diversity on the island (some 450 species in 11,400 km2).The need for studies on the relationship of shell colour and structure is pointed out.
The population dynamics and sexual strategy of Anodonta woodiana (Bivalvia: Unionacea) in Plover Cove Reservoir, Hong Kong
Authors: Dudgeon David , Morton Brian 
Published: August 2009

A 12‐month investigation of the population dynamics, growth, ageing, reproduction and sexuality of Anodonta woodiana (Lea, 1834) in Plover Cove Reservoir, Hong Kong, has been undertaken. Recruitment occurs in the summer, May through July being the period of peak incidence of glochidia on captive fish hosts. Juveniles grow rapidly to a shell length of 30 mm and are sexually mature by the following spring. A study of the population structure of A. woodiana indicated that most animals were less than 8 years old. Results of a Walford plot for this species indicated a maximum theoretical shell length (in Plover Cove) of 162·5 mm and a life span of approximately 12 years; the latter is in good agreement with age estimates for European unionids. Anodonta woodiana is dioecious with females predominating in a ratio of 60:40. A very small number of individuals (0·3%) are hermaphrodite. Males possess mature gonads throughout the year whereas females come into reproductive condition during the spring. There was no evidence of shell form sexual dimorphism, as has been recorded for other unionaceans.The reproductive strategy and time of gonad maturation of A. woodiana is compared with that of unionids from elsewhere and with other fresh water bivalves from southern China.
Predation, sex ratios, and male competition in equids (Mammalia: Perissodactyla)
Authors: Berger Joel 
Published: August 2009

Existing data indicate that a greater preponderance of adult females rather than adult males occurs in most species of mammals. The hypothesis that such differences arise as a result of intermale reproductive competition for females (and not predation) was examined in the Equidae by comparing populations of horses (Equus caballus), asses (E. asinus), and two species of zebras (E. zebra and E. burchelli) in predator‐free, predator‐rich and insular ecosystems.Evidence is presented that: (1) sex differences in adult mortality occur; (2) they relate to the type and intensity of natural predation; and (3) asymmetries in sex ratios are most often explicable in terms of intermale reproductive competition. Exceptions are discussed and they are complicated by numerous proximate factors.