scholarly journals Neotropical mammals in natural history collections and research in Rome, Italy

2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 851-862
Author(s):  
Riccardo Castiglia ◽  
Spartaco Gippoliti
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
First Record ◽  
South American ◽  
Scientific Interest ◽  
Historical Knowledge ◽  
Neotropical Mammals ◽  
History Of ◽  
Athanasius Kircher ◽  
University Of Rome ◽  
The University

The occurrence and the history of Neotropical mammal specimens in the collections of naturalistic museums in Rome, Italy, and their scientific utilization is here reviewed. These specimens belong to several scientific expeditions made after the discovery of the new Continent. The oldest specimens date back to the famous Museum of Athanasius Kircher at the Collegio Romano (1651) and to the Museo Zoologico della Università di Roma that was established inside the University of the Pontificial State (Archigymnasium) (1823). Many of these early specimens are now lost due to the complex history of Roman scientific museology, but some specimens are now available mainly in two institutions, the Museo Civico di Zoologia (established in 1932) and the Museo di Anatomia Comparata “Battista Grassi” of “Sapienza” University of Rome (1935). Among the numerous specimens, is noteworthy the presence of a hairy long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus pilosus, the first record in an Italian zoological collection and the 26th known specimen of this species in world museums. More recently, some Roman researchers have maintained a scientific interest for Neotropical mammals, including primates, with collaboration with South American mammalogists. A greater historical knowledge of scientific activities concerning the work of Italians researchers on Neotropical biodiversity should be pursued. 

scholarly journals DEPREDACIÓN DE Saguinus leucopus (MAMMALIA: PRIMATES) SOBRE Phyllomedusa venusta (ANURA: HYLIDAE) EN EL DEPARTAMENTO DE CALDAS, COLOMBIA

2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Andrés Arias Alzate ◽  
Juan D. Sanchez Londoño ◽  
Juan M. Daza ◽  
José F. González Maya
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
First Record ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Ecological Information ◽  
History Of ◽  
Dietary Component

AbstractThe Silvery-brown Tamarin, Saguinus leucopus, is a primate species from the Callitrichidae family, endemic to Colombia, and that has very little ecological information. Here we report on a new dietary component for the species from Departamento de Caldas, Colombia, been the first record of S. leucopus predating an amphibian species (Phyllomedusa venusta). Despite some records exist about tamarin predation on amphibians, this is the first for this endemic species, and it is probably related with its foraging type. This record represents a noteworthy record and contributes to the knowledge of the natural history of this species. Key words: Andes, Callitrichidae, Colombia, Diet, Primates, Predation.Palabras clave: Andes, Callitrichidae, Colombia, Depredación, Dieta, Primates

scholarly journals Jar-by-Jar: Curation Improvements to the Herpetology Collection at CUMNH

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e25853
Author(s):  
Emily Braker
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Library Services ◽  
Location Tracking ◽  
University Of Colorado ◽  
Routine Monitoring ◽  
History Of ◽  
Fluid Collections ◽  
The University ◽  
Collection Program

The University of Colorado Museum of Natural History (CUMNH) Herpetology Collection is comprised of over 65,000 fluid-preserved specimens representing over 2,500 taxa from more than 70 countries. Despite its active use, a history of irregular topping up schedules and a decades-long dearth in rehousing projects due to budgetary constraints left the collection in substandard conditions. A 2015 survey of roughly 10% of the collection revealed average ethanol concentrations far below desired levels, with only 15% of specimen jars surveyed containing optimal preservative strengths of 70% (+/- 2.5%). In Fall 2017, CUMNH secured an Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant to holistically address shortcomings in the micro- and macro-storage environments within the Herpetology Collection. Program activities include jar-by-jar ethanol remediation using a digital density meter and a topping up algorithm proposed by Notton 2010, collection-wide replacement of faulty jars and lids, and installation of new static and mobile compactor shelving. Updates to nomenclature and a full specimen inventory including condition and location tracking in Arctos also fall within the project scope. This talk will cover progress thus far, our approaches to moving a collection in place, and systematic remedial topping up as a valuable counterpart to routine monitoring in fluid collections.

The Minister and His People

1908 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-238
Author(s):  
Phillips Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Free Will ◽  
William James ◽  
Assistant Professor ◽  
Medical Faculty ◽  
The People ◽  
History Of ◽  
Divinity School ◽  
The University ◽  
Phillips Brooks

The Faculty of the Harvard Divinity School provided for their students in 1883 six lectures by oflBcers of the University representing other departments of government and instruction, as follows:The Minister and the People: Phillips Brooks, D.D., of the Board of Overseers.The Evolution of a Christian Minister: J. F. Clarke, D.D., of the Board of Overseers.One Word more about Free-Will: William James, M.D., Assistant Professor of Philosophy.Plato's Idea of Immortality: W. W. Goodwin, LL.D., Professor of Greek.The Natural History of Altruism: N. S. Shaler, S.D., Professor of Palaeontology.Vivisection: H. P. Bowditch, M.D., Professor of Physiology, and Dean of the Medical Faculty.

2. On the Natural History of Lewis

1866 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 615-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Duns
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Good Deal ◽  
Indigenous Plants ◽  
Full Account ◽  
The People ◽  
Outer Hebrides ◽  
History Of ◽  
University Of Edinburgh ◽  
Moral Condition ◽  
The University

Comparatively little attention has been given to the natural history of Lewis. Stray notices of the geology, botany, and zoology of the Outer Hebrides are to be met with, but, with one or two exceptions, these are not of much value. Martin's “Description of the Western Islands (1703),” is chiefly interesting for its full account of the industrial and moral condition of the people. Little, however, can be made of his incidental references to the natural history of the islands. Two volumes on the “Economical History of the Hebrides,” by Rev. Dr Walker, Professor of Natural History in the University of Edinburgh, were published in 1808, after Dr Walker's death. This work contains a good deal of information on indigenous plants, but almost none on zoology. Dr Maculloch's “Description of the Western Islands of Scotland (3 vols., 1819)” is in every way an abler and better work than either of the two now named. Its notices of the geology and mineralogy of the Outer Hebrides are even still valuable.

Vocalizations, tadpole, and natural history of Crossodactylus werneri Pimenta, Cruz & Caramaschi, 2014 (Anura: Hylodidae), with comments on distribution and intraspecific variation

Zootaxa ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 4388 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
IZADORA VIDIGAL ◽  
THIAGO R. DE CARVALHO ◽  
RUTE B. G. CLEMENTE-CARVALHO ◽  
ARIOVALDO A. GIARETTA
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Secondary Forest ◽  
First Record ◽  
Dominant Frequency ◽  
Advertisement Call ◽  
Rdna Sequences ◽  
Muddy Bottom ◽  
16S Rdna Sequences ◽  
Parque Nacional Do Itatiaia ◽  
History Of

Crossodactylus werneri was described based on specimens collected in the 1970’s at Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, being also reported for nearby localities. We collected specimens that we assigned to C. werneri, and recorded calls of the species during fieldworks at Serra das Cabras (Campinas, state of São Paulo). In this paper, we describe for the first time the vocalizations, tadpole, coloration in life, and comment on aspects of the natural history of C. werneri. Besides, the examination of specimens in zoological collections allowed us to extend the geographic range for this species. We also make remarks on morphological/chromatic variation and provide 16S rDNA sequences for the species. Adults were found along a slow-flowing streamlet with sandy/muddy bottom within a small fragment of secondary forest. Males called between sunset and first hours of the night. Advertisement call consisted of series of pulsed notes. Call duration lasted around 3 s, emitted at the highest rate of 17 calls per minute and six notes per second. Note duration lasted around 18 ms. Notes had poorly defined pulses (irregular and/or weak amplitude modulations along the note). The dominant frequency was about 3380 Hz. Territorial call had a long, well-defined pulsed portion followed by a higher-amplitude “squeak”. The dominant frequency was around 3400 Hz. Tadpoles were essentially similar to those of other Crossodactylus species, except by not having nostril ornamentation. Our record of C. werneri in Serra das Cabras might be regarded a rediscovery of this species since C. werneri had not been recorded for more than 30 years until our first record of C. werneri in the field from 2011 and subsequent years. Our record is approximately 100 km west, and Mococa 200 km northwest, from Santo Antônio do Pinhal, the westernmost previous record for C. werneri up to date. Gene sequences (16S rRNA) give insights into the genetic divergence between C. werneri and some congeners. 

Tracking changes in natural history collections utilization: A case study at the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico

2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bethany L. Abrahamson
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
University Of New Mexico ◽  
Research Fields ◽  
Fields Of Study ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
History Of ◽  
Data Source ◽  
History Of Use ◽  
The University

AbstractNatural history collections (NHCs) are used in many fields of study, but general knowledge regarding their uses is poor. Because of this, funding and support for NHCs frequently fluctuate. One way in which collections professionals can illustrate a collection’s contribution to a variety of fields is based on the collection’s history of use. Tracking NHC utilization through time can increase NHC value to others outside of the collection, allow for the analysis of changes in specimen-based research trends, and assist in effective collection management. This case study focuses on NHC usage records held by the Museum of Southwestern Biology (MSB), a currently growing university collection used in many research fields, and presents methods for quantifying collections utilization through time. Through an exploration of these data, this paper illustrates MSB’s growth and changes in research produced over time and offers explanations for the changes observed. Last, this study provides suggestions for how collections professionals can most greatly benefit from considering NHC records as a data source. Understanding NHC usage from “the collection’s perspective” provides a new way for NHC professionals to understand NHCs’ value in the context of the research it supports and demonstrates the importance of this key infrastructure to a broader audience.

Alessandro Bausani and ‘Muslim Languages’, Forty Years After

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 194-210
Author(s):  
Adriano V. Rossi
Keyword(s):  
Arab World ◽  
National Unity ◽  
Main Interest ◽  
Islamic Studies ◽  
Major Subject ◽  
Cultural Climate ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
University Of Rome ◽  
The University

Abstract Resorting to personal memories from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the author, who defended in 1971 at the University of Rome a thesis entitled Iranian Elements in Brahui, under Prof. Bausani’s direction (later revised and published under the title Iranian lexical elements in Brāhūī [Naples: Istituto Universitario Orientale, 1979]), reconstructs the political and cultural climate in which – at the end of the 1970s – a major subject of enquiry was the problem of the nature of the national unity among the countries of the Arab world. At the urging of Biancamaria Scarcia, Bausani decided to publish at the Institute of Islamic Studies of the University of Rome a volume of historical and linguistic essays coordinated by himself and B. Scarcia (Mondo islamico tra interazione e acculturazione [Roma: Istituto di studi islamici, 1981]). In this volume, Bausani published an essay on the concept of ‘Islamic language’ that took stock of his previous proposals made over more than twenty years (starting with his speech at the 1966 Ravello conference on a comparative history of the Islamic literatures). The author demonstrates that notwithstanding his use of linguistic terminology, Bausani’s main interest has always been the investigation of the possibility of identifying minimum distinctive traits present in the different literary typologies of various countries of Islamic culture.

scholarly journals The unexpected survival of an ancient lineage of anseriform birds into the Neogene of Australia: the youngest record of Presbyornithidae

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 150635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanesa L. De Pietri ◽  
R. Paul Scofield ◽  
Nikita Zelenkov ◽  
Walter E. Boles ◽  
Trevor H. Worthy
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
South Australia ◽  
First Record ◽  
South American ◽  
Crown Group ◽  
Term Survival ◽  
Skeletal Morphology ◽  
Ancient Lineage ◽  
History Of

Presbyornithids were the dominant birds in Palaeogene lacustrine assemblages, especially in the Northern Hemisphere, but are thought to have disappeared worldwide by the mid-Eocene. Now classified within Anseriformes (screamers, ducks, swans and geese), their relationships have long been obscured by their strange wader-like skeletal morphology. Reassessment of the late Oligocene South Australian material attributed to Wilaru tedfordi , long considered to be of a stone-curlew (Burhinidae, Charadriiformes), reveals that this taxon represents the first record of a presbyornithid in Australia. We also describe the larger Wilaru prideauxi sp. nov. from the early Miocene of South Australia, showing that presbyornithids survived in Australia at least until ca 22 Ma. Unlike on other continents, where presbyornithids were replaced by aquatic crown-group anatids (ducks, swans and geese), species of Wilaru lived alongside these waterfowl in Australia. The morphology of the tarsometatarsus of these species indicates that, contrary to other presbyornithids, they were predominantly terrestrial birds, which probably contributed to their long-term survival in Australia. The morphological similarity between species of Wilaru and the Eocene South American presbyornithid Telmabates antiquus supports our hypothesis of a Gondwanan radiation during the evolutionary history of the Presbyornithidae. Teviornis gobiensis from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia is here also reassessed and confirmed as a presbyornithid. These findings underscore the temporal continuance of Australia’s vertebrates and provide a new context in which the phylogeny and evolutionary history of presbyornithids can be examined.

scholarly journals Notes on the Life Cycle and Natural History of Dismorphia Virgo (Lepidoptera Pieridae: Dismorphiinae) in Costa Rica

1972 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 165-178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen M. Young
Keyword(s):  
Life Cycle ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Taxonomic Status ◽  
Central American ◽  
South American ◽  
Species Status ◽  
New Information ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Common

This paper summarizes the life cycle and some aspects of natural history of the tropical pierid, Dismorphia virgo (Dismorphiinae) in Costa Rica. The precise taxonomic status of the butterfly in Central America has not been established, and it may represent a variable northern isolate of the common South American D. critomedia. Therefore, independent of whether the Central American form discussed in this paper has achieved full species status as the more northern virgo or is a subspecies or variety of critomedia evolving towards species status, this paper provides new information on the biology of the butterfly in Costa Rica. The establishment of precise taxonomic position awaits further study, and for the present purpose, I refer to the butterfly as D. virgo.

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