Diversity of Hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) Communities in Different Habitat Types in Zanjan Province, Iran

The diversity of hoverfly communities was studied in four different habitat types (river side, woodland, fruit garden, and rice field) in the years of 2008 and 2009. Adult hoverflies were collected from different habitants in Zanjan province. A total of 31 species with 750 individuals of hoverflies were collected, among which Sphaerophoria scripta (Linnaeus), Eristalis arbustorum (Linnaeus) and Eristalis tenax (Linnaeus) were found to be the most abundant. Records from these four sites were used in the diversity analysis. The results indicated that river side and rice field showed the highest and lowest degree of species richness and species diversity. Also, river side and rice field showed the highest and lowest species evenness, respectively.

Red-Eared Slider Turtles Lack Response to Immunization with Keyhole Limpet Hemocyanin but Have High Levels of Natural Antibodies

While the specific humoral response of reptiles is slow and does not typically increase in titer or binding affinity upon secondary immunization, reptiles produce polyreactive natural antibodies (NAbs) that have low binding affinity and are produced in the absence of antigen stimulation. Given the poor specific response, NAbs may be an important protective resource in reptiles. In order to investigate the relative contributions of natural and specific antibodies, we immunized turtles with the novel antigen keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH). We did not detect an increase in antibody titers. However, preimmunization titers to KLH, as well as to a series of other novel antigens, were high in the turtles, indicating a strong NAb response. Interestingly, we found an age-associated increase in NAb titers in adults. Overall, our data suggest that reptiles may use NAbs as part of a strong innate immune response rather than relying on slower specific humoral responses.

The Response of Gray Treefrogs to Anesthesia by Tricaine Methanesulfonate (TMS or MS-222)

The design of anesthetic protocols for frogs is commonly hindered by lack of information. Results from fishes and rodents do not always apply to frogs, and the literature in anurans is concentrated on a few species. We report on the response of treefrogs (Hyla chrysoscelis and H. versicolor) to tricaine methanesulfonate. Body mass did not differ significantly between the species or between sexes. In the first exposure of a frog to TMS, variation in induction time was best explained by species (H. chrysoscelis resisted longer) and body mass (larger animals resisted longer). Multiple exposures revealed a strong effect of individual variation on induction time and a significant increase of induction time with number of previous anesthesia events within the same day. Recovery time was mostly explained by individual variation, but it increased with total time in anesthetic and decreased with induction time. It also increased with number of days since the last series of anesthesias and decreased with number of previous uses of the anesthetic bath. This is one of the first studies of anesthesia in hylids and also one of the first assessments of the factors that influence the variability of the response to anesthesia within a species.

Out of Asia: An Allopatric Model for the Evolution of the Domestic Dog

The domestication of the dog has been a ripe area of evolutionary speculation for more than 150 years. A wolf ancestry and probable East Asian origin of domestication are now widely accepted. We offer a new allopatric hypothesis for the domestication of dogs that recognizes the importance of isolation in the speciation of the dog from the wolf. Although sympatric isolation during domestication of many other species would not have been problematic, it has always been difficult to keep dogs from breeding with wild canids. Furthermore, wild canids readily hybridize with one another. This would have made it very difficult for an early domestic dog lineage to diverge from the wolf and to evolve into the morphologically, developmentally, and behaviorally distinct species that we recognize today. Our allopatric model is consistent with two subhypotheses: isolation when tamer scavenger wolves followed humans south and away from hunting populations of wolves or isolation when climate forced humans and tamer scavenger wolves into isolated refugia.

Haematological Response of African Catfish (Clarias gariepinus Burchell 1822) Fingerlings Exposed to Different Concentrations of Tobacco (Nicotiana tobaccum) Leaf Dust

The present study set out to investigate the haematological effects of tobacco leaf dust on African catfish, Clarias gariepinus, fingerlings, with a mean weight of 3.01 ± 1.25 g using “static renewal bioassay system” during a 120-hour bioassay exposure period. Water quality parameters such as pH and dissolved oxygen significantly decreased while total alkalinity and conductivity increased significantly in the exposed media, compared to the control test. Leucocytes counts increased significantly while erythrocytes counts decreased significantly with increasing concentration of tobacco dust. Packed cell volume significantly reduced with increase in the concentration of tobacco dust. Haematological examination showed that there was destruction of the erythrocytes production, and the concentration of haemoglobin was much lower in the exposed fish compared to the control depicting an anaemic condition. The results could provide baseline information for the safe limits of using tobacco leaf dust in fish ponds; hence 1.56 g L−1 concentration of tobacco leaf dust was recommended for pond preparation for Clarias gariepinus fingerling stocking. For better survival rates, the fish should only be introduced in the pond after three days of tobacco application.

Phylogenetic Relationships among Populations of the Vineyard Snail Cernuella virgata (Da Costa, 1778)

Cernuella virgata (Da Costa, 1778) (Mollusca: Hygromiidae), commonly known as the “vineyard snail,” is endemic species in Mediterranean and Western Europe including the British Isles, but in the Eastern USA and Australia it represents an introduced invasive species. The present work examines the genetic variability and phylogenetic relationships among the four populations of this land snail sampled along the east Adriatic region of Croatia using mitochondrial markers (partial 16S rDNA and COI gene) in addition to traditional methods of shell’s shape analysis. All the three molecular-phylogenetic approaches (median joining haplotype network analysis and Bayesian analysis, as well as maximum likelihood analysis) revealed two-three major subnetworks for both 16S rDNA and COI, with a clear distinction between south Adriatic haplotypes (Pisak) and north Adriatic haplotypes (Krk and Cres). The population from Karlobag was comprised of both north and south haplotypes, thus representing a putative contact zone between these two groups. The morphometric analysis showed that individuals from Cres island population were statistically significantly wider and higher than individuals from Pisak population. Analysis of the SW/SH ratio and the relationship between shell width and shell height showed no differences in shell growth between the two examined populations, indicating equal shell growth and shape, which gives the possibility that differences in size of individuals between those two populations could be influenced by biotic (physiological) or abiotic (environmental) factors. This study represents the first analysis of genetic variability and relatedness among native populations of C. virgata.

Studies on the Food and Feeding Habits of Swamp Deer (Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii) in Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve, Haridwar, Uttarakhand, India

Food habits of the swamp deer (Rucervus duvaucelii duvaucelii) were studied in and around Jhilmil Jheel Conservation Reserve (JJCR), Uttarakhand, for two years. This population (320 in number) was recently rediscovered in the state (2005) and warranted an ecological study because the habitat around this study area is heavily fragmented due to expansion of agriculture, habitation, and various other land use practices. Therefore, this study was initiated by the major objective of studying seasonal variation in food habits of swamp deer. Proportionate food consumption was studied using feeding quadrat method. The study reveals that the overall diet of swamp deer consisted mainly of graminoids (grasses and sedges) and herbs (terrestrial and aquatic). In the protected areas studied earlier, the swamp deer habitat was dominated by grasses, and hence they were reported to be predominantly a grazer who occasionally fed on aquatic plants (Schaller 1967 and others). In contrast, at Jhilmil, the area also has equal presence of other plant types namely, sedges and terrestrial herbs. This resulted in polyphagous feeding habit of animal here.

Change of Plasma Chemistry Values in Captive Breeding Loggerhead Turtles (Caretta caretta)

Loggerhead turtles, Caretta caretta, have been laying eggs in an indoor artificial beach since 1995, at the Port of Nagoya Public Aquarium (PNPA). Two males and four females were mated and those four landed and laid eggs several times during the breeding period in 1996. In 1998 egg laying was observed from April to July and mating was one or two months prior to the nesting season. Blood samples from these individuals were collected monthly in the previously mentioned years in order to investigate the changes in sex steroid hormones (testosterone, estradiol, and progesterone). Moreover, blood chemistry values (total protein, albumin, triglyceride, total cholesterol, total calcium, and inorganic phosphorus) were investigated. In 1998, for the two males, changes in testosterone levels were additionally examined. Blood chemistry values of each turtle changed periodically as sex steroids did based on the breeding period and laying cycle. Data from a completely artificial environment such as the one at the PNPA provide elucidation of the reproductive physiology in these endangered species.

A New Species of Tarantula Spider in the Genus Lyrognathus Pocock 1895 (Araneae, Theraphosidae) from Sumatra

A new species is described in the tarantula genus Lyrognathus Pocock 1895, being the first record of this taxon from Sumatra, Indonesia. Lyrognathus giannisposatoi sp. nov. is also unique in its habitat selection, being the first confirmed lowland species from this genus. A new key to Lyrognathus species is provided, and a biogeography of the group is briefly discussed.