Marine mammals rely on blubber mainly for energy storage, buoyancy, and streamlining. Mysticetes are born with a relatively thin fat layer that grows rapidly during nursing. However, little information on blubber deposition patterns is available for baleen whale calves. We measured blubber thickness at nine body locations in 350 southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) newborn to 4–6‐month‐old calves

Minute caenogastropod brackish-water gastropods, formerly classified as Hydrobia, are important elements of the brackish-water fauna and were objects of intensive study for many years. Until now, five genera have been distinguished, most of them represented by a number of species, but rather indistinguishable without molecular data (cytochrome oxidase subunit I – COI). In the eastern Mediterranean

The number and classification of tribes in the leafhopper subfamily Typhlocybinae are not yet fully clear, and molecular data has recently been used to help resolve the problem. In this study, the mitochondrial genomes of Mitjaevia shibingensis Chen, Song & Webb, 2020 and M. dworakowskae Chen, Song & Webb, 2020 of the tribe Erythroneurini (Cicadellidae, Typhlocybinae) were sequenced. Most protein-coding

The tropiduchid genus Catullioides Bierman, 1910 is redescribed and illustrated. Catullioides includes two species, C. rubrolineata Bierman, 1910 (the type species) and C. taishunensis Zhu, Wang & Song, sp. nov. A key to the species of the genus is provided.

Tree snails in the family Partulidae are widespread across the tropical Pacific, with endemic species occurring on most high islands. Partulid species have faced catastrophic range reductions and extinctions due primarily to introduced predators. Consequently, most extant species are threatened with imminent extinction. The U.S. administered Mariana Islands, consisting of Guam in the South and the

Many species have been introduced beyond their native ranges and many have become global weeds. Human mediated dispersal has removed the geographic isolation of these species, reversing millions of years of independent evolution. Examples are the Oxalis species in section Corniculatae where several species have become invasive. Here we characterize and formally describe a hybrid between O. dillenii

Two new species of Athenaea Sendtn. (Solanaceae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest are described and illustrated. Athenaea altoserranae I.M.C. Rodrigues & Stehmann, sp. nov. from the Serra do Mar range, in São Paulo State and Athenaea hunzikeriana I.M.C. Rodrigues & Stehmann, sp. nov. from a restricted area in the north-eastern region of Minas Gerais State and the southern part of Bahia State. Both

Four new species of Agraphydrus Régimbart are described from China: A. pseudonigersp. nov. from Shangyou County, Jiangxi Province, A. komarekisp. nov. from Shangchuan island, Taishan County, Guangdong Province, A. sabulosussp. nov. from Fengkai, Guangdong Province, A. dapengensissp. nov. from Dapeng peninsula, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. Diagnosis and illustration of the new species are provided

Captive primates require environmental enrichment to minimize physical and mental stress. However, only a few objective evaluations have been performed to assess environment-induced physiological variations in these animals. In this study, we evaluated the usage of the metabolic profile test (MPT) to assess the influences of the housing environment on the physiology of Japanese macaques. Five male

Primate foraging is influenced by the spatial and temporal distribution of foods, which may facilitate or constrain optimal nutrient intakes. Chimpanzees are frugivorous primates that mainly subsist on ripe fruit that is typically low in available protein (AP) and high in easily digestible carbohydrates. Because chimpanzees prefer ripe fruit and often eat it in large quantities compared with other

Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs) commonly facilitate habitat conservation on private land in the United States, yet the effectiveness of individual HCPs is rarely evaluated. Here, we assess the effectiveness of a high-profile HCP created by a lumber company to protect old-growth forests used for breeding by Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) on private land. We used 17 years of HCP-monitoring

Abstract The present study describes the floral morphology and evaluates pollen viability for the bromeliad Nidularium minutum Mez. during the flowering period 2018‒2019 through histochemistry and pollen germination tests. The inflorescences are nidular, capituliform with short branches bearing two to three odourless, bisexual and greenish-white flowers and with an androecium shorter than the gynoecium

Altruism is often considered as the ultimate form of prosociality and is defined as any act that benefits others without direct benefit to the actor. Many nonhuman species have been reported to express different forms of altruism, although their expression in experimental studies is highly dependent on the paradigm used. Tufted capuchin monkeys are one of the most studied species; however, the evidence

Animal communities have complex patterns of ecological segregation at different levels according to food resources, habitats, behavior, and activity patterns. Understanding these patterns among the community is essential for the conservation of the whole ecosystem. However, these networks are difficult to study nowadays, due to anthropic disturbances and local extinctions, making it difficult to conclude

Interannual variation in resource abundance has become more unpredictable, and food shortages have increasingly occurred in the recent decades. However, compared to seasonal fluctuations in resource abundance, the influences of interannual variation in resource abundance on the dietary niches of consumers remain poorly understood. Poyang Lake, China, is a very important wintering ground for the globally

For diurnal animals that heavily rely on vision, a nocturnal resting strategy that offers protection when vision is compromised, is crucial. We found a population of a common European jumping spider (Evarcha arcuata) that rests at night by suspending themselves from a single silk thread attached overhead to the vegetation, a strategy categorically unlike typical retreat-based resting in this group

The objective of this study was to evaluate effects of different levels of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated oxidative stress on fresh meat quality. Crossbred lambs (n = 29) were blocked by weight and fed a standard finishing ration for the duration of the study. Lambs were individually housed and treatment groups were administered one of three intravenous injections every 72 h across a three-injection

Discovery of epigenetic modifications associated with feed efficiency or other economically important traits would increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these traits. In combination with known genetic markers, this would provide opportunity to improve genomic selection accuracy in cattle breeding programs. It would also allow cattle to be managed to improve favorable gene

The occurrence of bovine ketosis involves the accumulation of β-hydroxybutyric acid (BHBA), which contributes to the initiation and acceleration of hepatic metabolic stress and inflammation. Metformin has other beneficial effects apart from its medical intervention for diabetes, such as prevention of laminitis and hyper-triglyceridemic. AMPK maintains energy homeostasis and is the intracellular target

Few studies have investigated biological motion perception in dogs and it remains unknown whether dogs recognise the biological identity of two-dimensional animations of human motion cues. To test this, we assessed the dogs’ (N = 32) responses to point-light displays of a human performing a pointing gesture towards one of two pots. At the start of the experiment the demonstrator was a real-life person

This study compares the variation of richness, abundance and diversity of butterfly species along an atmospheric pollution gradient and during different seasons in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area, Mexico. Likewise, we analyse the influence of environmental variables on the abundance and richness of butterfly species and quantify the indicator species for each atmospheric pollution category. Based on

Recently, the survival of Mycobacterium bovis on livestock mineral blocks has been confirmed, but little is known about its implication in the transmission of animal tuberculosis (TB) under field conditions. The objective of this study was to describe the shared use of mineral supplements in four extensive beef cattle farms from a high TB prevalence area in South Central Spain, to identify the main

A new ant-resembling spider species of the subfamily Castianeirinae, Myrmecotypus mazaxoidessp. nov., from the Sub-Andean area of the Bolivian orocline is described. Adults of M. mazaxoidessp. nov. resemble the carpenter ant Camponotus cf. melanoticus Emery, 1894 and were observed on the ground of savanna-like habitats close to the entrances of formicaries of this ant. This study is the first to report

We diagnose and describe three new species of the primitively segmented spider genus Songthela from Guizhou Province, China, based on morphological characters and molecular data: S. liuisp. nov. (♂♀), S. tianzhusp. nov. (♂♀), and S. yupingsp. nov. (♂♀). We provide the genetic distances within and among the three new species based on the DNA barcode gene, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) to support

Gnorimosphaeroma oregonense (Dana, 1852) is revised, a male neotype is designated, photographed, and illustrated; the species occurs from Vancouver British Columbia to the central California coast. 16S-rDNA sequences (~650 bp) for all available ethanol preserved species of Gnorimosphaeroma were used to hypothesize their relationships. Our analyses revealed a sister taxon relationship between the fully

The genus Lagenophora Cass. is taxonomically revised for New Caledonia with two species recognised. Lagenophora sinuosa Lannuzel, Gâteblé & Jian Wang ter, sp. nov. is endemic to New Caledonia and the other, L. sublyrata (Cass.) A.R.Bean & Jian Wang ter occurs there and in many other countries from the region. Both are fully described and illustrated. An identification key is provided, as are notes

A peculiar habitat type found in the savannahs of Central Cuba, Villa Clara Province and characterised by the presence of a surface gravel layer of “perdigones”, an assemblage of small ferralitic concretions, upon the “mocarrero” soil prevailing in the area, is described. On sterile gravel patches, only one species grows: Elytraria serpens, a new species described and named here. It is noteworthy for

Martinella Baill. is a genus of Neotropical lianas in tribe Bignonieae (Bignoniaceae). The genus is monophyletic and well supported by morphological and molecular characters. Members of Martinella are characterized by a continuous interpetiolar ridge surrounding the stem, bilobed or 4–5-parted calyces, and minute triangular prophylls of the axillary buds. Generic circumscription remained unchanged

Sexually selected traits, including threat signals, have been shown to scale steeply positively with body size because their exaggeration maximizes honest signalling. However, the functional allometry hypothesis makes the opposite prediction for some weapons: because the biomechanics of force applied in their use may favor relatively smaller size, sexually selected weapons may exhibit negative allometry

Assortative social interactions based on (sub)species recognition can be a driving force in speciation processes. To determine whether breeding Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica transitiva in Israel behave differentially towards members of their own subspecies, relative to a different, transient subspecies H. r. rustica and two sympatrically breeding species (Sand Martin Riparia riparia and House Sparrow

Predator recognition by small fishes can be acquired when chemical alarm cues released from damaged skin (by a predator attack) are paired with a novel stimulus, such as the appearance or odor of a predator. Once learned, fish can extend recognition of risk by generalizing to associate risk with additional stimuli that are similar to the conditioned novel stimulus. Here, we trained zebrafish to associate

Invasive species are a major threat to island biodiversity, and their eradications have substantially contributed to the conservation of island endemics. However, the consequences of eradications on the trophic ecology of native taxa are largely unexplored. Here, we used the eradication of invasive black rats Rattus rattus and European rabbits Oryctolagus cuniculus from the Berlenga Island, in the

Camera traps are widely used in wildlife surveys because they are non‐invasive, low‐cost, and highly efficient. Camera traps deployed in the wild often produce large datasets, making it increasingly difficult to manually classify images. Deep learning is a machine learning method that provides a tool to automatically identify images, but it requires labeled training samples and high‐performance servers

River otter (Lontra canadensis) populations in North America have been the focus of significant restoration efforts. Wildlife management agencies, concerned about the unintentional take of river otters incidental to beaver (Castor canadensis) trapping, may recommend techniques to avoid capturing river otters. River otter avoidance techniques that are ineffective or diminish trap performance for beavers

Cyclic climatic and glacial fluctuations of the Late Quaternary produced a dynamic biogeographic history for high latitudes. To refine our understanding of this history in northwestern North America, we explored geographic structure in a wide-ranging carnivore, the wolverine (Gulo gulo). We examined genetic variation in populations across mainland Alaska, coastal Southeast Alaska, and mainland western

Functional corpora lutea (CL) are required for pregnancy establishment and gestational maintenance in swine, and CL function is susceptible to environmental influences. Manganese (Mn) could be critical in regulating CL function since it is a component of the antioxidant enzyme Mn superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) as well as enzymes involved in cholesterol and steroid hormone synthesis. We hypothesized that

Context: Mangroves and intertidal habitats have been identified as particularly challenging environments for bait application within both tropical and temperate environments, because bait applied to areas that are tidally inundated could degrade rapidly or become inaccessible to rats. Aims: To determine rat density, ranging behaviour and probability of detection using different monitoring devices;

Context: Human–elephant conflict (HEC) is a major threat to Asian elephants as humans and elephants are forced to share common resources. In Sri Lanka, human-dominated landscapes adjacent to protected areas promote high rates of HEC, especially in the form of crop-foraging by elephants. Crop-foraging can be dangerous to both elephants and humans involved in the conflict. Gunfire is a common way for

Insect eggshells must meet various demands of developing embryos. These demands sometimes conflict with each other; therefore, there are tradeoffs between eggshell properties, such as robustness and permeability. To meet these conflicting demands, particular eggshell structures have evolved in diverse insect species. Here, we report a rare eggshell structure found in the eggshell of a cicada, Cryptotympana

Egg rejection is the most effective and widespread defence used by host species to counteract the extreme fitness costs frequently imposed by obligate avian brood parasites. Yet, the proximate mechanisms underlying between- and within-individual variation in host responses remain poorly explored. Emerging evidence suggests that egg rejection is dependent on individual physiological state, and draws

AbstractSocial information is widely used in the animal kingdom and can be highly adaptive. In social insects, foragers can use social information to find food, avoid danger or choose a new nest site. Copying others allows individuals to obtain information without having to sample the environment. When foragers communicate information they will often only advertise high quality food sources, thereby

Editor's note: zoaa018, which includes one figure, was accepted on 31 March 2020. In August 2020, a new journal policy, available at https://academic.oup.com/cz/pages/General_Instructions, requires a specified number of figures/tables in a Letter to the Editor: The letter should include no more than two tables/or two figures/or one figure plus one table. After learning this policy, the first author

Cuvier’s gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) was reintroduced in Tergou reserve (TR) in 2018–2019 to help restore its population at the Moroccan Central Plateau. A study on browsing trees and shrubs was conducted in this reserve to identify (i) the seasonal pattern of this activity and (ii) the most solicited tree and shrub species. Here, we used six random 500-m transects to collect, each month and at each

Dispersal from one population to another is crucial for meta-population stability and survival. Long-distance dispersal events have been widely documented in male tigers (Panthera tigris), but similar events in female tigers are less known. We opportunistically recorded a long-distance dispersal event that ended with the establishment of a new home-range for a radio-collared sub-adult female tiger

Human-wildlife problems often arise when predators kill livestock. This can develop into serious conflicts between traditional pastoralists and other stakeholders, such as government officials and conservationists. In the Yamal Peninsula (Russia), nearly half of the indigenous Nenets people are reindeer herders. They have recently faced many challenges, such as high mortality of reindeer from pasture

Carpinus polyneura and C. dayongina are recognised as separate species in Flora of China. In this study, the results of an examination of literature, morphological comparison and phenetic clustering of nuclear ITS sequences suggest that C. dayongina is conspecific with C. polyneura. Thus, we propose reducing C. dayongina to a synonym of C. polyneura.

Primulina papillosa Z.B. Xin, W.C. Chou & F. Wen, a new species from limestone areas of Guangxi, China, is described and illustrated here. It morphologically resembles P. linearifolia (W.T. Wang) Yin Z. Wang and P. pseudolinearifolia W.B. Xu & K.F. Chung, but can be easily distinguished by some combined characters, especially its leaf blades densely papillose-hispid. We found only one population at

Chayamaritia vietnamensis, a new species from Son La Province, northern Vietnam, is described and illustrated. The phylogenetic study revealed that the new species is most closely related to C. banksiae and C. smitinandii. The morphological comparison suggests it as the third new species of Chayamaritia and distinguished from C. banksiae and C. smitinandii by a combination of morphological characters

Taste-induced facial expressions are thought to reflect the hedonic valence of an animal’s gustatory experience. We therefore assessed taste-induced facial responses in six black-handed spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) to water, sucrose, caffeine, citric acid and aspartame, representing the taste qualities sweet, bitter, and sour, respectively. We decided not to include salty-tasting substances as

Recognition of mates from others is crucial for monogamous species to maintain their long-term pair bonds. The seahorse is widely recognized as a monogamous species, and its mate recognition cue is still not well understood. In the present study, we used the lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) as an experimental animal and investigated the effect of blocking olfactory, visual or behavioral (i.e.,

The ability to extract reliable segments from the sensory data-stream is necessary for learning and for creating a reliable representation of the environment. Here we focused on segmentation in visual learning associated with foraging. Fifty-one pigeons (Columba livia) were trained to recognize two food-predicting signals, one presented against fixed background elements and the other against varying

Colonial lagomorphs warn conspecifics of potential danger with alarm calls encoding information about attributes of presumptive predators as well as the caller. In this study, we show that alarm calls of Daurian pikas, Ochotona dauurica (Pallas, 1776), encode information about caller identity. We recorded the alarm calls produced toward a surrogate predator (researcher), slowly moving (0.5–1 km/h)

Awareness and interest in calf health and wellbeing is intensifying, prompting change in the management and breeding decisions of producers and associated policy-makers. The objectives of the present study were to 1) quantify the risk factors associated with subjectively-measured scores of vigour and birth size as well as diagnoses of scour and pneumonia in a large national dataset of beef calves,

The study was conducted to clarify how early high plane of nutrition related to metabolic imprinting affected growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of grass-fed Wagyu (Japanese Black cattle). Wagyu steers were allocated randomly into two dietary groups: 1) steers fed milk replacer (crude protein 26.0%, crude fat 25.5%; maximum intake 0.6 kg/d) until 3 mo of age and then fed roughage (orchard

Human expansion can cause disturbance and intrusion of invasive species, which are detrimental to small carnivores. We investigated how European wildcats responded to disturbance from mushroom collectors, cattle and feral pigs in Sicily, Italy. We used detections from 76 cameras over 2 surveys (2015–2016 and 2018; camera days = 1985) to run occupancy and co-occurrence models and estimate overlap in

Wing surveys are an important tool for understanding harvest and can provide information on productivity and survival which can complement traditional methods (such as ringing). However, storing and collecting wings at a national level is challenging and costly and limits hunter participation in such schemes. Digital photographs of wings offer an alternative method of capturing this data from hunting

A new species of Pachypaederus Fagel, 1958, P. kongshuhensis Li, sp. nov., is described from Yunnan Province, China. This species represents the third member of the genus from the Oriental region. Color plates of the habitus, labrum, mandibles, sternites VII–IX of the male and female, as well as the aedeagal structures are provided. A key to Oriental Pachypaederus species is provided.

Two new bamboo-feeding species of the cixiid planthopper genus Kirbyana Distant, 1906 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae: Eucarpiini), K. aspina Zhi & Chen, sp. nov. and K. furcata Zhi & Chen, sp. nov., are described and illustrated from southern China. A key to all known species and a map of their geographic distributions are provided.

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