Search results for "zoologia"

Palermo, S. Rosalia e la cultura della Biodiversità

2010

The morphological diversity within a species can obscure the correct identification

2022

Critical points of various diagnostic characters and a paucity of information relating to the geographical distribution of several marine species can hinder real species delimitation, particularly if they are supposed to be cosmopolitan. Such constraints characterize many amphipod species and are mainly due to the variation in morphological characters during growth. Specifically, the benthic filter-feeding corophiid Cheiriphotis mediterranea Myers, 1983 displays different shapes for the male gnathopod 2 as it grows. This variation has hitherto never been described but an extensive sampling has provided us with the opportunity of studying it in detail. More than six thousand individuals, bel…

Mammiferi Insettivori, Roditori, Artiodattili e Carnivori

2008

Postembryonic development of the troglobitic planthopper species Valenciolenda fadaforesta Hoch & Sendra, 2021 (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha, Ki…

2022

All nymphal instars of the recently discovered troglobitic planthopper species Valenciolenda fadaforesta Hoch & Sendra, 2021 are described. This represents the first documentation of the complete postembryonic development of any species in the family Kinnaridae. Characters of the external morphology are described and illustrated, and a key to the instars are provided to facilitate discrimination among the different nymphal stages. While V. fadaforesta nymphs share certain synapomorphies with other Fulgoromorpha (except the Tettigometridae), e.g., the cog-wheel structures of the metatrochanters, other characters may be correlated with the subterranean way of life of the species, and thus…

Brachyptery analysis in Alloxysta (Hymenoptera: Figitidae): Synonymy of A. curta Ferrer-Suay and Pujade Villar as the brachypterou of A. ramulifera (…

2022

Eight brachypterous species have been described within the hymenopteran genus Alloxysta. Intraspecific wing polymorphism linked to sex has been previously hypothesized within this genus and the aim of this work was to confirm whether the phylogenetic relationships based on morphological characters between brachypterous and macropterous species are correct using molecular analyses. This study used material collected from Minnesota (USA), with 278 specimens identified as Alloxysta brachyptera (Hartig, 1840), A. curta Ferrer-Suay and Pujade-Villar, 2017 (Ferrer-suay et al. 2017), A. brevis (Thomson, 1862), or A. ramulifera (Thomson, 1862). Twenty-three of these specimens were subjected to sequ…

A review of the subfamily Charipinae (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Figitidae), hyperparasitoids potentially affecting the biological control of aphids

2021

Charipinae is an important subfamily of aphid hyperparasitoids. As aphids are some of the most significant pests in the world, studying the insect community associated with them is of crucial importance. Here, we review the biological information available on Charipinae. The information has been grouped into different sections: (a) historical background; (b) morphological and ecological features; (c) phylogenetic relationships; (d) overview of aphid biology and biological control; (e) evolutionary history; and (f) future perspectives. After this review, it is evident that there are still some aspects of charipine taxonomy and biology that remain elusive: (a) reliability and improvement of h…

Individual repeatability in timing and spatial flexibility of migration routes of trans-Saharan migratory raptors

2015

Satellite-tracking technology has allowed scientists to make a quantum leap in the field of migration ecology. Nowadays, the basic description of migratory routes of many species of birds has been reported. However, the investigation of bird migration at individual level (i.e. repeatability in migratory routes and timing) still remains seldom explored. Here, we investigated repeated migratory trips of a trans-Saharan endangered migratory raptor, the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus, tracked by GPS satellite telemetry. We compared between- and within-individual variation in migratory routes and timing in order to assess the degree of repeatability (or conversely, the flexibility) in mi…

Intraspecific variation in the morphology of Alloxysta fracticornis (Thomson, 1862)(Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Charipinae)

2022

A new brachypterous form of Alloxysta fracticornis (Thomson, 1862) has been found in the Museum of Natural History of Wroclaw University (Poland). This is the first time that this morphological variation has been recorded for A. fracticornis. The morphological features of this new form match with this species, except for the wing length, which is characteristic of the brachypterous form, and the colour. COI sequences and phylogenetic analysis for the specimens studied (macropterous and brachypterous) confirm that the two morphologies belong to the same species, as we suspected a priori. Thus, in this study we show evidence of morphological variation in A. fracticornis, and demonstrate the v…

Genetic integrity of European wildcats: Variation across biomes mandates geographically tailored conservation strategies

2022

Hybridisation between domestic and wild taxa can pose severe threats to wildlife conservation, and human-induced hybridisation, often linked to species' introductions and habitat degradation, may promote reproductive opportunities between species for which natural interbreeding would be highly unlikely. Using a biome-specific approach, we examine the effects of a suite of ecological drivers on the European wildcat's genetic integrity, while assessing the role played by protected areas in this process. We used genotype data from 1217 putative European wildcat samples from 13 European countries to assess the effects of landcover, disturbance and legal landscape protection on the European wild…

Basic knowledge of social hierarchies and physiological profile of reared sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax (L.).

2019

The effects of social hierarchies (dominant/subordinate individuals), such as aggressiveness, feeding order, and territoriality, are some of the characteristics used for describing fish behaviour. Social hierarchy patterns are still poorly understood in European-reared sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax). In this work, we examine the social interactions among captive fish integrating behavioural and physiological profiles. Groups of three fish with EMG (electromyogram) radio transmitters were monitored for two weeks via video recording. Plasma levels of cortisol, glucose, lactate and lysozyme as well as haematological parameters such as haemoglobin, haematocrit and RBCC (red blood cell count) w…