A sample of chigger mites from bat hosts collected in the Balearic Islands (Western Mediterranean Sea) is found to include two species. These are the first records of bat-infesting chiggers identified to species in Spain. Chiggers collected from Pipistrellus kuhlii (Kuhl) in Menorca are identified as Oudemansidium komareki (Daniel et Dusbábek, 1959); this species, which was known from Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Moldova, Crimea, and Azerbaijan, is recorded for the first time in Spain. Chiggers collected from Plecotus austriacus (Fischer) in Formentera are identified as Trombicula knighti Radford, 1954, which was insufficiently described from a bat in Yemen and known only from its type locality. We transfer this species to the genus Trisetica Traub et Evans, 1950 and provide its re-description based on paratypes and the material from the Balearic Islands. The species Sasatrombicula (Rudnicula) balcanica Kolebinova, 1966 is synonymised with T. knighti. One species closely related to T. knighti, Trisetica aethiopica (Hirst, 1926), which was recorded in Ghana, Uganda, South Sudan, and Madagascar, is re-described on the basis of its syntype deposited in the Natural History Museum, London, UK. This specimen is designated as lectotype.
The diet of the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus) was investigated over an annual cycle in three biotopes of Kabylie of Djurdjura, differing in the structure of the vegetation and the anthropic action (oak forest, maquis and cultivated zone). The analysis of 140 stomach contents was restricted to three main components: seeds, vegetative parts of plants and arthropod remains, expressed in dry weight and percentages of occurrence. Five independent variables were considered: habitat, sex, sexual activity, season and age. In the three biotopes wood mouse was primarily granivorous, seeds occurring in 99.3% of the stomachs, for 91.5% of dry weight; seasonal variations were significant, with higher occurrence of seeds in winter and summer. Vegetative items (leaves, stems and flowers) were overall rather frequent (occurrence: 19.3%; dry weight: 4.0%), mainly in winter and spring, in the cultivated zone. Arthropods, mainly insects, were frequently preyed by adults (occurrence: 26.4%; dry weight: 4,4%), particularly in the forest. This diet from Mediterranean habitats is discussed by comparing it with previous data in the same biome and in the northern part of the range.
Barn owl pellets were analyzed for comparing the small mammal fauna among three islands of Tuscan archipelago, Italy. Rarefaction analyses and diversity analyses were used on barn owl pellet samples at a total of 18 sites. Apodemus sylvaticus appeared the most abundant species in Elba and Capraia, and Mus musculus in Pianosa. Diversity profiles showed that Pianosa and Elba were very similar in terms of dominance and evenness profiles, whereas Capraia had higher dominance and lower evenness. Using our original data and literature review, we found that 5 species are found in Pianosa, 1 in Giannutri, 0 in Montecristo, 5 in Giglio, 7 in Elba, 6 in Capraia, and 1 in Gorgona. There was no effect of island area, human population size, or linear distance from mainland on species richness.
In this study we are adding further information to phylogeography of Pipistrellus pipistrellus complex by discovery of isolated mitochondrial lineages in Europe, from the island of Crete (Greece) and central Mediterranean (Sicily, Corsica) and by adding new data about geographic distribution of clades within the complex. We performed phylogeographic study with aid of partial sequence of cytochrome b and with focus to the radiation centre of this group in the Mediterranean Basin. Within the clade P. pygmaeus s.l., we have discovered isolated lineage from Crete, which is sister taxon to P. hanaki from Libya. We have detected the occurrence of P. pygmaeus s.str. in northern Iran. In the clade P. pipistrellus s.l. we have discovered isolated cluster represented by populations from Sicily and Corsica, with phylogenetic relation to Moroccan lineage. This is a first evidence of separated phylogroup within the complex from central Mediterranean. We refer the occurrence of P. pipistrellus s.str. from the island of Cyprus. These data represent further arguments for importance of the Mediterranean region in phylogeny of the P. pipistrellus species complex. Proposed allopatric speciation scenario considers the role of environmental fragmentation during the Messinian Salinity Crisis, strengthen by preference of mountain habitats in Mediterranean populations. The species status of Cretan and central Mediterraenan forms is also discussed.
We analyzed the abundance, distribution and niche overlap of species (Pianka's Ojk index) in tenebrionid beetle communities inhabiting different biotopes in Tyrrhenian and Adriatic sand dunes. The rank abundance distribution of the different species has the form of a geometric series in both communities as predicted by the niche preemption hypothesis for communities in harsh environments. Mean niche overlap values did not deviate significantly from null expectations, which indicates random interspecific interactions. These results, coupled with evidence of species habitat preferences, led us to conclude that the community organization of tenebrionid species inhabiting coastal dunes is determined more by habitat preferences than interspecific competition., Simone Fattorini, Davide Bergamaschi, Cristina Mantoni, Alicia T. R. Acosta, Andrea Di Giulio., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This article deals with 29 Early Medieval finger-rings found, mostly in cemeteries, in Moravia (Czech Republic). They are made of gold, silver, gilded silver or gilded bronze. Each finger-ring consists of two parts – hoop and bezel – made of sheet metal and soldered together, and decorated with granulation, filigree, inlays of glass or semi-precious stones; only two finger-rings are cast as one piece. The finger-rings are classified into 8 types (A to H), some with subtypes. The author outlines the current state of chronology of Early Medieval jewellery in Moravia and discusses the dating of finger-rings: most of the precisely-datable pieces fall into the older period of the Great Moravian Empire, i.e. the first half of the 9th century. The main concern of the study is the question of the origin of Moravian finger-rings. The author sketches the current state of research of Early Medieval finger-rings in Central and South-eastern Europe (ca. 6th–12th century) and searches for parallels in the Moravian types. In Moravian material, he tries to identify structural and decorative elements that could distinguish imported pieces, their imitations and local products. However, in large measure the sorting of Moravian finger-rings into these three groups remains hypothetical. On the whole, it is evident that the finger-rings found in Moravian cemeteries are based on Mediterranean models. Probably the first specimens (or their immediate producers) came to Moravia in the 8th century, from Byzantine cities on the Adriatic coast, and local production of similar finger-rings in Moravian workshops followed soon afterwards.
The little owl is the only owl whose pellets were found in extreme desert conditions. Pellets were collected at 34 roosting sites in Egypt, Syria and Iran in 1996–2002. Altogether 5 939 prey items identified in the food in these countries belonged to 4 classes, 14 orders, 42 families, 92 genera and about 180 species of invertebrates. Mammals included 36 species (9.7 %), birds 33 taxa (3.0 %), amphibians only 3 ind., but reptiles (4.3 %, Lacertidae, Agamidae and Gekkonidae) were more abundant than in European studies. Pellets from all countries contained abundant deserticolous species of mammals (genera Gerbillus, Meriones, Cricetulus, Allactaga), eudominant deserticolous tenebrionid beetles (i.e. Pimelia spp., Blaps) (16.4–26.8%, in total 19%), dominant coprophagous and deserticolous species of Scarabeidae (5.9–8.6%, in total 6.8%), grasshoppers and crickets (Orthoptera, 5.7–16.4%, in total 9.7%). Significant and characteristic components of food in these arid countries were poisonous sunspiders (Solifugae 4–11.4%), but also scorpions (Scorpionidea, 0.2–3.3%), neither being found in pellets from Europe, and earwigs (Dermaptera, 1.7–13.4%).