Bloodsucking dipterans (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae,Culicidae, Simuliidae,Tabanidae) of the Kurgala Peninsula,Leningrad Province

The fauna of bloodsucking dipterans of the Kurgala Peninsula comprises 73 species, 34 of which belong to mosquitoes (Culicidae), 18 to blackflies (Simuliidae), 5 to biting midges (Ceratopogonidae, genus Culicoides), and 16 species to horseflies (Tabanidae). Nine species of the bloodsucking dipterans found on the Kurgala Peninsula are new to Leningrad Province, 6 of them being also recorded for the first time for the neighboring territories of Estonia and southern Finland.     

Regionalization of the territory of St. Petersburg and leningrad province in connection with the distribution of blood-sucking dipterans

Analysis of the species composition of the blood-sucking flies in different landscapes of St. Petersburg and Leningrad Province (the Region) was performed with the use of a specially developed database (DB), combining material of the collection of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, published data, and results of the recent studies (Aibulatov, 2009). In all, 165 species from 30 genera of blood-sucking mosquitoes, biting midges, blackflies, and horseflies are known from 255 localities in the Region. The gnus fauna of the eastern territories of Leningrad Province is still poorly known. The set of the commonest species is determined. The territory of the Region is subdivided into 10 subregions based on the parameters of the local climate, water supply, and natural drainage. The gnus fauna in each subregion is briefly characterized. The classification of the hydrolandscapes proposed earlier for Novgorod Province (Medvedev and Panyukova, 2005; Panyukova and Medvedev, 2008) is only partly applicable to the Region which lacks large lakes and rivers with floodlands where small water bodies providing places for larval development of bloodsucking insects can be formed. Constant population densities of certain species of the gnus complex are favored by underground water supply of the large rivers in the Region, whose tributaries run from the bogs and transitional mires in the interfluves.     

Rove Beetles of the Genus Stenus Latreille, 1797 (Coleoptera,Staphylinidae) in Leningrad Province

Entomological Review - The known fauna of Leningrad Province includes 68 species of the genus Stenus. Most of them have been recorded in 2–4 types of biotopes. The majority of species (97%)...     

The identification of Borrelia isolated in the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia from Ixodes ricinus (L.) ticks

Seven strains of the causative agent of Lyme borreliosis have been isolated from ticks of the species Ixodes ricinus (L.) obtained at the territories of Leningrad Province, Lithuania and Czechoslovakia. The strains have been studied in reactions with 5 types of monoclonal antibodies. All isolated strains belong to serotype II according to Barbour's system and are typical for European strains.     

Heteroceran moths (Lepidoptera,Heterocera) of the Don River delta

A list of the Heterocera (Lepidoptera) found in the Don River delta is given. The investigated fauna is several times less species-rich than the faunas of the neighboring territories but includes some species not found in other parts of Rostov Province. These are Epischnia prodromella (Hb.), Euzophera alpherakyella Ragonot, Ancylosis samaritanella (Zeller, 1867), Ancylolomia tentaculella (Hb.), Nymphula nitidulata (Hufn.), Megaspilates mundataria (Stoll), and Chrysodeixis chalcites (Esp.). Population densities of some species, e.g., Loxostege deliblatica Szent-Ivány & Uhrik-Meszáros, 1942, Atychia appendiculata (Esper, 1779), Eublemma minutata (Fabricius, 1794), Oxytripia orbiculosa (Esper, 1799), in the Don Delta are the greatest within Rostov Province. The data obtained emphasize the importance of this natural refuge of the regional insect fauna.     

The Palaearctic centers of taxonomic diversity of fleas (Siphonaptera)

The Palaearctic flea fauna includes 921 species and 479 subspecies from 96 genera of 10 families. Of them, 858 species (94%) from 43 genera are endemic to the Palaearctic; they comprise 40% of the Palaearctic Hystrichopsyllidae, 24% of Ceratophyllidae, and 20% of Leptopsyllidae. Ranges of 581 species (63% of the Palaearctic fauna) are situated within one province or subregion of the Palaearctic. Species with ranges including a part of Asia (592) comprise 87% of the total fauna; 72% of the species (517) are endemic to the Palaearctic. The largest centers of taxonomic diversity of Palaearctic fleas are situated in the East Asian, Central Asian, and Turano-Iranian Subregions: 320 species of fleas (214 of them endemic) from 59 genera (8 endemic) are known from the East Asian Subregion; 270 species (over 120 endemic) from 54 genera (5 endemic) are distributed in the Central Asian Subregion. The Turano-Iranian fauna comprises 213 species (103 endemic) from 47 genera (3 endemic); about 160 species occur in the Turanian Subprovince closest to the Russian borders, one-third of them (52 species, or 33%) are endemic; 69 species more are endemic to the entire Asian part of the Palaearctic. Extra-Asian and extra-Siberian ranges are known in 190 flea species. In the western Palaearctic, 76 species are endemic to the European Province, and 57 species, to the Mediterranean Province; 36 species have Euro-Mediterranean distribution. The fauna of the Saharo-Arabian Subregion comprises 30 species (12 endemic), 6 species have ranges of the Mediterranean-Saharo-Arabian type. Scenarios of the origin of the Siphonaptera at the Triassic-Jurassic boundary are hypothesized. Formation of the Palaearctic flea fauna was mostly supported by the Asian-Indo-Malayan and East Asian-Western American palaeofaunal centers of taxonomic diversity. The long history of faunal exchange between the east Palaearctic and the west Nearctic is manifested by the distribution of the parasites of rodents and insectivores, fleas of the genera Stenoponia, Rhadinopsylla, Nearctopsylla, and Catallagia, belonging to several subfamilies of the Hystrichopsyllidae, as well as members of a number of other flea families. A great number of endemic species in the genera Palaeopsylla and Ctenophthalmus (Hystrichopsyllidae), both in the European and Asian parts of the Palaearctic, can be explained by the junction of the European and Asian continental platforms in the late Cretaceous and their subsequent isolation during the Paleocene. A considerable contribution to the flea fauna in the Russian territory was made by the East Asian-Nearctic center of taxonomic diversity, with a smaller role of the European palaeofauna. Immigration of species of the family Pulicidae from the Afrotropical Region is restricted to the southern territories of Russia.     

Effects of territorial damselfish on cryptic bioeroding organisms on dead Acropora formosa

Many damselfishes exclude other grazers from their territories and “farm” filamentous algae within their territories. In this study the indirect effect of damselfish territories on faunal composition and abundance of internal bioeroders of dead Acropora formosa (Dana, 1846) was investigated in territories of two damselfish species, Stegastes nigricans (Lacepède, 1802) and Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus (Quoy and Gaimard, 1825). S. nigricans tends to be more protective and defend their territories more aggressively than P. lacrymatus. Newly killed branches of A. formosa were placed inside and outside damselfish territories, for 1 or 2 years, at a coral reef near Zanzibar, Tanzania. As predicted, the coral branches became covered with more filamentous algae in the S. nigricans territories than in the controls, with intermediate levels in the P. lacrymatus territories. Among the internal bioeroding fauna, polychaetes were by far the most common group. In total, there were significantly more borers in the first year than the second, which was mainly due to a high abundance of sabellids. Furthermore, sabellids were significantly more abundant in control areas and in the P. lacrymatus territories compared to the S. nigricans territories. However, many other genera showed the opposite pattern, with more polychaetes in the fish territories compared to the controls. There was also a clear difference in assemblage structure between S. nigricans territories and controls. Thus, we found strong effects of whether a piece of coral was placed inside or outside a damselfish territory on the abundance of many of the bioeroding taxa. We discuss multiple reasons for these indirect effects of the territories, including that deposit feeding bioeroders may benefit from the dense algal turf found inside the territories whereas suspension feeding bioeroders may benefit from substrate with less filamentous algae found outside territories. Considering our results in the context of the large areas of coral reefs that typically are defended as territories by damselfishes, these fish are likely to have a considerable impact on the boring community of a coral reef.     

中国土壤动物多样性监测: 探知土壤中的奥秘

土壤动物多样性变化及其对环境的指示作用已被学术界和政府决策部门高度关注。本文从土壤动物多样性监测的重要性及面临的挑战、国内外土壤动物多样性监测概况等方面进行了评述, 提出了未来、尤其是2016-2020年我国土壤动物多样性监测的目标、站点布局、样地设置、监测类群和指标等, 并讨论了在制定土壤动物多样性监测方案时需考虑的问题, 有助于在全国开展多点化土壤动物多样性及分布状况的监测工作, 建立标准统一、数据共享的土壤动物监测网, 提供完整的、可信的监测数据, 为国家生态文明建设提供科技支撑。     

The fauna of spiders (Arachnida,Araneae) in agricultural landscapes of the Moscow area and the Kuban Plain

Six years of collecting in agricultural landscapes of the Moscow area and the Kuban Plain (Krasnodar Territory) revealed 286 species of spiders from 146 genera of 20 families. Two species, Clubiona pseudoneglecta Wund. and Palliduphantes insignis O.P.-C. are recorded for the Russian fauna for the first time, and 20 species are new to Moscow Province. Linyphiidae is the most species-rich family comprising about half of the species found in Moscow Province and about a quarter of those found in Krasnodar Territory. The species are classified into 13 arealogical groups. The bulk of the fauna is formed by the widespread, mostly Eurasian and Holarctic species. The spider fauna of Krasnodar Territory has smaller fractions of the Holarctic and Euro-Siberian species and larger fractions of the Palaearctic and Euro-Mediterranean species, as compared to the Moscow fauna. In general, the faunas of both the regions studied may be classified as European. The spider fauna of agrocenoses of Moscow Province is more similar to the faunas of European regions situated at the same latitude than to the fauna of Krasnodar Territory (the Kuban Plain).     

A new global palaeobiogeographical model for the late Mesozoic and early Tertiary

Late Mesozoic palaeobiogeography has been characterized by a distinction between the northern territories of Laurasia and the southern landmasses of Gondwana. The repeated discovery of Gondwanan lineages in Laurasia has led to the proposal of alternative scenarios to explain these anomalous occurrences. A new biogeographical model for late Mesozoic terrestrial ecosystems is here proposed in which Europe and "Gondwanan" territories possessed a common Eurogondwanan fauna during the earliest Cretaceous. Subsequently, following the Hauterivian, the European territories severed from Africa and then connected to Asiamerica resulting in a faunal interchange. This model explains the presence of Gondwanan taxa in Laurasia and the absence of Laurasian forms in the southern territories during the Cretaceous. In order to test this new palaeobiogeographical model, tree reconciliation analyses (TRAs) were performed based on biogeographical signals provided by a supertree of late Mesozoic archosaurs. The TRAs found significant evidence for the presence of an earliest Cretaceous Eurogondwanan fauna followed by a relatively short-term Gondwana-Laurasia dichotomy. The analysis recovered evidence for a biogeographical reconnection of the European territories with Africa and South America-Antarctica during the Campanian to Maastrichtian time-slice. This biogeographical scenario appears to continue through the early Tertiary and sheds light on the trans-Atlantic disjunct distributions of several extant plant and animal groups.     

A NEW CRICETID FROM THE LUFENG HOMINOID LOCALITY, LATE MIOCENE OF CHINA

CricetidaeRochebrune,l883KowalskiaFahlbusch,1969Kowalskiahanaesp.nov.(Figs.l-3iPl.I)EtymologyNamedinhonourtoProf.HanDefel1whoconductedtheexcava-tionatthesiteinl983andhasmadegreatcontributionstothestudyofthehomi-noidfauna-HolotypeLeftMl(V1o843;2.oOX1.35mm).ParatypesLayerl:6M1,7M2,2M3,l2m1,l2m2,6m3(Vlo844.l-45);Il:3Ml,2M2,2M3,9m1,l3m2,3m3(Vlo844.46-77);IlI:amandib1ewithm1-3(Vlo844.78);IV:adamagedmandiblewithml-3(Vlo844.79);V:l5M1,14M2,8M3,16ml,12m2,9m3(VlO844.8O-l53);VI:onedamage…     

On a record of the spotted asparagus beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Crioceris duodecimpunctata</Emphasis> (Linnaeus, 1758) (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae) in Leningrad Province

The spotted asparagus beetle, Crioceris duodecimpunctata (Linnaeus, 1758) was recorded in Leningrad Province for the first time.     

Taxonomic composition and zoogeographic characteristics of the flea fauna (Siphonaptera) of Russia

255 species and 59 subspecies of fleas from 55 genera of 7 families are known from Russia, which is 30% of the Palaearctic fauna. Additionally, over 187 species of 47 genera from 7 families are known from the neighboring territories of Central and Southern Europe, Transcaucasia, Kazakhstan, Middle Asia, Mongolia, Northeast China, and Japan. 13 species of 12 genera are known only from Russia. Noteworthy is the low percent of endemic species (not more than 4%) and genera (one genus) in the Russian fauna. The principal centers of taxonomic diversity in the Palaearctic, including many endemic species and genera, lie in the Eastern Asian, Central Asian, and Turano-Iranian Subregions, outside Russia and the Euro-Siberian Subregion. The bulk of the Russian fauna is formed by the species and genera of the three largest flea families: Hystrichopsyllidae, Ceratophyllidae, and Leptopsyllidae. The family Ceratophyllidae has the greatest number of genera in the Russian fauna, and Hystrichopsyllidae, the greatest number of species. Western (Western and Western-Central Palaearctic; 84 species from 41 genera of 7 families) and Eastern (Central-Eastern and Eastern Palaearctic; 78 species from 42 genera of 6 families) species are nearly equally represented in the Russian fauna.     

Nectar and flower production of Lobelia telekii inflorescences, and their influence on territorial behaviour of the scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird (Nectarinia johnstoni)

The alpine zone of Mount Kenya is a typical equatorial, high-altitude habitat with a harsh environment, large fluctuations in physical conditions and an impoverished flora and fauna. A common flowering plant is Lobelia telekii , which has large inflorescences with up to 2000 flowers. The long hanging bracts of this plant ameliorate the physical environment around the flowers, damping the fluctuations in temperature and relative humidity. The scarlet-tufted malachite sunbird ( Nectarinia johnstoni ) is a highly active nectarivore that obtains most of its food from the nectar of L. telekii. Sunbirds are more likely to visit the younger, male flowers at the apex of the inflorescence, which are larger and contain twice as much sugar as the older, female flowers lower down the spike. Male flowers will gain from multiple visits by exporting more pollen, while female flowers probably need to be visited only a few times for successful fertilization. Male sunbirds were resident on their territories all year and vigorously defended them from conspecifics. All territories contained about four times the number of flowers visited by the territory occupants in a day. Males on territories with a large number of flowers suffered more intrusions than males on low quality territories and spent more time in flight. After an intrusion the resident male frequently fed near where the intrusion took place. Males that subsequently attracted mates defended about twice as many flowers as males that did not breed, although undefended inflorescences were present. Some males apparently defended territories suitable for a pair, others only for a single bird.     

陕西秦岭太白山北坡食蚜蝇科昆虫区系调查

鉴定出秦岭太白山北坡食蚜蝇科昆虫2亚科,10族,35属,61种,包括中国新记录种3种:亮黄斑食蚜蝇Xanthogramma laetum(Fabricius)、无饰缩颜蚜蝇Pipiza inornataMatsumura和阿尔泰颜突蚜蝇Portevinia altaica(Stackelberg),陕西省新记录种16种。太白山北坡食蚜蝇科昆虫的区系成分以古北、东洋区共有种为主体,古北区成分略占优,东洋区成分占有一定比例;从属的分布类型看,多区属比例高达57.14%,单区属均为古北区成分,所占比例最低。太白山北坡食蚜蝇科昆虫区系具有明显的过渡性,混杂性和复杂性。     

江苏发现卢氏兔和细齿兽的意义

江苏溧阳县发现一始新世哺乳动物群,包括12个目.根据其中发现的洛河卢氏兔与卢氏细齿兽,认为该动物群的时代与河南卢氏动物群大致相当,为中始新世末期或晚始新世初期.     

Blackflies (Diptera,Simuliidae) in eastern Trans-Baikal: Taxonomic composition and physiographic distribution

The blackfly fauna and biodiversity of some physiographic regions in eastern Trans-Baikal have been described. The structural characteristics of blackfly communities in the highlands and lowlands in the southern and northern territories of the region have been reported. A regional list of forty seven species in five genera of the Simuliidae family has been produced for the first time. The species distribution in three major river basins, Upper Amur, Lena, and Yenisei, are examined. A comparative cluster analysis of the similarities in species composition between the blackflies in the observed area and the adjacent regions is carried out. The blackfly species composition of the Upper Amur basin is more similar to the population of the Selenga River basin and significantly differs from the fauna in the middle and lower reaches of the Amur River; only three blackfly species typical for the Far East fauna have been indicated.