Update on the Search for Miss Waldron’s Red Colobus Monkey

Miss Waldron’s red colobus (Procolobus badius waldroni) has a restricted distribution in eastern Ivory Coast and western Ghana. There have been no confirmed sightings of them since 1978 and surveys carried out from 1993 to the present have yet to reveal any living individual. Since the announcement of the monkey’s probable extinction (Oates et al., 2000), new evidence from forest in the extreme southeast of Ivory Coast suggests that a handful of individuals have remained undetected to this point. I discuss the evidence—a tail, a skin and a photograph—and results of accompanying surveys. Additional surveys of the Ehy Forest are required to confirm the presence of Procolobus badius waldroni and an Action Plan for the conservation of all red colobus across the continent is needed to prevent the disappearance of other taxa.     

Two new Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes from humid tropic forest litter

Abstract

Two Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes, Beltraniella lyrata and Beltraniopsis fabularis, found on tropical forest litter in the Tai National Park in Ivory Coast are proposed as new species and described.     

Zooplankton Variability in 49 Shallow Tropical Reservoirs of Ivory Coast (West Africa)

Zooplankton samples were collected from 49 small reservoirs of northern Ivory Coast in April 1997. Thirty taxa were identified, including 20 rotifers, 3 copepods and 6 cladocerans. The number of taxa per lake ranged between 12 to 22 and decreased with the total abundance of zooplankton. Copepods dominated standing biomass. Coinertia analysis suggested the role of seston food abundance, oxygen depletion and turbidity for zooplankton abundance and community structure. Rotifers, and particularly Brachionus angularis, Polyarthra and Filinia, were more abundant than copepods in the most eutrophic, turbid and deoxygenated reservoirs. The role of oxygen as a determinant of community structure is probably linked to the specific tolerance of taxa, but turbidity role could not be evaluated with certainty in the absence of information on visual predators.     

A freeze/thaw technique for estimation of nitrogenase activity in detached nodules of Vigna mungo

The Ivory Coast and Nigerian strains of okra mosaic virus (OMV) were transmitted by the flea-beetle Podagrica decolorata, a serious pest of okra in the southern Ivory Coast. The Ivory Coast strain was also transmitted by the orthopteran, Zonocerus variegatus. The Ivory Coast strain was acquired faster than it was inoculated by P. decolorata. When groups of five beetles were given acquisition and inoculation access periods of 24 and 48 h, respectively, 60% of the okra test plants were infected. OMV-carrying P. decolorata remained infective for up to 6 days. The virus was readily detected in extracts of crushed beetles that had fed on infected plants for 20 h. The beetle was also able to transmit to and from plants of Hibiscus sabdariffa and Corchorus olitorius; as a food source it preferred C. olitorius to okra or H. sabdariffa. The beetle is active throughout the year, and presumably can spread OMV at any time between plants of these species. A considerable and unexplained decrease in frequency of transmission was observed in experiments done in the rainy season. The revised cryptogram of OMV is R/l:*/32:S/S:S/Ve/Cl.     

Ringworm of the African hedgehog (erinaceus albiventris) in the ivory coast due to arthroderma benhamiae

Isolates of the conidial state of Arthroderma benhamiae (+ mating strain) were obtained from dry, scaly lesions on the ears of 3 hedgehogs in the Ivory Coast. This is a new record for this country.     

A comparison of variation between a MHC pseudogene and microsatellite loci of the little greenbul (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Andropadus virens</Emphasis>)

Background  

We investigated genetic variation of a major histcompatibility complex (MHC) pseudogene (Anvi -DAB1) in the little greenbul (Andropadus virens) from four localities in Cameroon and one in Ivory Coast, West Africa. Previous microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analyses had revealed little or no genetic differentiation among Cameroon localities but significant differentiation between localities in Cameroon and Ivory Coast.     

Biodiversity and ecology of epilithic diatoms in the Agnéby River,Ivory Coast

The ecology and taxonomy of the epilithic diatom flora of the Agnéby River, Ivory Coast were studied in 2012. Ten sites were investigated and diatoms were sampled on glass slides immersed for a period of 30 days during the wet and dry seasons. Physico-chemical parameters were measured at each site while sampling diatoms. Five taxa were largely dominant: Planothidium comperei CE Wetzel, N’Guessan and Tison-Rosebery, Eolimna minima (Grunow) Lange-Bertalot, Planothidium piaficum (JR Carter and Denny) CE Wetzel and Ector, Cocconeis schroederi Foged and Cocconeis scutellum var. parva (Grunow in Van Heurck) Cleve. Electrical conductivity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, nitrite and phosphorus were found to influence the distribution of taxa.     

Spatio‐temporal distribution of phytoplankton in four coastal rivers of southeastern of Ivory Coast (Soumié, Eholié, Ehania and Noé)

Spatio‐temporal dynamics of phytoplankton and their relation to abiotic environmental factors in four rivers of south‐eastern Ivory Coast (Soumié, Eholié, Ehania and Noé) was analysed from July 2003 to March 2005. The pelagic zone of each river was sampled upstream and downstream. Phytoplankton abundance was higher in Noé River (154.3 10⁴ cells l^?1) and lower in Eholié river (23.05 10⁴ cells l^?1). Dominant taxa were Microcystis aeruginosa (Kütz.) Lemmerm. and Aphanocapsa incerta (Lemmerm.) Cronberg & Komárek. In general, minimum densities of phytoplankton were observed during the rainy season, while maximum were observed in dry season in the whole stations of the rivers studied, such periods corresponding to low and high concentrations of nitrates. Among the rivers surveyed, Eholié river seems to be the least disturbed because of its higher species diversity. Seasonality fluctuations of algae abundance appear to be influenced by the flow of water and nitrate levels. This work is a useful starting point for future research on micro algae in Ivory Coast.     

Observations sur l'essaimage et les premières étapes du développement de la colonie d'Allodontermes giffardii Silv. (Isoptera,Termitidæ)

Summary Here we relate information on flight periods ofAllodontermes giffardii Silv., in Ivory Coast (West Africa). The main point is that female do not fly.The tandems are made on plants.Among the inbreedings carried out on Ivory Coast, we can describe the first stages of development. The founder couple dig an underground cavity in which they tend the first brood without taking any food themselves. Then, the first workers dig ascending passage-way through which they go eating into the wood on the surface. Soldiers are coming from grub. Analogies are drawn between the development ofAllodontermes giffardii and those of other termitidae. We also prove that theAllodontermes giffardii's reproduction is possible by inbreeding or crossing.     

Histoire d’un itinéraire épidémiologique entre le Burkina Faso et la C?te d’Ivoire : le cas des foyers de maladie du sommeil de Koudougou

In the first half of the XXth century, while Upper-Volta (now Burkina Faso) was suffering a terrible epidemic of sleeping sickness, the French colonial administration encouraged the movement of people from Upper-Volta to Ivory Coast to meet their demands for labour. This led to the establishment of Mossi villages, such as those of Koudougou, in the Ivorian forest with populations originating from areas of Upper-Volta that were not only densely populated but also severely affected by sleeping sickness. Since 2000, most cases of sleeping sickness in the Koudougou district of Burkina Faso have been in people originally from Ivory Coast. Who are they? Where did they settle in Burkina Faso? Where do they come from in Ivory Coast? After having retraced the epidemiological history of Koudougou villages in Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, the history of ten cases of sleeping sickness detected passively at Koudougou hospital since 2000 were analysed. All cases originated from the forest area of Ivory Coast. Understanding the spread of sleeping sickness between Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast will assist in the identification of areas of disease risk.     

Cyanobacteria and Cyanobacterial Lichens from Inselbergs of the Ivory Coast,Africa

This study focuses on the saxicolous lichens and cyanobacteria of the open, exposed rock surface of inselbergs. Twenty-three species of cyanobacteria and 17 cyanobacterial lichen species (“cyanolichens”) from several inselbergs and other rocky outcrops of three major climatic regions, savanna, transition zone and rain forest, are reported from the Ivory Coast. Inselbergs are isolated and frequently mountains consisting of Precambrian granites or gneisses that abruptly rise from the surrounding plains. Cyanobacteria were found to be the dominating organisms on all rock surfaces. The lichens found mainly belong to the family Peltulaceae and a few were present from the family Lichinaceae. Nine species of the cyanolichens and most of the cyanobacteria are new for the Ivory Coast. A gradient in total species number (cyanolichens and cyanobacteria) occurs from the savanna to the rain forest, with a decrease in species number towards the rain forest. Saxicolous cyanobacterial lichens reached a higher species number in the savanna type ecosystem (11) than on inselbergs in the rain forest (7). The cyanolichens and cyanobacteria found are characteristic for larger, light-exposed rock surfaces and species like P. congregate, P. lingulata, P. tortuosa and P. umbilicata preferentially occur on the granite or sandstone of inselbergs.     

Ricerche sulla specializzazione tra funghi saprotrofi e matrici vegetali

Abstract

Survey on specialization between saprotrophic fungi and vegetables matrices. - The relationships between some saprotrophic fungi and their natural matrices, collected in the Tai National Park (Ivory Coast) are investigated. The data seem to confirm a sort of specialization of the above mentioned orgamisms (18 Dematiaceous Hyphomycetes) on the different species composing the litter layer (10 matrices) as a result of various environmental factors.     

Répartition géographique dePapio anubis dans le nord-est et le centre-sud de Côte d’Ivoire

The main purpose of this work was to make a survey of thePapio anubis demography because of the lack of data on Ivory Coast baboons now prevailing in this country. Two outstanding facts came to light: on the one hand, the baboons had vanished from the greater part of the studied regions, either by the destruction of their habitat at the time of rural growth (connected to demographic and agricultural increase) or by excessive hunting; only some restricted territories, sheltering a few troops, still subsisted, scattered along the Nzi River and in sites with little access and thinly populated; on the other hand, observation ofPapio anubis troops was possible only in privileged areas such as National Park. In the Comoé National Park, 14 troops were seen, totaling 257 baboons, of which 173 were adults with a sex-ratio reaching 0.82. The mean size of a troop was 18.4 baboons (size varying between 8 and 32). The youngest individuals, aged under 1 year, were weakly represented (8.9%). This study showed thatPapio anubis of Ivory Coast were closed related to those living in East Africa: differences, when they exited, were linked to geographic circumstances. It also underlined the precariousness of the survival of this primate species in Ivory Coast and the danger of their eradication in the near future.      

Phytochemical investigation of the leaves of Leptoderris fasciculata

Leptoderris fasciculata (Benth.) Dunn is a woody liana that grows in the tropical zone of West Africa, where it is exploited in traditional medicine for a number of uses. In the south-eastern Ivory Coast, it is applied to stop bleeding in women after childbirth or in cases of menorrhagia. The phytochemistry of this plant has received little previous attention. We report the isolation of 4′,5,6,7-tetramethoxyisoflavone and dihydrochalcone, new as natural products, together with 10 known compounds from the leaves of L. fasciculata collected in the Ivory Coast.     

Predator-induced Swarms in the Tadpoles of an African Savanna Frog,Phrynomantis microps

Aggregations in tadpoles of the West African savanna frog Phrynomantis microps were often observed in their breeding ponds in our study area, situated in Comoé National Park, Ivory Coast. Experiments under seminatural conditions demonstrated that this behaviour was only shown while predators were present. The tadpoles reacted differently to different predators. Factors inducing swarm behaviour were optical (the predator) and/or chemical (liquid from injured tadpoles). Alarm substances are not species-specific. Kinship seems not to play a role in swarm formation.     

First record of the genus Buchananiella Reuter (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) from Japan, with description of a new species

Two species of the anthocorid genus Buchananiella Reuter are recorded from Japan for the first time. Buchananiella leptocephala sp. nov. is described here based on specimens from Honshu and the Ryukyus. Buchananiella crassicornis Carayon, hitherto known from the Ivory Coast and India, was found in the Ryukyus.     

Review of the cichlid genus Thysochromis (Teleostei: Ovalentaria) with the description of a new species from the Kouilou Province in the Republic of Congo,west–Central Africa

A new species of the chromidotilapiine genus Thysochromis, is described from the Noumbi and Kouilou River drainages in the Republic of Congo. Based on the current investigation, Thysochromis is resolved as containing two geographically disjunct species, T. ansorgii from localities in the upper Guinean ichthyofaunal province (Ivory Coast, Ghana, Benin and Nigeria) and Thysochromis emili sp. nov. restricted to coastal regions of the Republic of Congo in the lower Guinean province.     

Additions to the foliicolous lichen flora of the Ivory Coast and Guinea (Tropical West Africa)

Four new foliicolous lichen species are described from the Ivory Coast (Tropical West Africa): Bapalmuia ivoriensis sp. nov., Chroodiscus africanus sp. nov., C. verrucosus sp. nov., and Lasioloma inexspectatum sp. nov. In addition, the new combination Calenia inconspicua comb, nova [Bas.: Heterothecium inconspicuum] is introduced. Lasioloma inexspectatum is the first species in the genus characterized by transversely septate ascospores and provides additional evidence for phylogenetic lines regarding the evolution of ascospore types in the lichen family Ectolechiaceae. In addition, 61 new records for the Ivory Coast and seven for Guinea are presented, increasing the number of species known in these areas to 161 and 124, respectively. Five species are new for tropical Africa, and six new for the Paleotropics. Further taxonomical and ecogeographical notes on the foliicolous lichen flora of tropical West Africa are provided.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rhipicephalus</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Boophilus</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">microplus</Emphasis>: a most successful invasive tick species in West-Africa

The cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is known to be a highly reproductive and efficient vector of Babesia bovis, two characters which make this tick a threat to livestock keeping in many continents. The authors identified this tick in Ivory Coast, West Africa, in 2007, and hypothesized the spread to be minimal, as this tick was not observed in previous years. To determine the extent of its distribution and to a lesser extent the possible impact of the tick on the livelihoods of Ivorian smallholders, a cross-sectional survey was carried out in the Abidjan and Agboville Departments of Ivory Coast, in April 2008. The results of the study reveal that the newly introduced tick has almost completely displaced all indigenous Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) species in the study area and gave rise to unsuccessful tick control, inappropriate pesticide use, loss of milk production and even increased mortality in dairy cattle.