An Ice Age spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population,their excrements and prey from the Late Pleistocene hyena den of the Sloup Cave in the Moravian Karst,Czech Republic

A Late Pleistocene spotted hyena Crocuta crocuta spelaea (Goldfuss 1823) population from the cave bear den Sloup Cave, Moravia (Czech Republic) consists of mainly adult/senior and few cub/juvenile remains and coprolites, and 139 prey bones. Hyenas used the Nicová Cave branch that is connected to the entrance area mainly as a communal den site. Prey bone damage is most visible on the imported woolly rhinoceros remains. The partly excavated prey bone accumulation consists of a single woolly mammoth Mammuthus primigenius (Blumenbach 1799) tooth (2%), mainly Coelodonta antiquitatis (Blumenbach 1807) remains (16%), 4% Bos primigenius (Bojanus 1827) and 1% each of Megaloceros giganteus (Blumenbach 1799) and Rangifer tarandus (Linnaeus 1758). The other carnivores such as Panthera leo spelaea (Goldfuss 1810), Gulo gulo (Linnaeus 1758) and Canis lupus (Linnaeus 1758) subsp. are less represented (1–3%). Wolverines might have been imported also as prey remains, whereas wolves also possibly used this cave on a short-term basis, whereas steppe lions seem to have preyed upon cave bears deeper in the cave periodically, where even skeletons of P. leo spelaea were found in the Elisabeth Cave part.     

Progressive drowning of carbonate platform in the Moravo-Silesian Basin (Czech Republic) before the Frasnian/Famennian event: facies,compositional variations and gamma-ray spectrometry

The Moravo-Silesian Basin (MSB; eastern Czech Republic and southern Poland) hosted an extensive shallow-water carbonate platform in the Middle Devonian to Frasnian interval. The platform drowned in a stepwise fashion from the Palmatolepis hassi to the Pa. linguiformis zone. Three types of drowning successions were revealed from conodont biostratigraphy, facies, microfacies and gamma-ray spectrometry data: (A) drowning to periplatform turbidite setting; (B) drowning to (hemi)pelagic seamount setting and (C) drowning associated with the stratigraphical gap. In the lower Pa. hassi zone, rapid subsidence caused the platform to drown locally along the N–S to NW–SE trending faults (type A drowning). In the upper Pa. rhenana to the Pa. linguiformis zone, the drowning accelerated in the western part of the MSB due to locally higher subsidence rates combined with the Late Frasnian biotic crisis (type B). In the southern part of the basin, the platform emerged shortly before the Frasnian/Famennian (F/F) boundary and drowned in the Early to Late Famennian (type C). The primary cause of drowning was differential subsidence at the Laurussian passive margin. Eustatic sea-level fluctuations, if any, contributed only to a minor extent to the Late Frasnian drowning, but were effective in type C drowning during the Famennian. The drowning boundaries are associated with increased contents of K and Th, reflecting the deceleration of carbonate production. Uranium contents display isolated peaks that roughly correlate with the drowning boundaries or the stratigraphic gaps associated with the F/F boundary. The uranium contents are considered to reflect local depositional conditions and are not suitable for stratigraphic correlation. On the other hand, from the K and Th contents, we can infer Late Frasnian sea-level fluctuations with duration on the order of 1 Myr. These cyclic variations in K and Th contents proved to be useful in platform-to-basin stratigraphic correlation.     

First record of the siricid Urocerus albicornis,an invasive alien pest,in the Czech Republic

One male of the horntail wasp Urocerus albicornis was found in the Czech Republic in 2018. The male probably emerged from imported timber, although it may have originated from an established population because it was collected during the flight period.     

Gravettian ivory ornaments in Central Europe,Moravia (Czech Republic)

In the sense of the gravettian technocomplex of Central Europe in Moravia it is mammoth ivory which was mainly used to manufacture and create personal ornaments. The hunters and gatherers selected and stored mammoth tusks as the raw material for the manufacture of tools, weapons, furniture and ornaments. In Moravia, personal ornaments were found in a great variability of forms and sizes – mostly beads like breast-shaped beads, bilobated beads, bilobated flat beads, tear drop shaped beads and round ornaments – rings, bracelets, discs as well as flat elements – diadems and other pendants (zoomorphs, antropomorphs, geometric forms). Some types of personal ornaments show equivalent forms at other gravettian sites and some are unique in Moravia. This article illustrates the variability of these personal ornaments in the context of the Gravettian in Moravia.     

Type specimens of centipedes (Myriapoda,Chilopoda) in the National Museum,Prague (Czech Republic)

The centipede collection in the National Museum in Prague contains type material of 16 taxa (14 species and two subspecies), of which 15 were described by Luděk J. Dobroruka and one by Karl W. Verhoeff: Allothereua wilsonae Dobroruka, 1979; Chinobius alenae Dobroruka, 1980; Lithobius corrigendus Dobroruka, 1988; Lithobius creticus Dobroruka, 1977; Lithobius erythrocephalus mohelensis Dobroruka, 1959; Lithobius evae Dobroruka, 1958; Lithobius magurensis Dobroruka, 1971; Lithobius purkynei Dobroruka, 1957; Lithobius tatricus Dobroruka, 1958; Lithobius tatricus monounguis Dobroruka, 1958; Monotarsobius homolaci Dobroruka, 1971; Monotarsobius krali Dobroruka, 1979; Pachymerium dilottiae Dobroruka, 1976; Pachymerium hanzaki Dobroruka, 1976; Scolopendra aztecorum Verhoeff, 1934 and Strigamia olympica Dobroruka, 1977. Of these 16 taxa, five were described from the Czech Republic, three from Slovakia and eight from other countries (Greece, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Nepal, Russia and Uzbekistan). The eight taxa described from the Czech and Slovak Republics are now considered as junior synonyms but the eight taxa described from the other countries are still valid.     

Long-term biomanipulation of Rimov Reservoir (Czech Republic)

The history of fish, zooplankton and phytoplankton in RimovReservoir during its 14 years existence is documented. Afterthe filling of the reservoir in autumn 1978, the biomass ofplanktivorous fish increased from near zero to 650 kg ha-1 bythe fourth year of the reservoirs existence, after which thefish stock continually decreased under various forms ofbiomanipulative pressure, down to a value of about 100 kg ha-1. Thisdevelopment of fish stock was accompanied by changes in zooplanktonsize structure, but a cascading effect down to reduction ofphytoplankton biomass was not pronounced. The changes ofzooplankton body size structure were: increasing or decreasingaverage size of Daphnia galeata (the main cladoceranherbivore species) and changes in relative proportion ofcladoceran species, but none of the main zooplankton species was replacedor disappeared. The variation in phytoplankton biomass wasexplained by variation in phosphorus concentration and not related tozooplankton structure. It was concluded that the criticalbiomass of planktivorous fish below which the effect of loweringphytoplankton biomass could be observed lies below 100 kg ofplanktivorous fish per hectare. An attempt is made to quantifythe relationship between fish stock density and the size structureof zooplankton potentially able to influence top-down effects onphytoplankton.     

Palaeoecology of a medieval fishpond system (Vajgar, Czech Republic)

A palaeoecological investigation of a sediment core obtained from an artificial lake — the fishpond Vajgar (40 ha) near the town of Jind?ich?v Hradec, southern Bohemia, has been carried out in connection with extensive multidisciplinary research preceding the removal of its sediment. Samples from selected standard profile were subjected to chemical, pollen, and palaeoalgological analyses in order to study the chronology of vegetation development, anthropogenic impact on the landscape, and the development of an artificial fishpond ecosystem. The palaeoecological record under study comprises the period of extensive change from pre-cultural, silver fir-dominated forest vegetation into managed, agricultural landscape dominated by cereal fields and pastures. After Medieval colonization, the proportion between wooded and open landscape changed, and the composition of original forests shifted to pine. Pollen spectra from the High Middle Ages are characterized by high percentages of anthropogenic indicators and closely resemble the results from urban deposits (cesspits, wells, communication horizons, etc.). This period can be subdivided into a first phase correlated with the High and Late Middle Ages and a second phase correlated with the post Medieval period and partly maybe also with the agricultural collectivization of the 20th century. The earlier phase has a rather uniform character with a significant presence of grazing indicators and cereal weeds. After the collectivization of the 1950s and later, a substantial change in agricultural practices can be detected: the large-scale use of herbicides affecting the composition of agricultural ruderal species (e.g. decline of cornflower (Centaurea cyanus), rye (Secale), etc.). The development of the aquatic system of the fishpond Vajgar was studied by means of chemical and palaeoalgological analyses. On the basis of observed changes in the composition of subfossil algal communities, the fishpond history can be split into four distinct phases. It is assumed that the progression over individual phases was caused by changes in water chemistry that can be interpreted as shifts in water quality caused by the urbanization of the surrounding areas as well as by changes in agricultural practices. The results of the investigation of some chemical elements (especially heavy metals) show stratigraphic patterns that can be related to historical events. These results show that the mixing and bioturbation of the sediment was not so significant as might be expected.     

Trilobites and minute ovoid pellets in a burrow (Ordovician,llanvirnian, Czech Republic)

Old collections from the Ordovician of the Barrandian area (Czech Republic) have yielded a probable vertical burrow that contains several dozen specimens of the pliomerid trilobite Placo‐paria (Placoparia) cambriensis Hicks, some of them enrolled. The fill of the burrow (classified as ?Skolithos isp.) also contains minute ovoid pellets corresponding to the ichnotaxon Tomaculum cf. problematicum Groom. The enrollment of a portion of the trilobite exoskeletons might reflect a defensive response. The pellets may be interpreted as fecal material or, less probably, as eggs. The exoskeletons and the pellets might have been mechanically trapped into the open burrow, or their concentration may have resulted from biological relationships between the tracemaker and the trilobites.     

Seasonal development of planktonic rotifers in Slapy Reservoir (Czech Republic)

The rotifer community of the canyon shaped Slapy Reservoir was studied over four years, from 2000 to 2003. A total of 38 rotifer taxa were identified in the pelagial zone. The dominant species, Keratella cochlearis, K. quadrata, Polyarthra dolichoptera, P. vulgaris, Synchaeta lakowitziana and Pompholyx sulcata, were similar to other reservoirs in the same area. Tychoplanktic species, which are typical for communities of upstream reservoirs, are reduced in the Slapy Reservoir. The seasonal fluctuation of rotifer abundance is characterized by a significant spring peak, clear water depression, summer peak and sometimes a lower peak in autumn. Fluctuation of the rotifer species shows a highly unified trend through the years with very low variation through the years. It results from the input of hypolimnetic water from an upstream reservoir, which erased a large part of the effect of year to year climatic fluctuations.     

Variation in Discosauriscus austriacus (Makowsky, 1876) from the Lower Permian of the Boskovice Furrow (Czech Republic)

Two genera and four species of discosauriscids, Discosauriscus potamites, D. pulcherrimus, Letoverpeton austriacum and L. moravicum , have previously been described from the Boskovice Furrow in Moravia. These laxa were differentiated primarily on the basis of proportional differences of the skull together with other morphological characters.
Excavations at two localities in the Boskovice Furrow have produced new, relatively abundant, skeletal material. The specimens are preserved three-dimensionally. In order to evaluate the differences in skull proportions, 17 variable characters on 70 skulls were measured. Statistical analysis demonstrates the existence of several morphological trends in the shape of the skull. However, no trend permits the division of this set of specimens into two clearly differentiated groups. The morphological differences used previously to define genera and species seem to be incorrect. Pending the discovery of distinct morphological differences, the Moravian discosauriscids can be considered as belonging to only one taxon: Discosauriscus austriacus (Makowsky, 1876).     

High-resolution biostratigraphy of the Tournaisian-Visean (Carboniferous) boundary interval, Mokrá quarry, Czech Republic

This paper summarizes the results of investigations carried out in the Mokrá quarry since 2006 on the biostratigraphy of the Tournaisian-Visean (T-V) boundary interval. It also integrates previous results obtained by J. Kalvoda and collaborators. The main focus is on the boundary itself, but stratigraphically lower and higher levels have been investigated as well to provide a biostratigraphical context spanning the late Tournaisian to early Visean. This stratigraphical level has been the focus of intense international research in the recent years under the auspices of the Subcommission on Carboniferous Stratigraphy (SCCS) in order to find a new criterion and reference section (Global Stratotype Section and Point, GSSP) for the base of the Visean Stage. The appearance of Eoparastaffella simplex from its ancestor E. “ovalis” and the Pengchong section (Guangxi, southern China) have recently been proposed by the Task Group on the Tournaisian-Visean Boundary and ratified by the SCCS as the new biostratigraphic criterion and GSSP for the base of the Visean, respectively. The sequence exposed in Mokrá is not suitable as a GSSP, notably because it is an active quarry, but it contains most of the foraminifer and conodont guides allowing a high-resolution biostratigraphy of the boundary interval. In addition, it contains abundant trilobites. For these reasons, it constitutes one of the best sections across the T-V boundary in Europe and can serve as a useful additional reference.     

Notes on the genusOenothera subsect.Oenothera (Onagraceae) in the Czech Republic

Up-to-date results of taxonomic and phytogeographic studies ofOenothera subsect.Oenothera in the eastern part of the Czech Republic (Moravia and Silesia) are presented. A new hybridogenous species,Oe. moravica Jehlík etRostański (=Oe. fallax × Oe. victorini), is described from S Moravia. Several taxa and hybrids are reported for the first time for the Czech Republic:Oe. victorini Gates etCatcheside (=Oe. rostanskii Jehlík),Oe. × wienii Renner exRostański,Oe. acutifolia × Oe. victorini. Other taxa are recorded from the eastern part of the Czech Republic for the first time:Oe. acutifolia Rostański,Oe. hoelscheri Renner exRostański,Oe. parviflora L.,Oe. subterminalis Gates. The taxonomy ofOe. pycnocarpa Atkinson etBartlett is discussed. A survey of species and hybrids ofOenothera subsect.Oenothera in the Czech Republic is added.     

Epizoans immured in the heterocoral Oligophylloides maroccanus Weyer, 2017: a unique record from the Famennian (Upper Devonian) of Morocco

Exceptionally well-preserved proximal parts of colonies of the late Famennian heterocoral Oligophylloides maroccanus Weyer, 2017 with immured epizoans are described here from the Jebel Bou Ifarherioun ridge of the eastern Anti-Atlas, Morocco. This is the first evidence of unique syn vivo interactions between a heterocoral and numerous epizoans, that is the colonial tabulate corals Zemmourella? sp. and Aulopora? sp.; solitary rugose corals Czarnockia? sp. and Gorizdronia? sp.; and other juvenile, undeterminable solitary rugosans, crinoids, as well as microbial structures. Detailed analysis of sectioned specimens allowed mutual interactions to be traced during growth of the host and infesting encrusting taxa. The studied associations show that the epizoans must have settled on the proximal parts of Oligophylloides in places devoid of soft tissue. The encrusted proximal portions of the colonies show that soft tissue of the heterocoral could have retracted and expanded again, fouling and immuring dead epizoans. The process of bioimmuration is perfectly marked by thin layers of microbial encrustations developing on the epibiont skeletons prior to their overgrowth by the skeleton of the heterocoral. The studied encrustations seem to be widespread, but the association provided the epizoans with additional substrate for encrustation, as well as an elevated position above the seafloor, beneficial for access to nutrients. We suggest that the host bioimmured the encrusters after their death, because of noticeable microbial encrustations and veneers of sediment, a lack of malformations, relatively rapid growth and aggressive activity of epizoans.     

Seasonal flight activity of Platycerus caprea (Coleoptera, Lucanidae) in the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts (Czech Republic)

The seasonal flight activity of Platycerus caprea was studied at two sites in the Moravskoslezské Beskydy Mts in 2002–2004 using bark beetle pheromone traps of Theysohn® type. Platycerus caprea occurred at altitudes of 400 m up to 1200 m a.s.l. Seasonal flight activity in both males and females started at the beginning of May and continued until mid-June. At lower altitudes (up to ca 900 m a.s.l.), adults flew in the first half of May, at altitudes about 1000 m a.s.l. in the second half of May and in the highest sites more than 1200 m a.s.l. in the first half of June.     

A plant-geographical study of the genusDorycnium MILL. (Fabaceae) in the Czech Republic

Two species of the genusDorycnium with the most northern distribution reach the absolute northern limit of their distribution areas in the Czech Republic.Dorycnium germanicum, a less ecologically plastic and more xerothermic species, covers a compact area in south Moravia, connected with its occurrence in Lower Austria.Dorycnium herbaceum, and ecologically more tolerant species, has its primary distribution area in south-east Moravia; this is connected with the Slovak part of the area of this species; secondary occurrences are scattered throughout other parts of Moravia and Bohemia. The distribution of both species was evaluated, using 23 herbarium collections. Climatic characteristics are provided for 54 climatic and ombrometric stations from the distribution area of both species. In the Czech RepublicD. germanicum represents the Illyrian-Noric migration element whileD. herbaceum represents the Carpathian one. There is a clear climatic differentiation between the localities of both species:D. germanicum occurs in dryer and warmer regions thanD. herbaceum. An introgression, zone was identified in the vicinity of the twon of Uherské Hardi?tě and the area south-east of this town. This zone coincides with the area where most of the identification problems with these species occurred.     

Survived spondyloptosis of the thoracic spine in the Early Middle Ages (Czech Republic)

At a Slavic site Pohansko near B?eclav (Czech Republic), at the burial ground around the church (9th–10th century) 757 skeletons (208 males, 159 females, 354 sub-adults and 36 undetermined individuals), were excavated. More or less complete vertebral column was preserved in 109 adults. Among those, in the grave number 403, the skeletal remains of an adult male were found with the deformity of the spine probably caused by severe trauma (spondyloptosis). Due to the poor preservation of the caudal part of the spine, we cannot exclude diagnoses including spondylitis tuberculosa and developmental defects of the spine such as the persistence of neurocentral synchondroses, or the retrosomatic cleft. Considering the first possible diagnosis to be the most probable, it would be the first survived case of spondyloptosis identified in the palaeopathological literature.