Abstract
Four new species of Blennidus subgenus Agraphoderus are described from the Andes of Southern Peru: B. (A.) procerus n. sp., B. (A.) abramalagae n. sp., B. (A.) etontii n. sp. and B. (A.) straneoi n. sp. Together with B. (A.) jelskii (Tschitschérine, 1897), they form a very homogeneous group of probably closely related species (the jelskii group), which is distinguished from other members of the subgenus by the distinctive morphology of the aedeagus. A redescription of B. (A.) jelskii is given based on the lectotype and paralectotype designated by Straneo & Vereshagina (1991), supplementing Tschitschérine’s brief original description. The distribution pattern of the species presently included in the jelskii species–group is discussed, emphasizing distinctive traits of stenoendemic species inhabiting restricted geographical areas, and discussing their possible origin by allopatric speciation.
Highlights
The skiing activities in recent decades have had a profound impact on the alpine landscapes of many European mountains
We report on a case of rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta muta) mortality related to a ski–lift collision at a Pyrenean ski resort
Feathers found under the ski– lift came from the female rock ptarmigan corpse
Summary
The skiing activities in recent decades have had a profound impact on the alpine landscapes of many European mountains. Several studies have reported adverse effects derived from the development of winter tourism on alpine wildlife and on grouse species (Miquet, 1990; Menoni & Magnani, 1998; Martin, 2001; Watson & Moss, 2004; Arlettaz et al, 2007; Thiel et al, 2008; Patthey et al, 2008) Among these negative effects, the mortality of birds colliding with cables has been considered as one of the main causes of the decline of grouse abundance close to ski resorts. Some injured birds may continue moving for some distance after striking and death can occur several hundred meters further away This bias, known as the crippling bias, refers to animals which can be found dead far from the infrastructures and not counted in estimates of mortality rate related to the structures. We discuss the difficulty in estimating the different biases associated with cable collision
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