Feral cats (Felis catus) are considered to be one of main successful invasive species of island ecosystems. The introduced cats often negatively affect seabird populations due to the lack of anti-predatory strategies resulting from the absence of mammalian terrestrial predators during their evolutionary development. Linosa Island hosts the second largest colony of Scopoli’s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea) of the species. In this study, we estimated the number of cats on Linosa Island and we evaluated their diet using a non-invasive method: scat analysis. Scat collection took place in the northern part of the island in the Scopoli’s shearwater colony, where a feral cat colony lives permanently. We analysed a total of 188 cat scats, collected during the different stages of the shearwater breeding period. Introduced mammals were the most frequent preys: wild rabbits and black rats occurred in scats with the same frequency (28.72%). Birds were the second most frequent prey category found, primarily represented by the seabird Scopoli’s shearwater (16.49%). The cats’ diet varied seasonally in relation to prey availability and accessibility: shearwaters were mainly preyed upon during spring when they exhibited the greatest vocal activity and spent the most time out of their nests. Regarding the biomass, mammals were the dominant prey, and wild rabbits were the most consumed species. However, Scopoli’s shearwater represented approximately one-third of the total biomass consumed. Consequently, the management of feral cats living in proximity of the seabird colony is strongly required, and the increase of “trap-neuter-release” (TNR) programmes is necessary in order to avoid uncontrolled gains in the cat population on Linosa Island. Since the cats have a crucial role in controlling the rat population (the main threat for shearwaters), before planning management strategies, the complex inter-relationship that exists between species must be taken into account.

The American bullfrog, native to the eastern half of North America including southern Quebec, is considered one of the most invasive species in the world. It has been introduced in America, Asia and Europe, mainly for food purposes. A study on the age and body size of this species was carried out on individuals obtained from four introduced populations (one from Western Canada and three from France), using the skeletochronological method. Adults did not differ between sexes in mean body size or mean age, with the exception of one population in France where males were younger than females. Several differences in the mean age and body size were observed, with the individuals from the population in Canada exhibiting the highest values for both sexes. The scarcity of studies in the native range prevents the comparison of introduced versus native populations, and we focus on comparisons between introduced populations.

In the period 2013–2014 a survey was carried out on the helminthic fauna of 60 wild canids, 57 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and three wolves (Canis lupus italicus), collected in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy. The study focused mainly on the gastrointestinal and hepatic helminths. Parasites were recovered in 91.2% of the red foxes and in all the wolves examined. Multiple infections were found in the majority of the animals (71.9% of the foxes and 100% of the wolves). In total, 14 intestinal helminth species were identified, two trematodes (Alaria alata, Brachylaima spp.), seven cestodes (Mesocestoides spp., Taenia crassiceps, Taenia pisiformis, Taenia polyacantha, Dipylidium caninum, Taenia ovis, Taenia hydatigena) and five nematodes (Uncinaria stenocephala, Toxocara canis, Trichuris vulpis, Pterigodermatites affinis, Ancylostoma caninum). The heartworm Dirofilaria immitis was also recovered in two foxes. No Echinococcus spp. were found. Our study shows that foxes are reservoir hosts of zoonotic parasites, including A. alata, a rare digenean trematode in the Italian paeninsula. Results are compared with those of other surveys on helminths of wild canids carried out in Italy and other European countries.

Morphology studies provide knowledge that allows us to understand how animals interact with their natural environment or in captivity. In this context, comparative anatomy on the formation of the brachial plexus has been a matter of interest since the 19th century, and remains one of the most intriguing topics of contemporary anatomy. The aim of this study was to describe the origin and the antimeric distribution of the brachial plexus nerves in Macaca mulatta, as well as the muscles innervated by it. Ten male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) were used. Animals came from the Laboratory Animals Breeding Centre (Cecal/Fiocruz), and were donated to the Animal Anatomy Department of ​​the Universidade Federal Rural do Rio de Janeiro. Specimens were fixed in formaldehyde by infusion of a 10% solution. They were subsequently kept in low-density polythene containers with 500 L of 30% formaldehyde over a period of 12 months. In 11 plexus (55%) the resulting nerves were constituted by the connections between the ventral spinal branches C5, C6, C7, C8 and T1. In five plexus (25%), the participant roots were C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, T1 and T2. In two (10%) plexus, they were C5, C6, C7, C8, T1 and T2. In the other two (10%) plexus it was observed to be formed from C6, C7, C8, T1 and T2. The ventral branches formed three nerve trunks: cranial, middle and caudal. The suprascapular, subscapular, axillary, musculocutaneous, radial, median and ulnar nerves innervated the intrinsic muscles. The subclavian, thoracodorsal, medial cutaneous nerve of the arm and forearm, long thoracic, cranial pectoral and caudal pectoral innervated extrinsic muscles. Results obtained in this study contribute to the field of comparative anatomy of primates, and provide information for applied research, serving as a basis for clinical and surgical procedures that use this species as a model animal.

The Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann, 1824) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a polyphagous pest in horticulture, mainly targeting pomaceous and citrus fruits. To gain better knowledge about its chemosensory system related to taste, essential for behavioural strategies and localisation of host plants, we examined the tarsal external morphology by high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, focusing on sensilla. Numerous trichoid and chaetica sensilla, related to taste and mechanoreceptor systems, and other types of sensilla are present in tarsal segments. The responses of specific trichoid chemosensilla were also studied through electrophysiological experiments by stimulation with sodium chloride, fructose and four bitter stimuli. Electrophysiological data allowed us to distinguish three types of different neurons: high (“H”), middle (“M”) and small (“S”). Increasing concentrations of sodium chloride enhanced the activity of H cells, while fructose boosted M cells activity. On the contrary, S cells showed no increase in spike activity after stimulation with these substances. Bitter stimuli induced no significant response on these cells. Behavioural assays showed no statistical difference among the responses to sugars, bitter substances and citric acid. Our results on taste stimuli will be useful in increasing knowledge of Ceratitis chemoreception, fundamental in new integrated pest management.

Calathus cinctus Motschulsky, 1850 was only recently separated from the group Calathus melanocephalus (Linnaeus, 1758). C. cinctus has now been recorded for the first time in Croatia, along the temporary Krčić River situated beneath Mt. Dinara. However, revision of museum collections revealed that this species also occurs at other localities in Croatia, in the Alpine region and along the Adriatic coast. Its sister species C. melanocephalus, as the type species of the group, is widely distributed in Croatia, whereas C. mollis Marsham, 1802 is mostly restricted to the coastal region, with a few records from Alpine and Continental Croatia. The distribution range of C. cinctus overlaps with the distribution ranges of its sister species. Life-history traits were studied using pitfall traps in a karst region of Croatia, including eu-Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean zones, in riparian and karst habitats, and on agricultural land. Based on goodness-of-fit criteria, the zero-inflated negative binomial model and negative binomial model best described the distribution of C. cinctus. For both models, there was a statistically significant difference between habitat types for activity density, indicating that C. cinctus has a preference for open habitats. It was recorded above a range of soil types (e.g. red, brown, sandy, cultivated), with sparse vegetation, suggesting that sufficient sun exposure is a more important requirement than soil type. The seasonal dynamics of C. cinctus differed between eu-Mediterranean and sub-Mediterranean zones, despite the rather close proximity of the studied localities. Geographical variability of seasonal activity was most likely due to differences in climate, altitude and the vicinity of the high mountain. Calathus cinctus populations in both zones were wing-dimorphic, with brachypterous specimens prevailing in both populations, indicating population stability.

Ampharetidae Malmgren, 1866 is a polychaete family of deposit-feeder species that flourishes in terms of individuals/m2 and species richness in areas where large quantities of food may accumulate, such as Arctic and Antarctic fjords. Despite the common occurrence of ampharetids in benthic samples and their important ecological role, the nomenclatural status of several species and subspecies is unclear and a general revision of the family is highly needed. In this contribution we focus on the ampharetid genus Amphicteis Grube, 1850, assessing the status of the species currently included in it and describing a new one, Amphicteis teresae sp. nov., collected at Terra Nova Bay (Ross Sea, Antarctica). The new species has blunt and stout paleal chaetae, a feature that is known to occur only in northern hemisphere Amphicteis counterparts. The new species closely resemble the Arctic A. ninonae Jirkov, 1985, to which it could also be phylogenetically related. The morphological re-analysis of the Amphicteis taxa showed that the subspecies of the purportedly cosmopolitan A. gunneri (M. Sars, 1835), which were mainly based on a geographical criterion, represent valid species. Molecular data will indeed be needed to define phylogeographic relationships within this widespread genus.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub: 7F9E0E76-3168-439B-A45E-861F5CF77126

The paper focuses on the long-term taxonomic composition and distribution of the shallow-water sponge fauna from the meromictic–anchialine coastal basin Faro Lake (Southern Italy), comparing recent qualitative field data with literature data over a 50-year period. The Faro Lake shallow water currently hosts 24 conspicuous species of Porifera belonging to 21 genera, 18 families, eight orders, three subclasses and two classes, i.e. Demospongiae (23) and Calcarea (one). The comparison between the present and past status of the sponge fauna showed a high turnover, with 15 new colonizers and only nine persistent species. Thirteen species reported in the literature are missing, suggesting the occurrence of remarkable changes in the faunal composition during the last 50 years. The analysis of the geographic distribution of each species allowed us to outline the prevalent North Atlantic affinity of the sponge community. Worthy of note is the new record of the alien calcareous sponge Paraleucilla magna of cryptogenic origin.

A census of the “opisthobranch” fauna in the Faro Lake and connected canals (NE Sicily) has been realized by photo documentation and specimen samplings, carried out monthly from February 2010 to the present. A total of 47 species have been reported, nine of which are cited in the historic and recent literature (from 1969 to 2016) vs. 38 first records; six were non-indigenous species. A major number of species, 16, was found exclusively in the lake with respect to the four species localized in the canals, whilst 10 were shared species. Based on the frequency of records, 24 “occasional”, 20 “settled” and three “invasive” species have been distinguished; these latter included two non-indigenous species, Aplysia dactylomela and Bursatella leachii, plus the Mediterranean Dendrodoris limbata, whose recent introduction in the Faro Lake from other Mediterranean lagoons is here postulated.

Gammarids are one of the most successful invaders in freshwater ecosystems due to both their diet plasticity and high reproductive capability. The Balkanic amphipod, Gammarus roeselii Gervais, 1835, has colonised a small canal in the southern part of the sub-lacustrine Ticino River basin (Northern Italy), where it lives in sympatry and shares the same habitat with the native species Echinogammarus stammeri (Karaman, 1931). We surveyed the populations of the two species over 12 months (from July 2014 to June 2015) to investigate their structure and dynamics. The overall densities of the two populations were similar in the study area, but we observed marked differences in the population structure: G. roeselii was in fact more successful than the native gammarid in achieving the adult stage, and E. stammeri exhibited a rather limited reproductive period, which does not justify the stable occurrence of juvenile individuals. We hypothesise that the population of the native gammarid in this small habitat is supported by a continuous upstream immigration of individuals from the Ticino River, while G. roeselii exhibits a well-structured and self-reproducing population.