Pattern Of Markings Research Articles

New species of the earthworm genus Zapatadrilus (Clitellata, Acanthodrilidae) from northern Mexico.

Three new species of the earthworm genus Zapatadrilus are described from Tamaulipas, Mexico: Zapatadrilus aurelius sp. nov., Zapatadrilus huastecus sp. nov., and Zapatadrilus montezumensis sp. nov. Delimitation of the new species was supported by morphological and molecular (genetic distances) evidence. Diagnostic characters of the three new species include: tubulo-racemose prostates in segments 18 and 20, penial setae absent, typhlosole present and intestine beginning in 17/18. Z. montezumensis sp. nov. is separated by its metandric condition, Z. aurelius sp. nov. by the last hearts in 13 and Z. huastecus sp. nov. by the shape of the spermathecae and patterns of genital markings.

Redescription of Thalassodes antithetica Herbulot, 1962, an endemic moth from Inner Seychelles (Lepidoptera: Geometridae: Geometrinae).

The Seychelles archipelago is characterized by an exceptionally high level of endemism in certain taxa, including at least 275 endemic species of Lepidoptera (Legrand 1966; Gerlach & Matyot 2006; De Prins & De Prins 2015). Despite the fact that endemics are the main objects of conservation efforts, information regarding endemic Seychelles Lepidoptera is very poor, because the majority of them are known from a single or a few specimens (Legrand 1966; Gerlach and Matyot 2006; Bolotov et al. 2014, 2015). The emerald moth specimens are lacking in extensive samples obtained by earlier collectors (Fletcher 1910; Scott 1910; Fryer 1912). Further, two emerald moth species in the genus Thalassodes Guenée, 1858 have been reported from Seychelles, i.e., the widespread T. quadraria Guenée, 1858 (Legrand 1966; Gerlach & Matyot 2006; De Prins & De Prins 2015) and the endemic T. antithetica Herbulot, 1962. The latter species is known from eight specimens, collected between 1959 and 1963 (Legrand 1966; Gerlach & Matyot 2006). Herbulot (1962) provided a very short description of this species without any illustration. The protologue consists of a description of some external characters, i.e., antennae, palpi and legs, as well as the pattern of markings, but the male and female genitalia are not described. As the main diagnostic features, Herbulot (1962) noted two specific characters in the male morphology, namely the hind tibia with a single pair of spurs and an exceptional development of the lateral processes (octavals) on the posterior margin of the eighth sternite.

Estudio descriptivo del color de manto y señas del Perro Ovejero Magallánico, Chile

El Ovejero Magallánico constituye una raza canina no reconocida oficialmente, localizada en el extremo sur de Chile en la Región de Magallanes y Antártica Chilena. El objetivo de este estudio fue realizar una primera descripción de la coloración del manto y señas del perro Ovejero Magallánico en una muestra de 74 caninos adultos. Los resultados de este estudio descriptivo preliminar indicaron el predominio del pigmento eumelanina en muestras de pelo de perros Ovejeros Magallánicos de la zona Austral de Chile. Se determinó la presencia de 16 fenotipos de colores de manto, predominando las coloraciones oscuras como gris pizarra, gris pizarra tricolor, azul mirlo y negro. Además, se observaron 3 colores de manto (marrón/arena, negro/marrón y arena azulado tricolor) no descritos para razas Collies. Se determinaron 12 fenotipos de señas en el manto del perro Ovejero Magallánico, observándose 2 patrones de señas (antifaz y orejas) que no se presentan en otras razas Collies. El perro Ovejero Magallánico, presentó algunas similitudes en coloración de manto y señas al ser comparadas con las razas Bearded Collie, Bobtail y Border Collie. Sin embargo, las tonalidades dentro y entre los colores observadas en el manto del Ovejero Magallánico evidencian un aspecto matizado, diferenciándolo de las razas Collie tradicionales.

Intra population polymorphism of Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans) from the North-Western Coast of the Azov Sea (oological aspect)

This study presents the results of a long term study of nesting colonies of the Caspian gull (Larus cachinnans Pallas, 1811) on the islands of the Molochniy Liman and in Obitochnaya Bay (Azov Sea), in the South of Ukraine (Zaporizhia region), conducted between 1988 and 2013. A description of the size and coloring of eggs of Caspian gull was conducted by generally accepted methods. We measured 1000 eggs from 5 colonies of Caspian gulls. The background coloration of the eggs’ shells was classified into 7 types, the pattern of markings on the surface of the shells was classified into 4 types. In the nesting colonies, comprising different nesting settlements, the study tested differences in the distribution of typical and atypical coloring types and patterns on the surface of the shells. The background color and character of the shell marking patterns is dominated by eggs of phenotypes 3 and 4: gray-green, with a pattern of spots, of medium size (5–60%) and brown, with a pattern of large spots (2–40%). In different settlements the Caspian gull egg sizes vary in length and diameter of 54.5–86.3 x 39.2–60.4 mm, volume 61.7–113.7 cm3 and index of roundness 63.6–85.3%. The study revealed that the linear dimensions of eggs also depend on the number of birds in the nesting colonies. We found that morphological and dimensional characteristics of Caspian gull eggs can vary at certain intervals and characterize individual colonies, settlements and populations. Based on cluster analysis, conducted in terms of the average of the linear sizes of eggs of Caspian gull from several populations within the range of the species, the study identified three groups of colonies – Danube-Sivash, Azov-Black Sea and Caucasus-Caspian. In region of the Azov-Black Sea, the greatest similarity was shown between the settlements of Sivash and the South of Crimea, which in turn is similar to Lebiyazhyi Islands and Kaniv Nature Reserve (river Dnipro). A related link combined the Azov and Black Sea branches, while the Caucasus-Caspian group is relatively separate. As a result this study the influence of the number of nesting birds on the dimensional characteristics of the eggs was established; in the period of increase in the Caspian gull population from the 1970s to the early 1990s they had the highest scores, and in periods of decreasing population in 2001–2005, their values were lowest. Consequently, the use of oomorphological indicators turned out to be a fairly easy and objective method for studying the monitoring data for separate colonial bird species.

A whiter shade of male: Color background matching as a function of size and sex in the yellow shore crab Hemigrapsus oregonensis (Dana, 1851)

Abstract Juveniles of the shore crab Hemigrapsus oregonensis are highly variable in color, ranging from the typical yellowishgreen of adults to pure white and myriad patterns of white mottling and other disruptive markings, but large individuals with white coloration appear to be very rare. Using image analysis to quantify the relative “whiteness” of beaches, we sampled crabs from nine locations in Washington State that varied widely in their amount of shell fragments and other light-colored material. The total proportion of white individuals in the different locations was strongly correlated to the proportion of white material on the beaches, but there was a striking difference between sexes. Although white specimens of both sexes declined significantly at sizes above 10 mm carapace width, white females generally persisted throughout the entire female size range on lighter-colored beaches while white males larger than 10 mm were virtually absent from all of the sampled populations. Pure white males held on dark backgrounds in captivity remained white, as they lack the dark chromatophores in their hypodermis needed to change color; off-white males became darker and in some cases lightened up again when transferred back to a white background. Behavioral differences between the sexes may result in differential mortality of white individuals by visual predators.

Phylogeny of red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) based on ITS1 and ITS2

Red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier) populations were collected from several regions in Saudi Arabia. Insects were graded based on different patterns of pronotum markings. The entire ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region was cloned and sequenced for both R. ferrugineus and its related species R. vulneratus (Panzer). The novel ITS1 sequence form Rhynchophorus was found to be unique in the current Genbank database. Discrimination power of ITS1 region was shown to be much higher than ITS2 region. Penetrance of different pronotum markings varied from one region to another. The pronotum-based clustering diverged from that revealed by ribosomal sequence. Several Indels and nucleotide substitutions were detected along the ITS1-5.8S-ITS2 region between R. ferrugineus and R. vulneratus. The data support a two-species classification rather than considering them colour morphs of the same species.

Sex-specific variation in conspecific-acquired marking prevalence among dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchusobscurus)

Despite logistical challenges that limit direct observations of behavior for some species, physical scars can provide indirect evidence of aggression. Dusky dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus (Gray, 1828)) off Kaikoura, New Zealand, derive most of the notches and scars on their dorsal fins from conspecifics. However, aggressive encounters have rarely been observed in this sexually monomorphic species. If injurious interactions are associated with intrasexual competition among males but not females, we predicted males would have more conspecific-acquired markings than females. High-quality dorsal fin photographs of dolphins of known sex (n = 79) were collected during boat-based surveys off Kaikoura. We measured three quantitative variables (notch height ratio, notch depth ratio, and dorsal fin rake direction) and one qualitative variable that scored the overall prevalence of markings (notches and scars). All four measures yielded consistent results. Males had significantly more conspecific-acquired markings than females. We reject the hypothesis that there is no difference between the sexes in marking prevalence. We propose that brief events of direct competition are missed by observers but recorded in accumulated patterns of conspecific-acquired markings that differ between the sexes.

New representative of the family Panorpodidae (Insecta, Mecoptera) from Eocene Baltic Amber with a key to fossil species of genus Panorpodes

Panorpodidae (short-faced scorpionflies) is a species-poor family of scorpionflies (Mecoptera). Fossils are extremely rare but indicate that this group was diverse in the past. Up to now, three species of the genus Panorpodes have been described from Eocene Baltic amber, as well as a possible panorpodid from the Lower Eocene of Patagonia. Panorpodes gedanensis sp. n. is the fourth species to be recognised in amber material. Wing markings are the most important character in the taxonomy of fossil short-faced scorpionflies. The new species described here shows a new pattern of markings – five dark spots and a terminal band. The Eocene representatives of the genus Panorpodes display different patterns of wing markings: highly transparent wings in P. brevicauda (Hagen, 1856), transparent wings with dark bands and spots in P. weitschati Soszynska-Maj and Krzeminski, 2013, narrow transparent bands on a dark background in P. hageni Carpenter, 1954 and regular spots in P. gedanensis sp. n. This past diversity and distribution emphasises the relictual status of extant Panorpodidae. A key to fossil species of the genus Panorpodes based on characters of the forewing is provided.

An Experimental Study on the Effect of Sequential Transverse and Lateral Markings on Perceived Speed on a Single-lane Straight Road

We focus on the vehicle speed inducement effect of sequence patterns of transverse and lateral markings on a single-lane straight road. We test the effectiveness of several sequence patterns through experiments with a driving simulator. The sequence patterns are characterized by patterns of progressively and concurrently reduced spacing of transverse lines on the road surface and lateral poles on the roadside. We examine the discrepancy between vehicle speed and speed perceived by the drivers under the influence of several sequence patterns, estimating driver-perceived speed using a hidden Markov model. Experiments show that (1) perceived speed tends to be higher than actual vehicle speed, except for patterns where lines and poles were equally spaced in all intervals or where spacing was greatly decreased in the middle intervals, and (2) in the case of a pattern where spacing was greatly decreased in the first intervals, vehicle speed rapidly decreased while the perceived speed remained high.

A new genus and eight new species of Amazonian cosmetines (Opiliones, Laniatores, Cosmetidae)

The taxonomy of family Cosmetidae is in as unsatisfactory state. The genera have been historically erected based on trivial features and do not represent natural groups. A new taxon is here for the first time recognized and named. The new genus Taito is described to include eight new species - Taito galaga, Taito honda, Taito kakera, Taito kawaiikei, Taito medinae, Taito osmari, Taito rorschachi, and Taito spaceinvaders (type species) - plus six recombined from Eucynortella, Cynorta, and Cynortula - Taito insperatus (Soares 1970), Taito juruensis (Mello-Leitao 1923), Taito litteratus (Soares 1970), Taito oblongatus (Roewer 1928), Taito serriperna (Mello-Leitao 1932), Taito unapunctatus (Goodnight and Goodnight 1943). This totals 14 South American species, distributed in the Upper Amazon Basin. The combined distribution of species of Taito is Brazil (Acre, Amazonas, and Rondonia states), Colombia (Amazonas and Meta department), Ecuador (Zamora-Chinchipe province), and Peru (Amazonas department). Cynortula serriperna Mello-Leitao 1932 is revalidated from the synonymy of Eucynortella juruensis Mello-Leitao 1923 (currently Cynorta juruensis), and type localities of both species are interpreted to be in Acre state, Brazil instead of Amazonas. The hitherto unknown male of Eucynortella juruensis is described. Three new structures are characterized and named: (1) a pattern of H-shaped or easel-shaped white markings on dorsal scutum - the equuleus, (2) a dorso-basal cluster of coarse granules on male coxa IV - the groin warts, and (3) a special type of dorsal scutum coda - the free tergite zero. A hitherto undetected group of Cosmetidae is recognized and formally described, along with some morphological characters which are proven useful for systematics of the family Cosmetidae.

New species of <i>Grammolingia</i> Ren, 2002 from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China (Neuroptera: Grammolingiidae)

Three new species, <i>Grammolingia uniserialis</i> n. sp., <i>Grammolingia binervis</i> n. sp., and <i>Grammolingia sticta</i> n. sp. are described from the Jiulongshan Formation of northeastern China. <i>G. uniserialis</i> n. sp. exhibits a single row of cells in the costal area almost along the entire wing length except the basal part, which is rare in the family and firstly found in this genus. <i>G. binervis</i> n. sp. and <i>G. sticta</i> n. sp. add two new patterns of wing markings to the family. A key to the species of <i>Grammolingia</i> Ren, 2002 is provided. All types of wing markings present in this family are classified. <br><br> doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.201300008" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.201300008</a>

New species ofGrammolingiaRen, 2002 from the Middle Jurassic of Inner Mongolia, China (Neuroptera: Grammolingiidae)

Abstract. Three new species, Grammolingia uniserialis n. sp., Grammolingia binervis n. sp., and Grammolingia sticta n. sp. are described from the Jiulongshan Formation of northeastern China. G. uniserialis n. sp. exhibits a single row of cells in the costal area almost along the entire wing length except the basal part, which is rare in the family and firstly found in this genus. G. binervis n. sp. and G. sticta n. sp. add two new patterns of wing markings to the family. A key to the species of Grammolingia Ren, 2002 is provided. All types of wing markings present in this family are classified. doi: 10.1002/mmng.201300008

Family Panorpodidae (Insecta, Mecoptera) from Baltic amber (upper Eocene): new species, redescription and palaeogeographic remarks of relict scorpionflies.

The history of the species-poor family Panorpodidae is very interesting due to its uneven present distribution. The only fossils of the genus Panorpodes are two species known from Baltic amber, described in 1856 and 1954. A third species, Panorpodes weitschati sp. nov., is herein described. New diagnoses and descriptions as well as new drawings of all fossil species of Panorpodes are provided, including the first illustration of the wing of P. hageni. Fossil Panorpodes display three diametrically opposed patterns of wings markings, from the highly transparent wings of P. brevicauda, through transparent wings with dark bands and spots of P. weitschati sp. nov., to the dark wings with only narrow transparent bands of P. hageni. The fossil specimens are characterized by a great variability in wing venation, even in a single specimen, similar to that of living species.

사고위험성이 높은 운전자에 대한 노면표시 효과 연구

PURPOSES : Speeding is often the primary contributor to fatal crashes. Surprisingly, driving behaviors are indirectly affected by personal factors such as law-abidance, risk sensitivity, and situational adaptability. This research aims to verify the effectiveness of pavement markings at reducing the speeds of high-risk drivers. The purpose of this study is to establish how drivers (including law-abiding or law-breaking, highrisk or low-risk) react to different pavement markings in a driving simulator. METHODS : The five different pavement markings were selected from markings used in other nations. The forty-two drivers were then surveyed, via questionnaires, and placed into the corresponding groups. Finally, statistical analysis was conducted to determine the extent of speed reduction for each pavement marking. RESULTS : Higher speeds were linked to the high-risk drivers. Furthermore, after analysis of the mean difference of average speeds by pavement marking, it was determined that Dragon’s Teeth had the greatest speed reducing effect on these drivers. CONCLUSIONS : Perceptual countermeasures are unlikely to strongly affect high-risk drivers’perception of speed on the curves. This statistically demonstrates that Dragon’s Teeth have a subtle effect on reducing speeds in the driving simulator. This study’s significance lies in the improved understanding of high-risk drivers in terms of road facilities. It approaches the effects of various patterns of pavement markings for high-risk drivers.

Visual identification of individual manta ray (Manta alfredi) in the Maldives Islands, Western Indian Ocean

Despite the worldwide distribution of manta ray (Manta alfredi) in tropical and subtropical regions, there is very little published information on their biology or ecology. Knowledge of the abundance of mantas and their migration patterns is essential for conservation, and the first stage in any study is a method to identify individuals. The purpose of this paper is to present a method of visual identification of individuals of manta which can be used at any site where mantas are regularly observed. In mantas, each individual has a characteristic pattern of dark markings on the ventral side. The most important individual identifying marks are patterns of ovals in the area between the gill slits, supported by distinctive patterns of mottles and spots in the lower abdominal area (posterior to the gill slits) and areas of dark pigmentation around the head and posterior wing margins. Significant changes in ventral makings have not been observed in observation periods exceeding 5 years. Scars and missing tissue may be distinctive for an individual, but significant healing may occur in 12 months. The method was designed for identification of chevron colour-type mantas, but is equally useful in identifying black colour-type individuals, and has a wider application for other mantas or marine megafauna taxa including whale sharks and cetaceans.

Describing variations and taxonomic status of earthworms collected from selected areas in Misamis Oriental, Philippines using principal component and parsimony analysis

The present study describes variations and determines the taxonomic status of the collected earthworms from selected areas in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro city. Principal component and parsimony analyses were used to describe variations and groupings in collected earthworm individuals. Of the five groups of earthworms determined and described, one group was found to be allochthonous and anthropochorous. Cladistic analysis yielded a strict consensus tree with a length of 253 steps, consistency index =50 and retention index =69. Four groups were identified to belong to Family Megascolecidae, and one group to Family Eudrilidae. Differences observed were attributed to the number and pattern of genital markings, prostomium type, and the number and location of spermathecae. None of the four new megascolecid groups completely match with the nearest genera of Oriental megascolecids. The results of the study clearly indicate the existence of the five new species of earthworms.

The Inkless Octopuses (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) of the Southwest Atlantic

Three inkless octopodids are described from the continental shelf off southeastern South America. These octopuses are a non-commercial by-catch in the Falkland Islands fishery. Muusoctopus eureka (Robson, 1929) is one of two common inkless octopuses and is of medium size, with orange-pink skin and a distinctive pattern of irregular dark markings, interspersed with white spots visible only in living or freshly dead specimens. The second common inkless octopus is M. longibrachus akambei, a new subspecies of the Chilean species Muusoctopus longibrachus ( Ibáñez, Sepúlveda and Chong, 2006 ). It has slender arms and is much larger at full maturity than M. eureka. It is a plain orange color when alive, pinkish cream when preserved. Muusoctopus bizikovi, sp. nov., is a smaller, rarer species, colored wine-red whether alive or preserved, and has a vestigial ink duct between the digestive gland and the anus. Relations with other species are discussed. This group of octopuses has often been associated with the genus Benthoctopus Grimpe, 1921 , which is a junior synonym of Bathypolypus Grimpe (a genus of small species characterized by much shorter arms and males with a robust copulatory organ bearing transverse lamellae). It is argued that the misleading characterization of the so-called Benthoctopus group of species as "smooth skinned" is based upon the artefactual appearance of specimens fixed and preserved suboptimally following a detrimental freeze-thaw cycle of fisheries material previously frozen while at sea.

Uniform User Interface for Semiautomatic Parking Slot Marking Recognition

Automatic parking systems consist of three core technologies: (1) target position designation; (2) path planning; and (3) path tracking. Target position-designation methods can be divided into four categories: (1) user-interface based; (2) parking slot marking based; (3) free-space based; and (4) infrastructure based. Considering the fact that parking-assist systems are expected to be used mainly in urban situations, recognition of parking slot markings could be the most economical and efficient solution for target position designation. This paper proposes a semiautomatic parking slot marking-based target position-designation method. The user can initiate parking slot marking recognition by placing a finger on each side of the entrance of the target parking slot. With such a user interface, these systems can reduce the search range to so small an area that computational loads and false-recognition rates are significantly reduced. Furthermore, by identifying the junction patterns of parking slot markings around the designated point with a neural network-based classifier, the user can establish the target position with a uniform user interface. The proposed system showed a 91.10% recognition rate in 191 test cases consisting of five different types of parking slot markings.

Polimorfismo no padrão de manchas tegumentares de larvas e adultos de Ceraeochrysa caligata (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) e redescrição dos instares larvais

Ceraeochrysa caligata (Banks, 1945) is one of the several species of Ceraeochrysa Adams, 1982 that occur in agroecosystems of the Neotropical region and show potential for use in biological control programs. However, little is known about its biology, partly because of the poor status of the systematics of this group. To help in the identification of C. caligata and to contribute with additional characters for future phylogenetic studies with the genus, here we characterize the variations in relation to the pattern of integument markings originally described for the adults and larvae and redescribe the three larval instars, including characters not considered in the original description, especially the number of setae in the tubercles and somatic segments. We also present preliminary results regarding the nature of the variation in the pattern of adult markings.

Exploratory Analysis of Accelerated Wear Testing to Evaluate Performance of Pavement Markings

Wear testing of pavement markings in the United States is commonly performed by AASHTO's National Transportation Product Evaluation Program. The pavement markings evaluated in this program are applied in a transverse manner along existing roadways, and a variety of objective measures are collected over a 2-year period. This paper reports the findings from an exploratory study on using the Model Mobile Load Simulator, third scale (MMLS3), to evaluate pavement marking performance along transverse test sections. Accelerated trafficking on wet and dry pavement surfaces was applied on sections of markings consisting of various waterborne paint products, marking thicknesses, and bead types and densities. Pavement marking retroreflectivity measurements were recorded at various stages of MMLS3 trafficking and compared with measurements of a test deck consisting of the same pavement markings subjected to live traffic. The findings suggest that the MMLS3 can consistently replicate the degradation pattern of the various pavement markings with regard to loss of retroreflectivity as a function of traffic passages. Performance varied among the various types of markings, with higher retroreflectivity observed for thicker markings with higher bead densities. Trafficking on wet pavement surfaces accelerated the degradation of the markings’ retroreflectivity.