Rare Species Research Articles

The Motion-Activated Picture Capture, Animal Detection, and Alert System

Abstract: The Motion-Activated Picture Capture, Animal Detection, and Alert System is an advanced wildlife monitoring project employing motion sensors and high- resolution cameras. When motion is detected, the system captures images and utilizes sophisticated algorithms for accurate animal detection and classification. Trained on diverse datasets, the machine learning algorithms continuously improve detection accuracy, adapting to various environmental conditions. The system includes a realtime alert mechanism, notifying authorities or conservationists when rare or endangered species are identified, enabling swift response to potential threats or conservation opportunities. Beyond conservation, the project has applications in research, education, and ecotourism, offering valuable data for biodiversity studies, educational engagement, and immersive wildlife experiences for visitors. This comprehensive solution leverages cutting-edge technologies to contribute significantly to wildlife protectionand ecosystem preservation.

Plant diversity in old-growth woods: the case of the forest edges of the Favorita Park in Palermo (north-western Sicily, Italy)

This article presents the results of a study on plant diversity at different levels in residual forest stands, located in the historical Favorita Park in Palermo, Italy (established and named in 1799 by King Ferdinand IV of the House of Bourbon). These forest aspects have naturally evolved for over two centuries, under minimal conditions of anthropogenic disturbance (e.g. deforestation, fires, grazing activities, etc.). This is especially true in the area known as “Bosco Niscemi”, spread over about 8.5 hectares, in the centre of the park. Bosco Niscemi is characterized by the widespread presence of old trees, abundant necromass and litter. In this study, four different soil profiles were analysed, and classified as follows: (i) Solimovic Regosol (Arenic); ii) Eutric Arenosol (Chromic); (iii) and (iv) Skeletic Regosol (Ochric). From a phytosociological point of view, four forest communities have been identified, two of which are described as new associations (Viburno tini-Phillyreetum latifoliae ass. nova and Teucrio flavi-Phillyreetum latifoliae ass. nova). The species richness was also found to be noteworthy, with the co-occurrence of several taxa (phanerogams and cryptogams) that are of biogeographic interest or rare in Sicily, including: i) vascular flora (e.g. Viburnum tinus and Arbutus unedo, both very rare throughout the western sector of Sicily); ii) bryophytes [Cryphaea heteromalla (new record of a very rare species in Sicily) as well as Hypnum cupressiforme and Leptodon smithii, also never previously found at such low altitudes]; iii) lichens (e.g. Bacidia rosella, Gyalecta derivata, Ramalina roesleri and Waynea stoechadiana); iv) mushrooms (e.g. Eichleriella leucophaea, only known location in Italy). Based on the scientific documentation produced in this study, these woods can be reported as “old-growth forests” to be included in the “National Network” that has been recently established in Italy (Ministerial Decree of 23 June 2023). This area might serve as an ideal control for urban environmental studies, given its pristine ecological setting.

Ethnobiological methods enhance our capacity to document potential climate sentinels: a loggerhead sea turtle (Caretta caretta) case study

The accelerated pace of climate-driven shifts is surpassing the temporal scope of conventional field research, potentially leading to a disconnect between ecosystem changes and scientific data collection. Climate change is producing rapid transformations within dynamic marine ecosystems, with a pronounced effect on high trophic-level species such as loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta). We present a new model for data collection using ethnobiological methods, emphasizing how local community members can contribute to expanding scientific knowledge via context-informed observations, to document species occurrences beyond their anticipated habitats during climatic anomalies. In rapidly changing conditions, local expert knowledge can complement conventional scientific methods, providing high-quality data with extensive coverage—especially for elusive species—and yielding insight into potential emerging phenomena that may otherwise go unnoticed. Conventional methods for predicting distribution shifts in rare species are vulnerable to spatial biases, favoring predictions based on the most probable habitats. We present the case study of a live sea turtle sighting by a local expert in Monterey Bay, California, USA, identified post hoc as a loggerhead, to illustrate methods which can be transferred and applied to other rare and highly migratory marine species such as marine mammals, sharks, and seabirds. This emerging framework incorporates diverse knowledge sources and methodologies in monitoring climate-driven ecological shifts, enriching conservation strategies, enhancing our understanding of complex ecosystems, and contributing to robust evidentiary standards for rare species observations.

Predicting the responses of European grassland communities to climate and land cover change.

European grasslands are among the most species-rich ecosystems on small spatial scales. However, human-induced activities like land use and climate change pose significant threats to this diversity. To explore how climate and land cover change will affect biodiversity and community composition in grassland ecosystems, we conducted joint species distribution models (SDMs) on the extensive vegetation-plot database sPlotOpen to project distributions of 1178 grassland species across Europe under current conditions and three future scenarios. We further compared model accuracy and computational efficiency between joint SDMs (JSDMs) and stacked SDMs, especially for rare species. Our results show that: (i) grassland communities in the mountain ranges are expected to suffer high rates of species loss, while those in western, northern and eastern Europe will experience substantial turnover; (ii) scaling anomalies were observed in the predicted species richness, reflecting regional differences in the dominant drivers of assembly processes; (iii) JSDMs did not outperform stacked SDMs in predictive power but demonstrated superior efficiency in model fitting and predicting; and (iv) incorporating co-occurrence datasets improved the model performance in predicting the distribution of rare species. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ecological novelty and planetary stewardship: biodiversity dynamics in a transforming biosphere'.

1089. Tricyrtis ohsumiensis Masam.: Liliaceae

SummaryTricyrtis ohsumiensis Masam. is a rare endemic species of southern Japan with beautiful, ornamental yellow flowers; it is illustrated here with a hand‐coloured engraving; its taxonomic relationships, morphology, ecology and notes on its cultivation are discussed.

Floristic Diversity and Green-Tree Retention in Intensively Managed Temperate Forests: A Case Study in Puebla, Mexico

Clearcutting has tended to simplify forest structure and species composition, with potential negative consequences for biodiversity. Retention forestry emerged as an alternative to minimize this concern in intensively managed forests. In central Mexico, this approach was first implemented a decade ago in temperate forests, but an examination of its effects on floristic diversity and composition is non-existent. We evaluated and compared richness, diversity, and floristic composition among harvested, retention, and conserved areas in a conifer-dominated forest of central Mexico, with various parametric and non-parametric analyses. Species’ ecological and structural importance was also evaluated. We recorded 138 species, 95 genera, and 44 families of plants. Harvested areas listed the most species (99) with herb dominance, tree homogeneity, and the highest number of exotics. Retention and conserved areas’ floristic composition was similar, with the presence of epiphytes and terrestrial orchids, considered indicators of conservation. The retention areas recorded rare and endangered species, tree heterogeneity, and juveniles of structural species of temperate forests. Conserved areas showed a greater number of structural mature elements and exclusive species, though there was a smaller species number (75). We demonstrated that retention forestry is achieving its goal by maintaining the structural elements, habitats, and plant diversity of the temperate forests analyzed.

Assessment of plant biodiversity in tropical dry forests of Sialkot, Pakistan; insight into environmental, anthropogenic influence and conservation strategies

The tropical dry forests (TDF) have an enormously rich flora and fauna that offer various ecological services to the surrounding human societies. Biodiversity assessment is mandatory for implementing any sustainable forest management policy, which is why it is one of the important criteria and indicators currently used. Threats to TDF biodiversity are the primary challenges arising from environmental concerns caused by anthropogenic activity leading to global warming issues. The study aimed to investigate the vegetation assessment and several environmental and anthropogenic variables influencing forest biodiversity from 5 threatened forest sites of District Sialkot (Ghalotian, Kishan Garh, Daburgi Chanda Singh, Pir Kot, and Ghulab Garh), Pakistan. We collected 170 distinct plant species, including 135 dicots, 27 monocots, seven pteridophytes, and one bryophyte, categorized into 138 genera and 62 families, divided into 114 herbs, 32 trees, and 24 shrubs. The phytosociological analysis described the quantitative characteristics, including % frequency, % density, % cover, and importance Value Index (IVI) of all forest areas. Gulab Garh forest has the richest biodiversity forest area, and herbs are the dominant species that have been documented. Environmental factors such as temperature, precipitation, organic matter, soil pH, Ca+2, Mg+2, Na+, Cl−, and electric conductivity (EC) strongly affect forest vegetation investigated by principal coordinate analysis. Shannon and Simpson’s diversity indexes reveal that all sites contain loamy and sandy soil and display a significant relationship between alpha diversity and richness. Increasing trends in temperature and decreasing trends in rainfall suggested that climate significantly affects the Sialkot region’s plant biodiversity. SWOT analysis highlighted that population growth leads to increasing anthropogenic activities such as constructing housing societies and roads, inadequate farming, and excessive grazing, impacting the forest vegetation and altering TDF ecosystem properties/services and functioning. Our findings reinforce the vegetational assessment and importance of local forest biodiversity and significant environmental drivers that influence the plant species diversity in TDF areas. Future conservation strategies are suggested to reduce unlawful resource consumption, restore plant biodiversity in designated protected areas, and conserve rare species locally.

Monophyly or Homoplasy? The Relationships of a Rare New Species of Cambeva (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest with a Bicolored Caudal Pattern

The Brazilian Atlantic Forest, one the five main biodiversity hotspots in the world, still houses many organisms that are rare and unknown to science, mostly concentrated in mountain ranges. Herein, we describe a rare new species of Cambeva from the Rio Tietê drainage at the Serra da Mantiqueira, exhibiting a caudal fin color pattern comprising a light-yellowish–white bar posteriorly edged by a black pigmented area. A similar color pattern was described for C. castroi, C. diabola, and C. melanoptera, also endemic to the Rio Paraná basin, and considered evidence of close relationships among these three species. However, other morphological characteristics highly suggest that the new species is not closely related to C. castroi, C. diabola, and C. melanoptera). Herein, we perform a molecular phylogenetic analysis using two mitochondrial genes and one nuclear gene, including all species with that bicolored caudal pattern. The analysis strongly supports the new species as a member of the alpha-clade, and therefore as distantly related to those three species belonging to the beta-clade, indicating that this color pattern has homoplastically arisen in Cambeva. The data reported here reinforce the urgent need for field studies to better understand the different evolutionary patterns found in the genus, since an intense process of environmental degradation is in course.

Filling the gaps: surveys in extreme habitats within an underexplored territory rapidly increase the knowledge on the distribution of nocturnal Lepidoptera in South Italy

The availability of data regarding local and regional biodiversity inventories are gaining an increasing importance because of the lack of basic knowledge makes difficult to study ecological dynamics promoted by environmental and climatic changes. In this paper we demonstrate that to prioritize the exploration of extreme habitats within underexplored territories accelerate the filling of faunistic gaps. We investigated the fauna of Lepidoptera of two areas in southern Italy characterized by extreme habitats: the Calanchi del Marchesato and the mouth of the Neto River, both located in the Calabria region, Crotone province, a territory with scarce and occasional faunistic investigations. After only one year of monthly surveys, we found 22 species of biogeographical interest at both national and regional levels. Eupithecia lentiscata was discovered in the Italian peninsula for the first time, previously recorded only in Sardinia so far, and E. phoeniceata was found for the first time in southern part of continental territory, being known in Italy only for Tuscany, Umbria, Latium, Abruzzo, and Sicily. Seven more species are new for the regional fauna. Furthermore, we also found seven abundant populations of usually rare species, and six more species were confirmed as rare at regional level. For any of these species we provided a measure of filled gaps. These results, also improved the knowledge concerning two Natura 2000 sites, providing insights on their management. To maximise results minimising field efforts and costs, it is very important to carefully select the study areas.

Species-specific dynamics may cause deviations from general biogeographical predictions - evidence from a population genomics study of a New Guinean endemic passerine bird family (Melampittidae).

The family Melampittidae is endemic to New Guinea and consists of two monotypic genera: Melampitta lugubris (Lesser Melampitta) and Megalampitta gigantea (Greater Melampitta). Both Melampitta species have scattered and disconnected distributions across New Guinea in the central mountain range and in some of the outlying ranges. While M. lugubris is common and found in most montane regions of the island, M. gigantaea is elusive and known from only six localities in isolated pockets on New Guinea with very specific habitats of limestone and sinkholes. In this project, we apply museomics to determine the population structure and demographic history of these two species. We re-sequenced the genomes of all seven known M. gigantaea samples housed in museum collections as well as 24 M. lugubris samples from across its distribution. By comparing population structure between the two species, we investigate to what extent habitat dependence, such as in M. gigantaea, may affect population connectivity. Phylogenetic and population genomic analyses, as well as acoustic variation revealed that M. gigantaea consists of a single population in contrast to M. lugubris that shows much stronger population structure across the island. We suggest a recent collapse of M. gigantaea into its fragmented habitats as an explanation to its unexpected low diversity and lack of population structure. The deep genetic divergences between the M. lugubris populations on the Vogelkop region, in the western central range and the eastern central range, respectively, suggests that these three populations should be elevated to full species level. This work sheds new light on the mechanisms that have shaped the intriguing distribution of the two species within this family and is a prime example of the importance of museum collections for genomic studies of poorly known and rare species.

A new species of Eusirus Krøyer, 1845 (Amphipoda, Amphilochidea, Eusiridae) from the seamount of the Caroline Plate, with redescription of Meteusiroides keyensis Pirlot, 1934

A new Eusirus Krøyer, 1845 species within the family Eusiridae Stebbing, 1888 is described based on specimens collected from seamounts of the Caroline Plate. Eusirus carolinussp. nov. is characterized by having large, well-pigmented eyes, the distomiddorsal mediodorsal pointed process only present on pleonites 1 and 2, epimeral plate 3 with a smooth posterior margin, the elongated telson only cleft 20%, and the rami of uropod 3 being equal in length. A rare eusirid species, Meteusiroides keyensis Pirlot, 1934, is redescribed as providing the living coloration based on one female specimen. Sequences of two genes (16S rRNA and COI) were used to analyze their relationships with other species in the family Eusiridae and confirm the taxonomic placement. The result supports the monophyly of Cleonardo Stebbing, 1888; Eusirus and Rhachotropis S.I. Smith, 1883; and is consistent with morphological classification.

Saving Scarce Species from Extinction through Free Enterprise

Clearly defined private property rights allow owners to calculate their profits and losses. Ownership, therefore, enables the rational allocation of scarce capital toward profitable ends. Production of biological organisms are not exceptions to economic calculation. If the present prohibitions on the mass production of rare living creatures were repealed, profit-seeking entrepreneurs might choose to mass produce so-called endangered species on a competitive market. Naturally, some of the resulting non-human, living pieces of private property might well trespass, attack, and predate on the properties of other enviropreneurs. Staving off extinctions through a free-market approach to declining biodiversity would require a new legal framework. Indeed, well-defined property rights in privately owned fauna and flora would become an essential lynchpin in the legalized market of rare animal and plant production. The author offers some starting points toward a laissez faire capitalist structure of property rights principles under the law to increase incentives toward greater production of commodifiable species.

Shar Mountain National Park (R. North Macedonia) - shelter for caddisfly biodiversity in the country

In this paper we discuss the presence of three rare caddisfly species on the Macedonian part of Shar Mountain. Crunoecia bosniaca (Lepidostomatidae) and Drusus sharrensis, (Limnephilidae), are recorded for the first time in the country, while Tinodes kimminsi (Psychomyiidae) is reported for the first time on Shar Mountain. Detailed information about the ecology and distribution of these species is also provided. This study is an important contribution to the knowledge of the caddisfly fauna, not only for R. North Macedonia, but for the whole Balkan Peninsula.

Cleistanthus sankunnianus Sivar. & Indu Balach. a Rare and Little Known Endemic Plant Rediscovered from Wild Populations in Kollam District of Kerala State, India

Cleistanthus sankunnianus Sivar. & Indu Balach. a Rare and Little Known Endemic Plant Rediscovered from Wild Populations in Kollam District of Kerala State, India

Observations on the Distribution and Effect of Salinity on a Little Known Plant, <I>Mimulus orbicularis</I> Wall. Ex Benth. (Scrophulariaceae)

Mimulus orbicularis Wall, ex Benth., occasionally found in brackish water lakes, ditches, slacks and often in abandoned ricefields near estuaries and the coastal belt of Eastern India, is a rare aquatic plant. Very often the plants have been found to disappear from the habitat due to some ecological or anthropogenic factors. It is observed that the plant has very little potential for modulating its life cycle strategies in the same habitat. Though populations were recorded in three different localities in India, survival of this species in a parmanent habitat is still a question due to its 'nomadic distribution'. On account of this population behaviour, the collection of this species by many workers in the past has been inadequate. Occurrence of this plant in new localities, extent of distribution and some changes in the morphological characteristics with the change of water salinity and some chemical components of water are discussed in this paper.

Botany of the Valley of Flowers National Park and its Environs

The Valley of Flowers National Park is in the Garhwal Himalayas and this paper provides a list of plant species found there with their flowering time, altitude range of distribution, habit vegetation, climate and topography. The rare plants deserving conservation have also been listed.

Evaluating the effectiveness of joint species distribution modeling for fresh water fish communities within large watersheds

Accurately predicting species’ distributions is critical for the management and conservation of fish and wildlife populations. Joint Species Distribution Models (JSDMs) account for dependencies between species often ignored by traditional species distribution models. We evaluated how a JSDM approach could improve predictive strength for stream fish communities within large watersheds (the Chesapeake Bay Watershed, USA), using a cross-validation study of JSDMs fit to data from over 50 species. Our results suggest that conditional predictions from JSDMs have the potential to make large improvements in predictive accuracy for many species, particularly for more generalist species where single species models may not perform well. For some species there was no added explanatory effect from conditional information, most of which already exhibited strong marginal predictive ability. For several rare species there were significant improvements in occurrence predictions, while the results for two invasive species considered did not show the same improvements. Overall, the optimal number of species to condition upon, as well as the effects of conditioning upon an increasing number of species, varied widely among species.

On a Recollection of a few Rare Plants from Karnataka

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Notes on some Rare Plants from South India

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Rediscovery of Three Rare and Endemic Plants of India

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