Red Abdomen Research Articles

Orthetrum erythronigrum sp. nov. (Odonata: Libellulidae) from the Great Nicobar Island, India.

The male and female of Orthetrum erythronigrum sp. nov. are described from Great Nicobar Island and are believed to be endemic to the Nicobar Islands archipelago (holotype ♂, India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Great Nicobar Island, Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve, N 6.99067, E 93.871363; 01-xii-2018; deposited in ZSI, SRC, Chennai, India). The male of this new species is easily distinguished from other known Orthetrum species by its black abdomen with contrasting crimson belly. Female is distinguished by its large size, the black non-metallic head, black thorax and the red abdomen with a distinct black pattern. Based on field observations and photographs, notes on the life colouration of the mature male and information on the distribution and habitat of this Great Nicobar endemic are provided.

Fish Assemblage Structure in Al-Huwaizah marsh southern of Iraq after inscribed on the World Heritage List

The fish assemblage structure in Al-Huwaizah marsh, southern of Iraq was assessed. Fish samples collected monthly by different fishing means from period December 2017 to November 2018. A total of 28959 individual of fish belonging to 9 families and 19 species were collected, 11 of them of native species and 8 of alienspecies. The numerical dominance index value (D3) of the highest three abundant species comprised 74.26% of the total fish caught, included Planiliza abu (Al-Keshny) 38.2% ; Coptodon zilli (Tilapia red abdomen) 29.41% and Carassius auratus (Prussian carp) 6.65%. The total weight of fish caught 2,190,680 tan, highest weight 312,242kg achieved in July, while lowest weight 41,590 kg found in September. The weight dominance index value (D3) of the highest three species in weight recorded 1,409,973 tan of the total weight of fish caught included C. zilli(Tilapia red abdomen) 659,994 kg , S. triostegus (Jerry fresh water) 495,784 kg and O. aureus (Blue tilapia) 245,195kg.The annual rate value for diversity, richness and evenness indices amounted 1.88, 1.75 and 0.64, respectively. Some of physical and chemical properties were studied such as water temperature which ranged from 11.5°C in January to 31.02°C in August month, dissolved oxygen ranged from 2.24 mg/l in September to 9.9mg/l in February, salinity varied from 1.37‰ in November to 3.76‰ in September and pH which ranged from 7.4 in June to 8.15 in December.Jaccard Similarity Index (Ss%) was used to know the similarity degree between the monthly catch samples. Also associations between distribution of fish species and the environmental variables were quantified by using canonical correspondence analysis (CCA).

Telebasis igapocola sp. nov., a new damselfly from Amazonian Peru and Brazil (Odonata: Coenagrionidae)

To date 57 species of Telebasis have been described. Most are Neotropical species, only three extending North of Mexico. From Peru 17 species were known. Most are found in the Amazonian lowlands; two are known from higher elevations in the Andes. From Brazil 26 species were known. In this article another Neotropical species is described, hereby named Telebasis igapocola. Males of this species differ from other described species of Telebasis with a black and red abdomen by the shape of cerci, paraprocts and genital ligula. Cerci are as long as paraprocts with a blunt tip. Genital ligula has a sharp-angled arrow-shape in ventral view. Females can be distinguished from other Telebasis species by the shape of the prothorax with two approximate processes curving caudad.http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:99B3663D-199B-4CB6-A380-2F3A71CF2853

Description of the immature stages of Glyphepomis spinosa Campos & Grazia (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae: Pentatominae: Carpocorini)

The study of immature stages is important in phylogeny, as well to the recognition and control of pest species. Glyphe-pomis Berg is included in the tribe Carpocorini. This paper describes the morphology of eggs and nymphs of Glyphepomis spinosa Campos & Grazia. Adult specimens were collected on rice plants in Formoso do Araguaia, Tocantins, Brazil, and they were reared in the laboratory. The immatures obtained were analyzed with a light stereomicroscope and scanning electron microscope. Eggs and nymphs were measured and illustrated and/or photographed. Eggs are barrel-shaped, light green; operculum round and convex; chorion translucent, bright and granulated; aero-micropylar processes clubbed, 68 on average. All instars have oval body and obtuse tylus, surpassing jugae. In the 1st instar, head, thorax and abdominal plates are black, and abdomen is reddish brown; punctures are absent. From 2nd instar on, head and thorax are grayish with dark punctures, and the abdomen is whitish with dark-red punctures. In relation to other Carpocorini species that occur on rice, the eggs of G. spinosa resemble those of Oebalus poecilus (Dallas), a major rice pest in South America. However, nymphs of both species can be easily differentiated by their general color: in O. poecilus all instars have a dark head and thorax and red abdomen.

Syrphidae (Diptera) from the Greek island of Lesvos, with description of two new species

The results of the hoverfly (Syrphidae) collection by the ‘Malloch Society’ on the Greek island of Lesvos are presented.Fieldwork took place from February to March 2006 and from May to June 2010. An account of 66 species from 28 generais provided including two species new to science, five species new to Greece and data for several rarely recorded species.We describe Eumerus armatus Ricarte and Rotheray sp. nov., a medium size species with red abdomen. We also describeSphiximorpha hiemalis Ricarte, Nedeljković and Hancock sp. nov., a hairy species with distinctive colour and pollinositypatterns and abdomen shape. The female of Eumerus claripennis Coe, 1957 is described and the male genitalia are figured.The majority of species encountered belonged to the typically Mediterranean genera Eumerus (8 spp.), Merodon (16 spp.)and Paragus (6 spp.). Approximately 71% of the recorded species also occur in Turkey. This supports the idea that West Mediterranean and Anatolian faunas overlap in Lesvos.

Biology of the African rice gall midge Orseolia oryzivora (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) and its incidence on wet-season rice in Nigeria

The biology of the African rice gall midge Orseolia oryzivora Harris and Gagne was investigated in screenhouse and laboratory studies, and its incidence on cultivated wet-season rice was studied in farmers’ fields during the 2006 and 2007 rice-growing seasons at two localities in Nigeria. This insect is nocturnal, and mating takes place immediately after emergence. Both mated and unmated females lay eggs, with mated females laying on average 389 eggs each, and unmated females laying about 87 sterile eggs. The egg stage takes on average 2.5 days. Larval development takes 3.6, 3.3 and 3.0 days for the first, second and third instars, respectively, while the pre-pupal and pupal stages take 2.8 and 6.1 days, respectively. Adult females live for 48–78 h, while males live for 24–30 h. The life cycle of O. oryzivora is completed within 21–24 days under screenhouse conditions. The adult male is slender and about 3 mm long, while the female is more rounded with a 4 mm long body and a bright red abdomen. The insect produces unisexual progeny. Field incidence is low at the beginning of the rainy season, peaking with the peak in rainfall and humidity that concurs with the vegetative stage of the crop. The population of the midge declines as temperatures rise. In conclusion, prediction models may be developed based on weather parameters, to aid in forecasting the field incidence of O. oryzivora and its management strategies. Furthermore, it maybe possible to reduce the damage caused by O. oryzivora to rice crops by altering planting period and taking into account environmental factors.

Reversibler, temperaturabhängiger Farbwechsel bei einigen Sympetrum-Arten (Odonata, Libellulidae)

The author describes a reversible, temperature dependent colour change in males of Sympetrum sanguineum Muller, S. pedemontanum Allioni, S. vulgatum L. and S. striolatum Charp. The males of S. sanguineum and S. pedemontanum show the largest, S. striolatum the weakest amount of change. With decreasing temperatures the bright crimson red of the abdomen of S. sanguineum, S. pedemontanum and S. vulgatum changes to very dark red, the yellowish red abdomen of S. striolatum becomes brownish. Darkening process starts at temperatures less than 12 °C and is completed in about 10 hours (at 6°C), the reverse colour change needs about 30 to 60 minutes for completion (at 23°C). The possible ecological adaptive significance is discussed.

Offspring or ornaments? Is carotenoid‐based ornamentation in female Arctic charr,Salvelinus alpinus(L.), condition‐dependent and traded off against offspring?

Abstract – In several carotenoids‐based ornamented species, females invest carotenoids also into their gametes to increase the quality of the rapidly growing zygote. The extra carotenoids demand may cause females to trade‐off valuable carotenoids between ornament and eggs. This may be one reason why females are less showy ornamented than males. In our study‐population of Arctic charr, individuals of both sexes vary in degree of conspicuousness of their red abdomen and fins. None of the two carotenoids‐based ornaments was significantly associated with either (i) the amount of carotenoids in the egg, although being negative and close to significance, or (ii) potential condition‐dependent parameters like relative density of leucocytes, condition‐factor and parasitism. This study does not support the ‘direct selection hypothesis’ to explain the existence of female ornaments, and gives equivocal support for the hypothesis of asymmetrical investment of carotenoids into gametes to explain the less showy ornaments in females when compared with males.

A new species of Cylloceria Schiшdte from Mexico (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

A new species of ichneumon-flies, Cylloceria mexicana sp. n., is described from Mexico (Tamaulipas). A key to three North American species with red abdomen is given.

Parasitism and Heterozygosity Influence the Secondary Sexual Characters of the European Minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus (L.) (Cyprinidae)

AbstractThe Hamilton & Zuk hypothesis (Hamilton & Zuk 1982) was tested in the European minnow, Phoxinus phoxinus (L.), where the male breeding characters include tubercles, which are horny growths on the skin of the head, and a bright red abdomen. Two trematode parasite species, neither directly transmitted, were present: Diplostomum phoxini in the brains of 100% of the fish and Macrolecithus papilliger in the guts of 44%. The heterozygosity of the fish at 11 loci was determined. The number of M. papilliger was negatively related to redness and positively related to the size of tubercles. The number of D. phoxini was not related to redness but was also positively related to the size of tubercles. Heterozygosity was positively related to redness and negatively related to the size of tubercles. This is the first report of such inverse relationships with heterozygosity. The number of tubercles was positively related to the size and condition of a fish. We suggest that males unable to develop exaggerated characters to display to females, e.g. a bright red abdomen, have the alternative strategy of emphasizing weapons for use in male‐male competition. This effect could explain other reported positive correlations between parasite burden and sexual display.

Relations of a Late Autumnal Dragonfly (Odonata) to Temperature

In the Botanical Garden of the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia, is an artificial pond of oval shape, i io feet long,. 55 feet wide (33 x 17 metres) with an area of about 4,070 square feet (378 square metres). It was made some thirty years ago on a former gravel and clay bank, at least io feet higher than the present level of the ground. The pond bed was excavated in such a way as to leave borders sloping down toward the water on three sides; on the north, the greenhouses of the Department of Botany are within 50 feet. The sloping borders are rock garden, while higher up are trees now in their twentieth to thirtieth year. A weeping willow hung over the water for many years but has passed away. In the pond itself many forms of water lilies (Nvrnpliaea), lotus, Elodea and other plants have rendered it a very attractive spot. Two or more species of gold fish, minnows, occasionally Pectinatella, and a wealth of other aquatic animals have made it a prolific source of material to the zoologists of the University. Here in the autumn the wide-spread North American dragonfly, Syrnpetruin vicinufn Hagen, is regularly to be found. The bright red abdomen of the male lends a brilliant touch of color on sunny days of September and of the two following months. The duller brown of the female ordinarily renders her less conspicuous. This species has the habit of egg-laying by pairs, that is, the male and female fly together in this operation, the claspers at the hind end of his abdomen holding her head, and so united they follow the pond's margin, or cross its expanse, her abdomen every now and then dipping into the water in which her eggs fall loosely. Since this pond lies within three minutes' walk from either of the two buildings which have housed the zoological department during the pond's existence, it has been possible to avail one's self of the often limited period between classes at the middle of the day to visit the pond and to note the presence or absence of this Sympetrumn. In looking over my diaries, I find that I now have such records for twenty four years: I898-i900, 1902, 1904-07, 1910-1925. I believe that there are few observations of this nature on the same species, at the same limited locality, for an equal number of years, in existence. It has therefore seemed worth while to tabulate these observations and to compare them with the meteorological conditions for the