Status Of Most Species Research Articles

Inventario de aves en dos humedales urbanos de Temuco (Chile): una base para el monitoreo de especies

Abstract: In the city of Temuco, Chile, the importance of urban wetlands has been recognized with the legal declaration of two key ecosystems: Humedal Vegas de Chivilcán and Humedales de Antumalén. This paper presents an inventory of birds in these wetlands, following the Darwin Core standard, and compares the results with other selected inventories in Chile. Observations were made using point counts and 21-hour transects. A total of 50 species from 26 families and 15 orders were identified, with a predominance of native species. Fourteen species were found in both wetlands, 20 exclusively in Chivilcán and 15 in Antumalén. Comparison with other studies revealed significant differences in bird composition between urban and peri-urban habitats, illustrating that urban habitats maintain a unique diversity distinct from that of peri-urban areas. The diversity of habitats and the ‘least concern’ status of most species highlight the importance of these wetlands as refuges for avian biodiversity. The structure of the Darwin Core database facilitates their integration with other biodiversity systems, highlighting the need for continued conservation and study of these urban ecosystems.

A roadmap for ladybird conservation and recovery.

Ladybirds (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) provide services that are critical to food production, and they fulfill an ecological role as a food source for predators. The richness, abundance, and distribution of ladybirds, however, are compromised by many anthropogenic threats. Meanwhile, a lack of knowledge of the conservation status of most species and the factors driving their population dynamics hinders the development and implementation of conservation strategies for ladybirds. We conducted a review of the literature on the ecology, diversity, and conservation of ladybirds to identify their key ecological threats. Ladybird populations are most affected by climate factors, landscape composition, and biological invasions. We suggest mitigating actions for ladybird conservation and recovery. Short-term actions include citizen science programs and education, protective measures for habitat recovery and threatened species, prevention of the introduction of non-native species, and the maintenance and restoration of natural areas and landscape heterogeneity. Mid-term actions involve the analysis of data from monitoring programs and insect collections to disentangle the effect of different threats to ladybird populations, understand habitat use by taxa on which there is limited knowledge, and quantify temporal trends of abundance, diversity, and biomass along a management-intensity gradient. Long-term actions include the development of a worldwide monitoring program based on standardized sampling to fill data gaps, increase explanatory power, streamline analyses, and facilitate global collaborations.

Molecular data attest to the occurrence of autochthonous Daphnia pulex (Crustacea, Branchiopoda) populations in Sicily, Italy

Biological invasions are known to be among the most important threats to the long-term conservation of native biota, and their effects might be even more difficult to contrast when they are cryptic, i.e., when the non-native invaders cannot be easily recognised based on morphology, and can thus be confused with native taxa. Such cryptic invasions are known to widely occur in the cladoceran genus Daphnia O.F. Müller, 1785, so that the actual distribution and status of most species and lineages need to be checked with a genetic approach. In the frame of this work, we investigated if the Sicilian populations of D. (Daphnia) pulex Leydig, 1860 belonged to the allochthonous North American lineage, which is known to occur in several regions of the Palearctic and Afrotropical biogeographical regions, or rather to the autochthonous European lineage of the species. The molecular results obtained, based on a fragment of the mitochondrial gene encoding for NADH subunit dehydrogenase 5 (ND5), allowed us to rule out the allochthonous status of the species, confirming the presence of autochthonous relictual lineages of D. pulex in Sicily. The native status of these populations is in agreement with their local distribution, limited to natural and poorly-impacted water bodies mostly located in wooded areas at medium and high altitudes. The current local distribution of D. pulex in Sicily is possibly linked to the end of the last glacial maximum and the onset of warmer climatic conditions in the early Holocene, which led the species to take refuge in colder microthermal refugia located at high altitudes, determining their current relictual distribution.

Auditing data resolves systemic errors in databases and confirms mycorrhizal trait consistency for most genera and families of flowering plants.

Nearly 150years of research has accumulated large amounts of data on mycorrhizal association types in plants. However, this important resource includes unreliable allocated traits for some species. An audit of six commonly used data sources revealed a high degree of consistency in the mycorrhizal status of most species, genera and families of vascular plants, but there were some records that contradict the majority of other data (~ 10% of data overall). Careful analysis of contradictory records using rigorous definitions of association types revealed that the majority were diagnosis errors, which often stem from references predating modern knowledge of mycorrhiza types. Other errors are linked to inadequate microscopic examinations of roots or plants with complex root anatomy, such as phi thickenings or beaded roots. Errors consistently occurred at much lower frequencies than correct records but have accumulated in uncorrected databases. This results in less accurate knowledge about dominant plants in someecosystems because they were sampled more often. Errors have also propagated from one database to another over decades when data were amalgamated without checking their suitability. Due to these errors, it is often incorrect to designate plants reported to have inconsistent mycorrhizas as "facultatively mycorrhizal". Updated protocols for resolving conflicting mycorrhizal data are provided here. These are based on standard morphological definitions of association types, which are the foundations of mycorrhizal science. This analysis also identifies the need for adequate training and mentoring of researchers to maintain the quality of mycorrhizal research.

Diversity of the Adult Frogs (Amphibia: Anura) in Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, Thailand

An investigation of adult frog diversity in Prince of Songkla University, Pattani Campus, Pattani Province of Thailand was carried out during March 2018 – February 2019 to provide the species checklist, habitats, relative abundance, Shannon–Wiener’s diversity, evenness indices, conservation status and to construct an area identification key to adult frog species and diagnosis morphological description. The surveys were conducted approximately 3-4 days each month. Five families, 8 genera and 11 species: Bufonidae (1 species), Dicroglossidae (3 species), Microhylidae (5 species), Ranidae (1 species), and Rhacophoridae (1 species) were found in this research. They were found in temporary ponds except Hylarana erythraea found in freshwater ponds only. The analysis of relative abundance revealed that Duttaphrynus melanostictus and Fejervarya limnocharis showed the highest value (78.38%) whereas Micryletta inornata showed the lowest value (2.70%). Additionally, the results of the Shannon–Wiener’s diversity and evenness indices were 2.01 and 0.68, respectively. In this study, the conservation status of most species was the least concern, except for Polypedates discantus was not evaluated. Moreover, the area identification key to adult frog species and diagnosis morphological description were provided. Keywords: Adult frogs, Anura, Diversity, Pattani Campus, Prince of Songkla University

Efficacy of DNA barcoding for the identification of larval fish species in the Upper and Middle Ing River, Thailand

DNA barcoding or the partial sequence of the cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was employed for the identification of larval fish species collected between April 2017 and March 2018 at 12 stations in the tributaries of the upper and middle Ing River, northern Thailand. Seventy-six samples were successfully identified in the GenBank and BOLD databases at the species level; these samples were classified into 30 species, 25 genera, 14 families and 7 orders with 98–100% similarities. Only two samples could be identified at only the genus level, Rasbora sp. and Monopterus sp., because their COI sequences were not found in either database. The genetic distance within each species was very low, ranging from 0.000 to 0.005. The conservation status of most species was least concern (68.74%) followed by near threatened and data deficient (3.13% each). In addition, almost all species were used for either or all purposes, including fisheries, aquaculture and aquariums. Dermogenys siamensis was observed at all stations, and station 8 (Amphoe Dok Khamtai, Phayao Province) exhibited the highest number of larval fish species. The results of this study may be employed to support conservation efforts and determine the spawning grounds of larval fish in the Ing River.

Do host habitat use and cospeciation matter in the evolution of Oswaldocruzia (Nematoda, Molineidae) from neotropical amphibians?

The genus Oswaldocruzia Travassos, 1917 includes approximately 90 species that are parasitic on amphibians and reptiles around the world, of which 43 occur in the neotropical region. However, molecular data supporting the taxonomic status of most species of the genus are scarce, and their phylogenetic relationships remain unknown. Using specimens of four molineid taxa (Oswaldocruzia belenensis Santos, Giese, Maldonado Jr. and Lanfredi, 2008; Oswaldocruzia chabaudi Ben Slimane & Durette-Desset, 1996, Oswaldocruzia chambrieri Ben Slimane & Durette-Desset, 1996 and Kentropyxia hylae Feitosa, Furtado, Santos and Melo, 2015) from amphibian hosts collected in different regions of Pará, Brazil, we conducted morphological studies, molecular analyses and phylogenies (maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference) using the cytochrome c oxidase subunity I (Cox1) gene. The newly generated sequences were compared with those of ten publicly available Cox1 sequences of Oswaldocruzia from Mexico. Our findings demonstrated significant differences between the sequences of amazonian specimens and sequences from specimens collected in Mexico, and we suggest that host-parasite cospeciation or habitat use might be related to molineid evolution in amphibian hosts. Additionally, this work presents new hosts and new geographical records for species of Oswaldocruzia from the neotropics.

Birds of Parque Estadual do Tainhas, an important protected area of the highland grasslands of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

Parque Estadual do Tainhas – PET (Tainhas State Park) is a protected area with significant extensions of natural grasslands located in highland grasslands of northeastern Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, and recognized as an Important Bird Area. Our aim was to record the bird species richness of PET with a greater sampling effort than previous studies at the site, including unpublished data such as occurrence status of most species and evidence of breeding of some of them in the park. We surveyed birds between 2012 and 2018 performing aleatory trails covering mainly the central portion of PET (1,500 ha). We also added records from published studies. We listed 208 species, of which 203 were recorded during our fieldwork (including 18 species of conservation concern). The estimated richness was 222.22 (SD = 10.91) species, according to Jackknife 1 method. This result represents a 58% increase in the species richness of the park and shows that long-term monitoring of the bird community allows to access more accurate richness and to identify the regular species (core avifauna) of the park. The presence of 55 breeders and threatened species shows the importance of this protected area for breeding and conservation of grassland birds, such as Urubitinga coronata, Cinclodes pabsti, Xolmis dominicanus, Anthus nattereri, Xanthopsar flavus, and Sporophila melanogaster.

Revisiting species boundaries and distribution ranges of Nemacheilus spp. (Cypriniformes: Nemacheilidae) and Rasbora spp. (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in Java, Bali and Lombok through DNA barcodes: implications for conservation in a biodiversity hotspot

Biodiversity hotspots have provided useful geographic proxies for conservation efforts. Delineated from a few groups of animals and plants, biodiversity hotspots do not reflect the conservation status of freshwater fishes. With hundreds of new species described on a yearly basis, fishes constitute the most poorly known group of vertebrates. This situation urges for an acceleration of the fish species inventory through fast and reliable molecular tools such as DNA barcoding. The present study focuses on the freshwater fishes diversity in the Sundaland biodiversity hotspot in Southeast Asia. Recent studies evidenced large taxonomic gaps as well as unexpectedly high levels of cryptic diversity, particularly so in the islands of Java and Bali. The Cypriniformes genera Rasbora and Nemacheilus account for most of the endemic species in Java and Bali, however their taxonomy is plagued by confusion about species identity and distribution. This study examines the taxonomic status of the Rasbora and Nemacheilus species in Java, Bali and Lombok islands through DNA barcodes, with the objective to resolve taxonomic confusion and identify trends in genetic diversity that can be further used for conservation matters. Several species delimitation methods based on DNA sequences were used and confirmed the status of most species, however several cases of taxonomic confusion and two new taxa are detected. Mitochondrial sequences argue that most species range distributions currently reported in the literature are inflated due to erroneous population assignments to the species level, and further highlight the sensitive conservation status of most Rasbora and Nemacheilus species on the islands of Java, Bali and Lombok.

Biological resources in the Sea of Okhotsk Large Marine Ecosystem: Their status and commercial use

The ecosystem studies of biological resources in the Sea of Okhotsk Large Marine Ecosystem (LME), launched by the Pacific Research Fisheries Center (TINRO-Center) in the 1980s, are considered in this brief review. Quantitative data on biomass, distribution density and diet of plankton, benthos, nekton, and nektobenthos were collected annually on three to five integrated expeditions annually covering all seasons. These studies show that the biological capacity and the stock size of commercial aquatic species have always been underestimated. According to the latest estimates, the total organic matter produced annually ranges within 17.85–23.9 billion tons of wet weight, of which the primary production accounts for 63–78%. Production of other components is: microzooplankton, up to 2100.0 million t; bacterioplankton, to 5200.0 million t; euryphagous zooplankton (mainly euphausiids and copepods), to 2520.0 million t; predatory zooplankton, to 480.0 million t; zoobenthos, to 340.0 million t; nekton, to 22.7 million t; nektobenthos, to 2.2 million t; marine mammals and birds, 0.1 million t. The stock status of most species of fish and invertebrates are considered to be in good or satisfactory shape. Fishing is regulated based on the precautionary approach. The current annual commercial catch is 1.5–1.7 million tons. In the absence of harvesting of marine mammals, the populations of cetaceans, pinnipeds and sea otter have recovered.

Complete mitochondrial genome of threatened mahseer Tor tor (Hamilton 1822) and its phylogenetic relationship within Cyprinidae family.

The mahseers (Tor, Neolissochilus and Naziritor) are an important group of fishes endemic to Asia with the conservation status of most species evaluated as threatened. Conservation plans to revive these declining wild populations are hindered by unstable taxonomy. Molecular phylogeny studies with mitochondrial genome have been successfully used to reconstruct the phylogenetic tree and to resolve taxonomic ambiguity. In the present study, complete mitochondrial genome of Tor tor has been sequenced using ion torrent next-generation sequencing platform with coverage of more than 1000 x. Comparative mitogenome analysis shows higher divergence value at ND1 gene than COI gene. Further, occurrence of a distinct genetic lineage of T. tor is revealed. The phylogenetic relationship among mahseer group has been defined as Neolissochilus hexagonolepis ((T. sinensis (T. putitora, T. tor), (T. khudree, T. tambroides)).

Comprehensive Red List assessment reveals exceptionally high extinction risk to Madagascar palms.

The establishment of baseline IUCN Red List assessments for plants is a crucial step in conservation planning. Nowhere is this more important than in biodiversity hotspots that are subject to significant anthropogenic pressures, such as Madagascar. Here, all Madagascar palm species are assessed using the IUCN Red List categories and criteria, version 3.1. Our results indicate that 83% of the 192 endemic species are threatened, nearly four times the proportion estimated for plants globally and exceeding estimates for all other comprehensively evaluated plant groups in Madagascar. Compared with a previous assessment in 1995, the number of Endangered and Critically Endangered species has substantially increased, due to the discovery of 28 new species since 1995, most of which are highly threatened. The conservation status of most species included in both the 1995 and the current assessments has not changed. Where change occurred, more species have moved to lower threat categories than to higher categories, because of improved knowledge of species and their distributions, rather than a decrease in extinction risk. However, some cases of genuine deterioration in conservation status were also identified. Palms in Madagascar are primarily threatened by habitat loss due to agriculture and biological resource use through direct exploitation or collateral damage. The recent extension of Madagascar’s protected area network is highly beneficial for palms, substantially increasing the number of threatened species populations included within reserves. Notably, three of the eight most important protected areas for palms are newly designated. However, 28 threatened and data deficient species are not protected by the expanded network, including some Critically Endangered species. Moreover, many species occurring in protected areas are still threatened, indicating that threatening processes persist even in reserves. Definitive implementation of the new protected areas combined with local community engagement are essential for the survival of Madagascar’s palms.

Phylogenetic analysis of the north‐east Atlantic and Mediterranean species of the genus Stenosoma (Isopoda, Valvifera, Idoteidae)

Xavier, R., Santos, A. M., Harris, D. J., Sezgin, M., Machado, M., Branco, M. (2012). Phylogenetic analysis of the north‐east Atlantic and Mediterranean species of the genus Stenosoma (Isopoda, Valvifera, Idoteidae). —Zoologica Scripta, 41, 386–399.The marine isopod genus Stenosoma is widespread in the northern hemisphere. However, 12 of its 14 known species are found within the Mediterranean basin and adjacent regions of the north‐east Atlantic and the Black Sea. Such a high level of diversity confined to a limited region of a much larger circumglobal distribution suggests that the Mediterranean region may have played a crucial role in the evolutionary history of this genus. In the present work, the phylogeny of the genus Stenosoma was investigated on the basis of DNA sequencing data from one nuclear (28SrRNA) and two mitochondrial (COI, ND4) gene fragments obtained for nine of 12 Atlantic–Mediterranean species. Divergence time estimates point to a Tethyan origin of Stenosoma and suggest that the speciation events from which stem most of the extant species took place well before the Messinian Salinity Crisis. Stenosoma spinosum and Stenosoma appendiculatum are the only exceptions, as they apparently arose within the Mediterranean during the Pleistocene. Phylogenetic reconstruction agrees with current taxonomic status of most species. However, Stenosoma capito clustered in two distinct and well‐supported clades, one composed of eastern Mediterranean and Black Sea specimens and the other by western Mediterranean and Atlantic ones. Such polyphyly suggests the existence of a previously unrecognized species, Stenosoma sp., which so far has been confounded with S. capito.

Taxonomy of the Threadsnakes of the tribe Epictini (Squamata: Serpentes: Leptotyphlopidae) in Colombia

Threadsnakes of the tribe Epictini are endemic to the New World, occurring from the United States to Argentina, mostly in the Neotropical region. Currently, the taxonomic status of most species is unclear and there has been no previous attempt of a comprehensive taxonomic revision of Neotropical taxa. Taxonomy of the group is a difficult task due to the paucity of geographic samples, general homogeneous morphology and brevity of species descriptions. Therefore, the only way to address the taxonomic status of existing names is through detailed characterization of the types and the search for additional material of the poorly known species. In this study, we evaluated the taxonomic status of the Colombian threadsnakes and report on geographical variation of meristic, morphometric, colour pattern, and hemipenis characters. On the basis of available samples we recognize the following species in Colombia: Epictia goudotii, E. magnamaculata, E. signata, Rena nicefori, Tricheilostoma brevissimum, T. dugandi, T. joshuai and T. macrolepis. We discuss the systematic position of Rena nicefori and propose its allocation in the genus Tricheilostoma based on a unique combination of morphological characters. Furthermore, we provide a key to the representatives of the tribe Epictini in Colombia.

Taxonomic revision of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Atractus (Reptilia: Serpentes: Dipsadidae)

Dipsadine snakes of the genus Atractus are endemic to the Neotropical region, occurring from Panama to Argentina. Currently, the taxonomic status of most species of the genus is unclear and previous attempts of taxonomic revisions have been local in scale. In this paper we evaluate the taxonomic status of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest species of Atractus based on meristic, morphometric, maxillary dentition, and hemipenis characters. Quantitative and qualitative analyses suggest the recognition of one new species (A. caete sp. nov.) from the state of Alagoas, another (A. francoi sp. nov.) from the mountainous regions of the states of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, and the synonymy of A. kangueryensis with A. thalesdelemai. Specimens previously assigned to A. taeniatus in Argentina and Brazil are here considered A. paraguayensis. A key to the Atlantic Forest Atractus is provided and three new species groups are proposed for some cisAndean Atractus, mainly on the basis of hemipenial morphology: the A. emmeli, A. maculatus, and A. pantostictus species groups.

On the status and relationships of the gecko species Gehyra barea Kopstein 1926, with description of new specimens and a range extension

Gehyra barea is a poorly known gecko species from the southern Banda Islands, Maluku Province, Indonesia, that has received scant attention since it was described in 1926. A combination of morphological characters distinguish the types of this species from all other described Gehyra, and suggest that it is a distinct taxon. These same morphological characters occur in two recently collected specimens from the Raja Ampat Islands, just off the west coast of New Guinea, that we assign to this species, extending the known range of the taxon by over six hundred kilometres. We provide a revised and extended diagnosis and description of the species based on these new specimens. Morphological and genetic data from these specimens indicate G. barea is closely related to Gehyra baliola from further east in southern New Guinea, and that these species form a clade with Geyhra oceanica. Gehyra is a taxonomically challenging group, and the status of most species from the Melanesian region is in need of review.

Detection distances of the sounds of large whales recorded on hydrophones in the offshore Gulf of Alaska

The current status of most species of endangered baleen whales, including blue, fin, and humpback whales, in the Gulf of Alaska is unknown due to a lack of basic information on distribution and seasonal abundance. Remote passive acoustic monitoring can provide this information for vocal whales. However, to begin to estimate an index of abundance of calling animals, the distance at which they can be detected needs to be determined. In order to estimate transmission loss, a parabolic equation acoustic propagation model was used to provide mean loss estimates along four transects at 0.1a intervals to 5a to the N, E, S, and W from each of four receivers moored in the sound channel for species-specific frequencies and at depths at which the animals are thought to produce sound. For all species and locations, the detection range was largely determined by the choice of ambient noise levels. This suggests that masking due to anthropogenic noise could limit the range over which these animals can be detected by the moored instrument and, more importantly, the range over which they might communicate.

Conservation Biology of Caecilian Amphibians

Abstract: Most of the available data on declining populations of amphibians pertain to frogs and, to a lesser extent, salamanders. In keeping with their generally less understood biology, the population trends and conservation status of caecilian amphibians (Gymnophiona) are also much less known. We reviewed reports of threats to and declines of populations of caecilians. Despite a lack of field‐study details (e.g., localities, dates, and sampling methods) and quantitative data, there are several recent reports of threats to and declines and extinctions of caecilians. A range of causal explanations (habitat loss, pollution, chytridiomycosis, and scientific collecting) for these perceived declines have been proposed but little or no associated evidence has been given. Although caecilians are often considered rare and thought to require pristine habitat, published, quantitative data demonstrate that at least some species can occur in high abundance in disturbed, synanthropic environments. Few estimates of caecilian population parameters have been made and very few field methods have been tested, so the assumed rarity of any taxa remains inadequately demonstrated. Distribution and taxonomic data are also inadequate. Because they are generally poorly known and often cryptic, caecilians can be overlooked in standard faunal surveys, meaning that lack of opportunistic collection over several years might not represent evidence of decline. The conservation status of most species must be considered data deficient. More precise assessments will require a substantial increase in all areas of caecilian research, especially those involving new fieldwork. Future reports of caecilian conservation biology need to be explicit and more quantitative.

Spatial patterns in species distributions reveal biodiversity change

Interpretation of global biodiversity change is hampered by a lack of information on the historical status of most species in most parts of the world. Here we show that declines and increases can be deduced from current species distributions alone, using spatial patterns of occupancy combined with distribution size. Declining species show sparse, fragmented distributions for their distribution size, reflecting the extinction process; expanding species show denser, more aggregated distributions, reflecting colonization. Past distribution size changes for British butterflies were deduced successfully from current distributions, and former distributions had some power to predict future change. What is more, the relationship between distribution pattern and change in British butterflies independently predicted distribution change for butterfly species in Flanders, Belgium, and distribution change in British rare plant species is similarly related to spatial distribution pattern. This link between current distribution patterns and processes of distribution change could be used to assess relative levels of threat facing different species, even for regions and taxa lacking detailed historical and ecological information.

Review of cetaceans stranded on the Irish coast, 1901–95

Published records of cetaceans stranded on the Irish coast during the period 1901–95 are reviewed. In this review the number of stranding events has been used in the analysis and includes both live strandings and those animals washed up dead. There were 529 records involving 21 species. The Harbour Porpoise (27%) was the most frequently reported species, followed by Common Dolphins (16%) and Pilot Whales (15%). Minke Whales (8%) were the most frequently reported mysticete. The number of reported strandings has increased since the 1960s which is thought to be mainly due to increased observer effort. Cetaceans have stranded on all Irish coasts but mainly along the south coast and along the western seaboard but with no apparent overall seasonal trend. There was a peak in the strandings of Common Dolphins during 1991–92 when 27% (28 records) of all strandings were reported and of White‐sided Dolphins when 60% (28 records) were reported, both of which were attributed to possible interactions with fisheries. The number of Striped Dolphins stranded on the Irish coast has increased steadily since the 1980s and may reflect increasing water temperatures.These stranding records are considered inadequate to determine the status of most species of cetaceans in Irish waters but are sufficient to identify unusual stranding events such as high mortalities due to fisheries interactions or epizootics. More observer coverage is required before the stranding data are adequate for monitoring the status of most species but a stranding scheme is considered the most effective and efficient method of long‐term monitoring of cetaceans in Irish waters.