Zoological Literature Research Articles

A bibliography of the scientific writings of Thomas Say (1787–1834)

Thomas Say (1787-1834) was one of the first Americans to devote himself completely to the study of natural history. He was a prolific and respected contributor to the zoological literature and a thoughtful observer of nature. Say's early work on insects and mollusks established his credentials as a scientist and led to his selection as a participant in government expeditions to the American frontier. In addition to these field experiences, he held appointments in several prestigious institutions. The wide range and quality of Say's scientific work have led to his designation as the Father of American Conchology (e.g., Stansbury, 1980:27) and the Father of American Entomology (e.g., Lindroth, 1975:121). Some have even called him the Father of American Zoology (Weiss and Zeigler, 1931 :vii). Clearly, Say is a key figure in the development of natural history in the United States. He pursued his interests with a thorough professionalism that elevated natural history from an amusement for wealthy persons to a respected field of study. His legacy is a body of work that established North American students as authorities on the native fauna.

The Ecological and Genetic Consequences of Density-Dependent Regulation in Plants

Understanding the mechanisms of population size regulation is of vital importance to both the pure and applied ecologist. Throughout the history of ecology one school of thought has maintained that populations of plants and animals are in some way regulated by factorsi.e. processes that either increase mortality or decrease fecundity as the density of the population increases (133). Thus there would be a densitydependent feedback that holds the population within certain limits. A second school of thought has maintained that density-independent (e.g. weather conditions or disturbance) are more important in determining population size. Whether populations are regulated by density-dependent or densityindependent factors has been the subject of intensive debate and controversy over the past twenty-five years, especially in the zoological literature (10,

The Identity of Eleutherodactylus vertebralis (Boulenger) with the Description of a New Species from Colombia and Ecuador (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae)

Eleutherodactylus vertebralis is redescribed based on fresh material from the upper montane forests of the Pacific slopes of the Andes in Ecuador. It is most closely related to E. devillei, found in comparable ecologic settings on the Amazonian slopes of the Andes in northern Ecuador. Eleutherodactylus superatis sp. nov. occurs on the Amazonian slopes of the Andes in extreme northern Ecuador. This species is also reported from the Cordillera Central north to the vicinity of Medellin. Eleutherodactylus superatis differs from E devillei and E. vertebralis in lacking dorsolateral folds and in the shape of the snout. Boulenger (1886) named Eleutherodactylus vertebralis on the basis of two adult females from a region (the Cordillera de Intac) on the western face of the Cordillera Occidental in Imbabura Provincia, Ecuador. He noted that the species was similar to E. buckleyi (Boulenger) but differed in having a more slender habitus and larger digital pads. Boulenger's choice of a trivial name reflected the occurrence (in only one of the two syntypes) of a pale vertebral raphe extending from the tip of the snout to the vent. Such a variation is relatively common in Eleutherodactylus and has apparently resulted in the confounding of several species under the name E. vertebralis. The name has appeared in the primary zoological literature only five times (Werner (1901), Peracca (1904), Parker (1938), Cochran and Goin (1970), and Duellman and Simmons (1977)); I think each of these usages is based on misidentifications (with the exception of the redescription of the striped syntype by Cochran and Goin, 1970). Cochran and Goin (1970) reported several species under the name E. vertebralis from all three Andean cordilleras and the isolated Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia. While identifications cannot yet be made for all of the material reported by Cochran and Goin, the specimens reported from the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta are E delicatus Ruthven and E. sanctaemartae Ruthven (taxa endemic to the Nevado). Some of the specimens Cochran and Goin reported from the western cordilleras are examples of the new species described below. So far as I am aware, E. vertebralis occurs only in Ecuador. Between 1970 and 1978 specimens have been collected on the Cordillera de Intac, the Nudo de Mojanda (Provincia Imbabura), and on the western flank of the paramos de Apagua (Provincia Cotopaxi). In view of the confusion surrounding the species, it is redescribed based on fresh material.

Reproductive Character Displacement and Floral Diversity in Solanum Section Androceras

Flowers of several Solaurum species are conspicuously divergent in regions of distributional overlap in Mexico. S. grlyi and S. lumtiholtziatnumi are similar in floral size throughout most of their respective r-anges, but in an extensive zonle of sympatr-y flowers of S. gr ayi ai-e much smaller thani elsews here. Similarpatter-nis of displacemiient are observed in sympatric local populations of other species. The unusual heteranidrous morphology of section Androceras flox ers appear-s to restrict the size i-anige of bee visitors that can effectively pollinate them, and co-existing species with flow\ers of disparate size may exploit quite different segments of the available pollinator fauna. Species of section Andro-eras display an extr-aordinary diversity of flor-al sizes in comparison with other Solanumn alliances. Floral diver-sity in the section may have evolved via historical episodes of char-acterdisplacemenit, driven by a potenitial formechanical isolation. Floral differences between related plant species often appear to be adaptive, sometimes reinforcng reproductive isolation by imposing mechanical, ethological, or phenological barriers (V. Grant, 1949; Levin, 1971, in press), and sometimes relaxing competitive pressures by permitting efficient subdivision of limited pollinator pools (Levin and Anderson, 1970; Mosquin, 1971; Heinrich, 1975; Levin, in press). If differences among co-existing species in floral traits are really advantageous, then floral character displacement ought to be commnonly encountered in regions of species sympatry. Brown and Wilson (1956) formualized the concept of character displacement (which dates back under the name 'character divergence to Darwin, 1859), and a plethora of examples have since been described and disputed in the zoological literature (P. Grant, 1972). It is surprising that there have been relatively few r-eports of character displacement in plants, and taxonomists observing variation patterns possibly attributable to character displacement would do a service by calling attention to them. Currently known cases of floral character displacement can be briefly summarized. The ranges of two montane species of Fu(hsia overlap in central Mexico (Breedlove, 1969). Where allopatric, the species have similar, generalized morphologies and are visited by both bees and birds. Where sympatric, their flowers are sharply divergent, and one is a bee specialist, the other a bird specialist. Two subspecies of Polanisia dode(andra appear to have undergone character displacement in floral size at their zone of contact near the U.S.-Mexican border (Iltis, 1958). The author suggests no explanation. Corolla color displacement occurs in Illinois populations of Phlox pilosa where that species co-exists with P. L. H. Bailey Hortorium and Section of Ecology and Systemnatics, C(ornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853.

Robert Jacob Gordon's original account of the African Black rhinoceros

An account is presented of the memoranda and drawings comprising the description of the African Black rhinoceros prepared at the Cape of Good Hope in 1778 by Robert Jacob Gordon (1743–95) and now incorporated in the Gordon Atlas preserved in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. Gordon's rhinoceros information was placed at the disposal of contemporaries, whereby part of it entered zoological literature and occasioned the temporary recognition of a “Gordon's rhinoceros”. His material never attained independent publication and its historical and anatomical merit has thus escaped recognition. Impressive in standards of observation and delineation it represents a pioneer investigation of African rhinoceros morphology.

Universal Index to Zoological Literature Proposed

Journal Article Universal Index to Zoological Literature Proposed Get access John F. Douglass, John F. Douglass 6620 Buckthorn Rd. NW, Rochester, MN 55901 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar H. E. Kennedy, H. E. Kennedy BIOSIS Executive Director 2100 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103 Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Michael Dadd Michael Dadd The Zoological Record, Zoological Society of London, P.O. Box 9, Wetherby, West Yorkshire LS23 7EG, England Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar BioScience, Volume 26, Issue 9, September 1976, Pages 528–529, https://doi.org/10.2307/1297263 Published: 01 September 1976

Induzierter „Dermatozoenwahn“

Although only about 240 cases of ‘acarophobia’ are on record in zoological and medical literature, it can be seen that this delusional syndrome without doubt leads to psychoses of association more frequently than any other mental disturbance. The literature contains many references, and the author can give two examples from personal experience. At least every sixth patient suffering from delusions of parasitosis ‘infects’ relations. This really remarkable tendency to spread by psychological contagion on one or more dependent persons has been ignored by many writers. The supposition that such occurrences are very rare proves to be false. Sometimes the associated who acquired the symptoms in an absolutely identical fashion seem to be more worried by the vermin they hallucinate than the initiators are. The number of patients constituting an affected group is following a Neyman distribution. Emphasis is laid on the finding that the proportion of consanguineous persons within the sample of patients who showed an induced delusion of parasitosis is by far less high than in other psychopathological forms of communicated insanity.

Seed Predation by Animals

Many plants suffer very heavy preand/or post-dispersal seed predation by animals. A few exemplary studies (2,18,38,52,74,87, 106, 110, 111, 124, 140, 161, 162, 171, 181, 187, 196, 197, 203, 205, 207, 217, 220, 227) and a variety of shorter reports scattered through the agricultural, botanical, and zoological literature suggest a large and important, yet unexploited, field of study. It is clear that the pattern of seed predation is highly structured and that it co evolved at, the chemical, spatial, and temporal level. It involves all levels of animal-plant interaction from the internal energy budget of indi­ viduals to the entire community (203 ) . Owing to parental and sibling com­ petition, successful development of a seedling may depend on the seed's dis­ persal (101). Equally important, thc seed must escape from the predators at the seed crop and in the parent plant's habitat before and after dispersal (111 ) . The game is played by mobile predators in search of sessile prey; escape is through a single dispersal move, seed chemistry, parental morphol­ ogy and behavior, and evolutionary change. The processes and patterns are:ideal candidates for ecological and evolu­ tionary analyses (83, 111 ) of the typcs traditionally conducted by zoologi­ cally oriented biologists (37, 51,73, 141, 155,156, 182) or applied to plants in general ( 40,116,208,209,241) . Seed predators and leaf eaters are often lumped together in ecological discussions, but they differ in ways especially important in the coevolution of seed predators and seeds: (a) Like leaves, seeds are highly subdivided and small, but unlike leaves and other vegetative parts, they have very high nutrient values per unit volume. ( b) While obvious in large quantities, they may be extremely inconspicuous once dispersed. ( c) Being comparatively dormant, seeds have low self-repair abilities but can contain high concentra­ tions of toxic compounds (secondary substances) with less sophisticated ad­ aptations against self-intoxication than can leaves and meristematic tissues. ( d ) Seed production is not continually required for direct survival of the parent plant; seed timing, quantity, and quality can therefore be manipu­ lated more freely by natural selection than can these traits of leaves and other vegetative parts. (e ) Seeds are not directly replaced· when killed or germinated; once removed, seeds may be absent far longer than edible vege­ tative parts and thus a common plant species may be rare in time,toa seed

Storage and retrieval of information in systematic zoology

Progress in systematic zoology is dependent upon a means of communication that transcends the boundaries of immediate space and time. Systematics has a very wide scope and provides a framework within which meaningful biological work can be done. Its development can be traced from Aristotle; the advent of printing in 1450 encouraged progress in systematics, with the works of Conrad Gesner (1516-65) and Ulissis Aldrovandi (c. 1522-1605) deserving special mention. Then came Carl Linnaeus (1707-78) and the writing of the Systerna Naturae, along with the fashion of natural history cabinets and private museums. In 1768 Captain Cook made his first voyage round the world, inspiring organized collecting by amateur and professional naturalists attached to expeditions. This was followed by a period of enlargement and elaboration, with the founding of the great national collections, which were soon to become recognized places for systematic work. They also published detailed catalogues of their collections. With this increase in knowledge came an increase in the amount of zoological literature, much of which now disappears into scientific limbo. The average, although conscientious, worker at one of the large institutions may feel fortunate if he retrieves about 80% of the existing information on the particular subject he is working upon at the present time. In identifying material, the systematist has a constant need to retrieve information -a long laborious task for numerous reasons-and a quick retrieval system is required for both specimens and literature. Index Biological Abstracts, Zoological Record, Sherborn's Index Animalium (1902-) and Neave's Nomenclator Zoologicus (1939-) are attempts to facilitate this retrieval with regard to literature. As far as the specimens are concerned, preservation is an important factor; dried specimens conceal much of their information, storage in alcohol and formalin produces problems and some of the new preserving liquids and techniques, e.g. freeze-drying, have yet to stand the test of time. Only a computer can keep systematic information up-to-date and easily retrievable. Before us lies the era of the non-printed word.

North American Bembix,1 a Revised Key and Suggested Grouping

On the basis of recent studies of ethology and of a fuller appreciation of the range of color variation within species, the North American and West Indian Bembix are placed in 23 species, 2 polytypic. Keys are provided for the identification of males and females. Several new synonymies are indicated, 1 form given new status, and 2 forms are described as new: B. gillaspyi (southern California) and B. americana antilleana Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Bahamas, Grand Cayman Island). Two names unused in the primary zoological literature for more than 50 years are considered nomina oblita: B. pallidipicta Smith and B. dentilabris Handlirsch. Six species-groups are recognized; these are based primarily on adult structure, especially the male terminalia, and appear to represent natural groupings. Male terminalia of selected species are illustrated. Original data are presented on the nesting behavior of B. a. americana F., and references are given to papers on ethology and on larval structure.

The Proposed Conservation of the Generic Name Vibrio Pacini 1854 and Designation of the Neotype Strain of Vibrio Cholerae Pacini 1854

SUMMARY Vibrio Müller has not been used in the Literature of protozoology for over 100 years. Article 23 of the International Zoological Code of Nomenclature says “a name that has remained unused as a senior synonym in the primary zoological literature for more than 50 years is to be considered a forgotten name (nomen oblitum).” For a Little more than 100 years Vibrio has become established as a commonly accepted generic name in bacteriology. It is recommended from the standpoint of bacteriology that Vibrio Müller 1773 be regarded as the name of a genus in zoology and in conformity with the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature be recognized as a nomen oblitum and without standing in bacteriological nomenclature. It is further recommended that Vibrio Pacini 1854 be placed in the list of conserved generic names (nomina generum conservanda) with the type species Vibrio cholerae Pacini 1854 and that the specific epithet cholerae in the binary combination Vibrio cholerae Pacini 1854 also be conserved. It is also proposed that the National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) strain 8021 (American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) strain 14035) be recognized as the neotype strain of Vibrio cholerae Pacini 1 854. The morphological and physiological characteristics, including a photomicrograph of a stained preparation showing monotrichous cells each with a polar flagellum, are presented of the proposed neotype strain.

Serological Relationships between the Nine-spined and the Three-spined Stickleback

IN zoological literature we can find some publications1,2 in which the nine-spined stickleback, Pungitius pungitius (L.), is considered as belonging to the genus Gasterosteus L. But most contemporary zoologists consider that this species belongs to Pungitius Coste. This difference in attitude has encouraged me to undertake investigation on serological relationships between the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L., and the nine-spined stickleback, Pungitius pungitius (L.).

Distribution of the Subspecies of Sceloporus undulatus (Reptilia: Iguanidae) in Oklahoma

Examination of 1366 specimens of Sceloporus undulatus from Oklahoma revealed the presence of four subspecies in the state. Sceloporus undulatus erythrocheilus is restricted to the Black Mesa area of Cimarron County, S. u. garmani ranges over the prairie areas of Oklahoma, S. u. consobrinus is restricted to the southwestern corner of the state and S. u. hyacinthinus occurs in the eastern forested regions of Oklahoma. Intergradation between S. u. garmani and S. u. hyacinthinus occurs in a broad zone at the prairie-forest ecotone and S. u. garmani and S. u. consobrinus intergrade in southwest Oklahoma. No evidence of inter- gradation between S. u. garmani and S. u. erythrocheilus was found. The type locality of S. u. consobrinus as restricted to an area in Beckham County, Oklahoma, is too far northwest and lies in an area inhabited by S. u. garmani. Since the description of Sceloporus consobrinus by Baird and Girard in 1852, many records of the occurrence of Sceloporus undulatus (Latreille) in Oklahoma have appeared in the zoological literature. Unfortunately, these records are generally of little use in defining the ranges of the subspecies which occur in Oklahoma, mainly due to the revolution in nomenclature in this group since 1938. Few studies have treated the distribution of the subspecies of Sceloporus undulatus over the entire state, and those which have were handicapped by a lack of material. In Smith's (1938) monograph of Sceloporus undulatus he analyzed specimens from only 21 localities in Oklahoma. There are several hundred localities represented in the collections on which this study is based. In this study the geographic distribution of the subspecies of Scelo- porus undulatus in Oklahoma has been analyzed. The careful and com- plete delineation of such ranges and integradation zones is prerequisite to any definitive study of the zoogeography of an area (Smith, 1956), and such syntheses not only interest zoogeographers, but form part of the conspectus of the animal kingdom which is the basis for all of the zoological sciences, (Schmidt, 1953).

Natural selection and neoteny

Even today, a century after the publication of the “Origin of Species”, current zoological literature often reveals an insufficient grasp of the implications of the now generally accepted view that it is natural selection that confers direction on the evolutionary process.

A Record “Zoological Record”

The Zoological Record, Vol. 92 Being the Records of Zoological Literature relating chiefly to the year 1955. Edited by G. Burder Stratton. Pp. vi + 1852. (London: Zoological Society of London, 1958.) 160s.

Zoology Expands

The Zoological Record, Vol. 90 Being the Records of Zoological Literature relating chiefly to the year 1953. Edited by G. Burder Stratton. Pp. 1750. (London: Zoological Society of London, 1956.) 120s.

Zoological Literature for 1958

The Zoological Record Vol. 95: Records of Zoological Literature relating chiefly to the year 1958. Edited by G. Burder Stratton, assisted by Marcia A. Edwards. Pp. v + 2234. (London: Zoological Society of London, 1961.) 160s.

The Relation between Number of Nucleoli and Number of Chromosome Sets in Animal Cells

The relation between the number of nucleoli visible in telophase or interphase nuclei and the number of haploid chromosome sets which are present has been studied extensively in plants (cf. the recent review by Gates'). DeMol2 first noted that diploid hyacinths have a maximum of two nucleoli, triploid three, and hypotetraploid four. This relationship became understandable when was shown conclusively by Heitz3 that, during telophase, the nucleoli are formed at specific points on specific chromosomes, usually at secondary constrictions which either mark off a satellite or are located some distance from the end of the chromosome. Since as a rule, each haploid set of chromosomes includes a single chromosome with a organizer, the normal diploid nucleus contains two nucleoli. The number of nucleoli may therefore be used as a criterion for the identification of polyploid individuals or races within a species and, with certain restrictions, for the determination of phylogenetic relationships between different plant species. The relation of nucleolar number to polyploidy has received much less attention from zoologists, largely because, until recently, there was little interest in the study of polyploidy in animals in its various aspects. This has led Gates4 to the conclusion that it is still uncertain in how far the number of nucleoli in animals can be used as an index of the number of sets of chromosomes. However, what evidence there is available in the zoological literature clearly points to the existence of the same constant relationship as obtains in plants, at least in ordinary somatic cells. Under special physiological conditions, however, (e.g., in gland cells and in growing oocytes), the number of nucleoli may be greatly increased, apparently without a corresponding increase in chromosome number. The pertinent information on nucleolar number and heteroploidy will be reviewed briefly in this paper, and new evidence will be added from a study of the nucleoli in an extensive heteroploid series of larvae of the axolotl, Amblystoma mexicanum, and of larvae of mixed tigrinum-mexicanum ancestry. That each haploid set of chromosomes may be associated with a single nucleolus was first indicated by Conklin's classical observations on the fertilization and cleavage of eggs of the gastropod Crepidula.5 Each of the germ nuclei, before their union, contains a single nucleolus, while in the telophase of all the cleavage mitoses two nucleoli appear which may

The Zoological Record

The seventy–sixth volume of the “Zoological Record”, dealing with the literature published in 1939, appears a good deal later than usual (although some of the sections were issued separately many months ago), which, in the circumstances, is less, surprising than that it should appear at all. Its compilation under war conditions must have involved much additional labour and great determination on the part of the editor and his contributors, and they are to be warmly congratulated on the completion of their task. The Zoological Record Vol. 76: Being Records of Zoological Literature relating chiefly to the Year 1939. Compiled for the Zoological Society of London by A. G. Brighton, M. Burton, A. B. Hastings, C. A. Hoare, W. Nicoll, A. E. Salisbury, J. K. S. St. Joseph, W. L. Sclater, M. A. Smith, C. J. Stubblefield, E. Trewavas, E. I. White, R. J. Whittick., and the Imperial Institute of Entomology. Edited by Malcolm A. Smith. Pp. 1420. (London: Zoological Society of London, 1940.) £3.; also in 19 Sections, issued separately.

Cell Size in Millipedes

THE idea of the constancy of cell size for a particular tissue in different individuals of an animal species has long held sway in zoological literature. This concept has frequently been extended to cover nearly related species1. I wish to thank Dr. J. R. Baker, of Oxford, for suggesting this investigation into a case which proved to be at variance with the generally accepted view.