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Description of a new Opisthoheza from the Central Congolian lowland forests (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini) /
No full textOne new Opisthoheza Zolotuhin & Prozorov, 2010 species, Opisthoheza martinnemcekae sp. n., is described from the Central Congolian lowland forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The new species is compared with two other Opisthoheza species: Opisthoheza heza Zolotuhin & Prozorov, 2010 (type species) and Opisthoheza siniaevi Prozorov et al., 2024. Adult males and their genitalia are illustrated
Temporal changes in bank vole populations indicate species decline /
No full textBecause of their wide distribution, short life cycle, rapid reproduction, and sensitivity to the environment, rodents can indicate changes in habitat quality and climate variables. Long-term studies are needed to verify these changes and assumptions about their causes. We analyzed small mammal trapping data in Lithuania, covering the period 1975–2023, with 1821 trapping sites and 57,426 small mammal individuals, with a focus on the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus). The aim of this study was to assess temporal changes in the relative abundance and proportion of this species in small mammal communities in relation to their habitats. With 21,736 captured individuals, C. glareolus was a dominant species in the country; its proportion in general was 37.9%, with 60.0% in forests. Open habitats, meadows and agricultural land were characterized by the lowest species proportions. Our main findings were the confirmation of decreasing abundances and proportions of C. glareolus since the 1990s, the absence of cyclical fluctuations in the relative abundances of the species in general and in forest habitats, and the introduction of a south–north cline in species proportions. The status of this temperate and boreal forest species is subject to change, with implications for the diversity of the mid-latitude small mammal community
Description of a new Pheosia from Sichuan and Gansu, China (Lepidoptera, Notodontidae) /
No full textA new species of the genus Pheosia Hübner, 1819, Pheosia mayri sp. n., from Sichuan and Gansu Provinces in China is described. The new species is compared with Chinese Pheosia gelupka Gaede, 1934 and Pheosia buddhista (Püngeler, 1899). The two differ in wing coloration, male and, especially, female genitalia. Adults of both sexes, their genitalia and map of collecting sites are illustrated
Sonitha niniae – a new species from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania (Lepidoptera, Lasiocampidae, Lasiocampinae, Gastropachini) /
No full textA new species Sonitha niniae Prozorov & Aarvik sp. n. is described from a threatened ground water forest in Western Tanzania. It is compared with closely related Sonitha adedapo Friend et al., 2024; Sonitha bekombo Friend et al., 2024; Sonitha ekongo Friend et al., 2024; and Sonitha chocolatina Friend et al., 2024. Adults, genitalia and map with collecting sites are illustrated
Glaciomorphological features of the North and Middle Lithuania lowlands /
No full textGlaciomorphological features of the North and Middle Lithuania Lowlands are described and interpreted. The ridged relief of the morainic plain in the NW part (Akmenė district, North Lithuania) is characterized by mega-scale glacial lineation (MSGL) forms, testifying to the active movement of the glacier; they do not correlate with the sub-Quaternary palaeosurface. The relief structure of the Nevėžis Moraine Plain located farther south includes areas of obscure MSGL that were affected by glaciolacustrine accumulation and abrasion, glaciofluvial accumulation and erosion, as well as intensive land drainage (amelioration) in the 20th century. Typical MSGL forms in the Mūša-Nemunėlis Moraine Plain and relicts of MSGL forms in the Nevėžis Moraine Plain, as well as patterns of orientation and inclination of macroclast long axes due to mixing of the moraine material (till), reflect the dynamics of the sliding glacier. These features show that the moraine plains of Middle and North Lithuania were formed by an actively moving glacier, which left an identifiable till layer when geological and hydrological conditions allowed
Historical and current status of the glacial relic – dwarf birch (Betula nana L.) – in the Šepeta peatland.
No full textIn the Šepeta peatland, dwarf birch (Betula nana L.) was first recorded at the end of 19th century by P. Matulionis. Later mentions of B. nana are found in scientific works by T. Ivanauskas, A. Minkevičius, H. Wojtusiakowa and K. Regelis, which appeared in the f irst half of the 20th century. It was in 1940, during the complex research expedition led by K. Brundza, that B. nana and its distribution in the Šepeta mire received the greatest scholarly attention. Thirteen specimens of B. nana collected from the Šepeta mire are known to be stored in Lithuanian and foreign herbaria. Historical records prove B. nana to have been widespread in this peatland in the past. In the last century, as a result of the intensified peat extraction continuing from the 1960s, most of B. nana habitats were irreversibly destroyed. At present, B. nana is still growing in the unexploited middle part of the peatland and at three sites outside it. The B. nana population, which is in a relatively good condition due to the minimal anthropogenic impact, can be still preserved in the locality further south of the peatland
Desmids of the Šepeta raised bog.
No full textUnique ecosystems of ombrotrophic mires are of great importance for biodiversity conservation, carbon storage, and water level regulation. Desmids, representing one of the most common groups of peatland phythobenthos, are highly sensitive to changes in these ecosystems and therefore serve as valuable bioindicators. V. Vilkaitis, who studied desmid algae of the Šepeta raised bog in the period 1937–1940, when the bog was still undisturbed, identified 57 species, which, according to the modern classification system, are assigned to two orders, i.e. Zygnematales (9 species) and Desmidiales (48 species), f ive families (Mesotaeniaceae, Zygnemataceae, Peniaceae, Desmidiaceae, Closteriaceae) and 19 genera. More than 15% of the 373 desmid species and intraspecific taxa recorded in Lithuania were found in the Šepeta raised bog. More than three-quarters of the Šepeta bog desmid species are common in Lithuania, but seven species (Actinotaenium palangula, Cosmarium sphagnicola, Closterium acutum var. linea, Mesotaenium endlicherianum var. grande, Pleurotaenium tridentulum, Staurastrum furcatum var. aciculiferum, Staurastrum simonyi) are rare, and three species (Cosmarium crenatum, C. exiguum var. pressum, Cylindrocystis brebissonii var. turgida) have not been detected in other wetlands of Lithuania. The latter desmid species are characteristic of vulnerable, low-pH habitats that are susceptible to environmental changes. Hence, the Šepeta raised bog conversion into a peat extraction area is deemed to lead to the irreversible loss of these species
The incidence of upper respiratory infections in children is related to the concentration of vanadium in indoor dust aggregates /
No full textBackground: It has been reported that the disease-initiated and diseasemediated effects of aerosol pollutants can be related to concentration, site of deposition, duration of exposure, as well as the specific chemical composition of pollutants. Objectives: To investigate the microelemental composition of dust aggregates in primary schools of Vilnius and determine trace elements related to acute upper respiratory infections among 6-to 11-year-old children. Methods: Microelemental analysis of aerosol pollution was performed using dust samples collected in the classrooms of 11 primary schools in Vilnius from 2016 to 2020. Sites included areas of its natural accumulation behind the radiator heaters and from the surface of high cupboards. The concentrations of heavy metals (Pb, W, Sb, Sn, Zr, Zn, Cu, Ni, Mn, Cr, V, and As) in dust samples were analyzed using a SPECTRO XEPOS spectrometer. The annual incidence rates of respiratory diseases in children of each school were calculated based on data from medical records. Results: The mean annual incidence of physician-diagnosed acute upper respiratory infections (J00-J06 according to ICD-10A) among younger schoolage children was between 25.1 and 71.3% per school. A significant correlation was found between vanadium concentration and the number of episodes of acute upper respiratory infections during each study year from 2016 to 2020. The lowest was r = 0.67 (p = 0.024), and the highest was r = 0.82 (p = 0.002). The concentration of vanadium in the samples of dust aggregates varied from 12.7 to 52.1 parts per million (ppm). No significant correlations between the other trace elements and the incidence of upper respiratory infections were found, which could be caused by a small number of study schools and relatively low concentrations of other heavy metals found in the samples of indoor dust aggregates. Conclusion: A significant and replicable correlation was found between the concentration of vanadium in the samples of natural dust aggregates collected in primary schools and the incidence of acute upper respiratory infections in children. Monitoring the concentration of heavy metals in the indoor environment can be an important instrument for the prevention and control of respiratory morbidity in children
RNAscope in situ hybridization reveals microvascular sequestration of Plasmodium relictum pSGS1 blood stages but absence of exo-erythrocytic dormant stages during latent infection of Serinus canaria /
No full textBackground: Birds chronically infected with avian malaria parasites often show relapses of parasitaemia after latent stages marked by absence of parasites in the peripheral circulation. These relapses are assumed to result from the activation of dormant exo-erythrocytic stages produced during secondary (post-erythrocytic) merogony of avian Plasmodium spp. Yet, there is no morphological proof of persistent or dormant tissue stages in the avian host during latent infections. This study investigated persistence of Plasmodium relictum pSGS1 in birds with latent infections during winter, with the goal to detect presumed persisting tissue stages using a highly sensitive RNAscope® in situ hybridization technology. Methods: Fourteen domestic canaries were infected with P. relictum pSGS1 by blood-inoculation in spring, and blood films examined during the first 4 months post infection, and during winter and spring of the following year. After parasitaemia was no longer detectable, half of the birds were dissected, and tissue samples investigated for persisting tissue stages using RNAscope ISH and histology. The remaining birds were blood-checked and dissected after re-appearance of parasitaemia, and their tissues equally examined. Results: Systematic examination of tissues showed no exo-erythrocytic stages in birds exhibiting latent infections by blood-film microscopy, indicating absence of dormant tissue stages in P. relictum pSGS1-infected canaries. Instead, RNAscope ISH revealed rare P. relictum blood stages in capillaries of various tissues and organs, demonstrating persistence of the parasites in the microvasculature. Birds examined after re-appearance of parasitemia showed higher numbers of P. relictum blood stages in both capillaries and larger blood vessels, indicating replication during early spring and re-appearance in the peripheral circulation. Conclusions: The findings suggest that persistence of P. relictum pSGS1 during latent infection is mediated by continuous low-level erythrocytic merogony and possibly tissue sequestration of infected blood cells. Re-appearance of parasitaemia in spring seems to result from increased erythrocytic merogony, therefore representing recrudescence and not relapse in blood-inoculated canaries. Further, the study highlights strengths and limitations of the RNAscope ISH technology for the detection of rare parasite stages in tissues, providing directions for future research on persistence and tissue sequestration of avian malaria and related haemosporidian parasites