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From trash to teacher: utilizing unlabeled, unsealed, and unprocessed specimens for community engagement
No full textMembers of our society are currently spending an increasing amount of time engaging in virtual (digital) experiences and less time engaging in reality, including nature. It is imperative that people maintain a connection to the natural world and understand the value of natural history specimens. To facilitate that goal, the Museums in Miniature (MiM) project provides a drawer of curated local insect specimens for display in schools, libraries, and other educational institutions. Specimens of abundant taxa, or those missing data or otherwise unsuitable for research, are used as “ambassador specimens” in these drawers. Drawers provide real-life examples of pollinators, pests, invasive species, and beautiful and intricate insects. Additionally, fact sheets and other resources about specimens and entomology in general are provided as digital and hard copies. Museums in Miniature was inspired by difficulties in museum outreach experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, when programs were entirely virtual. The first MiM drawers were created in 2022 at Clemson University and used exclusively in South Carolina, but since then the program has expanded to encompass the entire Southeast. Through partnerships with other natural history collections, suppliers, and volunteers, we aim to expand coverage and possibly even adapt the MiM model to disciplines beyond entomology
Factors affecting the innovativeness among Buffalo farmers in the Samsun province of Turkey
No full textInnovativeness is the degree of adoption and benefiting from innovations by an individual earlier than others. The early adoption of agricultural innovations contributes to a more effective and efficient production structure for farmers by increasing productivity, quantity, and quality. Although many studies have been conducted in the literature regarding innovation in producing different agricultural products, more research must be undertaken on buffalo production. This study aims to determine innovativeness among farmers raising buffalo in Samsun Province and to reveal the factors affecting it. The data consists of surveys of 184 farmers drawn by stratified random sampling. The research findings showed that large-scale farmers are more innovative than small-scale farmers. The factors affecting innovativeness are socioeconomic characteristics such as the age of the farmer, monthly income, and number of animals they own; and communication behaviors included the frequency of meeting with extension staff, the frequency of reading newspapers, the frequency of using the internet, and seeking the opinions of others on agricultural issues. Measures to be taken in the study area to diffuse innovations in buffalo farming are to provide support to farmers such as breeding animals, milking machines, and cooling tanks; to make farmer organizations more effective in the region, and to take adequate measures for the protection and sustainable use of pasture lands in the area, emphasizing the importance of environmental conservation and the role of farmers in achieving it
Lappula monocarpa, a new synonym of Lappula tenuis (Boraginaceae)
No full textLappula monocarpa is currently the sole described species within the genus Lappula characterized by the development of a single nutlet per fruit. However, since its initial publication, no additional specimens of L. monocarpa have been collected. Critical examination of type specimens, combined with field surveys and newly collected material, reveals that the diagnostic trait of L. monocarpa—the presence of a single nutlet per fruit—is not consistently observed and likely represents an aberrant specimen. Moreover, all other morphological characteristics of L. monocarpa, including indumentum, corolla, and nutlet features, align fully with those of L. tenuis. Based on this evidence, L. monocarpa is herein reduced to a synonym of L. tenuis
Advances in antioxidant therapies for epidermolysis bullosa management
No full textEpidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by skin and mucous membrane fragility. Oxidative stress is recognized as a major factor contributing to persistent and recurrent lesions. It can induce genomic damage, protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, pathological angiogenesis and hypoxia. Despite the severity of the condition, therapeutic options remain limited. Here we explore the potential role of antioxidant compounds in EB patients, incorporating these compounds as a novel cornerstone in EB management
Relationships of a new fossorial Microcambevinae catfish species from southern Brazil supporting multiple dorsal-fin losses in Listrura (Siluriformes, Trichomycteridae)
No full textExtreme reduction or loss of fins is a common evolutionary feature in fossorial and semifossorial trichomycterids. Here, we analyse the possible occurrence of independent evolutionary events of dorsal fin loss in Listrura, a genus of fossorial species endemic to the Atlantic Forest of eastern Brazil, in a molecular phylogenetic context involving all species of the genus, including three nominal species lacking a dorsal fin and another one that is described here. Ancestral state reconstruction analysis indicated the occurrence of three independent events of dorsal fin loss: one in the subgenus Listrura (L. menezesi) and two in the subgenus Prolistrura, in L. depinnai and in the clade comprising L. boticario and the new species. Osteological comparisons indicate that there are no intermediate stages in the genus; species either possess a well-developed dorsal fin or completely lack both the fin and its internal skeletal support. It was not possible to identify distinct environmental characteristics or ecological preferences between species with and without a dorsal fin. The new species is distinguished from L. boticario, its hypothesised sister species, by a different colour pattern, a different number of caudal-fin procurrent rays and interopercular odontodes, and a larger eye
First record of Selenops ab Logunov & Jäger, 2015 (Araneae, Selenopidae) from China, with first description of the female
No full textSelenops ab Logunov & Jäger, 2015 was originally described, based on a male specimen collected from Vietnam, with the female remaining unknown.Based on specimens collected from Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province, the female of Selenops ab Logunov & Jäger, 2015 is described for the first time. This species is newly recorded from China
Conservation profile of endemic species of Berberis from Ecuador (Berberidaceae, Ranunculales)
No full textThe plant family Berberidaceae is represented in Ecuador by a single genus, Berberis. It comprises 15 species, seven endemic to the high Andean forests and páramos above 2,400 meters of altitude. These ecosystems, globally recognized for their exceptional biodiversity, are increasingly threatened by fragmentation and degradation, placing endemic species at serious risk of extinction. The conservation status of Berberis species in Ecuador was last assessed more than 20 years ago, underscoring the urgent need for a comprehensive and updated evaluation.This study presents IUCN Red List assessments for all endemic species of the genus Berberis in Ecuador. Incorporating the latest taxonomic revision, we evaluate Berberis engleriana and B. rigida for the first time. Among the five species previously assessed, three have retained their original conservation status, while two are now classified under a higher threat category. Conservation measures are proposed to mitigate extinction risk and support the preservation of these species
Treachery pigmentation pattern leads to misidentification: Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius), Tapinoma pygmaeum (Dufour) and Tapinoma jandai sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)
No full textDiscrete color morphs of ants, in the case reported here morphs with whitish versus blackish gaster pigmentation, may be misinterpreted as different species. This became clear in a morphometric study including 91 worker individuals of Tapinoma jandai sp. nov., Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fabricius, 1793) and Tapinoma pygmaeum (Dufour, 1857). The three species are clearly separable by a principal component analysis of 17 morphological characters under exclusion of pigmentation characters. This result is confirmed by a clear separation in a linear discriminant analysis with the classification of any specimen being confirmed with posterior probabilities of p > 0.9994. The study showed that just the holotype series of Tapinoma pithecorum Seifert, 2022 is a rare color variant of Tapinoma pygmaeum and consequently the former taxon is a junior synonym of the latter. In contrast, all remaining samples that formed the basis of the description of Tapinoma pithecorum are recognized as an undescribed species which is introduced here as Tapinoma jandai sp. nov. A consideration of 14 taxa of minute species showing similarities to the new species revealed that none of these is suspected of representing a senior synonym of T. jandai sp. nov. and that Tapinoma indicum Forel, 1895 should be transferred to the genus Ravavy Fisher, 2009. Based on examples in Formica, Camponotus, Cardiocondyla and the two cases reported here, it is argued that ant classification by simple color patterns is under increased risk of misclassification
Two new species and a new record of Comesomatidae (Nematoda, Araeolaimida) from the Southern Ocean
No full textTwo new marine nematode species of the genus Sabatieria and a new record of Hopperia beaglense Chen & Vincx, 1998 belonging to the family Comesomatidae are described from the Southern Ocean using morphological and molecular data. Sabatieria cosmonautae sp. nov. is characterized by body length 1786–2230 μm, short cephalic setae, lateral differentiation of body cuticle with sparse punctations starting from amphid to near tail tip, spiral amphidial fovea with three turns, spicules arcuate and 1.2–1.5 cloacal body diameters long, with straight dorso-caudal gubernacular apophyses, and 16 or 17 precloacal supplements. Sabatieria crassilonga sp. nov. is characterized by body length 2628–3613 μm, short cephalic setae, cuticle with lateral differentiation of coarser and irregularly spaced punctations extending from anterior edge of amphid to the tail region, amphidial fovea spiral with 2.5 turns, males with spicules 1.2–1.5 cloacal body diameters long, gubernaculum with a long straight dorso-caudal apophysis, and 20 or 21 fine precloacal supplements. Hopperia beaglense, which was originally described from the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel, is recorded from the Southern Ocean for the first time. Phylogenetic analysis based on concatenated 18S + 28S rRNA sequences places the two new species and the new record within Comesomatidae. The tree topology shows Comesomatidae forming a well-supported monophyletic clade, whereas the genus Sabatieria is not monophyletic
First record of oarfish, Regalecus russellii (Actinopterygii, Lampriformes, Regalecidae), from Sri Lankan waters, Indian Ocean
No full textOarfishes, representing the family Regalecidae, are poorly known from the tropical Indian Ocean and are of exceptional interest in terms of their distribution. This study presents the first detailed morphological description of Regalecus russellii (Cuvier, 1816) based on the single specimen (2580 mm total length) collected from Sri Lankan waters on 27 October 2021. The morphological characters of the presently reported specimen well matched the key identification features of R. russellii reported from the eastern and western Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. This report of R. russellii from the Indian Ocean provides vital information on their biology and distribution