Articles

Caste-specific morphological modularity in the ant tribe Camponotini (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

The morphological structures of organisms form tightly integrated but mutually independent character complexes (modules) linked through common development and function. Even though their abundance, diversity, ...

Authors: A. Laciny, H. L. Nemeschkal, H. Zettel, B. Metscher and I. S. Druzhinina

Nerves innervating copulatory organs show common FMRFamide, FVRIamide, MIP and serotonin immunoreactivity patterns across Dinophilidae (Annelida) indicating their conserved role in copulatory behaviour

Males of the microscopic annelid family Dinophilidae use their prominent glandomuscular copulatory organ (penis) to enzymatically dissolve the female’s epidermis and thereafter inject sperm. In order to test f...

Authors: Alexandra Kerbl, Emilie Winther Tolstrup and Katrine Worsaae

Spatial distribution and seasonal movement patterns of reintroduced Chinese giant salamanders

Very little is known about the temporal or spatial movement patterns of Chinese giant salamanders (Andrias davidianus) due to their rarity, remote habitat and secretive nature. Commercial breeding farms provide a...

Authors: Lu Zhang, Hu Zhao, Scott Willard, Qijun Wang, Wei Jiang, Hong-Xing Zhang and Andrew Kouba

Ecology and trophic role of Oncholaimus dyvae sp. nov. (Nematoda: Oncholaimidae) from the lucky strike hydrothermal vent field (Mid-Atlantic Ridge)

Nematodes are an important component of deep-sea hydrothermal vent communities, but only few nematode species are able to cope to the harsh conditions of the most active vent sites. The genus Oncholaimus is known...

Authors: Daniela Zeppilli, Laure Bellec, Marie-Anne Cambon-Bonavita, Wilfrida Decraemer, Diego Fontaneto, Sandra Fuchs, Nicolas Gayet, Perrine Mandon, Loïc N. Michel, Marie Portail, Nic Smol, Martin V. Sørensen, Ann Vanreusel and Jozée Sarrazin

Fishing for iodine: what aquatic foraging by bonobos tells us about human evolution

Expansion of brain tissue and development of advanced cognitive skills are characteristic traits of human evolution. Their emergence has been causally linked to the intake of nutrients that promote brain devel...

Authors: Gottfried Hohmann, Sylvia Ortmann, Thomas Remer and Barbara Fruth

Sexual, ontogenetic, and geographic variation of the Neotropical freshwater ostracod Cytheridella ilosvayi

The Neotropics are considered to represent one of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth. Nonetheless, many species are assumed to have widespread distributions and occur in the entire Neotropical range....

Authors: Claudia Wrozyna, Juliane Meyer, Martin Gross, Maria Ines F. Ramos and Werner E. Piller

Nasal administration of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) elicits sperm production in Fowler’s toads (Anaxyrus fowleri)

Declining amphibian populations around the world necessitate the establishment of captive assurance colonies as a hedge against extinction. For species that are difficult to breed in captivity, assisted reprod...

Authors: Allison R. Julien, Andrew J. Kouba, David Kabelik, Jean M. Feugang, Scott T. Willard and Carrie K. Kouba

Elevated neopterin levels in wild, healthy chimpanzees indicate constant investment in unspecific immune system

Ecological immunology proposes that the optimal immune defence, and the costs coming with it, vary across environments. In environments with higher pathogen load, the immune system should experience greater ch...

Authors: Verena Behringer, Jeroen M. G. Stevens, Roman M. Wittig, Catherine Crockford, Klaus Zuberbühler, Fabian H. Leendertz and Tobias Deschner

External body temperature and vigilance to a lesser extent track variation in predation risk in domestic fowls

The animal ecology literature proposes the view that predation risk induces fear in prey animals, but it is also possible that behavioral and physiological changes induced by predation risk are not associated ...

Authors: Guy Beauchamp

Structure and function of the musculoskeletal ovipositor system of an ichneumonid wasp

Modifications of the ovipositor appear to have played a prominent role in defining the host range of parasitoid hymenopterans, highlighting an important contributing factor in shaping their oviposition strateg...

Authors: Benjamin Eggs, Annette I. Birkhold, Oliver Röhrle and Oliver Betz

Could prenatal sound discrimination predict vocal complexity later in life?

Greater complexity of the learned vocal repertoire has been shown to increase mating and territory defence success in songbirds. Vocal learning in some songbird species begins in the egg and these songbird emb...

Authors: Sonia Kleindorfer, Christine Evans, Mark E. Hauber and Diane Colombelli-Négrel

Immunosenescence in a captive semelparous marsupial, the red-tailed phascogale (Phascogale calura)

The red-tailed phascogale is a ‘Near Threatened’ dasyurid marsupial. Males are semelparous and die off shortly after the breeding season in the wild due to a stress-related syndrome, which has many physiologic...

Authors: Corinne Letendre, Ethan Sawyer, Lauren J. Young and Julie M. Old

Turbulence exposure recapitulates desperate behavior in late-stage sand dollar larvae

A common life cycle pattern in benthic-dwelling taxa in the ocean is an obligate pre-competent dispersal period of microscopic propagules followed by their entry into a competent period, during which they are cap...

Authors: Jason Hodin, Matthew C. Ferner, Gabriel Ng and Brian Gaylord

Natural selection in bats with historical exposure to white-nose syndrome

Hibernation allows animals to survive periods of resource scarcity by reducing their energy expenditure through decreased metabolism. However, hibernators become susceptible to psychrophilic pathogens if they ...

Authors: Markéta Harazim, Ivan Horáček, Lucie Jakešová, Kristína Luermann, Jiří C. Moravec, Shannon Morgan, Jiri Pikula, Petr Sosík, Zuzana Vavrušová, Alexandra Zahradníková Jr., Jan Zukal and Natália Martínková

Life as a fortress – structure, function, and adaptive values of morphological and chemical defense in the oribatid mite Euphthiracarus reticulatus (Actinotrichida)

Oribatid mites are among the primordial decomposer faunal elements and potential prey organisms in soil. Among their myriad morphological defenses are strong sclerotization and mineralization, cuticular tecta,...

Authors: Michael Heethoff, Adrian Brückner, Sebastian Schmelzle, Mario Schubert, Maria Bräuer, Reinhard Meusinger, Stefan Dötterl, Roy A. Norton and Günther Raspotnig

The future of clay model studies

Many intriguing questions about predator-prey interactions can be addressed by using clay models of prey animals. These are placed in the field to test predators’ avoidances or preferences (testing e.g. color ...

Authors: Daniela C. Rößler, Heike Pröhl and Stefan Lötters

Brain investment under colony-level selection: soldier specialization in Eciton army ants (Formicidae: Dorylinae)

In eusocial animal colonies, individuals from different castes often play divergent behavioral roles and confront distinct cognitive demands. Neuroecology theory predicts variation in cognitive demands will co...

Authors: Sean O’Donnell, Susan Bulova, Meghan Barrett and Christoph von Beeren

Three new species of the fairy shrimp Eubranchipus Verill, 1870 (Branchiopoda: Anostraca) from northern Japan and far Eastern Russia

Small crustaceans in the order Anostraca that lack a carapace are commonly referred to as fairy shrimps. Eubranchipus is an Anostracan genus distributed across the Holarctic region. E. uchidai has been recorded o...

Authors: Norihito Takahashi, Takashi Kitano, Yushi Hatanaka, Yoshiyuki Nagahata, Yu A. Tshistjakov, Masayoshi Hamasaki, Hiraku Moriya, Keiji Igarashi and Kazuo Umetsu

Molecular phylogeny of the Palaearctic butterfly genus Pseudophilotes (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) with focus on the Sardinian endemic P. barbagiae

The Palaearctic butterfly genus Pseudophilotes Beuret, 1958 (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae), that today occurs in North Africa and in Eurasia, includes ten described species with various distribution ranges, includin...

Authors: Valentina Todisco, Andrea Grill, Konrad Fiedler, Brigitte Gottsberger, Vlad Dincă, Raluca Vodă, Vladimir Lukhtanov and Harald Letsch

The effects of group versus intensive housing on the retention of genetic diversity in insurance populations

Retention of genetic diversity and demographic sustainability are the cornerstones of conservation breeding success. In theory, monogamous breeding with equal reproductive output will retain genetic diversity ...

Authors: Rebecca M. Gooley, Carolyn J. Hogg, Katherine Belov and Catherine E. Grueber

Low H₂O₂ and enhanced oxidative resistance in the diapause-destined pupa of silkworm, Antheraea mylitta (Lepidoptera:Saturniidae) suggest their possible involvement in dormancy and lifespan extension

Insect diapause is associated with physiological dormancy, extension of life span and an altered developmental programme. Reactive oxygen species, oxidative damaged products and antioxidants are being increasi...

Authors: Alpana Sahoo, Abinash Dutta, Jagneshwar Dandapat and Luna Samanta

Demography of a small, isolated tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) population in a semi-arid region of western India

Tiger populations have declined globally due to poaching, prey depletion, and habitat loss. The westernmost tiger population of Ranthambhore in India is typified by bottlenecks, small size, and isolation; prob...

Authors: Ayan Sadhu, Peter Prem Chakravarthi Jayam, Qamar Qureshi, Raghuvir Singh Shekhawat, Sudarshan Sharma and Yadvendradev Vikramsinh Jhala

Indigenous house mice dominate small mammal communities in northern Afghan military bases

Small mammals are important reservoirs for pathogens in military conflicts and peacekeeping operations all over the world. This study investigates the rodent communities in three military bases in Northern Afg...

Authors: Christoph Gertler, Mathias Schlegel, Miriam Linnenbrink, Rainer Hutterer, Patricia König, Bernhard Ehlers, Kerstin Fischer, René Ryll, Jens Lewitzki, Sabine Sauer, Kathrin Baumann, Angele Breithaupt, Michael Faulde, Jens P. Teifke, Diethard Tautz and Rainer G. Ulrich

High-resolution monitoring from birth to sexual maturity of a male reef manta ray, Mobula alfredi, held in captivity for 7 years: changes in external morphology, behavior, and steroid hormones levels

In this study, we report the first case of a male reef manta ray, Mobula alfredi, becoming sexually mature in captivity and present its reproductive characteristics.

Authors: Ryo Nozu, Kiyomi Murakumo, Rui Matsumoto, Yosuke Matsumoto, Nagisa Yano, Masaru Nakamura, Makio Yanagisawa, Keiichi Ueda and Keiichi Sato

Effects of agrochemicals on disease severity of Acanthostomum burminis infections (Digenea: Trematoda) in the Asian common toad, Duttaphrynus melanostictus

Agrochemicals are widely used in many parts of the world posing direct and indirect threats to organisms. Xenobiotic-related disease susceptibility is a common phenomenon and a proposed cause of amphibian decl...

Authors: Uthpala A. Jayawardena, Jason R. Rohr, Priyanie H. Amerasinghe, Ayanthi N. Navaratne and Rupika S. Rajakaruna

White-nose syndrome fungus, Pseudogymnoascus destructans, on bats captured emerging from caves during winter in the southeastern United States

Emerging infectious diseases in wildlife are an increasing threat to global biodiversity. White-nose syndrome (WNS) in bats is one of the most recently emerged infectious diseases in North America, causing mas...

Authors: Riley F. Bernard, Emma V. Willcox, Katy L. Parise, Jeffrey T. Foster and Gary F. McCracken

Whole mitochondrial genomes provide increased resolution and indicate paraphyly in deer mice

Recent phylogenies of deer mice, genus Peromyscus, have relied heavily on mitochondrial markers. These markers provided resolution at and below the level of species groups, but relationships among species groups ...

Authors: Kevin A. M. Sullivan, Roy N. Platt II, Robert D. Bradley and David A. Ray

Micro-CT imaging of live insects using carbon dioxide gas-induced hypoxia as anesthetic with minimal impact on certain subsequent life history traits

Live imaging of whole invertebrates can be accomplished with X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) at 10-100 μm spatial resolution. However, image quality could be compromised by the movement of live subj...

Authors: Danny Poinapen, Joanna K. Konopka, Joseph U. Umoh, Chris J. D. Norley, Jeremy N. McNeil and David W. Holdsworth

Shoaling promotes place over response learning but does not facilitate individual learning of that strategy in zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Flexible spatial memory, such as “place” learning, is an important adaptation to assist successful foraging and to avoid predation and is thought to be more adaptive than response learning which requires a con...

Authors: Claire L. McAroe, Cathy M. Craig and Richard A. Holland

Erratum to: Survey of avifauna of the Gharana wetland reserve: implications for conservation in a semi-arid agricultural setting on the Indo-Pakistan border

Authors: Pushpinder S. Jamwal, Pankaj Chandan, Rohit Rattan, Anupam Anand, Prameek M. Kannan and Michael H. Parsons

Survey of avifauna of the Gharana wetland reserve: implications for conservation in a semi-arid agricultural setting on the Indo-Pakistan border

The Gharana wetland conservation reserve (GWCR) is a semi-arid wetland adjacent to agricultural areas on the Indo-Pakistani border. Despite being declared an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International...

Authors: Pushpinder S. Jamwal, Pankaj Chandan, Rohit Rattan, Anupam Anand, Prameek M. Kannan and Michael H. Parsons

Rediscovering a forgotten canid species

The African wolf, for which we herein recognise Canis lupaster Hemprich and Ehrenberg, 1832 (Symbolae Physicae quae ex Itinere Africam Borealem er Asoam Occidentalem Decas Secunda. Berlin, 1833) as the valid spec...

Authors: Suvi Viranta, Anagaw Atickem, Lars Werdelin and Nils Chr. Stenseth

Tracking the migration of a nocturnal aerial insectivore in the Americas

Populations of Eastern Whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferous) appear to be declining range-wide. While this could be associated with habitat loss, declines in populations of many other species of migratory aeria...

Authors: Philina A. English, Alexander M. Mills, Michael D. Cadman, Audrey E. Heagy, Greg J. Rand, David J. Green and Joseph J. Nocera

Caenorhabditis monodelphis sp. n.: defining the stem morphology and genomics of the genus Caenorhabditis

The genus Caenorhabditis has been central to our understanding of metazoan biology. The best-known species, Caenorhabditis elegans, is but one member of a genus with around 50 known species, and knowledge of thes...

Authors: Dieter Slos, Walter Sudhaus, Lewis Stevens, Wim Bert and Mark Blaxter

LemurFaceID: a face recognition system to facilitate individual identification of lemurs

Long-term research of known individuals is critical for understanding the demographic and evolutionary processes that influence natural populations. Current methods for individual identification of many animal...

Authors: David Crouse, Rachel L. Jacobs, Zach Richardson, Scott Klum, Anil Jain, Andrea L. Baden and Stacey R. Tecot

Nymphister kronaueri von Beeren & Tishechkin sp. nov., an army ant-associated beetle species (Coleoptera: Histeridae: Haeteriinae) with an exceptional mechanism of phoresy

For more than a century we have known that a high diversity of arthropod species lives in close relationship with army ant colonies. For instance, several hundred guest species have been described to be associ...

Authors: Christoph von Beeren and Alexey K. Tishechkin

Endocrine correlates of puberty in female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at the Pinnawala elephant orphanage, Sri Lanka

Previous studies have established ovarian cycle characteristics of adult Asian elephants using progestagen analyses, but little work has been done on young elephants to determine age at puberty. Demographic st...

Authors: Samanthi Mendis, Niromi K. Jayasekera, Rajapakshalage C. Rajapakse and Janine L. Brown

Sex-specific patterns in body mass and mating system in the Siberian flying squirrel

Reproductive strategies and evolutionary pressures differ between males and females. This often results in size differences between the sexes, and also in sex-specific seasonal variation in body mass. Seasonal...

Authors: Vesa Selonen, Ralf Wistbacka and Andrea Santangeli

Body condition scoring of Bornean banteng in logged forests

The Bornean banteng (Bos javanicus lowi) is an endangered subspecies that often inhabits logged forest; however very little is known about the effects of logging on their ecology, despite the differing effects th...

Authors: Naomi S. Prosser, Penny C. Gardner, Jeremy A. Smith, Jocelyn Goon Ee Wern, Laurentius N. Ambu and Benoit Goossens

BMC Zoology – a home for all zoological research in the BMC series

This editorial accompanies the launch of BMC Zoology, a new open access, peer-reviewed journal within the BMC series that considers manuscripts on all aspects of zoology. BMC Zoology will increase and disseminate...

Authors: Dirk Krüger, Laurence Packer, Thomas Flatt, Herbert Hoi, Serge Morand, Bernhard Lieb, Luiz R. Malabarba and M. Brock Fenton

Active parental care, reproductive performance, and a novel egg predator affecting reproductive investment in the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus

We used the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus, one of the largest brooding invertebrates in the Western Atlantic, to test for the presence/absence of active parental care and to explore reproductive perform...

Authors: J. Antonio Baeza, Lunden Simpson, Louis J. Ambrosio, Nathalia Mora, Rodrigo Guéron and Michael J. Childress

A new species of Hirudo (Annelida: Hirudinidae): historical biogeography of Eurasian medicinal leeches

Species of Hirudo are used extensively for medicinal purposes, but are currently listed as endangered due to population declines from economic utilization and environmental pollution. In total, five species of Hi...

Authors: Naim Saglam, Ralph Saunders, Shirley A. Lang and Daniel H. Shain

Species-level divergences in multiple functional traits between the two endemic subspecies of Blue Chaffinches Fringilla teydea in Canary Islands

One of the biggest challenges in avian taxonomy is the delimitation of allopatric species because their reproductive incompatibility cannot be directly studied in the wild. Instead, reproductive incompatibilit...

Authors: Jan T. Lifjeld, Jarl Andreas Anmarkrud, Pascual Calabuig, Joseph E. J. Cooper, Lars Erik Johannessen, Arild Johnsen, Anna M. Kearns, Robert F. Lachlan, Terje Laskemoen, Gunnhild Marthinsen, Even Stensrud and Eduardo Garcia-del-Rey

The cellular basis of bioadhesion of the freshwater polyp Hydra

The freshwater cnidarian Hydra temporarily binds itself to numerous natural substrates encountered underwater, such as stones, leafs, etc. This adhesion is mediated by secreted material from specialized ectoderma...

Authors: Marcelo Rodrigues, Philippe Leclère, Patrick Flammang, Michael W. Hess, Willi Salvenmoser, Bert Hobmayer and Peter Ladurner

Understanding the dynamics of physiological impacts of environmental stressors on Australian marsupials, focus on the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

Since European settlement more than 10 % of Australia’s native fauna have become extinct and the current picture reflects 46 % are at various vulnerability stages. Australia’s iconic marsupial species, koala (Pha...

Authors: Edward J. Narayan and Michelle Williams

Host-parasite ecology, behavior and genetics: a review of the introduced fly parasite Philornis downsi and its Darwin’s finch hosts

Understanding host-parasite interactions requires that the multi-faceted relationships among ecological, behavioral and molecular processes be characterized and integrated. The introduced parasitic fly of birds,

Authors: Sonia Kleindorfer and Rachael Y. Dudaniec