[Ichthyology • 2023] Cambeva piraquara • A New Species of Cambeva (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from An Area of High Anthropogenic Impacts in the Headwaters of Rio Iguaçu, Southern Brazil

Cambeva piraquara 

 dos Reis, Wosiacki, Ferrer, Donin & da Graça, 2023

DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2022-0150 

 twitter.com/RenanB__Reis 

 

Abstract

Cambeva piraquara, sp. nov., a restricted-range and rare species last collected from over 20 years ago, is described from the Rio Piraquara, upper Rio Iguaçu basin, Rio Paraná (La Plata) system. The new species is distinguished from all congeners by having two conspicuous dark-brown longitudinal stripes on the inner skin layer of body over a plain yellowish background: a conspicuous wide and well-defined dark-brown longitudinal mid-lateral stripe extending from the opercular patch of odontodes to the first third of caudal-fin rays and a dorso-sagittal stripe comprising large and coalescent rounded blotches extending from occipital to the dorsal-fin base. We provide an illustrated osteological description and assess the conservation status of the new species, which faces several environmental impacts in the upper Rio Iguaçu basin.

Cambeva piraquara sp. nov. holotype: MPEG 39144, 41.6 mm SL,
Brazil, Paraná State, Piraquara, Rio Piraquara, a tributary of Rio Timbu, upper Rio Iguaçu basin, Rio Paraná system.

 Cambeva piraquara, sp. nov.

Etymology: The specific epithet “piraquara” is an indigenous word that means “fish hole” from the Tupi language: pira = fish and kuara = hole, cave, cavity, or hiding place (Ferreira 2006). The Piraquara River is also the type locality of the new species, a noun in apposition.

 

Renan B. dos Reis, Wolmar B. Wosiacki, Juliano Ferrer, Laura M. Donin and Weferson J. da Graça. 2023. A New Species of Cambeva (Siluriformes: Trichomycteridae) from An Area of High Anthropogenic Impacts in the Headwaters of Rio Iguaçu, Southern Brazil.  Canadian Journal of Zoology. DOI: 10.1139/cjz-2022-0150

  twitter.com/RenanB__Reis/status/1638189188125278208

 Researchgate.net/publication/369375051_A_new_species_of_Cambeva_from_the_headwaters_of_Rio_Iguacu_Southern_Brazil

[Mammalogy • 2022] Is Malaysia’s “Mystery Monkey” A Hybrid between Nasalis larvatus and Trachypithecus cristatus? An Assessment of Photographs

“mystery monkey”  evidence for a possible hybridization event between Nasalis larvatus and Trachypithecus cristatus

in Lhota, Yap, Benedict, ... et Ruppert, 2022.

DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00293-z 

  facebook.com/MarkLouisBenedict 

Abstract

Interspecific hybridization in primates is common but hybridization between distantly related sympatric primate species is rarely observed in the wild. We present evidence for a possible hybridization event between Nasalis larvatus and Trachypithecus cristatus in the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Sabah, through assessment of photographs. We used a set of categorical characters and metric measurements to compare the putative hybrid with the likely parent species. Nonmetric comparison showed that this “mystery monkey” is intermediate in several characters. Measurements of limb proportions on photographs showed that the brachial, humerofemoral, and intermembral indexes are above 100 for N. larvatus and below 100 for T. cristatus on all photographs, whereas the crural index is higher than 100 in both species and the distributions of this index in the two species overlap. Brachial and intermembral indices of the putative hybrid were similar to those of N. larvatus. Crural and humerofemoral indices were closer to the values for T. cristatus than those of N. larvatus. Multiple observers confirmed the occurrence of mixed-species groups in the area, and interspecific mating has been photographed. The putative hybrid is now an adult female and was last photographed in September 2020 with an infant and swollen breast, suggesting lactation. We propose further noninvasive fecal sampling for genetic analyses to confirm the origins of this “mystery monkey.” This case of hybridization may be related to anthropogenic changes to the landscape, whereby expansion of oil palm plantations confines N. larvatus and T. obscurus to narrow riverine forest patches along the Kinabatangan. This observation therefore also may have conservation implications, indicating limited mate access and dispersal opportunities for these threatened primates.

 

Keywords: Hybrid, Hybridization, Colobines, Proboscis monkey, Silvery lutung, Silvery langur, Interspecies interactions, Sabah

A. Juvenile “mystery monkey” near Kampung Bilit, Kinabatangan, Sabah, groomed by adult female Trachypithecus cristatus (likely the mother) (photo by Ken Ching, June 19, 2017). B. Subadult “mystery monkey,” alone (photo by Ben Duncan Angkee, November 17, 2018). In this photo, the individual may appear younger, because the phone camera had an automatic softening filter activated.

C. Subadult “mystery monkey,” alone, feeding (photo by Bob Shaw, November 17, 2018). D. Subadult “mystery monkey” with juvenile T. cristatus (in color change phase), adult female T. cristatus, and another T. cristatus individual while grooming (photo by Ken Ching, November 22, 2018).

 E. Adult male Nasalis larvatus mating with adult female T. cristatus in the same area (photo by Jean-Jay Mao, September 10, 2017). F. Adult putative hybrid now clearly identifiable as female with swollen breasts, holding an infant, which appears to be her offspring (photo by Nicole Lee, September 7, 2020)

Stanislav Lhota, Jo Leen Yap, Mark Louis Benedict, Ken Ching, Bob Shaw, Ben Duncan Angkee, Nicole Lee, Vendon Lee, Jean-Jay Mao and Nadine Ruppert. 2022. Is Malaysia’s “Mystery Monkey” A Hybrid between Nasalis larvatus and Trachypithecus cristatus? An Assessment of Photographs. International Journal of Primatology. DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00293-z

facebook.com/MarkLouisBenedict/posts/10227273555413697

 

[Herpetology • 2021] Leiocephalus roquetus • Historical and Fossil Evidence of An Extinct Endemic Species of Leiocephalus (Squamata: Leiocephalidae) from the Guadeloupe Islands

Leiocephalus roquetus 

 Bochaton, Charles & Lenoble, 2021

DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4927.3.4 

 twitter.com/PACEA_Bordeaux 

Abstract

Documenting recent extinction events against the backdrop of increasing human-induced environmental pressure is complicated by the lack of historical and subfossil evidence for most parts of the world. This paucity of data renders it particularly difficult to evaluate the human impact on fragile environments, such as small islands, that may have been heavily altered by historical human exploitation. Here we describe a new species of an extinct Leiocephalus lizard from Guadeloupe, Leiocephalus roquetus sp. nov. based on recent discoveries of both a previously undocumented historically taxidermy specimen and of a large assemblage of subfossil bone remains from La Désirade Island. This new species presents a primitive morphology compared to all extant species of its genus and provides evidence for the past existence of a Lesser Antillean clade of Leiocephalus lizards that was completely wiped out in the centuries following the European colonization of these islands. Our study demonstrates how paleontological approaches can help to better understand the history of human environmental impact as well as the degree of degradation of modern ecosystems.

Keywords: Reptilia, Curlytail lizard, Extinction, Human Impact, Lesser Antilles, Osteology

 Leiocephalus roquetus sp. nov.  

Corentin Bochaton, Laurent Charles and Arnaud Lenoble. 2021. Historical and Fossil Evidence of An Extinct Endemic Species of Leiocephalus (Squamata: Leiocephalidae) from the Guadeloupe Islands. Zootaxa. 4927(3); 383–409. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4927.3.4

  twitter.com/PACEA_Bordeaux/status/1361238775372935168

[PaleoMammalogy • 2020] Environmental Drivers of Megafauna and Hominin Extinction in Southeast Asia

 

A savannah in Middle Pleistocene Southeast Asia. 

 foreground: stegodon, hyenas, and Asian rhinos (Rhinoceros).

 background: water buffalo can be seen at the edge of a riparian forest

in Louys & Roberts, 2020. 

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2810-y

 Illustration: Peter Schouten  

Abstract

Southeast Asia has emerged as an important region for understanding hominin and mammalian migrations and extinctions. High-profile discoveries have shown that Southeast Asia has been home to at least five members of the genus Homo. Considerable turnover in Pleistocene megafauna has previously been linked with these hominins or with climate change, although the region is often left out of discussions of megafauna extinctions. In the traditional hominin evolutionary core of Africa, attempts to establish the environmental context of hominin evolution and its association with faunal changes have long been informed by stable isotope methodologies. However, such studies have largely been neglected in Southeast Asia. Here we present a large-scale dataset of stable isotope data for Southeast Asian mammals that spans the Quaternary period. Our results demonstrate that the forests of the Early Pleistocene had given way to savannahs by the Middle Pleistocene, which led to the spread of grazers and extinction of browsers—although geochronological limitations mean that not all samples can be resolved to glacial or interglacial periods. Savannahs retreated by the Late Pleistocene and had completely disappeared by the Holocene epoch, when they were replaced by highly stratified closed-canopy rainforest. This resulted in the ascendency of rainforest-adapted species as well as Homo sapiens—which has a unique adaptive plasticity among hominins—at the expense of savannah and woodland specialists, including Homo erectus. At present, megafauna are restricted to rainforests and are severely threatened by anthropogenic deforestation.

 

Biogeography, Biological anthropology, Ecosystem ecology, Environmental impact, Palaeontology

Artist’s reconstruction of a savannah in Middle Pleistocene Southeast Asia. In the foreground Homo erectus, stegodon, hyenas, and Asian rhinos are depicted. Water buffalo can be seen at the edge of a riparian forest in the background. 

  Illustration: Peter Schouten 

Julien Louys and Patrick Roberts. 2020. Environmental drivers of megafauna and hominin extinction in Southeast Asia. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2810-y

Past Tropical Forest Changes Drove Megafauna and Hominin Extinctions

New biochemical research shows significant turnovers in Southeast Asian environments and animals during the Pleistocene

shh.mpg.de/1873324/past-tropical-forest-changes-drove-megafauna-and-hominin-extinctions

phys.org/news/2020-10-tropical-forest-drove-megafauna-hominin.html

    

[Herpetology • 2019] Might Dendrelaphis caudolineatus (Gray, 1834) (Squamata: Colubridae) present in India?

 Dendrelaphis caudolineatus (Gray, 1834)

in Patel, Vyas & Dudhatra, 2019. 

 DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4571.2.9 

  facebook.com/HarshilPatel3760

The colubrid snake genus Dendrelaphis comprises of 45 species (Uetz et al. 2018) of which eleven currently occurs in India (Aengals et al. 2018). A member of this genus, Dendrelaphis caudolineatus (Gray, 1834), was once considered a wide-ranging species in Southeast Asia, the Philippines and the Indo-Australian Archipelago, until Van Rooijen & Vogel (2012) resolved taxonomy of this species complex. Now its range is restricted from southern Thailand to Sundaland (Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Billiton and Borneo; presence doubtful in Java of Indonesia) (Van Rooijen & Vogel 2012).

....

 Harshil Patel, Raju Vyas and Bhautik Dudhatra. 2019. Might Dendrelaphis caudolineatus (Gray, 1834) (Squamata: Colubridae) present in India? Zootaxa. 4571(2); 278–280. DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4571.2.9  

 facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10218708614407432

Slithering Through Sea Routes: New Snake Species Finds its Way to Gujarat Port City news18.com/news/india/slithering-through-sea-routes-new-snake-species-finds-its-way-to-gujarat-port-city-2080693.html

[PaleoOrnithology • 2017] Ancient DNA and Morphometric Analysis Reveal Extinction and Replacement of New Zealand's Unique Black Swans, Cygnus sumnerensis

The skeleton of the poūwa, Cygnus sumnerensis (Forbes, 1890) 

Rawlence, Kardamaki, Easton, et al. 2017.

 Ancient DNA and Morphometric Analysis Reveal Extinction and Replacement of New Zealand's Unique Black Swans.  Proceedings of the Royal Society B.  DOI:  10.1098/rspb.2017.0876 

Abstract

Prehistoric human impacts on megafaunal populations have dramatically reshaped ecosystems worldwide. However, the effects of human exploitation on smaller species, such as anatids (ducks, geese, and swans) are less clear. In this study we apply ancient DNA and osteological approaches to reassess the history of Australasia's iconic black swans (Cygnus atratus) including the palaeo-behaviour of prehistoric populations. Our study shows that at the time of human colonization, New Zealand housed a genetically, morphologically, and potentially ecologically distinct swan lineage (Cygnus sumnerensis, Poūwa), divergent from modern (Australian) C. atratus. Morphological analyses indicate C. sumnerensis exhibited classic signs of the ‘island rule’ effect, being larger, and likely flight-reduced compared to C. atratus. Our research reveals sudden extinction and replacement events within this anatid species complex, coinciding with recent human colonization of New Zealand. This research highlights the role of anthropogenic processes in rapidly reshaping island ecosystems and raises new questions for avian conservation, ecosystem re-wilding, and de-extinction.

KEYWORDS:  ancient-DNA, Australia, black swan, Chatham Islands, Cygnus atratus, Cygnus sumnerensis, Q1 extinction, island rule, New Zealand, Poūwa, recolonization

The skeleton of the extinct poūwa.

Jean-Claude Stahl / Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa 

The mounted bones of an extinct poūwa.

Photo: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa

Nicolas J. Rawlence, Afroditi Kardamaki, Luke J. Easton, Alan J. D. Tennyson, R. Paul Scofield and Jonathan M. Waters. 2017. Ancient DNA and Morphometric Analysis Reveal Extinction and Replacement of New Zealand's Unique Black Swans.
 Proceedings of the Royal Society B.  DOI:  10.1098/rspb.2017.0876

https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/3900672/Ancient-DNA-and-morphometric-analysis-reveal.pdf

 Introducing the Poūwa: New Zealand’s unique and ill-fated black swan
sciblogs.co.nz/guestwork/2017/07/26/introducing-pouwa-new-zealands-unique-ill-fated-black-swan/  @sciblogsnz

The legend of Poūwa: ancient myths of New Zealand's black swan confirmed by fossil DNA
 theconversation.com/the-legend-of-pouwa-ancient-myths-of-new-zealands-black-swan-confirmed-by-fossil-dna-81611 @ConversationEDU

NZ's ill-fated burly black swan  radionz.co.nz/news/national/335850/nz-s-ill-fated-burly-black-swan

  

[Archaeology • 2016] Earliest “Domestic” Cats in China Identified as Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis)

Abstract

The ancestor of all modern domestic cats is the wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, with archaeological evidence indicating it was domesticated as early as 10,000 years ago in South-West Asia. A recent study, however, claims that cat domestication also occurred in China some 5,000 years ago and involved the same wildcat ancestor (F. silvestris). The application of geometric morphometric analyses to ancient small felid bones from China dating between 5,500 to 4,900 BP, instead reveal these and other remains to be that of the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). These data clearly indicate that the origins of a human-cat ‘domestic’ relationship in Neolithic China began independently from South-West Asia and involved a different wild felid species altogether. The leopard cat’s ‘domestic’ status, however, appears to have been short-lived—its apparent subsequent replacement shown by the fact that today all domestic cats in China are genetically related to F. silvestris.

Fig 2. Geometric morphometric analyses of the five archaeological Chinese cat mandibles.
 Left column: lateral view of the mandibles—the first and the fourth specimens being transposed right side left, the scale bare represents 1cm. Middle column: Boxplot comparison of centroid size of the archaeological specimen (A), with those of modern: domestic cat (Dom), leopard cat (Pb), European wildcat (Fss) and SW Asian wildcat (Fsl). Right column: species identification of the specimen based on discriminant analyses computed on mandible shape variables. Percentages within brackets correspond to the probability of being identified as Pb.

 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147295  

Fig 1. Modern distribution of wild felid species, archaeological site location and mandible shape relationship between modern wild felid species and domestic cat.
(A), Modern Old World distribution of the different wild cat subspecies (Felis silvestris) and the leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), and location of the three Middle-Late Neolithic sites of the Shaanxi and Henan Provinces (China) analyzed in this paper: 1, Quanhucun, 2, Wuzhuangguoliang, 3, Xiawanggang;
 (B), Phenotypic relationship (unrooted neighbour joining tree) built on mandible shape distances between modern domestic cat (F. catus), leopard cat (P. bengalensis) and the two relevant sub-species of wild cat (F. s. silvestris; F. s. lybica) from our analyses.  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147295 

Jean-Denis Vigne, Allowen Evin, Thomas Cucchi, Lingling Dai, Chong Yu, Songmei Hu, Nicolas Soulages, Weilin Wang, Zhouyong Sun, Jiangtao Gao, Keith Dobney and Jing Yuan. 2016. Earliest “Domestic” Cats in China Identified as Leopard Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis). PLoS ONE. 11(1): e0147295.  DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147295

Earliest Cat Domesticated in China Was the Leopard Cat, Scientists Say http://on.natgeo.com/29c0FdI via @NatGeo

[Geology • 2015] Defining the Anthropocene

Nuclear Explosion over Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands on March 26, 1954.

Photograph: Corbis | doi:10.1038/nature14258

Time is divided by geologists according to marked shifts in Earth’s state. Recent global environmental changes suggest that Earth may have entered a new human-dominated geological epoch, the Anthropocene. Here we review the historical genesis of the idea and assess anthropogenic signatures in the geological record against the formal requirements for the recognition of a new epoch. The evidence suggests that of the various proposed dates two do appear to conform to the criteria to mark the beginning of the Anthropocene: 1610 and 1964. The formal establishment of an Anthropocene Epoch would mark a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and the Earth system.

.......

doi:10.1038/nature14258

a, GTS2012, with boundaries marked in millions of years (ref. 10). b, c, The alternatives include a defined Anthropocene Epoch following either the Holocene (b) or directly following the Pleistocene (c). Defining the Anthropocene as an epoch requires a decision as to whether the Holocene is as distinct as the Anthropocene and Pleistocene; retaining it or not distinguishes between b and c. The question mark represents the current debate over the start of the Anthropocene, assuming it is formally accepted as an epoch (see Box 1, Fig. 2). Colour coding is used according to the Commission for the Geological Map of the World10, except for the Anthropocene.

doi:10.1038/nature14258

 (a) Current boundary between the Pleistocene and Holocene (dashed line), with global temperature (blue), and atmospheric CO2 (red). (b) Early Anthropogenic methane GSSP suggested boundary (dashed line), atmospheric methane (in parts per billion, p.p.b.) (green), global temperature (blue), and atmospheric CO2 (red). (c) Orbis GSSP suggested boundary (dashed line), atmospheric CO2 (blue), and global temperature (red). (d) Bomb GSSP suggested boundary (dashed line), atmospheric radiocarbon from annual tree-rings (black), atmospheric CO2 (red), and global temperature (blue).
Illustration: Simon L. Lews & Mark A. Maslin doi:10.1038/nature14258

Simon L. Lews & Mark A. Maslin. 2015. Defining the Anthropocene. Nature. 519: 171–180 doi:10.1038/nature14258 | 10.1038/nature.2015.16739

The Human Epoch: when did it start? | @BobOHara & @GrrlScientist http://gu.com/p/46h8b/stw

New study argues the Anthropocene began in 1610 http://news.mongabay.com/2015/0311-hance-anthropocene-1610.html via @mongabay

Epoch-defining study pinpoints when humans came to dominate planet Earth http://phy.so/345298759 via @physorg_com

[News • 2013] The Phylogeny of Little Red Riding Hood: Study Provides Insights into Origins, Evolution of Folktales

Little Red Riding Hood

by Arthur Rackham, 1909.

Abstract

Researchers have long been fascinated by the strong continuities evident in the oral traditions associated with different cultures. According to the ‘historic-geographic’ school, it is possible to classify similar tales into “international types” and trace them back to their original archetypes. However, critics argue that folktale traditions are fundamentally fluid, and that most international types are artificial constructs. Here, these issues are addressed using phylogenetic methods that were originally developed to reconstruct evolutionary relationships among biological species, and which have been recently applied to a range of cultural phenomena. The study focuses on one of the most debated international types in the literature: ATU 333, ‘Little Red Riding Hood’. A number of variants of ATU 333 have been recorded in European oral traditions, and it has been suggested that the group may include tales from other regions, including Africa and East Asia. However, in many of these cases, it is difficult to differentiate ATU 333 from another widespread international folktale, ATU 123, ‘The Wolf and the Kids’. To shed more light on these relationships, data on 58 folktales were analysed using cladistic, Bayesian and phylogenetic network-based methods. The results demonstrate that, contrary to the claims made by critics of the historic-geographic approach, it is possible to identify ATU 333 and ATU 123 as distinct international types. They further suggest that most of the African tales can be classified as variants of ATU 123, while the East Asian tales probably evolved by blending together elements of both ATU 333 and ATU 123. These findings demonstrate that phylogenetic methods provide a powerful set of tools for testing hypotheses about cross-cultural relationships among folktales, and point towards exciting new directions for research into the transmission and evolution of oral narratives.

Jamshid J. Tehrani. 2013. The Phylogeny of Little Red Riding Hood. PLoS ONE. 8 (11): e78871 DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0078871

Little Red Riding Hood: Study Provides Insights into Origins, Evolution of Folktales

According to Durham University anthropologist Dr Jamshid Tehrani, evolutionary analysis can be used to study similarities among folktales. His findings demonstrate that the Little Red Riding Hood shares an ancient root with another popular folktale the Wolf and the Kids, although the two are now distinct stories.

http://www.sci-news.com/othersciences/anthropology/science-little-red-riding-hood-origins-evolution-folktales-01546.html
http://phys.org/news/2013-11-mathematical-insights-evolution-folk-tales.html

[Mammalogy / Genetic • 2012] Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats | Genetic Study reveals How the Cheetah got its Stripes

The spots displayed by a typical cheetah (standing), compared with the blotched pattern of king cheetahs

[photo: The Ann van Dyk Cheetah Preserve]

Abstract

Color markings among felid species display both a remarkable diversity and a common underlying periodicity. A similar range of patterns in domestic cats suggests a conserved mechanism whose appearance can be altered by selection. We identified the gene responsible for tabby pattern variation in domestic cats as Transmembrane aminopeptidase Q (Taqpep), which encodes a membrane-bound metalloprotease. Analyzing 31 other felid species, we identified Taqpep as the cause of the rare king cheetah phenotype, in which spots coalesce into blotches and stripes. Histologic, genomic expression, and transgenic mouse studies indicate that paracrine expression of Endothelin3 (Edn3) coordinates localized color differences. We propose a two-stage model in which Taqpep helps to establish a periodic pre-pattern during skin development that is later implemented by differential expression of Edn3.

A leopard with distinctive stripes that was photographed from Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Palakkad district of Kerala, India

Kaelin CB, Xu X, Hong LZ, David VA, McGowan KA, Schmidt-Küntzel A, Roelke ME, Pino J, Pontius J, Cooper GM, Manuel H, Swanson WF, Marker L, Harper CK, van Dyk A, Yue B, Mullikin JC, Warren WC, Eizirik E, Kos L, O'Brien SJ, Barsh GS, Menotti-Raymond M. 2012. Specifying and Sustaining Pigmentation Patterns in Domestic and Wild Cats. Science. (6101): 1536-41.

doi:  dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1220893

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3709578/

Genetic Study reveals How the Cheetah got its Stripes

http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com

Feral cats in Northern California have enabled researchers to unlock the biological secret behind a rare, striped cheetah found only in sub-Saharan Africa, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, the National Cancer Institute and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama. The study is the first to identify a molecular basis of coat patterning in mammals.

The scientists found that the two felines share a biological mechanism responsible for both the elegant stripes on the tabby cat and the cheetah's normally dappled coat. Dramatic changes to the normal patterns occur when this pathway is disrupted: The resulting house cat has swirled patches of color rather than orderly stripes, and the normally spotted cheetah sports thick, dark lines down its back.

................

How the Tabby Got Its Blotches

http://news.sciencemag.org/plants-animals/2012/09/how-tabby-got-its-blotches

Genetic study reveals how the cheetah got its stripes

http://archaeologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2012/09/genetic-study-reveals-how-cheetah-got.html

A Leopard with distinctive stripes .. Caught on Camera installed for monitoring Tiger ...

http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/colour-camouflage-in-keralas-parambikulam-forests/article3658858.ece

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3659955.ece

[Primatology • 2013] Moolah, Misfortune or Spinsterhood? The Plight of the Slender Loris Loris lydekkerianus in Southern India

Slender Loris Loris lydekkerianus 

photo: Kalyan Varma
http://www.lifescapes.org.in/jungle-deodorant/

Photographers threatening the already-maligned slender loris 

http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0312-kimbrough-slender-loris-photos.html

Caught in a beam of torchlight, the eyes of the slender loris reflect back a striking glow. In an effort to better understand these shy, nocturnal primates, a team of researchers set out to the Western Ghats of India. The resulting paper: Moolah, Misfortune or Spinsterhood? The Plight of the Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus) in Southern India was published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa in January of 2013. Forest walks and interviews with the Kani people, who live in close proximity to the lorises, supported evidence of a surprising new threat to the lorises: photographers.

Endemic to both the Eastern and Western Ghats, the gray slender loris is represented by two subspecies, Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus and Loris lydekkerianus malabaricus. These insectivorous animals are distributed throughout wet evergreen forests, particularly in scrub forests and plantations and occur in greatest abundance in disturbed areas. Both subspecies are listed as a Least Concern Species by the IUCN Red List, and protected under the Indian Wildlife Act.

Despite their protected status the soft and wide-eyed loris, popularized by viral YouTube videos and Internet photos, has become a major commodity in the illegal pet trade. But, their live insect diet makes caring for them difficult and incredibly sensitive lorises do not fare well in captivity. Lorises are also surrounded by myth and folklore. Some lorises are captured for their purported medicinal properties, though this is becoming less common. Among the Kani people, at least, the loris is seen as a bad omen; an unmarried woman who glances at the animal is doomed to life-long spinsterhood, and a loris sighting in the forest predicts bad luck for the harvest of non-timber forest products.

........................

Kanagavel, A., Sinclair, C., Rajkumar, S., Raghave R. 2013. Moolah, Misfortune or Spinsterhood? The Plight of the Slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus) in Southern India. Journal of Threatneed Taxa. 3585-3588.

http://threatenedtaxa.org/index.asp?jid=106

http://threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJournal/2013/January/o326526i133585-3588.pdf

Photographers threatening the already-maligned slender loris 

http://news.mongabay.com/2013/0312-kimbrough-slender-loris-photos.html

http://indianbiodiversitytalk.blogspot.com/2013/02/unethical-wildlife-photographers-new.html

[Cetology / Animal Behaviour • 2013] Multivariate analysis of behavioural response experiments in humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae

how these gigantic aquatic mammals behave in response the the sounds of their own voices.

DOI: 10.1242/​jeb.071498 | http://facebook.com/JExpBiol

SUMMARY

The behavioural response study (BRS) is an experimental design used by field biologists to determine the function and/or behavioural effects of conspecific, heterospecific or anthropogenic stimuli. When carrying out these studies in marine mammals it is difficult to make basic observations and achieve sufficient samples sizes because of the high cost and logistical difficulties. Rarely are other factors such as social context or the physical environment considered in the analysis because of these difficulties. This paper presents results of a BRS carried out in humpback whales to test the response of groups to one recording of conspecific social sounds and an artificially generated tone stimulus. Experiments were carried out in September/October 2004 and 2008 during the humpback whale southward migration along the east coast of Australia. In total, 13 ‘tone’ experiments, 15 ‘social sound’ experiments (using one recording of social sounds) and three silent controls were carried out over two field seasons. The results (using a mixed model statistical analysis) suggested that humpback whales responded differently to the two stimuli, measured by changes in course travelled and dive behaviour. Although the response to ‘tones’ was consistent, in that groups moved offshore and surfaced more often (suggesting an aversion to the stimulus), the response to ‘social sounds’ was highly variable and dependent upon the composition of the social group. The change in course and dive behaviour in response to ‘tones’ was found to be related to proximity to the source, the received signal level and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). This study demonstrates that the behavioural responses of marine mammals to acoustic stimuli are complex. In order to tease out such multifaceted interactions, the number of replicates and factors measured must be sufficient for multivariate analysis.

KEY WORDS: behavioural response, BRS, social sounds, anthropogenic noise, humpback whales

Rebecca A. Dunlop, Michael J. Noad, Douglas H. Cato, Eric Kniest, Patrick J. O. Miller, Joshua N. Smith and M. Dale Stokes. 2013. Multivariate analysis of behavioural response experiments in humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae).  J Exp Biol. 216, 759-770. DOI: 10.1242/​jeb.071498