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FIGURE 10 in The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand

FIGURE 10. Arachnura sp. indet. (adult), female (NZAC0301839): A, dorsal habitus. B, ventral habitus; C, epignyne, ventral view. Scale bars, 2 mm.

FIGURE 7 in The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand

FIGURE 7. Arachnura higginsii (L. Koch), male (WAM 97/1976): mesal view (SEM). Abbreviations, C, conductor; E, embolus; MA, median apophysis; P, paracymbium; PA, paramedian apophysis; Ra, radix; TA, terminal apophysis; Y, cymbium. Scale bar, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 8 in The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand

FIGURE 8. Arachnura higginsii (L. Koch) variations: A, female dorsal habitus (ZMUC). B, male dorsal habitus (WAM T85246). C, male dorsal habitus (ZMUC). D, female tip of abdominal tail (AM KS32607). Scale bars, A, 5 mm; B–D, 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 5 in The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand

FIGURE 5. Arachnura higginsii (L. Koch), female (WAM T145210): A, dorsal habitus. B, ventral habitus. C, tip of abdominal tail. D, epigynum ventral view. E, spermatheca posterior view. Abbreviations, S, scape; Sp, spermatheca. Scale bars, A, B, 5 mm; C, 1 mm; D, E, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 4 in The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand

FIGURE 4. Arachnura feredayi (L. Koch), male (WAM T145206): left palp mesal view (SEM). Arrow points the scale-like structures of the paramedian apophysis. Abbreviations, C, conductor; E, embolus; MA, median apophysis; P, paracymbium; PA, paramedian apophysis; Ra, radix; TA, terminal apophysis; Y, cymbium. Scale bar, 0.1 mm.

FIGURE 2 in The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand

FIGURE 2. Arachnura feredayi (L. Koch), female (CMNZ 2017.8.2): A, dorsal habitus. B, ventral habitus. C, tip of abdominal tail. D, epigynum, ventral view. E, epigynum, dorsal view. Abbreviations, S, scape; Sp, spermatheca. Scale bars, A, B, 3 mm; C, 0.5 mm; D, E, 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 1 in The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand

FIGURE 1. Life images of Arachnura. A, B, Arachnura feredayi (L. Koch), females from New Zealand (photo B. McQuillan); C, Arachnura higginsii (L. Koch), female from Western Australia (photo V.W. Framenau).

FIGURE 09 in The scorpion-tailed orb-weaving spiders (Araneae, Araneidae, Arachnura) in Australia and New Zealand

FIGURE 09. Arachnura melanura Simon, female (QM S87809): A, dorsal habitus. B, ventral habitus. C, abdominal tail. D, abdominal tail. E, epigynum ventral view. Abbreviations, S, scape. Scale bars, A, B, 5 mm; C, D, 1 mm; E, 0.2 mm.

opencc-zeroJun 2020View details →

Data from: Transcriptome sequencing reveals signatures of positive selection in the spot-tailed earless lizard

The continual loss of threatened biodiversity is occurring at an accelerated pace. High-throughput sequencing technologies are now providing opportunities to address this issue by aiding in the generation of molecular data for many understudied species of high conservation interest. Our overall goal of this study was to begin building the genomic resources to continue investigations and conservation of the Spot-Tailed Earless lizard. Here we leverage the power of high-throughput sequencing to generate the liver transcriptome for the Northern Spot-Tailed Earless Lizard (Holbrookia lacerata) and Southern Spot-Tailed Earless Lizard (Holbrookia subcaudalis), which have declined in abundance in the past decades, and their sister species, the Common Lesser Earless Lizard (Holbrookia maculata). Our efforts produced high quality and robust transcriptome assemblies validated by 1) quantifying the number of processed reads represented in the transcriptome assembly and 2) quantifying the number of highly conserved single-copy orthologs that are present in our transcript set using the BUSCO pipeline. We found 1,361 1-to-1 orthologs among the three Holbrookia species, Anolis carolinensis, and Sceloporus undulatus. We carried out dN/dS selection tests using a branch-sites model and identified a dozen genes that experienced positive selection in the Holbrookia lineage with functions in development, immunity, and metabolism. Our single-copy orthologous sequences additionally revealed significant pairwise sequence divergence (~.73%) between the Northern H. lacerata and Southern H. subcaudalis that further supports the recent elevation of the Southern Spot-Tailed Earless Lizard to full species.

opencc-zeroApr 2020View details →

Data from: Chemical preservation of tail feathers from Anchiornis huxleyi, a theropod dinosaur from the Tiaojishan Formation (Upper Jurassic, China)

A panel of geochemical techniques is used here to investigate the taphonomy of fossil feathers preserved in association with the skeleton of the Jurassic theropod Anchiornis huxleyi. Extant buzzard feathers were analysed in parallel to test whether the soft tissues morphologically preserved in the fossil also exhibit a high degree of chemical preservation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) indicate that clays and iron oxide pseudomorphs occur in the surrounding sediment and also reveal the preservation of melanosome-like microbodies in the fossil. Carbon gradient along a depth profile and co-occurrence of carbon and sulphur was shown in the fossil by elastic backscattering (EBS) and particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The molecular composition of modern and fossil soft tissues was assessed from micro-Attenuated Total Reflectance Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (micro-ATR FTIR), solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance (13C CP-MAS NMR) and pyrolysis- gas chromatography-mass spectrometry in the presence of TMAH (TMAH-Py-GC-MS). Results show that the proteinaceous material that comprises the modern feathers is not present in the fossil feathers. The latter and the embedding sediment exhibit a highly aliphatic character. However, substantial differences could be evidenced between these samples, revealing that the organic matter of the fossil feathers is, at least partially, derived from original constituents of the feathers. The preservation of the fossil feathers, primarily expressed by the preservation of their morphology, seems to be associated with in situ polymerization of endogenous lipids. Sulphur probably played a role in the fossil preservation although no natural sulphurization took place.

opencc-zeroOct 2020View details →

Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: gauging the outcome of different white-tailed deer management approaches

After decades of high deer populations, North America forests have lost much of their previous biodiversity. Any landscape-level recovery requires substantial reductions in deer herds, but modern societies and wildlife management agencies appear unable to devise appropriate solutions to this chronic ecological and human health crisis. We evaluated the effectiveness of fertility control hunting in reducing deer impacts at Cornell University. We estimated spring deer populations and planted Quercus rubra seedlings to assess deer browse pressure, rodent attack, and other factors compromising seedling performance. Oak seedlings protected in cages grew well, but deer annually browsed ≥ 60% of unprotected seedlings. Despite female sterilization rates of > 90%, the deer population remained stable. Neither sterilization nor recreational hunting reduced deer browse rates and neither appears able to achieve reductions in deer populations or their impacts. We eliminated deer sterilization and recreational hunting in a core management area in favor of allowing volunteer archers to shoot deer over bait, including at night. This resulted in a substantial reduction in the deer population and a linear decline in browse rates as a function of the spring deer abundance. Public trust stewardship of North American landscapes will require a fundamental overhaul in deer management to may provide for a brighter future, and oak sentinels may be a promising metric to assess changes. These changes will require intense public debate and may require new approaches such as regulated commercial hunting and the natural dispersal or intentional release of important deer predators (e.g., wolves and mountain lions). Such drastic changes in deer management will be highly controversial, and at present, likely difficult to implement in North America. However, the future of our forest ecosystems and associated biodiversity will depend on evidence and guided change in landscape management and stewardship.

opencc-zeroOct 2020View details →

Latent but not absent: the 'long tail' nature of rural special education and its dynamic correction mechanism

The 'long tail' nature of rural special education (RSE) suggests that it simultaneously possesses the private nature of discreteness and the public nature of externalities, which can easily cause provision insufficiency. However, this mismatch may have a dynamic intertemporal correction mechanism impacted by different expenditures of supply sectors (governments and other social sectors). This paper uses different models and data from 30 provinces in China from 2003-2014 to analyze this dynamic correction mechanism. This research finds that different kinds of expenditures from different suppliers have divergent effects on this correction. Capital expenses (especially infrastructure construction) have significantly positive effects on the correction, but administrative expenses have significant dual effects on the correction. These effects may be caused by the various governance efficiencies and motivations of all stakeholders in RSE. This paper concludes that we should pay more attention to the accurate recognition and effective satisfaction of RSE affected by the governance efficiency and motivation of different suppliers to achieve this dynamic correction.

opencc-zeroNov 2020View details →

Acquisition of object-robbing and object/food-bartering behaviors: A culturally maintained token economy in free-ranging long-tailed macaques

The token exchange paradigm shows that monkeys and great apes are able to use objects as symbolic tools to request specific food rewards. Such studies provide insights into the cognitive underpinnings of economic behavior in non-human primates. However, the ecological validity of these lab-based experimental situations tends to be limited. Our field research aims to address the need for a more ecologically valid primate model of trading systems in humans. Around the Uluwatu Temple in Bali, Indonesia, a large free-ranging population of long-tailed macaques spontaneously and routinely engage in token-mediated bartering interactions with humans. These interactions occur in two phases: after stealing inedible and more or less valuable objects from humans, the macaques appear to use them as tokens, by returning them to humans in exchange for food. Our field observational and experimental data showed (1) age differences in robbing/bartering success, indicative of experiential learning, and (2) clear behavioral associations between value-based token possession and quantity or quality of food rewards rejected and accepted by subadult and adult monkeys, suggestive of robbing/bartering payoff maximization and economic decision-making. This population-specific, prevalent, cross-generational, learned and socially influenced practice may be the first example of a culturally maintained token economy in free-ranging animals.

opennotspecifiedNov 2020View details →

FIGURE 2 in The first phylogenetic study of sword-tail crickets from China inferred from COI, 18S and 28S genes, with the establishment of two new genera and description of one new species (Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Trigonidiidae)

FIGURE 2. Emerasoma curvicerca sp. nov. A. male in dorsal view, B. female in dorsal view, C. male head in dorsal view, D. female head in dorsal view, E. palpus, F. tympana (1. outside, 2. inner side), G. cercus, H. ovipositor, I. male genitalia in dorsal view, J. male genitalia in ventral view.

opennotspecifiedNov 2020View details →

FIGURE 1 in The first phylogenetic study of sword-tail crickets from China inferred from COI, 18S and 28S genes, with the establishment of two new genera and description of one new species (Orthoptera: Grylloidea: Trigonidiidae)

FIGURE 1. Phylogenetic tree of Trigonidiidae species distributed in China. The topology of the tree was constructed inferred from 18S-28S-COI concatenated sequences using ML method. Two Nemobiinae species comprises Po. taprobanensis and Di. fascipes are regarded as the outgroup. Bootstrap values and posterior probabilities are indicated above each branch. The representative species of each lineage is shown in right in this order top to down: Ho. nigripes, An. brevisparamerus, Na. matsuurai, Em. curvicerca, Me. minor, Se. fujianensis, Sv. bifasciata, Am. fulvus, Pa. nitidum, Tr. cicindeloides, Ab. Chloropodum (photos by He Z.-Q.)

FIGURE 6 in Towards completion of the species inventory of small-sized leaf-tailed geckos: two new species of Uroplatus from northern Madagascar

FIGURE 6. Individuals of Uroplatus fivehy sp. nov. from the type locality (Sorata) photographed in life. A, B and E, males (attribution to voucher number uncertain); C, D, G, females (attribution to voucher number uncertain); F, female paratype (ZSM 1722/2012) from Sorata; H, male holotype (ZSM 1721/2012) from Sorata showing shape and size of the tail.

FIGURE 8 in Towards completion of the species inventory of small-sized leaf-tailed geckos: two new species of Uroplatus from northern Madagascar

FIGURE 8. Preserved holotypes of Uroplatus fangorn sp. nov. (ZSM 79/2005) and U. fivehy sp. nov. (ZSM 1721/2012).

FIGURE 5 in Towards completion of the species inventory of small-sized leaf-tailed geckos: two new species of Uroplatus from northern Madagascar

FIGURE 5. Individuals of Uroplatus fangorn sp. nov. photographed in life. A, Male holotype (ZSM 79/2005) from Marojejy. B, C, D, male paratype (ZSM 644/2014) from Andrevorevo. E, F, G, female paratype (UADBA-R 70054 / DRV 6281), from Andrevorevo.

FIGURE 2 in Towards completion of the species inventory of small-sized leaf-tailed geckos: two new species of Uroplatus from northern Madagascar

FIGURE 2. Haplotype networks of nuclear genes. Colors correspond to species; circles are scaled according to the number of samples per haplotype; inferred intermediate steps between haplotypes are represented by small black circles.

FIGURE 4 in Towards completion of the species inventory of small-sized leaf-tailed geckos: two new species of Uroplatus from northern Madagascar

FIGURE 4. Morphological differentiation between Uroplatus fangorn sp. nov., U. fivehy sp. nov., and their closest relative, U. finiavana. The upper panel shows boxplots (median, quartiles, minimum/maximum and outliers) for selected meristic and morphometric variables and ratios; asterisks mark comparisons between U. fivehy and U. finiavana that were significant in Mann-Whitney U tests (* P <0.05; ** P <0.01). No statistical comparisons were performed for U. fangorn due to low sample size (N = 3). For original values of measurements, see Table 1. The lower panel shows intact (not regenerated) tails of individuals of the three species, illustrating differences in size and shape between species and sexes (all tails from males except where indicated as females).