The biting habits of Culicoides furens (Poey) and C. barbosai Wirth & Blanton. III. Seasonal cycle, with a note on the relative importance of ten factors that might influence the biting rate

1972 ◽  
Vol 61 (3) ◽  
pp. 565-576 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. S. Kettle
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Illumination Time ◽  
Biting Rate ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Phases Of The Moon ◽  
Cycle Temperature

The biting rates of Culicoides furens (Poey) and C. barbosai Wirth & Blanton on Florida Beach, Jamaica, were observed in 50 trials conducted 40–115 min after dawn from 5 February 1960 to 10 February 1961. The data were logarithmically transformed and non-zero biting rates standardised. Biting rates of both species varied markedly from week to week but monthly mean rates were significantly higher and lower for C. furens in September (111·4) and March (13·7), respectively. Monthly mean rates for C. barbosai fell into three groups, (i) March-June (15·3); (ii) November–December (9·1); (iii) January–February and July–October (3·1). These changes were negatively correlated with mean sea level. Biting rates of C. barbosai were highest at new moon (10·3) and lower but similar (4·3–5·2) for the other three phases of the moon. Those of C. furens were maximal at new moon (62·8), minimal at full moon (20·4) and intermediate (35·9, 39·5) at the quarters. The lunar effect is assumed to act through the tides. There were no significant differences between the standardised biting rates at different times after dawn. In a comparison of the quantitative effects of ten factors on the biting rates of C. furens, C. barbosai and Leptoconops becquaerti (Kieff.), most important were month of year and wind speed; of less importance were lunar cycle, temperature, collector and limb exposed; while site position, intensity of illumination, time after dawn, saturation deficit were of minor or no importance. It is concluded that the biting rate of L. becquaerti should be the least affected by changes in these factors, C. barbosai more affected and C. furens most affected.

Lunar Cycle Influences Reproductive Performance of Crossbred Brahman Cows Under Tropical Conditions

2021 ◽  
pp. 074873042098363
Author(s):  
Alejandro A. Aguirre ◽  
Roberto A. Palomares ◽  
Aitor D. De Ondiz ◽  
Eleazar R. Soto ◽  
Mariana S. Perea ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Performance ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Crossbred Cows ◽  
Lunar Phases ◽  
Tropical Conditions ◽  
Service Conception ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Postpartum Estrus

Evidence has accumulated over the years indicating that the moon influences some aspects of the reproductive activity in animals and humans. However, little is known about the influence of the lunar cycle on the reproductive performance of cows under tropical conditions, where the environment strongly affects reproduction. This retrospective study was conducted with the aim of assessing the influence of the lunar cycle on some reproductive traits of tropical crossbred cows managed in a pasture-based system. Data from 5869 reproductive records from two commercial farms localized in the Maracaibo Lake Basin of Zulia State, Venezuela, were analyzed. Variables studied were first service conception rate, calving frequency, first postpartum estrous frequency, and pregnancy frequency. In addition to the lunar cycle, the effects of farm, season, and predominant breed were also considered. Data were analyzed using logistic regression and general linear model from SAS. First service conception was affected by lunar phases and predominant breed, but not by farm or season. For frequencies of calving, first postpartum estrus, and pregnancy, there was no main effect of farm, season, and predominant breed, whereas the effect of lunar phases was highly significant. First service conception was significantly greater in waning than in crescent phase of the lunar cycle. Frequencies of calving, first estrus, and pregnancy were highly correlated and showed greater figures around full moon and new moon. In conclusion, lunar cycle influenced first service conception, attaining greater values in the waning phase of the moon cycle. Frequencies of calving, first postpartum estrus, and pregnancy in crossbred cows showed a clear bimodal rhythm, whose greatest values coincided with new moon and full moon.

Decapitated Lunar Goddesses in Aztec Art, Myth, and Ritual

1997 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Milbrath
Keyword(s):  
Solar Eclipse ◽  
Seasonal Cycle ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
The Sun ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Seasonal Transition ◽  
The Earth ◽  
New Moon ◽  
The Demonic

AbstractAztec images of decapitated goddesses link the symbolism of astronomy with politics and the seasonal cycle. Rituals reenacting decapitation may refer to lunar events in the context of a solar calendar, providing evidence of a luni-solar calendar. Decapitation imagery also involves metaphors expressing the rivalry between the cults of the sun and the moon. Huitzilopochtli's decapitation of Coyolxauhqui can be interpreted as a symbol of political conquest linked to the triumph of the sun over the moon. Analysis of Coyolxauhqui's imagery and mythology indicates that she represents the full moon eclipsed by the sun. Details of the decapitation myth indicate specific links with seasonal transition and events taking place at dawn and at midnight. Other decapitated goddesses, often referred to as earth goddesses with “lunar connections,” belong to a complex of lunar deities representing the moon within the earth (the new moon). Cihuacoatl, a goddess of the new moon, takes on threatening quality when she assumes the form of a tzitzimime attacking the sun during a solar eclipse. The demonic new moon was greatly feared, for it could cause an eternal solar eclipse bringing the Aztec world to an end.

Moonlight and the biting activity of Culex (Melanoconion) portesi Senevet & Abonnenc and C. (M.) taeniopus D. & K. (Diptera, Culicidae) in Trinidad forests

1975 ◽  
Vol 65 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
John B. Davies
Keyword(s):  
Full Moon ◽  
Light Trap ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Light Traps ◽  
Baited Traps ◽  
Suction Traps ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Phases Of The Moon ◽  
Increased Activity

AbstractThe biting activity of Culex (Melanoconion) portesi Senevet & Abonnenc and C. (M.) taeniopus D. & K. in a secondary seasonal marsh forest in Trinidad was studied by means of catches by six mouse-baited suction traps, and a single light-trap. The traps were cleared at hourly intervals between 17.00 h and 07.00 h on nights which approximated to the new, first quarter, full and last quarter phases of the moon. The catches were compared with illumination at canopy and ground level which was estimated by selenium photocells whose output was recorded on the continuous chart of a servo-potentiometer. Humidity, rainfall, temperature and cloud cover were also recorded. In the suction traps both species showed peaks of activity at evening and dawn twilight at new moon, although the dawn peak was not very pronounced with C. taeniopus, but this pattern was modified on other nights in a manner which was consistent with moon age. At full moon the evening and dawn peaks were replaced by increased activity during moonrise and the middle of the night. The light-traps failed to show the evening and dawn activity and did not always duplicate the baited traps during darkness. Two hypotheses based on either a permissive range of illumination or an underlying circadian rhythm are discussed; neither fully explains the observed biting activity. Although an association between moonlight and biting activity does exist, an understanding of its nature will require more experimental data.

scholarly journals On certain variations of the mean height of the barometer, mean temperature and depth of rain, connected with the lunar phases, in the cycle of years from 1815 to 1823

1843 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 211-211
Keyword(s):  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Lunar Phase ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Lunar Phases ◽  
Mean Temperature ◽  
The Mean ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Made In

The table given in this paper contains the results of calculations relating to the objects specified in the title; cast into periods of six, seven, or eight days, so as to bring the day of the lunar phase belonging to it in the middle of the time. The observations were all made in the neighbourhood of London. It appears from them that in the period of the last quarter of the moon the barometer is highest, the temperature a little above the mean, and the depth of rain the smallest. In the period of the new moon, both the barometer and temperature are considerably depressed, and the rain increased in quantity. The influence of the first quarter shows itself by the further depression of the barometer; but the temperature rises almost to the point from which it had fallen, and the rain still increases, but not in an equal ratio. Lastly, the full moon again reduces the temperature; while the barometer attains its maximum mean height, and the quantity of rain is the greatest. Thus it appears, that during this lunar cycle, the approach of the last quarter is the signal for the clearing up of the air, and the return of sunshine.

scholarly journals Secular pattern of aneurismal rupture with the lunar cycle and season

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jillian C Banfield ◽  
Mohamed Abdolell ◽  
Jai S Shankar
Keyword(s):  
Intracranial Aneurysm ◽  
Intracranial Aneurysms ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Aneurysm Rupture ◽  
Endovascular Coiling ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Moon Phases ◽  
Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysm ◽  
New Moon

Background The lunar cycle and seasons may be associated with rates of rupture of intracranial aneurysms, but the literature is mixed. Studies of the association between the lunar cycle and rates of aneurysm rupture used the eight qualitative moon phases. The purpose of this study was to assess any association of aneurysm rupture with the lunar cycle and with the season. Materials and methods We retrospectively reviewed all cases of subarachnoid haemorrhage secondary to ruptured intracranial aneurysm treated with endovascular coiling in our institution over a 10-year period. We included only cases with a known rupture date. We used the degree of illumination of the moon to quantitatively code the lunar cycle. Results A total of 212 cases were included in our analyses. The odds of aneurysm rupture were significantly greater ( p < 0.001) when the moon was least (new moon) and most (full moon) illuminated, as compared to the middle of the lunar cycle. The odds of rupture tended to be higher ( p = 0.059) in the summer, compared to autumn. Conclusions The odds of aneurysm rupture were greater when the moon was least illuminated (new moon) and most illuminated (full moon), compared to the middle of the lunar cycle.

scholarly journals Lunar periodicity in catch rate and reproductive condition of adult eastern king prawns, Penaeus plebejus, in coastal waters of south-eastern Queensland, Australia

1996 ◽  
Vol 47 (1) ◽  
pp. 67 ◽  
Author(s):  
AJ Courtney ◽  
DJ Die ◽  
JG McGilvray
Keyword(s):  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Catch Rate ◽  
Lunar Phase ◽  
Reproductive Condition ◽  
Ovary Weight ◽  
South Eastern ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Catch Rates

This study examined the lunar and die1 variation in catch rates and reproductive condition of adult eastern king prawns, Penaeus plebejus, in relatively deep (160 m) coastal waters off south- eastern Queensland. Females numerically dominated catches over most of the lunar cycle and constituted 76% of the weight of the catch. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed an interaction between lunar phase and sex; catches peaked during Lunar Phase 3 (full moon � 3 days) and were particularly marked for males. This was the only period during the lunar cycle when the sex ratio approached 1 : 1. There was also an interaction between trawl-time and sex; male catch rates were at a minimum early in the evening, whereas female catch rates were at a maximum then and declined throughout the night. Trawler logbook catch rate data from the same area over a similar period indicated an interaction between lunar cycle and lunar phase. ANOVA revealed an effect of the interaction between phase and sex on the incidence of soft prawns; the incidence of soft males increased during Phase 4 (half moon waning to new moon � 3 days). Ovary weight also varied between phases and was higher during Phases 2 (half moon waxing to full moon � 3 days) and 4 (half moon waning to new moon � 3 days). Trends in the ovary weight and the incidence of histologically mature and ripe females suggested there are two periods of increased spawning activity during each lunar cycle. A cyclic regression fitted to the data explained 93% of the variation in the incidence of ripe females between samples. The influence of these cyclic trends in catch rate and reproductive condition should be considered when monitoring the spawning stock in the fishery and when planning sampling strategies in any future reproductive studies.

Lunar Cycle Influences Production of Tilapia (Oreochromis spp) Eggs in an Intensive Outdoor Production System in the Tropics

2022 ◽  
pp. 074873042110694
Author(s):  
Miguel F. Perea ◽  
Daniel A. Perdomo ◽  
Zenaida A. Corredor ◽  
Mario González ◽  
Hugo Hernandez-Fonseca ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Production System ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Farming Systems ◽  
Fish Farming ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Commercial Fish ◽  
The Tropics

A robust body of evidence has demonstrated that the lunar cycle plays an important role in the reproduction of fish living in natural environments. However, little is known about the influence of the moon on tilapia reproductive activity in intensive fish farming systems. This study aims to evaluate the influence of the lunar cycle on the reproductive performance of tilapias in an intensive outdoor tropical production system in Latin America. Records of two tilapia strains (Nile tilapia [ Oreochromis niloticus; n = 75] and Red tilapia [ Oreochromis spp.; n = 1335]) reared in concrete tanks in a commercial fish farm were analyzed. Over a 3-year period, 60,136 captures were made in intervals of 12 to 14 days and 6,600 females were manually spawned. The number of females spawned and the volume of eggs collected from each tank ( n = 9) were recorded. Data was analyzed by the general linear model and means were compared by least squares means method. A very slight or no variation was observed when the lunar cycle was split into two halves (crescent and waning). The proportions of females spawned and the volume of eggs per spawned female and per female in the tank varied considerably across the eight periods of the lunar cycle, with greater values in the waning than in the crescent phase. A significantly greater proportion of tilapia spawned and yielded more eggs around the full moon than around the new moon and remaining days of the lunar cycle. The moon cycle affected the reproductive activity of tilapia, which were more reproductively active around the full moon and most of the waning phase.

scholarly journals Lunar periodicity in reproduction

1924 ◽  
Vol 95 (671) ◽  
pp. 523-550 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Red Sea ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Sea Urchins ◽  
Common Knowledge ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Lunar Periodicity ◽  
East Indies ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Phases Of The Moon

In Volume 2 of the ‘ Philosophical Transactions ’ of the Royal Society, published in 1667, travellers to the East Indies are asked to enquire (p. 419) “ whether those shell-fishes, that are in these parts plump and in season at the full moon, and lean and out of season at the new, are found to have contrary constitutions in the East Indies ? ” This belief that the size of certain marine invertebrates, chiefly molluscs and echinoderms, varies with the phases of the moon is found in the literature of classical Greece and Rome and of the middle ages, and is held to-day in the fish markets around the Mediterranean and in the Red Sea. At Suez sea-urchins and crabs are said to be “ full ” at full moon and “ empty ” at new moon, at Alexandria the same thing is said of mussels and of sea-urchins, the Tarentines believe that oysters are fattest at full moon (34), while at Nice, Naples, Alexandria, and in Greece (17, p. 17, footnote) urchins are said to be fullest at full moon. The part of the sea-urchin which is eaten is the gonad, while in the crab it is the muscles, so that these tissues are supposed to vary in bulk with the phases of the moon. Now my own investigations, of which preliminary reports have already been published (8, 9) and a full account is to be given in this paper, have shown that while the supposition is untrue of mussels ( Mytilus sp .) and sea-urchins ( Strongylocentrotus lividus ) in the Mediterranean and of mussels ( Mytilus variabilis ) and crabs ( Neptunus pelagicus ) in the Red Sea, it is based on fact as concerns the sea-urchins found at Suez ( Centrechinus [ Diadema ] setosus ). In the last-mentioned form the gonads undergo a cycle of growth and development corresponding with each lunation throughout the breeding season. Just before full moon ovaries and testes are at their greatest bulk, filled with spermatozoa or eggs which are spawned into the sea at the time of full moon. The shrunken gonads then gradually fill again with ripening sexual products to be shed at the next full moon. It is remarkable, then, that a belief which was such common knowledge among the ancient inhabitants of Mediterranean countries that it was referred to by their poets and orators and one which is held to-day in the Mediterranean ports is indeed untrue of this region, while at Suez it is based on fact. It is possible that the Greeks originally obtained the belief from the ancient Egyptians, who would have it from the Red Sea (what really occurs there in sea-urchins being supposed to apply to all “ shell-fish ”), and that the same belief has survived around the Mediterranean until to-day. Or perhaps the belief had an independent origin in Greece, founded, not on fact, but on the supposed influence of the moon-deities on growth in general.

scholarly journals TIMING OF LARVAL RELEASE BY REEF CORAL Pocillopora damicornis AT PANJANG ISLAND, CENTRAL JAVA

2018 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Munasik ◽  
Suharsono ◽  
J. Situmorang ◽  
H. N. Kamiso
Keyword(s):  
Full Moon ◽  
Reef Coral ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Tidal Range ◽  
Pocillopora Damicornis ◽  
Larval Release ◽  
Double Peaks ◽  
Central Java ◽  
New Moon ◽  
Peak Release

Monthly larval release by the coral Pocillopora damicornis at Panjang Island, Central Java was investigated. Corals were collected from windward and leeward and maintained in outdoor, flow-trough system to quantify nightly release of larvae. Larval release of the coral occurs every month throughout the year, and its planulation increased during dry monsoon. Monthly planulation occurs from new moon to full moon and possesses in different pattern between single and paired colonies. Planulation in paired colonies occurred in single peak and more synchronized in each colony however single colonies planulated in double peaks and less synchronized in each colony. This study confirmed that planulation period of P. damicornis at Panjang Island over a range of lunar phases with shorter periods of peak release which predominantly controlling by tidal range rather than lunar cycle.

scholarly journals Reproductive phenology across the lunar cycle: parental decisions, offspring responses, and consequences for reef fish

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Shima ◽  
CW Osenberg ◽  
SH Alonzo ◽  
EG Noonburg ◽  
P Mitterwallner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reef Fish ◽  
Egg Production ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Full Moon ◽  
Lunar Cycle ◽  
Adaptive Plasticity ◽  
Birth Date ◽  
Reproductive Phenology ◽  
New Moon

© 2020 by the Ecological Society of America Most organisms reproduce in a dynamic environment, and life-history theory predicts that this can favor the evolution of strategies that capitalize on good times and avoid bad times. When offspring experience these environmental changes, fitness can depend strongly upon environmental conditions at birth and at later life stages. Consequently, fitness will be influenced by the reproductive decisions of parents (i.e., birth date effects) and developmental decisions (e.g., adaptive plasticity) of their offspring. We explored the consequences of these decisions using a highly iteroparous coral reef fish (the sixbar wrasse, Thalassoma hardwicke) and in a system where both parental and offspring environments vary with the lunar cycle. We tested the hypotheses that (1) reproductive patterns and offspring survival vary across the lunar cycle and (2) offspring exhibit adaptive plasticity in development time. We evaluated temporal variation in egg production from February to June 2017, and corresponding larval developmental histories (inferred from otolith microstructure) of successful settlers and surviving juveniles that were spawned during that same period. We documented lunar-cyclic variation in egg production (most eggs were spawned at the new moon). This pattern was at odds with the distribution of birth dates of settlers and surviving juveniles—most individuals that successfully survived to settlement and older stages were born during the full moon. Consequently, the probability of survival across the larval stage was greatest for offspring born close to the full moon, when egg production was at its lowest. Offspring also exhibited plasticity in developmental duration, adjusting their age at settlement to settle during darker portions of the lunar cycle than expected given their birth date. Offspring born near the new moon tended to be older and larger at settlement, and these traits conveyed a strong fitness advantage (i.e., a carryover effect) through to adulthood. We speculate that these effects (1) are shaped by a dynamic landscape of risk and reward determined by moonlight, which differentially influences adults and offspring, and (2) can explain the evolution of extreme iteroparity in sixbars.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document