scholarly journals Eco-ethology and trait distribution of two congeneric species – different strategies for the plague pest Acanthoplus discoidalis and the long-legged A. longipes (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erminia Conti ◽  
Giovanni Costa ◽  
Christian Mulder

AbstractHigh trait variability among insects reflects a combination of intra- and inter-phenotype variations. Our aim was to assess if the trait distribution of body measurements can be more significantly influenced by sex (intraspecific variance) or by species (interspecific variance). To achieve this, we collected in Namibia tettigoniids belonging to two congeneric species of armoured ground crickets: Acanthoplus discoidalis (a significant pest in African croplands) and the long-legged Acanthoplus longipes. We measured in the field the total body length, the maximal pronotal width and length, and the femur and tibia lengths of the hind legs in 106 adults. We also derived the body mass from length and width values of the sampled specimens. No significant differences emerged in the two species by sex. A discriminant analysis clearly shows that at species level the locomotory traits as captured by tibia and femur lengths and the size traits as captured by body and pronotal lengths account for 99% of the total variance and clearly separate this pest from its congeneric species. In essence, it is not primarily the body size that differentiates the two species, but rather the pronotum and hind leg larger sizes of A. longipes. Different eco-ethological requirements, like the peculiarity of the calling song and the movements within the vegetation (and the consequently needed energy), independently force these functional traits.

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-189
Author(s):  
Junardi Junardi

AbstrakCacing Nipah Pendek Namalycastis abiuma memiliki tubuh yang elastis dan mudah putus sehingga diperlukan pendekatan morfometri tubuh lain untuk menentukan panjang tubuh sesungguhnya. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menentukan panjang tubuh total cacing nipah pendek dengan menggunakan bobot tubuh, jumlah total segmen berseta, panjang tiga segmen anterior pertama (L3) dan lebar segmen berseta atau setiger ke-10 (S-10). Spesimen yang digunakan dipilih hanya individu yang lengkap dan utuh. Pengukuran dilakukan dibawah mikroskop dengan lensa okular yang dilengkapi dengan mikrometer. Data dianalisis dengan analisis korelasi. Cacing yang digunakan sebanyak 258 individu yang terdiri atas 190 immature, 54 submature dan 14 mature dengan ukuran panjang tubuh rata-rata berturut-turut 108,62±34,80 mm, 172,27±42,78 mm dan 123,14±57,40 mm. Cacing betina ditemukan memiliki ukuran tubuh lebih besar dari jantan. Panjang tubuh N. abiuma dapat diduga dengan bobot tubuh, panjang L3 dan lebar S-10 dengan nilai koefisien korelasi (r) berturut-turut 0,82, 0,73 dan 0,78. Pendekatan morfometri dapat digunakan untuk menentukan ukuran tubuh N. abiuma.Abstract The short nypa palm worm Namalycastis abiuma has an elastic and fragile body. Therefore, an alternative approach of morphometrical techniques is needed to determine the total body length. This research aimed to estimate the total body length of the short nypa palm worm based on body weight, the total number of segments, the length of the first three anterior segment (L3) and the tenth setiger width (S10). Body measurement was done using stereomicroscope fitted with the micrometer. Correlation analysis was done to describe the relationship between the length of L3 and the width of S10. A total of 258 complete and whole specimens consisted of 190 immature, 54 submature, and 14 mature individuals. The average body length of immature individuals was 108.62±34.80 mm, 172.27±42.78 mm for sub mature individuals, and 123.14±57.40 mm for mature individuals. Based on sexual dimorphism, the female body size is larger than male. The body length of N. abiuma can be estimated by body weight, the length of L3, and the  width of S10, with  correlation coefficient (r) of 0.82, 0.73 and 0.78, respectively. Morphometry approach can be used to determine the body size of N. abiuma. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 840-850
Author(s):  
Archbold Sasa ◽  
Rafał Gosik ◽  
Ed T. F. Witkowski ◽  
Marcus J. Byrne ◽  
Miłosz A. Mazur

AbstractThere is evident variation in body size amongst Anthonomus santacruzi Hustache, 1924, weevils. The aims of this study were to assess if the variation in body size in A. santacruzi weevils is a result of sexual dimorphism and what features can be used to distinguish males from females. The weevils were collected from field sites in Mpumalanga, South Africa, where they were introduced as biocontrol agents of Solanum mauritianum Scopoli. Body structures and the presence/absence of the tergal notch was examined under an optical stereomicroscope and SEM to assess differences between sexes. The morphometric analysis of the body structures included rostrum length (base–apex and antennal insertion–apex), elytral length and width, pronotum length and width, first tarsus length, first tibia length, funiculus length and total body length. Rostrum length, elytra length and width and total body length were significantly larger in females than in males. A tergal notch in the 8th abdominal tergite was present in males and absent in females. The body structure; of rostrum length, elytra length and width and total body length overlapped between sexes in some specimens. The abdominal tergal notch was found to be the most useful body structure to distinguish males from females in A. santacruzi.


2013 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 747-752 ◽  
Author(s):  
MO. Segura ◽  
T. Siqueira ◽  
AA. Fonseca-Gessner

In this study, patterns of body size of Phanocerus clavicornis Sharp, 1882 (Coleoptera: Elmidae: Larainae) were investigated along a gradient of change in speed of flow conditions in streams of low order in the Atlantic Rainforest in southeastern Brazil. Specifically, the hypothesis that the distribution of P. clavicornis larvae vary in size in response to variations in the speed of flow in streams was tested. A Surber sampler was used to collect larvae from the streambed during two sampling periods, defined by the rain regime: August in the dry season and February in the rainy season. Possible differences in mean measured body size were tested by analysis of variance (ANOVA). The ANOVA result indicated for all measurements on the larvae collected in first-order streams (head width, prothoracic width and total body length), there were significant differences indicating a morphometric variation due to changing hydraulic conditions, the smallest larvae being associated with the period of greater rainfall. However, the larger streams (3rd order), where the rain events had less impact on the larval size, varied widely. The results of this study suggest that the interstitial space is important for the protection of the larvae from water flow, and that populations of P. clavicornis have high plasticity, a key feature for the occupation of unstable environments for this species. These results are important for an understanding of the life history and behavioural characteristics of the species, which allow them to persist in streams along a gradient of flow disturbance.


Nematology ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 739-747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Božena Koubková ◽  
Vlastimil Baruš ◽  
Iveta Matějusová ◽  
Iveta Hodová ◽  
Petr Koubek

Abstract Thelastoma gueyei sp. n., a nematode belonging to the long-tailed species group of the genusThelastoma, is described from the diplopodArchispirostreptus tumuliporus (Spirostreptidae) collected in Niokolo Koba National Park (Senegal, West Africa).Thelastoma gueyei sp. n. is morphologically most similar toT. gipetiti. Females are characterised by: the vulva being situated in the posterior half of the body and near to the anus (V′ = 75-86) with the anterior vulval lip developed into a prominent flap; excretory pore located at the level of the anterior end of the pharyngeal bulb; b′ = 28-38 and tail, expressed as a proportion of L′, = 1.7-2.7. Males have narrow cuticular alae extending from about the middle of the pharynx to the level of the anteriormost pair of copulatory papillae; four pairs of copulatory papillae, two large, subventral, pairs being located adcloacally on the genital cone, a third, much smaller pair on the posterior margin of the genital cone and the last pair being situated at the mid-point of the tail spike; and a tail occupying 10.8-13.2% of the total body length. The distal tip of the spicule is drop-shaped. Morphological characteristics were studied using scanning electron microscopy and a comparison of the long-tailed group of thelastomatids is provided. Nucleic acid sequence of the small subunit ribosomal RNA gene was obtained for purposes of DNA barcoding.


2021 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-179
Author(s):  
O. S. Sowande ◽  
B. A Orebela ◽  
O. S Iyasere

The relationships between live weight and eight body measurements of West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep were studied using 300 animals under farm condition. The animals were categorized based on age and sex. Data obtained on height at withers (HW), heart girth (HG), body length (BL), head length (HL), length of hindquarter (LHQ), width of hindquarter (WHQ), head width(HDW), and loin girth (LG) were fitted into simple linear (change in body measurement is directly proportional to weight or body size), allometric (body measurements do not necessarily change in direct proportion to weight or body size), and multiple linear regression models to predict live weight from the body measurements according to age group and sex. Results showed that live weight and body measurements of ewe were higher than that of the ram. Live weight, HG, HW, WHQ, LG, BL, LHQ, HL, and HW increased with the age of the animals. In multiple linear regression model, WHQ, LHQ, HW, HL and HDW best fit the model for sheep aged ≤1; HG, LG, BL and HDW for 2 year-old sheep; HG, BL, and HL best fit the model for sheep 3 years age group; LHQ best fit the model for sheep of 4 years of age; while HL best fits sheep that were in 5 year age category. Coefficients of determination (R2) values for linear and allometric models for predicting the live weight of WAD sheep increased with age in all the body measurements (HW, HG, BL, HL, LHQ, WHQ, HDW and LG). Sex had significant influence on the model with R2 values consistently higher in females except the models for LHQ, WHQ, LG and BL were they the same with the males. Based on R2 values, it was concluded that both linear and allometric regression models could be used to predict live weight from body measurements of WAD sheep.   


2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (73) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Jagiello ◽  
Wladislaw Jagiello

Contemporary anthropological research confirms the fact that body composition is one of the basic elements differentiating athletes from persons not practising sport. Among athletes representing various branches of sport there are also significant differences in their body composition. Internal proportions of the body composition of an athlete, or a selected group of athletes, is an especially important yet little researched issue of sports anthropology. This problem is still topical in sports games, especially in tennis. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine internal proportions of the body composition of female tennis players from the Polish national team in comparison to persons who do not practice sport professionally. The study involved female athletes of the Polish national tennis team (n = 10). The study was carried out in a training camp from 28 September to 9 October 2002 in Zakopane — Centre of Sports Preparation. Athletes’ age was 16—20 (18.1 ± 1.4) years, and the training experience 8—12 years (10.5 ± 1.8). The mean body height for the group members was 171.9 ± 6.7 cm and the mean body mass 59.7 ± 6.3 kg. The results of research by Piechaczek et al. (1996) constituted the reference point for the results of measurements of Polish tennis representatives. The authors studied 153 female students of Warsaw Technical University aged 20.2 ± 1.09 years. They were randomly chosen students of the first and the second year of various departments at this university. The mean body height of the students was 166.2 ± 6.2 cm and the mean body mass 57.4 ± 7.72 kg. Anthropometric measurements were taken using standard instruments (Drozdowski, 1998). The analysis involved 11 somatic features which determined three so-called factors of body composition: length (m1), stoutness (m2) and obesity (m3). The assessment of proportions of the body composition was made by means of Perkal’s natural indices (1953) with Milicerowa’s modifications (1956). We determined the following: composition factors (m), index of total body size (M), internal proportions of the body composition, evenness of composition, the code of internal proportions; also the assessment of internal proportions of the body composition within each of the factors.Taking into consideration the mean values of the studied somatic features in the control group and the comparative group we found differences in their body composition. The representatives of the Polish national tennis team showed substantially longer upper and lower limbs, and the body height was greater. They also had much greater forearm perimeter and shorter pelvic width. As to the total body size, the tennis players slightly exceeded the students (M = 0.24). The total body size (M) resulted from high values of length features (m1 = 1.01), low ones of stoutness (m2 = –0.39) and medium ones of obesity (m3 = 0.1). The value of the intragroup variability index (harmony of composition) amounted to 1.4 and the code of internal proportions of tennis players’ body composition — to 6—2—4. The proportions of internal features of the stoutness index (natural indices of features within a factor) showed the advantage of the forearm perimeter (1.62) and elbow width (0.36). The knee width (–1.30) and pelvic width (–0.60) were disproportionate to the total value of this factor. The input of features characterizing the length factor was relatively proportional.Keywords: tennis, training, body composition, internal proportions.


Author(s):  
V. Krasteva ◽  
M. Yankova

Abstract. The present paper investigates the body length and weight, and the size-weight variations of one-month-old European catfish reared at 4 variants of stocking density: Variant 1 – 5 spec/l; Variant 2 – 10 spec/l; Variant 3 – 15 spec/l and Variant 4 – 28 spec/l. The experiment is carried out at the Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Plovdiv for a period of 16 days, using a production system consisting of tubs with continuous water flow (0.7 l/min). At the end of the experiment, the fish from each variant are sorted in three size-weight groups: A – large, B – medium and C – small. The number of fish in each group is established. From the group of the medium- and small-sized fish, 150 speciments are measured, while from the group of the large specimens, which are the smallest in number, all specimens are measured for the biometric parameters body weight (BW, g) and total body length (TL, cm). The results from the study show small variations in the length and weight of the fish reared at the lowest stocking density (Variant 1). As the density increase, the size-weight differences between the specimens from Group A also increased, while of those from Group B they decrease. The number of the medium-sized fish decrease (p≤0.001) while the number of large specimens (p≤0.01) and small fish increase (p≤0.001).


Fossil Record ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andris Bukejs ◽  
Jan Bezděk ◽  
Vitalii I. Alekseev ◽  
Kristaps Kairišs ◽  
Ryan C. McKellar

Abstract. A male representative of the extinct species Calomicrus eocenicus Bukejs et Bezděk, 2014 (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) is found and described for the first time from Eocene Baltic amber using X-ray microtomography. The aedeagus is well preserved within the body cavity of the specimen, and it is illustrated in detail. This fossil species exhibits distinct sexual dimorphism: the male has a smaller total body size, as well as a copula-adapted modification in abdominal ventrite 5 (apical margin deeply trilobed, with round medial fovea present); meanwhile the female is larger in body size and has a simple abdominal ventrite 5 (without fovea, non-incised and widely rounded apically). Similar sexually dimorphic characters are typical for extant members of the tribe Luperini, and this report is the first time that they are described in an Eocene species. The known sexually dimorphic characters present in Coleoptera within Eocene Baltic amber are briefly discussed.


2002 ◽  
Vol 205 (18) ◽  
pp. 2875-2884 ◽  
Author(s):  
James C. Liao

SUMMARYThe Atlantic needlefish (Strongylura marina) is a unique anguilliform swimmer in that it possesses prominent fins, lives in coastal surface-waters, and can propel itself across the surface of the water to escape predators. In a laboratory flow tank, steadily swimming needlefish perform a speed-dependent suite of behaviors while maintaining at least a half wavelength of undulation on the body at all times. To investigate the effects of discrete fins on anguilliform swimming, I used high-speed video to record body and fin kinematics at swimming speeds ranging from 0.25 to 2.0 Ls-1 (where L is the total body length). Analysis of axial kinematics indicates that needlefish are less efficient anguilliform swimmers than eels, indicated by their lower slip values. Body amplitudes increase with swimming speed, but unlike most fishes, tail-beat amplitude increases linearly and does not plateau at maximal swimming speeds. At 2.0 Ls-1, the propulsive wave shortens and decelerates as it travels posteriorly, owing to the prominence of the median fins in the caudal region of the body. Analyses of fin kinematics show that at 1.0 Ls-1 the dorsal and anal fins are slightly less than 180° out of phase with the body and approximately 225° out of phase with the caudal fin. Needlefish exhibit two gait transitions using their pectoral fins. At 0.25 L s-1, the pectoral fins oscillate but do not produce thrust, at 1.0 L s-1 they are held abducted from the body,forming a positive dihedral that may reduce rolling moments, and above 2.0 L s-1 they remain completely adducted.


2020 ◽  
pp. 61-68
Author(s):  
С. В. Михайлова

Цель - выявление особенностей динамики показателей тотальных размеров тела у студентов с различными соматотипами в возрастном периоде 17-22 года. Материал и методы. Исследование проводили в течение 2010-2018 гг. по результатам проспективных наблюдений показателей тотальных размеров тела у 530 студентов (240 юношей и 290 девушек) 17-22 лет в период их обучения в вузе. Типы телосложения определяли по методу В. Г. Штефко и Б. А. Островского (1929) в изложении С. С. Дарской (1975). Результаты. Среди обследованных студентов у 49,2 % юношей выявлены приросты ДТ, завершившиеся в 21-22 года, и у 35,6 % девушек, продолжающиеся только до 19-20 лет. У большинства студентов за время обучения в вузе отмечены приросты показателей массы тела и окружности груди, при этом также выявлены юноши и девушки, у которых эти показатели не изменились или даже снизились за исследуемый период. На старших курсах у большинства студентов приросты массы тела и окружности груди замедляются с остановкой ростовых процессов, но не прекращаются и ведут к увеличению числа студентов с избыточной массой тела, что подтверждается возрастанием численности молодежи с дигестивным типом телосложения и высокими значениями показателей индекса массы тела (BMI), в большей степени выраженным среди юношей. У студентов с торакальным типом телосложения, который является самым распространенным и динамичным соматотипом в исследуемой выборке, отмечены значимые приросты тотальных размеров тела. Аналогичная динамичность приростов выявлена у юношей с мышечным телосложением. За время обучения в вузе численность молодежи с торакальным типом телосложения снижается, при этом возрастает доля студентов с мышечным и дигестивным соматотипами. За время обучения в вузе у 14,1 % студентов меняется тип телосложения. Выводы. Выявлена обусловленность приростов показателей тотальных размеров тела у юношей и девушек в возрастном периоде 17-22 года типом телосложения, оказывающем влияние на скорость и направленность динамики показателей длины и массы тела и окружности грудной клетки. Objective - to identify the characteristics of the dynamics of indicators of total body size in students aged 17-22 years with different somatotypes. Material and methods. The study was conducted during 2010-2018 and was based on the results of prospective observations of morphological indicators of 530 students (240 boys and 290 girls) aged 17-22 during the period of study at the university. Body types were determined by the method of V. G. Shtefko and B. A. Ostrovsky (1929) as presented by S. S. Darskaya (1975). Results. Among the examined students, an increase in body length (BL) was found in 49,2 % of young men, and in 35,6 % of girls; the height gain stopped by 21-22 years in boys and by 19-20 years in girls. The majority of students during their study at the university showed increases in body mass and chest circumference. Boys and girls who demonstrated no change or even a decrease in these indicators during the study period were also found. In most senior students, gains in body weight and chest circumferences slowed down when the height growth ceased, but did not stop. It led to an increase in the number of overweight students, which is confirmed by the increase in the number of young people with an alimentive body type and high BMI values, more pronounced among boys. Students with a thoracic body type, which was the most common and dynamic somatotype in the studied sample, showed significant gains in total body size. Similar growth dynamics was found in boys with muscular body type. During training at the university, the number of young people with thoracic body type decreased, while the proportion of students with muscular and alimentive somatotypes increased. During the period of study in high school, the body type changed in 14,1 % students. Conclusions. The dependency of gains in indicators of total body size among boys and girls aged 17-22 on body type was revealed. The body type influenced the speed and direction of the dynamics of indicators of body length, weight and chest circumference.


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