An annotated species list of regular echinoids from Sri Lanka with notes on some rarely seen temnopleurids

The first recorded regular echinoid species from Sri Lanka, “Salmacis virgulatus” (now known as S. virgulata L. Agassiz in L. Agassiz & Desor, 1846), was listed by Agassiz & Desor (1846). Knowledge of Sri Lankan regular echinoids continued to advance until the end of the 19th century. However, there is a gap in knowledge between the mid-20th and the beginning of the 21st centuries due to a lack of systematic studies, with the exception of two checklists published by the IUCN Red List in 2006 and 2012. In the present study, we compiled a species list combining published data and new data based on fieldwork between 2013 and 2015. Echinoids were sampled by snorkelling, diving, examination of fisheries bycatch, and collection of tests from beaches. The updated species list presented in this study includes 39 regular echinoids belonging to 28 genera, nine families, and five orders. Phyllacanthus imperialis (Lamarck, 1816) and Temnopleurus toreumaticus (Leske, 1778), which were not recorded during the last 90 years, were confirmed to still occur in Sri Lanka by the present study. We develop an updated species list of regular echinoids to form a basis for future systematic work. The study recommends further investigation to evaluate the status of deep-sea species and additional field work off the northern and eastern coasts of Sri Lanka.

Download Full-text

A review of previous studies on the Sri Lankan echinoid fauna, with an updated species list

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4231.2.1 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 4231 (2) ◽

pp. 151 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

GAYASHAN M. ARACHCHIGE ◽

SEVVANDI JAYAKODY ◽

RICH MOOI ◽

ANDREAS KROH

Keyword(s):

Sri Lanka ◽

Original Data ◽

Published Data ◽

Sri Lankan ◽

Indian Coast ◽

Type Specimens ◽

Species List ◽

Systematic Revision ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Annotated List

A comprehensive review and analysis of the literature on echinoids from Sri Lankan waters were conducted to compile an annotated list that integrates the existing published data with original data from recent research. According to the published literature, 115 echinoid species and one subspecies have been reported from Sri Lanka to date. However, the current study revealed that only 66 echinoid species and one subspecies belonging to 20 families can be verified to occur in Sri Lankan waters. According to the present analysis, 49 species were excluded from the list due to uncertain records (16) or synonymy (33) with other taxa known from the region. Of the 66 species and one subspecies occurring in Sri Lankan waters, 11 were first described from type material collected from this region. Six of the type specimens are “regular” echinoids and five are Irregularia. Out of these 11, Araeosoma coriaceum indicum has been recorded only from and appears to be endemic to Sri Lankan waters. However, 34 species of Sri Lankan echinoids have not been recorded in the last 90 years. Echinoid species recorded from Sri Lankan waters represent 6.7% of the currently accepted species of extant echinoids and include representatives of 28% of the extant echinoid families. Forty-five percent (45%) of echinoids recorded from the Indian coast (113 species and subspecies) are present in Sri Lankan waters. The current study highlights the need for systematic revision of echinoid records in Sri Lanka through field surveys and reconciliation of discrepancies in the existing literature. Offshore sampling is also needed due to lack of recent information on local deep-sea echinoids.

Download Full-text

Co-extinct and critically co-endangered species of parasitic lice, and conservation-induced extinction: should lice be reintroduced to their hosts?

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605313000628 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 49 (1) ◽

pp. 107-110 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Lajos Rózsa ◽

Zoltán Vas

Keyword(s):

Endangered Species ◽

Host Specificity ◽

Host Species ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Published Data ◽

Common Phenomenon ◽

Global Extinction

AbstractThe co-extinction of parasitic taxa and their host species is considered a common phenomenon in the current global extinction crisis. However, information about the conservation status of parasitic taxa is scarce. We present a global list of co-extinct and critically co-endangered parasitic lice (Phthiraptera), based on published data on their host-specificity and their hosts’ conservation status according to the IUCN Red List. We list six co-extinct and 40 (possibly 41) critically co-endangered species. Additionally, we recognize 2–4 species that went extinct as a result of conservation efforts to save their hosts. Conservationists should consider preserving host-specific lice as part of their efforts to save species.

Download Full-text

Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010

10.1071/9780643103696 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 103

Author(s):

Stephen Garnett ◽

Judit Szabo ◽

Guy Dutson

Keyword(s):

Current Knowledge ◽

Action Plan ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

International Union ◽

The Third ◽

Retrospective Assessment ◽

Australian Birds ◽

The Status ◽

Iucn Red List Criteria

The Action Plan for Australian Birds 2010 is the third in a series of action plans that have been produced at the start of each decade. The book analyses the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) status of all the species and subspecies of Australia's birds, including those of the offshore territories. For each bird the size and trend in their population and distribution has been analysed using the latest iteration of IUCN Red List Criteria to determine their risk of extinction. The book also provides an account of all those species and subspecies that are or are likely to be extinct. The result is the most authoritative account yet of the status of Australia's birds. In this completely revised edition each account covers not only the 2010 status but provides a retrospective assessment of the status in 1990 and 2000 based on current knowledge, taxonomic revisions and changes to the IUCN criteria, and then reasons why the status of some taxa has changed over the last two decades. Maps have been created specifically for the Action Plan based on vetted data drawn from the records of Birds Australia, its members and its partners in many government departments. This is not a book of lost causes. It is a call for action to keep the extraordinary biodiversity we have inherited and pass the legacy to our children. 2012 Whitley Award Commendation for Zoological Resource.

Download Full-text

The status of a rare phylogeographic lineage of the Vulnerable European souslik Spermophilus citellus, endemic to central Macedonia

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s003060531200004x ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 46 (3) ◽

pp. 442-445 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Boris Kryštufek ◽

Peter Glasnović ◽

Svetozar Petkovski

Keyword(s):

Total Population ◽

Conservation Management ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Livestock Grazing ◽

Tree Line ◽

Large Colony ◽

Independent Unit ◽

The Status ◽

Spermophilus Citellus

AbstractThe conversion of grasslands for agriculture has triggered a serious decline of the European ground squirrel or souslik Spermophilus citellus, categorized as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1996. The Jakupica phylogeographic lineage of central Macedonia is the smallest of the three major evolutionary lines of the European souslik. This lineage is an important reservoir of within-species diversity and should be regarded as an independent unit for conservation management purposes. It is endemic to Mount Jakupica, where it lives in mountain pastures at 1,500–2,250 m altitude. The total area occupied by sousliks (884 ha) is fragmented and 94% of individuals occur in four colonies. Densities (0.8–5.5 adults ha−1) are lower than those reported elsewhere for the species, with the total population probably <2,000 adults. One large colony, reportedly of c. 1,000 sousliks, was decimated in 2007 by a catastrophic fire and had still not recovered by 2010. A steady decline in livestock grazing, together with the predicted advance of the tree line as a consequence of climate change, will probably reduce the optimal habitat for the souslik and negatively affect population fitness. Monitoring needs to be implemented, at least for the largest colonies, to provide early warning of any declines.

Download Full-text

A practical guide to the application of the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems criteria

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2014.0003 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 370 (1662) ◽

pp. 20140003 ◽

Cited By ~ 53

Author(s):

Jon Paul Rodríguez ◽

David A. Keith ◽

Kathryn M. Rodríguez-Clark ◽

Nicholas J. Murray ◽

Emily Nicholson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Best Practice ◽

Biological Diversity ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Assessment Process ◽

Convention On Biological Diversity ◽

Global Risk ◽

Systematic Assessment ◽

The Status ◽

Practice Methods

The newly developed IUCN Red List of Ecosystems is part of a growing toolbox for assessing risks to biodiversity, which addresses ecosystems and their functioning. The Red List of Ecosystems standard allows systematic assessment of all freshwater, marine, terrestrial and subterranean ecosystem types in terms of their global risk of collapse. In addition, the Red List of Ecosystems categories and criteria provide a technical base for assessments of ecosystem status at the regional, national, or subnational level. While the Red List of Ecosystems criteria were designed to be widely applicable by scientists and practitioners, guidelines are needed to ensure they are implemented in a standardized manner to reduce epistemic uncertainties and allow robust comparisons among ecosystems and over time. We review the intended application of the Red List of Ecosystems assessment process, summarize ‘best-practice’ methods for ecosystem assessments and outline approaches to ensure operational rigour of assessments. The Red List of Ecosystems will inform priority setting for ecosystem types worldwide, and strengthen capacity to report on progress towards the Aichi Targets of the Convention on Biological Diversity. When integrated with other IUCN knowledge products, such as the World Database of Protected Areas/Protected Planet, Key Biodiversity Areas and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the Red List of Ecosystems will contribute to providing the most complete global measure of the status of biodiversity yet achieved.

Download Full-text

Peperomia (Piperaceae) novelties from Veracruz State, Mexico

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.205.4.6 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 205 (4) ◽

pp. 268 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Guido Mathieu ◽

Daniela Vergara-Rodriguez ◽

Thorsten Krömer ◽

Dirk Nikolaus Karger

Keyword(s):

Conservation Status ◽

Field Work ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Taxonomic Treatment ◽

Iucn Red List Criteria

The preparation of a taxonomic treatment of the genus Peperomia (Piperaceae) for the ‘Flora of Veracruz’, revealed that three species remained without being described. This finding is a result of the review and study of botanical collections in several Mexican and foreign herbaria, as well as of field work in order to collect living and fertile material, which allowed us to describe and illustrate the species as new to science. Two of these, P. chazaroi and P. vazquezii, appear to be endemic to Veracruz, whereas P. parastriata was also found in the neighboring states Chiapas and Oaxaca. The treatment includes assessments of conservation status considering IUCN Red List criteria.

Download Full-text

Notes on Singaporean native Zingiberales II: revision of Marantaceae, with a new generic record and notes on naturalised and commonly cultivated exotic species

Phytotaxa ◽

10.11646/phytotaxa.289.3.1 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 289 (3) ◽

pp. 201 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

MATTI A. NIISSALO ◽

GILLIAN S. KHEW ◽

EDWARD L. WEBB ◽

JANA LEONG-ŠKORNIČKOVÁ

Keyword(s):

Exotic Species ◽

Native Species ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Peninsular Malaysia ◽

Red List ◽

Identification Key ◽

The Status ◽

Generic Record

An illustrated revision of Marantaceae in Singapore with an identification key and proposed national IUCN Red List assessments is presented here. In total three genera and four species are considered native to Singapore (Donax canniformis, Phrynium hirtum, Stachyphrynium parvum, and Stachyphrynium latifolium) representing 33 % of diversity currently known to occur in Peninsular Malaysia. Although the genus Phrynium Willdenow (1797: 1) was previously reported for Singapore based on the presence of P. villosulum, we show that this species is, contrary to previous accounts, not native but introduced. Newly reported Phrynium hirtum therefore represents a new native generic record for the country. We are changing the status of Schumannianthus benthamianus, previously considered native, to cultivated, as there are no historic or recent collections of this species. Non-native species commonly employed in Singapore streetscapes and parks are also briefly discussed and illustrated in this paper. Actoplanes ridleyi, Donax grandis, Donax parviflora, Maranta tonchat, Phrynium latifolium and Phrynium sumatranum are lectotypified and Maranta arundinacea Blanco (non L.) is neotypified.

Download Full-text

The changing fates of the world's mammals

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rstb.2011.0116 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 366 (1578) ◽

pp. 2598-2610 ◽

Cited By ~ 109

Author(s):

Michael Hoffmann ◽

Jerrold L. Belant ◽

Janice S. Chanson ◽

Neil A. Cox ◽

John Lamoreux ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Captive Breeding ◽

Extinction Risk ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Mammal Species ◽

International Union ◽

The Status ◽

Conservation Actions ◽

In The Wild

A recent complete assessment of the conservation status of 5487 mammal species demonstrated that at least one-fifth are at risk of extinction in the wild. We retrospectively identified genuine changes in extinction risk for mammals between 1996 and 2008 to calculate changes in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List Index (RLI). Species-level trends in the conservation status of mammalian diversity reveal that extinction risk in large-bodied species is increasing, and that the rate of deterioration has been most accelerated in the Indomalayan and Australasian realms. Expanding agriculture and hunting have been the main drivers of increased extinction risk in mammals. Site-based protection and management, legislation, and captive-breeding and reintroduction programmes have led to improvements in 24 species. We contextualize these changes, and explain why both deteriorations and improvements may be under-reported. Although this study highlights where conservation actions are leading to improvements, it fails to account for instances where conservation has prevented further deteriorations in the status of the world's mammals. The continued utility of the RLI is dependent on sustained investment to ensure repeated assessments of mammals over time and to facilitate future calculations of the RLI and measurement against global targets.

Download Full-text

Population status and distribution of the Endangered yellow-margined box turtle Cuora flavomarginata in Taiwan

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s0030605310000797 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 44 (4) ◽

pp. 581-587 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yi-Fu Lin ◽

Sheng-Hai Wu ◽

Te-En Lin ◽

Jean-Jay Mao ◽

Tien-Hsi Chen

Keyword(s):

Habitat Fragmentation ◽

Land Development ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Secondary Forests ◽

Population Status ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Large Populations ◽

The Status ◽

Box Turtle

AbstractThe Chelonia face an extinction crisis, particularly in Asia: unsustainable harvests, and habitat fragmentation and loss accompanying rapid urbanization and land development all pose threats to turtles. These threats are particularly acute for those species with a high commercial value such as the yellow-margined box turtle Cuora flavomarginata. Because of burgeoning demand in the food and pet markets, combined with extensive habitat loss, C. flavomarginata is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. To investigate the status and distribution of this species in Taiwan we conducted an extensive trapping survey in 2001–2008, locating a total of 527 different individuals at 23 sites. Our results show that C. flavomarginata is restricted to low-elevation forested hills. Populations in lowland areas may have been extirpated by land development. There are four clusters of localities in low-elevation primary and secondary forests, and some relatively large populations survive. However, capture success at most sites was low. In those sites where we trapped > 20 individuals, sex ratios were significantly skewed towards females and adults predominated. The most essential measure for the conservation of C. flavomarginata in Taiwan is to secure and preserve some relatively undisturbed habitats at low elevations.

Download Full-text

Nothing to laugh about – the ongoing illegal trade in laughingthrushes (Garrulax species) in the bird markets of Java, Indonesia

Bird Conservation International ◽

10.1017/s0959270916000320 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 524-530 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

CHRIS R. SHEPHERD ◽

JAMES A. EATON ◽

SERENE C. L. CHNG

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Conservation Status ◽

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Illegal Trade ◽

Wild Populations ◽

Protected Species ◽

Species List ◽

Numerous Species

SummaryIn ad hoc survey inventories of eight major bird markets in Java in 2014 and 2015, 615 individuals from nine species of the Garrulax genus were found for sale. The most numerous species was Sunda Laughingthrush Garrulax palliatus (215 individuals), followed by Chinese Hwamei G. canorus and Chestnut-capped Laughingthrush G. mitratus. Prices collected in Jakarta revealed that non-native species were the most expensive. Information from these and previous surveys indicate that prices for Sumatran Laughingthrush Garrulax bicolor appeared to have soared since 2007, suggesting increasing rarity of the species. We urge the Indonesian Government to take action against the illegal trade in laughingthrushes under existing laws, especially for the Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush Garrulax rufifrons which is listed on the national protected species list. We also recommend that the Sumatran Laughingthrush Garrulax bicolor be listed as a protected species under Indonesian law. As wild populations of Rufous-fronted Laughingthrush and Sumatran Laughingthrush are threatened by trade, we recommend an urgent review of the conservation status of both species on the IUCN Red List.

Download Full-text