scholarly journals Larval ecomorphology of 13 Libellulidae (Anisoptera, Odonata) of the Middle Rio Doce Valley, Minas Gerais, Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-219 ◽  
Author(s):  
HC. Giacomini ◽  
P. De Marco Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Aquatic Macrophytes ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Morphological Divergence ◽  
Bottom Substrate ◽  
Morphological Distinction ◽  
Morphological Variables

In the lakes of the Middle Rio Doce, Minas Gerais (MG), two groups of larval Libellulidae are distinguished by preferences of habitat use: one uses mainly aquatic macrophytes and the other uses the bottom substrate. The goal of this work was to verify if there is a morphological distinction between the two groups of species. Thirteen body measures were taken from the larvae and analyzed. No difference was found between the two groups of species regarding the body size, but shape differences were observed for two morphological variables. The species that use mainly macrophytes tend to have larger relative measures of the labium and smaller measures of the abdomen width. Advantages in resource obtainment and in vulnerability to predation are probably the explanations for the morphological divergence among these larval groups.

scholarly journals A further contribution to the knowledge of Pectiniunguis minutus (Demange, 1968), a little known dwarf schendylid centipede from western equatorial Africa (Chilopoda: geophilomorpha)

2011 ◽  
Vol 51 (20) ◽  
pp. 307-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Alberto Pereira
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Small Body ◽  
Single Species ◽  
Type Specimen ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Anterior Region ◽  
Small Body Size ◽  
Morphological Comparison ◽  
Equatorial Africa

The geophilomorph centipede Pectiniunguis minutus (Demange, 1968), a little known dwarf schendylid from Gabon (Western equatorial Africa), is redescribed and illustrated based on the type material and an additional non-type specimen preserved in the collections of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris. P. minutus can be easily differentiated from all the other species currently assigned to the genus Pectiniunguis, by the very low number of leg-bearing segments (35 in the males, 37 or 39 in the females) and very small body size (12-16 mm in length). P. minutus is also distinguished by having ventral pore-fields on the anterior region of the body only, this character being shared by a single species of the genus, i.e., P. ascendens Pereira, Minelli & Barbieri, 1994, from the Neotropics (Brazil: State of Amazonas) with which a morphological comparison is given. Comments about other dwarf centipede species belonging to several families of the order Geophilomorpha, are also added.

Do body size, diet type or residence time explain habitat use in a vertebrate herbivore community?

2016 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Garnick ◽  
J. Di Stefano ◽  
M. A. Elgar ◽  
G. Coulson
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
Residence Time ◽  
Relative Entropy ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
The Body ◽  
Community Organisation ◽  
Grey Kangaroo ◽  
Eastern Australia ◽  
Diet Type

Many theories attempt to explain patterns of community organisation among large herbivores. We explored the role of body size, diet type and residence time on habitat use in a community comprising four metatherians (western grey kangaroo, Macropus fuliginosus; eastern grey kangaroo, M. giganteus; red-necked wallaby, Notamacropus rufogriseus; swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor) and two eutherians (red deer, Cervus elaphus; European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus) in south-eastern Australia. We used camera traps to estimate habitat occupancy, quantified habitat specialisation using relative entropy, and ran regressions using percentage grass consumed, log(mass) and log(time at site) as predictor variables and relative entropy as the response. If body size influenced habitat use, we predicted smaller species would occupy fewer habitats. If diet type influenced habitat use, we predicted intermediate feeders would use more habitats. If the time that a species had been present at a site predicted community organisation, newer species would use more habitats. None of these theories explained habitat use in our community. Red deer used a narrower range of habitats than expected, perhaps due to the poor suitability of habitats available in the Grampians. While interactions between our hypotheses are likely to be important, the body size model deserves further attention in this community.

scholarly journals Fillet Yield and Length-Weight Relationship of Five Fish Species From Lower River Benue, Makurdi, Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 161-172
Author(s):  
Okomoda Victor Tosin ◽  
◽  
Solomon Shola Gabriel ◽  
Songbe S. Wukatda ◽  
Ikape Simon I ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fish Species ◽  
Clarias Gariepinus ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Weight Relationship ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Morphological Variables ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Fillet Yield ◽  
Relationship Of

The body characteristics and yield indices of Clarias gariepinus, Bagrus bajad, Synodontis nigrita, Labeo senegalensis and Mormyrus rume from lower Benue River in Nigeria were determined in this study using 60 samples each for the fish species. Length, weight and fillet correlations were also determined during the study. Results obtained showed that M. rume, L. senegalensis and C. gariepinus had the highest percentage of edible parts (≥ 55%) compared to the other species (≤ 39%). Concerning correlations of the fillet with the morphological variables, results obtained suggest that fillet yield is independent of fish size (except for C. gariepinus which was positively correlated). Also, only samples of L. senegalensis showed isometric growth pattern; the other fish species had either positive (C. gariepinus and B. bajad) or negative (S. nigrita and M. rume) allometric growth. While the difference in fillet yield and body characteristics was attributed to the structural anatomy and other biological dynamics of the fishes, this study could not establish a connection between fillet yield and the length-weight relationship. It was concluded that M. rume, L. senegalensis and C. gariepinus would be better export products because of their higher fillet yields.

Appraising Behaviour During Male-male Interaction in the Japanese Horned Beetle Trypoxylus Dichotomus Septentrionalis (Kono)

Behaviour ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 140 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-517 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihito Hongo
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Size Difference ◽  
Horn Length ◽  
Horned Beetle ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Contest Behaviour ◽  
Trypoxylus Dichotomus ◽  
Stage 1

AbstractDetailed contest behaviour of the Japanese horned beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus septentrionalis, was examined in the field. Male-male interactions have three sequences, and in these sequences four behavioural stages were recognized. After two males encountered (Stage 1), they always faced and shoved each other with their horns (Stage 2: 'Shoving'). Then, if the horn length or body size difference between the contestants was large, one male began to retreat and was chased by the other male, and the interactions terminated (Stage 4A: 'Chasing'). If the difference was small, the interactions proceeded to the escalated fighting stage (Stage 3: 'Pry'), in which two males put their horns under their opponents and push and try to flip them up each other. The interactions, which proceeded to Stage 3, have two ways of termination. If the body size difference was large, one male was flipped up by the other male, and the interactions was terminated quickly (Stage 4B). If the difference was small, the interactions was not terminated so quickly and continued until one male began to retreat, proceeding to Stage 4A. It is suggested that males with shorter horns relative to the opponents avoid the escalated fighting stage, 'Pry', after perceiving the horn length difference during 'Shoving', which would be an appraising behaviour. Thus, 'Shoving' is the most important stage among all the interaction processes in that the highest proportion of judgement is made here. The great allometric variation of horn length would presently function more greatly for enhancing the efficiency of mutual appraisal than that in actual fighting.

Niche partitioning within a population of sea snakes is constrained by ambient thermal homogeneity and small prey size

2020 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 644-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Goiran ◽  
Gregory P Brown ◽  
Richard Shine
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Habitat Use ◽  
New Caledonia ◽  
Niche Partitioning ◽  
Thermal Conditions ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Prey ◽  
Sea Snakes ◽  
Local Extirpation ◽  
Free Ranging

Abstract In many populations of terrestrial snakes, the phenotype of an individual (e.g. body size, sex, colour) affects its habitat use. One cause for that link is gape limitation, which can result in larger snakes eating prey that are found in different habitats. A second factor involves thermoregulatory opportunities, whereby individuals select habitats based upon thermal conditions. These ideas predict minimal intraspecific variation in habitat use in a species that eats small prey and lives in a thermally uniform habitat, such as the sea snake Emydocephalus annulatus, which feeds on tiny fish eggs and lives in inshore coral reefs. To test that prediction, we gathered data on water depths and substrate attributes for 1475 sightings of 128 free-ranging E. annulatus in a bay near Noumea, New Caledonia. Habitat selection varied among individuals, but with a preference for coral-dominated substrates. The body size and reproductive state of a snake affected its detectability in deep water, but overall habitat use was not linked to snake body size, colour morph, sex or pregnancy. A lack of ontogenetic shifts in habitat use allows extreme philopatry in E. annulatus, thereby reducing gene flow among populations and, potentially, delaying recolonization after local extirpation events.

Differentiation of external morphology of Damaeidae (Acari: Oribatida) in light of the ontogeny of three species

Zootaxa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 2775 (1) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
STANISŁAW SENICZAK ◽  
ANNA SENICZAK
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
External Morphology ◽  
Dorsal Seta ◽  
Size And Shape ◽  
Juvenile Stages ◽  
Shape And Size

Morphology of juvenile stages and ontogeny of Damaeus onustus C. L. Koch, 1844, Damaeus clavipes (Hermann, 1804) and Kunstidamaeus tecticola (Michael, 1888) was investigated. The juveniles of these species differ mainly in body shape and size, and shape of some setae on the gastronotum and legs. The nymphs of all species lose centrodorsal setae of the d-series, and carry the exuviae of previous instars, but D. onustus carries also compact humus mass adhering to exuviae, D. clavipes a lot of loose debris, while K. tecticola usually only exuviae. The kind of camouflage is partly determined by the shape of gastronotal setae; in D. onustus these setae are curved ventrally, in D. clavipes are raised, while in K. tecticola are raised, and strongly curved medial. The nymphs of these species, as the nymphs of all other known Damaeidae, have gastronotal cornicle, which connects the exuviae of previous instars to the gastronotum. The cornicle of particular species differs in shape and location on the gastronotum; in some species is located anteromedial to setae la, in the other between setae lm, and in the other yet between setae lp or h 3 . The adults of these species differ mainly in body size, presence and shape of cuticular apophyses on the body, length of some setae on the prodorsum and notogaster, and the number of setae on legs, including dorsal seta d on genua I–III and tibiae I–IV.

scholarly journals Comparative studies on storage cells in tardigrades during starvation and anhydrobiosis

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 259-263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andy Reuner ◽  
Steffen Hengherr ◽  
Franz Brümmer ◽  
Ralph O. Schill
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Cell Size ◽  
Green Algae ◽  
Comparative Studies ◽  
Body Cavity ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Nutrient Regime ◽  
Storage Cells ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The impact of starvation and anhydrobiosis on the number and size of the storage cells in the tardigrade species Milnesium tardigradum, Paramacrobiotus tonollii and Macrobiotus sapiens was investigated to gain more insight on the energetic side of anhydrobiosis. Storage cells are free floating cells within the body cavity of tardigrades and are presumed to store and release energy in form of glycogen, protein and fat to maintain a constant nutrient regime for the other tissues. The body size of the animals was not correlated with the size of the storage cells, however, M. tardigradum the largest species analysed also had the largest storage cells. A reduction in the size of the storage cells is apparent in all three species after seven days of starvation. A seven-day period of anhydrobiosis leads to a decrease in cell size in M. tardigradum but not in P. tonollii and M. sapiens. Although M. sapiens was raised on green algae, and M. tardigradum and P. tonollii were fed with rotifers and nematodes this difference in nourishment was not reflected in the response of the storage cells to anhydrobiosis.

scholarly journals Trematodes from Red Sea fishes: Prosteganoderma brayi gen. nov., sp. nov. (Zoogonidae Odhner, 1902) and Forticulcita mugilis sp. nov. (Haploporidae Nicoll, 1914)

2007 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 183-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Read Hassanine
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Red Sea ◽  
Egg Size ◽  
Body Wall ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Intestinal Bifurcation ◽  
South Sinai ◽  
Intestinal Trematodes ◽  
Scarus Ghobban

AbstractSpecimens of the fishes Scarus ghobban Forsskål (Scaridae) and Crenimugil crenilabis Forsskål (Mugilidae) were caught in the Red Sea off the coast of Sharm El-Sheikh, South Sinai, Egypt. Ten (20 %) and 15 (50 %) of these fishes, respectively, were found to harbour intestinal trematodes. Scarus ghobban was parasitised by Prosteganoderma brayi gen. nov., sp. nov. (Zoogonidae) and C. crenilabis by Forticulcita mugilis sp. nov. (Haploporidae). Prosteganoderma gen. nov. is similar to Steganoderma Stafford, 1904, but clearly differs from it and from all the other genera of the subfamily Lepidophyllinae Stossich, 1903 in having a large ventral sucker surrounded by a large prominent fleshy fold of the body wall and a pre-testicular uterus. Forticulcita mugilis sp. nov. is similar to F. glabra Overstreet, 1982, the type and the only species of the genus, but clearly differs in having a larger body size, a longer forebody, an intestinal bifurcation in the middle of the body, subequal gonads, Laurer’s canal opening dorsally at a considerable distance posterior to the testis and a much larger egg size.

scholarly journals Biogeographic patterns of belemnite body size responses to episodes of environmental crisis

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrícia Rita ◽  
José C. García-Ramos ◽  
Pascal Neige ◽  
Laura Piñuela ◽  
Robert Weis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Environmental Crisis ◽  
Oceanic Anoxic Event ◽  
Biogeographic Patterns ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Marine Diversity ◽  
Abundance And Diversity

Body size changes have been investigated through episodes of environmental crisis among several groups of organisms but the relative contribution of within-lineage size changes, selective extinction and origination of taxa on these patterns is still being debated. Rapid warming, anoxia, and perturbations of the carbon cycle linked with volcanic activity, as well as their impact on marine diversity are well documented for the Pliensbachian-Toarcian (Pli-Toa) boundary and for the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE). Belemnites were a very abundant and successful cephalopod group in the Mesozoic oceans playing a paramount role in the oceanic trophic webs. Belemnites have mainly been studied from a geochemical perspective during this interval. Newly collected data from three northern and western Iberian sections (Peniche, Rodiles and Lastres) allowed an analysis of the belemnite body size dynamics across the Pli-Toa boundary and the T-OAE and a comparison with other European basins. In Peniche (Lusitanian Basin, Portugal), a significant reduction in belemnite body size was recognized across the Pli-Toa boundary at the assemblage level (i.e. community scale of organization). From the analysis of the different taxa recorded, it seems that adult specimens of Pseudohastites longiformis are driving the body size pattern observed (13% rostrum size decrease). The uppermost Polymorphum-Levisoni zones interval is characterized by a dramatic decrease on both belemnite abundance and diversity. Only 4 specimens of the genus Acrocoelites were found, increasing the body size at the assemblage level. In the Asturian Basin (N Spain), on the other hand, a body size increase at the assemblage level is recognized across the Pli-Toa boundary caused by a within-lineage effect mainly related to adult specimens of Passaloteuthis and Pseudohastites genera. During the onset of the T-OAE, belemnite body size increases due to the appearance of Acrocoelites genus. To summarize, the increase in rostrum size at the assemblage level across the T-OAE is associated with the radiation of a large-sized taxon (Acrocoelites genus) and the extinction of various other species. On the other hand, across the Pli-Toa boundary, the belemnite body size changes are dominated by within-lineage mechanisms. This suggests that species might have been able to cope within the early warming phase (Pli-Ta boundary), but were more affected by the subsequent warming and anoxia during the T-OAE. Our preliminary results indicate that this pattern might also be recognized in other western European sections, such as Cleveland Basin, western Paris Basin (Normandy) and Southern Germany sections. The biotic and abiotic drivers of belemnite body size changes still need to be comprehensively analyzed.

Perception of Body Size and Body Satisfaction in Recovered Anorexic Women: Comparison with Restrained and Unrestrained Eaters

1997 ◽  
Vol 84 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1331-1342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Lautenbacher ◽  
Nicoline Kraehe ◽  
Jürgen-Christian Krieg
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Body Satisfaction ◽  
Body Shape ◽  
The Body ◽  
The Other ◽  
Size Estimation ◽  
Restrained Eaters ◽  
Body Experience ◽  
Unrestrained Eaters

The perception of body size, measured by three different methods, and body satisfaction were assessed in 23 formerly anorexic inpatients with an “intermediate” ( n = 9) or a “good” outcome ( n = 14) and compared with the data obtained from 21 restrained and 20 unrestrained eaters. Using the Kinaesthetic Size Estimation Apparatus, overestimation and uncertainty in the perception of body size became apparent in both groups of former patients. The other two methods, Video Distortion Technique and Image Marking Procedure, did not produce comparable results. There was only a trend towards higher scores on body dissatisfaction, as measured by the Body Shape Questionnaire, in the patients' groups in comparison with the group of unrestrained eaters, whereas the patients' scores on body dissatisfaction were quite similar to those of the restrained eaters. None of these measures discriminated between the two outcome categories of “intermediate” and “good.” These findings suggest that restoration of body weight, by itself, obviously does not cause a normalization of body experience in all its components in patients with anorexia nervosa.

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