scholarly journals A New Record of Recent Brachiopods: Digitizing the National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University Of Jerusalem

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yael Leshno Afriat ◽  
Henk Mienis
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
New Record ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
New Information ◽  
Hebrew University ◽  
Recent Brachiopods

Brachiopods (lamp-shells) are a group of macrobenthic invertebrates with a remarkably long fossil record that encompasses deep time to modern-day oceans with over 12,000 species reported in the fossil record. In contrast, today brachiopods form a relatively small independent phylum among the invertebrates that includes only ca. 350 living species. Brachiopods are commonly used to examine faunal response to changes in the depositional environment across space and time. The extinct fossil species are compared to their counterparts from modern settings in order to find associations between ecological and morphological traits and past environmental conditions. Thus, collecting data on living brachiopods and studying their ecological preferences is crucial to the understanding of ancient environments. Until today, only scarce information has been published on extant brachiopods in the Levantine Basin off the coast of Israel. The current curatorial state of collections from the area prevents us from realizing their full scientific potential. We present new information concerning brachiopods collected in the Eastern Mediterranean and stored in the Mollusc Collection of the National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The collection is based on personal contributions and material collected by the Sea Fisheries Research Station during annual surveys carried out along the coast of Israel. As a first step, we estimated the size of the collection to contain ca. 355 samples of brachiopods of an unknown number of species. Notable contributions to the brachiopod collection include the Giorgio S. Coen and the Arthur Blok collections. Giorgio S. Coen, an enthusiastic malacologist, donated his private collection in 1951. The collection includes samples given to Coen by the distinguished Marchese di Monterosato, and contains ca. 230 samples of recent worldwide brachiopods. So far we have recognized type material of at least four taxa in the Coen collection. In addition, the Arthur Blok collection was donated in 1974 and includes ca. 65 samples of recent brachiopods. Due to the limited number of extant species, new records of living brachiopods should prove to be an important contribution to future studies in biogeography, phylogeny and the study of paleoenvironments. Our preliminary results show species occurrences in undocumented depths and habitats of the Eastern Mediterranean, and points to higher estimation of diversity in the Eastern Mediterranean than previously assumed. The order of magnitude difference in species diversity between extant and fossil brachiopods means our new information on life modes and habitats of recent species may have a significant effect on paleoecological reconstruction of their fossil counterparts. Thus, our new record of recent Levantine brachiopods can improve their use as reliable proxies for reconstructing environmental conditions throughout the fossil record.

scholarly journals Two new long-rostrum cranefly species from the Cretaceous Iberian amber (Diptera, Limoniidae, Helius)

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwona Kania-Kłosok ◽  
Wiesław Krzemiński ◽  
Antonio Arillo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Lower Cretaceous ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
First Record ◽  
Northern Spain ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Body Morphology ◽  
Cretaceous Period ◽  
Basque Cantabrian Basin

AbstractFirst record of the genus Helius—long-rostrum cranefly from Maestrazgo Basin (eastern Spain, Iberian Penisula) is documented. Two new fossil species of the genus Helius are described from Cretaceous Spanish amber and compared with other species of the genus known from fossil record with particular references to these known from Cretaceous period. Helius turolensis sp. nov. is described from San Just amber (Lower Cretaceous, upper Albian) Maestrazgo Basin, eastern Spain, and Helius hispanicus sp. nov. is described from Álava amber (Lower Cretaceous, upper Albian), Basque-Cantabrian Basin, northern Spain. The specific body morphology of representatives of the genus Helius preserved in Spanish amber was discussed in relation to the environmental conditions of the Maestrazgo Basin and Basque-Cantabrian Basin in Cretaceous.

scholarly journals The genus <i>Allodia</i> (Diptera: Mycetophilidae) in Miocene Ethiopian amber

Fossil Record ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 339-346
Author(s):  
Valentine Bouju ◽  
Simon Rosse-Guillevic ◽  
Marion Griffon ◽  
Błażej Bojarski ◽  
Jacek Szwedo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Early Miocene ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
Extinct Species ◽  
New Information ◽  
Palearctic Region ◽  
History Of

Abstract. A new, extinct species of Allodia Winnertz is described from early Miocene amber of Ethiopia. Allodia paleoafricana sp. nov. is mostly characterized by the scutum with strong anteromarginal, dorsocentral, and lateral setae and the wing with the stem of the M-fork slightly shorter than the vein r–m and the base of the M4–CuA fork aligned with the base of r–m. The assignment to any of the two subgenera Allodia stricto sensu or Brachycampta Winnertz remains equivocal as the fossil intermingles traits found in both taxa. Allodia is known mostly from the Palearctic region, while only a few species have been described from Africa. In this regard, the new fossil species from Ethiopia brings significant new information regarding the Afrotropical distribution and natural history of the genus.

scholarly journals New information on distribution of a marine leech, Pontobdella muricata (Linnaeus, 1758), from the Mediterranean coast of Turkey

Check List ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 1588 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saadet Yağmur Bulguroğlu ◽  
Jale Korun ◽  
Mehmet Gökoğlu
Keyword(s):  
New Record ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Dorsal Surface ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
New Information ◽  
Thornback Ray ◽  
Raja Clavata ◽  
The Mediterranean

New information on distribution of marine leech, Pontobdella muricata (Linnaeus, 1758) is given here. One leech was observed on the dorsal surface of Thornback Ray, Raja clavata (Linnaeus, 1758) that was caught in 2013 in the Antalya, Turkey. This is a new record for the eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey.

Natural History Collections as Dynamic Research Archives

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamar Dayan ◽  
Bella Galil
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Marine Biota ◽  
Museum Specimens ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Individual Specimen ◽  
International Awareness

This chapter discusses the importance of museum specimens and samples. Natural history collections are archives of biodiversity, snapshots that provide a way to physically retrieve an individual specimen and through it track changes in populations and species across repeatable surveys in time and space. Growing international awareness of the potential effects on humanity due to the loss of biodiversity and the ensuing erosion of ecosystem services has reinforced the value of natural history collections, museums, and herbaria worldwide. The chapter summarizes the strengths and weaknesses of natural history collections for repeated surveys and other historical studies that require replication. Through a case study of the historical surveys and resurveys of the taxonomic exploration of the marine biota of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, it highlights the relevance of collections for ecology and conservation. Finally, it discusses prospects for future uses of natural history collections in the context of replicated research.

New species and records from the Eocene of England and France support early diversification of the coral genus Acropora

2008 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 313-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carden C. Wallace
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Natural History ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Species Group ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
History Museum ◽  
Coral Genus ◽  
Rapid Speciation ◽  
Early Diversification ◽  
Species Groups

Five new species of the highly successful reef-building coral genus Acropora are described from Eocene locations in England and France (Acropora britannica, A. alvarezi, A. wilsonae, A. bartonensis, and A. proteacea) and additional records are given for six fossil species (A. deformis, A. anglica, A. solanderi, A. roemeri, A. lavandulina, and A. ornata), based on re-examination of material in the collections of the Natural History Museum, London. Specimens came from the Lutetian (49.0 to 41.3 Ma) of France, Bartonian (41.4 to 37.0 Ma) of England and France and Priabonian (36.0-34.2 Ma) of England. Included are the earliest record of a species with tabular or plate-like colonies similar to those in the modern “hyacinthus” species group (A. proteacea n. sp.) and the earliest records of simple hispidose forms (A. bartonensis n. sp. and A. roemeri), similar to those in the modern “florida” species group. The Priabonian material from southern England (A. brittanica n. sp. and A. anglica) shows the earliest occurrence of two sturdy species groups, the “humilis II” and “robusta” groups respectively, which now occur together on reef fronts throughout the modern Indo-Pacific. The new descriptions and records contribute to evidence that the genus diversified rapidly after its appearance in the fossil record. This diversification may have contributed to the rapid speciation and dispersal, observed in this genus during the Neogene, culminating in its extraordinary dominance of modern Indo-Pacific reefs.

scholarly journals Humble origins for a successful strategy: complete enrolment in early Cambrian olenellid trilobites

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 20130679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Javier Ortega-Hernández ◽  
Jorge Esteve ◽  
Nicholas J. Butterfield
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Fossil Record ◽  
Direct Evidence ◽  
Morphological Features ◽  
Early Cambrian ◽  
Defence Mechanism ◽  
Successful Strategy ◽  
New Information ◽  
Adverse Environmental Conditions ◽  
Morphological Ability

Trilobites are typified by the behavioural and morphological ability to enrol their bodies, most probably as a defence mechanism against adverse environmental conditions or predators. Although most trilobites could enrol at least partially, there is uncertainty about whether olenellids—among the most phylogenetically and stratigraphically basal representatives—could perform this behaviour because of their poorly caudalized trunk and scarcity of coaptative devices. Here, we report complete—but not encapsulating—enrolment for the olenellid genus Mummaspis from the early Cambrian Mural Formation in Alberta, the earliest direct evidence of this strategy in the fossil record of polymerid trilobites. Complete enrolment in olenellids was achieved through a combination of ancestral morphological features, and thus provides new information on the character polarity associated with this key trilobite adaptation.

scholarly journals A parasitic coevolution since the Miocene revealed by phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray microtomography and the study of natural history collections

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Perreau ◽  
Danny Haelewaters ◽  
Paul Tafforeau
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Phase Contrast ◽  
Parasitic Fungus ◽  
Technological Advancement ◽  
Fossil Species ◽  
X Ray ◽  
Phylogenetic Relations ◽  
Dominican Amber ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Extant Species

AbstractThe discovery of a new fossil species of the Caribbeo-Mexican genus Proptomaphaginus (Coleoptera, Leiodidae, Cholevinae) from Dominican amber, associated with a new fossil parasitic fungus in the genus Columnomyces (Ascomycota, Laboulbeniales), triggered an investigation of extant species of Proptomaphaginus and revealed the long-enduring parasitic association between these two genera. This effort resulted in the description of the fossil species †Proptomaphaginus alleni sp. nov., and one fossil and two extant species of Columnomyces, selectively associated with species of Proptomaphaginus: †Columnomyces electri sp. nov. associated with the fossil †Proptomaphaginus alleni in Dominican amber, Columnomyces hispaniolensis sp. nov. with the extant Proptomaphaginus hispaniolensis (endemic of Hispaniola), and Columnomyces peckii sp. nov. with the extant Proptomaphaginus puertoricensis (endemic of Puerto Rico). Based on biogeography, our current understanding is that the Caribbean species of Proptomaphaginus and their parasitic species of Columnomyces have coevolved since the Miocene. This is the first occurrence of such a coevolution between a genus of parasitic fungus and a genus of Coleoptera. The phylogenetic relations among Proptomaphaginus species are also addressed based on a parsimony analysis. Fossil specimens were observed by propagation phase-contrast synchrotron X-ray microtomography (PPC-SRμCT) and extant specimens were obtained through the study of preserved dried, pinned insects, attesting for the importance of (i) technological advancement and (ii) natural history collections in the study of microparasitic relationships.

scholarly journals Labels for Eternity: Testing Printed Labels for use in Wet Collections

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-113
Author(s):  
G.G. Beiner
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Accelerated Aging ◽  
Transfer Printing ◽  
Testing Procedures ◽  
Thermal Transfer ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
Inkjet Printers ◽  
Hebrew University ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Set Up

Abstract Will printed labels survive prolonged immersion in collection fluids, and, if so, which printing system is preferable: inkjet, laser, or thermal transfer printing? In a world with a wide variety of printers, printing substrates, and printer technologies, the interactions between them very likely affect long-term label preservation in the chemical environment of the preservation fluid. In fluid-preserved collections, the main issues frequently encountered with labels include delamination, abrasion, fading, and disintegration during immersion in solutions such as ethanol and formaldehyde aqueous solution (widely known under the commercial name formalin). Very few publications have presented testing procedures assessing the behavior and stability of printed matter immersed in the types of solvents used in fluid-based collections. This article presents a series of experiments set up at the National Natural History Collections at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to test a variety of museum labels. The tests compared labels actually used in different natural history collections and included labels from both thermal transfer and inkjet printers. All were subjected to accelerated aging and mechanical abrasion. In our series of tests, inkjet labels gave the best performance.

Joseph Sidebotham: vicissitudes of a Victorian collector

2015 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence M. Cook
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Species Limits ◽  
Clear Cut ◽  
Natural History Collections ◽  
As Species ◽  
Scientific World

Joseph Sidebotham (1824–1885) was a Manchester cotton baron whose natural history collections are now in the Manchester Museum. In addition to collecting he suggested a method for identifying and classifying Lepidoptera and investigated variation within species as well as species limits. With three close collaborators, he is credited with discovering many species new to Britain in both Lepidoptera and Coleoptera. A suspicion of fraud attaches to these claims. The evidence is not clear-cut in the Lepidoptera, but a possible reason is suggested why Sidebotham, as an amateur in the increasingly professional scientific world, might have engaged in deceit.

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