Descriptions and Life History of Melanolophia imitata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Geometridae)

1962 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 594-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Evans

Melanolophia imitata (Walker) has been colloquially referred to as the green-striped forest looper, in reference to its appearance and habitat. The spring-flying adults and the consistently large numbers of larvae attract considerable attention annually. Although the moths evince little migratory movement, their comparatively large size and pale colour, in association with their quantity, combine to create the basis for occasional alarming reports of forest insects. It is not infrequent to hear of clouds of moths scattering about a forest traveller and viewed throughout the woods. Ordinarily the adults fly during late evening, and are less attracted to light than many moths.

Author(s):  
Roderick Macdonald

Thysanoessa raschii is a regular inhabitant of the Firth of Clyde. Adults are found throughout this area, generally in waters not less than 40 fms. deep. Those of large size, 23–25 mm., are apparently consistently found from year to year in Loch Striven in large numbers from October to January within 10 fms. from the bottom in waters of 40 fms. depth. Throughout the rest of the year they occur in small numbers in the tow-nets, and are seldom found at all during the summer months. On one occasion, however, February, 1926, several hundreds were fished in addition to large numbers of Meganyctiphanes norvegica at 40–60 fms. in the Cumbrae Deep.


1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (7) ◽  
pp. 1366-1373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey M. Howland ◽  
Laurie J. Vitt ◽  
Pamela T. Lopez

An Amazonian population of the iguanid lizard Uranoscodon superciliosum was studied in lowland tropical wet forest in central Pará, Brazil. These nonheliothermic lizards are restricted to densely vegetated habitats near (often over) water, particularly riverbanks and small forest streams, where they utilize small-diameter perches and feed on a wide variety of invertebrates, apparently at the water's edge. They mature at moderate to large size at an age of about 1.5 years. Production of moderate-sized clutches of eggs is seasonal, and reproduction and fat storage both cycle in association with rainfall and flooding. Although they occur in fairly high densities, social interaction is uncommon and sexual dimorphism is not pronounced. The ecology and life history of this lizard seem to be strongly influenced by the unusual habitat specialization.


Author(s):  
J. E. Morton

The Plymouth Fauna List contains records of two genera of pteropods, Limacina and Clione. Of the first, Limacina retroversa (Flem.) is by far the better-known species, apparently occurring regularly at Plymouth in large numbers in townettings from outside, and sometimes inside, the Sound. It breeds at Plymouth from June to August, and Lebour (1932) has given a detailed account of its breeding and larval stages and has discussed its role in the plankton. The second species of Limacina at Plymouth is lesueuri (d'Orbigny), which has been observed from time to time since 1906, when it was very common. The last record in the Fauna is off the Breakwater in 1920. Of the gymnosomatous pteropods, Clione limacina Phipps is the only species regularly occurring. Lebour (1931) has described the life history of this form, and mentions February to August as its months of greatest abundance. Its breeding season is June to August. Another gymnosome, tentatively referred to as Clionina longicauda, is reported by Russell (1936), and from the specimen department at Plymouth Laboratory the writer obtained some preserved specimens, not easily identifiable, of a Pneumodermopsis taken locally; its species is perhaps ciliata, recorded by Massy (1917) from the Irish Coast.


Parasitology ◽  
1963 ◽  
Vol 53 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 201-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gwendolen Rees

1. A plerocercoid of ‘Acanthotaenia’ has been found in large numbers in ‘cysts’ in the pancreas of Rana occipitalis (Günther) in Ghana.2. ‘Cysts’ containing plerocercoids were fed to Varanus niloticus (L.). Adults of Proteocephalus niloticus (Beddard) were recovered from the intestine 3 weeks later.3. It is suggested that the life cycle involves three hosts, the first being a copepod.4. The morphology of the larva and adult is described.I wish to express my sincere gratitude to the authorities of the University of Ghana for inviting me to spend some time in the Zoology Department there. I am most grateful, also, to Professor R. D. Purchon for his kindly interest and for the facilities which he placed at my disposal. It is a pleasure to thank Dr J. D. Thomas and the technical staff for their assistance in the collection of material.


2013 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian N. Gutteridge ◽  
Charlie Huveneers ◽  
Lindsay J. Marshall ◽  
Ian R. Tibbetts ◽  
Mike B. Bennett

The life histories of small-bodied coastal sharks, particularly carcharhinids, are generally less conservative than those of large-bodied species. The present study investigated the life history of the small-bodied slit-eye shark, Loxodon macrorhinus, from subtropical Hervey Bay, Queensland, and compared this species' biology to that of other coastal carcharhinids. The best-fit age model provided parameters of L∞ = 895 mm total length (TL), k = 0.18 and t0 = –6.3 for females, and L∞ = 832 mm TL, k = 0.44 and t0 = –2.6 for males. For sex-combined data, a logistic function provided the best fit, with L∞ = 842 mm TL, k = 0.41 and α = –2.2. Length and age at which 50% of the population was mature was 680 mm TL and 1.4 years for females, and 733 mm TL and 1.9 years for males. Within Hervey Bay, L. macrorhinus exhibited an annual seasonal reproductive cycle, producing an average litter of 1.9 ± 0.3 s.d. With the exception of the low fecundity and large size at birth relative to maximum maternal TL, the life-history traits of L. macrorhinus are comparable to other small-bodied coastal carcharhinids, and its apparent fast growth and early maturation contrasts that of large-bodied carcharhinids.


1926 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 53-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. M. Cameron

In 1865, Leuckart described from the stomach of the domestic cat, a minute bursate worm which he named Ollulanus tricuspis. His original description was somewhat scanty, but it was amplified in later years (1867–1876). As this work is scattered throughout many pages, the following is a brief resumé of Leuckart's theory.He was struck by the fact, that being viviparous in habit, it resembled Trichinella spiralis, but recognised that several fundamental differences existed between them. Ollulanus never produced more than three larvae at a time from relatively large eggs, about 60μ to 120μ long; whereas Trichinella produced numerous larvae with small eggs about 35μ long. He found what he believed were the free larvae of Ollulanus, which measured about 320μ long by 15μ wide, had a truncated oral extremity and a short tail which ended in a short S-shaped tip (Fig. 1, a). The oesophagus was between one third and one half of the total length of the intestine; several transparent vesicles could be seen at its clubshaped posterior extremity. Although there are seldom more than three embryos inside the female, larvae were usually, found in large numbers throughout the whole intestinal tract of the host, as well as encysted (in cysts ·15 to ·2 mm. in diameter) on various internal organs. The cyst wall had a connective tissue-like structure of such thickness that it might be three or four times the diameter of the enclosed space.


Author(s):  
E. M. Eddy

Primordial germ cells are readily recognizable in embryos of the rat due to their large size, generally rounded shape and prominent nuclei with uniformly dispersed heterochromatin. They often have blunted pseudopodal processes at one end and small ruffles or trailing processes at the other, characteristics expected from their known ameboid activity- and migratory abilities. Also, the cytoplasm is rich in polyribosomes and contains a modest amount of rough endoplasmic reticulum and the mitochondria are frequently larger and less dense than those of adjacent somatic cells.In addition to these general characteristics, there are features unique to germ cells which allow them to be identified with certainty. These are: 1) small vesicles containing an irregular, dense core and 2) discrete accumulations of fibrous material known as nuage. Both of these features are present in other species and at other times in the life history of germ cells. The dense-cored vesicles have been noted in fetal and early postnatal mouse oogonia and oocytes, and in hamster and rabbit oocytes.


1896 ◽  
Vol 28 (5) ◽  
pp. 128-130
Author(s):  
James Fletcher

In 1889 I received from the late William Brown, of Charlottetown, P. E. I., some larvæ of a small case-bearer, which he had found in large numbers upon his plum trees, and which also occurred in his pear and apple orchards. Since that time this insect has made itself well-known by its injuries in apple orchards in various localities in the Maritime Provinces, and in the Provinces of Quebec and Ontario. A beautifully illustrated and carefully prepared bulletin has been issued by Mr. M. V. Slingerland, of Cornell University Agricultural Experiment Station, in which the life history of this most interesting but very serious enemy of the fruit grower is fully described. The above illustration, kindly lent by the editor of the Canadian Horticulturist, is copied from that bulletin.


1966 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 331-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Raine

AbstractDasystoma salicellum Hbn., a European species first found in North America in 1955, has become a serious pest of commercial highbush blueberries in the lower Fraser Valley of British Columbia.The species is univoltine, photopositive and has a wide range of hosts. It feeds most often on Salix, Spiraea and Vaccinium. The moths emerge from mid-March to early April and lay eggs in the leaf axils and under bud scales and loose bark. The eggs hatch in late May. The larvae have six instars. The first instars are often dispersed by the wind. Later instars tie new leaves together for shelter, feed on leaves and blossom buds and sometimes enter the early fruit. At harvest the larvae are almost mature and large numbers are dislodged into the crates by picking machines. In September they sometimes defoliate the bushes. In October they pupate within their leaf shelters and drop to the ground with the leaves to overwinter.Some pupae are destroyed by mould; others are parasitized by Itoplectis quadricingulata (Prov.) and Compsilura concinnata (Mg.). The larvae are parasitized by Macrocentrus iridescens French, and the adults by Tomosvaryella species.


1989 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 501 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Humphries

Variations in life history traits such as age class distribution, growth, gonadal development, reproductive investment and spawning time were studied in two stream-dwelling diadromous and two landlocked freshwater lake populations of the spotted galaxias, Galaxias truttaceus, in Tasmania. Whereas stream populations were dominated by 0+, I+ and 2+ age-class fish, lake populations had a smaller proportion of these younger individuals and a larger proportion of age classes older than 2 +. Growth in both lake and stream populations was slow over winter and more rapid during spring and summer. The majority of fish of both sexes matured at age two, irrespective of size, although some lake-dwelling males matured in their first year. Gonadal development commenced at the beginning of summer (December) in all populations. Spawning in stream-dwelling populations occurred before winter (May) and was associated with decreasing water temperature and photoperiod. By contrast, landlocked populations spawned in early spring (September), at which time both temperature and photoperiod were increasing. At spawning, landlocked females invested more energy in reproduction than did riverine females. This appeared to be a function of larger egg size in females from one lake population and greater fecundity in females from the other. Although G. truttaceus fits the general life-history model for diadromous galaxiids, having relatively large numbers of small eggs, the shift in spawning time for landlocked populations, and the inter-population variations in egg size and fecundity suggest considerable flexibility in the characteristics of this species' life history.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document