Harmozica zangezurica (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Hygromiidae) - a cryptic species of land molluscs from southern Armenia

Additional material collected in September 2019 made it possible to clarify the range of conchological variability of Harmozica zangezurica recently described from the Syunik region of Armenia, which largely overlaps with that of Harmozica pisiformis thus rendering impossible the reliable identification of empty shells. At the same time the stability has been proven of a diagnostic feature of H. zangezurica - very long vaginal appendages whose length is approximately equal to the total length of the penis and epiphallus. This character allows reliable distinguishing of H. zangezurica not only from the conchologically similar species H. pisiformis , but also from other representatives of the genus Harmozica . Some data on the ecology and life cycle of H. zangezurica were obtained.

Aerial Grasping and Transport Using an Unmanned Aircraft (UA) Equipped with an Industrial Suction Gripper

Duetotheavailabilityof highly efficient unmanned aircraft (UA) and the advancement of the necessary technologies, the use of UA for object manipulation and cargo transport is becoming a more and more relevant research area. A reliable identification and localization of cargo and interaction objects as well as maintaining the required flight precision are essential to guarantee a successful object handling. Within this paper we demonstrate the successful application of an autonomous UA equipped with a lightweight suction gripper for object interaction. We discuss the approach used for precise localization as well as the identification and pose estimation of individual gripping objects. Concluding, the overall system performance is evaluated within an industrial-oriented use case.

Identification of Wolf-Dog Hybrids in Europe – An Overview of Genetic Studies

Significant development of genetic tools during the last decades provided opportunities for more detailed analyses and deeper understanding of species hybridization. New genetic markers allowed for reliable identification of admixed individuals deriving from recent hybridization events (a few generations) and those originating from crossings up to 19 generations back. Implementation of microsatellites (STRs) together with Bayesian clustering provided abundant knowledge regarding presence of admixed individuals in numerous populations and helped understand the problematic nature of studying hybridization (i.a., defining a reliable thresholds for recognizing individuals as admixed or obtaining well-grounded results representing actual proportion of hybrids in a population). Nevertheless, their utilization is limited to recent crossbreeding events. Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) proved to be more sensible tools for admixture analyses furnishing more reliable knowledge, especially for older generation backcrosses. Small sets of Ancestry Informative Markers (AIMs) of both types of markers were effective enough to implement in monitoring programs, however, SNPs seem to be more appropriate because of their ability to identify admixed individuals up to 3rd generations. The main aim of this review is to summarize abundant knowledge regarding identification of wolf-dog hybrids in Europe and discuss the most relevant problems relating to the issue, together with advantages and disadvantages of implemented markers and approaches.