摘要:

Mammals were collected and observed on seven jebels in the Sudan. A brief description of the position and geology, size, amount of soil, vegetation and rainfall is given for each jebel since these features are important in determining the variety and abundance of the mammalian fauna.There are few mammalian species, if any, on the desert jebels.Acomys cahirinusis the commonest mammal on these jebels, and it may be very abundant if the jebel is large enough. Small desert jebels appear to have no mammals.The jebels covered with trees and grass in the woodland savanna region have many species, although their densities are not as high as on the desert jebels. Larger size, dense vegetation cover, and many habitats may be responsible for this greater diversity (e.g. there are 34 recorded species, except bats, on Jebel Marra).In the desert, the “jebel” and the “desert” faunas are distinct, whereas in the woodland savanna there is an overlap between the mammals of the jebel and those of the savanna. The desert jebels are now “islands”, so each population is isolated from the next. This situation is probably due to the past climatic and vegetational history of the region. In the woodland savanna, jebel populations are continuous with those of the savanna.All the populations ofAcomysin the study area appear to belong to one subspecies,Acomys cahirinus cineraceus.The specimens from the north were the palest, and those from the south were the darkest. Probably allAcomysin this region belong to the same species which forms a cline showing great variation dependent on climate and

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01693.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Nine skull measurements and a measure of age have been made on each of 613 specimens ofApodemus sylvaticus(L.). The mice were collected from 12 mainland and three island localities. From five of the localities they were obtained in more than one year; each year's collection was kept separate in the subsequent analysis.Unadjusted and adjusted (for age) means have been calculated for each character. Differences in both space and time are small for the mainland populations. A discriminant function analysis was undertaken with a view to accounting for the larger part of the variation using a limited number of linear combinations of the adjusted measurements. It was found that the greater part of the variation was contained in the first two canonical variates. Finally, the generalized distances were obtained.The multivariate analyses suggest that one island population (St Mary's) is quite distinct, the other two (Tresco, Mull) less so, that there is in any one locality little variation from year to year, that the Scottish mainland populations as a group display a small statistical divergence from the English mainland populations and that the former differ rather more from each other than do the latter.

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01694.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

The locomotion of the marsupial,Antechinomys spenceriand the rodent,Notomys cervinuswas studied by recording their tracks on long strips of smoked kymograph paper and by means of slow‐motion cinematography. Although both animals occupy the same habitat and are similar in their general appearance, their methods of locomotion differ greatly, sinceAntechinomysleaps quadrupedally, whileNotomysleaps bipedally at fast speeds and runs quadrupedally at slower speeds. The mean speed of both genera was 2.7 m/sec but the mean length of stride ofNotomyswas 51.2 cm compared with 44.3 cm inAntechinomys.The locomotion of the two Australian genera is compared with that of the North American rodents,DipodomysandMicrodipodops.The significance of the different types of locomotion is discusse

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01695.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

An account is given of the anatomy of the spinal cord of the minnow,Phoxinus phoxinusL., and comparisons are made with the spinal cords of other teleosts. The effects on the rapid, neurally controlled colour responses of complete transection of the spinal cord at different levels indicated that, in the particular fish used for this work, the sympathetic pigmento‐motor fibres had a localized outflow from the spinal cord around vertebra 13. Partial lesions of the spinal cord at vertebrae 3, 4, 10 and 11 and their effects on the colour responses indicated that, at these spinal levels, the pigmento‐motor fibres were dorsomedially located within the dorsal horns. Complete and partial transection of the spinal cord at any single level between vertebrae 12 and 14 and partial transection of the dorsomedial spinal tissues at vertebrae 3, 4, 10 and 11 resulted in differential paling of the entire dorsolateral skin of the fish in response to a change of background from black to white. It would appear that in both cases this differential response of the melanophores was the result of transecting a proportion of the spinal pigmento‐motor f

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01696.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Insectivorous bats have rarely been considered suitable as breeding laboratory animals despite their unique reproductive physiology. The purpose of this study was to compare maternal care and growth of young in several species of British vespertilionids in order to find one or more species that would adapt well to conditions of captivity. During the spring of 1966 and of 1967, 17 noctule (Nyctalus noctulaSchreber), eight serotine (Eptesicus serotinus, Schreber), 33 pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus, Schreber), and four long‐eared (Plecotus auritus, Linnaeus) bats were brought into the laboratory after insemination or when pregnant, and most gave birth. One noctule mated in the laboratory in the autumn of 1966 and gave birth to twins in June 1967, thus providing the first known breeding record of any British vespertilionid in captivity. Noctules (13) housed in near natural conditions with limited food gave birth four weeks after others (four) fedad lib.and housed in a room which buffered the changes in external temperature, and two long‐eared bats gave birth in late May (the normal birth season is June to July). These early births may have resulted from premature ovulations and/or a shortened gestation. Fourteen of 17 live‐born noctules, all live‐bom serotines (four), 12 of 14 live‐born pipistrelles, and none of the long‐eared bats were reared to weaning age. As part of maternal care all females allogroomed and retrieved their young until the second week post‐partum, and recognition of offspring seemed to be effected primarily by sound and individual odour. Neonates of three species were about 20% of the mother's weight at birth and doubled their weight by the end of the second week. Forearm growth ceased at approximately five weeks of age. Weaning, which was assisted, was completed by the end of the second month and adult weight was reached soon thereafter. The development of the three species, i.e. the opening of the eyes, hair growth, and the replacement of the deciduous teeth, differed, and the pipistrelles and serotines developed more rapidly than

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01697.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

A survey was made of the parasites of 603 roachRutilus rutilus(L.), 15 breamAbramis brama(L.), 201 perchPerca fluviatilisL., 30 pikeEsox luciusL. and four eelsAnguilla anguilla(L.) caught in the Shropshire Union Canal at Backford, Cheshire from December 1964 to August 1966. Twenty‐seven species of parasites were found, 17 in roach, seven in bream, ten in perch, ten in pike and two in the eel. Two species of Protozoa, seven species of Monogenea, five species of Digenea, six species of Cestoda, two species of Nematoda, one species of Acanthocephala, two species of Hirudinea, one species of Crustacea and mollusc glochidia were recorded. The following parasites are believed to be new records for the British Isles:Henneguya oviperda(Cohn, 1895),Dactylogyrus suecicusNybelin, 1936,D. wunderiBykhovskii, 1931,Asymphylodora kubanicum(Isaichikov, 1923), andPhilometra rischtaSkryabin, 1917.One table shows the species of parasites found, together with data on the site of occurrence in the host, and the percentage and intensity of infection of the fish. A second table compares the occurrence of the parasites in four other localities in the British Isles, Loch Lomond Scotland, Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), Merionethshire, Rostherne Mere, Cheshire and the River Lugg, Herefordshire. A further column gives the normal hosts in the U.S.S.R.A limited comparison is made of the numerical occurrence of six species of parasites in the canal, Llyn Tegid and Druzno Lake, Poland. It is concluded that unless relatively large samples of fish of all length groups are collected on a regular basis throughout the year such comparisons will have little meaning.The concept of the characterization of parasite faunas is briefly noted. It is suggested that the high degree of host specificity shown by many of the species of parasites is evidence in support of the concep

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01698.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Larvae of the neotropical frogsPhyllomedusaare distinctive in that they feed normally in mid‐water on phytoplankton, maintaining neutral buoyancy by means of an independently beating tail filament. The feeding mechanism of larvalPhyllomedusa trinitatiswas studied morphologically and experimentally. The primary feeding mechanism involves a buccal rasp which may in some circumstances render food into small particles, a pumping mechanism which forces water through the buccal cavity and the gill filters, an entanglement system which traps particles in mucous strings produced in special organs, and the formation of mucous cords which transport particles to the oesophagus. In mid‐water feeding and surface feeding the buccal rasp serves only its other function in preventing backflow of the respiratory stream. The primary feeding mechanism is discussed and compared with schemes proposed forRana temporariaandR. agilis.Little agreement exists between these schemes and that which is here proposed. It is concluded that the primary feeding mechanism is the same in the three forms but that there are behavioural differences in feeding generally. Some comment is made on the primary feeding mechanism in the Microhyli

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01699.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY

摘要:

Evidence is reviewed and observations are submitted concerning the occurrence and distribution of body hair in rhinoceroses. Absence of externally visible hair is shown to be not necessarily indicative of absence of hair follicles and to be part of a morphological cooling mechanism necessitated by the dynamics of the large body. Eyelashes are shown to be present on the lower eyelid of three species at least. The post‐natal absence of all groups of facial vibrissae is confirmed for all rhinoceros forms, but a genal vibrissa is recorded for aDicerosfoetus. Observations are submitted upon the hitherto undescribed histology ofDicerosski

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01700.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY

ISSN:0952-8369    

DOI:10.1111/j.1469-7998.1969.tb01701.x

出版商:Blackwell Publishing Ltd    

年代:1969

数据来源: WILEY