aug. 2009
Visiting an expert
27-08-2009 21:09
Yesterday I was ‘en route’ to visit André Delsaerdt
in Aarschot, Belgium. We met some years ago during a
meeting of the Dutch Malacological Society, when he
gave a presentation on Placostylidae from the Solomon
Islands.
André now told me how he, merely by chance, became interested in the Solomon Islands fauna. First he was interested in marine snails only, afterwards he became more and more involved with land snails too. His first trip was in 1987 and his most recent visit to the islands was in 2005. With contacts through missionaries, he has visited almost all the islands at least once. During these 20 years he saw a lot of changes, most very unfortunate for biodiversity. At many places deforestation has drastically altered the landscape, due to activities of Japanese, Malaysian and Korean companies. The profits from harvesting the trees largely went to these companies, some to officials and a tiny bit to village ‘chiefs’. The landscape destroyed and eroded, with secondary forest at best.
Anyway, during these years André has been able to collect a great collection. Some species will probably never be collected again, due to destruction of their habitat.
He showed me his impressive collection with justified proud. We also discussed the first part of his upcoming publication on the land snails of the Solomon Islands. It will be a work in several parts, hopefully the first part will be finished this year.
It was a pleasure to meet such an ardent collector, who knows the story behind the shells and knows how to kindle his audience with enthusiasm.
Many thanks again André!
André now told me how he, merely by chance, became interested in the Solomon Islands fauna. First he was interested in marine snails only, afterwards he became more and more involved with land snails too. His first trip was in 1987 and his most recent visit to the islands was in 2005. With contacts through missionaries, he has visited almost all the islands at least once. During these 20 years he saw a lot of changes, most very unfortunate for biodiversity. At many places deforestation has drastically altered the landscape, due to activities of Japanese, Malaysian and Korean companies. The profits from harvesting the trees largely went to these companies, some to officials and a tiny bit to village ‘chiefs’. The landscape destroyed and eroded, with secondary forest at best.
Anyway, during these years André has been able to collect a great collection. Some species will probably never be collected again, due to destruction of their habitat.
He showed me his impressive collection with justified proud. We also discussed the first part of his upcoming publication on the land snails of the Solomon Islands. It will be a work in several parts, hopefully the first part will be finished this year.
It was a pleasure to meet such an ardent collector, who knows the story behind the shells and knows how to kindle his audience with enthusiasm.
Many thanks again André!
Alien snails and slugs
25-08-2009 13:21
Invasive snail and slug species are becoming more and
more common in many countries. Although most may be
introduced accidentally (Cowie & Robinson, 2003),
if they are introduced these species can become
problematic for e.g. agriculture, human health, the
environment but may also endanger native species.
Cowie et al. (2009) just published a risk assessment for alien non-marine mollusc species that are of importance to the USA. There procedure might be applicable in other countries and their results lists many species that are generally considered as pests. In their procedure a ranking was made, using scores on biological and human-interaction attributes. The biological attributes include e.g. natural climatic range, phylogenetic relationships, adult size, egg/juvenile size, reproductive potential and breeding system. Human-interaction attributes are e.g. introduction pressure, invasion history, major pest elsewhere and economic potential. By summing up the scores a simple measure (S) of pest potential was attained. Dividing each S value by the number of attributes scores resulted in P values. The result is a ranking of all 46 species(-groups) considered, from high to low pest potential.
The results show a mixture of land and freshwater families, the latter often important because they are vectors for parasites. The ranking of the Succineidae is remarkable as they are generally not considered as significant pests, but they are now frequently found with horticultural imports (Cowie et al., 2008).
The number of Neotropical groups is rather limited; most groups have a wide-spread distribution. Orthalicids are not listed in this survey, possibly they are not (yet) a major quarantine issue in the USA.
The biology of invasive species still needs further research and also the interaction with plant ecosystems is virtually unknown. Despite the many efforts by Cowie and others, there remains more than enough to do for curious minds...
References:
Cowie, R.H. & Robinson, D.G., 2003. Pathways of introduction of nonindigenous land and freshwater snails and slugs. - In: G. Ruiz & J.T. Carlton (eds.) Invasive species: vectors and management strtategies: 93-122. Island Press, Washington DC.
Cowie, R.H., Hayes, K.A., Tran, C.T. & Meyer III, W.M., 2008. The horticultural industry as a vector of alien snails and slugs: widespread invasions in Hawaii. - International Journal of Pest Management 54: 267-276.
Cowie, R.H., Dillon jr, R.T., Robinson, D.G. & Smith, J.W., 2009. Alien non-marine snails and slugs of priority quarantine importance in the United States: a preliminary risk assessment. - American Malacological Bulletin 27: 113-132.
Cowie et al. (2009) just published a risk assessment for alien non-marine mollusc species that are of importance to the USA. There procedure might be applicable in other countries and their results lists many species that are generally considered as pests. In their procedure a ranking was made, using scores on biological and human-interaction attributes. The biological attributes include e.g. natural climatic range, phylogenetic relationships, adult size, egg/juvenile size, reproductive potential and breeding system. Human-interaction attributes are e.g. introduction pressure, invasion history, major pest elsewhere and economic potential. By summing up the scores a simple measure (S) of pest potential was attained. Dividing each S value by the number of attributes scores resulted in P values. The result is a ranking of all 46 species(-groups) considered, from high to low pest potential.
The results show a mixture of land and freshwater families, the latter often important because they are vectors for parasites. The ranking of the Succineidae is remarkable as they are generally not considered as significant pests, but they are now frequently found with horticultural imports (Cowie et al., 2008).
The number of Neotropical groups is rather limited; most groups have a wide-spread distribution. Orthalicids are not listed in this survey, possibly they are not (yet) a major quarantine issue in the USA.
The biology of invasive species still needs further research and also the interaction with plant ecosystems is virtually unknown. Despite the many efforts by Cowie and others, there remains more than enough to do for curious minds...
References:
Cowie, R.H. & Robinson, D.G., 2003. Pathways of introduction of nonindigenous land and freshwater snails and slugs. - In: G. Ruiz & J.T. Carlton (eds.) Invasive species: vectors and management strtategies: 93-122. Island Press, Washington DC.
Cowie, R.H., Hayes, K.A., Tran, C.T. & Meyer III, W.M., 2008. The horticultural industry as a vector of alien snails and slugs: widespread invasions in Hawaii. - International Journal of Pest Management 54: 267-276.
Cowie, R.H., Dillon jr, R.T., Robinson, D.G. & Smith, J.W., 2009. Alien non-marine snails and slugs of priority quarantine importance in the United States: a preliminary risk assessment. - American Malacological Bulletin 27: 113-132.
New taxa (18): Plagiodontes
24-08-2009 07:20
Plagiodontes
is a genus belonging to the family Orthalicidae,
subfamily Odontostomidae. The seven species currently
recognized occur in three disjunct area in Argentina
and Uruguay. Recently Pizá & Cazzaniga revised
part of the genus and described a new species from
Argentina, Prov. Catamarca, Cuesta de la
Chilca:
P.
weyrauchi
sp.n. (holotype MACN-In 37465).
Their paper describes very nice and in detail the anatomy of the taxon and compares it with known data of other small Plagiodontes species. Since the shells are very similar, a morphometric analysis is provided, showing the differences.
I’m sure this paper will act as a cornerstone for future publications on this group and it contains very useful anatomical data. Proficiat to the authors!
Reference:
Pizá, J. & Cazzaniga, N., 2009. A new species of Plagiodontes from Argentina, and new data on the anatomy of four other species in the genus (Gastropoda: Orthalicidae: Odontostominae). - Journal of Natural History 43: 1437-1471.
Their paper describes very nice and in detail the anatomy of the taxon and compares it with known data of other small Plagiodontes species. Since the shells are very similar, a morphometric analysis is provided, showing the differences.
I’m sure this paper will act as a cornerstone for future publications on this group and it contains very useful anatomical data. Proficiat to the authors!
Reference:
Pizá, J. & Cazzaniga, N., 2009. A new species of Plagiodontes from Argentina, and new data on the anatomy of four other species in the genus (Gastropoda: Orthalicidae: Odontostominae). - Journal of Natural History 43: 1437-1471.
Type specimens and live specimens
21-08-2009 16:12
Perhaps did you hear about the discovery of
the
Galápagos Pink Land
Iguana
early this year? This week it was formally described
as a new species this week:
Conolophus
marthae
Gentile & Snell, 2009.
The interesting thing about their description is that their holotype is still alive. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature states that “where the holotype or syntypes are extant specimens, by a statement of intent that they will be (or are) deposited in a collection and a statement indicating the name and location of that collection” (art. 16.4.2). There is some debate as to whether living specimens are allowed as types if they have not been deposited in a museum collection.
I find this point interesting, as the two living specimens I have in my lab belong to a new species, yet to be described. Or rather, only one is still alive since I sacrificed the other for anatomical research. Thus, while in this case the holotype is already dead and the shell and fixed body have been incorporated in the collection, the paratype is still living.
The existence of living (holo)types have stirred up a debate (Dubois, 2009, Dubois & Nemésio, 2007; Donovan, 2008, 2009; Nemésio, 2009). Dubois (2009) points out that the wording of the Code is ambiguous and does not clearly prohibit the description of a species with living type specimens. He also makes clear that the description of the Galapagos Pink Land Iguana is deliberately based on a living holotype, following after a discussion amoung scientists. The case acts thus as a test case for a provision of the ICZN and will likely become a textbook case in the future. He argues that not fixing a holotype in the collection, thus e.g. adding to the threat of extinction of the population, is sending out the wrong message from a conservationist point of view. To progress our knowledge we would always need one specimen in a scientific collection for reference, also for endagered species of which few specimens are known. For this reason, Dubois & Nemésio (2007) and Nemésio (2009) have argued for a rephrasing or amendment of the Code, making it obligatory to deposite preserved specimens of any taxon to be described.
Donovan (2008, 2009) rejects this strict reasoning and argues that one shouldn’t have to wait on actions by the ICZN (which may take considerable time) to describe a new taxon. He further sees the measures taken by Gentile & Schnell, to place a passive transponder in the holotype of the pink iguana enabling its localization, as an innovation in taxonomy. For the sake of brevity I skip here the debate on ethical questions (see Donovan 2008, 2009; Nemésis, 2009).
Suffice to say that the debate hasn’t been closed yet and awaits a decision by the Commission.
My living snail will stay alive for a while, I hope. It will be described as a new species later this year. Having read the story of the Galápagos pink iguana, I could even refer to the *living* paratype in the paper indicating that it is in the lab of the museum where it will be deposited after its death. Alive or dead, I still have a choice. If the ICZN doesn’t change it’s mind too quickly...
References:
Donegan, T.M., 2008. New species and subspecies descriptions do not and should not always require a dead type specimen. -Zootaxa 1761: 37-48.
Donegan, T.M., 2009: Type specimens, samples of live individuals and the Galapagos Pink Land Iguana. - Zootaxa 2201: 12-20.
Dubois, A., 2009: Endangered species and endangered knowledge. Zootaxa 2201: 26-29.
Dubois, A. & Nemésio, A., 2007. Does nomenclatural availability of nomina of new species or subspecies require the deposition of vouchers in collections? - Zootaxa 1409: 1-22.
Gentile, G. & Snell, H., 2009: Conolophus marthae sp.nov. (Squamata, Iguanidae), a new species of land iguana from the Galápagos archipelago. - Zootaxa 2201: 1-10.
Nemésio, A., 2009: On the live holotype of the Galápagos pink land Iguana, Conolophus marthae Gentile & Snell, 2009 (Squamata: Iguanidae): is it an acceptable exception? - Zootaxa 2201: 21-25.
The interesting thing about their description is that their holotype is still alive. The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature states that “where the holotype or syntypes are extant specimens, by a statement of intent that they will be (or are) deposited in a collection and a statement indicating the name and location of that collection” (art. 16.4.2). There is some debate as to whether living specimens are allowed as types if they have not been deposited in a museum collection.
I find this point interesting, as the two living specimens I have in my lab belong to a new species, yet to be described. Or rather, only one is still alive since I sacrificed the other for anatomical research. Thus, while in this case the holotype is already dead and the shell and fixed body have been incorporated in the collection, the paratype is still living.
The existence of living (holo)types have stirred up a debate (Dubois, 2009, Dubois & Nemésio, 2007; Donovan, 2008, 2009; Nemésio, 2009). Dubois (2009) points out that the wording of the Code is ambiguous and does not clearly prohibit the description of a species with living type specimens. He also makes clear that the description of the Galapagos Pink Land Iguana is deliberately based on a living holotype, following after a discussion amoung scientists. The case acts thus as a test case for a provision of the ICZN and will likely become a textbook case in the future. He argues that not fixing a holotype in the collection, thus e.g. adding to the threat of extinction of the population, is sending out the wrong message from a conservationist point of view. To progress our knowledge we would always need one specimen in a scientific collection for reference, also for endagered species of which few specimens are known. For this reason, Dubois & Nemésio (2007) and Nemésio (2009) have argued for a rephrasing or amendment of the Code, making it obligatory to deposite preserved specimens of any taxon to be described.
Donovan (2008, 2009) rejects this strict reasoning and argues that one shouldn’t have to wait on actions by the ICZN (which may take considerable time) to describe a new taxon. He further sees the measures taken by Gentile & Schnell, to place a passive transponder in the holotype of the pink iguana enabling its localization, as an innovation in taxonomy. For the sake of brevity I skip here the debate on ethical questions (see Donovan 2008, 2009; Nemésis, 2009).
Suffice to say that the debate hasn’t been closed yet and awaits a decision by the Commission.
My living snail will stay alive for a while, I hope. It will be described as a new species later this year. Having read the story of the Galápagos pink iguana, I could even refer to the *living* paratype in the paper indicating that it is in the lab of the museum where it will be deposited after its death. Alive or dead, I still have a choice. If the ICZN doesn’t change it’s mind too quickly...
References:
Donegan, T.M., 2008. New species and subspecies descriptions do not and should not always require a dead type specimen. -Zootaxa 1761: 37-48.
Donegan, T.M., 2009: Type specimens, samples of live individuals and the Galapagos Pink Land Iguana. - Zootaxa 2201: 12-20.
Dubois, A., 2009: Endangered species and endangered knowledge. Zootaxa 2201: 26-29.
Dubois, A. & Nemésio, A., 2007. Does nomenclatural availability of nomina of new species or subspecies require the deposition of vouchers in collections? - Zootaxa 1409: 1-22.
Gentile, G. & Snell, H., 2009: Conolophus marthae sp.nov. (Squamata, Iguanidae), a new species of land iguana from the Galápagos archipelago. - Zootaxa 2201: 1-10.
Nemésio, A., 2009: On the live holotype of the Galápagos pink land Iguana, Conolophus marthae Gentile & Snell, 2009 (Squamata: Iguanidae): is it an acceptable exception? - Zootaxa 2201: 21-25.
More publications
20-08-2009 12:46
A few more
papers
appeared in print yesterday, all in Dutch this time.
They are published in Spirula, a periodical of the
Dutch Malacological Society. However, two have
English summaries and those of you who regularly
follow this blog will recognize the topics.
The first paper is my laudatio for Dolf van Bruggen during the celebration of his 80th birthday. I take the opportunity to put up a picture here that was taken during that ceremony.
Dr. Dolf van Bruggen during his
closing word. On the right-hand side Dr. Hans
Kuiper, one of the other Honorary Members of the
Dutch Malacological Society (Photo: Ton de
Winter).
The second paper is on the putty eating snails that I mentioned in this post. And finally, there is a paper on my Suriname project.
The first paper is my laudatio for Dolf van Bruggen during the celebration of his 80th birthday. I take the opportunity to put up a picture here that was taken during that ceremony.
Dr. Dolf van Bruggen during his
closing word. On the right-hand side Dr. Hans
Kuiper, one of the other Honorary Members of the
Dutch Malacological Society (Photo: Ton de
Winter).The second paper is on the putty eating snails that I mentioned in this post. And finally, there is a paper on my Suriname project.
Biohistorical notes (8): J.J. Parodiz
19-08-2009 21:45
Some names in your field of expertise stand out in
excellence. One of them is Juan José Parodiz
(1911-2007). Charles Sturm has just published an
extensive obituary and bibliography on this
Argentinan malacologist, who spent many years in the
USA.
Parodiz first worked 25 years at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales in Buenos Aires (1927-1952). He left his position for organisational-political reasons and found a new job as curator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittburgh. He retired in 1981, but remained emeritus-curator until his death in 2007.
Of the 10 new taxa on the generic level introduced by Parodiz, eight were related to Neotropical land snails. And of the 77 taxa at species level, 51 are belonging to this group. His main other interest was freshwater snails; he worked both on the Neotropical and Nearctic fauna.
Although I have personally met Parodiz during the Unitas Malacologica congress in Amsterdam in 1977, I have no vivid reminiscences of him (too many other things happened in the meantime). My modest contribution to honour this Great Name in Neotropical malacology is to publish this picture taken during the Amsterdam congress.
J.J. Parodiz and Y. Manga,
Amsterdam, 1977.
Reference:
Sturm, C.F., 2009. Juan José Parodiz (1911-2007): obituary and bibliography. - The Nautilus 123: 59-70.
Parodiz first worked 25 years at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales in Buenos Aires (1927-1952). He left his position for organisational-political reasons and found a new job as curator at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittburgh. He retired in 1981, but remained emeritus-curator until his death in 2007.
Of the 10 new taxa on the generic level introduced by Parodiz, eight were related to Neotropical land snails. And of the 77 taxa at species level, 51 are belonging to this group. His main other interest was freshwater snails; he worked both on the Neotropical and Nearctic fauna.
Although I have personally met Parodiz during the Unitas Malacologica congress in Amsterdam in 1977, I have no vivid reminiscences of him (too many other things happened in the meantime). My modest contribution to honour this Great Name in Neotropical malacology is to publish this picture taken during the Amsterdam congress.
J.J. Parodiz and Y. Manga,
Amsterdam, 1977.Reference:
Sturm, C.F., 2009. Juan José Parodiz (1911-2007): obituary and bibliography. - The Nautilus 123: 59-70.
Publications available
18-08-2009 20:52
My
recent
publications
in the Festschrift for Dolf van Bruggen are now
available online at the journal’s
website.
A Gringo ghost Bulimulus
17-08-2009 20:04
After my
recent
post
on
Bulimulus
species in the USA, I received a link to the
site
of Bill Frank and Harry Lee. They have two pages
on
Bulimulus
guadalupensis
in Florida.
The pictures shown on these pages are actually *not* B. guadalupensis, but a still unknown species.
Harry found the small population at a trash pile in February 2009. As Bill wrote to me, “Thus far the snails have only been found in a very small area (about 3 x 5 meters) in an industrial area in the old core city of Jacksonville next to a major rail line and a factory often visited by trucks. I would assume that is how the snails got to the location where Dr. Lee Initially discovered them. I have repeated worked that area thoroughly since they were initially found in February. A total of 12 living specimens, and one empty shell, were cumulatively found over the six month period. During my last few trips no additional specimens could be found so I may have extirpated the colony. All of the specimens found were very similar in size. I kept the living snails in captivity for several months but nobody showed an interested in having them or preserved specimens for study so I euthanized them and just retained the empty shells. I check the habitat on a periodic basis for additional specimens”. Well you win some and you lose some... He was kind enough to re-visit the site, but only found one very juvenile before he had to back off because of a thunderstorm. Anyway, the population still exists.
Because B. guadalupensis also has an unicoloured form, it is easy to confuse this species with the figured one. After all, these Bulimulus species are all smallish and brownish...
Since this is not an autochtonous species, it is likely imported. Until I have specimens at hand, I do not dare to give a name to these creatures (remember, they are all smallish and brownish...). Until then, it will remain a ghost species.
The true B. guadalupensis was collected in southern Florida, near Miami. The current status of this population is unknown to me.
Thanks to Bill and Harry for information on this population and to David for the link.
The pictures shown on these pages are actually *not* B. guadalupensis, but a still unknown species.
Harry found the small population at a trash pile in February 2009. As Bill wrote to me, “Thus far the snails have only been found in a very small area (about 3 x 5 meters) in an industrial area in the old core city of Jacksonville next to a major rail line and a factory often visited by trucks. I would assume that is how the snails got to the location where Dr. Lee Initially discovered them. I have repeated worked that area thoroughly since they were initially found in February. A total of 12 living specimens, and one empty shell, were cumulatively found over the six month period. During my last few trips no additional specimens could be found so I may have extirpated the colony. All of the specimens found were very similar in size. I kept the living snails in captivity for several months but nobody showed an interested in having them or preserved specimens for study so I euthanized them and just retained the empty shells. I check the habitat on a periodic basis for additional specimens”. Well you win some and you lose some... He was kind enough to re-visit the site, but only found one very juvenile before he had to back off because of a thunderstorm. Anyway, the population still exists.
Because B. guadalupensis also has an unicoloured form, it is easy to confuse this species with the figured one. After all, these Bulimulus species are all smallish and brownish...
Since this is not an autochtonous species, it is likely imported. Until I have specimens at hand, I do not dare to give a name to these creatures (remember, they are all smallish and brownish...). Until then, it will remain a ghost species.
The true B. guadalupensis was collected in southern Florida, near Miami. The current status of this population is unknown to me.
Thanks to Bill and Harry for information on this population and to David for the link.
Google more with maps
14-08-2009 19:06
In a recent posting to the
Taxacom
list, Bos Mesidov shared a new trick with Google Maps
(GM).
“Google Maps is a great online tool for planning and reviewing fieldwork.
It offers zoomable road maps, the Google Earth satellite image layer and
a hill-shaded terrain map with rough-enough contour lines. Like Google
Earth, it also has Street View (where available on the ground), which
gives ground-level views of sampling areas and their access.
I've now started using Google Maps to plot specimen locality data as
they accumulate. These data are entirely private - they haven't been
uploaded to Google.
The trick is very simple: build a KML file for the locality data and put
it on a Web server to which you have access. Open Google Maps in a
browser and put the URL for the KML file into the search bar, then click
'Search Maps'.
If you've never had experience with KML: a KML file is just a text file
with the suffix '.kml'. You can build one in any text editor. Below is
the full text of a KML file which will plot 3 localities for species X -
just the localities in this case, not any metadata. Latitude and
longitude must be in decimal degree format, with the usual conventions
that lats S of the Equator are negative and longs W of Greenwich are
negative. The '0' after the long, lat is elevation, here set at ground
level.
http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
SpeciesX
L
ong1,Lat1,0
L
ong2,Lat2,0
L
ong3,Lat3,0
You can also open a .kml file on your own computer in the Google Earth
application on your own computer (Windows users: right-click the file
name in Explorer, 'Open with...' Google Earth). However, I'm finding
Google Maps faster and more useful because of the road and terrain
mapping.
For a full treatment of KML, see
http://code.google.com/apis/kml/documentation/kmlreference.html, but
note that not all these features are supported in Google Maps.”
This made me look again to GM, while I usually only apply Google Earth (GE).
First I looking at an area recently investigated, Cerro de la Neblina massif on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border. With the satellite view (= GE) you see the area but not much details (until the data are refreshed, but these unpopulated areas are likely to be the last ones in row).
When you change to terrain, suddenly the elevation becomes clear.
A second, similar trial is an area in southern Ecuador. First the map view. Just plain roads, nothing else.
The satellite view shows that there is an interandean valley.
Only the terrain view gives much more details, also e.g. about the exposure of slopes. Indeed, useful for planning of your field trips...
Thanks Bob, for sharing this trick!
“Google Maps is a great online tool for planning and reviewing fieldwork.
It offers zoomable road maps, the Google Earth satellite image layer and
a hill-shaded terrain map with rough-enough contour lines. Like Google
Earth, it also has Street View (where available on the ground), which
gives ground-level views of sampling areas and their access.
I've now started using Google Maps to plot specimen locality data as
they accumulate. These data are entirely private - they haven't been
uploaded to Google.
The trick is very simple: build a KML file for the locality data and put
it on a Web server to which you have access. Open Google Maps in a
browser and put the URL for the KML file into the search bar, then click
'Search Maps'.
If you've never had experience with KML: a KML file is just a text file
with the suffix '.kml'. You can build one in any text editor. Below is
the full text of a KML file which will plot 3 localities for species X -
just the localities in this case, not any metadata. Latitude and
longitude must be in decimal degree format, with the usual conventions
that lats S of the Equator are negative and longs W of Greenwich are
negative. The '0' after the long, lat is elevation, here set at ground
level.
http://www.opengis.net/kml/2.2">
SpeciesX
L
ong1,Lat1,0
L
ong2,Lat2,0
L
ong3,Lat3,0
You can also open a .kml file on your own computer in the Google Earth
application on your own computer (Windows users: right-click the file
name in Explorer, 'Open with...' Google Earth). However, I'm finding
Google Maps faster and more useful because of the road and terrain
mapping.
For a full treatment of KML, see
http://code.google.com/apis/kml/documentation/kmlreference.html, but
note that not all these features are supported in Google Maps.”
This made me look again to GM, while I usually only apply Google Earth (GE).
First I looking at an area recently investigated, Cerro de la Neblina massif on the Venezuelan-Brazilian border. With the satellite view (= GE) you see the area but not much details (until the data are refreshed, but these unpopulated areas are likely to be the last ones in row).
When you change to terrain, suddenly the elevation becomes clear.
A second, similar trial is an area in southern Ecuador. First the map view. Just plain roads, nothing else.
The satellite view shows that there is an interandean valley.
Only the terrain view gives much more details, also e.g. about the exposure of slopes. Indeed, useful for planning of your field trips...
Thanks Bob, for sharing this trick!
Congresses to come
13-08-2009 20:57
Speaking about congresses, two congresses that will
be held next year that may be of interest.
The first one is of course the Unitas Malacologia world congress, to be held in Thailand in July 2010. When I found the flyer this week in my mailbox, I was a bit disappointed. It seems that the organizers have tried to outperform the Antwerp congress by increasing the number of symposia (currently there are 13 themes listed). Does it mean that the plenary sessions are gone?
Most themes are so specialized, that it is difficult to imagine how you could fit a topic to them outside the selected themes. And you must really have something done recently (I guess, preferably not yet published but close to submit as a paper) to be allowed.
There seem some hours scheduled for poster presentations. Are they the garbage can for all the people who fall outside the symposia themes?
Right now, more questions than a transparent set-up.
Another interesting congress will be the VI Southern Connection Congress, uniting researchers related to Australia, Africa and South America. This time it will be held in Argentina. Ah... sounds a lot interesting right away :-)
During the previous congress in South Africa, the status of Prestonella as a member of the Orthalicoidea was disclosed. It would be nice to be able to present some further insights gained meanwhile.
The first one is of course the Unitas Malacologia world congress, to be held in Thailand in July 2010. When I found the flyer this week in my mailbox, I was a bit disappointed. It seems that the organizers have tried to outperform the Antwerp congress by increasing the number of symposia (currently there are 13 themes listed). Does it mean that the plenary sessions are gone?
Most themes are so specialized, that it is difficult to imagine how you could fit a topic to them outside the selected themes. And you must really have something done recently (I guess, preferably not yet published but close to submit as a paper) to be allowed.
There seem some hours scheduled for poster presentations. Are they the garbage can for all the people who fall outside the symposia themes?
Right now, more questions than a transparent set-up.
Another interesting congress will be the VI Southern Connection Congress, uniting researchers related to Australia, Africa and South America. This time it will be held in Argentina. Ah... sounds a lot interesting right away :-)
During the previous congress in South Africa, the status of Prestonella as a member of the Orthalicoidea was disclosed. It would be nice to be able to present some further insights gained meanwhile.
Visitor in the lab
12-08-2009 21:10
This week the
Systematics
congress is being held in Leiden and Naturalis is a
co-host. Quite some extra visitors this week in our
labs and one of them is Dr Ira Richling (University
of Kiel, Germany). I have been in contact with her
because we share a common fav group: Neotropical
snails.
Ton de Winter and Ira Richling
discussing some Neotropical helicinids.
As a specialist in Helicinidae she was interested to see our small collection. Due to time shortage, she took notes on interesting things and found some alcohol preserved material that she took for further studies.
We also discussed on her observations on Costa Rican Drymaeus. There she observed this genus quite common as a ‘garden snail’, with two species represented on the campus in San José. She found D. sulphureus and D. inusitatus to be blue-bodied. The latter species is restricted to the Caribbean side of the country. These snails are more blue in the lowland, becoming paler higher up in the mountains.
Ton de Winter and Ira Richling
discussing some Neotropical helicinids.
As a specialist in Helicinidae she was interested to see our small collection. Due to time shortage, she took notes on interesting things and found some alcohol preserved material that she took for further studies.
We also discussed on her observations on Costa Rican Drymaeus. There she observed this genus quite common as a ‘garden snail’, with two species represented on the campus in San José. She found D. sulphureus and D. inusitatus to be blue-bodied. The latter species is restricted to the Caribbean side of the country. These snails are more blue in the lowland, becoming paler higher up in the mountains.
Another Bulimulus introduced in USA
11-08-2009 08:15
David Robinson sent me last week some pictures of
a
Bulimulus
species that had been found in Texas at the site of a
stone and marble importer, with a request for further
identification.
Without knowing further details of the origin, my ID was B. sporadicus (Orbigny, 1835). This species is known from northeastern Argentina, southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Typically, the species is more slender, but several more ventricose forms have been described.
Further investigation led to the conclusion that this population originates from Brazil, where it has been reported from Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul.
Besides this species, several others are known to have been introduced in the USA. Bulimulus tenuissimus puellaris (Reeve, 1849) was reported by Robinson & Slapcinsky (2005) from North Carolina, Wilmington. In Florida, B. guadalupensis is spreading slowly northward and two other species have been intercepted by USDA officers.
Bulimulus is becoming more and more an alien, so far rather harmless - but you never know...
Reference:
Robinson, D.G. & Slapcinsky, J., 2005. Recent introductions of alien land snails into North America. - American Malacological Bulletin 20: 89-93.
Without knowing further details of the origin, my ID was B. sporadicus (Orbigny, 1835). This species is known from northeastern Argentina, southern Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and Uruguay. Typically, the species is more slender, but several more ventricose forms have been described.
Further investigation led to the conclusion that this population originates from Brazil, where it has been reported from Mato Grosso and Rio Grande do Sul.
Besides this species, several others are known to have been introduced in the USA. Bulimulus tenuissimus puellaris (Reeve, 1849) was reported by Robinson & Slapcinsky (2005) from North Carolina, Wilmington. In Florida, B. guadalupensis is spreading slowly northward and two other species have been intercepted by USDA officers.
Bulimulus is becoming more and more an alien, so far rather harmless - but you never know...
Reference:
Robinson, D.G. & Slapcinsky, J., 2005. Recent introductions of alien land snails into North America. - American Malacological Bulletin 20: 89-93.
Photo of the day (58): Columbinia
10-08-2009 21:43
Today a picture of a clausiliid species, that Andrés
Quintero found while doing field work in Filandia,
Dept. Quindio, Colombia. It is
Columbinia
columbiana
(Polinski, 1924).
Thanks Andrés, for sharing this picture.
Thanks Andrés, for sharing this picture.
Florida Liguus
07-08-2009 21:26
Juan C. Aguero sent me links to his work on Florida
Liguus. The first is a
gallery,
picturing many of the colour forms present at
different hammocks in Florida and on different
tree species.
But Juan also has his own blog, on which he reports his trips in the field to make the nice photographs shown in the gallery. One thing is clear: besides snails you will readily find some mosquitoes. You win some and you lose some...
Thanks Juan, and keep up the good work!
But Juan also has his own blog, on which he reports his trips in the field to make the nice photographs shown in the gallery. One thing is clear: besides snails you will readily find some mosquitoes. You win some and you lose some...
Thanks Juan, and keep up the good work!
New taxa (17): Charopidae
06-08-2009 10:25
In the same issue of the Archiv, a paper was
published by Sergio Miquel and Gary Barker about
punctoid shells. This group is poorly known and only
based on shell morphology.
Three new species are described, all occurring in Chile; one species extends into western Argentina. The first record for the genus Lilloiconcha in Chile, is L. aysensis n.sp. from Prov. Aysen, Puerto Chacabuco (FMNH 312442).
The second taxon, Radiodiscus villarricensis n.sp., was found in Prov. Concepción, Fundo El Manzano (FMNH 312443). Specimens of this species have also found in Argentina, Prov. Neuquén.
Finally, Stephadiscus stuardoi n.sp. is described from Prov. Concepción, Hualpén Botanical Park (MNHNCL 6655). This species is named after Dr. José Stuardo, the well-known Chilean malacologist.
These minute land shells are detritus feeders and may be found in leaf litter. Interestingly, the charopids from this area have close relatives in New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea. Further anatomical and phylogenetic research may shed light on these relationships and on the biogeographical processes behind it.
Reference:
Miquel, S.E. & Barker, G.M., 2009. New Charopidae from Chilean-Argentine Patagonia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Stylommatophora). - Archiv für Molluskenkunde 138: 53-61.
Three new species are described, all occurring in Chile; one species extends into western Argentina. The first record for the genus Lilloiconcha in Chile, is L. aysensis n.sp. from Prov. Aysen, Puerto Chacabuco (FMNH 312442).
The second taxon, Radiodiscus villarricensis n.sp., was found in Prov. Concepción, Fundo El Manzano (FMNH 312443). Specimens of this species have also found in Argentina, Prov. Neuquén.
Finally, Stephadiscus stuardoi n.sp. is described from Prov. Concepción, Hualpén Botanical Park (MNHNCL 6655). This species is named after Dr. José Stuardo, the well-known Chilean malacologist.
These minute land shells are detritus feeders and may be found in leaf litter. Interestingly, the charopids from this area have close relatives in New Zealand, Australia and New Guinea. Further anatomical and phylogenetic research may shed light on these relationships and on the biogeographical processes behind it.
Reference:
Miquel, S.E. & Barker, G.M., 2009. New Charopidae from Chilean-Argentine Patagonia (Mollusca: Gastropoda: Stylommatophora). - Archiv für Molluskenkunde 138: 53-61.
New taxa (16): Spiraxidae
05-08-2009 20:10
Fred Thompson recently published a paper on Mexican
spiraxids. Spriaxidae are carnivorous snails and well
represented in Mexico. Five species are reported from
karst limestone ranges that are separated by basins
of non-calcareous soils.
Streptostylella botteriana (Crosse & Fischer, 1869) is redescribed and -figured. This species occurs near Orizaba and Córdoba in Veracruz and only very few specimens are known.
Another poorly known species, recorded for the first time from Oaxaca, is Streptostyla (Eustreptostyla) nicoleti nicoleti (Shuttleowrth, 1852).
Finally, three new species are described in this paper. One is Streptostyla (Eustreptostyla) rupecula n.sp. Type locality: Veracruz, 4 km NE Comalapa (UF 81912). The two others are species of Varicoturris. V. hadra n.sp. is described from Oaxaca, 12 km NW Bethania (UF 423105) and V. elegans n.sp. from the same state on the northeast shore of Presa Miguel Aleman (UF 337226).
V. hadra (4), V. elegans (6) and Streptostyla rupecula (8)
All species are local endemics of tropical wet seasonal forests.
Reference:
Thompson, F.G., 2009. Five landsnails of the family Spiraxidae from southeastern Mexico (Pulmonata: Spiraxidae). - Archiv für Molluskenkunde 138: 63-70.
Streptostylella botteriana (Crosse & Fischer, 1869) is redescribed and -figured. This species occurs near Orizaba and Córdoba in Veracruz and only very few specimens are known.
Another poorly known species, recorded for the first time from Oaxaca, is Streptostyla (Eustreptostyla) nicoleti nicoleti (Shuttleowrth, 1852).
Finally, three new species are described in this paper. One is Streptostyla (Eustreptostyla) rupecula n.sp. Type locality: Veracruz, 4 km NE Comalapa (UF 81912). The two others are species of Varicoturris. V. hadra n.sp. is described from Oaxaca, 12 km NW Bethania (UF 423105) and V. elegans n.sp. from the same state on the northeast shore of Presa Miguel Aleman (UF 337226).
V. hadra (4), V. elegans (6) and Streptostyla rupecula (8)
All species are local endemics of tropical wet seasonal forests.
Reference:
Thompson, F.G., 2009. Five landsnails of the family Spiraxidae from southeastern Mexico (Pulmonata: Spiraxidae). - Archiv für Molluskenkunde 138: 63-70.
Sweeping tails and turning shells
04-08-2009 23:01
Andrés Quintero sent me a very short video that he
made some years ago while doing field work in
Filandia, Dept. Quindío, Colombia. The video was shot
during the night and it shows a specimen of
Drymaeus
flexuosus
(Pfeiffer, 1853). It remains at the same place while
moving his body vigorously, sweeping his tail and
turning his shell. The animal continued this
behaviour during about half an hour.
Although these stills are somewhat out focus, the complete video (MP4, WMV) shows clearly the behaviour in a convincing way.
Like Andrés, I am curious if anyone of my readership has seen this behaviour before while observing snails. And if so, what do you have as explanation? Where and what species did show this behaviour when you observed it?Please, share your ideas with us.
Although these stills are somewhat out focus, the complete video (MP4, WMV) shows clearly the behaviour in a convincing way.
Like Andrés, I am curious if anyone of my readership has seen this behaviour before while observing snails. And if so, what do you have as explanation? Where and what species did show this behaviour when you observed it?Please, share your ideas with us.
Peruvian malacologists
03-08-2009 21:30
Last month a
paper
was published by Valentín Mogollón and myself about
the Peruvian malacologist José Julián Bravo. We
quoted the existence of four other malacologists from
Coan et al. (2007). However, after the proof was
corrected, we found reference to additional - marine
- malacologists in a paper on Peruvian biodiversity
challenges (Tarazona et al. 2003):
Víctor Alamo (URP)
Franz Cardoso (UNMSM)
Pedro Huamán (UNMSM)
Aldo Indacochea (CONCYTEC)
Valentín Mogollón (UNFV)
Carlos Paredes (UNMSM)
Mario Peña (particular)
Víctor Rivadeneira (URP)
Violeta Valdivieso (FONDEPES)
This brings the total number to 14, all professional malacologists. In the latest edition of Coan et al. (2009) we found the following additions: Dativa Beltran Rodríguez, Víctor Camacho, Bertha Fernández Padilla, Ángel E. Flórez B., Rosa Hernández, Hernando de Macedo, Javier Ortíz de la Puente, Julia Rodríguez, Pedro Verástegui Mackee, Salmón Vilchez Murga and Felix Woytkowski. We could add the upcoming generation of students and others interested in molluscs, e.g.: Federico Gutierrez, Edgar Meza Figuero, Grace Montalvan Naranjos, Carlos Rivero. In total 31 malacologists. Other names may be added, but surely this is a more realistic overview than the one presented in our paper.
References:
Coan, E.V., Kabat, A.R. & Petit, R.E., 2007. 2400 years of malacology (4th ed., rev.): 729 + 14 pp. Available at http://www.malacological.org/pdfs/2400years07/Biblio-Bio.pdf. Accessed 28 October 2008.
Coan, E.V., Kabat, A.R. & Petit, R.E., 2009. 2400 years of malacology (6th ed.): 830 pp. Available at http://www.malacological.org/publications/2400_malacology.php. Accessed 3 August 2009.
Tarazona, J., Gutiérrez, D., Paredes, C. & Indacochea, A., 2003. Overview and challenges of marine biodiversity research in Peru. - Gayana 67: 206-231.
Víctor Alamo (URP)
Franz Cardoso (UNMSM)
Pedro Huamán (UNMSM)
Aldo Indacochea (CONCYTEC)
Valentín Mogollón (UNFV)
Carlos Paredes (UNMSM)
Mario Peña (particular)
Víctor Rivadeneira (URP)
Violeta Valdivieso (FONDEPES)
This brings the total number to 14, all professional malacologists. In the latest edition of Coan et al. (2009) we found the following additions: Dativa Beltran Rodríguez, Víctor Camacho, Bertha Fernández Padilla, Ángel E. Flórez B., Rosa Hernández, Hernando de Macedo, Javier Ortíz de la Puente, Julia Rodríguez, Pedro Verástegui Mackee, Salmón Vilchez Murga and Felix Woytkowski. We could add the upcoming generation of students and others interested in molluscs, e.g.: Federico Gutierrez, Edgar Meza Figuero, Grace Montalvan Naranjos, Carlos Rivero. In total 31 malacologists. Other names may be added, but surely this is a more realistic overview than the one presented in our paper.
References:
Coan, E.V., Kabat, A.R. & Petit, R.E., 2007. 2400 years of malacology (4th ed., rev.): 729 + 14 pp. Available at http://www.malacological.org/pdfs/2400years07/Biblio-Bio.pdf. Accessed 28 October 2008.
Coan, E.V., Kabat, A.R. & Petit, R.E., 2009. 2400 years of malacology (6th ed.): 830 pp. Available at http://www.malacological.org/publications/2400_malacology.php. Accessed 3 August 2009.
Tarazona, J., Gutiérrez, D., Paredes, C. & Indacochea, A., 2003. Overview and challenges of marine biodiversity research in Peru. - Gayana 67: 206-231.