field work
Argentinan field work (2)
14-04-2010 21:57
The second day we went
to an area north of Tucumán, where the vegetation
consists of dry ‘chaco’, with scattered
Opuntia. When undisturbed, these can be
really tree-like.
We found empty shells of Drymaeus poecilus (d’Orbigny, 1835) and Spixia tucumanensis Parodiz, 1941.
As the Spixia lives between the roots of the spiny Opuntia, it is really recommendable to have gloves and a little scoop to unearth them. Otherwise you will end up with your hands full of spines...
We found empty shells of Drymaeus poecilus (d’Orbigny, 1835) and Spixia tucumanensis Parodiz, 1941.
As the Spixia lives between the roots of the spiny Opuntia, it is really recommendable to have gloves and a little scoop to unearth them. Otherwise you will end up with your hands full of spines...
Argentinan fieldwork
13-04-2010 21:09
During my recent trip
in South America, I did some field work during the
weekend that I stayed in Tucumán. Gabriela Cuezzo and
her husband took me up the hill west of the city, in
a Biological Reserve (frequently visited by hikers
during the weekends).
The vegetation is here a lushly ‘yungas’.
We found several species, of which the first one was on special request of one of our students, Adelopoma tucma Döring, 1884, for her phylogenetic research. It was living under pieces of wood, in leaf litter.
The second one is Scutalus (Kuschelenia) tupacii (d’Orbigny, 1835). This is a common species in this area and we found also two engaged in some love-making (but not copulating yet).
A somewhat rarer find was Epiphragmophora tucumanensis (Döring, 1876). This snail was climbing on a mossy side of the path when it was caught.
Finally, there is this huge slug (a Veronicellid). The taxonomy of this group is quite puzzling.
It was a good day of snail hunting :-)
The vegetation is here a lushly ‘yungas’.
We found several species, of which the first one was on special request of one of our students, Adelopoma tucma Döring, 1884, for her phylogenetic research. It was living under pieces of wood, in leaf litter.
The second one is Scutalus (Kuschelenia) tupacii (d’Orbigny, 1835). This is a common species in this area and we found also two engaged in some love-making (but not copulating yet).
A somewhat rarer find was Epiphragmophora tucumanensis (Döring, 1876). This snail was climbing on a mossy side of the path when it was caught.
Finally, there is this huge slug (a Veronicellid). The taxonomy of this group is quite puzzling.
It was a good day of snail hunting :-)
Peru trip
25-03-2010 16:32
In Peru I made two field trips. The first was to Rio
Cañete valley, Huancayo and back to Lima via the Rio
Rimac valley. The hunt was for several
Bostryx species, but we were only partly
successful. Species like B. solutus and
B. multiconspectus were difficult to find
given the time available.
The second trip was to northern Peru, via Huaráz, up to the area of Chilete. We were able to obtain several Bostryx, Drymaeus, Neopetraeus and Scutalus species. On top of being malacologically successful, it was great to have the ‘Andean experience’ again. I really had a big, big time!
Thanks to my Peruvian companions Valentín Mogollón, Edgar Meza and Pedro Romero. And to Eduardo who drove us quickly and safely through the crazy Peruvian traffic.
In coming posts I will highlight some of the species collected.
The second trip was to northern Peru, via Huaráz, up to the area of Chilete. We were able to obtain several Bostryx, Drymaeus, Neopetraeus and Scutalus species. On top of being malacologically successful, it was great to have the ‘Andean experience’ again. I really had a big, big time!
Thanks to my Peruvian companions Valentín Mogollón, Edgar Meza and Pedro Romero. And to Eduardo who drove us quickly and safely through the crazy Peruvian traffic.
In coming posts I will highlight some of the species collected.
Why habitat information matters
24-07-2008 14:36
While working on a paper about carinate species, I
found pictures of some species on the internet. There
has been some discussion in the literature about what
causes carination, and the habitat seems one of the
factors in play. Therefore, I found it interesting
that the site gave some habitat information on one of
the species for which I didn't have data yet. It said
the species was collected "on rocks in a bushed
area". Especially the association with rocks
interested me.
Luckily, the site mentioned also who had collected the specimens. I decided to contact the collector, a befriended couple who have travelled a lot in Latin America and whose collecting data are always very precise and trustworthy. To my surprise, the answer I got was only partly corroborating. The locality was right but the habitat not! Instead collected on rocks, the specimens had been found as subfossils in a desert-like area. Quite a difference and not without importance.
So, the lesson I learned here is: if you can, always consult the original source.
Luckily, the site mentioned also who had collected the specimens. I decided to contact the collector, a befriended couple who have travelled a lot in Latin America and whose collecting data are always very precise and trustworthy. To my surprise, the answer I got was only partly corroborating. The locality was right but the habitat not! Instead collected on rocks, the specimens had been found as subfossils in a desert-like area. Quite a difference and not without importance.
So, the lesson I learned here is: if you can, always consult the original source.
What to do with a living snail?
30-11-2007 20:46
Phylogenetic
relationships were always one of the major drivers
behind my scientific interest in snails. Consequently
there has been a need for animals. In the '70s I have
been hunting for snails because I wanted to study
their anatomy and histology. Nowadays scientific
frontiers have shifted and so has the methodology. I
need fresh tissue to be able to extract DNA that, in
the end, will reveal phylogenetic data.
The material that I have collected more than 30 years ago does not meet modern requirements (at least, with the facilities at my disposal). The animals were drown in water for about 24 hours to let them stretch, which procedure is detrimental for the quality of DNA. Moreover, the animals have been preserved in alcohol 70%; this is, to say the least, not optimal.
So, I'm constantly on the outlook for freshly collected animals. For which I have to rely on the kindness of other people.
Provided that you want to facilitate phylogenetic research. And suppose that you are willing to go out for hunting snails. What do you do with a living snail?
Some of you might know already. If so, please skip this section. If not, read on. I have tried to be as clear and concise as possible in this short guide, distinguishing 10 steps during three phases:
A) Preparation
1. It all starts in preparing your field trip. Take -- besides your collecting material -- your notebook, a camera and (preferably) a GPS. Nothing special for anyone who takes field work serious nowadays. And have enough stock of alcohol 96%.
B) Collecting
2. When you set out to the field, take enough wrapping paper (toilet paper will do nicely) with you.
3. Encountering a living snail, not only take notes of the locality, the GPS coordinates and the ecology (e.g. vegetation, soil type), but also take pictures of the animal. Macro (the snail in its environment) and micro (the animal from various sides).
4. Wrap the animal in enough paper, such that it will retract within its shell.
5. When you return in the evening to your (home) base, put the animal directly in alcohol 96% (so do NOT drown in water first!).
C) Preparing for shipment
6. Take cotton and soak it in alcohol 96%.
7. [Extra step if you want to save on shipping costs or are dealing with large animals, e.g. Orthalicidae or large Thaumastus, Plekocheilus, etc.] Take a sharp knife (scalpel), dip it in alcohol 96% and cut off the tail end of the foot, as large as possible.
If the animal is totally retracted within its shell, please skip this step or you might mess things up.
8. Wrap the animal in the cotton soaked during step 6, put in a plastic bag and seal it.
9. Put the bag, together with the location data and the identification label, in another plastic bag; repeat at least twice or three times.
[N.B.: If you followed step 7, ensure that the animal can be identified by either including an empty shell or a label like e.g. "Scutalus sp. (number)"].
10. Make sure the result is tightly sealed and doesn't smell and put it in a suitable box for shipment. Label with "Material for scientific study only - No commercial value" and the address you may find here. Please send me an email when you dispatch, explaining what you are sending and including all relevant data (e.g. explanation of numbers).
What will it bring you? Let me ensure you that I'll be most grateful for your kind cooperation. The least I will do is to give you a honourable mention in the 'Acknowledgements' section in one of my future papers :-) But generally I'll be happy to refund you the shipping costs, unless you waive it or I can help you in other ways.
The material that I have collected more than 30 years ago does not meet modern requirements (at least, with the facilities at my disposal). The animals were drown in water for about 24 hours to let them stretch, which procedure is detrimental for the quality of DNA. Moreover, the animals have been preserved in alcohol 70%; this is, to say the least, not optimal.
So, I'm constantly on the outlook for freshly collected animals. For which I have to rely on the kindness of other people.
Provided that you want to facilitate phylogenetic research. And suppose that you are willing to go out for hunting snails. What do you do with a living snail?
Some of you might know already. If so, please skip this section. If not, read on. I have tried to be as clear and concise as possible in this short guide, distinguishing 10 steps during three phases:
A) Preparation
1. It all starts in preparing your field trip. Take -- besides your collecting material -- your notebook, a camera and (preferably) a GPS. Nothing special for anyone who takes field work serious nowadays. And have enough stock of alcohol 96%.
B) Collecting
2. When you set out to the field, take enough wrapping paper (toilet paper will do nicely) with you.
3. Encountering a living snail, not only take notes of the locality, the GPS coordinates and the ecology (e.g. vegetation, soil type), but also take pictures of the animal. Macro (the snail in its environment) and micro (the animal from various sides).
4. Wrap the animal in enough paper, such that it will retract within its shell.
5. When you return in the evening to your (home) base, put the animal directly in alcohol 96% (so do NOT drown in water first!).
C) Preparing for shipment
6. Take cotton and soak it in alcohol 96%.
7. [Extra step if you want to save on shipping costs or are dealing with large animals, e.g. Orthalicidae or large Thaumastus, Plekocheilus, etc.] Take a sharp knife (scalpel), dip it in alcohol 96% and cut off the tail end of the foot, as large as possible.
If the animal is totally retracted within its shell, please skip this step or you might mess things up.
8. Wrap the animal in the cotton soaked during step 6, put in a plastic bag and seal it.
9. Put the bag, together with the location data and the identification label, in another plastic bag; repeat at least twice or three times.
[N.B.: If you followed step 7, ensure that the animal can be identified by either including an empty shell or a label like e.g. "Scutalus sp. (number)"].
10. Make sure the result is tightly sealed and doesn't smell and put it in a suitable box for shipment. Label with "Material for scientific study only - No commercial value" and the address you may find here. Please send me an email when you dispatch, explaining what you are sending and including all relevant data (e.g. explanation of numbers).
What will it bring you? Let me ensure you that I'll be most grateful for your kind cooperation. The least I will do is to give you a honourable mention in the 'Acknowledgements' section in one of my future papers :-) But generally I'll be happy to refund you the shipping costs, unless you waive it or I can help you in other ways.