Zoology最新文献

{"title":"Cytogenetic insights into Sosippinae (Araneae, Lycosidae) reveal pronounced diploid number reduction in Aglaoctenus and elevated number of rDNA loci in two unrelated species","authors":"Mariana Bessa Sanches ,&nbsp;Lucas Henrique Bonfim Souza ,&nbsp;Bruno Cansanção Silva ,&nbsp;Conrado Mario da Rosa ,&nbsp;Antonio Domingos Brescovit ,&nbsp;Luciana Bolsoni Lourenço ,&nbsp;Douglas Araujo","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spiders represent a fascinating group for studying chromosomal evolution due to their dynamic karyotypes, which reveal significant differences even between closely related taxa. Lycosidae, one of the most species-rich families of spiders, has its major relationships well stablished, though minor interspecific relationships remain poorly understood. Here, we analyzed chromosomal data from four species belonging to <em>Aglaoctenus</em> and <em>Diapontia</em>, two genera within the subfamily Sosippinae, to discuss the evolution of chromosomal traits within this lineage. For karyological analysis, we employed Giemsa staining, C-banding, Ag-NOR staining, and 28S rDNA FISH to identify key chromosomal characteristics and the distribution of repetitive elements. Both <em>A. oblongus</em> and <em>D. uruguayensis</em> exhibited 2n♂=28, X₁X₂, with acro/telocentric morphology, hypothesized to represent the ancestral condition for Lycosoidea. However, regarding the 28S rDNA chromosome mapping, these species revealed an unusually high number of loci with eight chromosome clusters in <em>A. oblongus</em> and a polymorphic condition in <em>D. uruguayensis</em> (10–14 signals), underscoring the utility of additional techniques for detecting specific chromosomal regions. Interestingly, <em>A. castaneus</em> and <em>A. lagotis</em> displayed a more derived karyotype, characterized by 2 n♂= 14, X₁X₂ and acro/telocentric morphology, with the sex chromosomes (X₁ and X₂) smaller than the autosomes. Taken together, these data suggest that, following the diversification of <em>Aglaoctenus</em>, a significant reduction in diploid number occurred, affecting only the autosomes. These findings encourage further cytogenetic research within Sosippinae and support the use of these data in future phylogenetic studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 126269"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143860384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Back to the water II: Variation in eye and cranial morphology in Telmatobius frogs with different lifestyles","authors":"J. Sebastián Barrionuevo","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126267","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126267","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Several tetrapod lineages have independently evolved an aquatic lifestyle, driving structural and functional modifications. Changes in eye size and position are key trends in this transition. While most frogs and toads have aquatic larvae, the majority of adults are terrestrial. In contrast, <em>Telmatobius</em> frogs exhibit a unique spectrum from semiaquatic to strictly aquatic lifestyles, linked to the colonization of the Andean highlands. This study examines variation in eye size, position, and cranial proportions, in two species: the semi-aquatic <em>Telmatobius oxycephalus</em> and the strictly aquatic <em>T. rubigo</em>. Measurements across post-metamorphic stages were used to compare groups and assess allometric patterns. <em>Telmatobius rubigo</em>, which inhabits high altitudes, has smaller eyes and a more dorsal/frontal eye position than <em>T. oxycephalus</em>. Among <em>T. oxycephalus</em>, the forest population at lower elevations has larger eyes compared to valley counterparts at intermediate altitudes. Cranial analysis reveals that <em>T. rubigo</em> has smaller orbits and larger otic capsules, while <em>T. oxycephalus</em> shows the opposite pattern. These findings suggest that smaller eye size and more frontal/dorsal positioning evolved in response to the aquatic lifestyle at high elevations. This pattern parallels that of highly aquatic pipid frogs, which adapted to aquatic habitats during the Cretaceous. In contrast, <em>Telmatobius</em> specialization for aquatic environments is relatively recent and associated with Andean colonization, providing a unique opportunity to study an adaptive radiation within a modern evolutionary context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 126267"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143874563","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of competition on juveniles of two sympatric freshwater prawn species from Pampean ecosystems: Palaemon argentinus and Macrobrachium borellii","authors":"María Eugenia Scardamaglia,&nbsp;Karine Delevati Colpo","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126268","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126268","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Competition is an interaction between individuals, either of the same species (intraspecific) or different species (interspecific), involving the contest for limited resources. This interaction can influence individual growth, reproduction, and survival, playing a critical role in regulating population dynamics and modulating community structures. In this study, we assessed the impact of competition type (intraspecific and interspecific) and competition pressure (low and high) on the coexistence of juvenile individuals of two sympatric prawn species commonly found in freshwater environments of South America: <em>Palaemon argentinus</em> and <em>Macrobrachium borellii</em>. To this end, we developed an experimental design to assess how different competition types and pressures affect the survival and growth rates of juveniles of both species, their frequency of use of the provided substrates and shelters, and their priority in obtaining food. The results showed that both the competition type and pressure influenced how these species coexist in experimental aquaria. High-pressure competition affected the survival of both species, with interspecific competition mainly impacting on the survival of <em>P. argentinus</em> and intraspecific competition mainly impacting on the survival of <em>M. borellii</em>. <em>Macrobrachium borellii</em> proved to be the dominant prawn because, under interspecific competition, this species showed higher survival rate, displaced <em>P. argentinus</em> from the spaces and substrates previously used, and secured food before <em>P. argentinus</em> when competitive pressure was high<em>.</em> However, the growth rate of both species was unaffected by either the competition type or pressure. This study provides insights into how competition can influence the ecological dynamics of these sympatric prawn species.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"170 ","pages":"Article 126268"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143848279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Maternal and social status affect hair cortisol concentrations in brown bears","authors":"Marcello Franchini ,&nbsp;Ashlee J. Mikkelsen ,&nbsp;Agnieszka Sergiel ,&nbsp;Nuria Selva ,&nbsp;David M. Janz ,&nbsp;Jonas Kindberg ,&nbsp;Andreas Zedrosser","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126257","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126257","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hair cortisol concentration is affected by different biological factors, including age, sex, and reproductive status, and can provide important insights into fitness. Using cortisol concentrations of wild Scandinavian brown bears, <em>Ursus arctos</em>, the purpose of this study was to investigate cortisol variations among individuals in relation to age, sex, and reproductive status (solitary individuals vs individuals in a family group). Cortisol concentrations were measured in 448 hair samples of 303 brown bears (162 males and 141 females, from one to nine years of age) captured from 1990 to 2016. We found that members of family groups, i.e., mothers as well as their dependent offspring, had significantly higher cortisol concentrations compared to solitary individuals (males or females). Higher energetic costs in family groups are likely linked to growth of the offspring as well as maternal costs incurred by the rearing of offspring. Our findings provide valuable insights into the physiological effects of maternal care and reproductive status in mammals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Article 126257"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143619663","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"To the roots: reconstruction of the ancestral state of the dorid feeding apparatus","authors":"Anna L. Mikhlina ,&nbsp;Irina A. Ekimova ,&nbsp;Dimitry M. Schepetov ,&nbsp;Ángel Valdés ,&nbsp;Elena V. Vortsepneva","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126256","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126256","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Diet-driven ecological radiation has been proposed as a key factor in the diversification of Nudibranchia. Members of Doridina, one of the two major clades of nudibranchs, have a remarkably wide range of dietary preferences. The morphology of the feeding apparatus is related to prey preferences and feeding mechanisms. Therefore, the investigation of the evolutionary changes in the morphology of the feeding apparatus can provide valuable insights into the evolution of Doridina. Recent significant changes in our understanding of the phylogeny of Doridina have highlighted the need to re-evaluate current hypotheses on the evolution of the buccal armature morphology and correlated dietary shifts in this group. To address this, we compiled and analysed a comprehensive dataset that combined phylogenetic and morphological data to reconstruct the evolution of the buccal armature in Doridina. We also review the feeding biology of various groups of dorids to provide a deeper view of the evolution of the morphology of the feeding apparatus. We hypothesised the plesiomorphic conditions of the buccal armature for each large clade of Doridina and for the entire group. Within Doridina, there is a strong phylogenetic correlation with prey preference as major changes in the diet preferences of several clades led to significant transformations in radular morphology. We also discovered several cases of retention of plesiomorphic radular morphology and feeding mechanisms in different phylogenetic lineages of Doridina.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Article 126256"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143636556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Altitude correlates with dorsal −but not ventral− scale number and dimension in a lacertid lizard","authors":"Marco Sannolo ,&nbsp;Raquel Ponti","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The primary function of the keratinised skin of squamates is modulating heat load, reducing water loss rates and protecting from abrasion. Furthermore, reptilian scale size and shape variation have also been observed depending on the habitat and associated environmental conditions. However, how climate can modulate intraspecific scale characteristics of reptile species in temperate regions is still a subject of debate. Here, we investigate the potential correlation between climate and lizard scalation for a European lacertid lizard. From 221 museum collection specimens of <em>Podarcis muralis</em>, we recorded body measurements and sex information and counted the number and size of dorsal scales and the number of ventral scales per individual. We obtained each specimens’ capture location information from which we extracted environmental data like temperature, precipitation, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation and altitude. We found that individuals that inhabited higher elevations tended to have fewer and larger dorsal scales than those from lowlands, as a potential adaptation to decrease water loss in arid and windy environments. We did not find a correlation between the number of ventral scales and environmental conditions, except for wind speed. This study uncovers an intraspecific adaptive mechanism in an environment gradient that is key to understanding species' potential adaptation to future climatic conditions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Article 126249"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143479344","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ontogenetic trajectories and sexual dimorphism of a neotropical ground snake genus Erythrolamprus (Serpentes: Dipsadidae)","authors":"Daniel Silva Fernandes ,&nbsp;Cristiane Barros Régis","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126248","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126248","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Allometry and sexual dimorphism are potential sources of intraspecific morphological variation. Advances in the methodological framework of geometric morphometrics allow in-depth analysis of these issues, enabling the descriptions and comparisons between groups of multivariate phenotypic attributes and the visualization of allometric trajectories. In the present study, we evaluated the presence of secondary sexual dimorphism in <em>Erythrolamprus miliaris merremi</em>, a semi-aquatic snake occurring in the Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil. We assessed linear body measurements and digitized landmarks in the dorsal view of the head of 107 specimens grouped into four categories combining ontogenetic stages and sex. We performed linear models and principal component analyses to estimate and visualize head shape variation and the allometric trajectories of these categories. Adults from both sexes and immature females showed significant static allometry, while immature males showed isometric growth. Although we recovered no sexual dimorphism for head shape, ontogenetic trajectories of both sexes are distinct, with females showing head shape variation throughout ontogenetic development, while males exhibited more conspicuous changes only after sexual maturity. Comparisons with literature data suggest a high degree of variation in ontogenetic allometry of snakes, depending on the phylogenetic group or structure (head/skull) analyzed, while the results for static allometry are more similar between the studied taxa. Only the collection of data on distinct groups of snakes will provide more clues as to whether there is any allometric pattern to these structures, and which factors (evolutionary, ecological or both) are prevalent over it, especially for ontogenetic allometry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Article 126248"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143419507","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparative display behaviour of the native Iguana delicatissima with the non-native Iguana in the Guadeloupe Archipelago (Lesser Antilles)","authors":"Vincent L. Bels ,&nbsp;Clément Brousse ,&nbsp;Eric Pelle ,&nbsp;Jérôme Guerlotté ,&nbsp;Marie-Ange Pierre ,&nbsp;Florence Kirchhoff ,&nbsp;Peter A. Biro","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126239","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126239","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Territorial and mating displays are a key mechanism affecting sexual selection, species recognition, and may affect success of non-native species in the presence of closely related ones. The green Iguana (<em>Iguana iguana</em>) has invaded Caribbean islands from their mainland range, affecting and possibly inter-breeding with native <em>Iguana</em>. However, important display behaviours have not been studied, even though it may be a rare opportunity to study adaptation and evolutionary change. Here, we describe the display-action-patterns (DAP) characterising the head-bob display of the two <em>Iguana</em> species of the Caribbean islands <em>Iguana delicatissima</em> (endemic Lesser Antillean <em>Iguana</em>) and non-native <em>Iguana</em> (closely related non-native species) in the Guadeloupe Archipelago. First, the DAP sequence of non-native <em>Iguana</em> is completely different from mainland animals, with reversed positions of the long and short head bobs. In the non-native <em>Iguana</em>, two long head-bobs (&gt;1.0 s) separated by a highly variable pause (0.1 – 2.8 s) are followed by a series of 3–7 (up to 9) rapid head bobs (&lt;0.5 s), is followed by one phase always with two longer. In native <em>I. delicatissima,</em> the DAP is always initiated with a vibratory gular movement of the extended dewlap in <em>I. delicatissima</em>, but not in the non-native <em>Iguana</em>. Duration of the DAP sequence is significantly shorter in non-native <em>Iguana,</em> always beginning with one singular long head bob (&gt;1.5 s) followed by 3–6 more rapid head bobs. In addition, we observed significant among individual variation in all aspects of the DAP studied, indicating the potential for natural selection to further act on head-bob displays in the non-native and native species. This study now sets the stage to for future studies to determine if behaviour is a cause or consequence of invasion success.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Article 126239"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143419506","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thermal biology of Indian rock pythons in tropical India","authors":"C.S. Vishnu ,&nbsp;Chinnasamy Ramesh ,&nbsp;Merin Jacob,&nbsp;Vedagiri Thirumurugan ,&nbsp;Gautam Talukdar","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126241","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2025.126241","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Temperature plays a crucial role in the physiology of snakes. However, only very limited studies on python thermal biology have been carried out in tropical regions. Here we recorded body temperature (BT) changes of the celomic cavity with respect to atmospheric temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) of five Indian Rock pythons <em>Python molurus</em> in the field. The monitoring of the pythons’ thermal ecology lasted throughout 2019 and 2020 and included all seasons i.e., monsoon, post-monsoon and summer. We tagged 13 Pythons with iButtons, but we were only able to retrieve data from five individuals. The AT and RH contributed significantly to the maintenance of the pythons’ BT. Generally, python BT positively related to the AT and negatively to RH i.e., an increasing AT led to an increasing python BT, while an increasing RH led to a decreasing BT. RH played a crucial role in python body temperature regulation; this could be attributed to the high humidity during the rainfall. Python BT varied inter-seasonally and individually, indicating that python BT varied according to the surrounding AT. However, BT differed between the sexes. Our study provides baseline information for further studies on how environmental factors affect the physiology of large -bodied snakes in tropical climates.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"169 ","pages":"Article 126241"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143152802","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The scent of habitat shift: Olfactory receptor evolution is associated with environmental transitions in turtles","authors":"Alejandro Ibáñez ,&nbsp;Joan Garcia-Porta","doi":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126236","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.zool.2024.126236","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The transition between aquatic and terrestrial habitats leads to extreme structural changes in sensorial systems. Olfactory receptors (OR) are involved in the detection of odorant molecules both in water and on land. Therefore, ORs are affected by evolutionary habitat transitions experienced by organisms. In this study, we used turtles, a group of vertebrates which inhabit many distinct environments, to explore whether functional olfactory gene receptor repertoires are correlated to habitat. We found that the proportion of class I vs class II functional olfactory receptor genes (used for waterborne odorant detection and volatile odorant detection, respectively) was closely linked to habitat. Fully terrestrial turtles had the largest proportion of class II functional receptor genes while marine turtles had a larger proportion of class I receptor genes. Freshwater turtles had more balanced numbers of class I and class II functional receptor genes, but showed a gradient of OR type proportions likely reflecting species-specific amphibious preferences. Interestingly, freshwater turtles had by far the largest number of functional OR genes compared to those in other habitats, challenging the hypothesis that secondary adaptions to water may have reduced OR repertoires in amniotes. Our study provides novel results which shed new light on the relationship between chemical communication and habitat.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":49330,"journal":{"name":"Zoology","volume":"168 ","pages":"Article 126236"},"PeriodicalIF":1.6,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142879302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}