{"title":"Sex- and age-related variations in seasonal and circadian activity of the Nose-horned Viper Vipera ammodytes (Linnaeus, 1758)","authors":"Angel Dyugmedzhiev, B. Naumov, N. Tzankov","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.104","url":null,"abstract":"The seasonal and circadian activity patterns of Vipera ammodytes were studied in five sites in western Bulgaria between 2014 and 2017. Vipera ammodytes was active from the end of February to the first half of November. In spring, adult males emerged a few weeks earlier than females and immature vipers. In autumn, the different sex/age groups started their hibernation approximately at the same time. We registered differences in the seasonal and circadian activities between the different sex/age groups. Adult males and subadults were mostly encountered during spring and autumn, and juveniles mainly in autumn, while the encounter rate of adult females was steady throughout the activity period. Females’ circadian activity varied according to their reproductive status. The observed patterns might be a result of the complex effects of many factors, such as climatic conditions, differences in the reproductive behaviour and the cost of reproduction between sexes, as well as the trade-off between precise thermoregulation, predation risk and foraging needs.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46697924","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Temporal patterns in Cape fur seal (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) mother and pup attraction calls","authors":"A. Osiecka, T. Gridley, J. Fearey","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.103","url":null,"abstract":"Vocal recognition is widespread in the animal kingdom, and a necessary tool for offspring survival in some groups. Temporal patterns of animal vocalisations can facilitate communication and convey information such as identity, emotional state, or motivation of the caller. While pinniped (i.e., walrus, eared and true seals) vocalisations are generally well studied, and captive pinnipeds show strong timing abilities, little is known about the temporal structure of their calls in the wild. Here, we followed Cape fur seals (Arctocephalus pusillus pusillus) during spontaneous search efforts at the Cape Cross Seal Reserve in Namibia. To investigate the temporal and rhythmic patterning of Cape fur seal attraction calls, we analysed call bouts of 80 mothers and 148 pups. We assessed the relative vocal efforts undertaken by mothers and pups by calculating calling rates, inter-call intervals (periods of silence between vocalisations), and the total time spent calling per bout. To explore the rhythmic structure of the calls, we visualised their temporal patterns by plotting the calling events and frequency histograms of the inter-onset-intervals between each two consecutive vocalisations in a bout. A normalized Pairwise Variability Index was calculated for each individual to investigate underlying patterns and compared between mothers and pups. Pups produced more calls per search, vocalised at higher rates, and took shorter breaks between consecutive vocalisations than females. Even though female vocalisations were much longer, there was no significant difference in the total time females and pups spent vocalising per bout. All animals vocalised at seemingly random intervals, with no distinguishable rhythmic pattern, suggesting that these do not encode identity information during mother-pup reunions. However, numerical analysis showed a potential asynchronous patterning within the age classes, possibly used in anti-masking. Our results indicate that Cape fur seal females and pups invest their energy differently during a search, and while their total calling effort is comparable, reunions seem to be driven mostly by the young.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-07-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43690195","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Soors, J. Mees, Damien Sevrin, Tom Van den Neucker
{"title":"Marionfyfea adventor Jones & Sluys (2016), a non-native land planarian new for Belgium (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida: Geoplanidae)","authors":"J. Soors, J. Mees, Damien Sevrin, Tom Van den Neucker","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.102","url":null,"abstract":"A short note doesn't have an abstract.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41479569","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Frederik C. De Wint, M. Cornelis, Simon Reynaert, Pablo Albo González, Nils Bouillard, R. Gyselings, L. De Bruyn
{"title":"New bat species and records for the Adriatic Islands Vis and Biševo (Croatia)","authors":"Frederik C. De Wint, M. Cornelis, Simon Reynaert, Pablo Albo González, Nils Bouillard, R. Gyselings, L. De Bruyn","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.101","url":null,"abstract":"The bat fauna of the Adriatic islands is relatively poorly known. Seven species were documented so far on the remote Adriatic islands of Vis and Biševo (Croatia). This study aims to increase knowledge on the bat communities on these islands. Bat echolocations were recorded between 30 April and 11 May 2018 at seven sites showing bat presence. Calls were identified to genus and species level where possible, which confirmed the presence of eight bat taxa on the islands. Three taxa were observed for the first time: Tadarida teniotis, Myotis sp. and Nyctalus sp. Results of this study increase the number of documented bat taxa on Vis from seven to ten and on Biševo from one to six. This study highlights the importance and benefits of utilizing passive acoustic devices at remote locations. Our findings suggest that bat communities and diversity might also be understudied on other islands in the Mediterranean, which could have important implications for bat conservation.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46307871","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
B. Frédérich, F. Heindler, H. Christiansen, A. Dettai, A. P. van de Putte, F. Volckaert, G. Lepoint
{"title":"Repeated morphological diversification in endemic Antarctic fishes of the genus Trematomus","authors":"B. Frédérich, F. Heindler, H. Christiansen, A. Dettai, A. P. van de Putte, F. Volckaert, G. Lepoint","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.99","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.99","url":null,"abstract":"The iterative nature of ecomorphological diversification is observed in various groups of animals. However, studies explicitly testing the consistency of morphological variation across and within species are scarce. Antarctic notothenioids represent a textbook example of adaptive radiation in marine fishes. Within Nototheniidae, the endemic Antarctic genus Trematomus consists of 15 extant species, some with documented large intraspecific variability. Here, we quantify head shape disparity in 11 species of Trematomus by landmark-based geometric morphometrics, and we illustrate repeated events of divergence and convergence of their head morphology. Taking advantage of the polymorphism observed in some species of Trematomus, we also show that two closely related species or clades (e.g., Trematomus bernacchii and T. hansoni) are characterised by the same level of morphological disparity as observed at the level of the entire genus. Interestingly, the same main axes of shape variation are shared between and within species, indicating repeated morphological diversification. Overall, we illustrate a similarity of intra- and interspecific patterns of phenotypic diversity providing new insights into the mechanisms that underlie the diversification of Antarctic fishes.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42788965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Thermal effect on larval development of the European stag beetle, Lucanus cervus","authors":"Arno Thomaes, P. Hendriks, Maria Fremlin","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.95","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.95","url":null,"abstract":"Conservation of the threatened and protected European stag beetle (Lucanus cervus) mainly focuses on the availability of dead wood as larval habitat. However, as the larval ecology of this species remains poorly studied, less attention has been given to other habitat requirements such as ambient temperatures for the development of the larvae. To design proper guidelines for the preservation of this iconic species, the growth of stag beetle larvae is compared between outdoor containers under a warm sunny and those in a cold shady treatment. Populations originated from the Veluwe (Netherlands) and Colchester (United Kingdom). The shady microclimate led to lower temperatures, which resulted in higher larval weights before molting and an additional year to complete larval development for a part of the population. However, weights were lower than in the warm microclimate when comparing larvae from the same age. This is explained by the longer development time for the different stages. Finally, we found higher larval weights for larvae originating from the Veluwe (Netherlands) compared with larvae from Colchester (UK). We conclude that larvae of L. cervus can cope with shady, colder microclimates. Larval development time in general takes two to three years and depends on temperature. Larvae grow mainly in the warm season while weight remains constant, or even decreases, during the cold season with an approximate threshold between 10 to 15 C.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41915731","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ruben Claus, Pieter Vantieghem, R. Molero-Baltanás, T. Parmentier
{"title":"Established populations of the indoor silverfish Lepisma saccharinum (Insecta: Zygentoma) in red wood ant nests","authors":"Ruben Claus, Pieter Vantieghem, R. Molero-Baltanás, T. Parmentier","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.98","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.98","url":null,"abstract":"Short notes have no abstract.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"49269879","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mulimbwa N'sibula, Leona Milec, Joost A. M. Raeymaekers, J. Sarvala, P. Plisnier, Béatrice Marwa, J. Micha
{"title":"Spatial and seasonal variation in reproductive indices of the clupeids Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae in the Congolese waters of northern Lake Tanganyika","authors":"Mulimbwa N'sibula, Leona Milec, Joost A. M. Raeymaekers, J. Sarvala, P. Plisnier, Béatrice Marwa, J. Micha","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.96","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.96","url":null,"abstract":"Knowledge on the reproductive biology of the endemic clupeids Limnothrissa miodon and Stolothrissa tanganicae, two main target species of the pelagic fisheries of Lake Tanganyika, is constrained by fragmented monitoring activities. Here, we investigate the nursing areas of L. miodon, the timing of reproductive activities of littoral and pelagic L. miodon, and the timing of reproductive activities of pelagic S. tanganicae in the Congolese waters of the northern end of Lake Tanganyika (Bujumbura sub-basin). Nursing areas were determined year-round (2009–2010) based on the presence of clupeid larvae at two sandy and two stony beaches. The gonadosomatic index (GSI) and the proportion of fish having ripe gonads were used to study variation in reproductive indices in space (littoral vs. pelagic zones) during one year (2013–2014), as well as in time (dry vs. rainy season) during three years (2013–2016). Larvae of L. miodon were more frequently encountered on sandy than on stony beaches. Mature L. miodon females were more abundant in the littoral than in the pelagic zone, while the proportion of mature males in both habitats was similar. Irregular, low amplitude peaks could be distinguished in the GSI and proportion of mature males and females, but averages only differed between the dry and the rainy season in males. In contrast, GSI and proportions of mature males and females in S. tanganicae were higher in the dry season than in the rainy season. The reproductive effort of males and females of S. tanganicae and littoral L. miodon, but not pelagic L. miodon, was strongly synchronized. Interestingly, reproductive investment was also synchronised between pelagic male L. miodon, and pelagic S. tanganicae. Our time series strongly supports the view that L. miodon reproduces year-round in the littoral zone, while reproduction in S. tanganicae is seasonal. For fisheries management, we recommend year-round protection of sandy beaches, which are the main breeding grounds for L. miodon.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41857340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
K. Van den Berge, S. Van Den Berge, T. van der Veken, J. Gouwy, P. Verschelde, Maxime Eeraerts
{"title":"Consumption of game and pest species by small-and medium-sized carnivores","authors":"K. Van den Berge, S. Van Den Berge, T. van der Veken, J. Gouwy, P. Verschelde, Maxime Eeraerts","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2022.97","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2022.97","url":null,"abstract":"Ecosystem services are the contributions that natural ecosystems make to people. Mammalian carnivores can provide both positive and negative ecosystem services by consuming pest or game species, respectively. In this study, we determined the consumption of certain game and pest species for a guild of sympatric small- and medium-sized carnivores (European badger, red fox, European polecat, stone marten, stoat and least weasel). We found that game and pest species comprise a notable proportion of the diet, ranging from 0.0% to 12.6% and from 2.7% to 46.3%, respectively. Furthermore, for all carnivores we found that the proportion of pest species such as rats and voles (i.e., positive ecosystem service) was higher than the proportion of game species such as pheasants, partridges and hares, i.e., negative ecosystem service). Moreover, stoat and weasel did not consume any game species. This study gives a first overview of the potential ecosystem services through consumption of pest and game species provided by small- and medium-sized carnivores.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2022-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43900936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
J. Breine, E. Van den Bergh, G. Van Thuyne, C. Belpaire
{"title":"A new fish-based index of biotic integrity for lowland rivers in Flanders (Belgium)—Corrigendum","authors":"J. Breine, E. Van den Bergh, G. Van Thuyne, C. Belpaire","doi":"10.26496/bjz.2021.94","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.26496/bjz.2021.94","url":null,"abstract":"This Corrigendum corrects an error in Table 2 that was published in Breine et al. (2021) on the pages 114–115: the line concerning the weatherfish Misgurnus fossilis (Linnaeus, 1758) on the page break was erroneously removed during publication and is added here.","PeriodicalId":8750,"journal":{"name":"Belgian Journal of Zoology","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42542064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}