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Biodiversity Journal 2011, 2 (4): 161-224

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 161-162
    Giovanni Onore
    The genus Passiflora Linnaeus, 1753
  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 163-170

    A. Ignacio Agudo-Padrón & Paulo Lenhard
    Continental mollusc fauna of the Great Porto Alegre central region, RS, Southern Brazil

    ABSTRACT
    Actual available knowledge about the diversity and conservation status of the molluscan fauna occurring in the continental geopolitical space of the central section of Great Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul State, RS, area of the Biome “Pampa” in Southernmost Brazil is analyzed and discussed. Geographically located on the right bank of the Jacuí Delta (in the homonymous basin) and legally protected under the category of “State Ecological Park”, next to Guaíba Lake where the Gravataí and Sinos rivers (severely polluted by the anthropogenic indiscriminate action) empty, the region holds 66 malacological species and subspecies - 42 gastropods (23 limnic and 19 terrestrial) and 24 bivalves, included in 45 Genera, 24 Families and two Classes - about 1/3 of the total number of species in the State. Fourteen are introduced and invasive alien species, i.e. 11 Gastropoda (one limnic, 10 terrestrial) and 3 bivalves. Finally, at least 8 native bivalves (Unionoida) are contained in National and State Red Lists of Endangered Fauna.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 171-178

    Li-Yuan Liu
    Evidence of the existence of the wild tiger Panthera tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905) in South China (Mammalia, Felidae)

    ABSTRACT
    Wild South China Tigers, Panthera tigris amoyensis (Hilzheimer, 1905), with no authenticated sighting since more than twenty-five years, are generally considered extinct. On October 3rd 2007 a villager from Zhenping County in Shaanxi Province of China, claimed to have taken a set of photos of a wild tiger in the Daba Mountain. However, the photos aroused suspicion. We already published a paper to prove that in those photos the tiger was a 3-dimensional, animate object. In the present paper further analyses are reported to support the authenticity of such a photos. A short “video” had been recorded in a photo by the digital camera, in which the tiger was lowering its head and raising its tail while the photo had been taken. The tiger always turned its head following the photographer. Special bunches of glisten from the forehead of the tiger resulted to be formed by the light of camera’s flash reflected from the eyeball of the animal. Many collected evidences suggested that there are about eight tigers living in the Daba Mountain. Although tigers appeared frequently in the neighborhood of Daba Mountain this year, unfortunately, these animals have not been protected at all. We hope that confirming the authenticity of the photos will promote a national complete conservation program to save this important subspecies from extinction.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 179-188

    Rosario Mascara
    Ornithological observations on an artificial pond in the Sicilian agricultural environment (Sicily, Italy)

    ABSTRACT
    The present paper originates from interesting wildlife and ecological observations made, in the period 2006-2011, on fifty-three species of birds frequenting a small artificial pond constructed in a Sicilian agro-forest environment (Caltagirone, CT). Reported data not only provide useful information to improve our knowledge of the avifauna of the SIC-ITA 070005 “Bosco di Santo Pietro” (Sicily, Italy), but also contribute to the understanding of the important ecological role of peculiar habitats such as artificial ponds.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 189-194

    Roberto Vinciguerra, Pedro Lozano Rodríguez, Fernando Hernández-Baz & Jorge M. González
    Observations on Athis thysanete (Dyar, 1912) (Lepidoptera, Castniidae) from Mexico and comparative notes to other species in the family

    ABSTRACT
    General information on distribution, biology, and behavior on a rare species of the family Castniidae, Athis thysanete (Dyar, 1912), endemic from Mexico, is provided. Comparative notes are also given of the Chilean Castnia eudesmia Gray, 1838, in an attempt to understand the insect-plant relationships of A. thysanete. The note ends with additional remarks on the need for conservation of the habitat of the species.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 195-200

    Fabio Massimo Viglianisi & Giorgio Sabella
    Biodiversity, Environmental Education and Social Media

    ABSTRACT
    The synergies between environmental education, technological innovations and social media are considered and reviewed. The possibility to use these synergies to create sustainable behaviors on a large scale is discussed.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 201-206

    Daniel Quettier
    Observations on the saxicavous habits of Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Pulmonata, Stylommatophora, Helicidae) in the Pyrenees (France)

    ABSTRACT
    Since 1800 numerous geologists and biologists published several papers on the origin of holes in hard limestone observed in several countries of Europe and North Africa assuming that terrestrials snails were responsible for such a perforations. In the present paper a few observations on the saxicavous activities of Cepaea nemoralis (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Pyrenees (France) are reported.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 207-208

    Roberto A. Pantaleoni & Mario Boni Bartalucci
    New record of Tentyria Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae) as host of Poecilotiphia rousselii (Guérin, 1838) (Hymenoptera, Tiphiidae)

    ABSTRACT
    An attack of Poecilotiphia rousselii (Guérin, 1838) (Hymenoptera Tiphiidae Myzininae Meriini) on a larva of Tentyria Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) is reported from sand dunes of Porto Ferro (Sassari, NW-Sardinia, Italy). Only one previous record of Meriini hosts is known and it also regarded a larva of Tentyria.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 209-212

    Kailash Chandra & E. Eyarin Jehamalar
    New records of Gerromorpha, Leptopodomorpha and Nepomorpha (Heteroptera, Insecta) from Madhya Pradesh, India

    ABSTRACT
    Four species of aquatic Heteroptera Gerris nepalensis Distant, 1910, Mesovelia horvathi Lundblad, 1934, Valleriola cicindeloides Distant, 1908, and Anisops kuroiwae Matsumura, 1915 belonging to four families and three infraorders namely Gerromorpha, Leptopodomorpha and Nepomorpha are newly recorded for the state of Madhya Pradesh. The diagnosis and distribution data of all these four species are provided here.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 213-216

    Walter Renda, Marco Bodon & Gianbattista Nardi
    On the specific validity of Rupestrella jaeckeli Beckmann, 2002 (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Chondrinidae)

    ABSTRACT
    After studying the shells of a large population of Rupestrella jaeckeli Beckmann, 2002, located ESE of Agrigento (southern Sicily), near the type locality, a complete correspondence of characters with Rupestrella philippii (Cantraine, 1840) was observed; the latter has already been known to occur in central-eastern Sicily as well as other Mediterranean areas. Synonymy is therefore proposed between the two taxa: R. jaeckeli should be more properly considered a junior synonym of R. philippii.

  • Biodiversity Journal, 2 (4): 217-220

    Riccardo Giannuzzi Savelli, Pasquale Micali, Italo Nofroni & Francesco Pusateri
    Odostomia brevicula Jeffreys, 1883 junior synonym of Turbonilla amoena (Monterosato, 1878) (Gastropoda, Heterobranchia, Pyramidellidae)

    ABSTRACT
    Based on the study of the type material of Odostomia brevicula Jeffreys, 1883, deposited in the United States National Museum Washington (USNM), this doubtful taxon appears to be based on two immature shells of Turbonilla amoena (Monterosato, 1878) of which it shall be considered a junior synonym.