The Houston Museum of Natural Science (abbreviated as HMNS) is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park in Houston, Texas, United States. The museum was established in 1909 by the Houston Museum and Scientific Society, an organization whose goals were to provide a free institution for the people of Houston focusing on education and science. Museum attendance totals over two million visitors each year. The museum complex consists of a central facility with four floors of natural science halls and exhibits, the Burke Baker Planetarium, the Cockrell Butterfly Center, and the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre (formerly known as the Wortham IMAX Theatre). The museum is one of the most popular in the United States and ranks just below New York City's American Museum of Natural History and Metropolitan Museum of Art and the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in San Francisco in most attendance amongst non-Smithsonian museums. Much of the museum's popularity is attributed to its large number of special or guest exhibits.
Crunomys and Maxomys are closely related murine genera from forested regions of Southeast Asia and western portions of the Indo-Australian Archipelago. Previous phylogenetic analyses suggested that a taxonomic reappraisal is necessary for these genera, but limited taxon sampling prevented formal changes. We produced a mitochondrial DNA dataset that includes 376 individuals representing all 22 recognized species and a nuclear dataset comprising thousands of ultraconserved elements missing only 1 recognized species. Our phylogenetic inferences consistently show that Crunomys is nested within Maxomys. We transfer all Maxomys species to the older genus Crunomys to resolve the paraphyly. We also conducted a morphological analysis of species from Sulawesi and described a new species of Crunomys from the eastern peninsula of the island. We identify 43 geographically defined mitochondrial haplogroups across all species of Crunomys, many of which also are inferred as distinct in a multilocus species delimitation analysis. Historical biogeographic reconstructions consistently inferred multiple dispersal events to and from oceanic islands and among continental shelf islands and mainland Southeast Asia. On both large continental shelf islands like Borneo and large oceanic islands like Sulawesi, in situ divergence produced high levels of diversity.
The Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) is native to southern Asia and is an established invasive species in several tropical Pacific islands, parts of the Middle East, Spain, and Houston (Texas, USA), the focal region presented herein. Here, we assess recent range expansion, density, and population size. We used locality databases and the Map Maker program to measure bulbul range expansion. The range expanded from 589 km2 before June 2012 to 4,606 km2 during the following decade. By counties, there were 215 bulbul reports in Harris County before June 2012 (and none in surrounding counties), and 6,543 in the following decade, along with nearly 50 records in adjacent counties. Mean distance of outliers from the central population doubled from 27 km before June 2012 to 53 km during the following decade. To estimate minimum density and population size we conducted transect surveys for bulbuls January-March 2024 at four sites, repeating each transect 10 times. We estimated a mean population density of 8.77 bulbuls/km2 and a total population of 466 (range = 144-955) individuals within the 53.18 km2 core area. Although range size of the Houston bulbul is indeed expanding, it is not expanding rapidly, growing at approximately 400 km2/year. Additionally, recent outliers have appeared as far as 68 km from the center of the bulbul's range, suggesting that expansion trajectories are continuing. Natural barriers (e.g. rivers, intracoastal waterways) and some highways appear to inhibit continued bulbul range expansion, as additional records are absent beyond these features. El Bulbul Ventrirrojo (Pycnonotus cafer) es nativo al sur de Asia y es una especie invasora establecida en varias islas tropicales del Pac & iacute;fico, partes del Medio Oriente, Espa & ntilde;a y Houston (Texas, EE.UU.), la regi & oacute;n focal presentada aqu & iacute;. Evaluamos su reciente expansi & oacute;n de rango, densidad y tama & ntilde;o poblacional. Usamos bases de datos de localidades y el programa Map Maker para medir expansi & oacute;n de rango. Su rango expandi & oacute; de 589 km2 antes de junio de 2012 a 4,606 km2 durante la siguiente d & eacute;cada. Por comarcas, hubo 215 reportes de Pycnonotus cafer en la comarca Harris antes de junio de 2012 (y ninguno en comarcas vecinas), y 6,543 en la siguiente d & eacute;cada, adem & aacute;s de casi 50 registros de comarcas vecinas. La distancia media de puntos extremos (a distancias extremas de la poblaci & oacute;n central) se duplic & oacute; de 27 km antes de junio de 2012 a 53 km durante la siguiente d & eacute;cada. Para estimar la densidad m & iacute;nima y el tama & ntilde;o de poblaci & oacute;n, realizamos b & uacute;squedas de Pycnonotus cafer en cuatro transectos en enero-marzo 2024, repitiendo cada transecto 10 veces. Estimamos una densidad poblacional media de 8.77 individuos/km2 y una poblaci & oacute;n total de 466 (rango = 144-955) individuos dentro del & aacute;rea n & uacute;cleo de 53.18 km2. Aunque el tama & ntilde;o de rango de Pycnonotus cafer est & aacute; expandiendo en Houston, no est & aacute; expandiendo rapidamente, creciendo a aproximadamente 400 km2/year. Adicionalmente, puntos extremos han aparecido recientemente tan lejos como 68 km del centro del rango de Pycnonotus cafer, sugiriendo que las trayectorias de expansi & oacute;n contin & uacute;an. Barreras naturales (e.g., r & iacute;os, canales intracosteras) y algunas rutas parecen inhibir la expansi & oacute;n de Pycnonotus cafer, porque registros adicionales son ausentes m & aacute;s all & aacute; de estos elementos.
Scincidae is one of the most species-rich and cosmopolitan clades of squamate reptiles. Abundant disarticulated fossil material has also been attributed to this group, however, no complete pre-Cenozoic crown-scincid specimens have been found. A specimen in Burmite (99 MYA) is the first fossil that can be unambiguously referred to this clade. Our analyses place it as nested within extant skinks, supported by the presence of compound osteoderms formed by articulated small ostedermites. The specimen has a combination of dorsal and ventral compound osteoderms and overlapping cycloid scales that is limited to skinks. We propose that this type of osteoderm evolved as a response to an increased overlap of scales, and to reduced stiffness of the dermal armour. Compound osteoderms could be a key innovation that facilitated diversification in this megadiverse family.
A single species of seahorse, Hippocampus kuda, has been reported from the Arabian/Persian Gulf. Anatomical and DNA analyses of specimens from Kuwait indicate a second species occurs in the northern Gulf, and based on available specimens, may be the most prevalent species in the region. Evidence indicates the species to be H. trimaculatus and represents a range extension from India's Gulf of Kutch of 2,600 km. DNA analysis of additional specimens is encouraged, particularly of H. trimaculatus specimens from outside the Gulf.
