Prey use a variety of anti-predator behavior, including alarm calling and approaching predators, and may adjust these behaviors by evaluating their benefits and costs. However, it remains unclear how prey expresses anti-predator behavior across seasons, when both breeding status or predator diet may influence perceived risk. We conducted nine-minute playback surveys (six-minute quiet period and subsequent three-minute playback) using calls of Collared Owlet (Glaucidium brodiei), a diurnal owl that preys on passerines, at 93 sites during breeding season and non-breeding season in Taiwan. We quantified whether the small passerine birds approach and make alarm call or not to quantify mobbing response. We found that probability of making alarm calls did not differ between seasons (30.88% and 29.15% in breeding and non-breeding season, respectively), whereas probability of approaching was higher in breeding (25.63%) than in non-breeding season (13.28%). To verify that responses were specific to predator cues rather than to loud vocalizations in general, we conducted supplementary playbacks using calls of a non-predatory species, Taiwan Barbet (Psilopogon nuchalis), which elicited markedly lower mobbing responses. Together, these results indicate that small passerine birds mob in both seasons but reduce the use of higher-risk behaviors against predators during the non-breeding season, consistent with seasonal variation in predation risk.
Four species of tardigrades have been found in the meiofauna communities of the seagrass meadows and adjacent areas off the coast of Vietnam. For two of them, Batillipes binhdinhicus sp. nov. and Batillipes ampullus sp. nov., integrative descriptions are presented. Batillipes binhdinhicus sp. nov. belongs to the B1 subgroup of species by having toe 3 shorter than toe 4 on legs IV, while Batillipes ampullus sp. nov. with toes 3 and 4 on legs IV of equal length belongs to the A group of species. Batillipes binhdinhicus sp. nov. can be distinguished from all previously described species by a set of features: very long cephalic cirri and leg sensory spines, both with swollen tips, presence of a single pair of conical lateral body projections between all pairs of legs and simple triangular caudal appendage. The distinctive features for Batillipes ampullus sp. nov. are short sensory organs on the fourth pair of legs, which consists of two parts and have swollen tips with a tuft of additional sensory filaments that are structurally similar to those found on the cephalic appendages. In addition, Batillipes ampullus sp. nov. does not have noticeable lateral body projections between the legs, and the body ends in a semi-circular tail appendage. Based on the obtained data on the nucleotide sequences of 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA, the distinction between the new species was confirmed.
Louse flies (Hippoboscidae) are ectoparasitic dipterans found on the body of birds and mammals. They have been reported from a wide geographic range, and eight species from four genera have been recorded from the Nansei Islands, a stretch of islands lying between Southwestern Japan and Taiwan. However, due to difficulties in obtaining samples, we are yet to have a complete understanding of the fauna and our knowledge on their distribution remains limited. Here, we collected louse fly samples from two scops owl species (Otus elegans and O. semitorques) from three islands within the Nansei Islands, and identified them based on their morphological characteristics. Three species, Ornithoica exilis, Ornithomya avicularia and Icosta amamiensis, were reported with different appearance of species on each island. This is the first record of Om. avicularia for Okinawajima, and the first record of this family for Haterumajima (Oc. exilis and Om. avicularia) and Minami-Daitojima (Om. avicularia). We also sequenced mitochondrial COI gene to estimate their phylogenetic positions, and also to understand the inter-insular population structure of Oc. exilis and Om. avicularia, which were collected from multiple islands. We found no inter-insular genetic differentiation between the populations, despite the host owls having low dispersal ability, indicating low host specificity and host switch of these species. We provide a complete list of all 422 specimens examined and identified in this study, along with records of phoresy by mites and chewing lice. We also present an updated key to bird-parasitising Hippoboscidae species reported from the Nansei Islands and unreported potential species.
Fireflies (Coleoptera: Lampyridae) serve as bioindicators due to their sensitivity to environmental changes; however, their ecological distribution remains insufficiently documented. The Tacaná Volcano in Chiapas, Mexico, represents a biodiversity hotspot with diverse altitudinal ecosystems. This study investigates the altitudinal distribution of fireflies in this region through systematic sampling at four sites ranging from 278 to 2181 m a.s.l. between July and November 2023, employing both aerial nets and Malaise traps. A total of 226 specimens, representing 20 species across seven genera and five tribes, were identified. The greatest species richness was observed at mid-elevations (740-1191 m a.s.l.), particularly in shade-grown coffee plantations, where humidity and canopy cover emerged as significant environmental variables. Species richness was quantified using Hill numbers, while the Jaccard index assessed compositional similarities among sites. Generalized linear models (GLMs) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) evaluated the relationships between firefly abundance, species richness, and environmental parameters. Firefly abundance demonstrated positive correlations with temperature, humidity, and canopy cover, while precipitation exhibited a negative correlation. Nevertheless, no single environmental variable was identified as a definitive determinant of species richness. New distributional records reinforce the conservation significance of the Tacaná Volcano. Malaise traps proved to be an effective complement to traditional sampling techniques, facilitating the capture of diurnal and non-bioluminescent species. The highest species diversity and abundance were recorded in shaded coffee plantations, which provide stable microclimatic conditions conducive to firefly populations. Conversely, lower diversity was documented at the lowest and highest elevations, likely attributable to habitat constraints. This study highlights the importance of continued research to elucidate the ecological drivers influencing firefly distribution and to inform conservation strategies. Given the identification of novel species and new distributional records, the Tacaná Volcano should be recognized as a priority site for biodiversity conservation and entomological studies.
Heart urchins of the genus Faorina are now endemic to the Indo-West Pacific, but their fossils were previously known from the Miocene of Mediterranean, indicating a wider geographic distribution in the past. Here we describe Faorina mizoramensis sp. nov. from the Lower to Middle Miocene Bhuban Formation (Surma Group) in northeastern India, identified by their meridoplacous plating in interambulacrum 1 adorally. These fossils demonstrate that the distribution of Faorina had reached the eastern Indian Ocean (or Ceno-Tethys) by the Early to Middle Miocene. This study shows that Faorina likely expanded widely, extending into the Mediterranean during the Miocene. Following the closure of the Tethyan Seaway, they experienced local extinction. Today, they are restricted to Taiwan, southern China, Vietnam, Australia, Sulu Sea, Burma, and the Andaman Islands. We therefore hypothesize that Faorina may have originated in the Mediterranean, with the Indo-West Pacific later becoming a refugium for this genus and some of the tropical to subtropical Ceno-Tethyan echinoid faunas.
