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On the rediscovery of Phalilus oberthuri (GUIGNOT, 1935) in New Caledonia (Coleoptera: Haliplidae)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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Field Intercomparison of Radiometer Measurements for Ocean Colour Validation
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A field intercomparison was conducted at the Acqua Alta Oceanographic Tower (AAOT) in the northern Adriatic Sea, from 9 to 19 July 2018 to assess differences in the accuracy of in- and above-water radiometer measurements used for the validation of ocean colour products. Ten measurement systems were compared. Prior to the intercomparison, the absolute radiometric calibration of all sensors was carried out using the same standards and methods at the same reference laboratory. Measurements were performed under clear sky conditions, relatively low sun zenith angles, moderately low sea state and on the same deployment platform and frame (except in-water systems). The weighted average of five above-water measurements was used as baseline reference for comparisons. For downwelling irradiance ( E d ), there was generally good agreement between sensors with differences of <6\% for most of the sensors over the spectral range 400 nm–665 nm. One sensor exhibited a systematic bias, of up to 11\%, due to poor cosine response. For sky radiance ( L s k y ) the spectrally averaged difference between optical systems was <2.5\% with a root mean square error (RMS) <0.01 mWm−2 nm−1 sr−1. For total above-water upwelling radiance ( L t ), the difference was <3.5\% with an RMS <0.009 mWm−2 nm−1 sr−1. For remote-sensing reflectance ( R r s ), the differences between above-water TriOS RAMSES were <3.5\% and <2.5\% at 443 and 560 nm, respectively, and were <7.5\% for some systems at 665 nm. Seabird-Hyperspectral Surface Acquisition System (HyperSAS) sensors were on average within 3.5\% at 443 nm, 1\% at 560 nm, and 3\% at 665 nm. The differences between the weighted mean of the above-water and in-water systems was <15.8\% across visible bands. A sensitivity analysis showed that E d accounted for the largest fraction of the variance in R r s , which suggests that minimizing the errors arising from this measurement is the most important variable in reducing the inter-group differences in R r s . The differences may also be due, in part, to using five of the above-water systems as a reference. To avoid this, in situ normalized water-leaving radiance ( L w n ) was therefore compared to AERONET-OC SeaPRiSM L w n as an alternative reference measurement. For the TriOS-RAMSES and Seabird-HyperSAS sensors the differences were similar across the visible spectra with 4.7\% and 4.9\%, respectively. The difference between SeaPRiSM L w n and two in-water systems at blue, green and red bands was 11.8\%. This was partly due to temporal and spatial differences in sampling between the in-water and above-water systems and possibly due to uncertainties in instrument self-shading for one of the in-water measurements.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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Two new Kukri Snake species (Colubridae: Oligodon) from the Nakhon Si Thammarat Mountain Range, and addition of O. ocellatus to the fauna of Thailand
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We describe two new Kukri snakes of the genus Oligodon from the Nakhon Si Thammarat Mountain Range, southern peninsular Thailand. Oligodon phangan sp. nov., endemic to Pha-Ngan Island, Surat Thani Province, is characterized by a maximal known SVL of 369.1 mm; 12 maxillary teeth, the posterior three enlarged; 17-17-15 dorsal scale rows; 163-166 ventrals; 33-42 divided subcaudals; a single anal; dorsal color brown with a pair of discreet paravertebral and lateral stripes; no dorsal or supracaudal bands, blotches or crossbars; background color of belly pinkish-orange; underside of tail immaculate. Oligodon promsombuti sp. nov., whose type-locality is Khao Phanom Wang, Surat Thani Province, is also found in Trang Province, and is characterized by a maximal known SVL of 552.7 mm; 12 maxillary teeth, the posterior three enlarged; 17-17-15 dorsal scale rows; 177 ventrals; 40 divided subcaudals; a single anal; deeply forked hemipenes lacking spines; dorsal color blackish brown with nearly indistinct paravertebral stripes; no dorsal or supracaudal blotches or crossbars; background color of belly ivory, heavily speckled with subrectangular blackish blotches. We tentatively allocate both new species to the informal Oligodon-cyclurus-group. They are the 5 th and 6 th Oligodon species endemic to Thailand. We add Oligodon ocellatus, so far known only from Cambodia, southern Laos and southern Vietnam, to the Thai fauna, based on a specimen from Chong Mek, Ubon Ratchathani Province.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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Diversity, threats and conservation of western and central African amphibians (Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Togo, Benin, Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, Gabon, São Tome & Principe, Eq
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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Biodiversity, Biogeography and Nature Conservation in Wallacea and New Guinea. Volume IV
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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Introduced or established? Convergent evidence indicates imported pine wood nematode vectors occupy gaps in native distribution
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Monitoring regulated quarantine plant pathogens and, when relevant, their vectors is compulsory in the European Union. Local Monochamus species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) vector the pine wood nematode, Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, a non-native pest already established in most of Portugal. Only 29 M. galloprovincialis individuals were trapped in Belgium in ten years (2013–2022), despite a dense coverage of pheromone-baited traps, suggesting absence or a very rare local occurrence in the country. In the northern neighbouring countries, only one single established population is known in The Netherlands and one in Denmark. A species distribution model based on pheromone-trap catches (negative and positive) of M. galloprovincialis from 4,914 traps in 29 European countries between 2008 and 2019 was developed, using the overall climate conditions and the distribution of seven pine tree species as explanatory variables. The effect of spatial scale was tested with a multi-scale approach. With a 225*225 km spatial grain, the major explanatory variables were the mean diurnal temperature range and, to a lesser extent, the presence of Pinus spp. The model predicted a low probability of presence in Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain and north-western Germany compared to southern Europe. Genotyping allowed to conclude that at least some of the beetles caught in Belgium originated from foreign locations. All catches were located close to entry points, suggesting introduction with imported material. The small size of most of the Belgian pine stands may also explain the absence or apparently transient status, or rareness of Monochamus spp. This study thus suggests that surveys in Belgium should privilege entry points rather than local forest stands.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
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Marine Chersodromia Walker (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Mediterranean coastline of Morocco: description of three new species with new records, supported by COI barcoding/strong
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Three new species for science of Chersodromia Walker are described from the Moroccan Mediterranean coastline (C. kessabae sp. nov., C. moroccensis sp. nov. and C. estuaria sp. nov.), with the first record of Chersodromia oraria Collin, 1966 in Morocco and new distributional data are provided for Chersodromia pseudohirta Chvála, 1970. This study is based on intensive field surveys conducted by the third author along the Mediterranean coastline of Morocco between 2022 and 2024, targeting especially a variety of coastal habitats. Illustrations of the new species are given, along with COI barcodes of all species recorded. A key to the Moroccan Mediterranean species of Chersodromia is also provided.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2026
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Brain size reduction in dogs was already established at least by the Late Neolithic of Western Europe, 5000 years ago
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The timing and causes of brain size reduction in domestic dogs remain uncertain. Using endocast volume as a proxy for brain size, this study provides a first insight into long-term brain size evolution in the wolf-dog lineage. We compared endocranial volumes of 185 modern and 22 prehistoric wolves and dogs ranging from Western Europe to Australia, and spanning the Pleniglacial (35 000 yr BP) to the Late Neolithic (5000 yr BP). Our results reveal that Pleistocene so-called ‘protodogs’ show no brain size reduction compared with coeval Pleistocene wolves. Instead, we observed a slightly larger relative endocranial volume in the 35 000-year-old 'protodog' from Goyet, which could suggest increased behavioural flexibility in the presence of humans. In contrast, Late Neolithic dogs show a drastic brain size reduction (46\%) with endocranial volumes comparable to modern small terrier and toy breeds. We speculate that the anxious and wary temperaments of these Late Neolithic dogs, induced by the brain tissue reorganization associated with such a size reduction, could have served an alerting purpose, among the many other potential roles dogs could have played within these Late Neolithic socio-ecosystems.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
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Description of a new species of Platypalpus of the candicans - cursitans subgroup from the Peloponnesus, Greece (Diptera: Hybotidae, Tachydromiinae)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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Description of a peculiar new species of the genus Platypalpus Macquart, 1827 (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Caucasus
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
