Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Personal tools

You are here: Home

Search results

RSS Subscribe to an always-updated RSS feed.

1644 items matching your search terms.
Filter the results.
Item type



































New items since



Sort by relevance · date (newest first) · alphabetically
Article Reference First record of three alien termite species in Belgium
Subterranean termites (Family Rhinotermitidae) and drywood termites (Family Kalotermitidae) can be pest species as they have the potential to inflict damage to wooden constructions and can therefore cause a significant economic impact. Some species of these families are highly destructive and are invasive in many parts of the world. New introductions and/or the spread of termites are often caused by import of infested wood, plants or soils. The present study reports the first records of three exotic termite species in Belgium, viz. Cryptotermes brevis and Reticulitermes banyulensis in Brussels (Brussels Capital Region), and Reticulitermes flavipes in Brugelette (Hainaut province; Walloon region). The morphological identification of the specimens (N = 8) was validated by DNA-barcoding. Cryptotermes brevis and Reticulitermes banyulensis infestations are probably of little concern as local climatological conditions make it unlikely for either species to survive in the temperate climate in Belgium. In contrast, it is likely that Reticulitermes flavipes may become established and will spread to other sites in Belgium.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference First records for Belgium of the ant species Myrmica vandeli Bondroit, 1920 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
We report the first observations of Myrmica vandeli Bondroit, 1920 for Belgium. The species was found in an oligotrophic, undisturbed wet grassland in Richtenberg, Burg-Reuland in 2011 and 2021. This Myrmica species is rare in Europe and restricted to open wet meadows, swamps, fens and peatlands. Myrmica vandeli is added to the ant fauna of Belgium which now numbers 12 Myrmica species. It is possible that M. vandeli specimens were previously confused with specimens of its sister species Myrmica scabrinodis Nylander, 1846. Hence we suggest to revise all M. scabrinodis samples from the south-eastern part of Belgium (from Hautes Fagnes south to Luxembourg) as it is possible that M. vandeli was left unnoticed before and identified as M. scabrinodis.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference First records of a supercolonial species of the Tapinoma nigerrimum complex in Belgium (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
In the summer of 2014, a highly supercolonial Tapinoma was discovered in Ostend, Belgium. This was the first time a Tapinoma species with an invasive behaviour was discovered outdoors in Belgium. The ant belongs to the most widely distributed of four recognized species of the Tapinoma nigerrimum complex and is the only known species being invasive in areas north of the Mediterranean zone. In a first attempt to eliminate the species, a Demand 10CS insecticide solution treatment was initiated in 2015. First results illustrate that this treatment might be efficient, however a long-term monitoring of the site and its neighbourhood are suggested.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference First records of Archophileurus chaconus (Kolbe, 1910) for Europe in the province of Valencia (east iberian peninsula) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference First records of Eulophidae from Cambodia (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference First records of trickle midges in Flanders (Diptera: Thaumaleidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference First report of the exotic blue planarian, Caenoplana coerulea (Platyhelminthes, Geoplanidae), on Menorca (Balearic Islands, Spain)
In April 2009 two specimens of a terrestrial flatworm were collected from under a rock in an orchard at Ciutadella de Menorca on the easternmost Balearic island of Menorca (Spain). Their external morphology suggested that both specimens belonged to the invasive blue planarian Caenoplana coerulea, a species which is native to eastern Australia. Sequence data of a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and of the entire 18S ribosomal RNA confirm its identification. This is one of the first records of the species in Europe where it has only been found in one locality in the United Kingdom, France and NE Spain.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Inproceedings Reference First report on upper Frasnian cephalopods of the Lahonry quarry, Lompret, Belgium.
Poster
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Inproceedings Reference First virtual endocasts of the Paleocene arctocyonids Arctocyon and Chriacus: Insight into the behavior of early placental mammals after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction
The vacant niches left by the non-avian dinosaurs and other vertebrates after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction, provided a crucial opportunity for placental mammal diversification. The general neurosensory organization exhibited by extant mammals has been maintained since the Late Triassic-Early Jurassic. Much later during the Eocene, fossils of early members of extant placentals display neurosensory innovations, such as a proportionally larger neocortex and a higher encephalization quotient (EQ), compared to their Mesozoic ancestors. However, few studies have focused on the brain of the oldest placentals that lived during the Paleocene. We analysed the neurosensory system of two species of arctocyonid ‘condylarths’, a likely nonmonophyletic group, including some species potentially implicated in the origins of extant ungulates. ‘Arctocyonids’ were of small-to-medium size, omnivorous and mainly terrestrial. We obtained cranial and bony labyrinth endocasts for Arctocyon and two species of Chriacus using high-resolution computed tomography. Both species exhibit plesiomorphic features shared with other early Paleocene mammals such as a relatively small lissencephalic brain with an EQ range of 0.07-0.31 using Eisenberg’s equation. The olfactory bulbs and the petrosal lobules represent 7% and less than 1% of the total endocranial volume, respectively. The neocortical height represents ~25% of the total endocranial height. Based on the cochlea, these species had hearing capabilities similar to extant wild boars. Agility scores between 2 and 3, show that these taxa were similar to the American badger and the crab-eating raccoon, suggesting that Arctocyon and Chriacus were moderately agile. These results support the growing evidence that early placentals had low EQs and less expanded neocortices compared to Eocene and later taxa, potentially indicating that complex neurosensory organization was not key to the placental radiation after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. This research has been funded by Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions: Individual Fellowship, European Research Council Starting Grant, National Science Foundation, and Belgian Science Policy Office.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Inproceedings Reference First virtual endocasts of two Paleocene arctocyonids: a glimpse into the behavior of early placental mammals after the end-Cretaceous extinction
Placentals are by far the most diverse group of mammals today, with 6,111 species. They occupy a plethora of ecological niches worldwide and display a broad range of body masses. The vacant niches left by non-avian dinosaurs and other vertebrates after the end-Cretaceous mass extinction provided a crucial opportunity for placentals to diversify; however, intrinsic factors also may have played a role. The general neurosensory organization exhibited by extant mammals has been maintained since the early Mesozoic. Much later, early members of extant placental groups from the Eocene and Oligocene including rodents, primates and artiodactyls—display neurosensory innovations such as a proportionally larger neocortex and higher encephalization quotient compared to their Mesozoic ancestors. However, between these two well-known intervals of mammalian neurosensory evolution, there is a gap: few studies have focused on the brains of the oldest placentals living during the early Paleogene, in the Paleocene. We focus on the ‘Arctocyonidae’, a likely polyphyletic group of ‘condylarths’, including species potentially implicated in the origins of some extant orders. ‘Arctocyonids’ were among the first placentals to diversify after the end-Cretaceous extinction. They have been reconstructed as small-tomedium sized, mainly omnivorous and terrestrial. We obtained cranial and bony labyrinth endocasts for Chriacus baldwini and C. pelvidens from the lower Paleocene of the San Juan Basin, New Mexico, and Arctocyon primaevus from the upper Paleocene of the Paris Basin, France, via high resolution computed tomography. Both share plesiomorphic brain features with previously described early Paleocene mammals. They have small lissencephalic brains with an EQ range of 0.12-0.43 and 0.16-0.31, respectively. The olfactory bulbs and the paraflocculi represent 6% and less than 1% of the total endocranial volume, respectively and the neocortical height ratio represents ~25% of the total endocranial height. Based on cochlear measurements, both taxa had hearing capabilities similar to those of extant wild boars. Agility scores between 2 and 3 were obtained for both taxa, similar to the modern American badger and crab-eating raccoon, suggesting that C. pelvidens and A. primaevus were ambulatory. These results support growing evidence that early placentals had lower EQs and less expanded neocortices compared to Eocene and later taxa, potentially indicating that high intelligence was not key to the placental radiation after the End-Cretaceous extinction. Grant Information: Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions: Individual Fellowship, European Research Council Starting Grant, National Science Foundation, and Belgian Science Policy Office.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019