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Dragonflies of Cusuco National Park, Honduras; checklist, new country records and the description of a new species of Palaemnema Selys, 1860 (Odonata: Platystictidae)
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The odonate fauna of Honduras is poorly documented. Based on 10 years of observations and collections we present an overview of dragonflies from cloud forests in Cusuco National Park, northwestern Honduras. A total of 44 species were reported including at least seven new country records for Honduras we include ecological observations for most species. A new species of Platystictidae (Palaemnema lorae Jocque & Garrison, n. sp. Holotype ♂: HONDURAS: Cortés Dept., CNP, Cantiles, Trail 5, small river close to camp, N15.513457 W88.241681; 1846m, 23 June 2012 collected by Merlijn Jocque, field code: BINCO_HON_12_047, in RBINS) is described and illustrated.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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Bird bones from Trou de Chaleux and the human exploitation of birds during the late Magdalenian in Belgium
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The Trou de Chaleux is a cave site located in Belgium. It delivered a rich late Magdalenian material culture constituted mainly of lithic artefacts but also including bone industries and figurative art. This paper presents the results of the analysis of the large collection of bird remains recovered by E. Dupont in 1865, which was yet unstudied from taphonomical and archaeozoological perspectives. In addition to the taxonomic identification, surface alterations were investigated based on a macro- and microscopic analysis, including an analysis of wear traces and elementary composition. Special attention is devoted to the presence of human modifications such as disarticulation or butchering marks, traces of heating, presence of colourants and traces of bone working. The taphonomic history of the bird assemblage is reconstructed and the use of birds by humans characterized, as well as their importance in past human activities. We also discuss evidence for seasonal exploitation and for reconstructing the local environment and integrate our results with evidence from other Magdalenian assemblages from north-western Europe. At Trou de Chaleux, birds were used for food, as raw material for bone working and for symbolic purposes. The exploitation of avian products was intense, and species have been used for several purposes such as the raven and snowy owl having been exploited both for food and for symbolic reasons. Large bird bones were used as raw material to produce artefacts, but the use-wear analysis did not evidence unambiguous traces related to the use of the objects produced. Despite several limiting factors, the bird material from Trou de Chaleux considerably increases the knowledge of past human exploitation of birds during the late Magdalenian in north-western Europe.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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Archaeological structures as factors affecting bird abundance and spectra in archaeological contexts from medieval and modern Belgium
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The present study aims to evaluate the effect of archaeological structures in the preservation and recovery of bird remains, in particular by considering the overall shape, open or enclosed, of the structure. Indeed, hollow structures, sometimes of an enclosed shape that may be constructed in masonry, are supposed to have a protective effect on the fragile bones of birds. This is evaluated by considering different variables, such as the ratio of bird remains compared to those of the main domestic mammals used as meat suppliers, the number of bird taxa, or the identification rates for different types of archaeological structures. In a second step, once the impact of the type of structure is evaluated, the same variables are examined according to the social status, to verify their relevance to document this aspect. It transpires that the bird to mammal remains ratio is strongly influenced by the type of structure, as it is higher in enclosed structures. However, some open structures also deliver high bird ratios, in particular at high status sites. In contrast, the bird identification rate is lower in enclosed structures, but this is probably related to the recovery method. Finally, the number of taxa seems more affected by the social status of the consumers responsible for the accumulation of an archaeological assemblage than by the kind of archaeological structure the faunal assemblage was discarded into. This has implications for sampling strategies since open structures, when sieved, sometimes yield high bird to mammal ratios as well as a high number of bird taxa. Therefore, more systematic sieving of large samples of sediment should be applied not only to enclosed structures but also to open contexts such as refuse layers or floors, especially in sites of (potentially) high social status.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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Validating the probabilistic sex diagnosis (DSP) method with a special test case on Pre-Columbian mummies (including the famous Rascar Capac)
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Many museums have either one or more mummies in their collections. The Royal Museums of Art and History in Brussels is no exception and houses several Pre-Columbian mummies, including the one that inspired Hergé, author of the Tintin comics, to create the character of ‘Rascar Capac’. The accurate identification of the sex of a particular mummy is important for testing hypotheses about social structures in ancient societies. Sexing of mummies is mostly based on visual analysis from CT and MRI scans and macroscopic examination from the skeletal tissue such as genitalia and breasts, although skeletal tissue is not always well preserved. Probabilistic Sex Diagnosis (DSP: Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste) is a sex estimation method which has recently proved to be highly effective on different modern human and ancient European populations. The aim of this study was to see if it was possible to apply and validate virtual DSP on a study of four ancient Pre-Columbian mummies from South America (which are outside the reference population of DSP). Virtual DSP was performed in the software ‘lhpFusionBox’. All mummies were CT scanned, 3D models were created and virtual DSP was performed. Sex was determined with a probability of 99.9% or over in all cases (DSP determined one male and three females). Preserved skeletal tissue remains confirmed DSP results in half of the mummies. A Principal Components Analysis (PCA) was performed on the DSP results of the mummies and a modern human (MH) population. Half of the mummies were outside the 95% range of the DSP values of MH, largely due to their smaller size. When size was accounted for, they were within the MH range. The unknown sex mummies identified as females by DSP were found to be grouped with the known sex female mummy and the MH females. Similarly, the unknown sex mummy identified as male by DSP was also found to be grouped with MH males. The use of PCA analysis on DSP results is an effective tool to validate DSP results, even with individuals outside of the reference population. Despite differences in size from ancient to modern humans, DSP was found to be accurate and can be used with mummies and other ancient populations from different countries around the world.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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First record of the terrestrial nemertean Geonemertes pelaensis Semper, 1863 (Hoplonemertea: Prosorhochmidae) for Cuba
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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A checklist of Lecithoceridae (Lepidoptera: Gelechioidea) of the Afrotropical Region
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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Investigation of some Givetian rugose corals from the Mont d’Haurs Formation in southern Belgium
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
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Histological and stable isotope analysis of archeological bones from St. Rombout's cemetery (Mechelen, Belgium): Intrasite, intraindividual, and intrabone variability
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Abstract This study compares histological preservation in archeological bones from different burial types to unravel the histotaphonomy-to-funerary practices relationship. Αn intraskeletal approach is also adopted to explore intraindividual (inner ear part of the petrous bone vs. upper/lower limb long bones) and intrabone (proximal vs. distal diaphysis) variability in bone collagen preservation, δ13C, and δ15N. The aim is to (a) target bones that likely retain higher amounts of collagen, (b) better understand the inner ear bone collagen isotopic signature and remodeling, and (c) assess intrabone isotopic and histological homogeneity. For the histological analysis, the data have been collected from 61 specimens (20 individuals) from the medieval/postmedieval cemetery of St. Rombout, Belgium. Thin sections have been studied using optical and scanning electron microscopy. For the collagen and isotopic data, 101 samples have been collected from 21 individuals. Distinct histological patterns are observed only in bones from single coffin burials; however, bone histology can display intraindividual and intrabone variability, which are important to account for interpretations. Collagen wt.%, δ13C, and δ15N show significant intraindividual differences but insignificant intrabone variability. This study also confirms the extraordinary nature of the petrous bone, as the inner ear bone collagen δ13C and δ15N values reflect the dietary input of the first approximately 2–3 years of life.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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Late Pleistocene coprolites from Qurta (Egypt) and the potential of interdisciplinary research involving micromorphology, plant macrofossil and biomarker analyses
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As part of a rock art dating project at Qurta (Upper Egypt), samples were collected from an organic deposit and from an accumulation of individual faecal pellets. Radiocarbon dating of these relatively well-preserved materials indicates an unexpectedly old age of ca. 45,000 BP or older. In order to identify the biogenic nature of these deposits and to reconstruct the palaeo-environment at the time of their formation, micromorphological, palaeobotanical, and biomarker analyses were carried out. All data indicate that the organic deposit and the pellets were produced by different species. The presence of a novel biomarker, which only occurs in animal urine (hippuric acid), contributed to the conclusion that the organic deposit most likely represents the remains of a rock hyrax (Procavia capensis) latrine, whereas the pellets stem from small bovids. Plant macroremains from the pellets indicate that the animals browsed in the more vegetated areas, presumably near the Nile, although the general environment was probably mainly arid and open. Combined with the dates, this suggests that the pellets date to MIS 3 or 4. Our results demonstrate the great potential of an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Quaternary coprolite deposits, allowing for more adequate and more complete interpretation.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2018
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Treeline and timberline dynamics on the northern and southern slopes of the Retezat Mountains (Romania) during the late glacial and the Holocene
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RBINS Staff Publications 2018
