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Misc Reference Testing the transect method to characterize termite assemblages in subtropical forests.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The 8.2 ka event: is it registered in Belgian speleothems?
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The 10,000-year biocultural history of fallow deer and its implications for conservation policy
Over the last 10,000 y, humans have manipulated fallow deer populations with varying outcomes. Persian fallow deer (Dama mesopotamica) are now endangered. European fallow deer (Dama dama) are globally widespread and are simultaneously considered wild, domestic, endangered, invasive and are even the national animal of Barbuda and Antigua. Despite their close association with people, there is no consensus regarding their natural ranges or the timing and circumstances of their human-mediated translocations and extirpations. Our mitochondrial analyses of modern and archaeological specimens revealed two distinct clades of European fallow deer present in Anatolia and the Balkans. Zooarchaeological evidence suggests these regions were their sole glacial refugia. By combining biomolecular analyses with archaeological and textual evidence, we chart the declining distribution of Persian fallow deer and demonstrate that humans repeatedly translocated European fallow deer, sourced from the most geographically distant populations. Deer taken to Neolithic Chios and Rhodes derived not from nearby Anatolia, but from the Balkans. Though fallow deer were translocated throughout the Mediterranean as part of their association with the Greco-Roman goddesses Artemis and Diana, deer taken to Roman Mallorca were not locally available Dama dama, but Dama mesopotamica. Romans also initially introduced fallow deer to Northern Europe but the species became extinct and was reintroduced in the medieval period, this time from Anatolia. European colonial powers then transported deer populations across the globe. The biocultural histories of fallow deer challenge preconceptions about the divisions between wild and domestic species and provide information that should underpin modern management strategies.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference The “miacids” (Carnivoraformes, Mammalia) from the Early Eocene locality of Le Quesnoy (MP7, France); first occurrence of Vassacyon in Europe
We describe here “miacid” taxa from the Early Eocene Paris Basin locality of Le Quesnoy (Oise, France). We describe the new species Vassacyon taxidiotis, the first European record of this genus. The other “miacids” identified from Le Quesnoy are Miacis latouri and Gracilocyon solei. The P4 of G. solei is described here for the first time. Its morphology (e.g., wide protocone, short postmetacrista) supports a close relationship with Miacis rundlei from Abbey Wood (MP8 + 9, England). The latter species is therefore classified as Gracilocyon rundlei. Three new tooth positions are known for Miacis latouri: P4, p4 and m2. They support its reference to Miacis. These specimens imply that the European species is more basal than the North American species. The fauna from Le Quesnoy shares with Dormaal the presence of Miacis latouri and Gracilocyon solei, but the “miacid” fauna from Le Quesnoy also contains Vassacyon taxidiotis. The presence in Le Quesnoy of the two former taxa supports a reference to MP7 level of the French locality. The presence of three distinct genera in European localities show that the “Miacidae” were diversified in Europe, as previously observed in North America. The genera Gracilocyon, Miacis, and Vassacyon probably dispersed from Europe to North America during the Palaeocene/Eocene boundary.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The “Triceratops” leafhoppers. A new species of the genus Cornutipo Evans, 1934 from Northern Queensland, Australia. (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Eurymelinae: Ipoini)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference The 2012 to 2014 excavation campaigns at Site LE, Sagalassos. The structural remains and general phasing
In recent years, the Sagalassos Archaeological Research project of the University of Leuven has coordinated a research programme aimed at the community of ancient Sagalassos. Understanding in more detail how the ordinary townsfolk lived and worked in antiquity forms an important aspect of this research. With this aim in mind, archaeological excavations were launched at Site LE in 2012. Here, a dense stratigraphical sequence documenting changes within part of a neighbourhood in the upper parts of the ancient town was documented. An original domestic quarter changed character resulting from the erection of public buildings in Roman Imperial times, such as the Neon Library and the unidentified public building of Site LE. In late Roman times, the structures of Site LE were thoroughly re-organized, possibly including a house and a textile workshop. A very well preserved coroplast workshop formed part of this arrangement too. Upon abandonment of these domestic and artisanal units, Site LE was overhauled one last time. Remains of an early Byzantine professional bakery were identified within the re-organized premises. This paper wishes to present our initial understanding of the site, its phases of architectural and functional organisation as well as the detail of the consecutive structures. As such, the paper represents the framework for continued study and future publication of the at times fairly unique find assemblages, such as the materials found within the late Roman coroplast workshop.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The ‘rotiferologist’ effect and other global correlates of species richness in monogonont rotifers
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The Aktulagay section, west Kazakhstan: a key site for northern mid-latitude Early Eocene stratigraphy.
A section at Aktulagay (west Kazakhstan), in the Peri-Tethys realm, exposes mid-neritic to upper bathyal Ypresian marls, clays and silts. These range from Zone NP10 to early Zone NP14, with abundant and diverse microfossil assemblages. Multidisciplinary analysis has identified dinoflagellate cyst, calcareous nannofossil, planktonic and benthic foraminiferid and pteropod zones and events. Calibration of a key interval in the evolution of the shark Otodus has been possible for the first time. Episodic low-oxygen facies, including sapropelic clays widely distributed in Peri-Tethys, are represented here and can be placed within a detailed biostratigraphic framework. The current lithostratigraphic terminology is modified, with the introduction of the Aktulagay Formation. Paleoenvironmental aspects are discussed; five depositional sequences are tentatively identified. This section can be correlated in detail with the succession in the North Sea Basin, with implications for paleogeographic reconstructions. High-resolution biostratigraphic calibration between disparate fossil groups makes this a key reference section for northern mid-latitude Ypresian biostratigraphy.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The ancient fish fauna from Asa Koma (Djibouti) and modern osteometric data on 3 Tilapiini and 2 Clarias catfish species
The fi sh fauna is presented from Asa Koma; a prehistoric site dated around 1800 cal BC and located in Djibouti near Lake Abhé. The site comprises numerous hearths from which the fi sh bones that form the majority of the faunal remains were recovered. Only two fi sh species occur, namely Oreochromis niloticus and Clarias gariepinus, which are also the two major taxa occurring in the saline lake today. The skeletal element distribution and the frequency of charred remains were analysed and, in addition, detailed size reconstructions were carried out. On the basis of modern skeletons from 47 tilapia and 39 Clarias, the metrical relationship between fi sh length and individual bone measurements (32 measuring distances for tilapia and 40 for Clarias) was established with the aid of the “least squares method”. The equations are all listed for future use by other researchers. The fi sh and other fauna do not allow a precise environmental reconstruction, but the large size of the Clarias possibly indicates less saline conditions than today. Using the reconstructed sizes of the fi sh from Asa Koma, modern data on the behaviour of the species, ethnographic and archaeological parallels, and palaeohydrological data, attempts are made to establish the most likely season of fi shing, the possible location of the fi shing grounds, and the fi shing methods that may have been used. Finally, the possible fi sh preparation and fi sh processing methods are discussed.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference The ants of the Galápagos Islands (Hymenoptera, Formicidae): a historical overview, checklist, and identification key
The Galápagos ant fauna has long been understudied, with the last taxonomic summary being published almost a century ago. Here, a comprehensive and updated overview of the known ant species of the Galápagos Islands is provided with updated species distributions. The list is based on an extensive review of literature, the identification of more than 382,000 specimens deposited in different entomological collections, and recent expeditions to the islands. The ant fauna is composed of five subfamilies (Dolichoderinae, Dorylinae, Formicinae, Myrmicinae, and Ponerinae), 22 genera, 50 species, and 25 subspecies, although three species (Crematogaster crinosa Mayr, 1862, Camponotus senex (Smith, 1858), and Solenopsis saevissima (Smith, 1855)) are considered dubious records. Finally, an illustrated identification key of the species found in the archipelago is presented.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023