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Notes on the myrmecophilous spider Mastigusa arietina (Thorell, 1871)
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2022/articlereference.2024-02-23.4281219574
We provide records of the rarely detected ant-associated spider Mastigusa arietina (Thorell, 1871) in northwest Belgium and discuss how to locate and capture this spider. We show that this myrmecophilous spider is much more common than currently presumed but it is often missed in common spider surveys due to its obligate association with ant nests. We also summarise and illustrate the recently gained insights into its ecology, behaviour, and interactions with its host and other ant associates.No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/23 14:30:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceLa pratique de l’entomologie du terrain au conservatoire ou l’essentiel est de bien transmettre
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2022/articlereference.2024-02-23.3913977107
The principles and conventions concerning research, killing, treatment, preparation and classification of insects in collections are discussed in this note. A special attention to the labeling and related items are recalled with the aim of harmonizing practices and correcting drifts observed over the time.No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/23 14:10:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceDe loopkever Amara strenua en zijn recente uitbreiding in Nederland en België (Coleoptera: Carabidae)
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023-oa/articlereference.2024-02-23.2704221158
Na lange tijd niet te zijn waargenomen, lijkt de loopkever Amara strenua weer in toenemende mate voor te komen in Nederland en België. Voor ons was dat een unieke gelegenheid om meer te weten te komen over deze internationaal schaarse soort. We hebben gekeken naar de verspreiding van A. strenua, de karakteristieken van zijn habitat en naar zijn biologie. Door middel van kweekproeven kon voor het eerst de larve (stadium II) beschreven worden. Ten slotte beschrijven we een nieuw kenmerk om A. strenua van A. kulti te onderscheiden.No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/23 13:40:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceRemarks on Hymenoptera on urban green roofs in Belgium
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023-oa/articlereference.2024-02-23.4549730410
In this paper we discuss all Hymenoptera (10.085 specimens) caught on several urban green roofs in Belgium during 2020 and 2021. We thereby try to connect species’ ecology and the specific habitat of extensive green roofs. Based on these findings we suggest what life communities can indeed be expected there. Six species on 120 taxa discovered are first reported for Belgium: Gonatopus lunatus (var. bifasciatus) Klug, 1810 (Aculeata: Dryinidae); Synacra paupera Macek, 1995 (Parasitica: Diapriidae); Alysia lucicola Haliday, 1838, Idiasta dichrocera Konigsmann, 1960 and Leiophron deficiens (Ruthe, 1856) (Parasitica: Braconidae) and Gelis declivis Forster, 1850 (Parasitica: Ichneumonidae).No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/23 13:30:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceFaunistic survey of myrmecophilous and other ant-associated beetles and spiders in the Belgian province of Limburg (Araneae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-23.0224656795
Many researchers have been fascinated by the social organisation within an ant colony. They have noticed that several other invertebrates are found in or near the ants’ nests, notably a variety of Coleoptera and to a lesser extent, some spiders. Many of these observations have been written down, some just as a brief statement but sometimes a detailed report of these interactions as a result of accurate and prolonged monitoring was published. All this information allowed us to make a comparison with the ant species associated with beetles and spiders in the Belgian province of Limburg. We will discuss a large number of species within their respective families and mention in particular a certain connection between the guest and its host, a relationship which cannot necessarily be called myrmecophilousNo publisherRBINS Publication(s)RBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/23 13:15:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceEarth sciences at the centre of the energy transition
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-23.1152150906
No publisherPeer ReviewOpen AccessInternational Redaction Board2024/02/23 11:53:06 GMT+1Article ReferenceNew morphological and anatomical data derived from a rare Early Devonian French flora
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.7243293845
No publisherPeer ReviewImpact Factor2024/02/22 16:47:53 GMT+1Article ReferencePlant-insect interactions in the Selandian (Early Paleocene) Gelinden Fossil Flora (Belgium) and what they mean for the ecosystems after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.1124279447
No publisherPeer ReviewImpact Factor2024/02/22 16:43:55 GMT+1Article ReferenceFossil evidence of tylosis formation in Late Devonian plants
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.7422758683
No publisherPeer ReviewImpact Factor2024/02/22 16:33:39 GMT+1Article ReferenceDo carabids struggle to recolonize restored grasslands in the fragmented landscapes of Northern Belgium?
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.3235006146
1. Semi-natural grasslands in Western Europe are degrading and declining. Their plant species diversity and associated fauna, such as arthropods, are decreasing fast making restoration crucial. 2. Carabid beetles are an essential link in ecosystem functioning (e.g., through herbivory and predation) and provide important ecosystem services (e.g., pest control). As a diverse group from different trophic levels, they occupy a variety of ecological niches, making them good indicators of restoration success and habitat quality. 3. To study how different aspects of carabid diversity change along a restoration gradient from degraded grasslands to restored semi-natural Nardus grasslands, we sampled carabid beetles in grasslands in Northern Belgium. We analysed differences in abundance, diversity and community composition and investigated carabid traits potentially influencing carabids’ response to grassland restoration. 4. Species richness did not change along the restoration gradient, but number of individuals decreased as grassland restoration time and effort increased and species composition changed, mostly caused by species turnover. As grassland restoration time and effort increased, carabid body size decreased and the proportion of dayactive carabids increased. Predators and habitat generalists were dominant along the entire gradient. 5. Even though the target vegetation was restored, the carabid communities were not, or at least, did not possess yet traits to be expected from a restored community. The landscape in Northern Belgium might be too fragmented for larger species with low dispersal ability to recolonize restored grasslands. However, restored speciesrich grasslands are beneficial for conservation of meadow birds as day-active beetles thriving in restored grasslands are an important food sourceNo publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/22 16:30:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceDiversity and assembly composition of arboreal ants in a west African humid forest-savannah mosaic
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.7682028497
In the tropical forest-savannah mosaic of Lamto Reserve in Ivory Coast ants play an important role in the biodiversity conservation. This work aimed to explore the structure and composition of the arboreal ant assemblages in a forest-savannah mosaic located in central Côte d'Ivoire. Ants were collected by baited trap (Protein bait: tuna and sugar bait: sweet milk) and beating of low vegetation. During the entire sampling campaign, 59 ant species belonging to 18 genera and five subfamilies (Formicinae, Ponerinae, Myrmicinae, Dolichoderinae and Pseudomyrmecinae) were recorded. The mean ant species richness of shrub savannah (SS) was significantly lower than of both forest island (FI) and forest gallery. Likewise, a significant difference was observed for species composition when comparing the arboreal ant communities of SS, gallery forest and FI.No publisherPeer ReviewPDF availableImpact FactorRBINS Collection(s)2024/02/22 16:20:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceCan habitat characteristics of a West African forest-savanna mosaic landscape model bee community composition?
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.9663534819
Bees are vital to both ecosystems and humans worldwide; supplying a range of key support facilities for the successful breeding of the majority of flowering plants. The aim of this study was to assess the bee species composition in a Sudano-Guinean savanna zone and determining the impact of a set of environmental parameters influencing this species composition in four habitat types. Sampling was carried using yellow pan traps protocol. A total of 846 bees belonging to 3 families, 25 genera and 52 species were collected. The largest number of bee individuals was found in the Apidae family. The most abundant species was Hypotrigona sp. The highest bee species and number of individuals was recorded in the shrubby savanna. Bee species diversity and abundance were found closely correlated with the plant diversity. Gaining a better understanding of the factors influencing bee community dynamics in the given landscape can provide valuable information for conservation efforts, habitat management and help identifying species which ones could be domesticated.No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/22 16:15:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceHadrosaur-like vascularisation in the dentary of an early diverging iguanodontian dinosaur
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.4427607075
No publisherPeer ReviewImpact Factor2024/02/22 15:58:01 GMT+1Article ReferenceFIRST RECORD OF FIVE ANT SPECIES (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) FROM RWANDA
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.9074672942
Ant studies conducted in Rwanda have reported a total of 105 ant species. However, this is an underestimation of the total ant richness since Rwanda is in a region rich in biodiversity. To fill the gaps, ants have been sampled in planted forests, coffee plantations, and different other land use types since 2017. Specimens have been collected using pitfall traps and hand collection, digitized, and identified to subfamily, genus, and species level. Results indicated that five ant species were found in Rwanda for the first time. These are Camponotus acvapimensis, Camponotus schoutedeni, Camponotus sericeus, Odontomachus assiniensis and Tetramorium sericeiventre. Specimens are deposited at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science and the Rwanda Ant Collection. We recommend more ant studies focussing on their mode of living. This will result in more ant species newly recorded in the country and possibly new to science.No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/22 15:55:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceThe Role of Belgian Airborne Sniffer Measurements in the MARPOL Annex VI Enforcement Chain
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.1815169886
No publisherPeer ReviewPDF availableImpact Factor2024/02/22 15:34:03 GMT+1Article Reference