Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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New data on the fossil fish Tergestinia sorbinii (Pycnodontiformes) from the Late Cretaceous of Trebeciano, Trieste (Italy)
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One to host them all: genomics of the diverse bacterial endosymbionts of the spider Oedothorax gibbosus
- Bacterial endosymbionts of the groups Wolbachia , Cardinium and Rickettsiaceae are well known for their diverse effects on their arthropod hosts, ranging from mutualistic relationships to reproductive phenotypes. Here, we analysed a unique system in which the dwarf spider Oedothorax gibbosus is co-infected with up to five different endosymbionts affiliated with Wolbachia , ‘Candidatus Tisiphia’ (formerly Torix group Rickettsia ), Cardinium and Rhabdochlamydia . Using short-read genome sequencing data, we show that the endosymbionts are heterogeneously distributed among O. gibbosus populations and are frequently found co-infecting spider individuals. To study this intricate host–endosymbiont system on a genome-resolved level, we used long-read sequencing to reconstruct closed genomes of the Wolbachia , ‘Ca. Tisiphia’ and Cardinium endosymbionts. We provide insights into the ecology and evolution of the endosymbionts and shed light on the interactions with their spider host. We detected high quantities of transposable elements in all endosymbiont genomes and provide evidence that ancestors of the Cardinium , ‘Ca. Tisiphia’ and Wolbachia endosymbionts have co-infected the same hosts in the past. Our findings contribute to broadening our knowledge about endosymbionts infecting one of the largest animal phyla on Earth and show the usefulness of transposable elements as an evolutionary ‘contact-tracing’ tool.
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Meules et aiguisoirs de deux occupations distinctes à « Nereth 2 » (Baelen).
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Fluorite
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Geological context and tectonostratigraphic units in Belgium, and their relationship to the main metallotects
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Lithium
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Graphite
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The use of vertebral measurements for body length and weight reconstruction of pike (Esox lucius) from archaeological sites
- Pike (Esox lucius) is a large freshwater species with a wide distribution in Eurasia and North America that has been exploited since prehistoric times as is shown by the skeletal remains found on numerous archaeological sites. The role the species played in the subsistence of inland human settlements can be documented by its proportion within the spectrum of exploited fish and by reconstructing the body lengths of the pike and the amount of meat they represent. Osteometrical data in the literature allow size and, sometimes, meat weight reconstructions on the basis of the measurements of isolated cranial bones, but little attention has been paid thus far to the use of vertebrae for such reconstructions. Using a series of 27 dry skeletons of modern pike, here, we provide regression equations that allow an accurate estimation of the body length and weight of the fish on the basis of each of the first five vertebrae. Analysis of the size variation of the height, width and length of all the vertebral centra along the vertebral column, through the construction of the so-called Global Rachidian Profile, showed that only the length measurements can be of potential use for a rather crude estimation of body length. Finally, a case study is provided, using a large assemblage of Early Neolithic pike vertebrae, to show the potential of the new osteometrical data.
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Plant economy and vegetation of the Iron Age in Bulgaria: archaeobotanical evidence from pit deposits
- Major social and economical changes occurred in human societies during the Iron Age of Southeastern Europe: increasing structuring of societies, intensifying production and metal technologies and the establishment of a market economy. However, the related plant economy of the region is still poorly studied and understood. The Iron Age `pit field sites' (groups of pits distributed over a certain area) in south-eastern Bulgaria were recently intensively excavated, and their study provides rich archaeobotanical assemblages, which are used for filling this gap in our knowledge. The current study presents the archaeobotanical information from 196 flotation samples from 50 Iron Age pits. The results show a wide range of annual crops, the most important of which seem to be hulled wheats (mainly einkorn), barley and also millet. A variety of pulses and fruits is retrieved, each in small quantities. Some species like Olea europaea and Cucumis melo are an indication for contacts with adjacent regions (especially the Mediterranean area). The archaeobotanical assemblages also documented the environment and land use, revealing the exploitation of a variety of habitats like cropland, open grassland, shrub land and wetland. The archaeobotanical analyses of the Iron Age pit fields show that this type of structures can be an important source of information on the Iron Age plant economy in the region.
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First record of the ant Pheidole megatron Fischer and Fisher, 2013 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Rwanda
- We present the first record of the ant Pheidole megatron Fischer and Fisher, 2013 in Rwanda, a species thought to be endemic to the Malagasy region. Specimens were collected in July 2019, in one of the houses located at Kivumu, in the center of Rwanda. They were first morphologically identified as Pheidole megatron using a recent identification key. Molecular identification through mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) confirmed the morphological identification. The Rwanda sample clustered with samples from the Comoros, and it belongs to the group megacephala. Future studies may focus on the biology and ecology of this ant species in Africa. Moreover, we suggest the screening of other African populations of Pheidole megacephala using finer genetic markers with higher mutation rates to clarify the identification and spread of the species.
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Contribution to the knowledge of the Prioninae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from the Mizoram State (India), with the first report of the genus Megobaralipton Lepesme & Breuning and new records from the country
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Notes on a small collection of Prioninae from North-East Madagascar with the description of a new Schizodontus Quentin & Villiers, 1974 (Cerambycidae, Closterini)
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Drivers of morphological evolution in the toothed whale jaw
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Ways forward in quantifying data uncertainty in geological databases
- Issues of compatibility of geological data resulting from the merging of many different data sources and time periods may jeopardize harmonization of data products. Important progress has been made due to increasing data standardization, e.g., at a European scale through the SeaDataNet and Geo-Seas data management infrastructures. Common geological data standards are unambiguously defined, avoiding semantic overlap in geological data and associated metadata. Quality flagging is also applied increasingly, though ways in further propagating this information in data products is still at its infancy. For the Belgian and southern Netherlands part of the North Sea, databases are now rigorously re-analyzed in view of quantifying quality flags in terms of uncertainty to be propagated through a 3D voxel model of the subsurface (https://odnature.naturalsciences.be/tiles/). An approach is worked out to consistently account for differences in positioning, sampling gear, analysis procedures and vintage. The flag scaling is used in the interpolation process of geological data, but will also be used when visualizing the suitability of geological resources in a decision support system. Expert knowledge is systematically revisited as to avoid totally inappropriate use of the flag scaling process. The quality flagging is also important when communicating results to end-users. Therefore, an open data policy in combination with several processing tools will be at the heart of a new Belgian geological data portal as a platform for knowledge building (KB) and knowledge management (KM) serving the marine geoscience, the policy community and the public at large.
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A new platyrostrine sperm whale from the Early Miocene of the southeastern Pacific (East Pisco Basin, Peru) supports affinities with the southwestern Atlantic cetacean fauna
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Cirripedes (Thoracica, Crustacea) from the Maastrichtian of Kalaat Senan, Tunisia
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Further consideration of the curvature of the Neandertal Femur
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A redescription of the Neotropical lanternfly Coptopola cincticrus Stål, 1869 (Fulgoridae: Poiocerinae: Poiocerini)
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Molecular phylogeny of Trictenotomidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): insights into species validation and biogeography of genus Autocrates
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Calicnemis latreillei Laporte, 1832 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae), a new host for the Tachinid fly Microphthalma europaea Egger, 1860
