Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Handbook of best practice and standards for 2D+ and 3D imaging of natural history collections
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Integrative taxonomy of the millipede family Pachybolidae in continental SE Asia
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Global realized niche divergence in the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis
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The genus Diplommatina Benson, 1849 (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Diplommatinidae) in Nepal, with the description of seven new species
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Lessons from assembling UCEs: A comparison of common methods and the case of Clavinomia (Halictidae)
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The Megachilidae (Hymenoptera, Apoidea, Apiformes) of the Democratic Republic of Congo curated at the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA, Belgium)
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A new limestone-dwelling leaf-toed gecko (Gekkonidae: Dixonius) from coastal hills in Cha-am, peninsular Thailand
- We describe Dixonius pawangkhananti sp. nov. from coastal limestone hills in Cha-am District, Phetchaburi Province, peninsular Thailand. The new species differs from all currently recognized Dixonius by the following combination of morphological characters and pattern: maximal known snout-vent length of 42.6 mm; 16 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles; 30 to 32 paravertebral scales; 16 longitudinal rows of ventral scales across the abdomen; six precloacal pores in males, no pores in females; a marked canthal stripe; and a sexually dimorphic dorsal pattern consisting of bands (males) or blotches (females). This description brings the number of Dixonius species to ten, with four species endemic to Thailand.
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A new leaf-toed gecko (Gekkonidae: Dixonius ) from the city of Ranong, southwestern Thailand
- We describe Dixonius dulayaphitakorum sp. nov. from Ranong city, Ranong Province, southern peninsular Thailand. The new, ground-dwelling species differs from all currently recognized Dixonius by a combination of morphological characters and pattern: maximal known SVL of 47.8 mm, 22 longitudinal rows of dorsal tubercles; 33 to 35 paravertebral scales; 22 longitudinal rows of ventrals across the abdomen; six or seven precloacal pores in males, no pores in females; no distinct canthal stripe; and a spotted dorsal pattern. Based on dorsal pattern, the new species seems related to Dixonius siamensis. This description brings to 11 the number of Dixonius species, and to five the ones endemic to Thailand.
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A new longirostrine sperm whale (Cetacea, Physeteroidea) from the lower Miocene of the Pisco Basin (southern coast of Peru)
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Proceedings of the 4th International Meeting of Agora Paleobotanica, Brussels 2016
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Stratification and diversity of beeltes (Insecta, Coleoptera) in native elm forests of the Ussuri Nature Reserve, Russia
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Myctobase, a circumpolar database of mesopelagic fishes for new insights into deep pelagic prey fields
- Abstract The global importance of mesopelagic fish is increasingly recognised, but they remain poorly studied. This is particularly true in the Southern Ocean, where mesopelagic fishes are both key predators and prey, but where the remote environment makes sampling challenging. Despite this, multiple national Antarctic research programs have undertaken regional sampling of mesopelagic fish over several decades. However, data are dispersed, and sampling methodologies often differ precluding comparisons and limiting synthetic analyses. We identified potential data holders by compiling a metadata catalogue of existing survey data for Southern Ocean mesopelagic fishes. Data holders contributed 17,491 occurrence and 11,190 abundance records from 4780 net hauls from 72 different research cruises. Data span across 37 years from 1991 to 2019 and include trait-based information (length, weight, maturity). The final dataset underwent quality control processes and detailed metadata was provided for each sampling event. This dataset can be accessed through Zenodo. Myctobase will enhance research capacity by providing the broadscale baseline data necessary for observing and modelling mesopelagic fishes.
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Aparallactus modestus ubangensis (Boulenger, 1897). Ubangi Centipede-eater. Reproduction.
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Micro-computed tomography for natural history specimens: a handbook of best practice protocols
- Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT or microtomography) is a non-destructive imaging technique using X-rays which allows the digitisation of an object in three dimensions. The ability of micro-CT imaging to visualise both internal and external features of an object, without destroying the specimen, makes the technique ideal for the digitisation of valuable natural history collections. This handbook serves as a comprehensive guide to laboratory micro-CT imaging of different types of natural history specimens, including zoological, botanical, palaeontological and geological samples.
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Saproxylic beetles in tropical and temperate forests – A standardized comparison of vertical stratification patterns
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Tree-dwelling ant survey (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) in Mitaraka, French Guiana
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First checklist of the ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) of French Guiana
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Biotic and abiotic determinants of the formation of ant mosaics in primary Neotropical rainforests
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Three-dimensional ant distribution in rainforests and a method to detect ant mosaics
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How much does a tropical forest elevational gradient contribute to biodiversity? Insights from the ant communities of Mt. Wilhelm.
- Mountain slopes are known to promote the diversity and endemism of most taxa. Consequently, turnover of species is expected to be increased along elevational gradients compared to more uniform lowland areas of tropical forests. Mt. Wilhelm, the highest peak of Papua New Guinea, represents one of the last complete altitudinal forest transects with high-levels of biodiversity and pristine forests all along. We studied species diversity and distribution of the Mt. Wilhelm ant communities from 200 m a.s.l. up to tree line at 3700 m a.s.l., using a wide scope of sampling techniques. For the first time, the ants were sampled across different forest strata and at equally spaced elevational bands (500 m a.s.l.) along the complete gradient (257 species in total). The ants occurred up to 2700 m a.s.l. with general decline of their abundance and species richness with altitude, but not in the same way across forest strata. While the species occurrences linearly declined on the ground, they were highest at mid elevations on the vegetation. Species richness peaked at mid altitudes in all strata. Species composition varied both with sampled stratum and elevation, and there was an increase of soil-nesting species sampled on vegetation with increasing altitude. Most species occurred only in one or two elevational sites and there was no difference in the mean elevational range between ground-nesting and arboreal-nesting species. A simple model based on the species accumulation curves suggested that the Mt. Wilhelm ant species richness is two-fold increased, if rarefied to and compared with the same number of individuals as sampled in the lowlands. Our study demonstrates that pristine rainforests of Mt. Wilhelm considerably boost species diversity and endemism, and as such they should be of high conservation priority.
