Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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A new pithanodelphinine dolphin from the Miocene of Peru and the origin of modern delphinidan families
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A new genus and species of Pliocene dolphin (Cetacea: Odontoceti: Inioidea) from North Carolina, U.S.A.
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New insights on the brain, tooth development, and feeding specializations of the sirenian Miosirenkocki(Trichechidae, Sirenia) as revealed by CT
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Evolution of high-frequency hearing in odontocetes (Mammalia: Cetacea)
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New material of Australophoca (Carnivora, Phocidae) from the late Miocene of Peru suggests sexual dimorphism in the smallest, early-branching monachine seal
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Du mammifère terrestre à la baleine: plongée dans l’évolution des cétacés
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Walvissen uit Waasland
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Fishing for fossil whales: The deep sea as a source for extinct beaked whale remains
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A four-legged ancestor led the way for early whales dispersal
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Feuille N°1 Troisvierges. Carte géologique du Luxembourg à 1/25 000
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Notice explicative de la carte géologique Troisvierges N°1 à 1:25000
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Molecular methods for the detection and identification of parasitoids within larval wheat midges
- Three species of cecidomyiid midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) cause significant yield losses on wheat in Europe: Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin), Contarinia tritici (Kirby) and Haplodiplosis marginata (von Roser). Eggs and young larvae may be parasitised by a complex of hymenopteran parasitoids belonging to the Pteromalidae and Platygastridae families which contributes to natural pest control. We have developed molecular tools for detecting and identifying seven parasitoid species previously encountered in Belgium inside individual wheat midge larvae. Barcode DNA sequences from COI, 18S and 28S genes were obtained from the midges and parasitoid species. Each of the three genes allowed all the species to be distinguished although 18S was the only one displaying a barcoding gap, both between parasitoids and midges, and at the species level. Based on the 18S gene, we developed a TaqMan assay to assess parasitism in midge larvae, regardless of the midge and parasitoid species. Next, two group-specific PCR primer pairs were generated, allowing the separate amplification of midge DNA or parasitoid DNA in parasitised individuals and subsequent identification by Sanger sequencing. Finally, species-specific primers were designed to identify six parasitoid species by simple PCR amplification. These tools were successfully applied to assess the parasitism rate of S. mosellana larvae in seven Belgian fields.
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Biodiversity of the freshwater crabs of Benin (Potamonautidae): a genetic approach
- Introduction: Published reports on freshwater crabs in Benin (West Africa) are very scarce and mention only two accepted taxa: Sudanonautes aubryi and S. monodi (the latter with no precise locality). The inventory of these species (described using specimens from Gabon and Cameroon, respectively) is still poorly known. Methods: Here, we explore the diversity of freshwater crabs in Benin using a selection of 18 specimens collected in 2022 and 2023 in a range of aquatic biotopes and throughout the country, except for the far north. The specimens were examined morphologically and sequenced for fragments of the COI, 16S and H3 genes. Results: Despite a general variability in color, shape, size and in the DNA sequences (proportion of substitution per site up to ca. 8% for COI, 3% for 16S and 0.3% for H3), our results suggest that all the Beninese crabs belong to a single species of the Sudanonautes genus. They also show that they are neither S. aubryi nor S. floweri, with which they show consistent morphological differences and larger proportions of substitution per site at COI (>10%), 16S (>6%) and H3 (>0.6%). Conclusions: The Beninese crabs may belong to an undescribed species. However, they are more likely conspecific with S. pelii, a species described from the coastal plain of Ghana, previously considered to be a junior synonym of S. aubryi, and whose lectotype’s photographs show no obvious morphological differences with the Sudanonautes crabs from Benin. It is therefore likely that S. pelii will have to be revalidated for certain populations of Sudanonautes crabs from Ghana, Benin and probably adjacent countries.
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Wibrin-Houffalize 60/3-4.
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Notice explicative de la feuille Wibrin-Houffalize 60/3-4 (carte géologique de Wallonie à l'échelle de 1/25000).
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Note sur la présence de Berginnus tamarisci Wollaston, 1854 en Belgique (Insecta: Coleoptera: Mycetophagidae)
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CT-CEPH: Applying micro-CT imaging in the study of Belgian fossil nautilid cephalopods
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Sclerochronological evidence of pronounced seasonality from the late Pliocene of the southern North Sea Basin, and its implications
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Sclerochronological evidence of pronounced seasonality from the Pliocene of the southern North Sea Basin, and its implication
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Seasonal variability in a warming climate: Lessons from the Pliocene Warm Period and beyond.
