Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Tableaux chronologiques
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Tombes celtiques à Grandvoir (Lux.)
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Néolithique ancien d'Europe : essai de traitement en série de données C-14 et problèmes rencontrés
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Tombelles de La Tène I à Grandvoir-Tournay (com. de Neufchâteau)
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Nécropole celtique à Sibret-Villeroux (comm. de Vaux-sur-Sûre)
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Fouille d'un “murus gallicus” à Lompret (Hainaut)
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Lompret (Chimay, Ht) : fortification gauloise
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Pomponace mythique. La sincérité religieuse de Pietro Pomponazzi dans le miroir de sa réputation française
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Être archéologue en C.S.T. ? Oui, mais...
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Le dolmen controversé de Gomery
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Guerre et Paix au Néolithique ancien en Hesbaye
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Tombelle à enclos de La Tène à Tournay (comm. de Neufchâteau)
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Fungus gnats in the Botanical garden Jean Massart on the outskirts of Brussels: 52 new country recrods and a pictorial atlas of the genera (Diptera: Sciaroidea)
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The ground active spider fauna of the park area around the Royal Belgian Institute of natural Sciences (RBINS, Brussels Capital)
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An introductory study of house spiders (Araneae) in Belgium
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The spider Theridion melanostictum (Araneae, Theridiidae) a recent introduction to Galapagos
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Impact of Laying Date and Fire Ants on Hatchlings of Chelonoidis porteri on Santa Cruz Island, Galápagos, Ecuador
- Chelonoidis land tortoises are iconic species endemic to the Galápagos Islands of Ecuador. Their populations have been dramatically reduced by human activities in the last three centuries, including indirect effects such as the introduction of invasive species. We investigated the mortality of eggs and hatchlings in 48 nests of Chelonoidis porteri on Santa Cruz Island with regard to various mortality causes such as the occurrence of fire ants and the date of laying. The average mortality rate was 0.56. Tropical Fire Ants (Solenopsis geminata) were present within 1 m of 75% of the C. porteri nests, and we encountered fire ants in 12.5% of excavated nests. We found no relationship between Tropical Fire Ant abundance and C. porteri egg and hatchling survivorship. We observed no signs of mold inside the nests. We determined that early deposition dates were associated with lower clutch survival and identified egg development as the critical life stage. Finally, we discuss the potential impacts of fire ants and climate change on tortoise survival and reproduction and stress the importance of taking these factors into account for the conservation of the endemic land tortoises of the Galápagos
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Introduction history and genetic diversity of the invasive ant Solenopsis geminata in the Gala´pagos Islands
- The Gala´pagos Islands constitute one of the most pristine tropical systems on Earth. However, the complex and fragile equilibrium of native species is threatened by invasive species, among which is one of the most successful ants in the world, the tropical fire ant, Solenopsis geminata. We characterized the genetic structure and diversity of populations of S. geminata in the Galapagos Islands and unravelled the archipelago colonization by combining Bayesian clustering methods and coalescent-based scenario testing. Using 12 microsatellite markers and one mitochondrial DNA fragment (COI), we analysed individuals collected in all main invaded islands of the archipelago and from the native areas in Costa Rica and mainland Ecuador. We also used mitochondrial DNA to infer evolutionary relationships of samples collected in Galapagos Islands, Ecuador, Costa Rica and other Latin American countries. Our results showed that genetic diversity was significantly lower in Galapagos Islands and mainland Ecuador populations when compared to Costa Rican populations, and that samples from Galapagos Islands and mainland Ecuador (Guayaquil) clustered in a single group and all share a single mtDNA haplotype. Approximate Bayesian Computation favoured a scenario assuming that populations from Galapagos Islands diverged from mainland Ecuador. The city of Guyaquil, an obligatory hub for tourism and trade, could act as a bridgehead.
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First record of the invasive longhorn crazy ant, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille, 1802) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from Mt. Elgon, eastern Uganda
- We report the first observation of the invasive longhorn crazy ant (Paratrechina longicornis) in the Mount Elgon region of eastern Uganda. About 43 000 ants were sampled in 256 locations throughout the Ugandan foot slopes of Mt. Elgon in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016. We found P. longicornis in five locations in and around the town of Budadiri, Sironko district. The visual species identification was confirmed by COI gene-based DNA barcoding. That this species was found in only a small area suggests that it has only been recently introduced. The impact that P. longicornis will have on the local agricultural system or the biodiversity within the Mount Elgon National Park remains unclear. The Mt. Elgon region is a unique key biodiversity area where baseline data can be collected now to quantify the effects of P. longicornis as it increases its distribution within the region
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Understanding taxonomic and nomenclatural instability – a case study of the Manila clam
