With their extraordinary species richness and diversity in ecological traits and social systems, bats are a promising taxon for testing socio-ecological hypotheses in order to get new insights into the evolution of animal social systems. Regarding its roosting habits, proboscis bats form an extreme by occupying sites which are usually completely exposed to daylight (e.g. tree trunks, vines or r...

Taste plays a crucial role in the life of honey bees as their survival depends on the collection and intake of nectar and pollen, and other natural products. Here we studied the tarsal taste of honey bees through a series of behavioral and electrophysiological analyses. We characterized responsiveness to various sweet, salty and bitter tastants delivered to gustatory sensilla of the fore tarsi....

Specimens of a new species of Rhadinorhynchus Lühe, 1911 are described from the chub mackerel Scomber japonicus (Scombridae) and the Chilean Jack mackerel Trachurus murphyi (Carangidae) (possibly a subspecies of Trachurus symmetricus) from the Pacific Ocean off the Peruvian coast at the Port of Chicama, La Libertad. Specimens of Rhadinorhynchus oligospinosus n. sp. are somewhat small having 11-...

The high power output of flight muscles places special demands on the respiratory gas exchange system in insects. In small insects, respiration relies on diffusion, and for elevated locomotor performance such as flight, instantaneous gas exchange rates typically co-vary with the animal's metabolic activity. By contrast, under certain conditions, instantaneous release rate of carbon dioxide from...

The proband was born to a 24-year-old gravida 1, para 0 black woman after a 35 week gestation complicated by polyhydramnios. Labour was induced when ultrasound studies indicated severe congenital malformations. The family and maternal histories, including exposure to viral and toxic agents and developmental disturbances, were negative. The 1280 g premature cyclopic female infant measured 25 cm ...

Specimens of a previously undescribed species of the genus Fessisentis were taken from the Gulf Coast waterdog, Necturus beyeri beyeri, in southeastern Louisiana. This is the third species of the genus to be described and the first published record of Fessisentis from an amphibian. The new species has a shorter body, smaller proboscis hooks, and a proportionately larger proboscis than F. fessus...