The lost cranes of the island of Lampedusa (Italy)

The abundance of migratory birds on Lampedusa (Sicilian Channel, Italy) has been documented since the fifteenth century, but during the nineteenth century, this small island was particularly noted for the regular presence of cranes. Official reports documented the occurrence of these birds from as far back as the eighteenth century, recording the period of their presence on Lampedusa (every year between May and August), their regular nesting, and even the crop plants they fed on, a habit often resulting in a major damage for to the island's subsistence farming. In spite of all this documentary information, scholars did not, however, succeeded in assigning them to a well-defined species and while several authors described them as Common cranes, Grus grus, others identified them as Demoiselle Cranes, Anthropoides virgo, or even as Black crowned Cranes, Balearica pavonina. The paper is an attempt to investigate this taxonomic and zoogeographic puzzle, while inclining towards an identification of the crane in question in the morphological and ecological characters of the Demoiselle Cranes

LIBYAN BIRDS. THE REMAINS OF THE ITALIAN ORNITHOLOGICAL COLLECTION IN THE ASSARAY AL-HAMRA MUSEUMS OF TRIPOLI, LIBYA

This paper deals with the surviving ornithological stuffed specimens from the former Libyan Museum of Natural History, set up in Tripoli in 1936, in the extant Assaray Al-hamra Museums. The aim of this note is to provide a checklist of the stuffed birds still on display in the cases, while taking the opportunity to furnish a range of additional information that augments our knowledge of the current Libyan ornithofauna and also documenting its past diffusion in the north-African state. All the data recorded were gathered prior to the civil unrest that broke out in Libya in February 2011

Les représentations zoomorphiques de la carte de Pîrî Reis (1513)

In 1513 the famous Turkish navigator, geographer and cartographer, the admiral Pîrî Reis, drew a large planisphere showing the entire known world of the time. Today only a fragment of this work remains, conserved at the Topkapi Sarayi Museum in Istanbul (Turkey) and referred to as the Carte de l’Atlantique. This map represents one of the most controversial, mysterious and beautiful documents in the history of cartography. The aim of this study is to analyse the zoomorphic representations of the Pîrî Reis map, investigating the sources of their iconography as well as focusing on their zoologi cal and cultural meanings. We carried out a review of existing literature on this topic, attempting to provide an updated scientific interpretation of the animals portrayed, considering the zoological knowledge assumed to exist at the beginning of the 16th century and the probable cultural background of Pîrî Reis. Our interpretation demonstrates that many of the animals represented in the Pîrî Reis map conform to the European and Near-Eastern late medieval iconographic tradition. On the other hand, other zoomorphic representations, such as Caribbean parrots, appear unrelated to any previous source and could possibly have been copied from Columbus’ lost map.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Late Pleistocene and Holocene distribution history of the Eurasian beaver in Italy

The genus Castor first appeared in the Palaearctic region during the Late Miocene, while the current species, Castor fiber, is widely accepted to have emerged in the Early Pleistocene. In the Last Glacial Maximum (Late Pleistocene), the beaver disappeared from most of the Western Palaearctic, only surviving in a few relic areas including the south-eastern Alpine Chain as shown by new data. After the subsequent extended repopulation in the warmer phases of the Lateglacial and in the early Holocene, the species once again disappeared locally from several countries, including Italy, between the 17th and the 20th centuries. Direct or indirect persecution by humans seems to be the main cause of beaver extinction in Europe. In Low Medieval Italy, it is more likely that the disappearance of the beaver between the 16th and 17th centuries was due to habitat alteration and human population pressure. Numerous reclamations have been carried out since the late Middle Ages, mostly in the easternmost area of the Po Valley, the last beaver refuge in Italy. Eurasian beaver was common in the northern and widespread in the central part of Italy, but always absent in southern Italy, probably due to unfavourable hydrological conditions of watercourses in the latter

Forbidden islands. The absence of endemics among the insular non-volant terrestrial mammalian fauna of the Red Sea

The Red Sea is a land-locked sea that is globally significant in terms of the unique biodiversity and endemism of its marine species. In contrast, the terrestrial biodiversity on its islands is poor and mainly composed of species present also on the mainland. To profile the non-volant terrestrial mammalian fauna, we reviewed all available records in the literature and report some recent captures; in particular, we point out two additional species from the Dahlak archipelago: the Northeast African spiny mouse (Acomys cahirinus) and a still undetermined shrew (Crocidura sp.). As far as we know, the only endemic vertebrates are three species of snake (Squamata, Serpentes) and perhaps one gazelle (Gazella arabica). The composition of the insular mammalian fauna of the Red Sea is olygotypic, consisting of only a few taxa, mostly anthropochorous, that are shared with the mainland of eastern Africa and/or western Arabia, and which are repeated monotonously on the few islands inhabited by mammals. A lack of endemic mammals can be explained as the result of the only recent connection of almost all the islands with the mainland during the Last Glacial Maximum and by the harsh climatic conditions that allow the survival of only a few xeric specialists

Čovjek i lacertidni gušteri na sredozemnim otocima: perspektive zaštite

The aim of the present study is to synthesise the available data on the occurrence of lacertid lizards on Mediterranean islands better to understand how far human influence is involved in the present distributional patterns of insular lacertid lizard fauna. At present, the Mediterranean islands are inhabited by several lacertid genera, including endemic species of the genera Algyroides (viz. fitzingeri), »Lacerta« Archaeolacerta (viz. bedriagae) and Podarcis (atratus, filfolensis, gaigae, lilfordi, milensis, pityusensis, raffonei, tiliguerta, waglerianus). Recently reported data shed new light on the relationships between these endemics and some continental species that have recently colonised the islands. The arrival of the latter might be directly related to the progressive human colonisation of these islands. The arising conservation problems are also considered.Cilj ovog rada bio je sakupiti sve dostupne podatke o pojavljivanju lacertidnih guštera na otocima Sredozemlja da bi se bolje razumjelo koliko je čovjek utjecao na sadašnje uzorke rasprostranjenosti otočne faune lacertidnih guštera. Danas sredozemne otoke naseljuje nekoliko rodova lacertida, uključujući endemične vrste rodova Algyroides (viz. fitzingeri), »Lacerta« Archaeolacerta (viz. bedriagae) i Podarcis (atratus, filfolensis, gaigae, lilfordi, milensis, pityusensis, raffonei, tiliguerta, waglerianus). Nedavno objavljeni podaci bacili su novo svjetlo na odnose tih endemičnih i nekih kontinentalnih vrsta koje su nedavno naselile otoke. Dolazak potonjih mogao bi biti u direktnoj vezi s uznapredovalim naseljavanjem čovjeka na te otoke. Razmatraju se nastali problemi zaštite

A fianco del padrone. Tipologie e simbolismi del cane sui monumenti funerari attici d'età classica

ItIl presente contributo si propone di analizzare le differenti tipologie canine raffigurate sui monumenti funerari attici del periodo classico, al fine di delinearne modalità di impiego e valenze simboliche. Dopo un primo esame dei fenotipi etnici dei cani, l'analisi incrociata degli esemplari presenti sui monumenti funerari a rilievo e su quelli a tuttotondo ha permesso di effettuare una prima selezione delle categorie canine rappresentate, portando a identificare almeno tre tipologie ricorrenti: una cane di tipo Spitz, un cane di tipo Podenco e un cane Molosso. Si è proceduto poi a un'analisi delle relazioni intercorrenti fra tali cani e le tipologie di monumenti a cui questi risultano legati, nonché delle (eventuali) associazioni fra questi animali e specifiche categorie umane. Le conclusioni raggiunte hanno permesso di individuare una logica apparentemente stringente nella scelta e nell'impiego delle sopraddette tipologie, portando a formulare anche alcune possibili interpretazioni circa le ragioni ideologiche sottostanti all'impiego del cane nell'arte funeraria attica d'età classica.EnThe aim of this paper is to analyze the different types of dogs represented on Attic funerary monuments of classical period (V-IV century B.C.), in order to outline their artistic employment and their symbolic meanings. After the examination of the phenotypes of dog races, the crossanalysis of the specimens on funerary monuments (reliefs and statues) allowed us to make a first selection of the canine categories represented, leading to identify at least three types of dogs: a Spitz dog type, a Podenco dog type and a Molossian dog. The research proceeded then into a study of the relationships among these dogs and the typologies of monuments, as well as their (eventual) associations with human categories. The conclusions allowed us to define a compelling logic in the selection and use of the dogs, leading us to formulate some possible interpretations concerning the ideological reasons in the representation of these animals in Attic funerary art of classical age

Islands as Time Capsules for Genetic Diversity Conservation: The Case of the Giglio Island Mouflon

The use of multidisciplinary approaches of investigation including biological, biogeographical, historical, morphological, and genetic analysis, can be useful in identifying and preserving biodiversity. The present study focuses on the characterisation and conservation of a mouflon population (Ovis gmelini musimon) from the Mediterranean island of Giglio. Here we provide the first molecular data on the Giglio population and compare it with mouflons from Sardinia, Elba, and Corsica using both nuclear and mitochondrial markers. Our results suggest that the Giglio mouflon harbours genetic variability likely of Sardinian origin but not represented in the current Sardinian mouflon diversity. Although not presenting the typical characteristics of an invasive alien species, the Giglio mouflon is being subjected to eradication through culling or trapping and surgical sterilization. The molecular evidence we report highlights that such actions are causing the irremediable loss of ancestral genetic variants of the genus Ovis. Finally, we highlight how a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to aid the conservation and management of the anthropochorous populations of Mediterranean mammals

Dissecting the region of 3EG J1837-0423 and HESS J1841-055 with INTEGRAL

3EG J1837-0423 and HESS J1841-055 are two unidentified and peculiar high-energy sources located in the same region of the sky, separated by 1.4 deg. Specifically, 3EG J1837-0423 is a transient MeV object detected by EGRET only once during flaring activity that lasted a few days while HESS J1841-055 is a highly extended TeV source. We attempted to match the high-energy emission from the unidentified sources 3EG J1837-0423 and HESS J1841-055 with X-rays (4-20 keV) and soft gamma-rays (20-100 keV) candidate counterparts detected through deep INTEGRAL observations of the sky region. As a result we propose the SFXT AX J1841.0-0536 as a possible candidate counterpart of 3EG J1837-0423, based on spatial proximity and transient behavior. Alternatively, AX J1841.0-0536 could be responsible for at least a fraction of the entire TeV emission from the extended source HESS J1841-055, based on a striking spatial correlation. In either case, the proposed association is also supported from an energetic standpoint by a theoretical scenario where AX J1841.0-0536 is a low magnetized pulsar which, due to accretion of massive clumps from the supergiant companion donor star, undergoes sporadic changes to transient Atoll-states where a magnetic tower can produce transient jets and as a consequence high-energy emission. In either case (by association with 3EG J1837-0423 or alternatively with HESS J1841-055), AX J1841.0-0536 might be the prototype of a new class of Galactic transient MeV/TeV emitters.Fil: Sguera, V.. Istituto di astrofisica spaziale di Bologna; ItaliaFil: Romero, Gustavo Esteban. Provincia de Buenos Aires. Gobernación. Comision de Investigaciones Científicas. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomía. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Instituto Argentino de Radioastronomia; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas; ArgentinaFil: Bazzano, A.. Istituto Nazionale Di Astrofisica; ItaliaFil: Masseti, N.. Istituto di astrofisica spaziale di Bologna; ItaliaFil: Bird, A. J.. School of Physics and Astronomy; Reino UnidoFil: Bassani, L.. Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica; Itali