Predation on a freshwater crab, Dilocarcinus dentatus (Tricodactylidae), by several tropical wolf spiders, Ancylometes bogotensis (Ctenidae), in Trinidad, WI

On 4 September, 2014, during a nocturnal field trip to the Aripo Savannas, Trinidad, (WGS 84 UTM 0697545 1176021), an unusual observation was made. Three adult spiders, Dilocarcinus dentatus, were observed feeding on an adult freshwater crab, Ancylometes bogotensis. The spiders were on vegetation above a flooded trail and there were many crabs in the water below. The crab was initially held by a female spider; two males were then seen to approach and also feed on the crab

Optical, X-Ray Diffraction, and Magnetic Properties of the Cobalt-Substituted Nickel Chromium Ferrites (FeO 4

Cobalt-substituted nickel chromium ferrites (CrCoNi1−FeO4, =0,0.2,0.4,0.6,0.8,1.0) have been synthesized using sol-gel autocombustion method and annealed at 400 °C, 600 °C, 800 °C, and 1000 °C. All the ferrite samples have been characterized using UV-VIS spectrophotometery, FT-IR spectroscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy, powder X-Ray Diffraction, and magnetic measurements. Typical FT-IR spectra of the samples annealed at 400°C, 600°C, 800°C, and 1000°C exhibit two frequency bands in the range of ~480 cm−1 and ~590 cm−1 corresponding to the formation of octahedral and tetrahedral clusters of metal oxide, respectively. TEM images reveal that crystallite size increases from ~10 nm to ~45 nm as the annealing temperature is increased from 400°C to 1000°C. The unit cell parameter “a” is found to increase on increasing the cobalt concentration due to larger ionic radius of cobalt. Also, as the cobalt concentration increases, the saturation magnetization increases from 4.32 to 19.85 emu/g. This is due to the fact that cobalt ion replaces the less magnetic nickel ions. However, the coercivity decreases with increase in cobalt concentration due to the decrease in anisotropy field. The band gap has been calculated using UV-VIS spectrophotometry and has been found to decrease with the increase of particle size

New scorpion records for Chacachacare and Huevos Islands, Trinidad and Tobago

The scorpion fauna of Trinidad and Tobago is well- known, with nine species in two families having been recorded throughout the islands (Kjellesvig-Waering 1966; Lourenço and Huber 1999; Prendini 2001). However, there are still gaps in the exact distribution of the species especially in the smaller islands off the northwestern point of Trinidad. Here we provide details of three new records for Chacachacare and Huevos islands