The reproductive strategy in temporary ponds: a study case with the Italian endemic Apennine yellow-bellied toad (Bombina pachypus)

Amphibians are declining worldwide and many species are threatened for unknown reasons. In fact, information on ecology of several species are not available due to the lack of studies. The Apennine yellow-bellied toad (Bombina pachypus) is an Italian endemic species in progressive decline in many areas, often for unclear reasons. A two-year study of 116 temporary ponds in a grazing area of the Majella National Park (central Italy) from 2001 to 2002 revealed that: (a) Apennine yellow-bellied toads reproduced in small ponds characterized by high desiccation risk; (b) breeding activity occurred for a prolonged period (at least from May to the beginning of August), during which females spawned clutches of very few eggs in several, successive events; (c) the reproductive success was very low especially because of high egg mortality; and (d) the main cause of mortality was the desiccation of ponds. Consequently, the characteristics of breeding areas (i.e., small, ephemeral ponds) are the most important feature influencing the reproduction. The safeguard of temporary ponds is crucial for the conservation of this amphibian and could preserve also the other species using these pools

A novel approach to detect short circuits in low voltage induction motor by stray flux measurement

This paper, after a detailed literature analysis, presents new results which show the actual possibility to detect inter-turn short-circuits in low voltage induction motors by means of measurements of the stray flux around the motor. With respect to the literature, some novelties are introduced: the use of different flux probes in different positions around the machine and the statistical evaluation of the experimental results. The effectiveness of the flux as diagnostic indicator has been compared to the motor current signal analysis (MCSA)

The reptiles of Anatolia: a checklist and zoogeographical analysis

The geographical distribution of Reptiles in the Anatolian Region is examined and discussed in comparison with the reptile fauna of other Near East areas. The study area was confined to the Asiatic territories included within the political borders of the Turkish Republic, and the Greek islands along the Turkish coasts. The Turkish Thrace was excluded because on the European continental shelf. An updated checklist of the 109 species of indigenous reptiles, belonging to 48 genera and 19 families, was presented. For each species are given: (1) the general distribution, (2) the distribution in Anatolia, (3) the main chorotype and the detailed one, (4) a short information on affinities when available, (5) an outline of subspecies occurring in Anatolia, (6) a map with both bibliographic and unpublished records (for indigenous species only)