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Towards the end of the nineteenth century, British colonists in Jamaica became increasingly exasperated by the damage caused to their sugar plantations by rats. In 1872, a British planter attempted to solve this problem by introducing the small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata). The animals, however, turned on Jamaica's insectivorous birds and reptiles, leading to an explosion in the tick population. This paper situates the mongoose catastrophe as a closing chapter in the history of the nineteenth-century acclimatization movement. While foreign observers saw the introduction of the mongoose as a cautionary tale, caricaturing British Jamaica as overrun by a plague of weasels and ticks, British colonists, administrators and naturalists – identifying a gradual decline of both populations – argued that the 'balance of nature' would eventually reassert itself. As this paper argues, through this dubious claim they were attempting to retrospectively rationalize or justify the introductions and their disastrous aftermath. This strategy enabled them to gloss over the lasting ecological damage caused by the mongoose, and allowed its adherents to continue their uncritical support of both the Jamaican plantation economy and animal introductions in the British Empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Major progress in understanding biological invasions has recently been made by quantitatively comparing successful and unsuccessful invasions. We used such an approach to test hypotheses about the role of climatic suitability, life history, and historical factors in the establishment and subsequent spread of 40 species of mammal that have been introduced to mainland Australia. Relative to failed species, the 23 species that became established had a greater area of climatically suitable habitat available in Australia, had previously become established elsewhere, had a larger overseas range, and were introduced more times. These relationships held after phylogeny was controlled for, but successful species were also significantly more likely to be nonmigratory. A forward-selection model included only two of the nine variables for which we had data for all species: climatic suitability and introduction effort. When the model was adjusted for phylogeny, those same two variables were included, along with previous establishment success. Of the established species, those with a larger geographic range size in Australia had a greater area of climatically suitable habitat, had traits associated with a faster population growth rate (small body size, shorter life span, lower weaning age, more offspring per year), were nonherbivorous, and had a larger overseas range size. When the model was adjusted for phylogeny, the importance of climatic suitability and the life-history traits remained significant, but overseas range size was no longer important and species with greater introduction effort had a larger geographic range size. Two variables explained variation in geographic range size in a forward-selection model: species with smaller body mass and greater longevity tended to have larger range sizes in Australia. These results mirror those from a recent analysis of exotic-bird introductions into Australia, suggesting that, at least among vertebrate taxa, similar factors predict establishment and spread. Our approach and results are being used to assess the risks of exotic vertebrates becoming established and spreading in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, wildlife is one of the most important sources of zoonoses, and it is a major concern for public health. Nevertheless, little is known about the role of wildlife as a reservoir and source of infectious diseases in the past. South America presents a wide diversity of wildlife. In the south of the continent, Argentina shelters a large diversity of neotropical carnivores. Although the paleoparasitological studies on carnivores have been increasing in southern Argentina, most of the efforts have been focused in a handful of sites located in western Patagonia. In this paper, two coprolites of felid found in Cueva Galpón, an initial late Holocene mortuary site from northeast Patagonia (Argentina), were studied for paleoparasitological purposes. Samples were processed by rehydration and homogenization, filtered and processed by spontaneous sedimentation. The samples were assigned to Puma concolor (puma) or Panthera onca (jaguar). Microscopic observations revealed that both coprolites were positive for parasite remains. High parasite richness was observed. Six nematodes, one cestode, and one coccidian morphotypes were reported. This is the first time that Gnathostoma sp. and Spirocerca sp. were recovered from holocenic times from Patagonia. This finding implies that some diseases such as taeniasis, spirocercosis, gnathostomosis, ascariasis, and coccidiosis could be present in holocenic wildlife from Patagonia prior to the Spanish colonization and domestic animal introduction. The overall results suggest that felids could have played a role as reservoirs and source of some parasitic species, some of which are zoonotic. Therefore, this animal could have entailed a risk agent for human health in the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integration of the Romania in the European Union is imposing a special attention to hunting populations. The aim of the present paper was to study the quantitative evolution of the hunting population for 13 animal species during 2014-2018, on 20 Bara hunting area, from Timis County, heaving a total area of 10.889 ha. The study shows that form the 13 monitored animal species, 3 were not identified on this hunting area: Fallow Deer (Dama dama L), Wildcat (Felis silvestris L), and Muskrat (Ondatra zibethica L.). The study has highlighted the emergence of an immigrant species, Jackal (Caniş aureus L.), with a constant population of 5 individuals at the beginning of the study period - 2014, which caused a decrease in the number of the Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes L) herds, with a relative value of 57.7%, the two species being competing. For the other species identified, the population of evolution number demonstrated that there is a good correlation between the number of individuals and its biogenic capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the first record of Rhabdosargus sarba (Forsskål 1775) in the Mediterranean Sea and the Syrian marine waters. One specimen (163 mm TL, 66.45 g TW) was caught by trammel nets at a depth range between 50 and 60 m, from Lattakia coast, on 31 January 2021. This record represents the first sighting of this immigrant species that entered the Mediterranean Sea to Syrian waters from the Red Sea. the key to the species of Rhabdosargus is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the absence of real strategic interest in her Micronesian possessions, Imperial Germany set out to administer the Islands Territory of Micronesia with as little financial effort as possible. To maximize returns from the colonies, the German administrators assessed the agricultural potential of the islands and set about introducing plant varieties for trial and future commercial planting. This paper traces the history of the animal and plant introductions to Micronesia and compiles the available evidence. The administrators were caught in an economic mindset circumscribed by copra production as well as by the need to grow crops of strategic potential, such as rubber-producing plants. While initially reliant on the interest and initiative of the local administrators, agricultural experimentation became increasingly centralized. The absence of fully trained agricultural advisors, especially in the later years of the German colonial administration, meant that plants of great commercial potential, such as sugarcane in the Marianas, were never trialled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the loss of biodiversity accelerating, conservation translocations such as reintroductions are becoming an increasingly common conservation tool. Conservation translocations must source individuals for release from either wild or captive‐bred populations. We asked what proportion of North American conservation translocations rely on captive breeding and to what extent zoos and aquaria (hereafter zoos) fulfill captive breeding needs. We searched for mention of captive breeding and zoo involvement in all 1863 articles included in the North American Conservation Translocations database, which comprises journal articles and grey literature published before 2014 on conservation translocations in Canada, the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America before 2014 as identified by a comprehensive literature review. Conservation translocations involved captive breeding for 162 (58%) of the 279 animal species translocated. Fifty‐four zoos contributed animals for release. The 40 species of animals bred for release by zoos represented only 14% of all animal species for which conservation translocations were published and only 25% of all animal species that were bred for releases occurring in North America. Zoo contributions varied by taxon, ranging from zoo‐bred animals released in 42% of amphibian conservation translocations to zero contributions for marine invertebrates. Proportional involvement of zoos in captive‐breeding programs for release has increased from 1974 to 2014 (r = 0.325, p = 0.0313) as has the proportion of translocation‐focused scientific papers coauthored by zoo professionals (from 0% in 1974 to 42% in 2013). Although zoos also contribute to conservation translocations through education, funding, and professional expertise, increasing the contribution of animals for release in responsible conservation translocation programs presents a future conservation need and opportunity. We especially encourage increased dialogue and planning between the zoo community, academic institutions, and governments to optimize the direct contribution zoos can make to wildlife conservation through conservation translocations. Article impact statement: Zoos contribute animals to 14% of published North American animal conservation translocations and 25% of linked captive breeding programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Biogeographic processes have led to different evolutionary taxa occurring in the northern and southern edges of the Alpine Mountains in Western Europe. The integrity of this diversity is being challenged by frequent human-mediated trans-alpine translocations, sometimes leading to biological invasions. Several alien terrestrial vertebrates of south Alpine origins (Italy, Swiss Ticino) are causing damages to native north Alpine fauna. In this paper, we used molecular tools to characterize the understudied case of the Mediterranean smooth newt (Lissotriton vulgaris meridionalis) expanding in the outskirts of Geneva since its introduction before 1975. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequencing suggest that these exotic populations are a mixture between two diverged L. v. meridionalis lineages from central Italy, and traces of potential hybridization with the native L. v. vulgaris was detected. This situation echoes many other trans-alpine alien introductions. We review all comparable cases of southern to northern Alps introductions in vertebrates, including seven reptiles and four amphibians. The majority of south alpine alien lineages were presumably imported voluntarily by enthusiasts and appear to perform better in the disturbed habitats found in the anthropogenic landscapes of Western Europe compared to their native north Alpine counterparts. Most pose serious threats to related species of similar ecology, through direct competition, predation and introgressive hybridization. Difficulties to detect alien species on time lead to significant conservation costs. Better education together with more appropriate and reactive management plans will be necessary to limit the impact of future alien introductions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polyploidy is exceptional in mammals and rare in reptiles. Unscheduled polyploidy often leads to cell disorders and cancer through genomic rearrangements that can be difficult to trace and is particularly poorly studied in non-model vertebrates. In the present paper, using a combination of banding and Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) techniques, we reconstruct and characterize the origin and significance of aneupolyploid karyotypes found in the bone marrow of an individual of the Malagasy gecko Geckolepis typica. Our results demonstrate that these anomalous karyotypes correspond to a proliferative cell disorder characterized by a succession of distinct structural events, from a preliminary duplication of the whole genome to the instability of loci of NORs and subsequent chromosome rearrangements that will produce aneuploid cells. Our comparison between the newly described normal, i.e., diploid, karyotype of the species (2n = 40) and aneutetraploid plates (4n = 77-80) revealed that translocations of NOR-bearing chromosomes are involved in generating aneuploidy. Furthermore, simultaneous and multiple translocations of the NOR-bearing chromosomes occurred with relatively high frequency (27% and 19%, respectively) on distinct chromosome pairs. In addition, in about 9% of 90 scored metaphase plates, structural instability of the NOR regions also produced detachments of rDNA arrays and generated an accessory, fully heterochromatic B-chromosome. Our data suggest that the duplication of the whole genome can be considered a preliminary stage in proliferative cell disorders, inducing chromosomal instability and structural rearrangements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monitoring and surveillance systems have an increasingly important role in contemporary society ensuring high levels of animal health and welfare, securing export positions, and protecting public health by ensuring animal health and product safety. In the Netherlands, a voluntary monitoring and surveillance system is in place since 2003 to provide a broad overview of livestock trends in addition to disease-specific surveillance systems, including insight into the occurrence and prevalence of new and emerging non-notifiable diseases and disorders. Being a major surveillance component of this monitoring and surveillance system for small ruminant health in the Netherlands, an annual data analysis on routine census data is performed to retrospectively monitor trends and developments regarding goat health and welfare. This paper aims to describe the process of the data analysis on goat farms in the Netherlands in 2020 and subsequent results are discussed. The data analysis provides key monitoring indicators such as animal and farm density, mortality, animal movements, and numbers and origin of imported small ruminants. Trends were analysed over a five-year, period and associations between herd characteristics and herd health are evaluated. Results showed that in 2020 the Dutch goat population consisted of 670,842 goats, distributed over 14,730 unique herds and increased by 2.3 % compared to 2019. Between 2016 and 2020, although probably underestimated, recorded mortality rates showed a decline on both small-scale and professional farms, with a strongest decrease on farms with herd sizes over more than 200 animals. Seventy-five percent of all professional farms registered animal introductions, in addition to 63 % of small-scale farms, including 2439 imported goats. Performing risks analyses requires demographic knowledge of the goat industry. During and after several disease outbreaks, such as bluetongue and Schmallenberg virus disease, the data analysis proved to function as a valuable tool, however, appeared just as important for recording outbreak-free data. Since its start in 2006, the concept of the data-analysis has continuously been improved, and will in the future be further developed, especially if more complete data sets become available. Subsequently, data analysis will increasingly support monitoring and surveillance of goat health and welfare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a database of indigenous and non-indigenous terrestrial mammal records on Western Australian (WA) islands, updated from a database we published more than 20 years ago. The database includes records of 88 indigenous species on 155 islands, compared with 54 indigenous species on 141 WA islands in the paper by Abbott and Burbidge in CALMScience, Volume 1, pp. 259-324. The database also provides 266 records of 21 species of non-indigenous mammal species on 138 WA islands, more than double the number of records in the earlier review. Of the 33 threatened and nearthreatened WA non-volant mammals, 16 occur naturally (and have persisted) on WA islands, five additional species occur on islands outside WA, 14 successful conservation translocations of 10 species have been undertaken to WA islands, and six species have been successfully translocated to 12 islands outside WA - two of which do not currently occur on WA islands. The house mouse now accounts for the largest number of extant records of non-indigenous species. Even with the increasing number of conservation translocations to mainland islands (fenced exclosures), WA islands remain essential for the effective conservation of several threatened and near-threatened mammals and many of the translocations to mainland islands have been sourced from islands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studies of animal introductions have traditionally been the preserve of ecologists and natural historians but here it is argued that exotic species are a rich source of cultural evidence with the potential to enhance archaeological interpretations relating to human behaviour and beliefs. This paper focuses on the domestic fowl (Gallus gallus), a native of East Asia that spread across Europe during the Neolithic to Iron Age and became well established by the end of the Roman period. After reviewing the evidence for the diffusion of chickens and the concept of cockfighting, this paper presents a speculative argument about the impact of domestic fowl on Iron Age and Roman Britain. By drawing upon evidence from history, anthropology and human remains analysis, the article explores how the arrival of these new creatures may have helped shape human society, particularly in terms of gender definition and attitudes to violence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Monitoring and surveillance of sheep health and welfare are of major importance for early detection of disease outbreaks. As in other European countries, there is a national notifiable disease surveillance system in the Netherlands. Additionally, Royal GD implemented a voluntary monitoring and surveillance system for sheep in 2003 which is built on a consultancy helpdesk, diagnostic testing including post-mortem examination, veterinary networks, and, since 2006, an annual data analysis, performed by collecting, aggregating and analysing routine census data from five data sources and four nationally operating organizations. This paper describes the data analysis as performed for sheep over the years 2016 up to and including 2020, and multivariable analyses monitoring trends in time as well as associations between flock health and potential confounders. It presents a detailed description of the Dutch sheep population with 1,219,963 sheep distributed over 30,134 farms in 2020, and small fluctuations in numbers of sheep over time. Mortality is described for different types of farms, peaking all years in the first quarter, with some seasonal variations between small scale and professional farms. Animal movements within and into the Netherlands take place on a large scale. In 2020, 75% and 43% of all professional and small scale farms, respectively, did register animal introductions, and on average more than 50,000 sheep were imported annually over the last five years, and not only from surrounding countries. Possible consequences are considered. Benefits, limitations and challenges are discussed as are potential opportunities for future improvement. Although improvements are possible, data analysis in its current form proves to be a valuable tool in the monitoring and surveillance system, and thus helps to improve sheep health and welfare in the Netherlands. • Data analysis supports monitoring and surveillance of small ruminants. • Data analysis helps to improve sheep health and welfare in the Netherlands. • Mortality is a good indicator of the cause of disease problems, especially in lambs. • Knowledge of animal movements improves understanding of disease transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Translocations have been advocated as a conservation tool helping species adapt to climate and land-use change, but well-documented examples of invertebrates’ translocations are rare. The paper describes a successful translocation of the threatened Clouded Apollo butterfly ( Parnassius mnemosyne ) in Finland, compares this to a specific failed translocation, and presents conclusions for conservation planning as to factors contributing to the success. Two apparent key characteristics of the successful translocation were greater abundance of larval resources and less open landscape. The successful site was surrounded by forest, which strongly restricted emigration, crucially supporting the survival of the small initial population. Based on 20 mated females’ translocation in 2000, the local population increased slowly, reaching 600 butterflies in 2011. A large translocation patch together with host-plant abundance enabled successful establishment of the local population. Availability of other suitable grassland patches sufficiently nearby was an additional key characteristic, facilitating the Clouded Apollo’s expansion. However, the expansion rate was low; it took seven years for the butterflies to colonise the five nearest patches, only 10–200 m from the translocation patch. By 2013, they had colonised all suitable semi-natural grassland patches within 2 km from the translocation site and established a seemingly viable metapopulation with 11 subpopulations. The results point to the significance of local habitat area and landscape quality, along with conditions restricting emigration, in determination of suitable translocation sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The study of animal personality is important to conserve animals because it can help in selecting the most appropriate individuals to be released into the wild. Individuals not so bold or aggressive, less stressed, who explore their new environment with greater caution are often more likely to survive after release into the wild. In contrast, bolder and more aggressive animals reproduce more successfully and, therefore, can be released with the aim of rapid repopulation of an area. These and other aspects of how animal personality can help in conservation programs, as well as how to collect personality data are covered in this paper. The number of animal species threatened with extinction are increasing every year, and biologists are conducting animal translocations, as one strategy, to try to mitigate this situation. Furthermore, researchers are evaluating methods to increase translocation success, and one area that shows promise is the study of animal personality. Animal personality can be defined as behavioral and physiological differences between individuals of the same species, which are stable in time and across different contexts. In the present paper, we discuss how animal personality can increase the success of translocation, as well as in the management of animals intended for translocation by evaluating personality characteristics of the individuals. Studies of the influence of birthplace, parental behavior, stress resilience, and risk assessment can be important to select the most appropriate individuals to be released. Finally, we explain the two methods used to gather personality data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detailed understanding of the population dynamics of many amphibian species is lacking despite concerns about declining amphibian biodiversity and abundance. This paper explores temporal patterns of occupancy and underlying extinction and colonization dynamics in a regionally imperiled amphibian species, the Northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) in Alberta. Our study contributes to elucidating regional occupancy dynamics at northern latitudes, where climate extremes likely have a profound effect on seasonal occupancy. The primary advantage of our study is its wide geographic scale (60,000 km2) and the use of repeat visual surveys each spring and summer from 2009–2013. We find that occupancy varied more dramatically between seasons than years, with low spring and higher summer occupancy. Between spring and summer, colonization was high and extinction low; inversely, colonization was low and extinction high over the winter. The dynamics of extinction and colonization are complex, making conservation management challenging. Our results reveal that Northern leopard frog occupancy was constant over the last five years and thus there is no evidence of decline or recovery within our study area. Changes to equilibrium occupancy are most sensitive to increasing colonization in the spring or declining extinction in the summer. Therefore, conservation and management efforts should target actions that are likely to increase spring colonization; this could be achieved through translocations or improving the quality or access to breeding habitat. Because summer occupancy is already high, it may be difficult to improve further. Nevertheless, summer extinction could be reduced by predator control, increasing water quality or hydroperiod of wetlands, or increasing the quality or quantity of summer habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wildlife managers consider animal translocation a means of increasing the viability of a local population. However, augmentation may disrupt existing resident disease dynamics and initiate an outbreak that would effectively offset any advantages the translocation may have achieved. This paper examines fundamental concepts of disease ecology and identifies the conditions that will increase the likelihood of a disease outbreak following translocation. We highlight the importance of susceptibility to infection, population size and population connectivity - a characteristic likely affected by translocation but not often considered in risk assessments - in estimating outbreak risk due to translocation. We then explore these features in a species of conservation concern often translocated in the presence of infectious disease, the Mojave Desert tortoise, and use data from experimental tortoise translocations to detect changes in population connectivity that may influence pathogen transmission. Preliminary analyses comparing contact networks inferred from spatial data at control and translocation plots and infection simulation results through these networks suggest increased outbreak risk following translocation due to dispersal-driven changes in contact frequency and network structure. We outline future research goals to test these concepts and aid managers in designing effective risk assessment and intervention strategies that will improve translocation success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augmentative biocontrol aims to control established pest populations through enhancement of their indigenous enemies. To our knowledge, this approach has not been applied at an operational scale in natural marine habitats, in part because of the perceived risk of adverse non-target effects on native ecosystems. In this paper, we focus on the persistence, spread and non-target effects of the sea urchin Evechinus chloroticus when used as biocontrol agent to eradicate an invasive kelp from Fiordland, New Zealand. Rocky reef macrobenthic assemblages were monitored over 17 months in areas where the indigenous algal canopy was either removed or left intact prior to the translocation of a large number of urchins (>50 ind.·m−2). Urchin densities in treated areas significantly declined ∼9 months after transplant, and began spreading to adjacent sites. At the end of the 17-month study, densities had declined to ∼5 ind.·m−2. Compared to controls, treatment sites showed persistent shifts from kelp forest to urchin barrens, which were accompanied by significant reductions in taxa richness. Although these non-target effects were pronounced, they were considered to be localised and reversible, and arguably outweigh the irreversible and more profound ecological impacts associated with the establishment of an invasive species in a region of high conservation value. Augmentative biocontrol, used in conjunction with traditional control methods, represents a promising tool for the integrated management of marine pests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Uruguay, Badumna longinqua is an invasive species arising from Australia. Phoresy by human activities and strong adaptation to synantropic sites have been the main factors that have contributed to the dispersal of this species to other countries. In this study, we analysed the dispersion of B. longinqua in Uruguay using voucher specimens deposited in Uruguayan arachnological collections and new field captures. A logistic regression was performed to evaluate the relationship of this species with the studied habitats. We found individuals of B. longinqua associated with many different synantropic sites, such as the bark of Eucalyptus spp. trees situated in parks, avenues and commercial plantations. As this crop is being extensively planted for the production of bleached hardwood pulp for paper production in Uruguay, Brazil, Argentina and others countries, we postulate the probable expansion of B. longinqua to other parts of South America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with additional brachypterous species of the Quedius muscicola-group of the subgenus Raphirus Stephens, 1829 of the genus Quedius Stephens, 1829. Quedius nujiang sp. nov. and Q. angustiarum sp. nov. (both from Gaoligong Shan in Yunnan), Q. oros sp. nov. (Sichuan) and Q. chion sp. nov. (Yunnan) are described as new. New distributional data are given for Q. io and Q. li. A key to the brachypterous species of the Q. muscicola-group known at present from mainland China is attached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A group of conservation biologists recently proposed to populate western North America with African and Asian megafauna, including lions, elephants, cheetahs, and camels, to create a facsimile of a species assemblage that disappeared from the continent some 13,000 years ago. The goals of this program, known as “Pleistocene re-wilding”, are to restore some of the evolutionary and ecological potential that was lost from North America during the Pleistocene extinctions, and help prevent the extinction of selected African and Asian mammals. Pleistocene re-wilders justify this conservation strategy on ethical and aesthetic grounds, arguing that humans have a moral responsibility to make amends for overexploitation by our ancestors. They believe that the flora of many North American terrestrial ecosystems has gone basically unchanged since the end of the Pleistocene, so re-wilding would help restore evolutionary and ecological potential and improve ecosystem functioning. This paper discusses some of the pros and cons of this proposal, including the ethical, aesthetic, ecological, and evolutionary issues, assesses its potential economic and political impacts on other conservation practices, both in North America and elsewhere, and reviews the realities of large mammal reintroductions. It is concluded that Pleistocene re-wilding with exotic species will not restore the evolutionary or ecological potential of native North American species nor extinct Pleistocene megafauna and their ancient ecosystems, but may instead jeopardize indigenous species and North American ecosystems. Resources would be better spent on preserving threatened organisms in their native habitats and reintroducing them to places in their historical ranges from which they were only recently extirpated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study documents a total of 321 fishes in 64 families occurring at Wake Atoll, a coral atoll located at 19° 17′ N, 166° 36′ E. Ten fishes are listed by genus only and one by family; some of these represent undescribed species. The first published account of the fishes of Wake by Fowler and Ball in 1925 listed 107 species in 31 families. This paper updates 54 synonyms and corrects 20 misidentifications listed in the earlier account. The most recent published account by Myers in 1999 listed 122 fishes in 33 families. Our field surveys add 143 additional species records and 22 new family records for the atoll. Zoogeographic analysis indicates that the greatest species overlap of Wake Atoll fishes occurs with the Mariana Islands. Several fish species common at Wake Atoll are on the IUCN Red List or are otherwise of concern for conservation. Fish populations at Wake Atoll are protected by virtue of it being a U.S. military base and off limits to commercial fishing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decade the invasion of European earthworms into previously worm-free glaciated areas of North America has stimulated research into their impacts on native forest ecosystems in the region. As a first approximation, the impacts of invading earthworms are related to their biomass. However, direct measurements of biomass can be significantly affected by the moisture conditions under which the earthworms are collected and their relative gut contents. Ash-free dry mass is the best standardized measure of earthworm biomass, but requires the destruction of specimens. This paper presents five allometric equations that allow for estimation of ash-free dry biomass based on length (mm) measurements for European earthworm species (Lumbricidae) commonly seen in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The alien fish species Prussian or gibel carp (Carassius gibelio) was introduced to Croatia from Asia several decades ago. The analysis was performed by the official monitoring data from the Final Report for the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Croatia by the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb during the last eight years (2010-2017) in combination with the statistical analysis of the fisheries data of the Krapina-Zagorje County and Sisak-Moslavina County in the period from 2004 to 2015. The proportion of Prussian carp catches (in kg) increased at Sisak-Moslavina County from 26.45% to 41.84% from 2004 to 2015, leading to a significant decrease of catches of common carp from 25.59% to 8.70%, respectively (r² = 0,936; p < 0,01). The catch per unit effort (CPUE) of Prussian carp, defined as annual catch by an average angler, significantly increased, from 6 kg at the beginning of this period to 14 kg at its end. These data show that Prussian carp still enlarges its populations along the Sava River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe social wasp Vespula vulgaris (L.), an introduced species that has caused extreme ecological damage in New Zealand, is reported from southern Tasmanian forests for the first time. In mainland Australia, this wasp has been present in the Melbourne area since 1958 and our retrospective analysis places it in Hobart since 1995. In the present paper, we document V. vulgaris in natural areas in southern Tasmania, well away from human habitation. Malaise trap samples collected since 1997 from nine sites at the Warra Long-term Ecological Research area in southern Tasmania revealed the widespread presence of both V. vulgaris and V. germanica (F.), another introduced species of concern. Analysis of microsatellite DNA markers showed no evidence of hybridisation between the two species. The potential impact of this newest social insect threat to Australian native biota is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]