Hearing in African pygmy hedgehogs (Atelerix albiventris): audiogram, sound localization, and ear anatomy.

The behavioral audiogram and sound localization performance, together with the middle and inner ear anatomy, were examined in African pygmy hedgehogs Atelerix albiventris. Their auditory sensitivity at 60 dB SPL extended from 2 to 46 kHz, revealing a relatively narrow hearing range of 4.6 octaves, with a best sensitivity of 21 dB at 8 kHz. Their noise-localization acuity around the midline (minimum audible angle) was 14°, matching the mean of terrestrial mammals. The African pygmy hedgehog was not able to localize low-frequency pure tones or a 3-kHz amplitude-modulated tone when forced to rely on the interaural phase-difference cue, a trait shared by at least nine other mammals. The middle ear of Atelerix has a configuration including an ectotympanic which is not fused to the surrounding bones, a substantial pars flaccida, a synostosed malleo-ectotympanic articulation and a 'microtype' malleus. The hearing and sound localization of A. albiventris is compared to that of a broad range of other mammals. It is shown that a malleus morphology like that of Atelerix, including a stiff articulation with the ectotympanic, is a consistent feature of other mammals that do not hear frequencies below 400 Hz.

CORAL: A framework for rigorous self-validated data modeling and integrative, reproducible data analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many organizations face challenges in managing and analyzing data, especially when relevant datasets arise from multiple sources and methods. Analyzing heterogeneous datasets and additional derived data requires rigorous tracking of their interrelationships and provenance. This task has long been a Grand Challenge of data science and has more recently been formalized in the FAIR principles: that all data objects be Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable, both for machines and for people. Adherence to these principles is necessary for proper stewardship of information, for testing regulatory compliance, for measuring the efficiency of processes, and for facilitating reuse of data-analytical frameworks. FINDINGS: We present the Contextual Ontology-based Repository Analysis Library (CORAL), a platform that greatly facilitates adherence to all 4 of the FAIR principles, including the especially difficult challenge of making heterogeneous datasets Interoperable and Reusable across all parts of a large, long-lasting organization. To achieve this, CORAL's data model requires that data generators extensively document the context for all data, and our tools maintain that context throughout the entire analysis pipeline. CORAL also features a web interface for data generators to upload and explore data, as well as a Jupyter notebook interface for data analysts, both backed by a common API. CONCLUSIONS: CORAL enables organizations to build FAIR data types on the fly as they are needed, avoiding the expense of bespoke data modeling. CORAL provides a uniquely powerful platform to enable integrative cross-dataset analyses, generating deeper insights than are possible using traditional analysis tools.

Five new species in the genus Leschenaultia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera: Tachinidae) from Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Rondônia, Brazil.

Five new species of Leschenaultia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 are described and illustrated based on SISBIOTA-Diptera project material collected in three Brazilian states: Leschenaultia andarae sp. n. and Leschenaultia belkysae sp. n. from Mato Grosso; Leschenaultia frangeri sp. n. and Leschenaultia marjorieae sp. n. from Mato Grosso do Sul; and Leschenaultia liriai sp. n., the first record of this genus from Rondônia. Leschenaultia bicolor (Macquart, 1846) is recorded for the first time from Mato Grosso do Sul. A key to all Brazilian species of Leschenaultia is provided.

The genus Blepharella Macquart (Diptera: Tachinidae) in Japan, with notes on the Oriental species B. lateralis Macquart.

The genus Blepharella Macquart belongs to the tribe Goniini of the Tachinidae (Diptera). Three new species of this genus are described from Japan (B. bomolocha sp. nov., B. grisescens sp. nov., and B. yaeyamana sp. nov.) and B. nigra Mesnil is redescribed. Blepharella tenuparafacialis Chao Shi is synonymized with the type species B. lateralis Macquart, syn. nov. and the male and female terminalia of B. lateralis are described and illustrated. The microtype eggs of B. bomolocha, B. nigra and B. lateralis are illustrated for the first time.