First evidence of plastics in coypu (Myocastor coypus)'s platforms.

Platforms are structures built by coypus for various purposes, such as reproduction, resting, and thermoregulation. In a coastal wetland of central Italy, during a study aimed at investigating the characteristics of coypu's platforms, it was recorded, for the first time worldwide, the presence of plastic in these structures. Through a transect survey, we censused 83 platforms, among which three (3.61%) were found with presence of macro- and megaplastics (polystyrene, polypropylene, and low-density polyethylene in film form; polyester, polyamide, and expanded polystyrene in fragments). Through the FTIR spectra, it was possible to highlight the degradation of the polymeric materials. To stimulate possible in-depth investigations at the level of the food chain (e.g., coypu predators, including canids) in wet habitats, we discussed possible causes and implications of plastic presence in coypus' nest structures.

Behavioural Correlates of Lemur Scent-Marking in Wild Diademed Sifakas (Propithecus diadema) in the Maromizaha Forest (Madagascar).

Scent-marking through odours from excreta and glandular secretions is widespread in mammals. Among primates, diurnal group-living lemurs show different deployment modalities as part of their strategy to increase signal detection. We studied the diademed sifaka (Propithecus diadema) in the Maromizaha New Protected Area, Eastern Madagascar. We tested whether the scent-marking deposition occurred using a sequential rubbing of different body parts. We also tested if glands (i.e., deposition of glandular secretions) were more frequently rubbed than genital orifices (i.e., deposition of excreta) by comparing different kinds of rubbing behaviour. We then investigated if the depositor's rank and sex affected the sequence of rubbing behaviour, the height at which the scent-marking happened, and the tree part targeted. We found that glandular secretions were often deposited with urine, especially in dominant individuals. The probability of anogenital and chest marking was highest, but chest rubbing most frequently occurred in dominant males. Markings were deposited at similar heights across age and sex, and tree trunks were the most used substrate. Males exhibited long and more complex scent-marking sequences than females. Our results indirectly support the idea that diademed sifakas deploy a sex-dimorphic mixture of glandular secretions and excreta to increase the probability of signal detection by conspecifics.

Detection of viruses from feces of wild endangered Macaca maura: a potential threat to moor macaque survival and for zoonotic infection.

BACKGROUND: To date, there is a scarcity of information and literature on Macaca maura health status relative to viral diseases. The objectives of the present study were to investigate on the potential spread of enteric and non-enteric viruses shed in the environment through a wild macaque feces and to understand the possible interrelation in the spread of zoonotic viruses in a poorly studied geographical area, the Sulawesi Island. This study will also contribute providing useful information on potential threats to the health of this endangered species. METHODS: The sampling was conducted between 2014 and 2016 in the Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park, in the south of the Sulawesi Island and non-invasive sampling methods were used to collect fresh stools of the M. maura, one of the seven macaque species endemic to the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The population under study consisted in two wild, neighboring social macaque groups with partially overlapping home ranges; twenty-four samples were collected and examined using negative staining electron microscopy and a panel of PCR protocols for the detection of ten RNA and two DNA viruses. RESULTS: Viral particles resembling parvovirus (5 samples), picornavirus (13 samples) and calicivirus (13 samples) were detected by electron microscopy whereas the PCR panel was negative for the 12 viruses investigated, except for one sample positive for a mosquito flavivirus. The results did not correlate with animal sex; furthermore, because all of the animals were clinically healthy, it was not possible to correlate feces consistency with viral presence. CONCLUSIONS: As information on viral infections in wild moor macaques remains limited, further studies are yet required to identify the fecal-oral and blood transmitted potentially zoonotic viruses, which may infect the moor macaque and other macaque species endemic to the South Sulawesi Island.

The ultimate database to (re)set the evolutionary history of primate genital bones.

Scientific literature concerning genital bones in primates consists of both ancient works (dating back to the nineteenth century) and more recent revisions/meta-analyses, which, however, are not always so detailed or exhaustive. Based on a thorough analysis, several conflicting data, inaccurate references, and questionable claims have emerged. We generated a binary matrix of genital bone occurrence data, considering only data at the species level, based on (1) a rigorous literature search protocol, (2) raw data (collected exclusively from primary literature), (3) an updated taxonomy (often tracing back to the species taxonomic history) and (4) new occurrence data from scanned genitals of fresh and museum specimens (using micro-computed tomography-micro-CT). Thanks to this methodological approach, we almost doubled available occurrence data so far, avoiding any arbitrary extension of generic data to conspecific species. This practice, in fact, has been recently responsible for an overestimation of the occurrence data, definitively flattening the interspecific variability. We performed the ancestral state reconstruction analysis of genital bone occurrence and results were mapped onto the most updated phylogeny of primates. As for baculum, we definitively demonstrated its simplesiomorphy for the entire order. As for baubellum, we interpreted all scattered absences as losses, actually proposing (for the first time) a simplesiomorphic state for the clitoral bone as well. The occurrence data obtained, while indirectly confirming the baculum/baubellum homology (i.e., for each baubellum a baculum was invariably present), could also directly demonstrate an intra-specific variability affecting ossa genitalia occurrence. With our results, we established a radically improved and updated database about the occurrence of genital bones in primates, available for further comparative analyses.

Roadside monkeys: anthropogenic effects on moor macaque (Macaca maura) ranging behavior in Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia.

A growing body of research focuses on how anthropogenic factors affect the behavior and ecology of primates and their ecosystems. Infrastructural development, such as roads, is an increasingly pervasive anthropogenic impact that destroys primate habitat, affects the distribution and dispersal of primates, and facilitates human-primate interactions. At our field site in Bantimurung-Bulusaraung National Park, Sulawesi, Indonesia, a major road bisects the habitat of the endangered moor macaque (Macaca maura). Beginning in 2015, we observed a behavioral shift by our main study group: they began spending more time along the road foraging in trash pits and waiting for provisions from vehicles. Our objective in this study was to examine how access to anthropogenic foods has affected the group's ranging behavior by comparing ranging data collected before (2010-2011) and after the shift (2016-2017). In contrast to what we expected, home ranges were significantly larger and daily travel distance was significantly longer after the shift compared to before. As predicted, mean distance to the road decreased after the shift. These results likely reflect the irregular and spatially dispersed nature of provisioning at this site. The macaques appear to be attracted to the road because it presents opportunities to obtain palatable and energy-dense foods. Our results indicate that moor macaques are able to flexibly adjust their ranging behavior in response to anthropogenic impacts. However, given the risks of being in proximity to roads and humans, management of this emerging human-macaque interface is needed.

Clitoral length in immature and mature captive tufted capuchin (Sapajus spp.) females: A cross-sectional study.

Quantitative data on female external genital morphology are sporadic in the primate literature, and the intraspecific and interfemale variation is especially under investigated (e.g., external clitoris length). Since in most anthropoid primate species female external genitals are relatively small and often hidden, for those species whose external clitoris is described as hypertrophic, external genital resemblance may represent a source of confusion in distinguishing the sexes at a distance. This is the case of both captive and wild tufted capuchin (Sapajus spp.) infants. We provided data on external clitoral length and investigated differences in this trait at different ages in a captive female tufted capuchin population. Since likely allometric growth describes changes in relative dimensions of parts of the body that are correlated with changes in overall size, clitoris length has been analyzed by using body weight as a covariate. We measured clitoral length by adapting a technique developed for spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta). Our results suggest that the small body size may be only in part responsible of the perception of long clitoris in female infants, since the clitoris is actually longer in immature females compared to adult ones and its size is inversely related to body weight. While the cross-sectional nature of these data does not allow for conclusive interpretation of the results, we tentatively suggest this phenomenon as a transient male-mimicry by immature females. Our study contributed to the description of normative data in a clitoral trait, thus providing foundation for future studies about causal mechanisms and possible adaptive function(s).

Activity budget, home range, and habitat use of moor macaques (Macaca maura) in the karst forest of South Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Primate behavior can be responsive to the different ecological pressures associated with different habitats, as well as to the effects of direct and indirect anthropogenic disturbance. The karst forest ecosystem of South Sulawesi (Indonesia) represents one of the few intact forests available for residual populations of the moor macaque, but our understanding of its habitat use is limited. In the present study, this gap in knowledge was addressed by observing the activity and habitat use of two groups of moor macaques and by assessing the suitability of different habitats in the karst forest. Through a fine-scale vegetation analysis of 1 ha of forest in Bantimurung Bulusaraung National Park, we identified the presence of two distinct habitats that differ in terms of forest structure and composition. The karst plain forest (KPF) provided a greater abundance and diversity of food resources than the karst tower forest (KTF). In addition, anthropogenic disturbance was high in the KPF but low in the KTF. Behavioral data collected via group scans indicate that the macaques devoted more time to feeding activities when in the KPF, suggesting an ability to adjust their feeding behavior to meet their nutritional needs. However, the larger of the two groups used the food-rich KPF more than expected, implying that the KTF may represent a valuable refuge for the smaller group, as it is a less risky portion of its home range. The results of this study therefore provide novel information on the ecology of moor macaques and their habitats that can inform conservation planning for remnant populations.

A 3D journey on virtual surfaces and inner structure of ossa genitalia in Primates by means of a non-invasive imaging tool.

Novel bio-imaging techniques such as micro-Computed Tomography provide an opportunity to investigate animal anatomy and morphology by overcoming limitations imposed by traditional anatomical drawings. The primate genital bones are complex anatomical structures whose occurrence in both male penis (baculum) and female clitoris (baubellum) may be difficult to assess in individual cadavers. We tested a 3-step methodological protocol, including different techniques ranging from inexpensive/simple to more expensive/sophisticated ones, by applying it to a sample of primate species, and resulting in different levels of data complexity: (1) presence/absence manual palpation method; (2) 2D X-ray plates; 3) 3D micro-CT scans. Manual palpation failed on 2 out of 23 specimens by detecting 1 false negative and 1 false positive; radiography failed once confirming the false positive, however firmly disproved by micro-CT; micro-CT analysis reported the presence of 9 bacula out of 11 male specimens and 1 baubellum out of 12 female specimens. A different baculum position was identified between strepsirrhine and haplorrhine species. We also aim to assess micro-CT as a non-invasive technique providing updated anatomical descriptions of primate ossa genitalia. Micro-CT 3D volumes showed the surface of some bones as rough, with a jagged appearance, whereas in others the surface appeared very smooth and coherent. In addition, four main types of bone internal structure were identified: 1) totally hollow; 2) hollow epiphyses and solid diaphysis with few or several channels inside; 3) totally solid with intricate Haversian channels; 4) totally solid with some channels (structure of single baubellum scanned). Ossa genitalia appeared as a living tissue having its own Haversian-like channels. The high resolution of micro-CT 3D-images of primate genital bones disclosed additional form variability to that available from genital bone 2D images of previous studies, and showed for the first time new internal and external morphological characters. Moreover, micro-CT non-invasive approach proved appropriate to recover much of scientific knowledge still hidden and often neglected in both museum specimens and primate cadavers only destined to necropsy.

Effects of parasitic infection and reproduction on corticosterone plasma levels in Galápagos land iguanas, Conolophus marthae and C. subcristatus.

In vertebrates, one main feature of stress response is the release of glucocorticoids (corticosterone in reptiles), steroid hormones whose synthesis is regulated by the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA). In the Galápagos Islands, populations of land iguanas are differentially impacted by a tick-transmitted apicomplexan hemoparasite of genus Hepatozoon, which could cause diseases and ultimately reduce fitness. Using competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), we examined baseline plasma corticosterone levels of two syntopic and highly parasitized populations of the land iguana species Conolophus marthae and C. subcristatus in Wolf volcano (Isabela Island). We also used a poorly parasitized population of C. subcristatus from the same island (Bahia Urbina) as a reference. To better interpret the observed glucocorticoids patterns, we simultaneously performed the count of white blood cells (WBCs) in all individuals and investigated the reproductive status of females. We did not find evidence in support of either a positive or negative relationship between the tick load, hemoparasite infection, and glucocorticoid plasma concentration in C. marthae and C. subcristatus at Wolf volcano. The comparison between parasitized and non-parasitized sites (V. Wolf and Bahia Urbina) would instead suggest an inverse relationship between corticosterone and parasites. Our findings support association between corticosterone plasma levels and reproduction.

Plasma concentrations of progesterone and estradiol and the relation to reproduction in Galápagos land iguanas, Conolophus marthae and C. subcristatus (Squamata, Iguanidae).

In a combined approach, endocrine and ultrasonic analyses were performed to assess reproduction of two syntopic populations of terrestrial Galápagos iguanas the Conolophus marthae (the Galápagos Pink Land Iguana) and C. subcristatus on the Volcán Wolf (Isabela Island). The ELISA methods (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) were used to measure plasma concentrations of progesterone (P4) and 17ß-estradiol (E2) from samples collected over the course of three different seasons: July 2010, June 2012-2014. As for C. subcristatus, the large number of females with eggs in 2012 and 2014 were associated with increased plasma P4 concentrations and the corresponding absence of females with eggs in July 2010 when concentrations of both hormones levels were basal indicating reproduction was still ongoing in June and had ended in July. In C. marthae, even though there was a positive relationship between egg-development stages and hormone concentrations, P4 concentrations were basal through the three years that samples were collected, with some females having a lesser number of eggs compared with C. subcristatus. In C. marthae P4 and E2 patterns did not allow for defining a specific breeding season.

A new Eastern Asian Hycleus and key to the Chinese species of the phaleratus group (Coleoptera, Meloidae, Mylabrini).

A new species of Hycleus belonging to the phaleratus group, and close to Hycleusphaleratus, is described. The new species, Hycleusmarcipoli, is distributed in China (Gansu and Taiwan), Laos, and northern Thailand. A key to the Chinese species of this group is presented.

Phylogeography of Helleria brevicornis (Crustacea, Oniscidea): old and recent differentiations of an ancient lineage.

Helleria brevicornis has a disjunct, peri-Tyrrhenian distribution that mirrors that of several organisms, for which geographic vicariance is invoked, due to the geological events started with the Oligocene split of the Sardo-Corsican microplate from the Pyrenees, and successive separation between Sardinia and Corsica. Molecular phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that such a biogeographic model does not apply to Helleria. The original split of the Sardinian and Corsican lineages originated in the Early Pliocene. Further diversification occurred later. The colonization of the Tuscan archipelago, French, and Italian mainland occurred most recently, but a possible time dependency bias suggests that such colonization was driven by human-transport.

Inter-population variation of carotenoids in Galápagos land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus).

Carotenoids have received much attention from biologists because of their ecological and evolutionary implications in vertebrate biology. We sampled Galápagos land iguanas (Conolophus subcristatus) to investigate the types and levels of blood carotenoids and the possible factors affecting inter-population variation. Blood samples were collected from populations from three islands within the species natural range (Santa Cruz, Isabela, and Fernandina) and one translocated population (Venecia). Lutein and zeaxanthin were the predominant carotenoids found in the serum. In addition, two metabolically modified carotenoids (anhydrolutein and 3'-dehydrolutein) were also identified. Differences in the carotenoid types were not related to sex or locality. Instead, carotenoid concentration varied across the localities, it was higher in females, and it was positively correlated to an index of body condition. Our results suggest a possible sex-related physiological role of xanthophylls in land iguanas. The variation in the overall carotenoid concentration between populations seems to be related to the differences in local abundance and type of food within and between islands.

Non-invasive techniques for analysing hormonal indicators of stress.

The growing concern over animal welfare has led to an increased awareness of the need to monitor and reduce stress in laboratory, zoo, and farm animals. To do so, valid and reliable methods are necessary. In the present work, we discuss non-invasive techniques for analysing hormonal indicators of stress, particularly glucocorticoids. Specifically, we describe methods for analysing samples of saliva, urine, and faeces, the collection of which, unlike blood sampling, does not represent a source of stress and thus a potential source of bias. We also address species-specific responses to stress and inter-individual variability, the reliability of specific hormonal assays, and the use of indirect measures of circulating stress hormones.

Analysis of tufted capuchin (Cebus apella) courtship and sexual behavior repertoire: changes throughout the female cycle and female interindividual differences.

Sexual solicitations and initiative (proceptivity, sensu Beach [1976] Horm Behav 7:105-138) are important components of the sexuality of females of many primate species. In the tufted capuchin (Cebus apella), female proceptivity characterizes the species' mating system. In study 1, we defined and discussed 20 behavioral patterns based on the observation of 6 females and 5 males living in two social groups. In study 2, each behavior, including mounting activity, was quantitatively assessed during the periovulatory and nonperiovulatory cycle phases of 4 females, detected on the basis of urinary progestin levels (N = 20 ovulatory cycles, 5 for each female); moreover, we monitored changes in females' social interactions (agonism, grooming activity, and play). Nine of the behaviors typically used by the female during courtship and in sexual interactions showed a dramatic increase during the periovulatory phase. Though males mounted females at an apparently higher rate during the periovulatory than the nonperiovulatory phase, the difference was not significant. However, when adult male mounting is separated into those which occur within play and nonplay contexts, there is a significant periovulatory phase effect for mounts not associated with play. Females groomed adult males at the same rate throughout the cycle. Agonism and play did not show any phase effect; however, females' avoidance of adult males significantly increased during the periovulatory phase. Finally, each female made a statistically different use of the behavioral repertoire by performing some behaviors more than others. This variability among females during courtship calls for further research into whether it affects mating success.