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ANNONA MURICATA
A natural remedy for cancer treatment with out any common side effects caused by chemotherapeutic drugs. It is ten thousand times more potent than normal chemotherapeutic drug. It have its effect on dividing cells that have cancer property but no effect on normal dividing cell.
It is commonly seen in areas of North America, South America and Caribbean and known to as by graviola, paw-paw, guanabana. Which is commonly known as soursop.
Now a days most of the people In Kerala planting mullatha at their home (because of awareness programmes held by doctors and several organizations) and it also is available in Lulu hypermarket, Kochi as soursop. Commonly it is known as mullatha.
Each part of the plant like leaves, stem, bark, seeds and fruits are used as anti cancer agent or as a cytotoxic agent. Leaves extract of annona muricata has proved to be used in breast cancer.
Now a days doctors prescribe annona muricata fruit for various cancer especially prostrate cancer. Seeds have insecticidal action as well as cytotoxic action. It is not only know for its cytotoxic activity but also for anti malarial, anti spasmodic, anti bacterial, anti amoebic, anti fungal, anti hypertensive, anti hyperglycemic and insecticidal action. It is also effective in Adriamycin resistant tumour.
For cancer patients adjuvant therapy with soursop fruit juice is most effective.
it also highly effective for several other health issues:
Benefits of Soursop for Skin:
Heals eczema and leprosy:
People suffering from eczema and other such skin problems benefit a lot by using sousop leaves. Mash these leaves and use it as a poultice to treat such problems. Taking the juice of soursop while fasting is said to cure leprosy.
Treatment of skin irritations:
If you suffer from skin eruptions, apply fresh leaves of this fruit on the skin. This helps in healing them quickly. Boils can appear on any part of your body and can be painful also. You can place soursop leaves on the affected areas and soon these boils will be healed.
Young Glowing skin:
Vitamin C and ascorbic acid are found in high amounts in this fruit. These increase the amount of antioxidants in the body, which fight against the free radicals that are responsible for the ageing of the skin, like the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and pigmentation. As a result, you will get young looking and glowing skin without any blemishes.
Benefits of Soursop for Hair:
Natural Treatment of hair lice:
Soursop leaves are very useful for getting rid of parasites. So, it is great for getting rid of head lice, which can multiply fast and affect your health. Make a decoction with soursop leaves and apply this on your scalp. Wait for a few minutes and then wash off with water. This way you can get rid of hair lice.
Health and Medicinal Benefits of Soursop:
Acts as Natural diuretic:
About 84% of this fleshy fruit consists of water. This helps in hydrating your body. Hence it is a natural diuretic and helps in the treatment of edema or retention of water.
Beneficial for the heart and nerves:
Soursop is a rich source of Vitamin B1, which is very effective for improving your metabolism and to prevent nervous disorders. It is also good for increasing the circulation of blood. Vitamin B2 in it is essential for the production of energy in the body and for the storage of fat in the body. It is also needed for the proper functioning of the nervous system and to maintain the heart muscles.
Fights free radicals:
Soursop contains ascorbic acid, which increases the amount of antioxidants in your body. Antioxidants are vital for fighting against the free radicals and thus keeping your body safe from various infections and disorders.
Fever Treatment:
Make tea with the leaves of this fruit and have it. This can lower the body temperature and cure fever.
Increases energy and endurance:
Fructose is found in high amounts in soursop. This is a simple sugar and a good source of natural carbohydrates. This can helps in keeping you fresh and regain the lost energy within minutes. It also increases your endurance power as it is rich in Vitamin C.
Kills parasites inside the body:
Presence of various nutrients in soursop like amino acids, calcium, ascorbic acid, iron, phosphorous, carbohydrates, thiamine, riboflavin and fiber make it very effective for killing the parasites inside the body and for the overall development of the body.
Kills cancer causing cells:
Soursop leaves are very effective for preventing breast, colon, prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer as it has the ability to kill 12 types of cancer cells. They attack the cancer cells without causing any side effects like nausea, hair loss, weight loss and so on, as you find in the case of chemotherapy. It is also said to be 10000 times more effective than chemotherapy and adriamycin for slowing down the cancer cell growth.
Boil 10 old soursop leaves in 3 cup of water till only 1 cup remains. Let the patients have it twice a day for two weeks to get any visible results. These leaves help in killing the abnormal cancer cells and also allow the cells to grow normally.
Osteoporosis Prevention:
Calcium and phosphorous are found in high amounts in soursop and these are essential for keeping your bones healthy and strong, thus preventing osteoporosis.
Promotes restful sleep:
Soursop can help in inducing sleepiness and relaxation. This is because of the presence of a chemical called tryptophan in it. This fruit is also good for maintaining proper levels of blood pressure and to control hypertension.
Relieves constipation fast:
You can get relief from constipation by having soursop fruit regularly because it is rich in soluble as well as insoluble fiber.
Rich Vitamin C Benefits:
Soursop is loaded with Vitamin C, which is a powerful antioxidant. It can improve your endurance and slow down the signs of aging.
Relieves from pain:
The leaves of soursop have the ability to get you relief from pain because they have analgesic properties. You can chew these leaves or apply them on wounds to reduce pain and heal the wound. If there is excessive pain, then you can boil 20 leaves of this plant with 5 cups of water till it is reduced to 3 cups. Drink ¾ cup of this concoction once a day and you will get relief.
Treatment of mouth ulcers:
Mash soursop leaves with water and apply this paste on the boils inside your mouth. This helps in reducing the irritation and curing the mouth ulcer.
Treatment of urinary tract infections:
Soursop is high in water contents. So it is very effective for treating Urinary tract infections, hematuria and urethritis. Having the juice of this fruit regularly can treat urethritis, hematuria and liver issues.
Treats hypertension:
The high ratio of potassium (278 mg/100 mg) to sodium (14 mg/100 mg) in soursop makes it very effective for people who suffer from hypertension.
A 0.8mm juvenile (male - thanks to Frans) wanders across the field of view & stops for a grain or two of pollen. Juveniles typically seem to be yellow like this.
The 1.5mm long female looms out of the bokeh behind. At 175mm FL, this is my max magnification.
EXPLORE Highest Rank #293
As I present shots taken on our recent trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton NPs, I'm trying hard to mix it up a bit - between wildlife and the raw landscape beauty of the area. Both were exciting to view and photograph, but obviously for very different reasons.
So today, I present to you Grand Prismatic Spring. It is located in the Midway Geyser Basin of Yellowstone NP. As you can see, there are several ways to visit this spring, which is the largest hot spring in the US, measuring 250X300' in diameter and is an amazing 160' deep. It produces 560 US gallons/minute! The temperature reaches about 160 degrees Farenheit. While it is the largest in the US, it is also the 3rd largest in the world! Only New Zealand boosts a larger one - actually they have 2 larger ones.
What makes this hot spring also so impressive is the beauty that it possesses - illustrating some of the most vivid and beautiful colors imaginable! The spring has a deep blue color which results from the intrinsic color of blue water, which is itself results from water's selective absorption of red wavelengths of visable light. It is especially blue due to the high purity of this particular hot spring. The surrounding microbial mats near the edges and extending from it like the rays of the sun, are created by the pigmentation of the bacterium living within the microbial mats.
As you can see, there are numerous ways to visit this hot spring. The more traditional way is to view it via the boardwalk which meanders through the basin floor. For our taste though, we wanted to be able to view it from above so that we would be able to appreciate all it had to offer. So we set out to hike on the trail to Fairy Falls. Along the way, there is a crude trail up the mountainside which offers this magnificent view looking down on the splendor. It was like we found the "pot of gold" up there. It seemingly took our breath away it was so gorgeous!
My only advice for those who might want to view it from the same vantage point is to choose carefully which lenses to take for the task. I took a wide angle which was unsatisfactory for me to give it "punch". The other lens I took was my trusty 70-200mm, which also left me antsy for about a 50mm, which I think would have been perfect. Oh well, just goes to prove one thing - you never can have enough lenses! LOL
So I settled for a partial shot, which I thought captured the details of the mats shooting out of the perimeter of the hot spring. It truly allowed you to see why it was so aptly named "Grand Prismatic Spring".
Thanks so much for visiting my photostream and sharing in our journeys of nature, wildlife, & adventure. Thanks especially for all of your comments, as they are immensely appreciated.
Ordo: Asparagales Link, Handbuch [Link] 1: 272. 1829
Familia: Asparagaceae Juss. 1789., Gen. Pl.: 40. 1789
Subfamilia: Agavoideae Herb., Amaryllidaceae: 48, 57, 67, 121. Apr 1837 (Agaveae)
Tribu: Yucceae Bartl., Ord. Nat. Pl.: 50. 1830 (Yuccea)
Genus: Yucca L., Sp. Pl. 1: 319. 1753
Sektio: Chaenocarpa Engelm., Botany (Fortieth Parallel) 496. 1871
Series Filamentosae x (Ser. Filamentosae x Ser. Elatae)
Yucca Hybrid JBR 2011.04.2
Y. sp. 'Kartausgarten' JBR 004 x [Yucca x filata ( x elata) fh 1180.88; made by Hochstätter in 1999 – Behan's No. 4 aka 'Big Mama']
The fresh fruits of this clon show a reddish tint as an influence of the Y. Kartausgarten, however the size and shape of the pollen donor! The reddish pigmentation is still recognizable even when dry!
The Maharaja's Temple exhibit at the Houston Downtown Aquarium is home to four white tigers . The white tiger is a pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger, which is reported in the wild int he Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar in the Sunderbans region and especially in the former State of Rewa.
The Houston Downtown Aquarium, located on a 6-acre site at 410 Bagby Street in space that formerly housed Fire Station No. 1 and the Central Waterworks Building. The complex includes an indoor aquarium with over 200 species of animals, two restaurants, a banquet facility, and outdoor carnival style games and rides.
They are the only members of the Genus, Bradypus (slow moving), and are similar to but phylogenetically different than the larger Two-toed (Hoffman') sloths. They both developed an arboreal life style independent of each other.
The greenish tint to their fur is due to algae, not pigmentation. The algae live in a symbiotic relationship with the sloth, providing nutrients and camouflage in return for shelter and moisture. There is also a specific moth that inhabits the fur and is involved in this relationship. The moth lays eggs in the feces of the sloth, when the sloth descends once a week to defecate on the forest floor. The moths reascend, after metamorphosing, to recolonize the sloth's fur again.
Nyah is part of Inamorata Vitiligo collection that celebrates the beauty of this unique type of pigmentation. The collection consists of three dolls in Chocolate resin: Nyah (Nnaji sculpt), Nala (Nnaji sculpt) and Imani (Nubia sculpt).
Nala has one blue and one brown eye, black lashes, red glossy lips and vitiligo pigmentation. The white lingerie is from Inamorata Cherub LE30 from 2013.
The jewellery and dolls are available for sale in my shop at emiliacouture.com/shop/
One of our secretive visitor this summer... lucky to snap its diving shot!
Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)
The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache". As is typical of bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, females being considerably larger than males. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 322 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high speed dive), making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV programme, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph).
The peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread raptor and one of the most widely found bird species. In fact, the only land-based bird species found over a larger geographic area is not always naturally occurring but one widely introduced by humans, the rock pigeon, which in turn now supports many peregrine populations as a prey species. Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations. Experts recognize 17 to 19 subspecies which vary in appearance and range; there is disagreement over whether the distinctive Barbary falcon is represented by two subspecies of Falco peregrinus, or is a separate species, F. pelegrinoides. The two species' divergence is relatively recent, during the time of the last ice age, therefore the genetic differential between them (and also the difference in their appearance) is relatively small. It has been determined that they are only approximately 0.6–0.8% genetically differentiated.
While its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the peregrine will occasionally hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects. Reaching sexual maturity at one year, it mates for life and nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures. The peregrine falcon became an endangered species in many areas because of the widespread use of certain pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the early 1970s, populations have recovered, supported by large-scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.
The peregrine falcon is a well respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility, and in recent years availability via captive breeding. It is effective on most game bird species from small to large.
Description
The peregrine falcon has a body length of 34 to 58 cm (13–23 in) and a wingspan from 74 to 120 cm (29–47 in). The male and female have similar markings and plumage, but as in many birds of prey the peregrine falcon displays marked sexual dimorphism in size, with the female measuring up to 30% larger than the male. Males weigh 330 to 1,000 g (0.73–2.20 lb) and the noticeably larger females weigh 700 to 1,500 g (1.5–3.3 lb). In most subspecies, males weigh less than 700 g (1.5 lb) and females weigh more than 800 g (1.8 lb), with cases of females weighing about 50% more than their male breeding mates not uncommon. The standard linear measurements of peregrines are: the wing chord measures 26.5–39 cm (10.4–15.4 in), the tail measures 13–19 cm (5.1–7.5 in) and the tarsus measures 4.5 to 5.6 cm (1.8 to 2.2 in).
The back and the long pointed wings of the adult are usually bluish black to slate grey with indistinct darker barring (see "Subspecies" below); the wingtips are black. The white to rusty underparts are barred with thin clean bands of dark brown or black. The tail, coloured like the back but with thin clean bars, is long, narrow, and rounded at the end with a black tip and a white band at the very end. The top of the head and a "moustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat. The cere is yellow, as are the feet, and the beak and claws are black. The upper beak is notched near the tip, an adaptation which enables falcons to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck. The immature bird is much browner with streaked, rather than barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere and orbital ring.
Taxonomy and systematics
Falco peregrinus was first described under its current binomial name by English ornithologist Marmaduke Tunstall in his 1771 work Ornithologia Britannica. The scientific name Falco peregrinus is a Medieval Latin phrase that was used by Albertus Magnus in 1225. The specific name taken from the fact that juvenile birds were taken while journeying to their breeding location rather than from the nest, as falcon nests were difficult to get at. The Latin term for falcon, falco, is related to falx, the Latin word meaning sickle, in reference to the silhouette of the falcon's long, pointed wings in flight.
The peregrine falcon belongs to a genus whose lineage includes the hierofalcons and the prairie falcon (F. mexicanus). This lineage probably diverged from other falcons towards the end of the Late Miocene or in the Early Pliocene, about 5–8 million years ago (mya). As the peregrine-hierofalcon group includes both Old World and North American species, it is likely that the lineage originated in western Eurasia or Africa. Its relationship to other falcons is not clear, as the issue is complicated by widespread hybridization confounding mtDNA sequence analyses. For example, a genetic lineage of the saker falcon (F. cherrug) is known which originated from a male saker producing fertile young with a female peregrine ancestor, and the descendants further breeding with sakers.
Today, peregrines are regularly paired in captivity with other species such as the lanner falcon (F. biarmicus) to produce the "perilanner", a somewhat popular bird in falconry as it combines the peregrine's hunting skill with the lanner's hardiness, or the gyrfalcon to produce large, strikingly coloured birds for the use of falconers. As can be seen, the peregrine is still genetically close to the hierofalcons, though their lineages diverged in the Late Pliocene (maybe some 2.5–2 mya in the Gelasian).
Subspecies
Numerous subspecies of Falco peregrinus have been described, with 19 accepted by the 1994 Handbook of the Birds of the World, which considers the Barbary falcon of the Canary Islands and coastal north Africa to be two subspecies (pelegrinoides and babylonicus) of Falco peregrinus, rather than a distinct species, F. pelegrinoides. The following map shows the general ranges of these 19 subspecies:
Falco peregrinus anatum
- described by Bonaparte in 1838, is known as the American peregrine falcon, or "duck hawk"; its scientific name means "duck peregrine falcon". At one time, it was partly included in leucogenys. It is mainly found in the Rocky Mountains today. It was formerly common throughout North America between the tundra and northern Mexico, where current reintroduction efforts seek to restore the population. Most mature anatum, except those that breed in more northern areas, winter in their breeding range. Most vagrants that reach western Europe seem to belong to the more northern and strongly migratory tundrius, only considered distinct since 1968. It is similar to peregrinus but is slightly smaller; adults are somewhat paler and less patterned below, but juveniles are darker and more patterned below. Males weigh 500 to 700 g (1.1–1.5 lb), while females weigh 800 to 1,100 g (1.8–2.4 lb). It has become extinct in eastern North America, and populations there are hybrids as a result of reintroductions of birds from elsewhere.
Falco peregrinus babylonicus
- described by P.L. Sclater in 1861, is found in eastern Iran along the Hindu Kush and Tian Shan to Mongolian Altai ranges. A few birds winter in northern and northwestern India, mainly in dry semi-desert habitats. It is paler than pelegrinoides, and somewhat similar to a small, pale lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus). Males weigh 330 to 400 grams (12 to 14 oz), while females weigh 513 to 765 grams (18.1 to 27.0 oz).
Falco peregrinus brookei
- described by Sharpe in 1873, is also known as the Mediterranean peregrine falcon or the Maltese falcon. It includes caucasicus and most specimens of the proposed race punicus, though others may be pelegrinoides, Barbary falcons (see also below), or perhaps the rare hybrids between these two which might occur around Algeria. They occur from the Iberian Peninsula around the Mediterranean, except in arid regions, to the Caucasus. They are non-migratory. It is smaller than the nominate subspecies, and the underside usually has rusty hue. Males weigh around 445 g (0.981 lb), while females weigh up to 920 g (2.03 lb).
Falco peregrinus calidus
- described by John Latham in 1790, was formerly called leucogenys and includes caeruleiceps. It breeds in the Arctic tundra of Eurasia, from Murmansk Oblast to roughly Yana and Indigirka Rivers, Siberia. It is completely migratory, and travels south in winter as far as South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It is often seen around wetland habitats. It is paler than peregrinus, especially on the crown. Males weigh 588 to 740 g (1.296–1.631 lb), while females weigh 925 to 1,333 g (2.039–2.939 lb).
Falco peregrinus cassini
- described by Sharpe in 1873, is also known as the Austral peregrine falcon. It includes kreyenborgi, the pallid falcon, a leucistic morph occurring in southernmost South America, which was long believed to be a distinct species. Its range includes South America from Ecuador through Bolivia, northern Argentina, and Chile to Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands. It is non-migratory. It is similar to nominate, but slightly smaller with a black ear region. The variation kreyenborgi is medium grey above, has little barring below, and has a head pattern like the saker falcon, but the ear region is white.
Falco peregrinus ernesti
- described by Sharpe in 1894, is found from Indonesia to Philippines and south to Papua New Guinea and the nearby Bismarck Archipelago. Its geographical separation from nesiotes requires confirmation. It is non-migratory. It differs from the nominate subspecies in the very dark, dense barring on its underside and its black ear coverts.
Falco peregrinus furuitii
- described by Momiyama in 1927, is found on the Izu and Ogasawara Islands south of Honshū, Japan. It is non-migratory. It is very rare, and may only remain on a single island. It is a dark form, resembling pealei in colour, but darker, especially on tail.
Falco peregrinus japonensis
- described by Gmelin in 1788, includes kleinschmidti, pleskei, and harterti, and seems to refer to intergrades with calidus. It is found from northeast Siberia to Kamchatka (though it is possibly replaced by pealei on the coast there) and Japan. Northern populations are migratory, while those of Japan are resident. It is similar to peregrinus, but the young are even darker than those of anatum.
Falco peregrinus macropus
- described by Swainson in 1837, is the Australian peregrine falcon. It is found in Australia in all regions except the southwest. It is non-migratory. It is similar to brookei in appearance, but is slightly smaller and the ear region is entirely black. The feet are proportionally large.
Falco peregrinus madens
- described by Ripley and Watson in 1963, is unusual in having some sexual dichromatism. If the Barbary falcon is considered a distinct species, it is sometimes placed therein. It is found in the Cape Verde Islands, and is non-migratory; it is endangered with only six to eight pairs surviving. Males have a rufous wash on crown, nape, ears, and back; underside conspicuously washed pinkish-brown. Females are tinged rich brown overall, especially on the crown and nape.
Falco peregrinus minor
- first described by Bonaparte in 1850. It was formerly often perconfusus. It is sparsely and patchily distributed throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa and widespread in Southern Africa. It apparently reaches north along the Atlantic coast as far as Morocco. It is non-migratory and dark coloured. This is the smallest subspecies of peregrine, with smaller males weighing as little as approximately 300 g (11 oz).
Falco peregrinus nesiotes
- described by Mayr in 1941, is found in Fiji and probably also Vanuatu and New Caledonia. It is non-migratory.
Falco peregrinus pealei
- described by Ridgway in 1873, is also known as Peale's falcon, and includes rudolfi. It is found in the Pacific Northwest of North America, northwards from the Puget Sound along the British Columbia coast (including the Queen Charlotte Islands), along the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands to the far eastern Bering Sea coast of Russia, and may also occur on the Kuril Islands and the coasts of Kamchatka. It is non-migratory. It is the largest subspecies, and it looks like an oversized and darker tundrius or like a strongly barred and large anatum. The bill is very wide. Juveniles occasionally have pale crowns. Males weigh 700 to 1,000 g (1.5–2.2 lb), while females weigh 1,000 to 1,500 g (2.2–3.3 lb).
Falco peregrinus pelegrinoides
- first described by Temminck in 1829, is found in the Canary Islands through north Africa and the Near East to Mesopotamia. It is most similar to brookei, but is markedly paler above, with a rusty neck, and is a light buff with reduced barring below. It is smaller than the nominate subspecies; females weigh around 610 g (1.34 lb).
Falco peregrinus peregrinator
- described by Sundevall in 1837, is known as the Indian peregrine falcon, Shaheen falcon, Indian shaheen or shaheen falcon. It was formerly sometimes known as Falco atriceps or Falco shaheen. Its range includes South Asia from Pakistan across India and Bangladesh to Sri Lanka and Southeastern China. In India, the shaheen is reported from all states except Uttar Pradesh, mainly from rocky and hilly regions. The Shaheen is also reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. It has a clutch size of 3 to 4 eggs, with the chicks fledging time of 48 days with an average nesting success of 1.32 chicks per nest. In India, apart from nesting on cliffs, it has also been recorded as nesting on man-made structures such as buildings and cellphone transmission towers. A population estimate of 40 breeding pairs in Sri Lanka was made in 1996. It is non-migratory, and is small and dark, with rufous underparts. In Sri Lanka this species is found to favour the higher hills while the migrant calidus is more often seen along the coast.
Falco peregrinus peregrinus
- the nominate (first-named) subspecies, described by Tunstall in 1771, breeds over much of temperate Eurasia between the tundra in the north and the Pyrenees, Mediterranean region and Alpide belt in the south. It is mainly non-migratory in Europe, but migratory in Scandinavia and Asia. Males weigh 580 to 750 g (1.28–1.65 lb), while females weigh 925 to 1,300 g (2.039–2.866 lb). It includes brevirostris, germanicus, rhenanus, and riphaeus.
Falco peregrinus radama
- described by Hartlaub in 1861, is found in Madagascar and Comoros. It is non-migratory.
Falco peregrinus submelanogenys
- described by Mathews in 1912, is the Southwest Australian peregrine falcon. It is found in southwest Australia and is non-migratory.
Falco peregrinus tundrius
- described by C.M. White in 1968, was at one time included in leucogenys It is found in the Arctic tundra of North America to Greenland, and migrates to wintering grounds in Central and South America. Most vagrants that reach western Europe belong to this subspecies, which was previously united with anatum. It is the New World equivalent to calidus. It is smaller than anatum. It is also paler than anatum; most have a conspicuous white forehead and white in ear region, but the crown and "moustache" are very dark, unlike in calidus. Juveniles are browner, and less grey, than in calidus, and paler, sometimes almost sandy, than in anatum. Males weigh 500 to 700 g (1.1–1.5 lb), while females weigh 800 to 1,100 g (1.8–2.4 lb).
Barbary falcon (Main article: Barbary falcon)
Two of the subspecies listed above (Falco peregrinus pelegrinoides and F. p. babylonicus) are often instead treated together as a distinct species, Falco pelegrinoides (the Barbary falcon), although they were included within F. peregrinus in the 1994 Handbook of the Birds of the World. These birds inhabit arid regions from the Canary Islands along the rim of the Sahara through the Middle East to Central Asia and Mongolia.
Barbary falcons have a red neck patch but otherwise differ in appearance from the peregrine proper merely according to Gloger's Rule, relating pigmentation to environmental humidity. The Barbary falcon has a peculiar way of flying, beating only the outer part of its wings like fulmars sometimes do; this also occurs in the peregrine, but less often and far less pronounced. The Barbary falcon's shoulder and pelvis bones are stout by comparison with the peregrine, and its feet are smaller. Barbary falcons breed at different times of year than neighboring peregrine falcon subspecies, but they are capable of interbreeding. There is a 0.6–0.7% genetic distance in the peregrine-Barbary falcon ("peregrinoid") complex.
Another subspecies of Falco peregrinus, madens, has also sometimes been treated instead within a separately recognized F. pelegrinoides.
Ecology and behaviour
The peregrine falcon lives mostly along mountain ranges, river valleys, coastlines, and increasingly in cities. In mild-winter regions, it is usually a permanent resident, and some individuals, especially adult males, will remain on the breeding territory. Only populations that breed in Arctic climates typically migrate great distances during the northern winter.
The peregrine falcon reaches faster speeds than any other animal on the planet when performing the stoop, which involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds of over 320 km/h (200 mph), hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact. The air pressure from such a dive could possibly damage a bird's lungs, but small bony tubercles on a falcon's nostrils guide the powerful airflow away from the nostrils, enabling the bird to breathe more easily while diving by reducing the change in air pressure. To protect their eyes, the falcons use their nictitating membranes (third eyelids) to spread tears and clear debris from their eyes while maintaining vision. A study testing the flight physics of an "ideal falcon" found a theoretical speed limit at 400 km/h (250 mph) for low altitude flight and 625 km/h (388 mph) for high altitude flight. In 2005, Ken Franklin recorded a falcon stooping at a top speed of 389 km/h (242 mph).
The life span of peregrine falcons in the wild is up to 15.5 years. Mortality in the first year is 59–70%, declining to 25–32% annually in adults. Apart from such anthropogenic threats as collision with human-made objects, the peregrine may be killed by larger hawks and owls.
The peregrine falcon is host to a range of parasites and pathogens. It is a vector for Avipoxvirus, Newcastle disease virus, Falconid herpesvirus 1 (and possibly other Herpesviridae), and some mycoses and bacterial infections. Endoparasites include Plasmodium relictum (usually not causing malaria in the peregrine falcon), Strigeidae trematodes, Serratospiculum amaculata (nematode), and tapeworms. Known peregrine falcon ectoparasites are chewing lice, Ceratophyllus garei (a flea), and Hippoboscidae flies (Icosta nigra, Ornithoctona erythrocephala).
Feeding
The peregrine falcon feeds almost exclusively on medium-sized birds such as pigeons and doves, waterfowl, songbirds, and waders. Worldwide, it is estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 bird species (up to roughly a fifth of the world's bird species) are predated somewhere by these falcons. In North America, prey has varied in size from 3 g (0.11 oz) hummingbirds (Selasphorus and Archilochus ssp.) to a 3.1 kg (6.8 lb) sandhill crane (killed in Alaska by a peregrine in a stoop), although most prey taken by peregrines weigh from 20 g (0.71 oz) (i.e. small passerines) to 1,100 g (2.4 lb) (i.e. ducks and gulls). The peregrine falcon takes the most diverse range of bird species of any raptor in North America, with more than 300 species having fallen victim to the falcon, including nearly 100 shorebirds. Smaller hawks and owls are regularly predated, mainly smaller falcons such as the American kestrel, merlin and sharp-shinned hawks. In urban areas, the main component of the peregrine's diet is the rock or feral pigeon, which comprise 80% or more of the dietary intake for peregrines in some cities. Other common city birds are also taken regularly, including mourning doves, common wood pigeons, common swifts, northern flickers, common starlings, American robins, common blackbirds, and corvids (such as magpies or carrion, house, and American crows). Other than bats taken at night, the peregrine rarely hunts mammals, but will on occasion take small species such as rats, voles, hares, shrews, mice and squirrels. Coastal populations of the large subspecies pealei feed almost exclusively on seabirds. In the Brazilian mangrove swamp of Cubatão, a wintering falcon of the subspecies tundrius was observed while successfully hunting a juvenile scarlet ibis. Insects and reptiles make up a small proportion of the diet, which varies greatly depending on what prey is available.
The peregrine falcon hunts most often at dawn and dusk, when prey are most active, but also nocturnally in cities, particularly during migration periods when hunting at night may become prevalent. Nocturnal migrants taken by peregrines include species as diverse as yellow-billed cuckoo, black-necked grebe, virginia rail, and common quail. The peregrine requires open space in order to hunt, and therefore often hunts over open water, marshes, valleys, fields, and tundra, searching for prey either from a high perch or from the air. Large congregations of migrants, especially species that gather in the open like shorebirds, can be quite attractive to hunting peregrines. Once prey is spotted, it begins its stoop, folding back the tail and wings, with feet tucked. Prey is typically struck and captured in mid-air; the peregrine falcon strikes its prey with a clenched foot, stunning or killing it with the impact, then turns to catch it in mid-air. If its prey is too heavy to carry, a peregrine will drop it to the ground and eat it there. If they miss the initial strike, peregrines will chase their prey in a twisting flight. Although previously thought rare, several cases of peregrines contour-hunting, i.e. using natural contours to surprise and ambush prey on the ground, have been reported and even rare cases of prey being pursued on foot. In addition, peregrines have been documented preying on chicks in nests, from birds such as kittiwakes. Prey is plucked before consumption.
Reproduction
The peregrine falcon is sexually mature at one to three years of age, but in healthy populations they breed after two to three years of age. A pair mates for life and returns to the same nesting spot annually. The courtship flight includes a mix of aerial acrobatics, precise spirals, and steep dives. The male passes prey it has caught to the female in mid-air. To make this possible, the female actually flies upside-down to receive the food from the male's talons.
During the breeding season, the peregrine falcon is territorial; nesting pairs are usually more than 1 km (0.62 mi) apart, and often much farther, even in areas with large numbers of pairs. The distance between nests ensures sufficient food supply for pairs and their chicks. Within a breeding territory, a pair may have several nesting ledges; the number used by a pair can vary from one or two up to seven in a 16-year period.
The peregrine falcon nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges. The female chooses a nest site, where she scrapes a shallow hollow in the loose soil, sand, gravel, or dead vegetation in which to lay eggs. No nest materials are added. Cliff nests are generally located under an overhang, on ledges with vegetation. South-facing sites are favoured. In some regions, as in parts of Australia and on the west coast of northern North America, large tree hollows are used for nesting. Before the demise of most European peregrines, a large population of peregrines in central and western Europe used the disused nests of other large birds. In remote, undisturbed areas such as the Arctic, steep slopes and even low rocks and mounds may be used as nest sites. In many parts of its range, peregrines now also nest regularly on tall buildings or bridges; these human-made structures used for breeding closely resemble the natural cliff ledges that the peregrine prefers for its nesting locations.
The pair defends the chosen nest site against other peregrines, and often against ravens, herons, and gulls, and if ground-nesting, also such mammals as foxes, wolverines, felids, bears, wolves, and mountain lions. Both nests and (less frequently) adults are predated by larger-bodied raptorial birds like eagles, large owls, or gyrfalcons. The most serious predators of peregrine nests in North America and Europe are the great horned owl and the Eurasian eagle owl. When reintroductions have been attempted for peregrines, the most serious impediments were these two owls routinely picking off nestlings, fledglings and adults by night. Peregrines defending their nests have managed to kill raptors as large as golden eagles and bald eagles (both of which they normally avoid as potential predators) that have come too close to the nest by ambushing them in a full stoop. In one instance, when a snowy owl killed a newly fledged peregrine, the larger owl was in turn killed by a stooping peregrine parent.
The date of egg-laying varies according to locality, but is generally from February to March in the Northern Hemisphere, and from July to August in the Southern Hemisphere, although the Australian subspecies macropus may breed as late as November, and equatorial populations may nest anytime between June and December. If the eggs are lost early in the nesting season, the female usually lays another clutch, although this is extremely rare in the Arctic due to the short summer season. Generally three to four eggs, but sometimes as few as one or as many as five, are laid in the scrape. The eggs are white to buff with red or brown markings. They are incubated for 29 to 33 days, mainly by the female, with the male also helping with the incubation of the eggs during the day, but only the female incubating them at night. The average number of young found in nests is 2.5, and the average number that fledge is about 1.5, due to the occasional production of infertile eggs and various natural losses of nestlings.
After hatching, the chicks (called "eyases") are covered with creamy-white down and have disproportionately large feet. The male (called the "tiercel") and the female (simply called the "falcon") both leave the nest to gather prey to feed the young. The hunting territory of the parents can extend a radius of 19 to 24 km (12 to 15 mi) from the nest site. Chicks fledge 42 to 46 days after hatching, and remain dependent on their parents for up to two months.
Relationship with humans
Use in falconry (Main article: Falconry)
The peregrine falcon is a highly admired falconry bird, and has been used in falconry for more than 3,000 years, beginning with nomads in central Asia. Its advantages in falconry include not only its athleticism and eagerness to hunt, but an equitable disposition that leads to it being one of the easier falcons to train. The peregrine falcon has the additional advantage of a natural flight style of circling above the falconer ("waiting on") for game to be flushed, and then performing an effective and exciting high speed diving stoop to take the quarry. The speed and energy of the stoop allows the falcon to catch fast flying birds, and to deliver a knock out blow with a fist-like clenched talon against game that may be much larger than itself. Additionally the versatility of the species, with agility allowing capture of smaller birds and a strength and attacking style allowing capture of game much larger than themselves, combined with the wide size range of the many peregrine subspecies, means there is a subspecies suitable to almost any size and type of game bird. This size range, evolved to fit various environments and prey species, is from the larger females of the largest subspecies to the smaller males of the smallest subspecies, approximately five to one (approximately 1500 g to 300 g). The males of smaller and medium-sized subspecies, and the females of the smaller subspecies, excel in the taking of swift and agile small game birds such as dove, quail, and smaller ducks. The females of the larger subspecies are capable of taking large and powerful game birds such as the largest of duck species, pheasant, and grouse.
Peregrine falcons are also occasionally used to scare away birds at airports to reduce the risk of bird-plane strikes, improving air-traffic safety, and were used to intercept homing pigeons during World War II.
Peregrine falcons have been successfully bred in captivity, both for falconry and for release back into the wild. Until 2004 nearly all peregrines used for falconry in the US were captive-bred from the progeny of falcons taken before the US Endangered Species Act was enacted and from those few infusions of wild genes available from Canada and special circumstances. Peregrine falcons were removed from the United States' endangered species list in 1999. The successful recovery program was aided by the effort and knowledge of falconers – in collaboration with The Peregrine Fund and state and federal agencies – through a technique called hacking. Finally, after years of close work with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, a limited take of wild peregrines was allowed in 2004, the first wild peregrines taken specifically for falconry in over 30 years.
The development of captive breeding methods has led to peregrines being commercially available for falconry use, thus mostly eliminating the need to capture wild birds for support of falconry. The main reason for taking wild peregrines at this point is to maintain healthy genetic diversity in the breeding lines. Hybrids of peregrines and gyrfalcons are also available that can combine the best features of both species to create what many consider to be the ultimate falconry bird for the taking of larger game such as the sage-grouse. These hybrids combine the greater size, strength, and horizontal speed of the gyrfalcon with the natural propensity to stoop and greater warm weather tolerance of the peregrine.
Since peregrine eggs and chicks are still often targeted by illegal collectors, it is common practice not to publicize unprotected nest locations.
Decline due to pesticides
The peregrine falcon became an endangered species because of the use of organochlorine pesticides, especially DDT, during the 1950s, '60s, and '70s. Pesticide biomagnification caused organochlorine to build up in the falcons' fat tissues, reducing the amount of calcium in their eggshells. With thinner shells, fewer falcon eggs survived to hatching. In several parts of the world, such as the eastern United States and Belgium, this species became extirpated (locally extinct) as a result. An alternate point of view is that populations in the eastern North America had vanished due to hunting and egg collection.
Recovery efforts
In the United States, Canada, Germany and Poland, wildlife services in peregrine falcon recovery teams breed the species in captivity. The chicks are usually fed through a chute or with a hand puppet mimicking a peregrine's head, so they cannot see to imprint on the human trainers. Then, when they are old enough, the rearing box is opened, allowing the bird to train its wings. As the fledgling gets stronger, feeding is reduced, forcing the bird to learn to hunt. This procedure is called hacking back to the wild. To release a captive-bred falcon, the bird is placed in a special cage at the top of a tower or cliff ledge for some days or so, allowing it to acclimate itself to its future environment.
Worldwide recovery efforts have been remarkably successful. The widespread restriction of DDT use eventually allowed released birds to breed successfully. The peregrine falcon was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species list on August 25, 1999.
Some controversy has existed over the origins of captive breeding stock used by The Peregrine Fund in the recovery of peregrine falcons throughout the contiguous United States. Several peregrine subspecies were included in the breeding stock, including birds of Eurasian origin. Due to the extirpation of the eastern anatum (Falco peregrinus anatum), the near extirpation of the anatum in the Midwest, and the limited gene pool within North American breeding stock, the inclusion of non-native subspecies was justified to optimize the genetic diversity found within the species as a whole.
Current status
Populations of the peregrine falcon have bounced back in most parts of the world. In Britain, there has been a recovery of populations since the crash of the 1960s. This has been greatly assisted by conservation and protection work led by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. The RSPB has estimated that there are 1,402 breeding pairs in the UK. Peregrines now breed in many mountainous and coastal areas, especially in the west and north, and nest in some urban areas, capitalising on the urban feral pigeon populations for food. In Southampton, a nest prevented restoration of mobile telephony services for several months, after Vodafone engineers despatched to repair a faulty transmitter mast discovered a nest in the mast, and were prevented by the Wildlife and Countryside Act, on pain of a possible prison sentence, from proceeding with repairs until the chicks fledged. In many parts of the world peregrine falcons have adapted to urban habitats, nesting on cathedrals, skyscraper window ledges, tower blocks, and the towers of suspension bridges. Many of these nesting birds are encouraged, sometimes gathering media attention and often monitored by cameras.
From an ecological perspective, raptor populations in urban areas are highly beneficial. Compared with Europe where pigeon populations have exploded to the point they are both a tourist attraction and a public nuisance. Their faeces are highly acidic causing damage to historic buildings and statues made of soft stone. They nest in bridges where it compiles and damages iron work causing rust and corrosion. In the United States, falcon and other raptors are in numbers high enough to ward off pigeon nest building in major highrises.
Cultural significance
Due to its striking hunting technique, the peregrine has often been associated with aggression and martial prowess. Native Americans of the Mississippian culture (c. 800–1500) used the peregrine, along with several other birds of prey, in imagery as a symbol of "aerial (celestial) power" and buried men of high status in costumes associating to the ferocity of "raptorial" birds. In the late Middle Ages, the Western European nobility that used peregrines for hunting, considered the bird associated with princes in formal hierarchies of birds of prey, just below the gyrfalcon associated with kings. It was considered "a royal bird, more armed by its courage than its claws". Terminology used by peregrine breeders also used the Old French term gentil, "of noble birth; aristocratic", particularly with the peregrine.
The peregrine falcon is the national animal of the United Arab Emirates. Since 1927, the peregrine falcon has been the official mascot of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio. The 2007 U.S. Idaho state quarter features a peregrine falcon. The peregrine falcon has been designated the official city bird of Chicago.
[Credit: en.wikipedia.org]
Bill the Hill saw his doctor today. Turns out he has an acute inflammation of the liver. His liver's ability to secrete bilirubin has been impaired and Bill is a little jaundiced. Initially, Bill thought the sun lotion he used was causing the yellow pigmentation of his skin, but, no!
Tulare County, California 2015
This album's name is dedicated to my favourite game of all time Elder Scrolls Online and race of all time, The Argonians (reptile humanoids). There's a story for you to read below about some of them towards the bottom.
What does Ku Vastei mean? Read below
By Lights-the-Way, Mystic of the Mages Guild
It is hard to describe the culture of my people. Often my tongue stumbles as I try to explain, but it is my hope that ink and quill will give me time enough to gather my thoughts. And perhaps, though such writing, I will finally connect the parts of me that now feel so divided; my homeland of Murkmire and my new life within the Mages Guild.
These journals are to become my ku-vastei. And, as I write that, I can think of no better topic to begin with.
Ku-vastei roughly translates to "the catalyst of needed change," though such a direct translation in no way does justice to the original meaning. Another translation could be "that which creates the needed pathway for change to occur" or even "the spark which ignites the flame which must come into being."
Perhaps a more direct analysis should be first presented. Ku-vastei is a noun, a thing or person. Vastei directly translates to change, an important part of my culture. Ku is harder to speak of. It is that which leads to change, though not that which creates change. An important role, as stagnation is a fate worse than death.
Take a boulder which sits atop a cliff, teetering in place. It must fall eventually. The ku-vastei does not push the boulder off the cliff; rather, it picks the pebble which holds the rock in place. And so it falls, not by a push, but by a pathway cleared.
Ku-vastei is revered, just as change itself is revered, for to look back at what was means to stumble as you move forward. Sometimes, a little push in the right direction is all someone needs to remember such wisdom. Other times, they may need to be shoved.
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The Gee-Rusleel Tribe
by Emmanubeth Hurrent, the Wayfarers' Society of Wayrest
I've had the privilege to speak to two different Miredancer elders now, and I've learned a great deal from both of these conversations. The "Gee-Rusleel," as they call themselves, are among the most introspective Argonians I've met in my travels. They also tend to be the most pleasant. For all their reclusiveness and wariness, I've never met a people more willing to share a meal or a game of Shells and Stones. They are skilled crafters, with a particular knack for working with Hist amber and egg shells. They are also peerless navigators, guiding their flat-bottom boats effortlessly through the swamp, master weavers, and skilled cartographers.
The most defining characteristic of the Miredancer tribe, however, is piety. This deep reverence for the Hist has earned them the right to name a "Sap-Speaker" for countless generations.
According to the elders I spoke with, the Sap-Speaker is the Hist's direct intermediary. (This is, of course, subject to debate. Many tribes boast unique methods of communion with the Hist. But as far as I have seen, the Miredancers make the most compelling case for the methods they use.) Sap-Speakers often go into seclusion for days or even weeks on end, venturing either down into the roots or high into the canopy of leaves in the uppermost branches. Here, they commune with the Hist. Indeed, the word that one of the elders used was "journey."
These journeys into the Hist tax the Sap-Speakers, but are thoroughly private affairs. After days by themselves, the Sap-Speakers emerge to hide away with old books, scrolls, and tablets. I asked after the purpose of these periods of seclusion, and this is what the elders told me. "The Sap-Speaker enters the embrace of the Hist to learn from the great tree," one elder said. "While in close contact with the roots and branches, the Sap-Speaker receives visions and other forms of communication that neither you nor I would understand."
The other elder continued. "Even the Sap-Speaker finds some of what is shown to be mystifying and confusing. I have heard that a Sap-Speaker is treated to ancient metaphors, arcane secrets, and visions that make little sense to creatures so far removed from sap and pulp." Apparently, the second period of seclusion allows the Sap-Speaker time to reflect on what he or she was shown, as well as time to consult with the ancient writings of Sap-Speakers who came before. After a suitable period of study and reflection, the Sap-Speaker emerges to reveal the Hist's will to the tribe.
I attempted to get more information about what happens while the Sap-Speaker meditates among the roots or branches, but I'm not sure the elders knew much more. They did tell me that the only nourishment the Sap-Speaker receives during these periods of seclusion is provided by the Hist itself in the form of sap, leaves, and the otherwise forbidden fruit of the tree.
There is a price to pay for the gift of Hist communion, however. Ingesting large quantities of Hist sap is a dangerous affair, even for Argonians. Sap-Speakers routinely suffer the effects of sap-poisoning, including "gold tongue" (permanent change of mouth pigmentation to a golden hue), unbidden hallucinations, "bark-scale" (thickening and darkening of surface scales), and other maladies they were reticent to talk about. The current Sap-Speaker, Thumarz, was in seclusion during my visit to the tribal village. I hope to meet him someday. If he's half as wise as the elders I interacted with, I'd no doubt learn a great deal from him.
Despite their deeply religious nature, the Miredancers also seem to have an obsession with games of all types. They are particularly fond of the games Nine-Shells and Shells and Stones, as well as sports such as the popular "teeba-hatsei" (also known as "hip and tail ball.") In addition to lovingly explaining their own games, they wanted to know everything I could tell them about the games we play back in Wayrest. I must admit, their enthusiasm was quite infectious! And I found it highly amusing to watch them try to re-create Deceiver's Bones from the vague description I provided.
The Miredancers are also inveterate gamblers, but they often forget to collect their winnings. Unlike the games of men and mer, Miredancer competitions appear to be completely devoid of malice or injured pride. Victory and defeat seem more like afterthoughts than objectives, due in no small part to their phlegmatic disposition. As in most things, their focus is strictly on the moment—the now. It pains me to leave their village, but I still have many more tribes to study. I doubt any of them will be as fascinating or as friendly as the Miredancers.
["the tribe is not currently in the game but in the world of the game"]
A rare encounter of this melanistic (increased black pigmentation) grey heron.
Czapla siwa melanistyczna
Lego Simpsons 71005
The Simpsons is an American adult animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company.The series is a satirical depiction of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield and parodies American culture, society, television, and many aspects of the human condition.
The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a solicitation for a series of animated shorts with the producer James L. Brooks. Groening created a dysfunctional family and named the characters after members of his own family, substituting Bart for his own name. The shorts became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show and was an early hit for Fox, becoming the network's first series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990).
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, the show has broadcast 548 episodes and the 25th season began on September 30, 2013. The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom, the longest-running American animated program, and in 2009 it surpassed Gunsmoke as the longest-running American primetime, scripted television series. The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length film, was released in theaters worldwide on July 26 and 27, 2007, and grossed over $527 million.
--------------
Les Simpson (The Simpsons) est une série télévisée d'animation américaine créée par Matt Groening et diffusée depuis le 17 décembre 1989 sur le réseau FOX.
Elle met en scène les Simpson, stéréotype d'une famille de classe moyenne. Leurs aventures servent une satire du mode de vie américain. Les membres de la famille, tous ayant la pigmentation de peau de couleur jaune, sont Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa et Maggie.
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The last image I posted featured a male of the Katiannid springtail currently referred to as Katiannidae Genus nov.1 sp. nov.. The males are characterized by red pigment on the dorsal surface. I went looking for more individuals in the garden this morning and found these two. These are mature females; both lacking the red pigmentation. The only orangey/red areas are those at the base of the various trichobothria and a few small areas on the head. The trichobothria (or is it bothriotricha?) are sensory organs.
Canon MP-E65mm Macro (at 5x) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + diffused MT24-EX Twinlite flash. Cropped. Both these individuals a little over 1mm.
Instagram: www.instagram.com/soloherper2020/
Distribution:Endemic to southwestern Borneo (Kalimantan)
Synonyms: Rasbora brigittae
Note (Source: SeriouslyFish)
The congener B. urophthalmoides (fish below@orange line) is often traded as B. brigittae, presumably in order to obtain a more favourable price. Though these are similar in that they’re the only two members of the genus to possess a dark lateral body stripe B. brigittae (fish on the top) is easily identifiable by its larger adult size, lack of distinct dark blotch at the caudal peduncle, comparatively short, often broken lateral stripe and overall brighter, more uniformly red patterning. It’s sometimes seen on sale with the alternative vernacular names ‘chili rasbora’, Mosquito rasbora, or ‘dwarf rasbora’.
B. merah is also similar-looking but it lacks colour in much of the body with the red pigmentation tending to be concentrated around the dark body markings which do not usually form an unbroken stripe. Striped male individuals do exist, however, and this has led to speculation that B. brigittae and B. merah are the same species (Körner, 2010). The same author also reported that in an ‘eastern’ population (from the area around Banjarmasin?) both sexes develop a striped pattern before maturity, while in the ‘central’ population (Palangkaraya, where fish are collected for the aquarium trade) only males develop the striped colour pattern, and only when sexually mature. Kottelat (2013) argued that the different ontogenies in colour pattern, and presumed geographical distribution of these two populations, supports the existence of two species, whilst also noting that Palankaraya is not close to the type locality of B. merah; the Sungei Jelai Bila river basin in Kalimantan Tengah, much further west.
Boraras was erected in 1993 in order to separate a small group of species from the larger Rasbora assemblage on the basis of differences in morphology and reproductive strategy.
In older literature they are therefore referred to as members of Rasbora and following Liao et al. (2010) the genus is a member of the rasborin sub-group within the subfamily Danioninae (the other sub-group contains the danionins).
More information please refer to www.seriouslyfish.com/species/boraras-brigittae/
Another garden springtail from today, part of my survey. This one underneath a piece of slate. There are lots of mature males and females around on these slate pieces and I'm also seeing the little yellow spheres on the surface of the substrate. I'm wondering whether these might be springtail eggs. No doubt Frans will know!
[Part of a garden survey of the "novel" springtail Katiannidae Genus nov.1 sp. nov. that I'm doing with FransJanssens@www.collembola.org initially, to establish the size and differences between sexes and the various instars. As a result of the initial findings, Frans is suggesting that there are two distinct groups:
Group 1 - where abd.6 in adults is pale and there is little red pigmentation along the dorsal surface of the abdomen, and
Group 2 - where abd.6 in adults is dark and there is (sometimes) significant red pigmentation along the dorsal surface of the abdomen..
Canon MP-E65mm Macro (at 5x) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + diffused YN24EX flash. Three images blended in PSE. Cropped.]
===Plaza Athénée, Paris===
"Champagne, monsieur?"
Bruce looked to the waiter, and smiled. "No thank you," he replied. It'd been a couple of hours now, and aside from the odd drunken outburst from a guest or two, the evening had gone smoothly. No sign of the Monk so far.
"Bruce Wayne?" a voice called out from behind him.
He turned around. In front of him, was a beautiful, dark haired woman, dressed in a long black dress. Her skin was pale, almost alarmingly so, and she spoke with a slight Russian accent. "Natalia Knight," she said, as she offered him her hand. "Would you like to dance?" she asks, as Bruce takes her hand in his.
"I'm sorry-" Bruce began, as they glided along the dancefloor. "How do you-?"
"Mr Wayne, please. There's not a single tabloid here that doesn't have your name on it. You know, I always enjoy reading about your, uh, exploits," she smiles flirtily.
"Glad to hear it. I think," Bruce adds hastily, blushing slightly. "Have you been in Paris long, Ms Knight?" he asks.
"Since I was a little girl," she replies, as she strokes her hand across his palm. "You know, the Knights have been donating to Haley's Circus for a number of years now, it's one of the few in the country that treats their staff and animals humanely. I was thinking, maybe if you-"
"Actually, Natalia, I was just about to ask-" Bruce interjects.
She looks up at him, her skin turning a shade darker. "Yes, Bruce?"
"Have you ever heard of The Monk?"
Natalia frowns, embarrassed, as she lets go of Bruce's arm. "Oh, I-"
"Sorry, did you think-?" Bruce inquires, sensing he's made a mistake.
"I, uh, no, it's not that. It's just-" she adds nervously, as she straps her handbag onto her shoulder
"Natalia! We should be going," a man interjects. He's dressed in a blue suit, a silver pocket watch hanging from his jacket. His black hair goes down to his shoulders, and is matched by a sharp goatee.
"... Yes, of course," she sighed, as she raised a hand out. "Bruce, my brother, Anton."
"Adopted," the man adds. "I'll see you in the car," he says sternly, placing a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "How do you know that name?" he murmurs angrily.
"The Monk?"
Knight applies pressure to Bruce's shoulder, and mutters in his ear, taking a look to ensure their conversation had gone unnoticed. "Not. So. Loud."
Bruce lowers his tone. "There's been a string of kidnappings in Gotham. I had... a source that says that the perpetrators were supplying them to this... Monk character."
"A source..." Knight scoffs, taking a suspicious glance at Bruce. "Isn't this a little below your paygrade, billionaire?"
Bruce glowered. "Missing children, Mr Knight? You must not know me that well."
"On the contrary- like my sister says, your exploits are well documented," he grumbles. As he brushes past him, Bruce grabs his shoulder, lowering his tone. "The Monk. Who is he?"
"Relax. Your. Grip." Anton sighs. "If he has your children... they're already dead. The lucky ones, that is."
"What the hell do you mean?" Bruce glares.
"You believe my sister's condition to be a simple pigmentation? The Monk sought out our family, and when we refused his... protection, he... he stuck his jaws around my baby sister's throat, and bit hard. He is not a man, Wayne. But a parasite, an undead monster. A wurdulac, what you would call-"
"A vampire," Bruce murmurs. "I don't believe in myths, Mr Knight."
"And yet..." Knight begins. "Men fly in your country, do they not?"
~
A few hours later, Bruce returned to the hotel room, a calm breeze filling the air. The window was open... 'Who?'
"I don't think much of your security-" a gruff voice begins. As Bruce raised his arm out, the figure, silhouetted by the moonlight, grabbed his fist, and slung him against the wall. "And your technique is sloppy."
He was over six foot, and built like a boar. A thick beard coated his chin, while a variety of scars marked the rest of his face. The stench of whisky followed him wherever he went, and his voice was utterly devoid of compassion, or of sympathy. "Hello, Wayne," he scoffed.
"Ducard..." Bruce groaned. "Here to start another war?"
"Please, Santa Prisca was a fail state long before I set foot on it," Ducard smirked, as he helped himself to some of Alfred's leftovers.
"But you didn't do it any favours, did you?" Bruce growled, as he folded his arms.
"I didn't come here to squabble, boy. I came because *this* time, our needs align. This Monk of yours goes by the name Niccolai Tepes. You want to find him, I suggest you start with his distribution system."
"And what exactly do *you* want with him?" Bruce grimaced. "Are you going to burn down another city?"
"What, you'd call that Biayalian slum a city?" Ducard laughed. "I have a client. That, is all you need to know."
"And if that client is going to hurt innocent people?" Bruce stood up.
"Unlikely. They're a brain-dead paraplegic."
As Alfred's key turns in the lock, Bruce turns around to find Ducard gone. 'One good trick...' he thought to himself.
"Master Bruce? Are you alright?" he asks, Bruce still looking out the window.
"Fine, Alfred," he murmured, as he absent mindedly put his hand into his coat pocket. "Just had a catch-up with Henri Ducard."
"What did that brute want with you?" Alfred said, a note of disgust in his voice.
"I don't know for sure, but he's also given me the only solid lead on the Monk I have-" Bruce begins, as he takes a small piece of card from out of his pocket.
"What is it?" Alfred asks.
Bruce smiled to himself. "Looks like a phone number, and a... Circus ticket. Heh, Natalia must've slipped it in when-" He paused.
"Master Bruce?"
"Alfred, when would Haley's Circus have last performed in Gotham?" Bruce asks, as he reaches into his suitcase.
"Last month, I'd have thought, why-?"
"Because," he begins, as he grabs his Batsuit. "That's how he's transporting those children."
=====Haley's Circus====
"God, you never told me they were children-" Haley begins, as he talks into the phone.
"Come now, ignorance, is not an excuse Mr Haley. We've got another shipment lined up for April," a voice rings out, a calm, almost charming one, yet, it was off. As though there were an undertone of malice dripping from each word.
"But you said that this Scarecrow-" Haley began, using one of his pamphlets to mop his brow.
"Scarecrow may be out of the picture, but, as our client gets... particularly hungry, we've had to make do. 30 kids, to make up for Crane's oversight."
Haley paused. He didn't want to, god, of course he didn't... But he knew what the alternative was.
"Thank you for understanding."
"I-" Haley started, as though he had a backbone for one brief second, and then- the illusion was shattered.
"Careful, Mr Haley. If you won't do it, we'll find someone who will, and then, you know who we'll have to send to, ah, clean house, as it were."
"I... I understand."
"Marvelous!" the voice finished. "I'll have one of my people contact you tomorrow with the details. Tah tah."
Outside, resting on a telegraph pole, a small boy watched Haley rest the phone on the table, and pour himself another scotch.
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species in the genus Megaptera.
The adult humpback whale is generally 14–15 m (46–49 ft), though longer lengths of 16–17 m (52–56 ft) have been recorded. Females are usually 1–1.5 m (3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 11 in) longer than males.
The species can reach body masses of 40 metric tons (44 short tons). Calves are born at around 4.3 m (14 ft) long with a weight of 680 kg (1,500 lb).
The body is bulky with a thin rostrum and proportionally long flippers, each around one-third of its body length.[15][16] It has a short dorsal fin that varies from nearly non-existent to somewhat long and curved.
As a rorqual, the humpback has grooves between the tip of the lower jaw and the navel. They are relatively few in number in this species, ranging from 14–35. The mouth is lined with baleen plates, which number 270-400 for both sides.
Unique among large whales, humpbacks have bumps or tubercles on the head and front edge of the flippers; the tail fluke has a jagged trailing edge.
The tubercles on the head are 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) thick at the base and poke up to 6.5 cm (2.6 in). They are mostly hollow in the center, often containing at least one fragile hair that erupts 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) from the skin and is 0.1 mm (0.0039 in) thick. The tubercles develop early in the womb and may have a sensory function as they are rich in nerves.
The dorsal or upper-side of the animal is generally black; the ventral or underside has various levels of black and white coloration. Whales in the southern hemisphere tend to have more white pigmentation. The flippers can vary from all-white to white only on the undersurface.
The varying color patterns and scars on the tail flukes distinguish individual animals. The end of the genital slit of the female is marked by a round feature, known as the hemispherical lobe, which visually distinguishes males and females.
This image was taken from the breakwater at Honningsvag Harbour in Norway
Geelbekneushoringvoel
(Tockus leucomelas)
Geelbekneushoringvoel
(Tockus leucomelas)
The southern yellow-billed hornbill (Tockus leucomelas) is a hornbill found in southern Africa. Yellow-billed hornbills feed mainly on the ground, where they forage for seeds, small insects, spiders and scorpions. This hornbill species is a common and widespread resident of dry thornveldt and broad-leafed woodlands. They can often be seen along roads and water courses.
It is a medium-sized bird, 48–60 centimetres (19–24 in) in length, 132–242 grams (0.291–0.534 lb) in weight and is characterized by a long yellow and down-curved beak. This beak is huge in comparison to its body and can account for up 1/6th of the entire body length. Male beaks are on average 90 mm long while female beaks are an average of 74 mm. Males are generally bigger than females but there is overlap between the sexes. The size difference of the beak is a fairly reliable way of differentiating sex in wild hornbills.
The casque that characterizes all hornbills is of a very modest size in the southern yellow-billed hornbill. It is small, but it covers almost the entire length of the beak in males (less so in females), and may give the impression that they do not actually have a casque. As in all hornbills, the size of the beak actually intrudes on the frontal vision of the bird and the first two neck vertebrae are fused together.
Also, like most other hornbills, they possess a long tail, long eyelashes, stubby legs and stubby toes. The front three toes are fused together near the base.
They have white belly, grey neck, and black back plumage with abundant white spots and stripes. The neck has gray spots and the chest is lightly striated with black. Southern yellow-billed hornbills have no plumage pigmentation save for melanin, which can only produce shades of black and white.[2] The eyes are usually yellow, though brown has also been seen. The skin around the eyes and in the malar stripe is pinkish. The related eastern yellow-billed hornbill from north-eastern Africa has blackish skin around the eyes.
The southern yellow-billed hornbill is active during morning, day and evening. At night, it will sleep high in a tree so it won’t be preyed on. They can be found alone, in couples or in small groups. They generally tend to be loners unless it is breeding season, nesting season or if there is local migration during dry season.
The southern yellow-billed hornbill is often seen searching for food on the ground or in shrubs. It will not dig the ground, but it will overturn debris to find insects. It can also be seen pursuing insects by hopping heavily after it.
They are generally sedentary and they will defend their territories with elaborate displays. However, during the dry season, they will sometimes range widely in order to find food. Couples are usually monogamous and have a clear division of labour between males and females.
They have been known to live for up to 20 years in captivity, though their longevity in the wilds remains unknown.
Wikipedia
Sky Meadows State Park
Only a few white squirrels are albinos, recognizable by pink or blue eyes and the absence of pigmentation anywhere on the body. The gene for such an absence of the pigment, melanin, is recessive, so each parent must carry it to produce an albino squirrel. This squirrel had blue eyes! #albinosquirrel #skymeadows #virginia
best view: LARGE SIZE www.flickr.com/photos/14335455@N00/2611188203/sizes/o/
**Please don't use this image on websites,
blogs or other media without my explicit permission.
© All rights reserved **
I was so enthusiastic to see these lovely and intelligent fish-eating creatures in their natural habitat - where they belong to - an not in tanks in aquariums where the Aquarium-Industry makes a lot of money with them....
They live in their natural habitat in matriarchies in very close social bonds.
"They are probably the most socially bonded of all mammals on our entire Planet.
Resident Orcas spend their entire lives within their immediate family group."
(quot. Dr.Paul Spong,OrcaLab)
"Whales provide human observers only brief opportunities to view them as they break the water's surface. While the species can be identified from these brief glimpses, only with photographs can enough information be recorded to allow the identification of individual whales. This process of photo-identification was pioneered during studies of killer whales in the 1970s by Dr. Michael Bigg. Prior to Dr. Bigg's work, little was known about the local killer whale populations. Using photographs, scientists noted subtle differences in the natural markings and injuries on the whale's bodies and fins. Characteristic shapes and sizes of dorsal fins, injuries, scars, and body pigmentation create unique combinations as recognizable as the human face. With this method, individuals could be identified, counted and their movements recorded. The key to studying killer whales in the wild had been discovered! Though the technique was developed for the identification and study of killer whales, photo-identification is proving to be a vital tool in our understanding of all whales species."
(Quotation, Biography of Dr. Michael Bigg )
The "ROBSON BIGHT Michael Bigg Eological Reserve" (a whale sanctuary, 20 km south of Telegraph Cove) was named after this great Marine-Biologist.
Here are OrcaLabs latest news on the oil spill in Robson Bight. It happened after I had left Vancouver Island. www.orcalab.org/news-archive/orcalab_general/080610.htm
Fortunately, the arrival of the A 30's was reported some days ago.
Do you want to know more about Northern Resident Orcas?
Please, visit: www.orca-live.net/
('OrcaLab' is an orca research station on Hanson Island, B.C., Canada)
The white tiger is a pigmentation variant of the Bengal tiger, which is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Assam, West Bengal and Bihar in the Sunderbans region and especially in the former State of Rewa. Such a tiger has the black stripes typical of the Bengal tiger, but carries a white or near-white coat.
Photo was taken during a visit in the Olmense Zoo, Belgium.
Info source: Wikipedia
"Leucism (/ˈljuːkɪzəm/; or /ˈluːsɪzəm/) is a condition in which there is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticle, but not the eyes. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in multiple types of pigment, not just melanin."
An up close look at this Trumpeter Swan.
TTP / Lake Ontario
Nyah is part of Inamorata Vitiligo collection that celebrates the beauty of this unique type of pigmentation. The collection consists of three dolls in Chocolate resin: Nyah (Nnaji sculpt), Nala (Nnaji sculpt) and Imani (Nubia sculpt).
Nala has one blue and one brown eye, black lashes, red glossy lips and vitiligo pigmentation. The white lingerie is from Inamorata Cherub LE30 from 2013.
The jewellery and dolls are available for sale in my shop at emiliacouture.com/shop/
A.k.a. wild carrot (Daucus carota)
A relative of the carrot, with a taproot that looks and smells like a carrot. Although the root is edible, it is so similar to that of poison hemlock that consuming it is best avoided. The plant itself resembles both poison hemlock and the similarly toxic fool's parsley (see my photo elsewhere on my page). And if that weren't enough, the plant's leaves or sap can sensitize the skin to sunlight, resulting in phytophotodermatitis, a rash that heals with a long-lasting dark pigmentation left behind.
At least the flowers, and the resulting fruit resembling a bird's nest, are beautiful to look at.
Adults Humpback Whales range in length from 14–17 m (46–56 ft) and weigh up to 40 metric tons (44 short tons). The humpback has a distinctive body shape, with long pectoral fins and a knobbly head.
They are known for breaching and other distinctive surface behaviors, making it popular with whale watchers. Males produce a complex song typically lasting 4 to 33 minutes.
Found in oceans and seas around the world, humpback whales typically migrate up to 16,000 km (9,900 mi) each year. They feed in polar waters and migrate to tropical or subtropical waters to breed and give birth.
Their diet consists mostly of krill and small fish. Unique among large whales, humpbacks use bubbles to catch prey. They are promiscuous breeders, with both sexes having multiple partners. Orcas are the main natural predators of humpback whales.
Like other large whales, the humpback was a target for the whaling industry. Humans once hunted the species to the brink of extinction; its population fell to around 5,000 by the 1960s. While numbers have partially recovered to some 135,000 animals worldwide, entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships, and noise pollution continue to affect the species.
The adult humpback whale is generally 14–15 m (46–49 ft), though longer lengths of 16–17 m (52–56 ft) have been recorded. Females are usually 1–1.5 m (3 ft 3 in – 4 ft 11 in) longer than males..
The species can reach body masses of 40 metric tons (44 short tons). Calves are born at around 4.3 m (14 ft) long with a weight of 680 kg (1,500 lb).
The body is bulky with a thin rostrum and proportionally long flippers, each around one-third of its body length.[14][15] It has a short dorsal fin that varies from nearly non-existent to relatively long and curved.
As a rorqual, the humpback has grooves between the tip of the lower jaw and the navel. They are fewer in number in this species, ranging from 14–35. The mouth is lined with baleen plates, which number 270-400 for both sides.
Unique among large whales, humpbacks have bumps or tubercles on the head and front edge of the flippers; the tail fluke has a jagged trailing edge.
The tubercles on the head are 5–10 cm (2.0–3.9 in) thick at the base and poke up to 6.5 cm (2.6 in). They are mostly hollow in the center, often containing at least one fragile hair that erupts 1–3 cm (0.39–1.18 in) from the skin and is 0.1 mm (0.0039 in) thick.
The tubercles develop early in the womb and may have a sensory function as they are rich in nerves.
The dorsal or upper-side of the animal is generally black; the ventral or underside has various level of black and white coloration. Whales in the southern hemisphere tend to have more expansive white pigmentation. The flippers can vary from all-white to white only on the under surface.
The varying color patterns and scars on the tail flukes distinguish individual animals. The end of the genital slit of the female is marked by a round lope. This lobe visually distinguishes males and females
This image was taken on an Elding Whale Watching trip from Reykjavik, Iceland
Poor man's tablet macro
Three different stages of juvenile Isotomurus plumosus.
In addition a female Sminthurides malmgreni.
The Carex leaf is dry, decomposing and floating on the water. No algae are growing on the leaf. I assume they eat from the microscopic fungal growth on the leaf.
The main diagnostic character of plumosus is the thick middorsal longitudinal stripe. Lateral stripes are also present in adults, but absent or less developed in juveniles. A confirmatory diagnostic character is the distinct dot behind the eyes (pigmentation inbetween the eyes is absent).
Frame width = 6 mm
St. Louis County (Bee Tree Park), MO - Northern Cardinal (Leucistic) 11.6.21 (partial loss of pigmentation)
Tatiana
Such a cutie! I had to search a bit, she was the last one on the shelf. I’m not liking the dots in the eyes of this newest waves. What is it from, a printer? She also would have benefited from a jointed body, especially since swapping her head will make you lose the hypo-pigmentation on her body.
I was out and about in the back country and saw this rabbit on the road about 100 feet away. I had never seen a rabbit with marks and colors like this. After some research online, I concluded that this is likely a melanistic cottontail, that is a rabbit that had at least one parent that carried a gene that produces an overabundance of melanin that turns their skin and fur pigmentation black. If both parents carry the gene, it may produce an all-black offspring. This one has the white paws and a brown face like a normal mountain cottontail but mostly black fur with some white blotches on the body which makes me think it is likely a melanistic cottontail.
Any other ideas on identification anyone?
Platalea ajaja: A juvenile bird at the Celery Fields, Sarasota, FL (04 March, 2022).
Breeding adults have more saturated pink/purple plumage on the wings and other distinctive pigmentation on the neck and face. The genus has species: this one is the only one with strong pink carotenoid pigments in its plumage. The other species are mostly white-plumaged.
A few days ago I posted a female Anthocharis cardamines (Linnaeus, 1758). This one is the male of the species with the signature orange pigmentation on its wings and the origin of its common name, i.e. the orange tip.
Thanks a lot for stopping by, your comments and likes mean a lot to me and are very much appreciated!
Nyah is part of Inamorata Vitiligo collection that celebrates the beauty of this unique type of pigmentation. The collection consists of three dolls in Chocolate resin: Nyah (Nnaji sculpt), Nala (Nnaji sculpt) and Imani (Nubia sculpt).
Nala has one blue and one brown eye, black lashes, red glossy lips and vitiligo pigmentation. The white lingerie is from Inamorata Cherub LE30 from 2013.
The jewellery and dolls are available for sale in my shop at emiliacouture.com/shop/
Eristalinus sp. (maybe E. punctulatus)
Family: Syrphidae
Order: Diptera
This individual is probably E. punctulatus though the pigmentation on the thorax is heavier than most specimens I have seen. The characteristic four black thorax stripes are not as clear as in other specimens.
The larvae of this fly have a long thin tail, leading to the name of Rat-tailed Maggots. They are found near stagnant water.
As the photos show, this fly was found feeding on flowers of a privet bush (Ligustrum) at Milton, NSW, Australia.
It hovered over the flowers as do the Hoverflies of the Syrphidae family.
DSC03800 and DSC03786
we are all immigrants here
the world belongs to all of us
the world belongs to none of us
we are just along for the ride
until we pass on through to the other side
held in a temporary suspension of deportation
defining who is worthy for asylum
based on money, military might and pigmentation
all in search of a better life
trying to escape evils on one shore
only to find it in another unfathomable form
upon arrival
re-inforcing our borders with barbed wire
and red tape
to keep THEM out
while we infiltrate their homeland
and rape them of their resources
leaving destruction, polution and death behind
we are entitled to their oil, uranium and diamonds
while they aren't entitled to their very lives
or a safe place they can call home
started colouring this almost 2 years ago.... i really didn't want it too clean, hence the muddy and off set pigmentation. stands out more now, i think. hope you like xx
NOW AVAILABLE as a limited edition A3 print on my online shop:
missled.bigcartel.com/
Brown is a composite colour made by combining red, black and yellow. The colour is seen widely in nature, in wood, soil, and human hair colour, eye colour and skin pigmentation. In Europe and the United States, it is the colour most often associated with plainness, humility, the rustic, and poverty. It is also, according to public opinion surveys, the least favourite colour of the public.
(Wikipedia)
Sailer Butterfly Caterpillar (Neptis sp., Nymphalidae)
Pu'er, Yunnan, China
Littorina fabalis male. A large obvious penis, positioned at the posterior of the head on the right side, is present on mature males in all seasons, and can be exposed on dead or living specimens of both species.
Shell height 12.5mm. Llŷn, North Wales. September 2015.
FULL ACCOUNT BELOW
Sets of OTHER SPECIES:
www.flickr.com/photos/56388191@N08/collections/
PDF available at www.researchgate.net/publication/351037569_Differentiatin... .
Differentiating Littorina obtusata sensu stricto (Linnaeus, 1758)
from Littorina fabalis (Turton, 1825).
Ian F. Smith
Abstract
Adult males of Littorina obtusata sensu stricto and L. fabalis (synonym L. mariae) can be reliably differentiated by the forms of the penes on both extracted dead specimens and unsedated intact animals. Differentiation can often be made within a local population on the basis of shell form, size and colour after these features have been correlated with penis forms in a sample of specimens. The shell features can then be used to identify further local specimens, but cannot be relied on at other localities without confirming penis forms there.
Materials, methods, protocols for acquiring experience, environmental associations of phenotypes, and some sample sites are described and illustrated.
Contents
1. Preliminary check.
2. Taxonomic history.
3. Identification resources.
4. Penis examination methods.
5. Differences in penis morphology.
6. Differences in female anatomy.
7. Differences in shell morphology and colour.
7a. Shell colours.
7b. Shell sizes.
7c. Shell spires.
7d. Shell apertures.
8. Phenotypes of different wave exposures.
8a. Sheltered shores.
8b. Semi-exposed shores.
8c. More exposed shores.
9. Collecting and reliable recording.
10. Acknowledgements.
11. References and web links.
12. Glossary.
1. Preliminary check
Lacuna pallidula, detailed account below image flic.kr/p/hTnxJa , has a similar low spire, very similar spawn, and occurs with L. fabalis on Fucus serratus . It has a much thinner shell with widely open umbilicus, contrasting with the thick columella of L. fabalis.
2. Taxonomic history of L. obtusata and L. fabalis.
1758 to 1914: multiple species and varieties named.
1915 to 1965: all species, except Arctic varieties with spires, combined into one species referred to as Littorina obtusata (Linnaeus, 1758) or, mainly by British workers, as L. littoralis auct. For detail of historic nomenclature confusion see caption below image 1Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUWm .
1966 to 1988: gradual acceptance of two species, based on penis differences, named L. obtusata sensu stricto (Linnaeus, 1758) and L. fabalis (Turton, 1825), synonym L. mariae Sacchi & Rastelli, 1966. Arctic varieties with pointed spires were included in one or other of the pair on the basis of their penes.
In the following account, any use of “L. obtusata” in the now unaccepted sense of including both species has “sensu lato” or “s.l.” after it. The name with no addition, or sometimes for emphasis with “sensu stricto” or “s.s.”, refers to the now accepted segregated sense.
3. Identification resources
Differentiation of the two species by penis form was first published in 1966 by Sacchi & Rastelli, but did not appear in many identification guides until the late 1980s. Consequently, most pre 1988 works, apart from post 1966 specialist papers, are of limited use. Some later publications, such as Graham (1988), recognise the two species but provide insufficient information and images for discrimination of the many phenotypes. Hayward & Ryland (1990) and Hayward & Ryland (1995 & reprints to 2009), have images www.seawater.no/fauna/mollusca/fabalis.html that confuse www.ispotnature.org/node/646985 as the only L. mariae shell illustrated has features frequent on juveniles of both species, and the L. obtusata image has thick aperture walls more typical of L. fabalis.
Williams (1990) has useful information on forms and ecology. The authoritative volume Systematics and evolution of Littorina by Reid (1996) has fifty A4 pages of detailed description and comparison of all phenotypes and geographical variations of these two species. It is essential reading for those undertaking scientific study of Littorina species www.raysociety.org.uk/publications/zoology/the-systematic... .
4. Penis examination
“...only the characters of the adult reproductive system are unequivocal... . ...identifications using [shell features] should be confirmed by dissection before routine application in the field” (Reid, 1996). A rare ambiguity in penes linked to hybridization has been reported at one site in Portugal (Carvalho et al., 2016). An obvious penis, positioned at the posterior of the head on the right side 2Dof flic.kr/p/RcvnFf , is present on mature males in all seasons, and can be exposed on dead or living specimens.
Dead material
Specimens can be killed instantly by plunging into boiling water, or by leaving in a freezer overnight, or by gradually adding Magnesium chloride or Magnesium sulphate crystals to the water in a small container to first anaesthetize and then kill them. The only dissection required is to carefully crush the shell in a tabletop vice with any rubber protectors removed 3Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUmy , avoiding damage to the soft parts, and to pick off the broken fragmets. This method allows unrestricted view of all the necessary details and is quick and reliable, but requires killing of the specimen and destruction of the shell. Alternatively, if boiled for several minutes, the animal can be extracted with a pin from the unbroken shell. Though the penis as a whole is likely to contract on death, especially if boiled, and will be fixed in one of several possible expansions and positions 4Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUab , its glands are often distended and more easily discerned, and it is likely to resemble published images of dead specimens 4Dof flic.kr/p/QFCUab .
Living unsedated specimens
Penes can be examined and photographed on live specimens without harm or anaesthesia using the techniques described in Smith (2012 & 2016 flic.kr/s/aHskNP6GoL ). While live, the penis can be held in a variety of positions 5aDof flic.kr/p/Q2jb82 & 5bDof flic.kr/p/Rcvmo5 and will often be generally more expanded than on dead material, but the glands are often less prominent than on dissected penes and frequently hidden when held against the body. Time and patience will be required as this pair of species may be reluctant to extend from their shells, and several views or images may be needed to accumulate the necessary detail. Best results are obtained if the examination can be within 48 hours of capture. When not being examined, keep in a refrigerator at about 6°C in tightly closed plastic boxes dampened by, but not awash with, seawater. L. fabalis will extend when immersed and restrained 7Dof flic.kr/p/Q2jabc as described in Smith (2012 & 2016), but L. obtusata s.s. exposes itself more readily when damp than when submerged 8Dof flic.kr/p/RcvkCY & 9Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j9un .
5. Differences in penis morphology,
Mamilliform penial glands
L. fabalis has 3 to 17 large glands in a single row along 40% to 70% of the ventral edge of its penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . The glands are usually visible on live unsedated specimens 7Dof flic.kr/p/Q2jabc .
L. obtusata has 10 to 54 closely packed small glands, in one or more irregular rows along 75% to 90% of the length of its penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y near its ventral edge and on the mesial face usually held against the body 9Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j9un ; sometimes multiple rows occupy 60% of the width of the penis. The small glands often do not protrude into view on live unsedated specimens unless the penis is twisted to expose the proximal face 11Dof flic.kr/p/RfXgF8 .
Filament (glandless tip of penis).
L. fabalis has long and vermiform filament. On dead or anaesthetized specimens filament is 30% to over 60% of total length of penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . Growth is allometric; small individuals frequently have filaments 30% to 40%, while the largest usually have filaments of 50% to >60% of penis length 6Dof flic.kr/p/RTWK1i . Penis is motile and varying in length on any individual unsedated specimen 5bDof flic.kr/p/Rcvmo5 , and the appearance is affected by positioning/angle of view, so it is advisable to take several observations or photographs when examining live specimens.
L. obtusata has short triangular filament. On dead or anaesthetized specimens 10% to 25% of total length of penis 10Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvk2Y . On live unsedated specimens it may be difficult to discern the precise limit (distal gland) of the filament because the small glands are hidden. However, being short, wide and triangular, it is obviously different 12Dof flic.kr/p/RfXgop & 13Dof flic.kr/p/RfXg8z from the vermiform filament of L. fabalis.
Size of penis depends on the size of the individual male and is not diagnostic of species. On the sheltered Menai Strait, most adult male L. obtusata are larger, and so have larger penes, than most male L. fabalis. On more exposed shores in North Wales, the sizes of the two species can be almost equal.
6. Difference in female anatomy
The copulatory bursa, requires skilled dissection and cannot be examined without killing. It is not illustrated here, see Reid (1996) for details and diagrams.
L. fabalis; half length of jelly gland, not reaching capsule gland.
L. obtusata; extends full length of jelly gland to capsule gland.
The ovipositor can be observed on live females restrained as described in Smith (2012 & 2016). Goodwin & Fish (1977) stated that, in 99% of cases examined by them in Wales, its colour is “to varying degrees black pigmented” on L. obtusata 14Dof flic.kr/p/RfXfWn , while L. fabalis “lacks pigmentation” 15Dof flic.kr/p/RfXfGp , but this was not my experience in Wales 16Dof flic.kr/p/Q2j6nF , and Reid (1996) also found it not always so . The colour is often lost on preserved specimens as the surface frequently sloughs off.
To identify females without dissection, the shell forms and shore zone of each species on the same shore need to be ascertained by examination of some penes on males. This information can also be used to find if local ovipositor colours conform with Goodwin and Fish (1977).
7. Differences in shell morphology and colour
No single shell feature is diagnostic in all situations, and some features intergrade. When several features are considered in combination with habitat detail, it is often possible to give a probable identification, but, for certainty, confirmation by examination of penes is required. Some shores, such as in Denmark and from Kent to Dorset, have problematic shell forms, so penis examination is especially necessary (Reid, 1996). Correlations, validated by penis examination, of species with shell form and colour on specific shores can be found in published previous studies, but should be used with caution as shell form may vary on different parts of the same shore (Reimchen, 1981) and may change from year to year with variation in the climate. Shells of Arctic and subarctic populations differ from those south of the Lofoten Islands; they are less well known and are excluded from this account except where specifically mentioned; further detail in Reid (1996).
7a. Shell colours of both species are often classified with the terms below; percentages are of specimens in a large collection of a mixture of both species from across Britain (Smith, 1976, in Reid, 1996). Some authors give slightly different interpretations of a colour term for each species, and it can be difficult to define the limits of fusca, brownish olivacea and faintly marked dark reticulata. Colours are best viewed on live specimens in water as the shell and the periostracum, which often contributes to the colour, erode and fade readily on dead shells 17Dof flic.kr/p/R5n3xZ .
Olivacea: 55%. Exterior olive green 18Dof flic.kr/p/RfXeZ2 to olive brown 19Dof flic.kr/p/R5mYDB , interior often purplish to brownish. Usually the commonest colour form, and almost diagnostic, of L. obtusata on shores well sheltered from waves. An algal coating on L. fabalis 20Dof flic.kr/p/R2FMv5 may confuse unless scraped off; true olivacea L. fabalis are extremely rare or absent in Britain, but they do exist in at least two places in Galicia, Spain on Zostera.
Reticulata: 33%. Exterior yellow to brown with darker reticulate 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , chequered 22Dof flic.kr/p/R2FKwW or zig zag 23Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvdds pattern; interior varied, can be white 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , sometimes tinted pink or violet and sometimes with exterior pattern showing near rim within aperture 24Dof flic.kr/p/R2FJeL . Usually the commonest colour form of both species on shores exposed to wave action.
Citrina: 10%. Exterior yellow 25Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvc5A grading to white; interior white 26Dof flic.kr/p/R3LhL5 . Usually the commonest colour of L. fabalis on shores well sheltered from waves, but not diagnostic as it also occurs on L. obtusata 27Dof flic.kr/p/R3Lhcj on the same shores.
Fusca: dark brown to black on L. obtusata 19Dof fig.5 flic.kr/p/R5mYDB ; dark chestnut brown on L. fabalis (Reid, 1996). Rare, generally less than 1%, but 100% of sample of 14 L. obtusata s.l. from a site on brackish Isefjord, Denmark (Rasmussen, 1973). A sample of 8 thin shelled, dwarf, L. fabalis from exposed cliff near Aberdeen all appear to be form fusca, but the specimens, at 28Dof flic.kr/p/PZBeay , were photographed 45 years after death, so the colour may have altered.
Each of following less than 1%.
Aurantia: orange. 29Dof flic.kr/p/PZBdiU
Rubens: red or brick red. 30Dof flic.kr/p/QGHGD9
Inversicolor: two broad dark bands. 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW
Zonata: single pale band around periphery (“equator”) of bodywhorl. 33Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4Fe (right specimen).
Alternata: two pale bands. 33Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4Fe (left specimen).
On some shores, juvenile L. fabalis up to 4mm diameter are pure white resembling the 3.5mm diameter spiral tubes of spirorbid worms living on the fronds of Fucus serratus frequented by L. fabalis. With later growth of another colour, the juvenile shell is preserved as a pure white early spire 23Dof flic.kr/p/Rcvdds & 34Dof flic.kr/p/QGHFW7 . Care is required as the spire of L. obtusata is often eroded to dingy whitish, though careful examination will often show traces of the eroded colour 35Dof flic.kr/p/Rdzcqb . And populations of L. fabalis lacking white spirorbid like spires can weather to dingy white with traces of colour in the same way as L. obtusata 36Dof flic.kr/p/R6s3wF .
7b. Shell sizes
On most shores, L. obtusata has a larger mean height than L. fabalis, but there is usually a large overlap in sizes of the largest L. fabalis specimens and young specimens of L. obtusata 37Dof flic.kr/p/R3LbTo . The mean size of both species varies greatly with local conditions 44Dof flic.kr/p/Q3o4dM .
7c. Shell spires
In Britain and most of Atlantic Europe, generally, but not consistently enough for reliable differentiation, L. fabalis has a flat or very low spire 36Dof flic.kr/p/R6s3wF and L. obtusata a low 38Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1kr or slightly raised domed spire 18Dof flic.kr/p/RfXeZ2 , often with an angled shoulder on the body whorl giving a squared or barrel like profile 38Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1kr . Juveniles of both species usually have flatter spires than adults 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW , 32Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4KH , 39Dof flic.kr/p/QGHEsW & 50Dof flic.kr/p/R3L2LW .
Occasional specimens 40Dof flic.kr/p/R6s1gD or local populations have a protruding pointed spire, especially in sheltered brackish conditions, e.g. L. obtusata var. aestuarii in the tidal River Deben, Suffolk, in Jeffreys (1869) fig. 8, plate CI at archive.org/stream/britishconcholog05jeffr#page/n489/mode... (now scarce or extinct at that locality). On Arctic and subarctic shores north of the Lofoten Islands, and in Greenland and most of Iceland, many of both species have protruding pointed spires. Only L. obtusata occurs in Atlantic North America; it often has a developed spire in northern Maine and Canada.
7d. Shell apertures
Aperture size is affected by the physical and biological environment, and juveniles have a less expanded body whorl and aperture. The shell walls thicken with maturity in both species, constricting the aperture internally, generally more markedly in L. fabalis, but varying in degree with environment. The most useful measure of shell thickness is that of the lip at the base of the columella (C) divided by the length of the aperture (LA) 41Dof flic.kr/p/R6rZHz . In a sample of 59 adult shells, including less frequent extreme forms, C/LA was usually less than 0.29 on L. obtusata and greater than 0.29 on L. fabalis, but only with a 75% accuracy (Reid, 1996). Accuracy was greater if extreme forms were excluded. Juveniles of the two species are often very similar with thin shell walls, a sharp, fragile aperture rim and an unconstricted opening, and often the anterior (base of aperture) is drawn out into a moderate spout. As small juveniles lack penes, identification cannot always be verified. Association with verified adults, and shell size and colour, if on a shore where there is a large interspecific difference in these features, are usually the best guide 31Dof flic.kr/p/PZBccW & 32Dof flic.kr/p/R6s4KH .
Graham (1988) states that “a notch where the outer lip and last whorl meet” is indicative of L. obtusata, but its presence varies with age/spire development and it is not a reliable predictor of species (D. Reid, in litt.) 42Dof flic.kr/p/QGHDiw & 43Dof flic.kr/p/PZB3Fs .
8. Phenotypes of different wave exposures
On British rocky shores that have full marine salinity and fucoid algal growth, shell sizes and dominant colours of L. obtusata and L. fabalis vary with the degree of wave exposure. Image 44Dof flic.kr/p/Q3o4dM and its caption summarise approximately the most frequent correlations.
8 a. Sheltered shores, not estuarine, scale 8, 7 or 6, are the best for initial experience of differentiating the two species, providing the tidal range is sufficient to clearly separate and define a zone of Ascophyllum nodosum on the middle/upper shore and a zone of Fucus serratus on the lower shore (low spring tide required to expose) 45Dof flic.kr/p/QGHCb1 . Olivacea L. obtusata at its largest will probably be on the Ascophyllum, and easily differentiated from citrina L. fabalis at its smallest with thick aperture walls on the Fucus serratus 46Dof flic.kr/p/R6rYa4 . Unbiased samples can be obtained by shaking plants into a bucket. Juveniles of both species may be yellow and have a similar shape with an anterior spout 37Dof flic.kr/p/R3LbTo , but juveniles from Ascophyllum with adult L. obtusata will likely be that species and be as large as adult L. fabalis, and far larger than tiny juveniles of L. fabalis. If findings are as described, the identifications will almost certainly be correct, but examining the penes will add to experience. Sites with phenotypes as described can be found on the narrow inner portion of the Menai Straits between the two bridges and probably extending to Bangor and Y Felinheli; aerial photograph at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NHMSYS00210... .
L. fabalis does not eat Fucus serratus, but uses the flat fronds as suitable feeding platforms for its diet of micro epiphytes and detritus. It is sometimes absent in sheltered situations, despite the presence of F. serratus, if excess sediment coats the plants, e.g. possible cause of absence in upper reaches of Severn Estuary (Williams, 1994). Where turbidity and sediment in estuaries 47Dof flic.kr/p/Rh3x7n or impact of sand laden currents 48Dof flic.kr/p/Rh3wNX prevent the growth of intertidal fucoid algae, both mollusc species are usually absent or very scarce.
8 b. Semi exposed shores, Ballantine scale 4, will provide experience at the opposite end of the phenotype sequence. Ascophyllum, a favoured food of L. obtusata, will be absent or present as a few scattered stunted plants, and L. obtusata will likewise be absent or present as small specimens on scant Fucus vesiculosus or other algae. Fucus serratus is still usually common at scale 4 and L. fabalis usually achieves its largest size here, sometimes equalling or exceeding any L. obtusata present. Differentiating the species can be very difficult on such shores because their sizes are often similar, the predominant colour form of both species is reticulata, and both tend towards larger apertures with thinner shells. Examination of penes is very necessary. An aerial photograph of this sort of shore open to a fetch across the Irish Sea of 100km to 175km, with a wide wave cut platform and plenty of F. serratus but no observed Ascophyllum, is at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NHMSYS00210...! 0951H+G!0851H+G Large, reticulate L. fabalis were common here (penes checked). The aperture lip of adults was strongly thickened and the opening correspondingly narrowed. The interior was white 21Dof flic.kr/p/PYwgVE , sometimes tinted pink or violet and the exterior pattern often showed within the rim 49Dof flic.kr/p/QGHAn1 . No L. obtusata were found because they were absent or not detected among very similar L. fabalis. A thin shelled, wide apertured, citrina juvenile L. fabalis was initially mistaken for L. obtusata, but the white spirorbid like initial whorls and its presence among adult L. fabalis strongly suggested it was L. fabalis 50Dof flic.kr/p/R3L2LW .
8 c. Exposed shores, Ballantine scale 3, 2 & 1, usually lack either species, but L. fabalis may occur in dwarf form on scale 3 shores 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q & 28Dof flic.kr/p/PZBeay if sufficiently moist micro habitats exist with secure refuges for dwarfs to retreat into from violent waves. On some Scottish exposed shores with frequent splash and spray, it “may be found further up on the shore on other fucoids where there is adequate protection from desiccation” (McKay & Smith, 1979). It even sometimes occurs at mean high water neap level on Fucus spiralis (Sacchi, 1969 in Reid, 1996). It also occurs in exposed positions on Mastocarpus stellatus in Galicia, Spain; Palmeria palmata at Grindvik, Iceland; Devaleraea stellatus on Achill Island, Ireland; and on red encrusting algae and bare rock in northern Norway (Reid, 1996). On exposed shores, usually, the aperture is larger and the shell thinner than in other situations, and may resemble L. obtusata s.s. from moderately exposed shores.
In a sample of eight from a scale 3 site near Aberdeen, aerial image at data.nbn.org.uk/imt/?mode=SPECIES&species=NBNSYS00001... , all were fusca dwarfs, height mode 4.2mm, max. 5.5mm, with large apertures and thin shells apart from the wide columellar lip 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q . The spires varied greatly, some, like many L. fabalis, almost flat , others with a large bulging penultimate whorl well proud of the aperture that resembles many L. obtusata s.s..
9. Collecting and reliable recording, suggestions.
# Disregard stranded shells; their anatomy cannot be verified, they lack helpful habitat detail, the periostracum containing much colour may be eroded, and the shell may be bleached and weathered 17Dof flic.kr/p/R5n3xZ .
# If possible, start with a sheltered shore and then a semi exposed shore to gain experience.
# An individual specimen may have atypical features 51Dof flic.kr/p/QGHA9q or be deformed 52Dof flic.kr/p/Q3nXct , so examine several; for inspection of penes, eight mature ones give a 99% chance of both sexes if there is a 50:50 ratio.
# To obtain all colours and sizes, collect the sample randomly, e.g. by shaking plants into a bucket. If only the largest are selected by eye, the sample may be biased to females as they are larger than males on average, especially L. fabalis on sheltered shores.
# Take separate clearly labelled samples from discrete habitats e.g. Ascophyllum and F. serratus zones. Be aware that some shores have more than one wave exposure; see Reimchen (1981), link in references.
# Transport specimens in sealed plastic boxes dampened, but not awash, with seawater.
Store in a fridge at about 6ºC and examine as soon as possible; L. obtusata s.s. exposes itself more readily when damp rather than when submerged.
# Check any shell based identification with examination of some penes.
# When submitting records to a recording scheme, make sure to include that the penes were examined so that at a future date your record can be separated from the mass of less reliable records. Check with the scheme organizer that the detail will be included
when entered. Records submitted to the Marine Recorder of the Conchological Society of G.B. & Ireland have anatomical notes included and uploaded as integral parts of the record; contact marine@conchsoc.org . Other detail such as shore exposure and algal zone are also helpful and welcomed. Clear photographs of shell aperture and penes, or preserved specimens, are valued by the Marine Recorder.
10. Acknowledgements
I am indebted to Dr David Reid for his careful examination of this account and for his highly valued advice, but any errors or omissions are my (IFS) responsibility.
I wish to thank Simon Taylor, Marine Recorder for the Conchological Society of G.B. and Ireland, for helpful discussion and the provision of specimens and photographs, and I am grateful to Dr Jan Light for help with literature and specimens.
11. References and web links
Ballantine, W.J. 1961. A biologically-defined exposure scale for comparative description of rocky shores. Field studies 1(3): 1-19. www.field-studies-council.org/resources/field-studies-jou...
Carvalho, J., Sotelo, G., Galindo, J. & Faria, R. 2016. Genetic characterization of flat periwinkles (Littorinidae) from the Iberian Peninsula reveals interspecific hybridization and different degrees of differentiation. Biol. J. Linn. Soc., 118: 503 to 519. onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bij.12762/abstract
Goodwin, B.J & Fish, J.D. 1977. Inter- and intraspecific variation in Littorina obtusata and L. mariae (Gastropoda, Prosobranchia). J. Moll. Stud. 43: 241 to 254. Extract at mollus.oxfordjournals.org/content/43/3/241.extract
Graham, A. 1988. Molluscs: prosobranch and pyramidellid gastropods: keys and notes for the identification of the species. Brill & Backhuys, for Linn. Soc. Lond. & Estuarine and Brackish-water Sciences Assoc. Synopses of the British Fauna (New Series) no.2. Edition 2 (662pages). Leiden.
Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (eds.) 1990. The marine fauna of the British Isles and North-West Europe. Volume 2. Clarendon Press, Oxford.
Hayward, P.J. & Ryland, J.S. (eds.) 1995 and reprints to 2009. Handbook of the marine fauna of North-West Europe. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Jeffreys, J.G. 1865. British conchology. vol.3. London, van Voorst. (L. fabalis included in L. obtusata as var. fabalis.)
archive.org/stream/britishconcholog03jeffr#page/356/mode/1up
Jeffreys, J.G. 1869.British conchology. vol.5. London, van Voorst. Plate ci, fig.8 of Littorina obtusata var. aestuarii (As Littorina aestuarii) from Shottisham Creek, R. Deben, near Felixstowe, Suffolk. Abundant there between tide marks. Well developed spire. (Now extinct or nearly so.) archive.org/stream/britishconcholog05jeffr#page/n489/mode...
McKay, D.W. & Smith, S.M. 1979. Marine Mollusca of East Scotland. Royal Scottish Museum, Edinburgh. [An early adoption of the differentiation as L. littoralis (for L. obtusata s.s.) and L. mariae (for L. fabalis) before nomenclature became settled. Maps reliable as all entries made or vetted by the experienced authors.]
Reid, D.G. 1996. Systematics and evolution of Littorina. Ray Society, London.
www.raysociety.org.uk/publications/zoology/the-systematic...
Reimchen, T.E. 1981. Microgeographical variation in Littorina mariae Sacchi & Rastelli and a taxonomic consideration. J. Conch. Lond. 30: 341 to 350.
www.web.uvic.ca/~reimlab/Microgeographical%20Variation-00...
Sacchi, C. F. & Rastelli, M. 1966. Littorina mariae, nov. sp.: les differences morphologiques et ecologiques entre "nains" et "normaux" chez l'espece L. obtusata (L.) (Gastr., Prosobr.) et leur signification adaptive et evolutive. Atti Soc. Ital. Sci. Nat. 105: 351 to 369.
Smith, D.A.S., 1976. Disruptive selection and morph-ratio clines in the polymorphic snail Littorina obtusata (L.) (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia). J. Mollus. Stud. 42: 114 to 135.
Smith, I.F. 2012. Anatomy of marine gastropods without dissection.
Mollusc World 28: 13 to 15. Conch. Soc. GB & Ireland.
Smith, I.F. 2016. Revision of Smith, I.F. 2012. Anatomy of marine gastropods without dissection. flic.kr/s/aHskNP6GoL and pdf version at www.researchgate.net/publication/310467378_Anatomy_of_mar...
Williams, G.A. 1990. The comparative ecology of the flat periwinkles, Littorina obtusata (L.) and L. mariae Sacchi et Rastelli in Field Studies 7: 469 to 482. fsj.field-studies-council.org/browse-by-category/marine-b... (scroll down to 1990) [Fig. 2 has an exposure scale in reverse order of Ballantine scale so 1 = Ballantine 8; and caption error: closed boxes are L. obtusata, open boxes are L. mariae/fabalis.]
Williams, G.A. 1994. Variation in populations of Littorina obtusata and Littorina mariae (Gastropoda) in the Severn Estuary. Biol J Linnean Soc 51: 189 to-198.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1095-8312.1994.tb00...
12. Glossary
3Dof = Image 3 in Flickr album.
allometric (adj.) = of disproportionate growth of a part or parts of an organism as the whole organism grows.
aperture = mouth of gastropod shell; outlet for head and foot.
coll. = in the collection of (named person or institution; compare with leg.).
columella = solid or hollow axial “little column” around which gastropod shell spirals; hidden inside shell, except on final whorl next to lower part of inner lip of aperture where hollow ones may end in an umbilicus or siphonal canal.
columellar (adj.) = of or near central axis of coiled gastropod.
columellar lip = lower (abapical) part of inner lip of aperture.
columellar muscle = large muscle connecting foot/head of gastropod to its shell at the columella.
distal = positioned or facing away from midline of body.
epiphyte = an organism growing on a larger plant for support, but not nutrition.
epizooic (adj.) = of non-parasitic organisms living on surface of animals.
filament = a slender threadlike object or fibre in animal or plant structures.
filament (in Reid, 1996) = glandless tip of penis a.k.a. distal tubule. Often not threadlike.
flagellum = threadlike organ or appendage.
height (of gastropod shells) = distance from apex of spire to base of aperture along/parallel to axis of coiling (see flic.kr/p/R6s1kr ).
in litt. (abbreviation of Latin “in litteris”) = in unpublished correspondence.
leg. (abbreviation of legit) = collected/ found by (compare with coll.)
mamilliform = shaped like a nipple.
mesial = facing towards the midline of the body.
mobile = able to move self, e.g. a horse, or to be moved by an agent, e.g. a wave or a cell phone.
motile = moves self spontaneously without volition; applicable to whole animals or to parts of them such as cells, gametes, penes or cilia.
penes (plural of penis) = male copulatory organs.
phenotype = form of a species resulting from influence of particular environmental factors.
proximal = towards the centre of the body or point of attachment.
sensu lato (abbreviation s.l.) = in the wide sense, possibly an aggregate of more than one species.
sensu stricto (abbreviation s.s.) = in the strict sense, excluding species that have been aggregated or confused with it.
spire = all whorls of a gastropod shell, except the final body whorl. But in this account, “spired shells” are taken to be those with a pointed apex protruding beyond the body whorl rather than the domed spire of some that extends beyond the body whorl.
taxonomic (adj.) = of or relating to taxonomy.
taxonomy = the description, identification, naming, and classification of organisms.
vermiform = shaped like a worm.
The virus infects the bulb and causes the cultivar to "break" its lock on a single color, resulting in intricate bars, stripes, streaks, featherings or flame-like effects of different colors on the petals. These symptoms vary depending on the plant variety and age at the time of infection. Different types of colour-breaks depend on the variety of tulip and the strain of the virus. The color variegation is caused either by local fading, or intensification and overaccumulation of pigments in the vacuoles of the upper epidermal layer due to the irregular distribution of anthocyanin; this fluctuation in pigmentation occurs after the normal flower color has developed. Because each outer surface is affected, both sides of the petal often display different patterns.
In the lily species, the virus causes mild to moderate mottling or streaking in the leaves about two weeks after inoculation, and then causes the plant to produce distorted leaves and flowers.[5]
The virus also weakens the bulb and retards the plant's propagation through offset growths; as it progresses through each generation the bulb grows stunted and weak. Eventually it has no strength to flower, and either breaks apart or withers away, ending the genetic line. For this reason the most famous examples of tulips from color broken bulbs – the Semper Augustus and the Viceroy – no longer exist.
The white Bengal tigers are distinctive due to the colour of their fur. The white fur is caused by a lack of the pigment pheomelanin, which is found in Bengal tigers with orange colour fur. When compared to Bengal tigers, the white Bengal tigers tend to grow faster and heavier than the orange Bengal tiger. They also tend to be somewhat bigger at birth, and as fully grown adults. White Bengal tigers are fully grown when they are 2–3 years of age. White male tigers reach weights of 200 to 230 kilograms and can grow up to 3 meters in length. As with all tigers, the white Bengal tiger’s stripes are like fingerprints, with no two tigers having the same pattern. The stripes of the tiger are a pigmentation of the skin; if an individual were to be shaved, its distinctive coat pattern would still be visible. For a white Bengal tiger to be born, both parents must carry the unusual gene for white colouring, which only happens naturally about once in 10,000 births.