Dat.: March 23. 2017

Lat.: 46.37218 Long.: 13.74138

Code: Bot_1041/2017_DSC00445

Picture file names: Helleborus-niger_raw_90. rumeni

 

Habitat: dirt road side, partly grassy place; alluvial, calcareous ground; shallow soil layer; open, sunny, dry place; elevation 605 m (1.980 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 6-8 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region.

 

Substratum: soil.

 

Place: Lower Trenta valley, Trenta village; near Plajer touristic farm house, East Julian Alps, Posočje, Slovenia EC.

 

Comment: Helleborus niger is another plant, which fuels my admiration year after year. Its large, up to 10 cm in diameter, snow-white flowers (when young) with their unusual structure (large white 'petals' are actually sepals!) are very beautifully shaped. But they are not only white! Many other shades from yellow, greenish, vividly pink, wine-red, to purple can be found during their growth. The first flowers already appear in earl winter, sometimes even in late November, if the weather allows and bloom well in April, even in May on cool places with lot of snow during the winter. The plant is a floral element of south and east Alps It is widely exploited in horticulture. Helleborus niger is especially valued in Japan, where Helleborus societies are establish, which organize trips to European places where displays of wild growing plants can be admired.

 

In west Slovenian in Upper Soča river valley and elsewhere Helleborus niger is too common plant to be truly admired. In February and March there are zillions of plants flowering everywhere, in forests, on grassland and especially along wood edges. On many places they represent the most dominant flowering plant not only during late winter but also in early spring.

 

How many species genus Helleborus comprise is still an open question. The number varies from 5 to 20, depending on to whom you trust. Many of them are extremely polymorphic and any kind of intermediate forms can be found.

 

Protected according to: Uredba o zavarovanih prostoživečih rastlinskih vrstah, poglavje A, Uradni list RS, št. 46/2004 (Regulation of protected wild plants, chapter A, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 46/2004), (2004). However, protected are only underground parts and seeds (Oo category). Protected also in some other EU states.

 

Ref.:

(1) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 122.

(2) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 100.

(3) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora für Österreich, Liechtenstein und Südtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 276.

(4) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 127.

(5) P. Skoberne, Zavarovane rastline Slovenije (Protected Plants of Slovenia), Mladinska Kniga (2007) (in Slovenian), p 103.

  

Species Name: Common Eggfly

 

Species Latin Name: Hypolimnas bolina

 

Also Known As: Great Eggfly, Common Eggfly, and in New Zealand it is known as the Blue Moon Butterfly

 

Native To: New Zealand, Madagascar, Asia, Australia

 

Photo Taken At: Melbourne Zoo

  

Wingspan: 7cm-8.5cm (2.8 – 3.3 inches)

 

Egg Description: Pale, glassy green with vertical ridges with exception to the top

  

Sub Species:

 

Hypolimnas bolina Bolina (Located in Sumatra, Java, Lesser Sunda Islands, Western Bornea, Sulawesi, Salayar, Kabaena, Galla, Banggai, Sula, Maluku, New Guinea, Australia, and New Caledonia)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Constans (Located in Tasmania)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Enganica (Located in Engano Island)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Gigas (Located in Sangihe)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Incommoda

 

Hypolimnas bolina Inconstans (Located in Navigator Islands)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Jacintha

 

Hypolimnas bolina Jaluita

 

Hypolimnas bolina Kezia (Located in Formosa)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Kraimoku (Located in Lifu)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Labuana (Located in Labuan)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Lisianassa (Moluccas)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Listeri (Christmas Island)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Montrouzieri (Located in Woodlark, Fergusson, Trobriand islands)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Naresii

 

Hypolimnas bolina Nerina (Located in Timor – Kai, Aru, Waigeu, West Irian – Papua, Northen Australia – Eastern Victoria, Bismark Archipelago, Solomon Islands, New Zealand)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Pallescens

 

Hypolimnas bolina Philippensis Located in the Philippines)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Pulchra (Located in Caledonia)

 

Hypolimnas bolina Rarik (Located in Lifu)

  

Description:

 

The males and the females are sexually dimorphic in that the male has only one form of appearance where as the female can come in a variety of different appearances.

  

As mentioned before the male of the species only has one common appearance and is referred to as being monomorphic. When viewed from above the male will have jet black wings save for the three large white dots on each wings. Their wings will also feature white trimmings on the edges of their wings.

  

The females of this species can vary in terms of appearance when it comes to the colouration of their wings. These changes are primarily seen on the dorsal/top down portion of their wings where there is a variety of different expressions of the colours white, orange and blue markings. The colouration of their wings are generally darker if the butterflies develop in cooler environments.

  

It is believed that the female has evolved to express various colourations of other butterfly species as a form of mimicry. As an example the female butterfly further to the west where this species can be found the female will be monomorphic instead of polymorphic. It is believed that this is the case as it will mimic the species of butterfly of the oriental and Australasian butterfly genus Euploea which are poisonous to eat (Species also commonly known as Crow butterflies, Reference link: Euploea - Wikipedia)

  

Feeding and Breeding Plants:

 

The butterflies have been noted to breed on the below plants:

  

Arrowleaf Sida

 

Also known as: Rhombus-leaved Sida, Paddy's Lucerne, Jelly leaf, Cuban Jute, Queensland-hemp, and Indian Hemp.

 

Medically known as: Kurumthotti in Ayurvdic medicine.

 

Latin Name: Sida rhombifolia

 

Reference link: Sida rhombifolia - Wikipedia

  

Elatostema cuneatum

 

Latin Name: Elatostemma cuneatum

 

Reference Links:

 

Elatostema cuneatum PFAF Plant Database

 

Elatostema cuneatum - efloraofindia (google.com)

  

Common Purslane

 

Also Known As: Little Hogweed or Pursley

 

Latin Name: Portulaca oleracea

 

Reference Link: Portulaca oleracea - Wikipedia

  

Hawaii Woodnettle

 

Also known as: Hen's Nette

 

Latin Name: Laportea interrupta

 

Alternate latin names: Fleurya interrupta & Urtica interrupta

 

Reference Links:

 

Laportea interrupta (lucidcentral.org)

 

Laportea interrupta - Useful Tropical Plants (theferns.info)

 

Fleurya interrupta: info from PIER (PIER species info) (hear.org)

  

Five Stamen Burrbark

 

Latin Name: Triumfetta pentandra

 

Reference Links:

 

Triumfetta pentandra - Useful Tropical Plants (theferns.info)

 

Species profile—Triumfetta pentandra | Environment, land and water | Queensland Government (des.qld.gov.au)

  

Chinese Violet

 

Latin Name: Asystasia

 

Reference Links:

 

Asystasia - Wikipedia

 

Asystasia travancorica | GardensOnline

 

Asystasia, Chinese violet | Central QLD Coast Landcare Network (cqclandcarenetwork.org.au)

  

Pastel Flower:

 

Also known as: Love Flower, Night andAfternoon

 

Latin name: Pseuderanthemum variabile

 

Reference Link: Pseuderanthemum variabile - Wikipedia

  

Sweet Potato:

 

Latin Name: Ipomoea batatas

 

Reference Link: Sweet potato - Wikipedia

  

Lesser Joyweed:

 

Latin Name: Alternanthera denticulata

 

Reference Link: Alternanthera denticulata - Wikipedia

  

Nodeweed:

 

Latin Weed: Synedrella nodiflora

 

Reference link: Synedrella - Wikipedia

  

During the larvae/caterpillar stage they will tend to feed on the following plants:

 

False Stinger:

 

Also known as: Native Mulberry, White Mulberry, White Nettle, Amahatyan, and Ghasooso

 

Latin Name: Pipturus argenteus

 

Reference Link: Pipturus argenteus - Wikipedia

  

Common Nettle:

 

Also known as: Burn Nettle, Stinging Nettle

 

Latin Name: Urtica dioica

 

Reference Link: Urtica dioica - Wikipedia

  

Mallow:

 

Latin Name: Malva

 

Reference Link: Malva - Wikipedia

  

In New Zealand these butterflies it has been noted that these butterflies will feed on the below plants:

  

Shrub Verbenas:

 

Also known as: Lantanas

 

Latin Name: Lantana

 

Reference Link: Lantana - Wikipedia

  

Spider Flowers:

 

Latin Name: Grevillea

 

Reference Link: Grevillea - Wikipedia

  

Hebe:

 

Latin Name: Hebe

 

Reference Link: Hebe (plant) - Wikipedia

  

New York Aster:

 

Latin Name: Symphyotrichum novi-belgii

 

Reference Link: Symphyotrichum novi-belgii - Wikipedia

  

Pepino Dulce:

 

Also known as: Pepino, Pepino Melon, Melon Pear, Tree Melon

 

Latin Name: Solanum muricatum

 

Reference Link: Solanum muricatum - Wikipedia

  

Behaviour:

 

The males are noted to be quite territorial, they will return to a specific location in order to defend it from other males for up to 54 days. The males will generally prefer territories where it is easier to spot female butterflies of the same species. When protecting their territory the male will generally rest somewhere keeping watch roughly 2 meters (6.6 feet) above ground.

  

Unlike other species of butterflies the female will generally only lay about one or two legs at any given time. These eggs will usually be laid on the underside of the chosen host plant. The female is known to stay around after laying her eggs to defend her eggs from potential threats such as ants.

  

The eggs will hatch after three days and the caterpillars will then proceed to eat the leaves of the plant they hatch on. Shortly after the caterpillars will disperse and become quite mobile in search of more food as they mature. It is noted that the caterpillars will generally not pupate on the plant they originally hatched on.

  

Further Reading (general information):

 

Wikipedia: Hypolimnas bolina - Wikipedia

 

Aus E Made: Common Eggfly Butterfly – Ausemade

 

Brisbane Insects: Common Eggfly Butterfly, Varied Eggfly - Hypolimnas bolina (brisbaneinsects.com)

 

Lepidoptera: Hypolimnas bolina (butterflyhouse.com.au)

 

Toohey Forest Environmental Education Centre: Common Eggfly (eq.edu.au)

A bird on the Wellington Coast works on opening a small mussel shell.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

The viviparous lizard, or common lizard, (Zootoca vivipara, formerly Lacerta vivipara) is a Eurasian lizard. It lives farther north than any other species of non-marine reptile, and is named for the fact that it is viviparous, meaning it gives birth to live young (although they will sometimes lay eggs normally). Both "Zootoca" and "vivipara" mean "live birth", in (Latinized) Greek and Latin respectively. It was called Lacerta vivipara until the genus Lacerta was split into nine genera in 2007 by Arnold, Arribas & Carranza.

 

Male and female Zootoca vivipara are equally likely to contract blood parasites. Additionally, larger males have been shown to reproduce more times in a given reproductive season than smaller ones.

 

The lizard is also unique as it is exclusively carnivorous, eating only flies, spiders, and insects. Studies show that the more carnivorous an individual is (the more insects they eat), the less diverse the population of parasitic helminths that infest the lizards.

 

Zootoca vivipara lives in very cold climates, yet participates in normal thermoregulation instead of thermoconformity. They have the largest range of all terrestrial lizards which even include subarctic regions. It is able to survive these harsh climates as individuals will freeze in especially cold seasons and thaw two months later. They also live closer to geological phenomena that provide a warmer environment for them.

 

Description

Zootoca vivipara is a small lizard, with an average length between 50 and 70 mm (2.0–2.8 in) and an average mass of 2 to 5 g (0.071–0.176 oz). They exhibit no particular colour, but can be brown, red, grey, green, or black. The species exhibits some sexual dimorphisms. Female Z. vivipara undergo colour polymorphism more commonly than males. A female lizard's display differs in ventral colouration, ranging from pale yellow to bright orange and a mixed colouration. There have been many hypotheses for the genetic cause of this polymorphic colouration. These hypothesis test for colouration due to thermoregulation, predator avoidance, and social cues, specifically sexual reproduction. Through an experiment conducted by Vercken et al., colour polymorphism in viviparous lizard is caused by social cues, rather than the other hypotheses. More specifically, the ventral colouration that is seen in female lizards is associated with patterns of sexual reproduction and sex allocation.

 

The underside of the male is typically more colourful and bright, with yellow, orange, green, and blue, and the male typically has spots along its back. On the other hand, females typically have darker stripes down their backs and sides. Additionally, males have been found to have larger heads than their female counterparts, and this trait appears to be sexually selected for. Males with larger heads are more likely to be successful in mating and male-male interactions than smaller-headed Z. vivipara. Larger males also have been shown to reproduce more frequently during one mating season compared to smaller males. Characteristic behaviors of the species includes tongue flicking in the presence of a predator and female-female aggression that seems to be mediated by the colour of their side stripe.

 

Habitat and distribution

Z. vivipara is terrestrial, so they spend most of their time on the ground, though they do occasionally visit sites of higher elevation. The lizard thermoregulates by basking in the sun for much of the time. In colder weather, they have been known to hibernate to maintain proper body temperatures. They hibernate between October and March.[11] Their typical habitats include heathland, moorland, woodland and grassland.

 

The viviparous lizard is native to much of northern Eurasia. In Europe, it is mainly found north of the Alps and the Carpathians, including the British Isles but not Iceland, as well as in parts of northern Iberia and the Balkans; In Asia it is mostly found in Russia, excluding northern Siberia, and in northern Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and Japan.[citation needed] Z. vivipara has the largest distribution of any species of lizard in the world.

 

Home range

The size of the home range of the lizard ranges from 539 m2 to 1692 m2, with males generally having larger home ranges. The size of an individual lizard's home range is also dependent on population density and the presence of prey.

 

Ecology

Diet

Unlike many other lizards, Z. vivipara is exclusively carnivorous. Their diet consists of flies, spiders, and various other insects, including hemipterans (such as cicadas), moth larvae, and mealworms. The species is a predator, so it actively hunts down all of its prey. One study found that when controlled for body size, females consumed more food than males. Feeding rates also increased with increased sunshine.

 

Predation

Birds are common predators of Z. vivipara. Male-biased predation of Z. vivipara by the great grey shrike (L. excubitor) has been studied, finding that adult males, over adult females and juveniles, were preferentially predated on. This bias may be due to increased activity of adult males during the reproductive season.

 

Predators of this species include birds of prey, crows, snakes, shrikes, hedgehogs, shrews, foxes, and domestic cats.

 

Diseases and parasites

Z. vivpara can be infested by helminths, a small parasitic worm. The species diversity of parasites is affected by the diet of the individual lizard and the number of parasites on a host is affected by the host's size. Results of a study shows that the more carnivorous an individual is, the less diverse its parasite population. Additionally, larger lizards had a greater number of parasites on them.

 

Z. vivipara is also infected by blood parasites. In a study investigating the prevalence of blood parasites in Z. vivipara and L. agilis, Z. vivipara was found to be parasitized with an incidence rate of 39.8%, while L. agilis was parasitized with an incidence rate of 22.3%. This same study shows that there was not a significant difference between the parasitization of male and female Z. vivipara.

 

Reproduction and life history

The viviparous lizard is named as such because it is viviparous. This refers to its ability to give birth to live young, although the lizards are also able to lay eggs. The origin of this characteristic is under debate. Some scientists argue that viviparity evolved from oviparity, or the laying of eggs, only once. Proponents of this theory also argue that if this is the case, it is possible, though rare, for species to transition back to oviparity. Research from Yann Surget-Groba suggests that there have in fact been multiple events of the evolution of viviparity from oviparity across different clades of the viviparous lizard. They also argue that a reversion to oviparity is not as rare as once believed, but has occurred 2 to 3 times in the history of the species.

 

The range of viviparous populations of Z. vivipara extends from France to Russia. Oviparous populations are only found in northern Spain and the southwest of France. Some research in the Italian alps has suggested that distinct populations of oviparous and viviparous Z. vivipara should be considered separate species. Cornetti et al. (2015) identified that viviparous and oviparous subpopulations in contact with each other in the Italian alps are reproductively isolated. Hybridization between viviparous and oviparous individuals of Z. vivipara leads to embryonic malformations in the laboratory. However, these crosses do produce a "hybridized" generation of offspring, with females retaining embryos for much longer in utero than oviparous females, with embryos surrounded by thin, translucent shells.

 

Fertilization

Z. vivipara juveniles reach sexual maturity during their second year of their life. A study that explored the presence of male sex cells in reproducing males found that for the two weeks following the end of hibernation, males are infertile, and therefore incapable of reproducing. The same study also found that larger males produce more sperm during the reproductive season and have fewer left over at the end of the reproductive season than their smaller counterparts. This suggests that the larger a male is, the more reproductive events they participate in.

 

Brood size

Research also suggests that in exclusively oviparous populations of Z. vivipara, altitude influences the number of clutches laid in a reproductive season as well as when reproduction begins. Generally, lizards living at higher altitudes have been found to begin reproduction later and lay fewer clutches (often 1) in a given reproductive season.

 

Life span

Z. vivipara typically lives for 5 to 6 years.

 

Mate searching behavior

Head size is a sexually dimorphic trait, with males having larger heads than females. The average head width and length of the males measured were found to be 5.6 and 10.5 mm (0.22 and 0.41 in), respectively. The average head width and length of the females measured were found to be 5.3 and 9.7 mm (0.21 and 0.38 in), respectively. During the first state of courtship in Z. vivipara, called "Capture", the male uses its mouth and jaw to capture the female and initiate copulation.[6] The results of this study demonstrated that males with larger head sizes (both length and width) were more successful in mating than those with smaller heads, suggesting that head size undergoes sexual selection.

 

Male-male interaction

Head size has also been shown to be a predictor of success in male-male interactions. The head is used as a weapon in male-male interactions, and a larger head is typically more effective, leading to greater success during male-male aggressive encounters. This aggression and interaction is centered around available mates, so males with smaller heads have significantly less access to females for reproduction.

 

Thermoregulation

This lizard has an exceptionally large range that includes subarctic geography. As a result, thermoregulation is necessary for the thermal homeostasis of the species. Typically, in temperature extremes, a species will adopt the behavioral strategy of thermoconformity, where they do not actively thermoregulate, but adapt to survive in the harsh temperature. This occurs because the cost of thermoregulating in such an extreme environment becomes too high and begins to outweigh the benefits. Despite this, Z. vivipara still employs the strategy of thermoregulation, like basking. Thermoregulation is important in Z. vivipara as it allows for proper locomotive performance, escape behavior, and other key behaviors for survival. The ability of Z. vivipara to thermoregulate in such harsh environments has been attributed to two primary reasons. The first is that Z. vivipara has remarkable behaviors to combat the cold, and there are geological phenomena in their distribution that maintains their habitats at a temperature that the species can survive in. One of the specific behaviors used to combat the extreme cold is a "supercooled" state. Z. vivipara remains in this state through the winter until temperatures dropped below −3 °C (27 °F). After that, individuals completely froze until they were thawed by warmer weather later in the year, often 2 months later. Despite very cold air in the subarctic habitats of these lizards, the soil-heating effects of unfrozen groundwater has been observed regulating the temperature of their soil habitats. They find warm microhabitats that do not drop below the freezing point of their body fluids. These lizards have exceptional hardiness to the cold, which allows them to hibernate in upper soil layers in temperatures as low as −10 °C (14 °F). This cold hardiness along with the favorable hydrogeological conditions of groundwater-warmed soil habitats allows for the wide distribution of lizards throughout the palearctic.

 

The colour polymorphism of female Z. vivipara has not been thoroughly studied in past years, regardless of the extensive research done on the species itself. Females exhibit three types of body colouration within a population: yellow, orange, and mixture of the two. These discrete traits are inherited maternally and exist throughout the individual's lifetime. The organism's colour morphs are determined by their genotype as well as their environment.

 

The frequency of multiple morphs occurring in a population varies with the level of population density and frequency-dependent environments. These factors cause the lizards to vary in terms of their fitness (clutch size, sex ratio, hatching success). In lower density populations, colour polymorphism is more prevalent. This is because viviparous lizards thrive in environments where intraspecific competition is low. Increased competition among individuals results in lower survival rates of lizards. Additionally, female lizards disperse through habitats based on the frequency of colour types that are already present in the population. Their reproductive abilities vary according to this frequency-dependent environment. The number of offspring that they produce correlates with the colour morph: yellow females produce the fewest offspring, while orange females produce more than yellow, but fewer than mixed females, which produce the most offspring. The amount of offspring produced varies in regards to colour frequencies in the population; for example, if yellow females have higher density within the population, the clutch size for orange lizards is usually lower.

 

Orange females are more sensitive to intraspecific and colour-specific competition. They have smaller clutch sizes when the density of the population is high, or when the number of yellow females in the population is high. This could be due to their need to conserve energy for survival and reproductive events.[9] Their colour morph remains in the population due to the trade-off between the size of offspring and the clutch size. Offspring born in smaller clutches are often larger and thus have a higher survival likelihood. Natural selection will favor individuals with larger size because of their advantage in physical competition with others. Yellow females have larger clutch sizes early in their life, but their hatch success decreases as the female ages. Their reproductive viability decreases, resulting in fewer offspring throughout their lifetime. Yellow morphs remain in the population due to their large clutch size, which causes an increased frequency of those females. Selection favors the yellow morph because of the ability to produce large clutch sizes, which increases the female's fitness. In mixed-coloured females, reproductive success is less sensitive to competition and frequency-dependent environments. Since these lizards show a mixture of yellow and orange colouration, they adopt benefits from both of the morphs. As a result, they can maintain high reproductive success and hatching success with large clutch sizes. Their colour morph remains in the population due to its high fitness, which selection will favor.

 

All three colours have evolutionary advantages in different ways. While yellow females have higher fitness due to their large clutch sizes, orange females enjoy high fitness due to their large body size and increased competitive advantages. Mixed females exhibit both of these advantages.

Polymorphic jewelry. Can be worn as a medal, a double brooch connected with chains, a small brooch or a pendant.

Available at my Etsy shop

Bird exhibiting immature plumage and leg colouring.

Photographed on the Kapiti Coast near Wellington.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

Polymorphic Jade Fire

Es una especie muy polimorfa, que se extiende desde el Himalaya hasta Japón, Assam, centro norte de China, Himalaya occidental y oriental, Japón, Corea, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam, West Himalaya. los ejemplares representados aquí fueron recolectados en Yunna en 1998 por Allen Coombes como Quercus pentacycla (CMBS 516). En iturraran se encuentran en la zona 3.

 

t is a highly polymorphic species, ranging from the Himalayas to Japan, Assam, North-Central China, Western and Eastern Himalayas, Japan, Korea, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Tibet, Vietnam, West Himalayas. the specimens represented here were collected in Yunna in 1998 by Allen Coombes as Quercus pentacycla (CMBS 516). In iturraran they are in area 3.

Phylogenetic tree of all primate TAAR4 orthologs analyzed for ORF.

The tree is based on generally accepted primate phylogeny as described in [21]. Events causing pseudogenization (nucleotide insertions (ins) or -deletions (del) or stop mutations (stop)) are indicated in red on the affected branches. Positions stated correspond to codon position of the respective mouse ortholog. Pseudogenes (ψ) are highlighted in red. Emperor tamarin was found to be polymorphic. Detailed information about pseudogenization events is in Figure S4. A “free ratio” model implemented in PAML was used to calculate dN/dS-ratios (ω shown in bold below branches) and the number of non-synonymous and synonymous substitutions (shown in parentheses) for each branch. × indicates branches that were labeled to determine ωψ2 (see Table 1, Table S6) # indicates branches labeled in branch model/branch-site model to determine ωcerc.

A bird exhibiting immature plumage and leg colouration. Photographed on the Kapiti Coast near Wellington.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

Dat.: March 23. 2017

Lat.: 46.37228 Long.: 13.73754

 

Habitat: Mixed riparian forest, Picea abies dominant; very close to river bed, flat terrain, alluvial, sandy, calcareous ground; in shade, humid air and ground; elevation 575 m (1.880 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 6-8 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region.

 

Substratum: soil.

 

Place: Lower Trenta valley, downstream of Trenta village, left bank of river Soča, near Soča trail, close to Maslc farm house, East Julian Alps, Posočje, Slovenia EC.

 

Comment: Helleborus niger is another plant, which fuels my admiration year after year. Its large, up to 10 cm in diameter, snow-white flowers (when young) with their unusual structure (large white 'petals' are actually sepals!) are very beautifully shaped. But they are not only white! Many other shades from yellow, greenish, vividly pink, wine-red, to purple can be found during their growth. The first flowers already appear in earl winter, sometimes even in late November, if the weather allows and bloom well in April, even in May on cool places with lot of snow during the winter. The plant is a floral element of south and east Alps It is widely exploited in horticulture. Helleborus niger is especially valued in Japan, where Helleborus societies are establish, which organize trips to European places where displays of wild growing plants can be admired.

 

In west Slovenian in Upper Soča river valley and elsewhere Helleborus niger is too common plant to be truly admired. In February and March there are zillions of plants flowering everywhere, in forests, on grassland and especially along wood edges. On many places they represent the most dominant flowering plant not only during late winter but also in early spring.

 

How many species genus Helleborus comprise is still an open question. The number varies from 5 to 20, depending on to whom you trust. Many of them are extremely polymorphic and any kind of intermediate forms can be found.

 

Protected according to: Uredba o zavarovanih prostoživečih rastlinskih vrstah, poglavje A, Uradni list RS, št. 46/2004 (Regulation of protected wild plants, chapter A, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 46/2004), (2004). However, protected are only underground parts and seeds (Oo category). Protected also in some other EU states.

 

Ref.:

(1) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 122.

(2) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 100.

(3) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora für Österreich, Liechtenstein und Südtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 276.

(4) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 127.

(5) P. Skoberne, Zavarovane rastline Slovenije (Protected Plants of Slovenia), Mladinska Kniga (2007) (in Slovenian), p 103.

  

Photographed at Ashley River Estuary, Canterbury, New Zealand.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

This is a butterfly picture of the Heliconius doris, with the host plant from the Passiflora species of Granadilla. This is a polymorphic butterfly meaning that there is more then one form of this species. The top and bottom are respectively the front and verso sides.

 

Learn more about the Heliconius doris on this blog article.

The Great Mormon (Papilio memnon) is a large butterfly native to southern Asia that belongs to the swallowtail family. It is widely distributed and has thirteen subspecies. The female is polymorphic and with mimetic forms.

   

a pretty Jumping spider on bark attacked by a fungus. Members of genus Phiale are known to be polymorphic, i.e. they vary considerably in pattern and colour. Females of this species may be yellow instead of white. See:

salticidae.org/salticid/Diagnost/phiale/gutta-gb.htm

LOCATION:EUROPE-BALTIC STATES-LATVIA.

 

Formica rufa, also known as the red wood ant, southern wood ant or horse ant, is a boreal member of the Formica rufa group of ants, and is the type species for that group. It is native to Europe but is also found in Britain and North America, in both coniferous and broad-leaf broken woodland and parkland. Workers are bicolored red and brownish-black, with a dorsal dark patch on the head and promensonotum, and are polymorphic, measuring 4.5–9 mm in length.They have large mandibles and like many other ant species they are able to spray formic acid from their abdomens as a defence. Formic acid was first extracted in 1671 by the English naturalist John Ray by distilling a large number of crushed ants of this species.

Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea, which contains at least one former group, the skippers (formerly the superfamily "Hesperioidea") and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth-butterflies (formerly the superfamily "Hedyloidea"). Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene, which was about 56 million years ago.

 

Butterflies have the typical four-stage insect life cycle. Winged adults lay eggs on the food plant on which their larvae, known as caterpillars, will feed. The caterpillars grow, sometimes very rapidly, and when fully developed, pupate in a chrysalis. When metamorphosis is complete, the pupal skin splits, the adult insect climbs out, and after its wings have expanded and dried, it flies off. Some butterflies, especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation, and a few in cold locations may take several years to pass through their whole life cycle.

 

Butterflies are often polymorphic, and many species make use of camouflage, mimicry and aposematism to evade their predators. Some, like the monarch and the painted lady, migrate over long distances. Many butterflies are attacked by parasites or parasitoids, including wasps, protozoans, flies, and other invertebrates, or are preyed upon by other organisms. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees; other species are agents of pollination of some plants. Larvae of a few butterflies (e.g., harvesters) eat harmful insects, and a few are predators of ants, while others live as mutualists in association with ants. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.

Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group comprises the large superfamily Papilionoidea, which contains at least one former group, the skippers (formerly the superfamily "Hesperioidea") and the most recent analyses suggest it also contains the moth-butterflies (formerly the superfamily "Hedyloidea"). Butterfly fossils date to the Paleocene, which was about 56 million years ago.

 

Butterflies have the typical four-stage insect life cycle. Winged adults lay eggs on the food plant on which their larvae, known as caterpillars, will feed. The caterpillars grow, sometimes very rapidly, and when fully developed, pupate in a chrysalis. When metamorphosis is complete, the pupal skin splits, the adult insect climbs out, and after its wings have expanded and dried, it flies off. Some butterflies, especially in the tropics, have several generations in a year, while others have a single generation, and a few in cold locations may take several years to pass through their whole life cycle.

 

Butterflies are often polymorphic, and many species make use of camouflage, mimicry and aposematism to evade their predators. Some, like the monarch and the painted lady, migrate over long distances. Many butterflies are attacked by parasites or parasitoids, including wasps, protozoans, flies, and other invertebrates, or are preyed upon by other organisms. Some species are pests because in their larval stages they can damage domestic crops or trees; other species are agents of pollination of some plants. Larvae of a few butterflies (e.g., harvesters) eat harmful insects, and a few are predators of ants, while others live as mutualists in association with ants. Culturally, butterflies are a popular motif in the visual and literary arts.

Showing birds of both the black and the pied phase in this species. Photographed at Pauatahanui inlet on New Year's day 2012.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

The last ten years of Pablo Picasso's creation coincide with an ultimate flowering of his work and a profusion of painted, drawn or engraved images. From 1963, he took up the theme of the painter and his model, present in his work since his illustration of Balzac's Unknown Masterpiece in 1926. "That the artist at work […] has become, not his single theme, but at least the most frequent, shows all the importance that the very act of painting has in the eyes of Picasso”, analyzes Michel Leiris in 1964, in the catalog of the exhibition of the Leiris gallery, Picasso . Paintings 1962-1963 .

 

In the canvas deposited at the Musée de Picardie, Picasso moves away from stereotypical representations of the painter and his model separated by an easel, focusing on the intimate and disturbing face-to-face of the artist with his muse. Entering Picasso's life in 1954, becoming his wife in 1961, Jacqueline Roques (1926-1986) soon became his only passion, muse, model and inspiration. It brings him the impetus of youth, but also the stability he needs to give free rein to his creative genius; witness the extreme richness of the artistic production of his last twenty years, polymorphic and audacious. She is also the ideal model: her Mediterranean-type face and her large almond-shaped eyes remind her of the perfect, proud and haughty beauty of the Spanish women of her childhood.

 

It is with great freedom that the artist declines here this fundamental theme of Western painting: the artist and his model are no more than a man and a woman facing each other. The artist now goes to the essentials and eliminates superfluous accessories. While the woman's body, in a skilful anatomical shortcut, is juxtaposed with her face, the painter's head is represented from the front and in profile, a resurgence of pre-war cubism. These disproportions are here put at the service of the gaze, that which the protagonists address to each other, like that which the spectator places on the couple.

Photographed at Ashley River Estuary, Canterbury, New Zealand.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

Color is Life: Pencil thin, delicate; green and brown scales conceal these snakes in the bushes along the banks of tidal rivers in brackish mangrove swamps.

 

TAXONOMY

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Suborder: Serpentes

Family: Colubridae (Colubrids)

 

Genus/species: Ahaetulla fronticincta

 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Pencil thin, delicate; green and brown scales. Bulbous wide-set raised eyes. Length to 60 cm (23.5 inches).

 

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Myanmar (formerly Burma) Mostly arboreal. They are abundant on bushes along the banks of tidal rivers in brackish mangrove swamps.

 

DIET IN THE WILD: Diurnal hunter of small fish: gobies, and rice fish. Prey immobilized with mild venom

from enlarged rear fangs. Visually-oriented hunter.

 

ACADEMY DIET: An arboreally-adapted species that consumes fishes is an oddity. In the Steinhart, feed on guppies and goldfish.

 

REPRODUCTION: Fertilization internal. Viviparous. Newborn snakes are a subtle shade of brown. Polymorphic: some adults turn green, brown, or more rarely two-toned.

The Steinhart Aquarium was the first to display this species. Academy field research on this little-known species continues. Steinhart’s vine shakes have bred and reproduced in captivity, a first for this species.

 

CONSERVATION: IUCN Least Concern (LC)

This snake is a mangrove specialist feeding only on fish. It can occur in somewhat degraded habitat, however as it requires a large enough area of mangrove habitat to support fish populations, it will not persist in sites where the mangrove zone is only a few trees thick.

 

Water Planet, Feeding Cluster

 

References

 

California Academy of Sciences Water is Life Exhibit

 

video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrTHRPo3UBW7XsA...

 

IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org/details/192058/0

 

Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/1057253/details

 

flickr www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608449603666/

 

Wordpress Shortlink wp.me/p1DZ4b-OM

 

3-1-13, 10-19-15

Photographed on Wellington's south coast.

 

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

Adult left, immature right.

Photographed on the Kapiti Coast near Wellington.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

Color is Life: Pencil thin, delicate; green and brown scales conceal these snakes in the bushes along the banks of tidal rivers in brackish mangrove swamps.

 

TAXONOMY

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Reptilia

Order: Squamata

Suborder: Serpentes

Family: Colubridae (Colubrids)

 

Genus/species: Ahaetulla fronticincta

 

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS: Pencil thin, delicate; green and brown scales. Bulbous wide-set raised eyes. Length to 60 cm (23.5 inches).

 

DISTRIBUTION/HABITAT: Myanmar (formerly Burma) Mostly arboreal. They are abundant on bushes along the banks of tidal rivers in brackish mangrove swamps.

 

DIET IN THE WILD: Diurnal hunter of small fish: gobies, and rice fish. Prey immobilized with mild venom

from enlarged rear fangs. Visually-oriented hunter.

 

ACADEMY DIET: An arboreally-adapted species that consumes fishes is an oddity. In the Steinhart, feed on guppies and goldfish.

 

REPRODUCTION: Fertilization internal. Viviparous. Newborn snakes are a subtle shade of brown. Polymorphic: some adults turn green, brown, or more rarely two-toned.

The Steinhart Aquarium was the first to display this species. Academy field research on this little-known species continues. Steinhart’s vine shakes have bred and reproduced in captivity, a first for this species.

 

CONSERVATION: IUCN Least Concern (LC)

This snake is a mangrove specialist feeding only on fish. It can occur in somewhat degraded habitat, however as it requires a large enough area of mangrove habitat to support fish populations, it will not persist in sites where the mangrove zone is only a few trees thick.

 

Water Planet, Feeding Cluster

 

References

 

California Academy of Sciences Water is Life Exhibit

video.search.yahoo.com/search/video;_ylt=AwrTHRPo3UBW7XsA...

 

IUCN Red List www.iucnredlist.org/details/192058/0

 

Encyclopedia of Life eol.org/pages/1057253/details

 

flickr www.flickr.com/photos/cas_docents/sets/72157608449603666/

 

Wordpress Shortlink wp.me/p1DZ4b-OM

 

3-1-13, 10-19-15

Tetsuo Kogowa anarchy.translocal.jp/radio/micro/howtotx.html (foreground) and Sonodrome www.sonodrome.co.uk/shop.html

The Polymorphic Plastic Parade (Tipi tour 09), www.plasticparade.org/ came to Austin. The members of the project had a discussion about the project at the MASS Gallery.

 

This was very interesting. It was a great idean and I enjoyed discovering how the idea came about and how they accomplished it.

Polymorphic jewelry. Can be worn as a medal, a double brooch connected with chains, a small brooch or a pendant.

Available at my Etsy shop

Note in the background New Zealand's other oystercatcher species, the South Island Pied Oystercatcher.

Photographed at Ashley River Estuary, Canterbury, New Zealand.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

Dat.: March 15. 2017

Lat.: 46.36126 Long.: 13.70106

Code: Bot_1038/2017_DSC00294

 

Habitat: border between pasture and mixed wood; slightly inclined mountain slope, southeast aspect; colluvial, skeletal, calcareous ground; dry place; elevation 630 m (2.070 feet); average precipitations ~ 3.000 mm/year, average temperature 7-9 deg C, alpine phytogeographical region.

 

Substratum: soil.

 

Place: Lower Trenta valley, between villages Soča and Trenta, right bank of river Soča, north of Trenta 2b cottage, East Julian Alps, Posočje, Slovenia EC.

 

Comment: Helleborus niger is another plant, which fuels my admiration year after year. Its large, up to 10 cm in diameter, snow-white flowers (when young) with their unusual structure (large white 'petals' are actually sepals!) are very beautifully shaped. But they are not only white! Many other shades from yellow, greenish, vividly pink, wine-red, to purple can be found during their growth. The first flowers already appear in earl winter, sometimes even in late November, if the weather allows and bloom well in April, even in May on cool places with lot of snow during the winter. The plant is a floral element of south and east Alps It is widely exploited in horticulture. Helleborus niger is especially valued in Japan, where Helleborus societies are establish, which organize trips to European places where displays of wild growing plants can be admired.

 

In west Slovenian in Upper Soča river valley and elsewhere Helleborus niger is too common plant to be truly admired. In February and March there are zillions of plants flowering everywhere, in forests, on grassland and especially along wood edges. On many places they represent the most dominant flowering plant not only during late winter but also in early spring.

 

How many species genus Helleborus comprise is still an open question. The number varies from 5 to 20, depending on to whom you trust. Many of them are extremely polymorphic and any kind of intermediate forms can be found.

 

Protected according to: Uredba o zavarovanih prostoživečih rastlinskih vrstah, poglavje A, Uradni list RS, št. 46/2004 (Regulation of protected wild plants, chapter A, Official Gazette of Republic Slovenia, no. 46/2004), (2004). However, protected are only underground parts and seeds (Oo category). Protected also in some other EU states.

 

Ref.:

(1) D. Aeschimann, K. Lauber, D.M. Moser, J.P. Theurillat, Flora Alpina, Vol. 1., Haupt (2004), p 122.

(2) K. Lauber and G. Wagner, Flora Helvetica, 5. Auflage, Haupt (2012), p 100.

(3) M.A. Fischer, W. Adler, K. Oswald, Exkursionsflora für Österreich, Liechtenstein und Südtirol, LO Landesmuseen, Linz, Austria (2005), p 276.

(4) A. Martinči et all., Mala Flora Slovenije (Flora of Slovenia - Key) (in Slovenian), Tehnična Založba Slovenije (2007), p 127.

(5) P. Skoberne, Zavarovane rastline Slovenije (Protected Plants of Slovenia), Mladinska Kniga (2007) (in Slovenian), p 103.

polymorphic construction

Photographed on Wellington's south coast.

 

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. They have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

Illustrations on the morphological properties of the structure, created from the paper model (scale 1:50)

 

Design + construction: Werner Maritsas

Client: Onassis Cultural Center

 

learn pore here: wernermaritsas.wordpress.com/

 

Hyles euphorbiae euphorbiae (L.), (Sphingidae)

Common name: Spurge Hawkmoth

 

Major hostplants: Herbaceous species of Euphorbia, especially E. paralias, E. cyparissias and in southern Europe, E. characias.

 

Larva in this photograph is feeding on Euphorbia paralias.

 

Taxonomic note: Within the Hyles genus there is a complex of species, subspecies and forms, all closely related to Hyles euphorbiae and all of which are highly polymorphic with an amazing variety of colour forms, some geographic in nature, others environmental. The Hyles euphorbiae complex is rather difficult to classify for it would seem to be in the process of diverging into a number of species.

 

Visit: tpittaway.tripod.com/sphinx/h_eup.htm for full details about this species.

 

May 24, 2008 Elaphonisi islet (5)

Drosera cistiflora is a widespread highly variable and polymorphic species of sundew from the western Cape region of South Africa. there is tremendous variation in flower size and color as well as stem and leaf morphology. For this region, there are current research efforts to identify and reclassify this 'species' into multiple classifications. The late afternoon light provided a spectacular setting for these images.

D. chrysippus is a medium-sized butterfly with a wingspan of about 7–8 cm (2.8–3.1 in). The body is black with many white spots. The wings are orange, the upper side brighter and richer than the underside. The apical half of the forewing is black with a white band. The hindwing has three black spots in the center. The wings are bordered in black and outlined with semicircular white spots.[3]

 

D. chrysippus is a polymorphic species, so the exact coloring and patterning vary within and between populations.

 

I'm unsure of the species of the top two snails but the second one looks like it's really been in the wars.

The large snail is a white lipped banded snail (Cepaea hortensis ) which can be very polymorphic, but are usually yellow or yellow with brown/black stripes (which can merge together). Flesh colour also varies but is usually pale yellow or beige.

The snail at the bottom is Succinea putris and it's shell is translucent and amber in colour. Body colour is pale grey and translucent and they are common in fens, marshes and reed-beds. This species is commonly affected by a parasitic flatworm which invades the snail’s tentacles. The tentacles become swollen, green-white, and pulsate!! This display attracts birds which eat the snail, and the flatworm continues its life cycle inside the bird....clever little parasite!

Arbusto, hibrido natural entre Ilex cornuta e Ilex integra. Muy polimorfo, con ejemplares de hojas de margen entero o dentado hacia el ápice.

Es nativo de la Isla de Wando, en Corea del Sur. En iturraran se encuentra en las zonas 1 y 2.

 

Shrub, hybrid natural between Ilex cornuta and Ilex integra. Very polymorphic, with specimens of leaves of entire margin or dentate towards the apex.

He is a native of Wando Island, in South Korea. In Iturraran is located in areas 1 and 2.

 

Big-headed ants, Pheidole sp., are polymorphic, with some huge workers and some small workers. This nest was beneath a stone in shortgrass prairie. Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA, April 25, 2020.

A species of wader in the Haematopodidae family. It is endemic to New Zealand. The Maori name is torea-pango. They are also known as 'red bills'. "Variable" refers to the frontal plumage, which ranges from pied through mottled to all black. They are polymorphic meaning they have different genetic variants. Blacker birds are more common in the south. All Stewart Island variable oystercatchers are black. The have pink legs, an orange eye ring and red beaks. They are often seen in pairs on the coast all around New Zealand. During breeding, the pair will defend their territory, sometimes aggressively. Once mated pairs rarely divorce. After breeding they may be seen within flocks, or on the edges of flocks, of black and white South Island Pied Oystercatcher (SIPO) which also have vivid orange beaks. After breeding they may even form small flocks of their own. Males are around 678 grams and females slightly larger at around 724 grams. Variables can be identified as they are slightly larger than the SIPO - SIPO are around 550 grams. Occasionally totally black but if they are pied (black and white) they can be easily confused with SIPO. The variable species has less definition between the black and the white area, as well as a mottled band on the leading edges of the underwing. Variables also have a smaller white rump patch which is only a band across the base of the tail rather than a wide wedge shape reaching up to the middle of the back as in the SIPO. When mottled they are sometimes called 'smudgies'. They feed on molluscs, crabs and marine worms. After heavy rain, they sometime go inland in search of earthworms. They can open a shellfish by either hammering a hole in it or getting the bill between the two shells (of a bivalve) and twisting them apart. They breed in North Island, South Island, Stewart Island, and Chatham Islands. They do not breed inland or beside rivers although the SIPO does. They nest on the shore between rocks or on sand dunes by making a scrape out of the sand or shingle, sometimes lined with some seaweed. When in flight they make a high pitched 'kleep kleep' sound. They usually lay 2-3 eggs but they can lay up to 5. The eggs are typically stone coloured with small brown patches all over. Eggs hatch in 25-32 days. Chicks are well camouflaged by their colour and can fly in about 6 weeks. The bird lives up to about 27 years.

Polymorphic jewelry. Can be worn as a medal, a double brooch connected with chains, a small brooch or a pendant.

Available at my Etsy shop

intermediate morph Red-footed Booby