Meristogenys poecilus

Meristogenys poecilus is a species of frog in the family Ranidae. It is endemic to Borneo and known from between central Sarawak (Malaysia) and central Kalimantan (Indonesia). The specific name "poecilus" is derived from the Greek "poikolos", meaning "pied" or "blotched", in reference to diagnostic pattern on rear of the thigh. Common name Malaysian Borneo frog has been coined for this species.
Description.
Males typically measure and females in snout–vent length. The snout is obtusely pointed and projecting beyond the jaw. The tympanum is visible. The fingers and the toes bear round discs; the toes are fully webbed. The legs are relatively long. Skin is dorsally shagreened; indistinct dorsolateral folds are present. The lower surfaces are rugose, except for the throat that is smooth. Dorsal colouration is chocolate brown, with darker flanks. The upper lip is whitish and the lower lip is barred black and white. A dark brown to blackish brown band runs from the eye to the inguinal region. The throat is white to pale yellow; the venter is yellow; some individuals have faint dark mottling on the throat and the chest whereas others may be completely dark brown. The legs are dorsally barred. The rear of the thigh in preserved specimens shows irregular light blotches (presumably yellow in life) on dark brown background.
Habitat and conservation.
"Meristogenys poecilus" occurs in hilly lowland rainforests. Breeding takes place along small, clear, rocky streams where the tadpoles cling to the rocks, feeding on lithophytic algae.
This species is locally abundant. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by clear-cutting. It is present in the Lanjak Entimau Wildlife Sanctuary and in the Betung-Kerikum National Park.


Anastrangalia renardi

Anastrangalia renardi is a species of beetle from family Cerambycidae, that is endemic to Mongolia.


Leptophobia aripa

Leptophobia aripa, the common green-eyed white or mountain white, is a butterfly in the family Pieridae. It is native to Mexico, Central America and South America, but strays may be found as far north as southern Texas.
It is a multivoltine species with overlapping generations. Adults feed on flower nectar of various species, including "Emilia sonchifolia", "Lantana camara" and "Bidens pilosa".
The larvae feed on Brassicaceae species, including "Brassica oleracea". Other records include "Nasturtium officinale", "Tovaria pendula" and "Tropaeolum moritzianum".
Subspecies.
The following subspecies are recognised:


Megophrys wawuensis

Megophrys wawuensis, commonly known as the Wawu horned toad, is a species of frog in the family Megophryidae.
It is endemic to China. It is only known from the type locality, Mount Wawu in Hongya County, Sichuan, which is located to the northwest of Mount Emei.
Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, and intermittent rivers.
It is threatened by habitat loss.


Chestnut-colored woodpecker

The chestnut-colored woodpecker ("Celeus castaneus") is a species of bird in the family Picidae.
It is found in Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Habitat.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.
Description.
Appears very dark, with many V-shaped black marks on rich chestnut above and below; crested head creamy brown; bill greenish ivory. Male broad moustache mark, part of ear patch and (sometimes) lores red.


Ballus segmentatus

Ballus segmentatus, is a species of spider of the genus "Ballus". It is endemic to Sri Lanka.


Delicate deer mouse

The delicate deer mouse ("Habromys delicatulus") is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It was first described by Michael Carlton, Oscar Sanchez and Guillermina Urbano-Vidales after being discovered in a patch of cloud forest on the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. The species gets its name from its small size and delicate features compared to the other species within the genus "Habromys".


Phrynopus juninensis

Phrynopus juninensis is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to Peru and only known from Cascas near Huasihuasi, Department of Junín. Records from Department of Pasco probably belong to another species. Common name Junin Andes frog has been proposed for this species.
Description.
A relatively large "Phrynopus", "P. juninensis" males measure and females in snout–vent length. The snout is rounded in lateral view. No tympanum is present. The toes have no webbing. Dorsal coloration is dark brown with tan spots above and silvery-white flecks below. The lips are pale grayish tan with dark brown bars. The iris is bronze. There are dark brown canthal and supratympanic stripes.
Habitat and conservation.
"Phrynopus juninensis" inhabits primary montane cloud forest and forest edges at elevations of about above sea level. It is a terrestrial species. Development is direct (i.e, there is no free-living larval stage).
Known only from a single location, "P. juninensis" is an uncommon and rarely seen species. It is threatened by habitat loss caused by agricultural activities. It is also potentially threatened by harvesting of "Sphagnum" mosses. It is not known to occur in any protected areas.


Long-billed wren-babbler

The long-billed wren-babbler ("Napothera malacoptila") is a species of bird in the family Pellorneidae.
It is found in the Himalayas from north-eastern India to southern China. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.


Pristimantis infraguttatus

Pristimantis infraguttatus is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. Endemic to Peru, it has been discovered in only two localities in the Rioja Province of San Martín Region; it occurs in the Alto Mayo Protection Forest. All known individuals were found on leaves on low vegetation less than a meter above the ground in humid forest at night. Reproduction is by direct development. It is threatened by habitat loss.


Asaphocrita gazae

Asaphocrita gazae is a moth in the family Blastobasidae that is endemic to Costa Rica.


Stefania ackawaio

Stefania ackawaio is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae.
It is endemic to Guyana.
Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.


Grypotyphlops acutus

Grypotyphlops acutus, also known as the beaked worm snake, beaked blind snake, or beak-nosed worm snake, is a harmless blind snake species endemic to peninsular India. No subspecies are currently recognized.
Geographic range.
Found in peninsular India south of the Ganges and Rajputana basins. The type locality given is "inconnue" (French for unknown).


Barred moray

The barred moray ("Echidna polyzona"), also known as the banded moray, the dark-banded eel, the girdled moray, the girdled reef eel, the many banded moray eel, the ringed moray, the ringed reef moray, the striped moray and the zebra eel,) is a moray eel of the family Muraenidae. It was described by John Richardson in 1845, originally under the genus "Muraena". It is a marine, tropical eel which is known from the Indo-Pacific, including the Red Sea, East Africa, the Hawaiian Islands, the Marquesan Islands, the Tuamoto Islands, the Ryukyu Islands, and the Great Barrier Reef. It dwells at a depth range of , and leads a benthic lifestyle in reefs and shallow lagoons. Males can reach a maximum total length of .
The barred moray's diet consists of shrimp such as "Saron marmoratus", crabs, isopods, and polychaetes, which it feeds on during both day and night. It is of commercial interest to both subsistence fisheries and the aquarium trade.


Red-eyed vireo

The red-eyed vireo ("Vireo olivaceus") is a small American songbird. It is somewhat warbler-like but not closely related to the New World warblers (Parulidae). Common across its vast range, this species is not considered threatened by the IUCN.
"Vireo" is a Latin word referring to a green migratory bird, perhaps the female golden oriole, possibly the European greenfinch. The specific "olivaceus" is New Latin for "olive-green", from Latin "oliva" "olive".
Description and systematics.
Adults are mainly olive-green on the upperparts with white underparts; they have a red iris and a grey crown edged with black. There is a dark blackish line through the eyes and a wide white stripe just above that line. They have thick blue-grey legs and a stout bill. They are yellowish on the flanks and undertail coverts (though this is faint in some populations).
In the past, the yellow-green vireo ("V. flavoviridis"), the chivi vireo ("V. chivi"), and the Noronha vireo ("V. gracilirostris") have been considered to be subspecies of the red-eyed vireo.
Measurements:
Song.
Red-eyed vireos are one of the most prolific singers in the bird world. They usually sing high up in trees for long periods of time in a question-and-answer rhythm. This species holds the record for most songs given in a single day among bird species, with more than 20,000 songs in one day.
Songs generally consist of 1-5 syllables between 2 and 6 kHz. Songs are usually spaced apart by 0.8–1 seconds although at times vireos may sing at a slower or faster rate. Red-eyed vireos have a large repertoire size with one study finding an average of 31.4 song types per bird with one individual singing 73 different song types.
Ecology.
The breeding habitat of the red-eyed vireo is in the open wooded areas across Canada and the eastern and northwestern United States. These birds migrate to South America, where they spend the winter. The Latin American population occur in virtually any wooded habitat in their range. Most of these are residents, but the populations breeding in the far southern part of this species' range (e.g. most of its range in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Bolivia) migrate north as far as Central America.
This vireo is one of the more frequent American passerine vagrants to western Europe, with more than one hundred records, mainly in Ireland and Great Britain. In northern Ohio, it seems to return to breed at about the same time as one century ago; but it may leave for winter quarters one or two weeks earlier at present than it did in the past.
Red-eyed vireos glean insects from tree foliage, favouring caterpillars and aphids and sometimes hovering while foraging. In some tropical regions, they are commonly seen to attend mixed-species feeding flocks, moving through the forest higher up in the trees than the bulk of such flocks.
They also eat berries, especially before migration, and in the winter quarters, where trees bearing popular fruit like tamanqueiro ("Alchornea glandulosa") or gumbo-limbo ("Bursera simaruba") will even attract them to parks and gardens. Fruit are typically not picked up from a hover, but the birds often quite acrobatically reach for them, even hanging upside down.
The nest is a cup in a fork of a tree branch. The red-eyed vireo suffers from nest parasitism by the brown-headed cowbird ("Molothrus ater") in the north of its range, and by the shiny cowbird ("M. bonariensis") further south. Parasitism by "Haemoproteus" and trypanosomans might affect these birds not infrequently, as was noted in studies of birds caught in Parque Nacional de La Macarena and near Turbo (Colombia): though only three red-eyed vireos were examined, all were infected with at least one of these parasites.


Laudakia sacra

Laudakia sacra, also known commonly as Anan's rock agama, is a species of lizard in the family Agamidae. The species is endemic to Tibet.
Etymology.
The common name, Anan's rock agama, refers to Russian herpetologist Natalia Borisovna Ananjeva (born 1946).
Habitat.
The preferred natural habitats of "L. sacra" are rocky areas and freshwater wetlands, at altitudes of .
Description.
"L. sacra" may attain a snout-to-vent length (SVL) of , plus a tail long.
Reproduction.
"L. sacra" is oviparous.


Zodarion killini

Zodarion killini is a spider species found in Greece.


Armenian gull

The Armenian gull ("Larus armenicus") is a large gull found in the Caucasus and the Middle East. It was formerly classified as a subspecies of the European herring gull ("L. argentatus"), but is now generally considered to be a separate species, although BirdLife International lumps it with the yellow-legged gull ("L. michahellis").
Description.
The Armenian gull is a fairly large gull species, though it is on average the smallest of the "herring gull" complex. It can range from , from across the wings, and weighs from . Among standard measurements, its wing chord is , its bill is and its tarsus is . They are superficially similar to yellow-legged gulls but are slightly smaller with a slightly darker grey back and dark eyes. The area of black on the wingtips is more extensive with smaller white spots. The bill is short with a distinctive black band just before the tip. First-winter birds are mainly brown. They have a whitish rump, pale inner primary feathers, and a narrow, sharply-defined black band on the tail. Although their ranges do not overlap, with its darkish mantle, both black and red near the tip of its bill and a dark eye, the Armenian gull bears a remarkable resemblance to the California gull ("L. californicus") of North America.
Distribution and habitat.
The Armenian gull nests beside mountain lakes in Georgia, Armenia, Turkey, and western Iran. The largest colonies are at Lake Sevan and Lake Arpi in Armenia. It is a partial migrant, with many birds wintering on the coasts of Turkey, Lebanon, and Israel. Smaller numbers reach Cyprus, Egypt, and the Persian Gulf.
Breeding.
The nest is a mound of vegetation built on the ground on an island or the lakeshore. Three eggs are laid, mainly in late April. The nesting colonies are very dense with nests close together and territorial conflicts are common.


Elachista curonensis

Elachista curonensis is a moth of the family Elachistidae. It is found in Italy.


Abisara kausambi

Abisara kausambi, the straight plum Judy, is a small but striking butterfly found in the Indomalayan realm that belongs to the Punches and Judies, that is, the family Riodinidae.
Biology.
The larva feeds on "Embelia"


Bolitoglossa pesrubra

Bolitoglossa pesrubra is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae.
It is endemic to Cordillera de Talamanca, Costa Rica.
Its natural habitat is tropical moist montane forests.
It is threatened by habitat loss.


Alburnus zagrosensis

Alburnus zagrosensis is a species of cyprinid fish in the genus "Alburnus". It is endemic to the Karun River basin in Iran.


Gnathophis capensis

Gnathophis capensis, the Southern Atlantic conger or southern conger, is an eel in the family Congridae (conger/garden eels). It was described by Johann Jakob Kaup in 1856, originally under the genus "Leptocephalus". It is a subtropical, marine eel which is known from the southeastern Atlantic Ocean, including from False Bay to Plettenberg Bay, South Africa and also on Tristan da Cunha Island. It is known to dwell at a depth of 100 metres. Males can reach a maximum total length of .
The Southern conger is preyed upon by "Chelidonichthys queketti", "Helicolenus dactylopterus", and "Sphyrna zygaena". Its own diet consists of benthic crustaceans.


Xerocrassa turolensis

Xerocrassa turolensis is a species of air-breathing land snail, a pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Hygromiidae, the hairy snails and their allies. This species is endemic to Spain, where it is restricted to the province of Teruel in the Aragon region.


Chinese beautiful rosefinch

The Chinese beautiful rosefinch ("Carpodacus davidianus") is a true finch species (family Fringillidae). It is one of the rosefinches that might belong in the genus "Propasser". It is found in China. Its natural habitats are temperate shrubland and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.


Leptynia montana

Leptynia montana is a species of stick insect from Heteronemiidae family which is endemic to Spain. In 1998 the species was studied by Anna Paola Bianchi and Patrizia Meliado who discovered that the species have 40 chromosomes.


Scimitar-billed woodcreeper

The scimitar-billed woodcreeper ("Drymornis bridgesii") is a species of bird in the Dendrocolaptinae subfamily. It is in the monotypic genus Drymornis. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay, where its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical dry shrubland.


List of mammals of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. There are thirteen mammal species in South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, of which one is endangered.
The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:
Order: Cetacea (whales).
The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. They are the mammals most fully adapted to aquatic life with a spindle-shaped nearly hairless body, protected by a thick layer of blubber, and forelimbs and tail modified to provide propulsion underwater.
Order: Carnivora (carnivorans).
There are over 260 species of carnivorans, the majority of which feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.


Micrommata aljibica

Micrommata aljibica is a spider species found in Spain.


Dugesia tubqalis

Dugesia tubqalis is a species of dugesiid triclad that inhabits springs of Morocco, Africa. It's named after the Toubkal peak ("Tubqal" in Berber), the highest in the Atlas Mountains. It has been found between 1,702 and 2,164 m of altitude.
Description.
Living animals measure up to in length and in width. They have a pigmented dorsal surface, and a paler ventral surface. The head is triangle-shaped with two eyes in pigment free-patches.


Pleurodema thaul

Pleurodema thaul, the chilean four-eyed frog is a species of frog in the family Leptodactylidae.
It is found in Argentina and Chile.
Its natural habitats are subantarctic forests, temperate forests, temperate shrubland, temperate grassland, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater lakes, intermittent freshwater lakes, freshwater marshes, intermittent freshwater marshes, pastureland, plantations, rural gardens, urban areas, water storage areas, ponds, open excavations, sewage treatment areas, irrigated land, seasonally flooded agricultural land, and introduced vegetation.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Individuals vary in size between 3 and 5 cm. They feed on insects and spiders. Reproduction occurs almost throughout the year. In Chile they are found from the Antofagasta region to the Aysén Region, while in Argentina they live in areas close to the Andes in the provinces of Neuquén, Rio Negro, and Chubut.


Micrurus corallinus

Micrurus corallinus is a species of highly venomous elapid snake native to South America (Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay). There are no recognized subspecies.
Common names.
Common names of this species include painted coral snake, "cobra coral pintada", "mboi-chumbe", "vibora de coral", "boicora", "bocora", "coral-verdadeira", "ibiboboca", and "mboi-yvyvovo".
Description and Behavior.
The painted coral snake is a medium-sized tri-colored snake which can grow to , but most are closer to to , it is a snake with nocturnal habits found on the coastlines, through leaves, on top of logs and stones, its diet is based on lizards, other snakes (including coluibrids), amphisbenids and gymnophils.
The head color is black with a white or yellow back band, which narrows strongly in a dorsal shape, the bodies have wide red rings that are separated by a series of 15-27 (usually 17-21) by wide and narrow black rings and with white borders. The tail has 3 to 8 alternating black and yellow rings. They have a slim body, with a moderately short tail in the case of males and very short in the case of females, the head is round, small and a little distant from the neck. The eyes are slightly small with round pupils. It has smooth and shiny dorsal scales, without apical punctuation. The supra-anal keels are absent in males.
Distribution and habitat.
Its range includes South America in Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Norte, Bahia, Santa Catarina, Espírito Santo), northeastern Argentina (Misiones), and Paraguay. It is mainly found in the Amazon basin in tropical deciduous and evergreen forest at elevations ranging from sea level to 500 m.
Reproduction.
Reproduction is oviparous, laying about 15 eggs.
Venom.
It is not aggressive towards humans, the group of coral snakes represents only 1% of accidents in central and south America, however the venom produced by them is highly potent, with neurotoxic action, causing neuromuscular block, which results in death from respiratory arrest, resulting from paralysis of the respiratory muscles. The LD50 for a 5-27 grams mouse is 0,007 mg. 0.2 mg/kg (intramuscular injection), 0.09 mg/kg (intraperitoneal) and 0.04 mg/kg (intravenous).
The venom of this species is compound of the three-finger toxin families, Phospholipase A2, L-amino acid oxidase, True venom lectin, SVMP (snake venom metalloproteinase), Kunitz-type inhibitor (Venom Kunitz-type), NGF (NGF -beta) and Waprin. The average venom yield ranges from 10–12 mg. The venom of this species has presynaptic activity. The M. corallinus has alpha - neurotoxins with pre - synaptic activity that causes a high and spontaneous release of acetylcholine associated with the postsynaptic block of the electrical transmission between the nerve and the muscle.


Spurred roundleaf bat

The spurred roundleaf bat ("Hipposideros calcaratus") is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is found in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.


Bothriechis rowleyi

Bothriechis rowleyi is a species of pit viper, a venomous snake in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Mexico. There are no subspecies that are recognized as being valid.
Etymology.
The specific name, "rowleyi", is in honor of American ornithologist , who was one of the collectors of the holotype.
Description.
"Bothriechis rowleyi" is slender and green with a prehensile tail. Adults grow to a total length (including tail) of at least
Geographic range.
"Bothriechis rowleyi" is found in Mexico in southeastern Oaxaca and northern Chiapas. It occurs in cloud forests at altitude. The type locality given is "a ridge that extends northward from Rancho Vicente, Colonia Rodolfo Figueroa, approximately 5 miles west of Cerro Baúl. The site is at an elevation of approximately , on the headwaters of the Río Grijalva, roughly to the north and slightly to the east of San Pedero Tapánatepec, in the Distrito de Juchitán, Oaxaca, Mexico."
Conservation status.
The species "B. rowleyi" is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species with the following criteria: B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii) (v3.1, 2001). A species is listed as such when the best available evidence indicates that the extent of occurrence is estimated to be less than , that estimates indicate the population to be severely fragmented or known to exist at no more than 10 locations, and that a continuing decline has been observed, inferred or projected, in the area, extent and/or quality of habitat. In addition, the area of occupancy is estimated to be less than . It is therefore considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.


Dendropsophus aperomeus

Dendropsophus aperomeus is a species of frog in the family Hylidae. It is endemic to Peru and occurs on the Amazonian slopes of the Andes in northern and central Peru. Common name Balzapata treefrog has been coined for it.
Description.
Adult males measure and adult females, based on a single specimen, in snout–vent length. This frog has a slender overall appearance. The head is wider than the body. The snout is bluntly rounded in dorsal view and truncate in profile. The tympanum is small and barely visible; the supratympanic fold is weak but obscures the upper part of the tympanum. The fingers are short, bear moderately large, rounded discs, and are about half-webbed. The toes are moderately long, bear rounded discs slightly smaller than those on the fingers, and are about three-quarters webbed. The dorsum is yellowish tan, pale brown, or reddish brown, and has a variable pattern of grayish brown to brown blotches and golden flecks. The belly is white, and there is a white supra-anal stripe. The thighs are orange-tan to orange-yellow. Males have pale yellow vocal sac.
Habitat and conservation.
"Dendropsophus aperomeus" occurs in premontane forests and partially cleared cloud forests at elevations of above sea level. The tadpoles presumably develop in stagnant water, such as small pools. The type series was collected from a herb 10 cm above the surface of a temporary pool and from low herbaceous vegetation on a cut-over slope above a roadside pond.
This species is believed to be relatively common. Agricultural development could be a threat to it. It has been recorded in some protected areas, and could occur in several others.


Black-bibbed tit

The black-bibbed tit ("Poecile hypermelaenus") is a species of bird in the tit family Paridae. It is found from central and eastern China to southeast Tibet and western Myanmar.


White-collared fruit bat

The white-collared fruit bat ("Megaerops wetmorei") is a species of megabat found in Southeast Asia.
External measurements.
A specimen held by Brunei Museum (BM87/1983) had a forearm length 48 mm, head-body length 65 mm, ear 12 mm, hind foot length 8 mm and weight 16 g.


Ceratinia cayana

Ceratinia cayana is a species of butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It is found in Brazil, Suriname and the Guianas.


Black-masked finch

The black-masked finch ("Coryphaspiza melanotis") is a species of South American bird in the tanager family Thraupidae. It is the only member of the genus Coryphaspiza. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, and Peru.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist shrubland, subtropical or tropical dry lowland grassland, and subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland.
It is threatened by habitat loss.
Taxonomy.
The black-masked finch was formally described in 1822 by the Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck under the binomial name "Emberizoides melanotis". This species is now placed in the genus "Coryphaspiza" that was introduced by George Robert Gray in 1840. The type locality is São Paulo, Brazil. The genus name combines the Ancient Greek "koruphē" meaning "crown of the head" with "spiza" meaning "finch". The specific epithet "melanotis" combines the Ancient Greek "melas" meaning "black" with -"ōtis" meaning "-eared".
This species was traditionally placed with the buntings and New World sparrows in the subfamily Emberizinae within the family Emberizidae. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the black-masked finch was embedded in the tanager family Thraupidae. Within Thraupidae the black-masked finch is now placed with "Embernagra" and "Emberizoides" in the subfamily Emberizoidinae.
Two subspecies are recognised:


List of protected species in Hong Kong

List of protected species in Hong Kong.
Plants.
Protected Species under Forestry Regulations Cap. 96A
Animals.
Protected species under Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap 170
External links.
References


Eirenis medus

Eirenis medus is a species of snake of the family Colubridae.
Geographic range.
The snake is found in the Iran and Turkmenistan.


Bolitoglossa oresbia

Bolitoglossa oresbia is a species of salamander in the family Plethodontidae. It is endemic to Honduras and is known from the summit of Cerro El Zarciadero (its type locality) and the southwestern side of the nearby Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park, in the northern Comayagua Department.
Description.
The type series consists of two adult females measuring in snout–vent length (SVL) and in total length. A subadult female measured SVL. The snout is truncate in dorsal aspect and rounded in profile. The tail is strongly constricted basally. The limbs are relatively slender and long; the digits are moderately webbed. The upper parts are grayish brown or brownish olive with small, inconspicuous, irregularly shaped buff-yellow spots. The ventral surface is uniformly buff-yellow (holotype) or brownish olive with buff-yellow blotches (paratype).
Habitat and conservation.
The species inhabits cloud forests at elevations of above sea level. Specimens have been found in water-containing arboreal bromeliads, active on vegetation at night, in a standing, rotten tree trunk about 1 metre above the ground during the daytime, and in moist leaf litter during the morning.
The type locality is a small patch of forest (<1 ha) on a mountain top, completely surrounded by crop fields. Habitat loss may further threaten this population by leading to drying of the environment. Also use of the pesticides in the surrounding area is a potential threat. Fortunately, in 2008 the species was found inside the Cerro Azul Meámbar National Park, some from the type locality.


Taruca

The taruca ("Hippocamelus antisensis"), or north Andean deer, is a species of deer native to South America.
Description.
The taruca is a medium-sized deer with a heavy body. It measures from head to rump, with a tail, and stands tall at the shoulder. Adults weigh between . As with most deer, males are significantly larger than females.
It has sandy brown hair over most of its body, with white patches on the underside of its head, neck, tail, and genital region, and on the inner surface of its fore-legs. While females often have a dark brown area on the forehead, facial markings are much clearer in the males. The exact patterns vary between different males, but in general there is a black behind the nose, and a black Y or V pattern over the forehead and snout.
Male tarucas have antlers, typically measuring in length once fully grown. Unlike all other South American deer, except for the closely related huemul, the antlers consist of just two tines, branching close to the base, and with the posterior tine being the larger. Males also possess canine teeth in their upper jaw, which females usually, but not always, lack.
Distribution and habitat.
Tarucas are found only in the Andes mountains, from central Peru, through Bolivia and extreme north-eastern Chile, and into northern Argentina. In Argentina, they are found between , but the elevation of their preferred habitat gradually rises as they approach the equator, until it reaches in Peru. Within this region, they are found in grasslands marked by occasional shrubs and rocky outcrops, typically close to water. There are no recognised subspecies.
Diet and behaviour.
Despite living in grasslands, the taruca feeds mainly on the local bushes, shrubs, and herbs for much of the year, but supplements this diet with grasses during the rainy season. Plants commonly eaten include dwarf gentian, "ragworts", "lupins", senna, valerian, and clubmosses. Tarucas may also feed on agricultural crops, such as alfalfa, barley, and potato plants.
Tarucas are gregarious, but do not live in stable herds, with individuals moving between groups of up to thirty members each over the course of a few days. Their populations are scattered, due to their need for relatively specialised habitats, with population densities as low as , even away from human habitation. Individual groups are typically led by the females. During the breeding season, males may compete with one another, displaying threatening behaviour by raising their forelegs one at a time and pointing their antlers towards one another.
Reproduction.
The rut lasts from May to July, during which time the deer segregate into smaller groups with a single adult male. Males drop their antlers immediately after the breeding season finishes, in September, with the new pair beginning to grow in December, and losing the velvet by February. Pregnancy lasts for 240 days, so that the single fawn is born between January and March, coinciding with the rainy season. Twins have been observed in captivity, but are rare. The mother leaves the group in order to give birth, and keeps the fawn hidden behind rocky outcrops for the first month of life.


Black-capped warbling finch

The black-capped warbling finch ("Microspingus melanoleucus") is a species of bird in the family Thraupidae.
It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and western Uruguay.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland, and subtropical or tropical high-altitude shrubland.


Guercif barbel

The Guercif barbel ("Luciobarbus guercifensis") is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus "Luciobarbus". it is endemic to the Moulouya River in Morocco.


Olive bulbul

The olive bulbul ("Iole viridescens") is a species of songbird in the bulbul family, Pycnonotidae.
It is found from southern Myanmar to south-western Thailand and the Malay Peninsula.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests.
Taxonomy and systematics.
Formerly, the olive bulbul was classified in the genera "Microscelis" and "Hypsipetes" by some authorities. The synonym "Hypsipetes virescens" has also been used for the Nicobar bulbul and the Sunda bulbul. Alternative names for the olive bulbul include Blyth's olive bulbul, Sumatran bulbul, and viridescent bulbul. The name 'olive bulbul' is also used as an alternative name by the yellow-bearded greenbul and the sulphur-bellied bulbul.
Subspecies.
Three subspecies are currently recognized. The Cachar bulbul was also considered as a subspecies of the olive bulbul until it was split off and re-classified as a separate species by the IOC in 2017:


Ischnurges gratiosalis

Ischnurges gratiosalis is a moth in the family Crambidae. It was described by Francis Walker in 1859. It is found in Sri Lanka, China, Taiwan and India and on Borneo and the Maldives.
Adults are rose coloured, irregularly varied with yellow, yellowish white and partly clouded with rose colour beneath. The forewings have two vitreous bands, as do the hindwings.


Pristimantis cosnipatae

Pristimantis cosnipatae is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae, sometimes known as Rio Cosnipata robber frog. It is endemic to Cusco Department, Peru. It is believed to only occur in the Cosñipata Valley (also spelled Kosñipata). The specific name "cosnipatae" refers to this valley. Last seen in 1999, this species is considered "critically endangered".
Description.
"Pristimantis cosnipatae" is a robust-bodied small frog. Adult males measure in snout–vent length. Head is longer than it is wide and the snout is long and narrow. The tympanum is prominent. Forearms are short and robust, and hind limbs are moderately short and robust. The fingers and the toes have lateral fringes and bear wide, truncate discs. The dorsum is finely shagreened and grayish tan to reddish brown in color, with dark brown markings. The iris is bronze and has a median horizontal red streak.
It has been suggested that before 2012 when "Paedophryne amauensis" was described, "Pristimantis cosnipatae" held the record for world's smallest frog. However, this species is not particularly small.
The male advertisement call is a soft "wraank".
Habitat and conservation.
Its natural habitat is tall submontane and montane cloud forest, with some tree ferns and bromeliads and rich undergrowth of mosses and ferns, at elevations of above sea level. The species was last seen in 1999, despite several targeted surveys, the latest one in 2016. A possible cause is chytridiomycosis. A part of the range is within the Manú National Park, offering good protection (if the species still persists).


Ichthyophis moustakius

Ichthyophis moustakius, the Manipur moustached caecilian, is a species of caecilian in the family Ichthyophiidae. It is endemic to Northeast India. This species exhibits broad lateral yellow stripes from the anterior part of its tail, along its mandibles, between its nares, as well as elsewhere. The animal can reach a length of . Its head is somewhat U-shaped and fairly short; scales are absent on its collars. The species' name is derived from the Greek word "moustakius", meaning "moustache", due to the yellow arched stripes it possesses.
Description.
This species counts with 105 vertebrae. The head, nuchal region and trunk are dorsoventrally compressed, with its body's maximal girth being near the midbody. Its tail is upturned towards the tip. The animal's head is short, with a length of about . Its eyes are closer to the top of its head than to its lip, and are surrounded by a narrow whitish ring; its eye diameter approximates 0.6mm (its lens being no larger than its naris). Its nares are slightly posterior to level of the anterior margin of its mouth. Its teeth are slender and recurved, while its tongue is not strongly plicate. Its choanae are narrow, the distance between them being four or five times their
greatest width.
It possesses fifteen denticulations around its vent. While in preservation, the animal is of a lilac-grey colour with a brownish tinge, being slightly paler ventrally. Lateral stripes extend from about the second or third posteriormost annulus to about the eye level on the upper jaw. Narrow and pale lines extend dorsally and are thickest near the nares. In life, its dorsum is a dark reddish grey, while the venter is pale reddish grey, and its narrow lateral stripes a bright yellow, its vent disc being mauvish.
Distribution.
This species has been observed in its type locality, in Tamenglong district, Manipur, India, at a height between above sea level. It has also been recorded in Guwahati Metropolitan District (Manipur) and in Mizoram, northeastern India.


Cornufer wolfi

Cornufer wolfi is a species of frog in the family Ceratobatrachidae. It is endemic to the Solomon Islands archipelago and known from the Buka and Bougainville Islands in Papua New Guinea and from the Santa Isabel and Choiseul Islands in the Solomon Islands. The specific name "wolfi" honours Eugen Wolf, a member of the Hanseatische Südsee-Expedition (1909) and writer of the expedition's travel report. Common name Wolf's sticky-toed frog has been coined for it.
Description.
Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The finger tips are dilated into broad discs; the toes have less broad discs and have minute webbing at their base. The dorsum is relatively uniform olive green. A blackish band runs from the tip of the snout through the eye and the tympanum to the post-axillary region. The venter is creamy. Melanistic specimens are dark brown with brownish venter. The iris is reddish.
Habitat and conservation.
"Cornufer wolfi" occurs in lowland and hill rainforests at elevations below . It prefers primary forest but can be found on the forest edge and in wild banana plants. It is an arboreal species that lays its eggs in leaves in trees some two meters above the ground. The eggs develop directly into froglets, without free-living tadpole stage.
It is threatened by logging. There are no protected areas within its known range.


Chondrina oligodonta

Chondrina oligodonta is a species of land snail in the family Chondrinidae. It is endemic to Italy, where it is found in rocky habitat. It is threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, especially due to marble quarrying in the area.


Phormictopus cancerides

Phormictopus cancerides, also known as the Hispaniolan giant tarantula, is a tarantula endemic to Hispaniola in the Caribbean.
Hunting.
During the day they hide under rocks and debris, and come out at night to look for prey. Their fangs are quite formidable at more than 2 centimeters long, and when they pierce the body of its prey, venom is injected, which paralyzes and breaks down the internal body tissue, allowing the tarantula to suck up the liquified insides. Its bite is rarely harmful to humans, but can cause irritation and swelling.
Names.
In the Dominican Republic, it is called "cacata"; in Haiti, it is called "araignée-krab" (literally "crab spider").
As prey.
Their most dangerous predator is the tarantula hawk. Locally, it is known as a "matacacata" ("tarantula-killer"). This is a very large parasitoid wasp, with an iridescent blue-green body and orange-red wings that grows to about 2 inches or more in length. It captures the spider in its burrow or sometimes in the open and stings it to paralyze it and then lays its eggs on the abdomen. The wasp will drag its victim to a safe place to incubate its young. Once the larvae hatch they will feed on the alive but paralyzed tarantula until it dies.


Rossia moelleri

Rossia moelleri is a species of bobtail squid native to the northern Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic Ocean, eastward to the Laptev Sea and westward to Amundsen Bay. It occurs off western and northeastern Greenland, northeastern Canada, Labrador, Spitsbergen, Jan Mayen, and in the Kara Sea. "R. moelleri" lives at depths from 17 to 250 m.
"R. moelleri" grows to 50 mm in mantle length.
In Norwegian waters, "R. moelleri" is preyed upon by haddock ("Melanogrammus aeglefinus") and Atlantic cod ("Gadus morhua").
The type specimen was collected off Greenland. It was originally deposited at the Zoologisk Museum of Kobenhavns Universitet in Copenhagen, but is no longer extant.


Orthotylus jordii

Orthotylus jordii is a bug species from the Miridae family that is endemic to Spain. It is under the subgenus "Parapachylops" subspecies.


Cottus haemusi

Cottus haemusi is a species of fish in the family Cottidae. It is found in Bulgaria. It inhabits the of the Danube river drainage. It reaches a maximum length of 10.0 cm.


Telmatobius marmoratus

Telmatobius marmoratus, the marbled water frog, is a vulnerable species of frog in the family Telmatobiidae. The most widespread species in the genus, it is found in the Andean highlands of Bolivia, northern Chile and southern Peru. It may also occur in northwestern Argentina, but the taxonomic position of this population is unclear. This semiaquatic frog is found in and near streams, rivers, waterfalls, lakes and ponds.
Among 16 adult "T. marmoratus" from Isla del Sol, the largest had a snout-vent length of . It is very closely related to the larger and less widespread "T. gigas", and they might be conspecific. Another close relative (but clearly a separate species) is the Titicaca water frog ("T. culeus") and both species are found in Lake Titicaca.


Polynesian triller

The Polynesian triller ("Lalage maculosa") is a passerine bird belonging to the triller genus "Lalage" in the cuckoo-shrike family Campephagidae. It has numerous subspecies distributed across the islands of the south-west Pacific.
It is 15 to 16 cm long. The plumage varies geographically; some populations are contrastingly black and white while others have more grey or brown coloration.
It is a noisy bird with a nasal, rasping call. The song is short and high-pitched.
The breeding range extends through Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Niue, Wallis and Futuna, Vanuatu and the Santa Cruz Islands. It occurs in a wide variety of habitats including man-made habitats such as plantations and gardens. It feeds on insects such as caterpillars and also feeds on fruit.
The cup-shaped nest is placed in the fork of a tree branch. One or two eggs are laid; these are greenish with brown blotches.


Nannophryne corynetes

Nannophryne corynetes, the Abra Malaga toad, is a species of toad in the family Bufonidae that is endemic to Peru and only found in the region of the type locality in the Urubamba Province. Its natural habitats are forest edges restricted to the zone of puna grassland directly adjacent to montane forest. Breeding habitat is unknown but probably aquatic. It is a very rare species but there are no immediate threats to it.


Coleophora neolycii

Coleophora neolycii is a moth of the family Coleophoridae which is endemic to China (Ningxia).
The wingspan is .
The larvae feed on "Lycium barbarum". They feed in the leaves or stems of their host plant. They primarily mine the leaves from the underside. The first generation begins feeding in the middle of May and causes severe damage from the middle of June to early July. Different instars overwinter in cases attached to branches or axillary buds. Pupation takes place from the middle of April to early May within the larval case that is attached to a stem with silk after the final instar turns around to face the anal opening of the case. The pupa is about in length and yellowish brown. Adults emerge in May.
Etymology.
The specific name is derived from the Greek prefix "neo"- (meaning new) and the specific name "lycii", in reference to its relationship with "Coleophora lycii".


Slaty-breasted tinamou

The slaty-breasted tinamou or Boucard's tinamou ("Crypturellus boucardi") is a type of tinamou commonly found in lowland moist forests of Mexico and Central America.
Taxonomy.
All tinamou are from the family Tinamidae, and in the larger scheme are also ratites. Unlike other ratites, tinamous can fly, although in general, they are not strong fliers. All ratites evolved from prehistoric flying birds, and tinamous are the closest living relative of these birds.
The slaty-breasted tinamou has two sub-species:
Philip Sclater identified the slaty-breasted tinamou from a specimen from Oaxaca, Mexico, in 1859.
Etymology.
"Crypturellus" can be broken down into the following: "kruptos" meaning covered or hidden, "oura" meaning the tail and "ellus" meaning diminutive. Therefore, "Crypturellus" means the small covered tail. Finally, "boucardi" is the Latin form of Boucard to commemorate Adolphe Boucard.
Range and habitat.
Range.
It is commonly found in lowland moist forest in subtropical and tropical regions up to altitude. This species ranges along the Gulf of Mexico coast from southern Mexico, from southern Veracruz and northern Oaxaca south, to northern Costa Rica. Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.
Habitat.
It prefers thick evergreen forests with thick undergrowth, but also can be found in thick forests with little undergrowth, secondary forests, and on regenerating plantations. It likes moist areas as well.
Description.
The slaty-breasted tinamou averages in length, and weighs about . Its back and head are black to chestnut in color, brown on its wings, slaty grey on its breast, white on its throat, grey-brown on remainder of its underparts with darker barring on flanks and undertail. The female has barring on its wings. Its legs are pink to bright red, and its bill is dark above and yellow below.
Behavior.
It is a shy and difficult tinamou to be seen on the dark forest floors. Its call is a three-note call and lower than other tinamous. Its calls can be in long bouts, up to five hours at a time. This tinamou and the thicket tinamou will produce hybrids on occasion.
Feeding.
Like other tinamous, it feeds on fruit and seeds and some invertebrates, in particular, ants and termites.
Reproduction.
The slaty-breasted tinamou male attracts 2 to 4 females to lay in its nest on the ground and in thick vegetation or between the raised roots of a tree. The male incubates and raises the young. Females will mate with more than one male.
Conservation.
The IUCN has classified the slaty-breasted as Least Concern and it has an occurrence range of . It is hunted for food but its numbers seem to be consistent.


Nyceryx maxwelli

Nyceryx maxwelli is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from Bolivia and Venezuela.
The wingspan is about 63 mm. It is similar to "Nyceryx continua cratera" but the apex of the hindwing upperside is brown and the tornal area is not yellow. The basal area of the hindwing upperside is yellow, while the apex is brownish-orange.
Adults are on wing year round.


Amboli day gecko

The Amboli day gecko ("Cnemaspis amboliensis") is a species of gecko found in India.
References.
from the northern Western Ghats, India. Amphibian & Reptile Conservation, 12 (e157), 1–29.


Jordanita rungsi

Jordanita rungsi is a moth of the family Zygaenidae. It is found in the central areas of the Middle Atlas in Morocco.
The length of the forewings is 11.9–12.2 mm for males and 11.0–11.2 mm for females.
The larvae feed on "Carthamus calvus". Pupation takes place in a cocoon in the soil.


Lycorea halia halia

Lycorea halia halia, the tropical milkweed butterfly, is a subspecies of "Lycorea halia", also called the tropical milkweed butterfly, a nymphalid butterfly in the Danainae subfamily. It is found from Suriname, French Guiana and Peru to the Caribbean. Its habitat is tropical rainforest.


Hemiphyllodactylus arakuensis

Hemiphyllodactylus arakuensis is a species of gecko. It is endemic to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, India.


Compsodecta

Compsodecta is a genus of Caribbean jumping spiders that was first described by Eugène Louis Simon in 1903.
Species.
 it contains eight species, found only in Jamaica and on the Greater Antilles:


San Esteban chuckwalla

The San Esteban chuckwalla ("Sauromalus varius"), also known as the piebald chuckwalla or pinto chuckwalla, is a species of chuckwalla belonging to the family Iguanidae endemic to San Esteban Island in the Gulf of California. It is the largest of the five species of chuckwallas, and the most threatened.
Taxonomy and etymology.
The generic name, "Sauromalus", is said to be a combination of two ancient Greek words: "sauros" meaning "lizard" and "omalus" meaning "flat". The proper ancient Greek word for "flat" is however "homalos" (ὁμαλός) or "homalēs" (ὁμαλής). Its specific name "varius" is Latin for "speckled" in reference to the chuckwalla's mottled coloration. It was first described by American herpetologist Mary C. Dickerson in 1919.
The common name chuckwalla derives from the Shoshone word "tcaxxwal" or Cahuilla "caxwal", transcribed by Spaniards as "chacahuala". The Seri people named originally the island for this species: "Coftécöl lifa" or the "Peninsula of the Giant Chuckwalla".
Distribution and habitat.
The San Esteban chuckwalla is endemic to San Esteban Island in the Gulf of California. While it is abundant on this small island, it occurs naturally nowhere else and is protected under the Endangered Species Act. At one time, the Seri translocated populations of this lizard to other islands in the Sea of Cortés as a food item, but none of these populations has survived beyond the original population found on San Esteban.
Behavior and reproduction.
Harmless to humans, these large lizards are known to run from potential threats. When disturbed, the chuckwalla wedges itself into a tight rock crevice, gulps air, and inflates its body to entrench itself.
Males are seasonally and conditionally territorial; an abundance of resources tends to create a hierarchy based on size, with one large male dominating the area's smaller males. Chuckwallas use a combination of color and physical displays, namely "push ups", head-hobbing, and gaping of the mouth to communicate and defend their territory.
Chuckwallas are diurnal animals, and as they are ectothermic, spend much of their mornings and winter days basking in the sun. These lizards are well adapted to desert conditions; they are active at temperatures up to 102 °F (39 °C).
Mating occurs from April to July, with 5 to 16 eggs laid between June and August. The eggs hatch in late September. San Esteban chuckwallas may live for 25 years or more.
Diet.
Chuckwallas prefer dwelling in lava flows and rocky areas with nooks and crannies available for a retreat when threatened. These areas are typically vegetated by creosote bush and cholla cacti which form the staple of their diet, as the chuckwalla is primarily herbivorous. Chuckwallas also feed on leaves, fruit, and flowers of annuals, perennial plants, and even weeds; insects represent a supplementary prey if eaten at all.
Description.
The San Esteban chuckwalla is the largest species of chuckwalla, reaching in body length and overall length, and weighing up to . It is considered a textbook example of island gigantism, as it is three to four times the size of its mainland counterparts. The male's skin is gray with tan to yellow patches over its entire body, and its face is gray to black. The female is duller in appearance with fewer patches. The colorations provide almost perfect camouflage against some of their predators.
Human contact.
The Comca’ac considered this species of chuckwalla an important food item due to its large size. So much so, a few lizards were cross-bred with Angel Island chuckwallas and translocated to most of the islands in Bahia de los Angeles: Isla San Lorenzo Norte, Isla San Lorenzo Sur, and Tiburón Island by the Seri people for use as a food source in times of need. This was before the founding of America, and most of these populations appear to have died out, but the process was repeated by herpeticulturalists in the early 2000s as a way of legally producing a San Esteban-like lizard that the average reptile enthusiast could keep. The crosses are fertile and seem to have traits of both species - the brighter coloration of the San Esteban chuckwalla with the calmer temperament of the Angel Island chuckwalla.
The Seri who once inhabited San Esteban Island referred to themselves as "Coftécöl Comcáac", "People of the Giant Chuckwalla" and named the island for this species.
The San Esteban chuckwalla is an endangered species due to hunting from the Seri and the introduction of feral animals such as rats and mice which prey upon the chuckwalla's eggs, and feral dogs and cats which prey upon the lizards. Due to these factors and overcollection from the pet trade, the species was declared an Appendix I animal under CITES.
An "in situ" chuckwalla captive-breeding program was established in Punta Chueca, a Seri village on the Mexican mainland. A successful "ex situ" program has also been in place at the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum since 1977. The species is present in private collections.


Upper Galilee Mountains blind mole-rat

The Upper Galilee Mountains blind mole-rat ("Spalax galili") is an extant species of subterranean rodent within the family Spalacidae, indigenous to Upper Galilee in northern Israel. Following the identification of "S. galili" in 2001, Nevo "et al." recorded specimens in the vicinity surrounding the Kerem Ben Zimra settlement.
S. galili is a model organism for the adaptation to underground conditions and has been genome sequenced in 2014.


Pachliopta aristolochiae

Pachliopta aristolochiae, the common rose, is a swallowtail butterfly belonging to the genus "Pachliopta", the roses, or red-bodied swallowtails. It is a common butterfly which is extensively distributed across south and southeast Asia.
Range.
It is widely distributed in Asia including Afghanistan, Pakistan, India (including the Andaman Islands), Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand, Japan (south-western Okinawa only), Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nicobar Islands, peninsular and eastern Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines (Palawan and Leyte), Indonesia, Bangladesh and Taiwan.
In China, it is distributed in southern and eastern China (including Hainan, Guangdong province) and Hong Kong. In Indonesia, it is distributed in Sumatra, Nias, Enggano, Bangka, Java, Bali, Kangean, Lombok, Sumbawa, Sumba, Flores, Tanahjampea, and Kalimantan.
Status.
It is very common almost all over the plains of India, and is not threatened as a species. During and after the monsoon it is extremely abundant.
Description.
The upperside of male is velvety black.
Forewing with well-marked pale adnervular streaks on the discal area that do not reach the terminal margin, the latter broadly velvety black; the streaks beyond end of cell extended inwards into its apex.
Hindwing with elongate white discal markings in interspaces 2–5 beyond the cell.
In dry-weather specimens these markings are very short and do not nearly reach the bases of the interspaces; beyond these a curved series of subterminal lunular markings in interspaces one to seven dull crimson irrorated with black scales, the spot in interspace one large, irregular, diffuse, margined interiorly with white.
On the underside of the males, the ground colour and markings is similar, but the red subterminal spots on the hindwing much brighter; it is not irrorated with black scales, better defined, the anterior four subquadrate, the next two crescent shaped, sometimes quadrate also, the spot in interspace one triangular and pointed. Antennae, thorax and abdomen above up to the pre-anal segment black; the head, sides of prothorax above, and of the whole of the thorax and abdomen beneath vermilion red; anal segment vermilion red.
Females are similar to the males; they differ from the male only in the comparatively broader wings and this is most conspicuous in the forewing.
Variety "camorta".
Variety "camorta", Moore (Nicobar Islands), differs from the typical form as follows:
Varieties.
There are up to 20 subspecies. The nominate sub-species occurs throughout peninsular India. The subspecies include:
The subspecies "P. a. ceylonicus" Moore is found in Sri Lanka and is very common.
Habitat.
An excellent generalist which has adapted to a range of habitats, the butterfly has been found in congregations at lower elevations. The common rose is found up to in the Western Ghats and south Indian hills, up to at the eastern end of the Himalayas but only up to in the north-west Himalayas. The butterfly is a common visitor to Indian gardens and can even be found in crowded urban areas.
Habits.
It is the commonest of the large-tailed butterflies of India.
The red body, slow peculiar flight, bright colouration and pattern of the wings are meant to indicate to predators that this butterfly is inedible, being well protected by the poisons it has sequestered from its larval food plant. It also emits a nasty smelling substance when handled to further enhance its unappealing qualities. Hence it is rarely attacked by predators, a strategy so successful, that edible butterflies have evolved to mimic it, the classic example being that of the female morph of the common Mormon that is "Papilio polytes", female form "stichius".
The common rose frequently visits flowers such as "Lantana", "Cosmos", "Zinnia", "Jatropha" and "Clerodendron". The butterfly occasionally also visits wet patches. In parts of Sri Lanka, the males are known to congregate and form a beautiful sight while mud-puddling.
The common rose is active much earlier in the morning than most butterflies and remains so throughout the day until dusk. It flies just as readily in the shade as in the sun, and frequently visits flowers.
In drier regions, around noon, the butterfly rests in thickets to avoid the mid-day heat. Here, it will rest and venture forth only in the late afternoon once again.
In the evenings, it retires into wooded areas or thickets in search of dead twigs or small branches on which to roost. It prefers sites that are 10 to 15 feet above ground, below the canopy in trees with sufficient cover from the elements, where it frequently roosts in the company of others of its type, and, sometimes, in the company of the crimson rose.
It flies high, slowly and often descends to nectar on flowers below. On such occasions it often dives down with its wings held back, and as it approaches the flower, the wings open up to provide deceleration. The butterfly primarily depends on motive thrust on the powerful flapping of its forewings while the hindwings act as a balancing and steering mechanism. This flying technique gives a rather unusual look to its flight and an observer is left with the impression that it is dragging itself through the air with only the assistance of its forewings.
The common rose is often the preferred species to show the amateur naturalist the utility of the tails in steering. This can be most easily observed when the common rose hovers over flowers to sip nectar. Then, its forewings beat readily to give it buoyancy while the tails move delicately to steer and adjust its position.
It has been considered in the past that these tails are primarily for deception as in the case of the "Polyommatinae" where the thread-like tails resemble antennae and confuse the attacker as to the location of the head. On occasions, roses have been observed with damaged tails and it is possible that the presence of swallowtails occasionally does favour the butterfly in confusing attackers.
Life cycle.
Eggs.
The female has been observed inspecting Aristolochiaceae plants and selecting healthy plants with verdant growth to ensure adequacy of food for its voracious caterpillars. It lays round and reddish eggs with fine black markings. The eggs are laid singly on top, the underside of leaves or even on shoots.
Caterpillar.
The caterpillar is a velvety-maroon colour and has a white band on a segment on its middle reminiscent of a belt or collar. It has numerous fleshy red-tipped white protuberances on the body. It is bulky and slow in its movements.
Pupa.
The pupa is brownish with various shades of brown and pink markings. It is attached to its support by the tail and held at an angle by a body band. The support is usually a stick. The distinguishing feature of the common rose pupa is the presence of large semi-circular projections on the back of the abdomen, thorax and head.
Food plants.
The larvae feed on creepers and climbers of the genus "Aristolochia", family Aristolochiaceae, and they sequester toxins such as aristolochic acid in their bodies. This makes the adults toxic to vertebrate predators such as birds and reptiles. However the "braconid" wasps which parasitise the caterpillars have apparently co-evolved with the butterfly and are not affected by the toxins. Larval food plants include:
See also.
Chattopadhyay, Jagannath. (2007) "Swallowtail Butterflies, Biology and Ecology of a few Indian Species." Desh Prakashan, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. .


Hemiphyllodactylus peninsularis

The KMTR slender gecko ("Hemiphyllodactylus peninsularis") is a species of gecko. It is endemic to the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, India.


Wedge-tailed sabrewing

The wedge-tailed sabrewing ("Pampa pampa") is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It is found in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forest and heavily degraded former forest.
Taxonomy.
There were once three recognized subspecies of wedge-tailed sabrewing (under the scientific name "P. curvipennis"), but all are now considered separate species, which have completely separate ranges. Curve-winged sabrewing ("P. curvipennis") occurs closest to the U.S. border and has a slightly longer bill than "P. pampa", which occurs from Honduras to the Yucatán Peninsula. Long-tailed sabrewing ("P. excellens") is the other taxon.
Other authors suggest "P. curvipennis" is a species complex composed of three allopatrically distributed lineages corresponding to the previous named groups. Also they are all divergent in morphology and acoustics.
This species was formerly placed in the genus "Campylopterus". A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that the genus "Campylopterus" was polyphyletic. In the revised classification to create monophyletic genera, the wedge-tailed sabrewing was moved to the resurrected genus "Pampa".
Description.
The wedge-tailed sabrewing is a large hummingbird with a long wedge-shaped tail. Upperparts are green with blue to violet-blue crown that blends into the green nape. It has a white spot behind its eyes and a dark gray cheek. Underparts are pale gray to whitish, often slightly darker laterally. The bill is long and ranges from straight to slightly decurved, and the lower mandible is pinkish at base. The adult male is slightly larger than the female, but other than that sexes are similar, is a sexually monochromatic, size dimorphic hummingbird. Juveniles are similar to adults but duller in coloring.
"P.c. pampa" are 5½ inches long. Males weigh 6½ grams and females weigh 5 grams. Its eyes are very dark brown, appearing black, and legs are dark brown.
Distribution and habitat.
The wedge-tailed sabrewing resides in humid tropical forests, woodlands, and dense second growth, ranging from near sea level to 4500 feet above sea level. It is not known to migrate.
Behavior.
The wedge-tailed sabrewing often forages along walls of vegetation at forest edges and on steep slopes. Its flight style varies from the rapid wingbeats of typical hummingbirds to slower wingbeats like those of swifts. It is bold and curious, and often approaches humans. It breeds from March to July, and its nest is a well-camouflaged cup attached to a horizontal branch. Males are polygynous and during the breeding season they congregate in leks, broadcasting elaborate vocalizations into the environment.
Vocalization.
Calls include steady, persistent chipping and a shrill, nasal "peek". The wedge-tailed sabrewing usually sings from dense vegetation, and its songs are complex and variable, usually including insect-like chips, squeaks, and squeals, followed by a series of excited warbled or gurgling notes. Males sing year-round, sometimes in small groups. Some tail or wing movements are associated with perched singing displays. The wedge.tailed sabrewings display songs with many levels of geographic variation, mos notably the introductory syllable and the repertoire syllabels.
Song Evolution.
There is independence between acoustic and neutral genetic divergence in this hummingbirds species. Along the continuous distribution of this species there's no genetic divergence suggesting the homogenizing force of gene flow. Geographical structure of vocal variation corresponds with the restricted south to north gene flow between geographic areas of the Sierra Madre Oriental. Evolution of song elaboration in wedge-tailed sabrewing resulted from a combination of processes probably linked to postdispersal learning, isolation by distance, and social factors associated with male-male interactions. With negligible geographic barriers and no behavioral checks on dispersal, little genetic differentiation has developed in wedge-tailed sabrewings along the Sierra Madre Oriental despite the apparent intense social (and sexual) selection acting on the elaborate acoustic traits. Although learning and cultural drift are real possibilities, there may be cultural selection reinforced by selection for imitation driving which songs can be learned, and coupled patterns of genetic and acoustic divergence could emerge when barriers become strong enough to gene flow.


Pamiria omphisa

Pamiria omphisa, the dusky green underwing, is a species of blue (Lycaenidae) butterfly found in Asia.
Description.
Male has the uppersides of wings dark brown. Forewings and hindwings are overlaid from base outwards for some distance with purplish blue, clear dark blue or shining metallic green. The extent of this colour very variable; in some specimens, on the forewing it spreads irregularly outwards mainly along the costa and on the hindwing in the middle to the disc; in others, it covers the basal three-fourths of the wings, leaving a well-defined broad terminal margin of the ground colour on the forewing, and on the hindwing, broad costal, terminal and dorsal margins; cilia conspicuously white.
Underside of forewing is a clear, slightly brownish grey, paler along the costal and terminal margins; a transverse, slightly lunular discocellular spot and a transverse series of six small discal spots black, all with slender white edgings, the discal series placed in a slight curve, the posterior three spots "en echelon"; no terminal markings except an anteciliary dark line. Hindwing metallic green; in many specimens faint traces of one or two subbasal spots, entirely absent in others; a discocellular spot and a curved, transverse, discal series of from three to five spots, white; terminal markings, with the exception of a slender anteciliary dark line, absent, as on the forewing.
Antennae, head, thorax and abdomen brownish black, the shafts of the antennae ringed with white, the head, thorax and abdomen with some bluish pubescence; beneath: the palpi, thorax and abdomen white, the palpi fringed anteriorly with stiff black hairs.
Female has the upperside uniform brown. Forewings and hindwings with slender, black, anteciliary lines and conspicuous snow-white cilia. Many specimens have some slight irroration (sprinkling) of blue scales at the bases of the wings. Underside similar to that of the male, the black spots on the forewing and the white spots on the hindwing generally larger, and on the latter wing more clearly defined.
Wingspan of 26–33 mm.
Range.
The butterfly occurs in India (Lahul), northern Pakistan, in the Himalayas (Chitral, Ladakh), and north to China.
Taxonomy.
"Pamiria omphisa" was earlier and is still sometimes classified as "Polyommatus omphisa" or "Albulina omphisa".


Craugastor greggi

Craugastor greggi is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae.
It is found in Guatemala and Mexico.
Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forests and rivers.
It is threatened by habitat loss.


Apyrauna maculicorne

Apyrauna maculicorne is a species of longhorn beetle in the Elaphidiini subfamily. It was described by Germain in 1898. It is found in Elqui and Maipo Provinces of Chile.


Eucereon scyton

Eucereon scyton is a moth of the subfamily Arctiinae first described by Pieter Cramer in 1777. It is found in Suriname and São Paulo, Brazil.


Tristramella sacra

Tristramella sacra, the long jaw tristramella, is a species of cichlid fish that was endemic to the Sea of Galilee in Israel. It has not been recorded since 1990, despite searches both of the lake and in local markets, and it is regarded as extinct by the IUCN. This species could reach a total length of up to .
"T. sacra"s spawning ground was the marshy northern margin of the lake. This dried out in 1991 and again in the mid-1990s, destroying this species' breeding habitat and therefore possibly causing its disappearance.
Water levels in the Sea of Galilee may have been under stress since Israel's National Water Carrier was built in 1964, and this stress may have been increased since the Israel–Jordan peace treaty of 1994 committed Israel to supply 50 million cubic meters of water per year from the lake to Jordan.


Xylophanes lichyi

Xylophanes lichyi is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is known from Bolivia.
The length of the forewings is 29–35 mm for males and 32–38 mm for females. It is similar to "Xylophanes maculator", but the dorsal lines of the tegulae, thorax and abdomen are fainter. Furthermore, the forewing upperside ground colour is more greenish, the first postmedian line is more basal in position and dentate over its distal half and the median band of the hindwing upperside is broader, with an even inner edge and lacking the pink shading.
The larvae probably feed on Rubiaceae and Malvaceae species.


Orange clownfish

The orange clownfish ("Amphiprion percula") also known as percula clownfish and clown anemonefish, is widely known as a popular aquarium fish. Like other clownfishes (also known as anemonefishes), it often lives in association with sea anemones. "A. percula" is associated specifically with "Heteractis magnifica" and "Stichodactyla gigantea", and as larvae use chemical cues released from the anemones to identify and locate the appropriate host species to use them for shelter and protection. This causes preferential selection when finding their anemone host species. Although popular, maintaining this species in captivity is rather complex. The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority regulates the number of collection permits issued to aquarium fish dealers who seek this, and other tropical fish within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park.
The symbiosis between anemonefish and anemones depends on the presence of the fish drawing other fish to the anemone, where they are stung by its venomous tentacles. The anemone helps the fish by giving it protection from predators, which include brittle stars, wrasses, and other damselfish, and the fish helps the anemone by feeding it, increasing oxygenation, and removing waste material from the host. Various hypotheses exist about the fish's ability to live within the anemone without being harmed. One study carried out at Marineland of the Pacific by Dr. Demorest Davenport and Dr. Kenneth Noris in 1958 revealed that the mucus secreted by the anemone fish prevented the anemone from discharging its lethal stinging nematocysts. A second hypothesis is that "A. percula" has acquired immunity towards the sea anemone's toxins, and a combination of the two has been shown to be the case. The fish feed on algae, zooplankton, worms, and small crustaceans.
Description.
"Amphiprion percula" can grow to be in length, but is on average , and can be recognized by three white lines across their bright orange bodies, with no distinction in color between sexes. The anterior white bar is placed just behind the eye, the middle bar goes straight down the middle of the fish, and the posterior bar occurs near the caudal fin. An anterior projecting bulge also exists on the middle bar. In addition to the white coloring, black edging outlines each fin with varying thickness. This species can be mistaken for the similar species of clownfishes, "A. ocellaris". This is known as the ocellaris clownfish and sometimes referred to as the "false percula clownfish" or "common clownfish" due to its similar color and pattern. The "easiest" way to distinguish the two species is the fact that "A. percula" has 10 spines in the first dorsal fin (rarely having 9) and "A. ocellaris" has 11 (rarely 10), which is a more reliable distinction than color patterns. " A. ocellaris" does not have thick black edging outlining the fins.
Reproduction.
Since these fish live in a warm-water environment, they can reproduce all year long. Each group of fish consists of a breeding pair and none to four nonbreeders. Within each group there is a size-based hierarchy: the female is largest, the breeding male is second largest, and the male non-breeders get progressively smaller as the hierarchy descends. They exhibit protandry, meaning each fish is born male, but changes to female if the sole breeding female dies. If the female dies, the breeding male becomes the breeding female, and the largest nonbreeder becomes the breeding male. The spawning process is correlated with the lunar cycle. At night time the moon maintains a higher level of alertness in "A. percula" and this increases the interaction with the males and females. Before spawning, the male attracts the female via courting behaviour. These courting actions include extending their fins, biting the female and chasing her. The males also swim rapidly in an upward and downward motion to attract the females. The nest site is also important for the survival of the eggs. Depending on her size, the female spawns about 400–1500 eggs per cycle. The expected tenure of breeding females is roughly 12 years and is relatively long for a fish of its size, but is characteristic of other reef fish.
Why the nonbreeders continue to associate with these groups has been unclear. Unlike nonreproductives in some animal groups, they cannot obtain occasional breeding opportunities, because their gonads are not functional. They cannot be regarded as helpers at the nest, since their presence does not increase the reproductive success of the breeders. Recent research suggests that they are simply queuing for the territory occupied by the breeders, i.e. the anemone; nonbreeders living in association with breeders have a better chance of eventually securing a territory than a nonresident. The probability of a fish ascending in rank in this queue is equal to that of the individual outliving at least one of its dominants because an individual ascends in rank if any one of its dominants dies, and not simply when its immediate dominant dies.
The development of the fish from juvenile to adult is dependent on the system of hierarchy, and can be described as density-dependent. Aggression is involved in these small families, although usually not between the male and the female. The aggression usually exists between the males. The largest male suppresses the development of the next smallest male, and the cycle continues until the smallest fish is evicted from the host anemone. Within each anemone, the regulation of the species is controlled by the female, since the amount of space for fish in her anemone is directly proportional to her size (which eventually reaches a maximum), so she ultimately controls the size of the other fish. "A. percula" is a very competitive fish and this causes the smaller fish to have stunted growth. A potential exists for a fish to ascend in rank by contesting its dominant. This depends on the relative body sizes of the two fish, and is very unlikely to happen since "A. percula" maintains well-defined size differences between individuals adjacent in rank. However, in an aquarium, this fish is peaceful, and it can live in an aquarium environment well.
The fish lay their eggs in a safe spot close to the anemone from where they are easily protected, and the parents can retreat to safety if danger threatens. Anemonefish usually lay their nests in the evening after a few days of carefully cleaning and examining the chosen site. Preferred egg sites are flat or slightly curved rocks or some other item the fish have dragged near their nest for the purpose. (In captivity, clay pots and saucers are an attractive choice.) First, the female deposits some eggs with her ovipositor (a whitish tube descending from her belly), making a wiggling pass over the surface, then the male follows behind her, fertilizing the eggs. After many passes, the nest is complete and will hatch in 6–8 days shortly after sunset, usually on a very dark night. In the meantime, the male is very protective of the nest and ceaselessly fans the eggs to provide proper oxygen circulation, and checks them for any bad eggs, which he eats before they can rot and damage more eggs. Females may help the male tend the nest. At hatching, the larvae burst free and swim up toward the moonlight and the open ocean to ride the currents and eat plankton for about a week, before the still tiny metamorphosed clowns return to the reef and look for an anemone in which to settle. Eventually, the cycle repeats.
Recruitment.
Recruitment is the number of individuals in a given species that can survive within a certain amount of time following larval habitation. The higher the level of recruitment, the better chance a larva has of surviving long enough to become an adult fish. Large food supplies, low predator threats, and the availability of nearby anemones are all factors that affect their recruitment levels.
"A. percula", like most coral reef fish, has a bipartite lifeycle, which has a scattering pelagic larval stage, whereas its resident phase is motionless. At the end of the pelagic phase, the larvae begin to settle on the coral reef and begin their recruiting process in the resident population. Larvae that settle successfully and join a resident population are called recruits. Anemonefish species are recruited to areas where the fish are commonly found. Most anemonefish are site-attached and do not move from one anemone to another that are spatially distributed more than a few meters. This is simply because it is always a dangerous undertaking for "A. percula" to be outside its anemonefish safe haven, exposed to dangerous predators. They are also very poor swimmers, increasing the risk involved in travel.
Recruitment is essentially the only method that the fish can use to inhabit new anemones. Finding a better living situation in a different anemone is unlikely because every anemone is already occupied by other anemonefish species. Anemonefish are known for reproducing all year round when they are in lower latitudes and recruitment with these fish is anticipated to follow the same pattern.
Habitat.
Anemonefish are specialized coral reef fish that live within host anemones and are found in warmer waters in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, off northwest Australia, southeast Asia, and Japan.
 Both "A. percula" and the anemones reside in shallow waters and the depth usually does not exceed 12 m with water temperatures ranging between 25 and 28 °C. Host anemones, which are tube-like organisms that reside on coral reefs, are usually occupied by only one anemonefish species because one species outcompetes and exclude other species when they inhabit the same host anemone. Unless a significant size difference exists, two anemonefish species show aggression towards each other when trying to occupy the same host anemone. This is why the supply of nearby anemone hosts so strongly influences "A. percula"’s ability to achieve recruitment and survival in general.
A primary host anemone has an anemonefish at a high frequency and a secondary host anemone has one at a relatively low frequency. The distribution and availability of sea anemones is limited by the activity of photosynthesis of algae that occupy the anemones’ tentacles. Secondary hosts are usually only used if a severe lack of available primary hosts exists. When many different species of anemonefishes occupy similar habitats, they tend to spread themselves out according to smaller microhabitats and available species of anemones. "A. percula" and "A. perideraion" both essentially live within the "H. magnifica" anemone, but "A. percula" has the highest selection ratios with the "S. gigantea". A study done by Elliot & Mariscal in the region of Madang, Papua New Guinea found that all of the "H. magnifica" anemones that were censused were occupied by "A. percula" and "A. perideraion".
"A. percula" generally occupies anemones that are near shore, while "A. perideraion" occupies anemones that are more offshore. Anemonefish do not occupy anemones if they are in shallow water or if they are too small. Shallow waters are not an inhabitable environment for "A. percula" because of the lower salinity levels, increased temperatures, and exposure during low tides. Also, small anemones would not provide protection from predators. "A. percula" and the host anemone are very important to one another and interact in a symbiotic relationship. "A. percula" cleans the host anemone by consuming algae residue and zooplankton such as copepods and larval tunicates. They also protect the anemone from polyp-consuming fish and other predators, while the clownfish is protected from predators by the anemone. "A. percula" sometimes carries pieces of food to the host anemone for later consumption. In most cases the host anemone then devours the food that "A. percula" stored around it. Chances of survival for both parties involved are increased through this co-existence.
The larvae of orange clownfish use olfaction to avoid predators, and increased ocean acidification may cause larvae to be unable to differentiate predators from other odors. This could allow them to be preyed upon more easily, and lead to higher population mortality rates. Impairment of larval olfaction may also make them less able to locate appropriate reef habitats at the higher levels of ocean acidification that are projected to occur with increased carbon dioxide emissions. A paper published in "Nature" in 2020 cast doubt on the effect of acidification, stating "our findings indicate that the reported effects of ocean acidification on the behaviour of coral reef fishes are not reproducible, suggesting that behavioural perturbations will not be a major consequence for coral reef fishes in high CO2 oceans".
Development.
The development of "A. percula" is relatively fast. After the eggs are fertilized, they are ready to hatch after about 6–7 days. After hatching, the larvae are very small and are transparent except for the eyes, yolk sac, and a few colors across the body. The larvae then sink to the benthic environment, but then swim to the upper water column. The larvae spend about a week floating among plankton and are transported by ocean currents. The larval stage ends when "A. percula" settles to the bottom of the ocean. The process from larval stage to juvenile takes about one day. Rapid development of color occurs during "A. percula"'s juvenile stage. During the juvenile stage the anemonefish has to find a suitable anemone host. Specific chemical components are used when finding their host. These chemical cues are different for each anemonefish. This causes preferential selection when finding their anemone host species. When "A. percula" comes in contact with the anemone, it produces a protective mucous coat. This mucous coat is developed with multiple interactions with the host anemone. "A. percula" dances around the anemone, touching its fins first to the tentacles and then its entire body during its first interaction with the anemone. This process could take a few minutes or up to several hours. If "A. percula" does not continue to come in contact with the host anemone, the protective mucus may disappear. "A. percula" belongs to a group of fishes that are not stung by the nematocysts of the anemone. If "A. percula" did not have the protective mucous covering, it would be stung. Other fish species that lack the mucous covering are consumed by the anemone.


Pisodonophis

Pisodonophis is a genus of eels in the snake eel family Ophichthidae. It currently contains the following species:
Pisodonophis boro is an endemic fish in Vietnam's coastal region, it is also found in the paddy fields of the Hải Phòng area of Vietnam, where the small fry are known as "cá nhệch", "nhệch fish," and are eaten in a local salad, gỏi nhệch.


Zabrus peristericus

Zabrus peristericus is a species of ground beetle in the "Pelor" subgenus that is endemic to Greece.


Saban grizzled langur

The Saban grizzled langur ("Presbytis sabana"), also known as the Sabah grizzled langur, is a species of monkey in the family Cercopithecidae. It was formerly considered a subspecies of Hose's langur, "Presbytis hosei" (as "Presbytis hosei sabana"). The Saban grizzled langur is native to the island of Borneo in the province of Sabah in Malaysia, with part of its range in Indonesia. It is listed as endangered by the IUCN due primarily to habitat loss, fragmentation and hunting.
Description.
The Saban grizzled langur is mostly gray, with white underparts and black hands and feet.
 Saban grizzled langurs range from to long excluding tail and have a tail length ranging from to . Males weigh from to while females weight between and .
Diet & behaviour.
The Saban grizzled langur is arboreal and diurnal. It lives in groups of about seven animals including a single adult male. Males who are not part of a group are solitary. It has a varied diet consisting of leaves, fruit, seeds, flowers, insects and bark, and it also consumes mineral-rich mud. It sometimes associates with the maroon langur.


Blue bunting

The blue bunting ("Cyanocompsa parellina") is a species of passerine in the family Cardinalidae, the cardinals or cardinal grosbeaks. It is found in Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, and Nicaragua.
Taxonomy and systematics.
French naturalist Charles Lucien Bonaparte described the blue bunting in 1850 as "Passerina parellina", and then "Cyanoloxia parellina". German ornithologist Jean Cabanis defined the genus "Cyanocompsa" in 1861, giving it its current binomial name.
The blue bunting is the only member of its genus. It has four subspecies, the nominate "Cyanocompsa parellina parellina", "C. p. beneplacita", "C. p. indigotica", and "C. p. lucida". The last is sometimes included in "C. p. beneplacita".
Description.
The nominate subspecies of blue bunting is long. Males weigh and females . The nominate male is various shades of blue, sky blue on the forehead and cheek, blackish blue on the upperparts, ultramarine on the rump, and the underparts from chin to belly deep blue. The adult and immature females are overall dull browish, with a reddish tinge to the belly. The immature male is overall gray-blue with a browish wash on the belly.
Compared to the nominate, the "C. p. beneplacita" male is a duller blue and the female paler and with less of a reddish tinge on the belly. The male "C. p. lucida"s blue is between those of the nominate and "C. p. beneplacita" and the sky blue covers more of its head. The female is similar to that of "beneplacita". The male "C. p. indigotica" is dull indigo on the darker areas and cerulean on the lighter ones; the female is lighter brown than the nominate.
Distribution and habitat.
The nominate subspecies of blue bunting is the most widespread. It occurs from Veracruz in eastern Mexico south and east through Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador into northwestern Nicaragua. "C. p. beneplacita" is mostly confined to Nuevo León in northeastern Mexico, though it occasionally wanders into Texas and Louisiana. "C. p. lucida" is found in northeastern and eastern Mexico. "C. p. indigotica" ranges in western Mexico from Sinaloa south to Oaxaca and Chiapas.
The blue bunting inhabits dense vegetation such as scrubby areas, thickets, and the undergrowth and edges of tall forest. In elevation it ranges up to in Mexico and to in Guatemala.
Behavior.
Feeding.
The blue bunting forages singly or in pairs through low vegetation. Its diet has not been described.
Breeding.
Little information published about the blue bunting's breeding phenology. Nests have been described; they were cups made of rootlets and other fine plant material and placed in bushes. Clutches were of two and three eggs.
Vocalization.
The blue bunting's song is "a sweet, rather sad warble" . Its call is a metallic note .
Status.
The IUCN has assessed the blue bunting as being of Least Concern. It is fairly common and "[s]eems able to accept moderate modification of habitat."