Balochistan forest dormouse

The Balochistan forest dormouse ("Dryomys niethammeri") is a species of rodent in the family Gliridae. It is native to Pakistan. It is an endangered animal
Habitat.
The Balochistan forest dormouse is found in juniper forest of Ziarat, however deforestation has caused decrease in their population.


Lorryia formosa

Lorryia formosa, commonly known as the yellow mite or the citrus yellow mite, is a species of acariform mite. They are in the subfamily Tydeinae of the family Tydeidae. Commonly found on the foliage of citrus trees around the world, "Lorryia formosa" also associates with a variety of other plant types. The life cycle includes six discrete stages of development, and the lifespan averages about 37 days. The females of the species use an asexual form of reproduction where the growth and development of embryos occurs without fertilization by a male, a process called thelytoky.
Taxonomy.
"Lorryia formosa", originally found in Morocco, was first described by Cooreman in 1958. In his 1980 revision of the family Tydeidae, H.M. André synonymized the genus "Lorryia" with "Tydeus", and "Lorryia formosa" became "Tydeus formosus". André based his revision on the similarities of the chaetotaxy, especially on the legs, but ignored body ornamentation, which is a major character used by other authors. In 1998, Kazmierski revised the Tydeinae subfamily, this time using ornamentation and other features, and reestablished the genus "Lorryia".
Description.
In "Lorryia formosa", like all Acariformes mites, the capitulum is the head segment and the idiosoma is the body segment. The idiosoma is further subdivided into the propodosoma, metapodosoma, and opisthosoma. The Tydeinae subfamily, to which "Lorryia formosa" belongs, is characterized by having three pairs of lyrifissures (grooves that encircle the surface of an appendage) and a pair of primitive eyes (oculi) which commonly occur laterally on the propodosoma, the middle body segment to which the first two pairs of legs are attached. The genital region includes a progenital aperture flanked by setae. Specimens are generally less than 250 µm long.
Life cycle.
Life cycles of "Lorryia formosa" are characterized by six distinct developmental stages: egg, larva, nymph stages (protonymph, deutonymph, and tritonymph), and adult. The average lifetime is 37 days, of which 60% is considered adulthood. The females of the species use an asexual form of reproduction where the growth and development of embryos occurs without fertilization by a male; this type of parthenogenesis, where females are produced from unfertilized eggs, is called thelytoky. It is not known whether the intracellular endosymbiont bacterium "Wolbachia" is responsible for the alteration in reproductive capability. "Wolbachia", a genus of inherited bacteria common in insects, are known to alter the sex ratio in arthropods and mites. The sex ratio is also greatly influenced by the host plant: one study found that on citrus, 30% of the population were males, compared to 62% males when reared on grapefruit. Reared on rubber trees, the percentage of males in the population drops to very low, or nothing.
Habitat and distribution.
"Lorryia formosa" has been found associated with chayote squash ("Sechium edule"), citrus, dahlia, pear, papaya, mango, "Cola acuminata", and the parana pine ("Araucaria angustifolia") in Brazil. In Portugal, it has been collected from "Prunus domestica", "P. persica", "P. armeniaca", apple ("Malus domestica"), bell peppers ("Capsicum annuum"). It has also been reported from "Hibiscus" species collected in Guadeloupe, French Antilles. "L. formosa" is also found on citrus plants throughout the world. For example, it has been found in the Mediterranean region, as well as Algeria, Italy, Libya, Morocco, Portugal and Spain. It is common and widespread on Florida citrus. "Lorryia formosa" is the only species of Tydeinae thought to be a pest of citrus.


Blue-throated motmot

The blue-throated motmot ("Aspatha gularis") is a species of bird in the family Momotidae. It is found in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico.
Taxonomy and systematics.
The blue-throated motmot is monotypic. It apparently has no close relatives.
Description.
The blue-throated motmot is long and weighs . It has a long, graduated, tail that in contrast to that of most other motmots does not have racquet tips. The side of the adult's head is ochre with a black "ear" spot. It is mostly green above and paler green below. The throat is blue with a black spot just below it. The juvenile is duller and the green of the back is washed with olive.
Distribution and habitat.
The blue-throated motmot is found from Oaxaca and Chiapas in Mexico south and east through Guatemala and a bit of El Salvador to Honduras. It inhabits montane evergreen and pine forest of medium to high humidity. In elevation it ranges from in Mexico but in Honduras it is not found below .
Behavior.
Feeding.
The blue-throated motmot forages by plucking insects, especially beetles, from foliage while flying. It also eats some fruit and apparently feeds fruit to nestlings.
Breeding.
The blue-throated motmot nests in a burrow that it excavates in an earth bank; the burrows can be up to long and often have bends in them. In Guatemala it lays eggs in April, and a fledgling was collected in late May in Mexico. The clutch size is three.
Vocalization.
The blue-throated motmot typically calls from a high exposed perch. It usually gives single "hoot" or "huuk" notes but sometimes strings them together as "hoodloodloodloodl..." .
Status.
The IUCN has assessed the blue-throated motmot as being of Least Concern. Though its population appears to be decreasing, its population and range are large enough to achieve that rating


Praepodes elegans

Praepodes elegans is a species of weevils. It is found in Cuba.


Black knobby newt

The black knobby newt ("Tylototriton asperrimus") is a species of salamanders in the family Salamandridae found in China and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, subtropical or tropical moist montane forests, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes. It is threatened by habitat loss and overharvesting.
The black knobby newt is a medium-sized newt, with total length of .


Elachista arduella

Elachista arduella is a moth of the family Elachistidae. It is found in Russia (the Southern Ural Mountains).
The wingspan is about 7.6 mm. The forewing ground colour is creamy white, with irregular patches formed of brownish grey tipped scales. The hindwings are translucent, pale bluish grey with a pale ochreous grey fringe.


Paramesotriton labiatus

Paramesotriton labiatus is a species of newt in the family Salamandridae. It is endemic to Guangxi, China. In literature prior to 2011, this species may have been confused with "Paramesotriton chinensis", "Pachytriton granulosus", or "Paramesotriton ermizhaoi" (the last now in synonymy). This species has several vernacular names, including Unterstein's newt, spotless stout newt, spotless smooth warty newt, Zhao Ermi's smooth warty newt, and paddletail newt.
Description.
The paddle-tail newt is characterized by a flat body and a long, paddle-like tail. They range from black to brown to pale brown. They have orange markings along the bottom of their bodies and may have some orange dots lining their backs. Their skin is very smooth with a secretion of mucus, and their limbs are relatively short. The morphology and size of this species are similar to, if not larger than, "Pachytriton brevipes".
They use their senses of sight and smell to locate food. Since food is scarce for them in their natural environments, they can go for weeks without eating, but should be fed regularly when kept in captivity.
Paddle-tail newt longevity in the wild is currently unknown, but in captivity it usually ranges from 10–20 years.
Paddle-tail newts, uniquely, are known for their communication. They fan their tails when they are trying to attract the attention of another newt, when they are startled or frightened, or when approached by a conspecific.
Paddle-tail newts are sometimes confused with the Japanese fire belly newts and sold as such, but are much larger and more aggressive and will eat smaller firebelly newts if given the opportunity.
They have a similar relation named the spotted paddle-tail newt.


Boana cordobae

Boana cordobae is a species of frog in the family Hylidae that is endemic to Argentina.
Its natural habitats are temperate forests, rivers, intermittent rivers, swamps, freshwater marshes, and intermittent freshwater marshes. Its status is insufficiently known.


List of non-marine molluscs of Mexico

The non-marine molluscs of Mexico are a part of the molluscan wildlife of Mexico. A number of species of non-marine molluscs are found in the wild in Mexico.
There are about 1,178 species and subspecies of terrestrial gastropods in the Mexico.
There are not enough records of terrestrial gastropods from states of Aguascalientes and Tlaxcala.
Freshwater gastropods.
Neritidae
Ampullariidae
Viviparidae
Pachychilidae
Pleuroceridae
Assimineidae
Cochliopidae
Hydrobiidae
Lithoglyphidae
Valvatidae
Lymnaeidae
Physidae
Planorbidae
Land gastropods.
Helicinidae - 72 species
Veronicellidae
Subulinidae
Urocoptidae - 265 species
Spiraxidae - 246 species
Orthalicidae/Bulimulinae = Bulimulidae - 140 species
Agriolimacidae
Pupillidae - 47 species
Polygyridae - 65 species
Xanthonychidae - 58 species
Echinichidae
Humboldtianidae - 49 species
See also.
Lists of molluscs of surrounding countries:


Thesprotia caribea

Thesprotia caribea, common name Caribbean grass mantis, is a species of praying mantis found in Antigua and Jamaica.


Gekko boehmei

Gekko boehmei, also known commonly as Boehme's gecko or Böhme's gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is endemic to Laos.
Etymology.
The specific name, "boehmei", is in honor of German herpetologist .
Geographic range.
"G. boehmei" is found in central Laos, in Khammouane Province.
Habitat.
The preferred natural habitats of "G. boehmei" are forest and rocky areas, at an altitude of about .
Description.
"G. boehmei" is medium-sized for its genus. Maximum recorded snout-to-vent length (SVL) is .


Maxomys baeodon

Maxomys baeodon, also known as the small Bornean maxomys or small spiny rat, is a species of rodent in the family Muridae. It is known only from Sarawak and Sabah in the Malaysian part of Borneo.


Intelligent grass mouse

The intelligent grass mouse or Patagonian akodont ("Akodon iniscatus") is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae.
It is found in Argentina and Chile.


Elachistocleis bicolor

Elachistocleis bicolor (common name: two-colored oval frog, or "sapito panza amarilla") is a species of frog in the family Microhylidae. It is found in central Argentina and northward through Paraguay and Uruguay to Amazonian Brazil; earlier reports from Bolivia probably refer to "Elachistocleis haroi".
Habitat.
"Elachistocleis bicolor" is an abundant species occurring in seasonally flooded grasslands and in dry and moist forests. It can also survive in rural gardens and urban areas.
Description.
"Elachistocleis bicolor" are nocturnal and semi-fossorial in their lifestyle. During periods of aestivation, they can be found inside ant and termite nests. Male "Elachistocleis bicolor" grow to a snout–vent length of and females to . Its name refers to its striking colour pattern with brownish back and yellowish dorsum.
"Elachistocleis bicolor" feed primarily on ants and termites, with other insects making minor contributions to their diets. In one study in Uruguay, termites were more important during the inactive season whereas ants (particularly "Pheidole" and "Solenopsis") were more important during the active season.
Reproduction.
Reproduction takes place during the wet season in pools with standing water. Fecundity is about 620 eggs and positively correlated with female size. Eggs float on top of the water.


Tien Shan vole

The Tien Shan vole ("Microtus ilaeus") is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found in Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan.


Laminacauda parvipalpis

Laminacauda parvipalpis is a species of sheet weaver found in Chile. It was described by Millidge in 1985.


Pacific seaweed pipefish

The Pacific seaweed pipefish ("Syngnathus schlegeli") is a species of pipefish, found in the north-western Pacific Ocean, near Vladivostok (Russia), southern to Gulf of Tonkin. It is a marine, oceanic demersal fish, up to length. It is common in beds of "Zostera" sea grass.


Maiestas vetus

Maiestas vetus is a species of bug from the Cicadellidae family that is indigenous to Australia and New Zealand. It was originally described as "Deltocephalus (Recilia) vetus" until being revised into "Maiestas".
Description.
The males of the species are long, with an average of . Their genitalia have a bit longer pygophore. Females are smaller than males, ranging from with an average of . Both sexes are elongated, and have near rectangular lobes. Their aedeagus have short shafts, which are cylindrical in shape. They are pale stramineous or ivory-coloured. Their clypeus have a series of transverse bands, which are pale brown in colour. They have two rounded vertices, one of which is located on the top of the apex and has two spots on it. The other is on the anterior margin, closer to the ocellus, which is dark brown in colour. Sometimes they have two longitudinal bands which are pale orange coloured and are located on top of the disc. Their pronotum have three longitudinal bands and are a little bit longer than vertex. They are also the same colour and are located on both sides of midline. Their clypellus is parallel, and has a margin that is adjacent to its gena, which is a bit wider than ocellucular part. The ocelli themselves are separated from the eyes by one diameter. The ventral margin is extended over the gonopore and is narrow.
Similar species.
The species is similar to "Deltocephalus distinctus", a species that can be found from Sri Lanka to Japan and into Micronesia. The difference between them is that the gonopore is of different size, and is located in the opposite position. It also has much a longer and slender apex, which is located on the aedeagus. The other difference is the complete absence of dark brown spots, which are located on the anterior margin of the vertex. Just like "Recilia hospes", the species were found in grass, sedges, shrubs, and on plants in the genus "Nothofagus" in New Zealand.


Black-capped siskin

The black-capped siskin ("Spinus atriceps") is a species of finch in the family Fringillidae. It is found in Mexico and Guatemala. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist montane forest and heavily degraded former forest.
Phylogeny.
It has been obtained by Antonio Arnaiz-Villena et al.
Identification.
"Spinus atriceps" has been defined as a finch with a gray wash and a black cap.However, other green morphs have been also identified with "Spinus atriceps", but apparently they are pine siskin ("S. pinus") green morphs.


Stefania ayangannae

Stefania ayangannae (common name: Ayanganna stefania) is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to Guyana where it is known from Mount Ayanganna (the type locality) and Mount Wokomung, both in the Pacaraima Mountains.
Description.
"Stefania ayangannae" are yellowish-brown or yellowish-red frogs with diagonal paravertebral dark brown marks, often joined to form chevrons in their dorsum. The head has a dark brown patch is present.
Clutch size is 4–9 eggs. Females carry the eggs on their back until they are fully developed and hatch as small froglets; the male and female cooperate to get the eggs on the female's back.
Habitat.
Its natural habitat are high-elevation (>1200 m) forests. These frogs can be found at night on leaves or branches 1–5 m above ground.


Crotalus intermedius gloydi

Crotalus intermedius gloydi is a subspecies of venomous pitviper in the family Viperidae. The subspecies is endemic to Mexico in the states of Oaxaca and Puebla.
Etymology.
The subspecific name, "gloydi", is in honor of American herpetologist Howard K. Gloyd.
Description.
This subspecies, "Crotalus intermedius gloydi", can be identified by its scalation. It is characterized by having the postnasal scale in broad contact with the first supralabial scale. Also, the postnasal is usually not in contact with any other supralabial scale.
Geographic range.
"Crotalus intermedius gloydi" is found in Mexico, in south, central and northern Oaxaca, as well as in central Puebla.
The type locality given is "Cerro San Felipe (elevation 10,000 ft. [= 3,048 m]) near [15 km northwest of] Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico".


Lithobius microps

Lithobius microps (also known as stone centipede; or in the United States as Delcore's centipede (Its synonyms are" "Lithobius duboscqui" and "Sigibius puritanicus") is a species of centipede from Lithobiidae family that can be found in the Northeast of the United States, England and South Wales.
Description.
The species is red in colour, fast-moving, and considered to be among the smallest of British centipedes.
In the United States.
In the United States, It is known as Delcore's centipede. It is found mainly in the Northeast United States; in New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. They are one of the most common centipedes in this region.
Description.
Delcore's centipede is usually quite small, up to about 1" long, possibly to 2" long. It can appear red or orange. They have small poison claws on the side of their head. They rarely bite if handled. They are very fast centipedes. Probably one of the fastest. They may be tough to catch. They like to stay hidden under things. They may burrow in the dirt.
United States habitat & range.
These guys like to hide in wood, under stones and rocks, under small buildings. They are found in dirt. They are most common in gardens, old or dead/rotting wood, and most commonly under stones and rocks, or under small things like dog houses or sheds. They may be seen in basements in winter, but this isn't common. They like to stay outside in the dirt. They may dig a burrow to hibernate in the winter. They may be seen on warm days in December and January. They will commonly come out in April, or whenever it starts to warm up. They are known to be in Southern New England and New York. The range may be expanded by introducing the species.


Glittering-bellied emerald

The glittering-bellied emerald ("Chlorostilbon lucidus") is a species of hummingbird in the family Trochilidae. It has widely been listed by the scientific name "Chlorostilbon aureoventris", but this was shown to be mistaken by J. F. Pacheco and B. M. Whitney in 2006.
It is found in north-eastern Argentina, eastern and central Bolivia, eastern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It is widespread and often common in a wide range of semi-open habitats, including gardens and parks.


Fuscous flycatcher

The fuscous flycatcher ("Cnemotriccus fuscatus") is a small passerine bird in the tyrant flycatcher family, and the only member of the genus Cnemotriccus. It breeds from Colombia and Venezuela south to Bolivia, Paraguay and Argentina, and on both Trinidad and Tobago. The fuscous flycatcher ranges in northern and eastern South America, including the entire Amazon Basin, and the Guianas; also all of Brazil except the very southeastern border area with Uruguay.
This species is found in woodland and scrubby areas. The nest is made of twigs and bark lined with plant fibre and placed in a tree fork. The typical clutch is three white eggs, which are marked with black at the larger end.
The fuscous flycatcher is long and weighs , with a long tail. The upperparts are plain brown with darker brown wings and two buff wing bars. There is an obvious long whitish supercilium, and the bill is black. The breast is grey-brown and the abdomen is pale yellow. Sexes are similar. There are other races, differing in the tone of the upperpart or underpart colour.
Fuscous flycatchers are inconspicuous birds, tending to keep to undergrowth perches from which they sally forth to catch insects, (hawking). The call is a light "chip", and the song a ', replaced in southern races by an explosive version at dawn, '.


Pseudocorythalia

Pseudocorythalia is a monotypic genus of Guatemalan jumping spiders containing the single species, Pseudocorythalia subinermis. It was first described by Lodovico di Caporiacco in 1938, and is found only in Guatemala. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek "pseudo-" (), meaning "false", and the salticid genus name "Corythalia".


Syncrossus hymenophysa

Syncrossus hymenophysa, commonly known as the tiger loach, tiger botia or green tiger loach, is a species of freshwater fish in the loach family Botiidae. It is native to fast mountain streams and large rivers, over soft substrates and often near submerged boulders and fallen trees, in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo and Sumatra. Unlike most loaches, "S. hymenophysa" is very aggressive, especially when food is added to the tank.
Description.
"S. hymenophysa" grows up to 10 in (25 cm) long. A mature female tends to have a rounder abdomen. This species can be easily mistaken for "S. helodes", with the difference being the direction of stripes in front of the dorsal fin. The stripes start at the dorsal base and go down, finishing inclined towards the head of" S. hymenophysa", but the opposite for "S. helodes".
Distribution and habitat.
Green tiger loaches are native to rivers and streams in Peninsular Malaysia, as well as the islands of Sumatra and Borneo. The preferred water conditions for this fish are a neutral (7) to slightly acidic (6.5) pH, and temperatures ranging from 77 to 86 °F (25-30 °C).
Tank compatibility.
In an aquarium, only one "S. hymenophysa" should be kept per tank, and fed live or frozen foods, unless room is ample for five or more specimens. As with other aggressive fish, having a larger group and breaks in sight lines across the tank can disperse aggression throughout the group, but this does not guarantee peaceful interactions. This species, like other "Syncrossus", must be maintained in groups to allow the fish to form a natural hierarchy.


Amolops assamensis

Amolops assamensis is a species of frogs that was discovered in 2008 in Mayeng Hill Reserve Forest, Kamrup District, Assam in north-eastern India. Little is known about this species, which is associated with fast flowing streams.


Pristimantis caliginosus

Pristimantis caliginosus is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae.
It is endemic to Peru.
Its natural habitats are tropical moist montane forest and high-altitude shrubland.


Arthrosphaera noticeps

Arthrosphaera noticeps, is a species of pill millipedes in the family Arthrosphaeridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.


Painted bat

The painted bat ("Kerivoula picta") is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae.
It is found in Bangladesh, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. It is found in arid woodland and is fairly uncommon but widespread.
Description.
The body and tail are the same length. The body length is 3 to 5.5 cm. The tail length is 3 to 5.5 cm as well. The wingspan is 18–30 cm. Weight is about 5g.
"Kerivoula picta" is bright orange or scarlet, with black wings and orange along the fingers. As in other species of "Kerivoula", "K. picta" possesses long, wooly, rather curly hair, a small, fragile form, large funnel-shaped ears and 38 teeth. Ears are naked. Tragus is long, narrow, and transparent. Muzzle very hairy. Older males are brighter than females.
Behavior.
Small groups of these animals are often found in unusual roosting sites such as in the suspended nests of weaver finches and sunbirds, banana tree leaves, or under the eaves of huts. Painted bats have been known to roost in pairs. They apparently aestivate during the day, as they are relatively sluggish when disturbed. The bright and broken coloration of these bats may be a form of camouflage to protect them, as they have been reported to blend in with dried leaves and flowers when they roost. Hunting flights last around 1–2 hours.
The echolocation characteristics and the presence of a large interfemoral membrane, a characteristic feature of family Vespertilionidae, suggest that K. picta is an aerial hawker, i.e. capturing insects during flight using the interfemoral membrane as a net.
Echolocation.
Echolocation for this species is relatively similar to other species of "Kerivoula". Recorded calls were broadband and steep calls ranging from 156.9 kHz to 41.5 kHz. Flight and resting echolocation calls differed every way except the peak frequency. Bats with higher starting frequencies appear to be better at catching prey close to clutter than those with lower frequencies. This is significant considering the amount of debris that is normally around their habitat.


Niceforonia lucida

Niceforonia lucida is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to Peru and known from the Cordillera Central west of the Apurímac River in the Ayacucho Region. Common name Cannatella's Andes frog has been coined for it. The specific name "lucida" refers to distinctive coloration of this frog relative to frogs in the genus "Phrynopus", the genus where this species was initially placed. However, later studies have moved it to other genera where its colors are less distinctive.
Description.
Males measure and females in snout–vent length. The snout is subacuminate in dorsal view and sloping in lateral profile. The canthus rostralis is sharp and slightly concave. The tympanum is visible and the supratympanic fold is prominent. Skin of the dorsum is smooth or slightly areolate; skin of venter is smooth. The fingers and toes have weak lateral fringes. The finger tips bear narrow discs. The toe discs have circumferential grooves. The dorsum is dark gray to brown with dark brown to black markings. Some individuals have tan to orange dorsolateral stripes. The groin and concealed surfaces of hind limbs are pale, dull orange (orange-red in males). The venter is gray or creamy white with gray flecks. The iris is crimson.
Habitat and conservation.
"Niceforonia lucida" occurs in the wet paramo with puna grass, ferns, moss and lichens, and in upper humid montane forest at elevations of above sea level. Specimens have been found at day under rocks. The species is threatened by habitat loss, primarily caused by clearance of land for agriculture.


Savignia badzhalensis

Savignia badzhalensis is a species of sheet weaver found in Russia. It was described by Eskov in 1991.


Agonum canadense

Agonum canadense is a species of ground beetle in the Platyninae subfamily that can be found in Ontario, Canada and Pennsylvania, United States.


Acanthicus

Acanthicus is a genus of large, South American suckermouth armored catfishes native to the Amazon and Orinoco basins, and possibly in Guyana. The name "Acanthicus" is derived from the Greek, "akanthikos" meaning thorny, spiny. Fish of this genus are known as lyre-tail plecos. These species are found in large rivers, primarily in areas with a rocky bottom and a moderate or strong current.
Species.
There are currently 2 recognized species in this genus:
"A. hystrix" is also known as L155 by the L-number system. Possibly undescribed species in the genus are L193 (Orinoco basin) and L407 (Branco basin), but these may be variants of "A. hystrix".
Description.
"Acanthicus" are among the largest species in the family Loricariidae. The largest officially measured "A. adonis" is in standard length (SL), and the largest officially measured "A. hystrix" is SL, but both appear to reach about SL.
These fish are relatively slender, spiny Loricariids that lack an adipose fin. The caudal fin possesses long filamentous lobes on the upper and lower margins and is forked. The pectoral fin spines are extremely long. The entire dorsal surface of the head is covered in stout, sharp odontodes. The odontodes form a sharp keel on the lateral plates and, in juveniles, there are few to no odontodes on the plates above and below the keel rows. The cheek odontodes are fairly thin, but numerous. Males may have more and longer cheek odontodes and greatly elongated odontodes on the pectoral fin spine.
The colour of these fish is black, dark gray or medium to dark brown. Unlike "A. hystrix", juvenile "A. adonis" shows white spots; these are reduced with age and large adults may lack them.
In the aquarium.
Both "A. adonis" and "A. hystrix" are sometimes kept in aquariums, and especially the densely white-spotted juveniles of the former species are regularly seen in the trade. They are opportunistic, omnivorous feeders that require well-oxygenated water. Their massive adult size and territorially aggressive behavior means that a very large tank is required. The territorial behavior is mostly aimed at other suckermouth armored catfishes and during disputes "Acanthicus" have even been known to kill "Pterygoplichthys gibbiceps" (itself typically considered a robust species). They have been bred in captivity.


Greater short-tailed gerbil

The greater short-tailed gerbil ("Dipodillus maghrebi") is a rodent found mainly in Morocco.


Acompsia bidzilyai

Acompsia bidzilyai is a moth of the family Gelechiidae. It is found in Transbaikalia in Russia.
The wingspan is for males. The forewings are light greyish brown and the hindwings are grey. Adults have been recorded in July.
Etymology.
The species is named for Dr. Oleksiy Bidzilya.


Actinopyga caerulea

Actinopyga caerulea, the blue sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is native to the tropical West Indo-Pacific region and is harvested for food.
Description.
"Actinopyga caerulea" is a large sea cucumber, growing to a length of about . The body of this sea cucumber is white, with numerous dark blue tube feet and papillae covering it. The density of these tube feet and papillae, and therefore coloration, can vary from sea cucumber to sea cucumber, but density typically increases on the dorsal area. The body itself is stout, with a thick and firm body wall. The mouth is usually surrounded by 15-30 large shield-shaped feeding tentacles, while the anus is surrounded by five prominent anal teeth, which are white in coloration. The pinkish Cuvierian tubules can be present or absent depending on the specimen, but when present are non-sticky, never expelled, and composed of three distinct parts: the proximal (first) half of the trunk is smooth, the distal (second) half of the trunk is slightly rugged, and highly ragged primary and secondary branches extend beyond that.
Reproduction.
Like many other members of the class "Holothuroidea", blue sea cucumbers are gonochoric, and only have a single gonad. During spawning season, eggs and sperm are externally released into the surrounding water by female and male individuals, respectively, and are fertilized when they meet.
Distribution and habitat.
"Actinopyga caerulea" is found off the coasts of Asia and Africa, in the tropical Indian Ocean and the western Pacific Ocean. Its range extends from Comoros, to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Taiwan, and other island groups in the western Pacific. It is found on the seabed in deeper tropical water on sand and rubble, as well as coral patches on the edge of coral reefs, at depths between .
Ecology.
The emperor shrimp ("Periclimenes imperator") is known to inhabit the surface of "Actinopyga caerulea" in a commensal relationship, possibly feeding on ectoparasites or organic detritus on the surface of its skin. There has also been at least one recorded instance of "Pleurosicya mossambica" living on it off the coast of Bitung as well.
Conservation status.
This species is harvested commercially for food in some parts of its range. It is used in the production of bêche-de-mer in Papua New Guinea, and has also been found in a retail market in Guangzhou, China in 2010. The IUCN lists its conservation status as "data deficient".


Mycocepurus castrator

Mycocepurus castrator is a species of parasitic ant, in the genus "Mycocepurus", native to Brazil. Described in 2010, the species is a workerless and obligate parasite of the related ant "Mycocepurus goeldii". It is known only from Rio Claro, Brazil, and has only been found in nests of "M. goeldii".
"M. castrator" and its host are closely related and diverged recently, around 37,000 years ago. They evolved in the same geographic region, making the parasite–host pair an example of sympatric speciation. The species is the first inquiline known among the lower attines.
Etymology.
Because "M. goeldii" nests that host "M. castrator" appear to only produce sterile workers, the species has been named "castrator" in reference to that.
Description.
"M. castrator" is a relatively minuscule species, with the average wing length being about 1.07–1.23 millimeters. The head is rectangular in shape, measuring about 0.6 millimeters across the face. The antennae consist of 11 segments. The species has stout, sharp, propodeal spines. The body, which ranges between light and dark reddish-brown, is thinly covered in setae. The body surface is shiny and patterned with tiny hexagonal structures.
Unlike most species of "Mycocepurus", males and females are physically similar. Distinguishing characteristics include the mandibles; the mandible terminates in a tooth in females, but does not do so in males. The first gastric tergite is only slightly concave in males, but markedly so in females. Finally, males' wings are medium to dark brown.
The species is not believed to have a worker caste.
Habitat and distribution.
"M. castrator" has only been observed in nests on the grounds of the São Paulo State University in Rio Claro, São Paulo, Brazil. It has only been found in nests of "M. goeldii", which is a widely distributed species, known from Brazil to northern Argentina. Like many other inquilines, "M. castrator" has small and isolated populations.
Natural history.
Described in 2010, "M. castrator" is a social obligate parasite and the first inquiline known among the lower attines. The sex ratio for the species is skewed strongly toward females, with a ratio of about 11 to 1. The species is host-tolerant, with dealate queens of the species being found in the same nest chambers as queens of "M. goeldii". However, it also inhibits its host's reproduction, preventing the production of fertile offspring.
Behavior.
Interaction with host species.
"M. goeldii" workers will feed "M. castrator" queens in a process called trophallaxis. The two species will also engage in grooming each other, with dealate "M. castrator" queens frequently climbing on top of "M. goeldii" workers and queens.
Host workers have also been observed to attack and kill parasite queens.
Reproduction.
"M. castrator" is polygynous (nests consisting of multiple queens). The species mates inside the nest, as opposed to engaging in a nuptial flight like most ants. During mating, males and females copulate seemingly at random, with copulation lasting 18 to 27 seconds on average. Female alates begin to lose their wings three hours after mating, after which they congregate and engage in social grooming. Males begin to die twelve hours after mating.
Relationship to "Mycocepurus goeldii".
"M. castrator" is directly descended from "M. goeldii", its host. Such relationships are not uncommon among social parasites, as recognized by Emery's rule. Less common are cases like "M. castrator"'s, where two species diverge without the benefit of geographic isolation, known as sympatric speciation. Rabeling "et al." (2014) analyzed divergence of mitochondrial versus nuclear DNA, finding that the nuclear alleles bore more similarities than the mitochondrial alleles. This led them to rule out the possibility of recent interbreeding, and conclude that sympatric speciation had occurred. The two species are believed to have diverged around 37,000 years ago, during the late Pleistocene.


Mediodactylus aspratilis

Mediodactylus aspratilis, also known as the Iranian gecko or Iranian keel-scaled gecko, is a species of lizard in the family Gekkonidae. It is endemic to southwestern Iran.


Greater bulldog bat

The greater bulldog bat or fisherman bat ("Noctilio leporinus") is a type of fishing bat native to Latin America (Spanish: "Murciélago pescador"). The bat uses echolocation to detect water ripples made by the fish upon which it preys, then uses the pouch between its legs to scoop the fish up and its sharp claws to catch and cling to it. It is not to be confused with the lesser bulldog bat, which, though belonging to the same genus, merely catches water insects, such as water striders and water beetles.
It emits echolocation sounds through the mouth like "Myotis daubentoni", but the sounds are quite different, containing a long constant frequency part around 55 kHz, which is an unusually high frequency for a bat this large.
General description.
The greater bulldog bat is a large bat, often with a combined body and head length of . It generally weighs from 50–90 grams. Males tend to be larger than females, with the former averaging 67 grams and the latter averaging 56 grams. They also differ in fur color. Males have bright orange fur on the back while females are dull gray. However, both sexes have pale undersides and may have a pale line that runs down the middle of the back. The males do not have a baculum. The bulldog bat has rounded nostrils that open forward and down. It has elongated, pointed ears with a tragus that gets ridged at the outer edge. The bulldog bat has smooth lips but its upper lip is divided by a skin fold while its bottom lip has a wart above skin folds that extend to the chin. It is these features that give the bulldog bat gets its name, as it resembles a bulldog.
The bulldog bat has a wingspan of . The wing of the bat is longer than the head and body combined and 65% of its wingspan is made of the third digit. When in flight, the bat's wings move slowly. This species is a capable swimmer and will use its wings to paddle. The greater bulldog bat also has prominent cheek pouches which are useful for holding its food. Its hind legs and feet are particularly large.
Distribution and variation.
The greater bulldog bats range stretches from Mexico to Northern Argentina and also includes most Caribbean islands. While vast, its range is also patchy as the bat is limited to mostly well-watered lowland and coastal areas as well as river basins. There is geographical variation in the species and are classified as subspecies. Bats around the Caribbean Basin are large and usually have the pale mid-dorsal stripe, despite varying in pelage. These bats are known as "N. l. mastivus". In Guianas and the Amazon Basin, the bats are small and dark and often lack the pale mid-dorsal stripe. These bats are known as "N. l. leporinus". In eastern Bolivia, southern Brazil and northern Argentina bats tend to be large and pale, more so than the other subspecies. They are known as "N. l. rufenscenes.
Ecology and behavior.
The greater bulldog bat lives primarily in tropical lowlands. The bats are commonly found over ponds and streams as well as estuaries and coastal lagoons. They live in colonies that number in the hundreds. In Trinidad, bulldog bats rest in hollow trees like silk-cotton, red mangrove and balatá. The bats live in hollow tree roosts in other areas as well. They also roost in deep sea caves. Like most bats, bulldog bats are nocturnal.
Female bulldog bats stay together in groups while roosting and tend to be accompanied by a resident male. Females associate with the same individuals in the same location for several years unaffected by changes in resident males and movements of the group to different roosts. A male may stay with a female group for two or more reproductive seasons. Bachelor males are segregated from the females and may roost alone or together in small groups. Female bats forage either alone or with their roost mates, with stable female groups continue to forage in the same areas in the long term. Males forage alone and use areas that are larger and separate from those used by the females.
Food and hunting.
The greater bulldog bat is one of the few bat species that has adapted to eating fish. Nevertheless, the bats eat both fish and insects. During the wet season, the bats feed primarily on insects like moths and beetles. During the dry season, bat will primarily feed on fish as well as crabs, scorpions and shrimp to a lesser extent. The bulldog bat mostly forages for fish during high tide and locates them with echolocation. A bulldog bat will fly high in the air and in a circular direction when searching for prey. If it spots a jumping fish, the bat will drop down closer to the water surface, particularly the spot where it made the jump and decreases the pulse duration and intervals of its echolocation signals. The bulldog bat may also search by dragging its feet across the water surface, a behavior known as raking. The bat may rake through areas where fish jumping is most frequent or in areas where it had previously made a successful catch.
Echolocation.
Greater bulldog bats emit echolocation signals that are either at constant frequency (CF), frequency-modulated (FM) or a combination of the two (CF-FM). The longest signals are the pure CF signal which typically last 13.3 ms but can go as long as 17 ms. CF-FM signals have CF followed by a FM. In an CF-FM signal, the CF are typically 8.9 ms with a frequency of 52.8–56.2 kHz while the FM ranges up to 3.9 ms with 25.9 kHz bandwidth. Bulldog bats have two kinds of signal when flying. In one, the CF pulses begin at 60 kHz of frequency and may fall no further than 50 kHz. The second type has the CF starting at a frequency of 60 kHz and then falls for more than a single octave.
Reproduction cycle.
For females, pregnancy occurs from September until January, and lactation starts in November and continues until April. Only one young is born each gestation. Male bats mostly breed autumn and winter. Young bats stay in the roosts for one month and are then capable of flight. Both the male and female care for the young.
Status.
While the bulldog bat is not in danger overall, the bat is nevertheless threatened by water pollution, persecution, changing water levels and deforestation.


Greater flamingo

The greater flamingo ("Phoenicopterus roseus") is the most widespread and largest species of the flamingo family. It is found in Africa, the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and in southern Europe.
Taxonomy.
The greater flamingo was described by Peter Simon Pallas in 1811. It was previously thought to be the same species as the American flamingo ("Phoenicopterus ruber"), but because of coloring differences of its head, neck, body, and bill, the two flamingos are now most commonly considered separate species. The greater flamingo has no subspecies.
Description.
The greater flamingo is the largest living species of flamingo, averaging tall and weighing . The largest male flamingos have been recorded at up to tall and .
Most of the plumage is pinkish-white, but the wing coverts are red and the primary and secondary flight feathers are black. The bill is pink with a restricted black tip, and the legs are entirely pink. The call is a goose-like honking.
Chicks are covered in gray fluffy down. Subadult flamingos are paler with dark legs. Adults feeding chicks also become paler, but retain the bright pink legs. The coloration comes from the carotenoid pigments in the organisms that live in their feeding grounds.
Secretions of the uropygial gland also contain carotenoids. During the breeding season, greater flamingos increase the frequency of their spreading uropygial secretions over their feathers and thereby enhance their color. This cosmetic use of uropygial secretions has been described as applying "make-up".
Distribution.
It is found in parts of Africa, southern Asia (Bangladesh and coastal regions of Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka), the Middle East (Bahrain, Cyprus, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates) and southern Europe (including Albania, Greece, Italy, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Portugal, Spain, and South of France). The most northern breeding spot is the Zwillbrocker Venn in western Germany, close to the border with the Netherlands. They have been recorded breeding in the United Arab Emirates at three different locations in the Abu Dhabi Emirate.
In Gujarat, a state of India, flamingos can be observed at the Nal Sarovar Bird Sanctuary, Khijadiya Bird Sanctuary, Flamingo City, and in the Thol Bird Sanctuary. They remain there during the entire winter season.
Ecology.
The greater flamingo resides in mudflats and shallow coastal lagoons with salt water. Using its feet, the bird stirs up the mud, then sucks water through its bill and filters out small shrimp, seeds, blue-green algae, microscopic organisms, and mollusks. The greater flamingo feeds with its head down, and its upper jaw is movable and not rigidly fixed to its skull.
Like all flamingos, this species lays a single chalky-white egg on a mud mound.
Lifespan.
The typical lifespan in captivity, according to Basel Zoo, is over 60 years. In the wild, the average lifespan is 30 – 40 years.
Threats and predators.
Natural.
Adult greater flamingos have few natural predators. Eggs and chicks may be eaten by raptors, crows, gulls, and the marabou stork ("Leptoptilos crumenifer"); an estimated half of the predation of greater flamingo eggs and chicks is from the yellow-legged gull ("Larus michahellis").
Human.
The primary threats to flamingo populations are bacteria, toxins, and pollution in water supplies, which is usually run-off from manufacturing companies, and encroachment on their habitat.
In human captivity.
The first recorded zoo hatch was in 1959 at Zoo Basel. In Zoo Basel's breeding program, over 400 birds have been hatched with between 20 and 27 per year since 2000. The oldest known greater flamingo was a bird at the Adelaide Zoo in Australia that died aged at least 83 years. The bird's exact age is not known; he was already a mature adult when he arrived in Adelaide in 1933. He was euthanized in January 2014 due to complications of old age.


Narrow-ridged finless porpoise

The narrow-ridged finless porpoise ("Neophocaena asiaeorientalis") is a newly accepted species, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), of porpoise endemic to the western Yangtze river in China and the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, and around Japan. There are two subspecies: the Yangtze finless porpoise ("N. a. asiaeorientalis") and the East Asian finless porpoise ("N. a. sunameri"). After the functional extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin and the rapid decreasing of population, the Chinese government has given this species the utmost conservation status of "National First Grade Key Protected Wild Animal" to ensure its survival. Global conservation agencies and charities, such as the World Wildlife Fund and IUCN, have been collaborating with the Chinese government to ensure the survival of the species.
Distribution.
There are two subspecies of narrow-ridged finless porpoise, the Yangtze and the East Asian finless porpoises, the former inhabiting the Yangtze River, and the latter the coastal areas off mainland China (e.g. Chongming Island), the Penghu Islands, and coastal Vietnam, including Halong Bay. The Matsu Islands are thought to be their northern limit, and the local population in this area is physically smaller than the Indo-pacific finless porpoise. These two species overlap in the Matsu region.
Description.
As the name suggests, the finless porpoise is the only porpoise to lack a true dorsal fin. Instead there is a low, narrow ridge covered in thick skin bearing several lines of tiny tubercles. In addition, the forehead is unusually steep compared with those of other porpoises. They have fifteen to twenty-one teeth in each jaw, and, on average, fewer teeth than other porpoises, although there is some overlap, and this is a not a reliable means of distinguishing them.
Finless porpoises can grow to as much as in length, and can weigh up to , although most are smaller. Adults grow more than 1.55 m (5 ft) in length and up to 30–45 kg (65–100 lb) in weight. The flippers are moderately large, reaching up to 20% of the total body length. Adults are typically a uniform, light grey colour, although some may have lighter patches of skin around the mouth, or darker patches in front of the flippers. Newborn calves of the central and eastern subspecies are mostly black with grey around the dorsal ridge area, becoming fully grey after four to six months. However, newborn calves of the western subspecies are a light creamy grey, and become darker as they age.
Anatomy.
The anatomy of finless porpoises has been relatively well studied, compared with that of some other cetacean species. The tubercles along the dorsal ridge are known to contain numerous nerve endings is used as a sensory function. The auditory system also appears well-developed, with numerous nerve fibres specialised for rapid communication between the ears and the brain. Sight is relatively poor, however, due to the overall cloudiness of the Yangtze River; they have a reduced lens and a limited number of fibres in the optic nerve and to the muscles moving the eyes compared to the Indo-pacific finless porpoise. It is speculated that their vision is somewhat better than that of the Yangtze river dolphin.
The skeleton is light, accounting for only 5% of the total weight of the animal. There are between 58 and 65 vertebrae, about half of them in the tail, and with the first three cervical vertebrae fused into a single structure. This reduces flexibility of the neck while increasing stability in the water. There are ten to fourteen pairs of ribs in the chest, and an additional set of vestigial ribs has sometimes been reported in the neck, in association with the seventh cervical vertebra. There are 44 sets of spinal nerves. Like all porpoises, they have spade-shaped teethed designed for catching small fish and shrimp. Their skeletal design allows them to leap from the water and perform "tail stands".
The nasal passage contains nine or ten air sacs, which are capable of sealing off all air within the passage. Behind these are an additional set of vomeronasal sacs. The trachea, however, is short, with only four cartilaginous rings. The stomach has three chambers, with no caecum, and no distinct difference between the small and large intestines.
Sexual maturity is thought to occur around six years, with only one calf born at a time. Gestation is approximately one year, and lactation lasts for over six months.
Interactions with humans.
Threats.
Fishing.
Bycatch by unwary fishermen may be a factor for the ongoing decline of the Yangtze finless porpoise. Illegal fishing and hazardous gear, like gillnets, is widely used in the Yangtze river. The preferred habitat of the Yangtze Finless Porpoise overlaps extensively with the usage of gillnets, which makes the species particularly vulnerable to entanglement and subsequent drowning. However, a recent large-scale interview survey conducted in fishing communities along the banks of the Yangtze, by the IUCN, suggests that mortality due to bycatch may have decreased over the past two decades as the porpoise population has declined, and have concluded that gillnetting is unlikely to be the primary cause of their decline.
Development.
Increased traffic, pollution, and habitat degradation of the river have contributed to population declines. The increased vessel traffic may cause death from propeller strikes, and the boat noise may mask the porpoise's ability to communicate with other porpoises, as well as hindering their biosonar which compromises foraging and locomotion. Porpoise mortality associated with vessel collisions has increased substantially in recent years, in contrast to mortality from by-catch.
Widespread sand mining of the river and lake beds and banks has destroyed important habitat for porpoises and food items, as well as other environmental issues. This problem is especially serious in the Dongting and Poyang Lakes. There are currently four hundred million living along the river basin as well as thousands of factories, which together discharge tremendous quantities of domestic sewage and agricultural and industrial waste. It has not been proven that this impacts the Yangtze finless porpoise's health, fertility, or population. In April 2004, five porpoises died in Dongting Lake within a single week due to short-term exposure to pesticides, possibly in combination with long-term exposure to mercury and chromium.
Dams have major effects on river and lake ecology, and inhibit access between the river and adjoining lakes or tributaries in the Yangtze, as well as affecting migrating prey items. The Three Gorges Dam in particular has altered, and will continue to alter, downstream conditions in the Yangtze river and its connected/adjoining lakes. Construction of the Poyang Lake Dam likely to damage remaining population severely.
Conservation.
As of 2014, 505 porpoises remain in the main section of the Yangtze, with an alarming population density in Ezhou and Zhenjiang. While many threatened species decline rate slows after their classification, population decline rates of the porpoise are actually accelerating. While population decline tracked from 1994 to 2008 has been pegged at a rate of 6.06% annually, from 2006 to 2012, the porpoise population decreased by more than half. Finless porpoise population decrease of 69.8% in just a 22-year span from 1976 to 2000. 5.3%. A 2012 survey by the World Wildlife Fund indicated the rate of decline had accelerated to 13.7% per year. By 2017, the number in the Yangtze had increased to 1,012. Due to ongoing protection efforts, the porpoises have reappeared in places like Nantong, where sightings had been rare in recent years.
A majority of factors of this population decline are being driven by the massive growth in Chinese industry since 1990 which caused increased shipping and pollution and ultimately environmental degradation. Some of these can be seen in damming of the river as well as illegal fishing activity. To protect the species, China's Ministry of Agriculture classified the species as being National First Grade Key Protected Wild Animal, the strictest classification by law, meaning it is illegal to bring harm to a porpoise. Protective measures in the Tian-e-Zhou Oxbow Nature Reserve has increased its population of porpoises from five to forty in twenty five years. The Chinese Academy of Science's Wuhan Institute of Hydrobiology has been working with the World Wildlife Fund to ensure the future for this subspecies, and have placed five porpoises in another well-protected area, the He-wang-miao oxbow.
Five protected natural reserves have been established in areas of the highest population density and mortality rates with measures being taken to ban patrolling and harmful fishing gear in those areas. There have also been efforts to study porpoise biology to help specialize conservation through captivation breeding. The Baiji Dolphinarium, was established in 1992 at the Institute of Hydrobiology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan which allowing the study of behavioral and biological factors affecting the finless porpoise, specifically breeding biology like seasonal changes in reproductive hormones and breeding behavior.
In captivity.
Finless porpoises have commonly been kept in Japan, as well as China and Indonesia. Ninety four in total have been in captivity in Japan, eleven in China, and at least two in Indonesia. Japan has had three establishments designated for breeding them, and there have been five recorded births. Three, however, died moments after birth, but two survived for several years.


Sculptor squirrel

The sculptor squirrel or Bornean pygmy squirrel ("Glyphotes simus") is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It was described by Michael Rogers Oldfield Thomas in 1898. It is monotypic within the genus Glyphotes. It is endemic to Malaysia and inhabits areas elevated at .
The body is long, and the tail length is approximately 100 mm. The chest, undersurface, sides of the nose, margins of the ears and dorsal surface of the digits are yellow, whereas the tip of the tail is black.


Sooty myzomela

The sooty myzomela ("Myzomela tristrami") is a species of bird in the family Meliphagidae.
It is endemic to Makira.


Central Indian leaf-toed gecko

The Central Indian leaf-toed gecko ("Hemidactylus chipkali") is a species of gecko. It is endemic to Madhya Pradesh in India.


Physella gyrina

Physella gyrina, common name the "tadpole physa", is a species of small, left-handed or sinistral, air-breathing freshwater snail, an aquatic pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Physidae.
Shell description.
Snails in the family Physidae have shells that are sinistral, which means that if the shell is held with the spire pointing up, and the aperture is facing the observer, the aperture is on the left-hand side.
The shells of "Physella" species have a long and large aperture, a pointed spire, and no operculum. The shells are thin and corneous and rather transparent.
Distribution.
This species is known to occur in:


Pseudocalotes dringi

Pseudocalotes dringi, Dring’s false garden lizard, is a species of agamid lizard. It is found in Malaysia.


Palau flycatcher

The Palau flycatcher ("Myiagra erythrops") is a species of bird in the family Monarchidae. It is endemic to Palau.
Taxonomy and systematics.
Some authorities consider the Palau flycatcher to be a subspecies of the oceanic flycatcher. Alternate names include mangrove flycatcher, Micronesian broadbill, Palau broadbill, Palau Myiagra flycatcher, rufous-faced flycatcher and rufous-faced Myiagra flycatcher.


Anaxarcha sinensis

Anaxarcha sinensis is a species of praying mantis found in China.


White-gorgeted flycatcher

The white-gorgeted flycatcher ("Anthipes monileger") is a species of passerine bird in the Old World flycatcher family. It is native to Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, Thailand and Vietnam. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It was formerly placed in the genus "Ficedula".


Brahmaea europaea

Brahmaea" ("Acanthobrahmaea") "europaea, the European owl moth, is a lepidopteran from the family Brahmaeidae, in the subgenus "Acanthobrahmaea".
Taxonomy.
"B. europaea" is the sole species in the genus "Brahmaea" in Europe. Most members of the genus are found in eastern Asia. The species can be identified by wing veins in adults and pupal dorsal spines on abdominal segments. The species was originally described as "Acanthobrahmaea europaea" in 1963, but "Acanthobrahmaea" later became a subgenus.
Distribution and habitat.
The species can only be found in southern Italy. Their habitat consists of broad leaf woods in mountainous areas at elevations of 200 to 800 metres, in semi-deciduous and undisturbed woodlands. Habitat fragmentation, light pollution, clearing of forest underbrush, and collection of rare species are likely factors affecting "B. europaea" distribution and abundance, and contribute to its current IUCN endangered status. Wild boar can also consume both host plants and pupae in the ground.
Life cycle.
Adults fly from late March to early May. Adults are active after sunset and are cold-tolerant enough to be seen flying during snowfall. Adults lay eggs on the trunks of plants within Oleaceae, including "Fraxinus angustifolia", "Phyllirea latifolia", and "Ligustrum vulgare" in captivity.
Eggs hatch at the end of March and April 12 to 15 days after oviposition. The larvae move to the top of the plant and move downwards as leaves are consumed. Larvae may move to other plants depending on size. Larvae undergo five instars, pupate on the ground where they overwinter, and emerge as adults the following spring.


Chitala chitala

Chitala chitala (, , ) is a knifefish from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan, where found in the Brahmaputra, Indus, Ganges and Mahanadi River basins. It is sometimes known as the Indian featherback/knifefish. In the past it frequently included several related "Chitala" species, but these are now regarded as separate species. The main species confused with this species is "C. ornata" (clown featherback or clown knifefish); a Southeast Asian species seen regularly in the aquarium trade. The true "C. chitala" is very rare in the aquarium trade.
Description.
"Chitala chitala" reaches a maximum length of , but more commonly reaches about . It is overall silvery in color. Unlike all its relatives, it usually (but not always) has a series of golden or silvery bars along the back, resulting in a faint striped appearance. Additionally, it has a series of fairly small, sometimes indistinct, non-ocellated dark spots towards the far rear of the body (at the "tail"). This separates it from "C. ornata", which has ocellated spots (dark spots surrounded by a paler ring) and lacks bars along the back. The two species have frequently been confused.
As food.
Chital maasor Jul, Chital machher jhol or Chitala fish curry is a regional delicacy in Indian state of Assam, West Bengal and in neighbouring country Bangladesh. It is a major dish for the Assamese people of India.
In religion.
This species is based on Hinduism beliefs. It is one of the avatars of Lord Narayana (Vishnu), in the first episode titled "Matsya" that Narayana was born as a golden knifefish to kill the demon.


Geophis immaculatus

Geophis immaculatus (Downs' Earth Snake) is a small snake of the colubrid family. It is native to Mexico and Guatemala. There are no recognized subspecies. Although not much has been documented about it, the population distribution is in abundance and is of least concern in terms of conservation status.
"G. immaculatus" is most closely related to the "Geophis fulvoguttatus," a snake found exclusively in the Metapan mountains of El Salvador. The "G. fulvoguttatus" is characterised by more ventral scales and lateral reddish spots, which the "G. immaculatus" lacks. The two species are part of a group known as "Geophis Dubius" that includes 11 other snake species of Central America, as categorised by Floyd Leslie Downs.
Habitat.
"Geophis immaculatus" is found in wet forests and cloud forests. Occasionally, it is observed in disturbed areas such as plantations. El Triunfo and Tacana Biosphere Reserve in Mexico are two places where it is known to inhabit.


Elaphe davidi

Elaphe davidi is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is endemic to East Asia.
Etymology.
The specific name, "davidi", is in honor of Armand David, who was a French zoologist and priest.
Geographic range.
"E. davidi" is found in China and North Korea.
Reproduction.
"E. davidi" is oviparous.


Samoa sawtooth eel

The Samoa sawtooth eel, "Serrivomer samoensis", is a sawtooth eel of the genus "Serrivomer", found in the southwest Pacific at depths between 500 and 2,000 m. Their length is up to 75 cm.


Red-billed blue magpie

The red-billed blue magpie ("Urocissa erythroryncha") is a species of bird in the crow family, Corvidae. It is about the same size as the Eurasian magpie, but has a much longer tail, one of the longest of any corvid. It is long and weighs .
Taxonomy.
The red-billed blue magpie was described by French polymath Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1775 in his "Histoire Naturelle des Oiseaux". The bird was also illustrated in a hand-coloured plate engraved by François-Nicolas Martinet in the "Planches Enluminées D'Histoire Naturelle" which was produced under the supervision of Edme-Louis Daubenton to accompany Buffon's text. Neither the plate caption nor Buffon's description included a scientific name, but in 1783, Dutch naturalist Pieter Boddaert coined the binomial name "Corvus erythrorynchus" in his catalogue of the "Planches Enluminées". The specimen described by Buffon had come from China, but the type location was restricted to Canton by Hugh Birckhead in 1937. The red-billed blue magpie is now one of five species placed in the genus "Urocissa" that was introduced by German ornithologist Jean Cabanis in 1850. The name of the genus combines the Ancient Greek "oura" meaning "tail" and "kissa" meaning "magpie". The specific epithet "erythroryncha" combines the Ancient Greek "eruthros" meaning "red" and "rhunkhos" meaning "bill".
Five subspecies are recognised:
Description.
The head, neck, and breast are black with a bluish spotting on the crown. The shoulders and rump are a duller blue, and the underparts are a greyish cream. The long tail is a brighter blue (as are the wing primaries) with a broad, white tip. The bill is a bright orange-red, as are the legs and feet and a ring around each eye. This red can vary across its range to almost yellow in some birds.
Habits and habitat.
The red-billed blue magpie occurs in a broad swath from the northern parts of the Indian subcontinent, and further eastwards. It ranges from the western Himalayas eastwards into Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam, and through central and eastern China to southwest Manchuria, in evergreen forest and scrub in predominantly hilly or mountainous country. It has adapted to urban habitat, and can be seen in large cities in China such as Beijing and Hong Kong. They nest in trees and large shrubs in a relatively shallow nest. Usually, three to five eggs are laid.
Food is sought both in trees and on the ground. It takes the usual wide range of food, such as invertebrates, other small animals, and fruit and some seeds. It robs nests of eggs and also chicks. Vocal mimicry is very apparent in this species, and its calls are very varied, but the most usual are a grating rattle and a high-pitched whistle somewhat like a flute.


Savignia basarukini

Savignia basarukini is a species of sheet weaver spiders found in Russia. It was described by Eskov in 1988.


Scolopendra cataracta

Scolopendra cataracta is a species of centipede in the family Scolopendridae. It is the first known amphibious centipede, growing to up to in length.
Discovery.
George Beccaloni, an entomologist and curator at the Natural History Museum, London, found a specimen of "S. cataracta" near the Khao Sok National Park in 2000, while on honeymoon in Thailand. Beccaloni described the centipede as "pretty horrific-looking: very big with long legs and a horrible dark, greenish-black colour" but what caught his attention was that it scurried into a stream rather than the forest when he turned over the stone it was hiding under on the stream bank – unusual behaviour as centipedes typically avoid water. It then ran along the stream bed and hid under a rock underwater. After capturing the centipede, Beccaloni observed that it swam like an eel below the water's surface; his discovery was greeted with scepticism by an expert on "Scolopendra", as these centipedes usually occur in dry habitats, and no amphibious species of centipede had been known until then.
Gregory Edgecombe, a colleague of Beccaloni's in London, and his Thai student Warut Siriwut collected two specimens near Laotian waterfalls and DNA analysis confirmed they belonged to a new centipede species which they named "S. cataracta", from the Latin for waterfall. There are only four known specimens of this species. In addition to Edgecombe and Siriwut's specimens, Edgecombe confirmed that Beccaloni's specimen from 2000 was "S. cataracta", and the Natural History Museum turned out to have a Vietnamese specimen from 1928 which had been misidentified. Beccaloni is the only person to have observed the centipede swimming and has hypothesised that its ecological niche is based on "this species [going] into the water at night to hunt aquatic or amphibious invertebrates." The description of the new species was published in the journal "ZooKeys" in 2016.
Description.
"Scolopendra cataracta" is a giant centipede, growing to around in length; it has long legs and is described as having a greenish-black colour. It displays escape reactions when exposed, taking refuge underwater; and has been observed both running along stream beds and swimming with eel-like horizontal undulations of its body. Out of water, water rolls off the centipede's body leaving it dry as the surface is very hydrophobic.
Distribution.
The species is apparently endemic to Southeast Asia, with specimens having been found in Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.


Monomorium denticulatum

Monomorium denticulatum is a species of ant in the subfamily Myrmicinae. It known from Chile and Argentina. Like "M. bidentatum" it was first described from Valdivia, Chile.
Description.
Workers are 3 mm long, yellowish red, with brown head, petiole and abdomen. Females are 4 mm long and brownish black, with only the most distal tarsal elements and the tip of the abdomen reddish yellow.


Symmachia falcistriga

Symmachia falcistriga is a butterfly species in the family Riodinidae. It is present in Bolivia, Brazil and French Guiana.


Colostethus thorntoni

Colostethus thorntoni is a species of frog in the family Dendrobatidae. It is endemic to Colombia where it is known from the Cordillera Central in the Antioquia Department.
Its natural habitat is sub-Andean forest. Little is known about its ecology.


Telestes croaticus

Telestes croaticus, the Croatian Pijor, is a species of cyprinid fish.
It is found only in Croatia.
Its natural habitats are rivers and inland karsts.
It is threatened by habitat loss.


List of mammals of South Ossetia

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in South Ossetia.
The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:
Some species were assessed using an earlier set of criteria. Species assessed using this system have the following instead of near threatened and least concern categories:
Order: Erinaceomorpha (hedgehogs and gymnures).
The order Erinaceomorpha contains a single family, Erinaceidae, which comprise the hedgehogs and gymnures. The hedgehogs are easily recognised by their spines.
Order: Soricomorpha (shrews, moles, and solenodons).
The "shrew-forms" are insectivorous mammals. The shrews and solenodons closely resemble mice.
Order: Chiroptera (bats).
The bats' most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals capable of flight.
Order: Carnivora (carnivorans).
The majority of the species of carnivorans feed primarily on meat. They have a characteristic skull shape and dentition.
Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates).

The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls.


List of birds of Lebanon

This is a list of the bird species recorded in Lebanon. The avifauna of Lebanon include a total of 384 species.
This list's taxonomic treatment (designation and sequence of orders, families and species) and nomenclature (common and scientific names) follow the conventions of "The Clements Checklist of the Birds of the World", 6th edition. The family accounts at the beginning of each heading reflect this taxonomy, as do the species counts found in each family account. Introduced and accidental species are included in the total counts for Lebanon.
The following tags have been used to highlight several categories, but not all species fall into one of these categories. Those that do not are commonly occurring native species.
Grebes.
Order: PodicipediformesFamily: Podicipedidae
Grebes are small to medium-large freshwater diving birds. They have lobed toes and are excellent swimmers and divers. However, they have their feet placed far back on the body, making them quite ungainly on land. There are five species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Flamingos.
Order: PhoenicopteriformesFamily: Phoenicopteridae
Flamingos are gregarious wading birds, usually tall, found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Flamingos filter-feed on shellfish and algae. Their oddly shaped beaks are adapted to separate mud and silt from the food they consume and, uniquely, are used upside-down.
Shearwaters and petrels.
Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Procellariidae
The procellariids are the main group of medium-sized "true petrels", characterised by united nostrils with medium septum and a long outer functional primary.
Northern storm petrels.
Order: ProcellariiformesFamily: Hydrobatidae
The northern storm petrels are the smallest seabirds, relatives of the petrels, feeding on planktonic crustaceans and small fish picked from the surface, typically while hovering. The flight is fluttering and sometimes bat-like.
Boobies and gannets.
Order: SuliformesFamily: Sulidae
The sulids comprise the gannets and boobies. Both groups are medium-large coastal seabirds that plunge-dive for fish.
Cormorants.
Order: SuliformesFamily: Phalacrocoracidae
Cormorants are medium-to-large aquatic birds, usually with mainly dark plumage and areas of colored skin on the face. The bill is long, thin and sharply hooked. Their feet are four-toed and webbed, a distinguishing feature among the order Pelecaniformes.
Pelicans.
Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Pelecanidae
Pelicans are very large water birds with a distinctive pouch under their beak. Like other birds in the order Pelecaniformes, they have four webbed toes.
Herons, egrets, and bitterns.
Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Ardeidae
The family Ardeidae contains the herons, egrets and bitterns. Herons and egrets are wading birds with long necks and legs.
Herons are large and egrets are smaller. The cattle egret or "cow bird" is seen amongst flocks of cattle, for instance in ranches north of the Everglades. A bird will often attach itself to a particular bull, cow or calf, even being tolerated perching on the back or even the head of the animal. The birds are more shy than the animals, and will fly away if approached. The birds feed on various items turned over by the cattle as they graze and tramp the ground. Bitterns tend to be shorter necked and more secretive. Unlike other long-necked birds such as storks, ibises and spoonbills, members of the Ardeidae fly with their necks pulled back into a curve.
Storks.
Order: CiconiiformesFamily: Ciconiidae
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked, wading birds with long, stout bills. Storks are mute, but bill-clattering is an important mode of communication at the nest. Their nests can be large and may be reused for many years. Many species are migratory.
Ibises and spoonbills.
Order: PelecaniformesFamily: Threskiornithidae
Threskiornithidae is a family of large terrestrial and wading birds which includes the ibises and spoonbills. They have long, broad wings with 11 primary and about 20 secondary feathers. They are strong fliers and despite their size and weight, very capable soarers.
Ducks, geese, and swans.
Order: AnseriformesFamily: Anatidae
Anatidae includes the ducks and most duck-like waterfowl, such as geese and swans. These birds are adapted to an aquatic existence with webbed feet, flattened bills, and feathers that are excellent at shedding water due to an oily coating.
Osprey.
Order: AccipitriformesFamily: Pandionidae
The family Pandionidae contains only one species, the osprey. The osprey is a medium-large raptor which is a specialist fish-eater with a worldwide distribution.
Hawks, eagles, and kites.
Order: AccipitriformesFamily: Accipitridae
Accipitridae is a family of birds of prey, which includes hawks, eagles, kites, harriers and Old World vultures. These birds have powerful hooked beaks for tearing flesh from their prey, strong legs, powerful talons and keen eyesight.
Caracaras and falcons.
Order: FalconiformesFamily: Falconidae
Falconidae is a family of diurnal birds of prey. They differ from hawks, eagles and kites in that they kill with their beaks instead of their talons.
Pheasants, grouse, and allies.
Order: GalliformesFamily: Phasianidae
The Phasianidae are a family of terrestrial birds which consists of quails, partridges, snowcocks, francolins, spurfowls, tragopans, monals, pheasants, peafowls and jungle fowls. In general, they are plump (although they vary in size) and have broad, relatively short wings.
Cranes.
Order: GruiformesFamily: Gruidae
Cranes are large, long-legged and long-necked birds. Unlike the similar-looking but unrelated herons, cranes fly with necks outstretched, not pulled back. Most have elaborate and noisy courting displays or "dances". There are two species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Rails, gallinules, and coots.
Order: GruiformesFamily: Rallidae
Rallidae is a large family of small to medium-sized birds which includes the rails, crakes, coots and gallinules. Typically they inhabit dense vegetation in damp environments near lakes, swamps or rivers. In general they are shy and secretive birds, making them difficult to observe. Most species have strong legs and long toes which are well adapted to soft uneven surfaces. They tend to have short, rounded wings and to be weak fliers.
Bustards.
Order: OtidiformesFamily: Otididae
Bustards are large terrestrial birds mainly associated with dry open country and steppes in the Old World. They are omnivorous and nest on the ground. They walk steadily on strong legs and big toes, pecking for food as they go. They have long broad wings with "fingered" wingtips and striking patterns in flight. Many have interesting mating displays.
Oystercatchers.
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Haematopodidae
The oystercatchers are large and noisy plover-like birds, with strong bills used for smashing or prising open molluscs. There is one species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Avocets and stilts.
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Recurvirostridae
Recurvirostridae is a family of large wading birds, which includes the avocets and stilts. The avocets have long legs and long up-curved bills. The stilts have extremely long legs and long, thin, straight bills. There are two species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Thick-knees.
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Burhinidae
The thick-knees are a group of largely tropical waders in the family Burhinidae. They are found worldwide within the tropical zone, with some species also breeding in temperate Europe and Australia. They are medium to large waders with strong black or yellow-black bills, large yellow eyes and cryptic plumage. Despite being classed as waders, most species have a preference for arid or semi-arid habitats. There is one species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Pratincoles and coursers.
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Glareolidae
Glareolidae is a family of wading birds comprising the pratincoles, which have short legs, long pointed wings and long forked tails, and the coursers, which have long legs, short wings and long, pointed bills which curve downwards. There are three species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Plovers and lapwings.
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Charadriidae
The family Charadriidae includes the plovers, dotterels and lapwings. They are small to medium-sized birds with compact bodies, short, thick necks and long, usually pointed, wings. They are found in open country worldwide, mostly in habitats near water. T
Sandpipers and allies.
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Scolopacidae
Scolopacidae is a large diverse family of small to medium-sized shorebirds including the sandpipers, curlews, godwits, shanks, tattlers, woodcocks, snipes, dowitchers and phalaropes. The majority of these species eat small invertebrates picked out of the mud or soil. Variation in length of legs and bills enables multiple species to feed in the same habitat, particularly on the coast, without direct competition for food. There are 26 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Skuas and jaegers.
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Stercorariidae
The family Stercorariidae are, in general, medium to large birds, typically with grey or brown plumage, often with white markings on the wings. They nest on the ground in temperate and arctic regions and are long-distance migrants. There are two species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Gulls, terns, and skimmers.
Order: CharadriiformesFamily: Laridae
Laridae is a family of medium to large seabirds, the gulls, terns, and skimmers. Gulls are typically grey or white, often with black markings on the head or wings. They have stout, longish bills and webbed feet. Terns are a group of generally medium to large seabirds typically with grey or white plumage, often with black markings on the head. Most terns hunt fish by diving but some pick insects off the surface of fresh water. Terns are generally long-lived birds, with several species known to live in excess of 30 years.
Sandgrouse.
Order: PterocliformesFamily: Pteroclidae
Sandgrouse have small, pigeon like heads and necks, but sturdy compact bodies. They have long pointed wings and sometimes tails and a fast direct flight. Flocks fly to watering holes at dawn and dusk. Their legs are feathered down to the toes. There are two species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Pigeons and doves.
Order: ColumbiformesFamily: Columbidae
Pigeons and doves are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills with a fleshy cere.
Cuckoos and anis.
Order: CuculiformesFamily: Cuculidae
The family Cuculidae includes cuckoos, roadrunners and anis. These birds are of variable size with slender bodies, long tails and strong legs. The Old World cuckoos are brood parasites. There are two species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Barn owls.
Order: StrigiformesFamily: Tytonidae
Barn owls are medium to large owls with large heads and characteristic heart-shaped faces. They have long strong legs with powerful talons. There is one species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Typical owls.
Order: StrigiformesFamily: Strigidae
The typical owls are small to large solitary nocturnal birds of prey. They have large forward-facing eyes and ears, a hawk-like beak and a conspicuous circle of feathers around each eye called a facial disk.
Nightjars.
Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Caprimulgidae
Nightjars are medium-sized nocturnal birds that usually nest on the ground. They have long wings, short legs and very short bills. Most have small feet, of little use for walking, and long pointed wings. Their soft plumage is camouflaged to resemble bark or leaves. There are two species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Swifts.
Order: CaprimulgiformesFamily: Apodidae
Swifts are small birds which spend the majority of their lives flying. These birds have very short legs and never settle voluntarily on the ground, perching instead only on vertical surfaces. Many swifts have long swept-back wings which resemble a crescent or boomerang. There are 4 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Kingfishers.
Order: CoraciiformesFamily: Alcedinidae
Kingfishers are medium-sized birds with large heads, long, pointed bills, short legs and stubby tails. There are 3 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Bee-eaters.
Order: CoraciiformesFamily: Meropidae
The bee-eaters are a group of near passerine birds in the family Meropidae. Most species are found in Africa but others occur in southern Europe, Madagascar, Australia and New Guinea. They are characterised by richly coloured plumage, slender bodies and usually elongated central tail feathers. All are colourful and have long downturned bills and pointed wings, which give them a swallow-like appearance when seen from afar. There are 2 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Typical rollers.
Order: CoraciiformesFamily: Coraciidae
Rollers resemble crows in size and build, but are more closely related to the kingfishers and bee-eaters. They share the colourful appearance of those groups with blues and browns predominating. The two inner front toes are connected, but the outer toe is not. There is 1 species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Hoopoes.
Order: BucerotiformesFamily: Upupidae
Hoopoes have black, white and orangey-pink colouring with a large erectile crest on their head. There is 1 species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Woodpeckers and allies.
Order: PiciformesFamily: Picidae
Woodpeckers are small to medium-sized birds with chisel-like beaks, short legs, stiff tails and long tongues used for capturing insects. Some species have feet with two toes pointing forward and two backward, while several species have only three toes. Many woodpeckers have the habit of tapping noisily on tree trunks with their beaks.
Larks.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Alaudidae
Larks are small terrestrial birds with often extravagant songs and display flights. Most larks are fairly dull in appearance. Their food is insects and seeds.
Swallows.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Hirundinidae
The family Hirundinidae is adapted to aerial feeding. They have a slender streamlined body, long pointed wings and a short bill with a wide gape. The feet are adapted to perching rather than walking, and the front toes are partially joined at the base.
Wagtails and pipits.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Motacillidae
Motacillidae is a family of small passerine birds with medium to long tails. They include the wagtails, longclaws and pipits. They are slender, ground feeding insectivores of open country.
Bulbuls.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Pycnonotidae
Bulbuls are medium-sized songbirds. Some are colourful with yellow, red or orange vents, cheeks, throats or supercilia, but most are drab, with uniform olive-brown to black plumage. Some species have distinct crests. There is 1 species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Dippers.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Cinclidae
Dippers are a group of perching birds whose habitat includes aquatic environments in the Americas, Europe and Asia. They are named for their bobbing or dipping movements. There is 1 species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Wrens.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Troglodytidae
The wrens are mainly small and inconspicuous except for their loud songs. These birds have short wings and thin down-turned bills. Several species often hold their tails upright. All are insectivorous.
Accentors.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Prunellidae
The accentors are in the only bird family, Prunellidae, which is completely endemic to the Palearctic. They are small, fairly drab species superficially similar to sparrows. There are 4 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Thrushes and allies.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Turdidae
The thrushes are a group of passerine birds that occur mainly in the Old World. They are plump, soft plumaged, small to medium-sized insectivores or sometimes omnivores, often feeding on the ground. Many have attractive songs.
Cisticolas and allies.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Cisticolidae
The Cisticolidae are warblers found mainly in warmer southern regions of the Old World. They are generally very small birds of drab brown or grey appearance found in open country such as grassland or scrub.
Bush warblers and allies.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Scotocercidae
Locustellid warblers.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Locustellidae
Acrocephalid warblers.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Acrocephalidae
Phylloscopid warblers.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Phylloscopidae
Sylviid warblers, parrotbills, and allies.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sylviidae
The family Sylviidae is a group of small insectivorous passerine birds. They mainly occur as breeding species, as the common name implies, in Europe, Asia and, to a lesser extent, Africa. Most are of generally undistinguished appearance, but many have distinctive songs.
Kinglets.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Regulidae
The kinglets, also called crests, are a small group of birds often included in the Old World warblers, but frequently given family status because they also resemble the titmice. There are 2 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Old World flycatchers.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Muscicapidae
Old World flycatchers are a large group of small passerine birds native to the Old World. They are mainly small arboreal insectivores. The appearance of these birds is highly varied, but they mostly have weak songs and harsh calls.
Bearded reedling.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Panuridae
Chickadees and titmice.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Paridae
The Paridae are mainly small stocky woodland species with short stout bills. Some have crests. They are adaptable birds, with a mixed diet including seeds and insects. There are 4 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Nuthatches.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sittidae
Nuthatches are small woodland birds. They have the unusual ability to climb down trees head first, unlike other birds which can only go upwards. Nuthatches have big heads, short tails and powerful bills and feet. There are 2 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Wallcreeper.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Tichodromidae
The wallcreeper is a small bird related to the nuthatch family, which has stunning crimson, grey and black plumage.
Penduline tits.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Remizidae
The penduline tits are a group of small passerine birds related to the true tits. They are insectivores. There is 1 species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Sunbirds and spiderhunters.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Nectariniidae
The sunbirds and spiderhunters are very small passerine birds which feed largely on nectar, although they will also take insects, especially when feeding young. Flight is fast and direct on their short wings. Most species can take nectar by hovering like a hummingbird, but usually perch to feed. There is 1 species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Old World orioles.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Oriolidae
The Old World orioles are colourful passerine birds. They are not related to the New World orioles. There is 1 species which has been recorded in Lebanon.
Shrikes.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Laniidae
Shrikes are passerine birds known for their habit of catching other birds and small animals and impaling the uneaten portions of their bodies on thorns. A typical shrike's beak is hooked, like a bird of prey.
Crows, jays, ravens, and magpies.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Corvidae
The family Corvidae includes crows, ravens, jays, choughs, magpies, treepies, nutcrackers and ground jays. Corvids are above average in size among the Passeriformes, and some of the larger species show high levels of intelligence. There are 9 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Starlings.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Sturnidae
Starlings are small to medium-sized passerine birds. Their flight is strong and direct and they are very gregarious. Their preferred habitat is fairly open country. They eat insects and fruit. Plumage is typically dark with a metallic sheen. There are 3 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Old World buntings.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Emberizidae
The emberizids are a large family of passerine birds. They are seed-eating birds with distinctively shaped bills. Many emberizid species have distinctive head patterns. There are 11 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.
Finches, euphonias, and allies.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Fringillidae
Finches are seed-eating passerine birds, that are small to moderately large and have a strong beak, usually conical and in some species very large. All have twelve tail feathers and nine primaries. These birds have a bouncing flight with alternating bouts of flapping and gliding on closed wings, and most sing well.
Old World sparrows.
Order: PasseriformesFamily: Passeridae
Old World sparrows are small passerine birds. In general, sparrows tend to be small, plump, brown or grey birds with short tails and short powerful beaks. Sparrows are seed eaters, but they also consume small insects. There are 6 species which have been recorded in Lebanon.


Puntius punjabensis

Puntius punjabensis is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus Puntius. This species is endemic to Pakistan.


Parachondrostoma miegii

Parachondrostoma miegii is a species of cyprinid fish endemic to Spain, where it occurs in the basin of the Ebro and in one headwater of the Tagus. Its natural habitat is rivers.
It is threatened by habitat loss.


Hemiphyllodactylus serpispecus

Hemiphyllodactylus serpispecus is a species of gecko. It is endemic to Laos.


Polycheles sculptus

Polycheles sculptus is a species of "strange, blind crustacean" resembling a prawn or a squat lobster. It has a cosmopolitan distribution in deep water, being found on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, in the Mediterranean Sea, and across much of the Indo-West Pacific, at depths of .


Adelpha cocala

Adelpha cocala, the cocala sister or orange-washed sister, is a butterfly of the family Nymphalidae. It was described by Pieter Cramer in 1779. It is found from Honduras to Panama, Guatemala, Venezuela, Colombia, Surinam, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.
The wingspan is about 50 mm.
The larvae feed on "Pentagonia", "Psychotria", "Calycophyllum", "Chomelia", "Uncaria" and "Genipa" species.


List of mammals of Gibraltar

This is a list of the mammal species recorded in Gibraltar. There are twenty-four mammal species in Gibraltar, of which one is critically endangered, one is endangered, three are vulnerable, and one is near threatened.
The following tags are used to highlight each species' conservation status as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature:
Order: Artiodactyla (even-toed ungulates).
The even-toed ungulates are ungulates whose weight is borne about equally by the third and fourth toes, rather than mostly or entirely by the third as in perissodactyls. There are about 220 artiodactyl species, including many that are of great economic importance to humans.


Echinosaura panamensis

Echinosaura panamensis, the Panama teiid, is a species of lizard in the family Gymnophthalmidae. It is endemic to Panama.


Pristimantis pinguis

Pristimantis pinguis is a species of frog in the family Craugastoridae. It is endemic to Peru where it is known from the region of its type locality in the Celendín Province as well as from the western slopes of the Cordillera Occidental in the Cajamarca Region.
Its natural habitat is tropical high-altitude grassland at elevations of asl. This little-known species is potentially threatened by habitat loss caused by agricultural development.


Cryptobatrachus fuhrmanni

Cryptobatrachus fuhrmanni (common name: Fuhrmann's backpack frog) is a species of frog in the family Hemiphractidae. It is endemic to Colombia and occurs on all three Andean cordilleras: it is found on the eastern slope of the Cordillera Occidental, northern and eastern flanks of the Cordillera Central, and the western slope of the Cordillera Oriental. The specific name "fuhrmanni" honors Otto Fuhrmann, Swiss zoologist and helmintologist.
Description.
Adult males measure and adult females in snout–vent length. The snout is short. The tympanum is small and not sexually dimorphic. The dorsolateral folds are thin. Skin on the dorsum is finely granular with scattered larger warts. The fingers have no webbing. The finger and toe tips bear expanded disks. Subarticular adhesive pads are present.
Female frogs carry the eggs on their back. The eggs have direct development, hatching as froglets (i.e., there is no free-living larval stage).
Habitat and conservation.
"Cryptobatrachus fuhrmanni" is a common species frog found on rocks in fast-flowing mountain streams in transition and montane forest at elevations of above sea level. "Cryptobatrachus fuhrmanni" can be threatened by habitat loss caused by agriculture and logging, but this species tolerates some habitat perturbation. It is present in the Reserva Regional Bosque de Florencia in Caldas.