DOCSLIB.ORG

Scent Glands of Gundi (Ctenodactylus Gundi)

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Scent Glands of Gundi (Ctenodactylus Gundi) 3rd International Conference on Ecological, Environmental and Biological Sciences (ICEEBS'2013) April 29-30, 2013 Singapore Scent Glands of Gundi (Ctenodactylus gundi) Omar A. Mshiri and Nadia S. Berim modified sebaceous glands. Abstract—Morphological, anatomical and histological Preputial glands of rodents are usually described as a pair of investigations of cutaneous glands of skin specimens obtained from flask shaped or leaf like, bilaterally symmetrical structures, adult Ctenodactylus gundi revealed only two types of scent glands; embedded in the superficial fascia of the preputial skin (1) Greatly enlarged modified sebaceous glands annexed to coarse, covering the penis or clitoris of males and females respectively tough hairs covering the prepuce skin of both sexes, Hence the name preputial and clitoral glands of male and female respectively. The [1; 11]. Preputial glands of Jaculus jaculus were described as a size, number and distribution of these glands appear to reflect their number of glandular bodies circumferentially arranged around secondary role in the social behavior of Gundi. (2) Trilobated the base of the penis or clitoris of males and females perianal scent glands located circumferentially around the external respectively [12]. skin of the anal orifice. Two of the lobes lay ventro-lateral to the The perianal glands found in mammals are generally rectal canal and the remaining lobe lies ventral to the canal. The size bilobated or trilobated in their gross anatomy. Black-tailed of the glandular lobes varies seasonally, depending on age and sexual maturity of the animal. prairie dogs have trilobted perianal glands [7]. Other mammals Morphologically; these glands appear as sexually dimorphic with trilobated perianal glands include several species of organs, being larger in males than females. Anatomically, these ground squirrels [4]; [8]; [9]; [14]. glands are embedded in the superficial fascia of the anal dermal skin Literature indicated that the number and arrangement of the invading the epidermis by a number of small tortuous secretory ducts secretory lobes in the glands of the aforementioned animals is conveying the secretion on to the surface if the anal skin. identical, even-though the placement of the glands varies with Histologically, the glands clearly represent a circumferential aggregation of compound branched holocrine alveolar glands the species. Ground squirrels for example have two lateral surrounded by a number of tubular apocrine glands opening to the lobes and one ventral lobe [13]; [9]. Guinea pigs on the other outside through separate openings. hand have trilobated perianal scent glands the central one is Although, there are some reports in the literature on the structure, located dorsal to the anal canal [10]; [15]; [16]. histology and histochemistry of the perianal and preputial glands of Although, Ctenodactylus species have been reported to use several mammals, we were unable to locate any published material their hind quarters in a number of social behaviors such as concerning Gundi’s scent glands. This study will describe the anatomical and histological details of preputial and perianal glands of sand bathing, territorial marking, intraspecific identification, the adult male and female Ctenodactylus gundi as seen during the and mating rituals [2], literature are however very poor peak of sexual activity. concerning the structure and function of the perianal glands of this species. One study was limited to geographical Keywords— Perianal; Trilobated;,Apocrine; Holocrine; distribution and classification of the species; the other Ventrolateral. concentrated on the social activities such den marking, group numbers and territorialities. I. INTRODUCTION HE North African gundi Ctenodactylus gundi, occurs II. MATERIALS AND METHODS T from Morocco to North-Western Libya: gundis live in Healthy adult sexually mature male and female Gundi groups that sometimes contain multiple adult males and (Ctenodactylus gundi) were trapped from different ecological females [5; 13]. Gundi is one of the mammalian species that niches in Libya. These animals were sacrificed, dissected, have a highly developed sense of olfaction employed very photographed, and investigated carefully for existence of efficiently in social communication, using chemical signals possible scent glands. Two types of scent glands were found, originating in urine, feces, genital secretion, saliva, and photographed, and surgically removed. The glands were cutaneous scent glands [1; 11]. Although olfactory preserved in 10% formalin, labeled, processed and sectioned communication is believed to play a significant role in the using routine histological techniques. sexual and social behavior of all rodent species, little Reference histological series of 6μ thick sections were cut information exists on scent marking behavior of Ctenodactylus from paraffin wax embedded preputial and perianal glands of species. Even though, many authors have investigated and both males and females respectively. Sections were cut cross- described rodent preputial glands in great details, little have sectionally to show the architectural arrangement of the being mentioned about coarse hair attachment to large secretory lobes around the circumference of the penis and anal orifice. Sections were stained with Harrie’s haemtoxylin and Omar A. Mshiri and Nadia S. Berim are with University of Tripoli, Eosin [6], using standard procedures. All sections processed in Faculty of Science, Zoology Department Tripoli - Libya. 246 3rd International Conference on Ecological, Environmental and Biological Sciences (ICEEBS'2013) April 29-30, 2013 Singapore such a manner were examined microscopically, and carefully by a thick layer of skeletal muscles. Evidence of apocrine and evaluated for detailed histological description of glands in holocrine break down is very evident in the tubular and hand. alveolar components of each gland. While the mature secretory alveoli of the sebaceous compartment appear hollow at their III. RESULTS centers; broken apices of the secretory epithelium are clearly Gundis (Ctenodactylus gundi) have a slightly different represented by the small blebs facing the lumen of the tubular perianal glandular arrangement than any of the aforementioned glands (Figs. 7 a & b). animals in introduction; although, the number of glandular Comparative evaluation of Gundi’s scent glands from the lobes is similar to that reported for black tailed prairie dogs, histological point of view indicated great structural differences the arrangement of the glands around the anal orifice is between preputial and perianal glands of Ctenodactylus gundi; different. The secretory lobes are arranged circumferentially Indeed, it is apparent that perianal glands are much more around the anus in a triangular fashion. The base of the conspicuous and developed than preputial glands, the latter are triangle consists of two lobes facing the base of the tail (Fig. smaller in size representing modified sebaceous glands 1). In addition, the glandular structures are not located within annexed with hair follicles that differ from the general fur in the anal canal, but they are distributed around the interior anal length and texture (Fig. 8). dermal skin, each of which opens at the exterior circumference of the anal orifice by a separate opening (Fig. 2). IV. DISCUSSION The glands are sexually dimorphic, being larger and more Although perianal glands of many mammals have been conspicuous in sexually active males than females. The described in the literature as bilobated, trilobated or number of glandular masses never exceeded three well defined multilobated [14]; [9]; [8]; [3], it is very evident from findings structures in all captured specimens. The glands can easily be of this study that such a description is applicable to Gundi seen by the naked eye depending on age and sexual maturity of (Ctenodactylus gundi) only to a certain extent. Although, the the animal (Fig. 1). glands are trilobated, their arrangement around the Each of the glandular masses represents a highly modified circumference of the anal orifice is different from other rodent compound branched sebaceous gland, surrounded by many species. While the base of the triangular area consists of two tubular apocrine glands forming one large, compound, tubule- lobes in other species, the three lobes of Ctenodactylus alveolar gland, embedded in the deep fascia of dermis of the perianal glands are distributed evenly around the anal opening. anal area; it is surrounded by a thick capsule of connective The placement of the perianal glands of Ctenodactylus is tissue and striated muscle fibers (Fig. 3). Incomplete also different from any other mammal found in the literature. trabeculea arise from the capsule invading the sebaceous gland While most perianal glands exist in the form of nipples dividing it into a number of secretory lobes, subdivided into a attached to saccular structures located within the anal canal, number of lobules, each of which is in turn composed of those of the Gundi are located in the circumferential borders of secretory alveoli (Fig. 3). the anal sphincter. Therefore, we suggest that the anal glands Each alveolus is surrounded by spindle shaped of prairie dogs and the animals alike should be referred to as myoepithelial cells and consists of a clump of simple anal sacs instead of perianal glands, since they are found in the polygonal epithelial cells arranged on a basement membrane form of protrusible nipples that can be
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Coyote Canis Latrans in 2007 IUCN Red List (Canis Latrans)
    MAMMALS OF MISSISSIPPI 10:1–9 Coyote (Canis latrans) CHRISTOPHER L. MAGEE Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, Mississippi, 39762, USA Abstract—Canis latrans (Say 1823) is a canid commonly called the coyote. It is dog-like in appearance with varied colorations throughout its range. Originally restricted to the western portion of North America, coyotes have expanded across the majority of the continent. Coyotes are omnivorous and extremely adaptable, often populating urban and suburban environments. Preferred habitats include a mixture of forested, open, and brushy areas. Currently, there exist no threats or conservation concerns for the coyote in any part of its range. This species is currently experiencing an increasing population trend. Published 5 December 2008 by the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries, Mississippi State University Coyote location (Jackson 1951; Young 1951; Berg and Canis latrans (Say, 1823) Chesness 1978; Way 2007). The species is sexually dimorphic, with adult females distinctly CONTEXT AND CONTENT. lighter and smaller than adult males (Kennedy Order Carnivora, suborder Caniformia, et al. 2003; Way 2007). Average head and infraorder Cynoidea, family Canidae, subfamily body lengths are about 1.0–1.5 m with a tail Caninae, tribe Canini. Genus Canis consists length of about Young 1951). The skull of the of six species: C. aureus, C. latrans, C. lupus, coyote (Fig. 2) progresses through 6 distinct C. mesomelas, C. simensis, and C. adustus. developmental stages allowing delineation Canis latrans has 19 recognized subspecies between the age classes of juvenile, immature, (Wilson and Reeder 2005). young, young adult, adult, and old adult (Jackson 1951).
    [Show full text]
  • Exploiting Interspecific Olfactory Communication to Monitor Predators
    Ecological Applications, 27(2), 2017, pp. 389–402 © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America Exploiting interspecific olfactory communication to monitor predators PATRICK M. GARVEY,1,2 ALISTAIR S. GLEN,2 MICK N. CLOUT,1 SARAH V. WYSE,1,3 MARGARET NICHOLS,4 AND ROGER P. PECH5 1Centre for Biodiversity and Biosecurity, School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand 2Landcare Research, Private Bag 92170, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand 3Royal Botanic Gardens Kew, Wakehurst Place, RH17 6TN United Kingdom 4Centre for Wildlife Management and Conservation, Lincoln University, Canterbury, New Zealand 5Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln, 7640 New Zealand Abstract. Olfaction is the primary sense of many mammals and subordinate predators use this sense to detect dominant species, thereby reducing the risk of an encounter and facilitating coexistence. Chemical signals can act as repellents or attractants and may therefore have applications for wildlife management. We devised a field experiment to investigate whether dominant predator (ferret Mustela furo) body odor would alter the behavior of three common mesopredators: stoats (Mustela erminea), hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus), and ship rats (Rattus rattus). We predicted that apex predator odor would lead to increased detections, and our results support this hypothesis as predator kairomones (interspecific olfactory messages that benefit the receiver) provoked “eavesdropping” behavior by mesopredators. Stoats exhib- ited the most pronounced responses, with kairomones significantly increasing the number of observations and the time spent at a site, so that their occupancy estimates changed from rare to widespread. Behavioral responses to predator odors can therefore be exploited for conserva- tion and this avenue of research has not yet been extensively explored.
    [Show full text]
  • (Rodentia: Ctenodactylidae) from the Miocene of Israel
    RESEARCH ARTICLE A Transitional Gundi (Rodentia: Ctenodactylidae) from the Miocene of Israel Raquel López-Antoñanzas1,2*, Vitaly Gutkin3, Rivka Rabinovich4, Ran Calvo5, Aryeh Grossman6,7 1 School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom, 2 Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, Madrid, Spain, 3 The Harvey M. Krueger Family Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel, 4 National Natural History Collections, Institute of Earth Sciences and Institute of Archaeology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel, 5 Geological Survey of Israel, Jerusalem, Israel, 6 Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, United States of America, 7 School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, United States of America * [email protected] Abstract OPEN ACCESS We describe a new species of gundi (Rodentia: Ctenodactylidae: Ctenodactylinae), Sayi- mys negevensis, on the basis of cheek teeth from the Early Miocene of the Rotem Basin, Citation: López-Antoñanzas R, Gutkin V, Rabinovich R, Calvo R, Grossman A (2016) A Transitional Gundi southern Israel. The Rotem ctenodactylid differs from all known ctenodactylid species, (Rodentia: Ctenodactylidae) from the Miocene of including Sayimys intermedius, which was first described from the Middle Miocene of Saudi Israel. PLoS ONE 11(4): e0151804. doi:10.1371/ Arabia. Instead, it most resembles Sayimys baskini from the Early Miocene of Pakistan in journal.pone.0151804 characters of the m1-2 (e.g., the mesoflexid shorter than the metaflexid, the obliquely orien- Editor: Laurent Viriot, Team 'Evolution of Vertebrate tated hypolophid, and the presence of a strong posterolabial ledge) and the upper molars Dentition', FRANCE (e.g., the paraflexus that is longer than the metaflexus).
    [Show full text]
  • Multiple Molecular Evidences for a Living Mammalian Fossil
    Multiple molecular evidences for a living mammalian fossil Dorothe´ e Huchon†‡, Pascale Chevret§¶, Ursula Jordanʈ, C. William Kilpatrick††, Vincent Ranwez§, Paulina D. Jenkins‡‡, Ju¨ rgen Brosiusʈ, and Ju¨ rgen Schmitz‡ʈ †Department of Zoology, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; §Department of Paleontology, Phylogeny, and Paleobiology, Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution, cc064, Universite´Montpellier II, Place E. Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France; ʈInstitute of Experimental Pathology, University of Mu¨nster, D-48149 Mu¨nster, Germany; ††Department of Biology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-0086; and ‡‡Department of Zoology, The Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom Edited by Francisco J. Ayala, University of California, Irvine, CA, and approved March 18, 2007 (received for review February 11, 2007) Laonastes aenigmamus is an enigmatic rodent first described in their classification as a diatomyid suggests that Laonastes is a 2005. Molecular and morphological data suggested that it is the living fossil and a ‘‘Lazarus taxon.’’ sole representative of a new mammalian family, the Laonastidae, The two research teams also disagreed on the taxonomic and a member of the Hystricognathi. However, the validity of this position of Laonastes. According to Jenkins et al. (2), Laonastes family is controversial because fossil-based phylogenetic analyses is either the most basal group of the hystricognaths (Fig. 2A)or suggest that Laonastes is a surviving member of the Diatomyidae, nested within the hystricognaths (Fig. 2B). According to Dawson a family considered to have been extinct for 11 million years. et al. (3), Laonastes and the other Diatomyidae are the sister According to these data, Laonastes and Diatomyidae are the sister clade of the family Ctenodactylidae (i.e., gundies), a family that clade of extant Ctenodactylidae (i.e., gundies) and do not belong does not belong to the Hystricognathi, but to which it is to the Hystricognathi.
    [Show full text]
  • In the Mood Deer Have a Way of Advertising Their Wares and the Whereabouts– Scent, Sounds, and Body Language
    A buck simulates reproductive response with flehman or lip curling to expose his vomeronasal organ to scent of a female’s urination. (frame from Quality Deer Management Assoc. video) In the Mood Deer have a way of advertising their wares and the whereabouts– scent, sounds, and body language J. Morton Galetto, CU Maurice River Last October I wrote an article about deer that included some aspects of their mating habits. It described mate guarding and the male deer or buck’s propensity to focus on following a female in estrus so as to insure he is the lucky suitor. During rut or the breeding season, when males spar competitively for reproductive rights over females, deer are on the move. The season begins in October and its height in our region is November 10- 20. Females that are not successfully fertilized will come into estrus a second time 28 days later, offering a second chance for them to produce young. All this moving around makes deer and drivers especially prone to road collisions. Bucks are particularly active during sunset and early morning. So slow down and stay alert. In last year’s story we offered lots of advice in this regard. White-tail deer are the local species here in Southern NJ. I thought it might be fun to talk about their indicators of lust – well, fun for me anyway. Deer employ three major methods of communications: scents, vocalizations, and body language. Deer are ungulates, meaning they are a mammal with a cloven hoof on each leg, split in two parts; you could describe them as toes or digits.
    [Show full text]
  • Palaeogene Fossil Record, Phylogeny, Dental Evolution and Historical Biogeography Laurent Marivaux, Myriam Boivin
    Emergence of hystricognathous rodents: Palaeogene fossil record, phylogeny, dental evolution and historical biogeography Laurent Marivaux, Myriam Boivin To cite this version: Laurent Marivaux, Myriam Boivin. Emergence of hystricognathous rodents: Palaeogene fossil record, phylogeny, dental evolution and historical biogeography. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Linnean Society of London, 2019, 187 (3), pp.929-964. 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz048. hal-02263901 HAL Id: hal-02263901 https://hal.umontpellier.fr/hal-02263901 Submitted on 1 Nov 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society Emergence of hystricognathous rodents: Palaeogene fossil record, phylogeny, dental evolution, and historical biogeography Journal: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society Manuscript ID ZOJ-12-2018-3565.R2 Manuscript Type:ForOriginal Review Article Only Africa < Geography, Asia < Geography, mandible < Anatomy, dental Keywords: evolution < Evolution, Eocene < Palaeontology, Oligocene < Palaeontology Although phylogenies imply Asia as the ancestral homeland of the Hystricognathi clade, curiously the oldest known fossil occurrences are not from Asia but from Africa and South America, where they appear by the late middle Eocene. Here we performed cladistic and Bayesian assessments of the dental evidence documenting early ctenohystricans, including several Asian “ctenodactyloids”, all Palaeogene Asian and African hystricognaths, and two early South American hystricognaths.
    [Show full text]
  • Mammalian Pheromones – New Opportunities for Improved Predator Control in New Zealand
    SCIENCE FOR CONSERVATION 330 Mammalian pheromones – new opportunities for improved predator control in New Zealand B. Kay Clapperton, Elaine C. Murphy and Hussam A. A. Razzaq Cover: Stoat in boulders in the Tasman River bed, Mackenzie Basin. Photo: John Dowding. Science for Conservation is a scientific monograph series presenting research funded by New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC). Manuscripts are internally and externally peer-reviewed; resulting publications are considered part of the formal international scientific literature. This report is available from the departmental website in pdf form. Titles are listed in our catalogue on the website, refer www.doc.govt.nz under Publications, then Series. © Copyright August 2017, New Zealand Department of Conservation ISSN 1177–9241 (web PDF) ISBN 978–1–98–851436–9 (web PDF) This report was prepared for publication by the Publishing Team; editing by Amanda Todd and layout by Lynette Clelland. Publication was approved by the Director, Threats Unit, Department of Conservation, Wellington, New Zealand. Published by Publishing Team, Department of Conservation, PO Box 10420, The Terrace, Wellington 6143, New Zealand. In the interest of forest conservation, we support paperless electronic publishing. CONTENTS Abstract 1 1. Introduction 2 1.1 The potential roles of pheromones in New Zealand predator control 2 1.2 Aim of this review 4 2. Pheromone identification and function in mammalian predator species 5 2.1 Mice 5 2.2 Rats 7 2.3 Rodent Major Urinary Proteins (MUPs) 9 2.4 Cats 10 2.5 Mustelids 11 2.6 Possums (with reference to other marsupials) 13 3. Odour perception and expression 14 3.1 How do animals perceive odours? 14 3.2 Influence of the MHC 16 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Olfactory Communication in the Ferret (Mustela Furo L.) and Its Application in Wildlife Management
    Copyright is owned by the Author of the thesis. Permission is given for a copy to be downloaded by an individual for the purpose of research and private study only. The thesis may not be reproduced elsewhere without the permission of the Author. OLFACTORY COMMUNICATION IN THE FERRET (MUSTELA FURO L.) AND ITS APPLICATION IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT A Thesis Prepared in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Zoology at Massey University Barbara Kay Clapperton 1985 �;·.;L��:"·;�� �is Copyrigj;lt Fonn Title:·J.;:E,:£j;esis: O\fgc:..�O("j CoW\I"'h.JA"lC,citQC\ � �� '�'Jd" � (�tJ.o.kgL.) � -\� C\�ic..Q;"er.. \h wA�·�. (1) ta.W-:> I give permission for my thesis to be rrede a���;�d�� .. -; ':: readers in the Massey University Library under conditi¥?� . C • determined by the Librarian. ; �dO n�t�sh my..,):hesi�o be�de�ai�e � _ _ re er/l.thout""my wmtten c6nse� for _ -<-L_ nths. ' ... ' � (2 ) �l.--.::�;. I � t � thej>'is, ov& c0er. rrej0Se s� ¥ I :.. an �r n�t ' ut ¥1h undef'condrtion srdeterdU.n6§. � t e rarl. I do not wish my thesis, or a copy, to be sent to another institution without my written consent for 12 nonths. (3 ) I agree that my thesis rrey be copied for Library use.: . �� ... Signed �,t. .... : B K Clappe n ;" Date (� �v � ; .. \, The cct1m�t of this thesis belongs to the author. Readers must sign t��::�arre in the space below to show that they recognise this. lmy· · are asked to add their perm:ment address.
    [Show full text]
  • Rodent-Borne Bartonella Infection Varies According to Host Species Within and Among Cities
    EcoHealth 14, 771–782, 2017 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-017-1291-4 Ó 2017 EcoHealth Alliance Original Contribution Rodent-Borne Bartonella Infection Varies According to Host Species Within and Among Cities Anna C. Peterson,1 Bruno M. Ghersi,1 Fernando Alda,2 Cadhla Firth,3 Matthew J. Frye,4 Ying Bai,5 Lynn M. Osikowicz,5 Claudia Riegel,6 W. Ian Lipkin,7 Michael Y. Kosoy,5 and Michael J. Blum1,8 1Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA 2Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 3School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, Australia 4New York State IPM Program, Cornell University, Geneva, NY 5Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Fort Collins, CO 6City of New Orleans Mosquito, Termite and Rodent Control Board, New Orleans, LA 7Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY 8Bywater Institute, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA Abstract: It is becoming increasingly likely that rodents will drive future disease epidemics with the continued expansion of cities worldwide. Though transmission risk is a growing concern, relatively little is known about pathogens carried by urban rats. Here, we assess whether the diversity and prevalence of Bartonella bacteria differ according to the (co)occurrence of rat hosts across New Orleans, LA (NO), where both Norway (Rattus norvegicus) and roof rats (Rattus rattus) are found, relative to New York City (NYC) which only harbors Norway rats. We detected human pathogenic Bartonella species in both NYC and New Orleans rodents. We found that Norway rats in New Orleans harbored a more diverse assemblage of Bartonella than Norway rats in NYC and that Norway rats harbored a more diverse and distinct assemblage of Bartonella compared to roof rats in New Orleans.
    [Show full text]
  • Volatile Cues Influence Host-Choice in Arthropod Pests
    animals Review Volatile Cues Influence Host-Choice in Arthropod Pests Jacqueline Poldy Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Health & Biosecurity, Black Mountain Laboratory, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; [email protected]; Tel.: +61-2-6218-3599 Received: 1 October 2020; Accepted: 22 October 2020; Published: 28 October 2020 Simple Summary: Many significant human and animal diseases are spread by blood feeding insects and other arthropod vectors. Arthropod pests and disease vectors rely heavily on chemical cues to identify and locate important resources such as their preferred animal hosts. Although there are abundant studies on the means by which biting insects—especially mosquitoes—are attracted to humans, this focus overlooks the veterinary and medical importance of other host–pest relationships and the chemical signals that underpin them. This review documents the published data on airborne (volatile) chemicals emitted from non-human animals, highlighting the subset of these emissions that play a role in guiding host choice by arthropod pests. The paper exposes some of the complexities associated with existing methods for collecting relevant chemical features from animal subjects, cautions against extrapolating the ecological significance of volatile emissions, and highlights opportunities to explore research gaps. Although the literature is less comprehensive than human studies, understanding the chemical drivers behind host selection creates opportunities to interrupt pest attack and disease transmission, enabling more efficient pest management. Abstract: Many arthropod pests of humans and other animals select their preferred hosts by recognising volatile odour compounds contained in the hosts’ ‘volatilome’. Although there is prolific literature on chemical emissions from humans, published data on volatiles and vector attraction in other species are more sporadic.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comprehensive Phylogeny of the Gundis (Ctenodactylinae, Ctenodactylidae, Rodentia) Raquel López-Antoñanzas, Fabien Knoll
    A comprehensive phylogeny of the gundis (Ctenodactylinae, Ctenodactylidae, Rodentia) Raquel López-Antoñanzas, Fabien Knoll To cite this version: Raquel López-Antoñanzas, Fabien Knoll. A comprehensive phylogeny of the gundis (Ctenodactylinae, Ctenodactylidae, Rodentia). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology, Taylor & Francis, 2011, 9 (3), pp.379 - 398. 10.1080/14772019.2010.529175. hal-01920843 HAL Id: hal-01920843 https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01920843 Submitted on 28 Dec 2020 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. A comprehensive phylogeny of the gundis (Ctenodactylinae, Ctenodactylidae, Rodentia) Raquel López-Antoñanzas & Fabien Knoll Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales-CSIC, c/ José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, Madrid 28006, Spain. E-mails (RLA): [email protected]; (FK): [email protected] Abstract The subfamily Ctenodactylinae is known from the Early Miocene up to the present. Today, this group comprises five species, which are restricted to north and east equatorial areas in Africa. However, by Miocene times, the ctenodactylines experienced their greatest diversification and widest distribution from Asia, their land of origin, to Africa where they entered during the Middle Miocene at the latest. So far 24 species can be referred to this group: Ctenodactylus gundi, C.
    [Show full text]
  • Microanatomy and Bacterial Flora of the Perineal Glands of the North American Porcupine
    59 Microanatomy and bacterial flora of the perineal glands of the North American porcupine U. Roze, K.T. Leung, E. Nix, G. Burton, and D.M. Chapman Abstract: The perineal glands of the porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum (L., 1758), are sexually dimorphic, paired pockets sprouting osmetrichial hairs. They lie between the anus and urethra, lateral to the midline, amid a sebaceous glandular ex- panse. In their active state, the glandular pockets secrete an amber substance with a terpenoid odor. When inactive, the glands produce no stain or odor. In males, activation of the glands is associated with fully descended testes. The glandular pockets yield a microbiota (‘‘microflora’’) in both their active and inactive states. We hypothesize that the active-state mi- croflora transforms a sebaceous secretion into a pheromonally active product that is disseminated by anal dragging. The glandular microflora was characterized by gas chromatography of bacterial fatty acid methyl esters (GC-FAME) and poly- merase chain reaction – denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) of 16S ribosomal RNA gene fragments of bacteria. PCR-DGGE results showed the resulting bacteria profiles were the same in both sexes, but differed between the active and inactive states. Active-state microfloras were dominated by members of the Actinobacteria and showed greater coefficients of similarity than inactive-state microfloras. The microflora of individual animals changed with time and with secretory state. We argue for a reproductive role for the activated perineal glands. Re´sume´ : Les glandes pe´rine´ales du porc-e´pic, Erethizon dorsatum (L., 1758), consistent en une paire de poches sexuelle- ment dimorphes d’ou` e´mergent des poils osme´trichiaux.
    [Show full text]