Four New Species of Mites of the Genus Bakerdania (Acari,
Heterostigmata, Pygmephoroidea) from Crimea. Khaustov A. A. — Four new species
of mites of the genus Bakerdania Sasa, 1961: B. cavernicola Khaustov, sp. n.,
B. taurica Khaustov, sp. n., B. brevicaudata Khaustov, sp. n., and B. yaltaensis
Khaustov, sp. n. are described from soils in Crimea.
Key words: Pygmephoroidea, Bakerdania, new species, Crimea.
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Spiders of Genus Drassodes (Aranei, Gnaphosidae)
of the Crimean Fauna. Kovblyuk M. M. — Illustrated descriptions and diagnoses
for 4 species of the genus Drassodes Westring, 1851: D. lapidosus (Walckenaer,
1802), D. lutescens (C. L. Koch, 1839), D. pubescens (Thorell, 1856) and D. serratichelis
(Roewer, 1928) were made based on the specimens from Crimea. The name D. macer
(Thorell, 1875), syn. n. was excluded from synonyms of D. cupreus (Blackwall,
1834) and recognized as a synonym for D. lapidosus. D. cupreus was excluded from
the list of Crimean spider species. For the first time, males of D. lapidosus
having no palpal tibial apophysis were described. Data on the distribution ranges,
phenology and landscape distributions of each species in the Crimea were presented.
Key words: Aranei, Gnaphosidae, Drassodes, redescription, new synonym.
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New Taxa of Gall Midges (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae)
from Dubrovitsa (Rovno Amber) Fedotova Z. Ŕ., Perkovsky Ĺ. E. — Two new genera
and 5 new species are described from Rovno amber: Velafacera vectabilis Fedotova
et Perkovsky, gen. et sp. n. (Dicerurini), Rhipidoxylomyia vaga Fedotova et Perkovsky,
sp. n., Winnertzia kapustini Fedotova et Perkovsky, sp. n. (Winnertziini), Volnococcopsis
korniushini Fedotova et Perkovsky, gen. et sp. n. (Holoneurini) č Ledomyia dextra
Fedotova et Perkovsky, sp. n. (Ledomyiini) from subfamilies Porricondylinae and
Lasiopterinae. There are 11 spe¬cies from 10 genera from 6 tribes and 3 subfamilies
from Dubrovitsa amber were found.
Key words: Eocene, amber, Cecidomyiidae, gall-midges, Ukraine, new genera, new
species.
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Community Structure of Testate Amoebae (Testacealobosea,
Testaceafilosea, Amphitremidae) Inhabited Soil Sphagnum Biotopes in Mixed Forests
in Middle Volga Region. Mazei Yu. A., Bubnova O. A. — Community of testate
amoebae inhabited sphagnum biotopes in a mixed forest in Middle Volga region is
composed by 40 taxa. Species diversity and evenness in different local communities
are changes in narrow limits despite of higher variable environment (moisture
content in sphagnum biotope). Abundance and composition of dominant testate amoebae
complex have close dependence with moisture content. There is maximal abundance
in dry conditions. Arcella arenaria Greeff, 1866, A. a. compressa Chardez, 1974
and A. a. sphagnicola Deflandre, 1928 dominate under wet, whereas Euglypha ciliata
glabra Wailes, 1915 and Nebela tincta major Deflandre, 1936 under dry conditions.
Species richness, diversity and total abundance increase with the depth, whereas
evenness of species structure stays uniform independently from depth. Vertical
structure of community is more prominent in wet habitats compared to dry habitats.
Key words: testate amoebae, community structure, sphagnum biotopes.
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Features of Biology and Morphology of a Rare
in the Black Sea Shrimp Tysmata seticaudata (Decapoda, Natantia, Hippolytidae).
Kovtun O. A., Makarov Yu. N. — When surveying underwater ca¬ves near Tarkhankut
Cape (western Crimea, Black Sea) a habitat of a rare night cave shrimp Lysmata
seticaudata (Risso, 1816) was discovered. Ecology of adult forms and last stages
of larvae have not been known so far. Morphological and biological features of
the species are described based on six adult specimens and large amount of larvae
and analysis of photo and video materials of nature studies in 2004–2006. They
include fertility, abundance, distribution and behavior of shrimps in nature.
The need for conservation is evident.
Key words: the Black Sea, shrimp, Lysmata seticaudata, Tarkhankut Cape, underwater
caves.
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Morphological Peculiarities of Olfactory System
in the Grass Shrimp Pandalus kessleri (Decapoda, Pandalidae). Blinova N. K.
— Aesthetascs are the basic elements of peripheral department of the olfactory
system of the grass shrimp Pandalus kessleri. Adult individuals usually possess
up to 700 aesthetascs. There is a peculiar type of the fan-shaped bristles at
bases of the aesthetascs. Primary olfactory centers are represented by paired
olfactory lobes. The olfactory lobes of the deutocerebrum of P. kessleri are the
largest and the most intensively developed neuropili of the brain, with clerly
expressed glomerular structure.
Key words: Pandalus kessleri, grass shrimp, olfactory system, aesthetasc, brain.
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Seasonal Variability of Age Structure in the
Catches of the Black Sea Sprat, Sprattus sprattus phalericus (Pisces, Clupeidae).
Melnikova E. B. — The age distribution features of the Black Sea sprat, Sprattus
sprattus phalericus (Risso) in the catches of commercial ships from the south-west
shelf of Crimea in feeding and spawning periods are given. Method of minimal sample
size determination in the study of age structure is proposed. The minimal sample
size in spawning period is 1.4 times as large as in the feeding period.
Key words: Sprattus sprattus phalericus, age structure, sample size, meaningfulness
level.
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Reasons of the Extinction of Dinosaurs Inside
the Continents. Kravchenko N. I. — A hypothesis that connects extinction of
dinosaurs with disappearance of the inner continental seas and/or large lakes
is offered for the first time. Big dinosaurs were connected to marine or lacustrine
shores due to necessity to cool their enormous bodies in the hot day time. Almost
all dinosaurs oviposited into the loose and well-aerated riparian sand, gravel
and pebble. Inside the continents such a condition ex-isted only on the shores
of tremendous lakes. Until the end of the Cretaceous period such sea-like lakes
existed only in some parts of the Inner Asia and in the West of North America.
These lakes persisted there due to the constant sinking of the wide intermountain
depressions throughout the most of the Cretaceous; the lakes re-mained constantly
deep and wide with currents and waves strong enough to sustain the wide beaches
of sand, gravel and pebble. That is why the dinosaurs persisted till the Maastrichtian
age only in these two regions, whereas in other parts of the world they extinct
much earlier. In the Maastrichtian the sinking of the depressions ceased even
in the last regions inhabited by dinosaurs. Sea-like lakes either gradually disap-peared
or turned into swamps or quiet shallow lakes with clayey or peat banks where dinosaur
eggs could not develop. As their reproduction areas disappeared, the last dinosaurs
went to extinctions. In any case, they disappeared before the iridium anomaly
time and the supposed asteroid impact; therefore, that impact had nothing to do
with the extinction of dinosaurs.
Key words: dinosaurs, eggs, reproduction, extinction, Late Cretaceous, lakes,
shores, beaches, hydrodynamics, tectonics.
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A New Species of Water Mites (Acari, Hydrachnidia,
Sperchontidae) from Himalaya Mountains (Nothern India). Peshich V., Gerecke R.
— A water mite Sperchon ivonae Pesic et Gerecke, sp. n. (Acari, Hydrachnidia,
Sperchontidae) from a stream in the Himalaya Mountains (Himachal Pradesh State,
Northern India) is described. Type material is deposited in the collection of
the Naturhistorisches Museum Basel.
Key words: Acari, water mites, new species, running waters, India.
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Description of a New Spider Species of the
Genus Gnaphosa (Araneae, Gnaphosidae) from Pakistan. Ovchinnikov S. V., Ahmad
B., Inayatullah M. — Gnaphosa pakistanica Ovchinnikov, Ahmad et Inayatullah,
sp. n. from Pakistan is described. Comments on the other two species recorded
from Pakistan are given.
Key words: Gnaphosa, Gnaphosidae, Araneae, Pakistan, spiders, new species.
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A New Species of the Genus Pseudotorymus
(Hymenoptera, Torymidae) from the Crimea. Zerova M. D., Seryogina L. Ya. —
Pseudotorymus juniperi Zerova, sp. n. is described and compared with similar species
of Pseudotorymus. The new species is reared from cecidomyiid galls on Juniperus
excelsa.
Key words: Hymenoptera, Torymidae, new species, Crimea.
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Population Structure and Seasonal Movements
of the Great Tit, Parus major (Passeriformes, Paridae), in the Crimea. Appak B.
A. — Seasonal dynamics in number of the Great Tit Parus major Linnaeus in
the Crimean Mountains is analyzed based on the results of the long-term recordings.
The analysis of seasonal changes of the Great Tit number shows migratory movements
of this species in the explored region. Study of coloration features and size
of the Great Tit in Crimea shows that the local birds and birds of the northern
populations winter here jointly, and morphological distinctions between birds
of these populations are substantial. The Great Tits of the northern populations
occur in Crimea from August to March.
Key words: Great Tit, Parus major, Crimea, number, migration, wintering, populations,
morphological distinctions.