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9 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1950

Raccoons of North and Middle America

The raccoons, genus Procyon, colloquially known as “coons,” belong to the carnivorous family Procyonidae, which also includes the American genera Nasua, Nasuella, Bassaricyon, and Potos, and the Old World genera Ailurus and Ailuropoda of the subfamily Ailurinae. The members of the Procyon lotor group (subgenus Procyon), with a transcontinental range from southern Canada to Panama, except in parts of the Rocky Mountain region, and including those inhabiting several distant islands, are among the most familiar and characteristic of North American mammals. This group is not known to occur south of Panama. It is overlapped in the Isthmian region by the so-called crab-eating raccoons of the subgenus Euprocyon, which range from that northern limit as far south as Paraguay in South America. The raccoons have been greatly reduced in numbers or have disappeared in many formerly wooded sections, owing to clearing and intensive human occupation. Despite adverse conditions, however, they have maintained themselves in many places with remarkable tenacity. Trapping for other fur bearers may have reduced the northern fringe to some extent, but the general range of the group has been little diminished. At the present time raccoons reach their northern limit in regular occurrence on Vancouver Island, B. C. The continental forms of the subgenus Procyon constitute a compact assemblage of closely allied geographic races all assignable to Procyon lotor. Complete intergradation is evident in numerous cases and the relative value and combination of characters presented indicate such close relationships that it can safely be assumed where lack of material leaves gaps in the known ranges. In the present revision of the raccoons are treated the North American continental species as far as the eastern border of Panama and the species on outlying islands along both the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts. Thirty species and subspccics are recognized. Twenty-nine of these are assigned to the subgenus Procyon and one to the subgenus Euproc yon. The revision is based mainly on a study of raccoon material in the collection of Biological Surveys, Fish and Wildlife Service, and in other collections in the United States National Museum. These and 358 specimens borrowed from other museums make a total of 1,337 examined. The assemblage included the types or topotypes of most of the known species and subspecies. For the loan of specimens the writer is especially indebted to Dr. Thomas Barbour, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Mass. ; the late Dr. Joseph Grinnell, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Berkeley, Calif.; Dr. W. H. Osgood, Chicago Natural History Museum, Chicago, Ill.; Dr. H. E. Anthony, American Museum of Natural History, New York City; Dr. R. M. Anderson, National Museum of Canada, Ottawa, Canada; the late Oldfield Thomas of the British Museum (Natural History) ; Francis Kermode, Provincial Museum, Vancouver, British Columbia; Dr. L. R. Dice, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; and the late D. R. Dickey, Pasadena, Calif. Grateful acknowledgment is also due to Percy Shufeldt, La Cueva, N. Vex., for the generous donation of specimens collected by him in Campeche, Mexico. Notes on his examination of specimens in the British Museum have been kindly furnished by Dr. Remington Kellogg, United States National Museum, Washington, D. C. Stanley P. Young, Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D. C., generously supplied the photograph for the frontispiece. Dr. E. W. Nelson became keenly interested in the raccoons, as shown by his work on those inhabiting the Florida Keys (1930a).' During the same time and in the following year new subspecies were described jointly by Nelson and the writer in preparation for a revision of the group; but other projects claimed attention and our collaboration could not be carried beyond this preliminary stage

North American Fauna↗
USGS1996

In memoriam: Harvey I. Fisher, 1916-1994

Harvey Irvin Fisher was born on 15 June 1916 in Edgar, Nebraska, and spent his youth near Blue Springs, Missouri. Following his A.A. from Kansas City in 1935, and B.S. from Kansas State University in 1937, he married Mildred Hoch; they had three sons. He received his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1942. From 1942 through 1945, while at Berkeley, he was Technical Curator, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, Biologist with the Crocker Radiation Laboratory, and Assistant Editor of The Condor . In 1944 he joined the AOU, became a Fellow in 1950, and was Editor of The Auk from 1948 to 1952 (to which he contributed numerous book reviews). He later became a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the International Academy of Science.

The Auk↗
USGS2021

Western pond turtles in the Mojave Desert? A review of their past, present, and possible future

= The western pond turtle ( WPT ) was formerly considered a single species ( Actinemys or Emys marmorata ) that ranged from southern British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, México. More recently it was divided into a northern and a southern species. WPTs are found primarily in streams that drain into the Pacific Ocean, although scattered populations exist in endorheic drainages of the Great Basin and Mojave deserts. Populations in the Mojave Desert were long thought to be restricted to the Mojave River, but recently another population was documented in Piute Ponds, a terminal wetland complex associated with Amargosa Creek on Edwards Air Force Base. WPT fossils in the Mojave Desert are known from the Miocene to the Pleistocene. Recently, Pleistocene fossils have been found as far into the desert as Salt Springs, just south of Death Valley. The oldest fossil records suggest that WPTs were present in wetlands and drainages of the geological feature known as the Mojave block prior to the uplift of the Sierra Nevada Range about 8 Ma and prior to the ~ 3 Ma uplift of the Transverse Ranges. Archaeological records document use of turtles by Native Americans for food and cultural purposes 1,000 or more years ago at the Cronese Lakes on the lower Mojave River and Oro Grande on the upper river. The first modern publication documenting their presence in the Mojave River was 1861. Museum specimens were collected as early as 1937. These fossil and early literature records support the indigenous status of WPTs to the Mojave River. However, mtDNA -based genetic evidence shows that Mojave River turtles share an identical haplotype with turtles on the California coast. Limited nuclear data show some minor differences. Overdraft of water from the Mojave River for municipal and agricultural uses, urban development, and saltcedar expansion are threats to the continued survival of WPTs in the Mojave River.

California, Nevada↗
USGS1982

A field evaluation of frogs as a potential source of secondary organophosphorus insecticide poisoning

Because amphibians are relatively resistant to organophosphorus insecticides and can bioaccumulate residues to high levels, they may be a source of secondary poisoning for vertebrates that feed on them. This hypothesis was tested by determining residues in breeding upland chorus frogs Pseudacris triseriata, that were collected from ponds treated with the organophosphorus insecticide fenthion. Frogs were collected up to 3-days posttreatment in four areas that were treated with fenthion formulated in either diesel oil or water. No residues of fenthion were detected above the 0.01 ppm level of analytical sensitivity. These results indicate that the frogs were not a likely source of secondary poisoning for predatory vertebrates.

Canadian Journal of Zoology↗
USGS1920

Pliocene and Pleistocene fossils from the Arctic coast of Alaska and the auriferous beaches of Nome, Norton Sound, Alaska

Exploration of the geology of the Arctic and subarctic shores of Alaska began as early as the voyages of Kotzebue and Beechey, in 1816 and 1826, and a detailed report on the vertebrate fossils found there, with a wealth of illustration, was made by Sir John Richardson in 1854, in the "Zoology of the voyage of the Herald." Nothing of importance beating on the Tertiary invertebrates of this region appears in the literature of the nineteenth century, and but little on those of the older formations.

Alaska↗
USGS2021

Ecological correlates of fecal corticosterone metabolites in female Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrococercus urophasianus)

Measurement of physiological responses can reveal effects of ecological conditions on an animal and correlate with demographic parameters. Ecological conditions for many animal species have deteriorated as a function of invasive plants and habitat fragmentation. Expansion of juniper (Juniperus spp.) trees and invasion of annual grasses into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) ecosystems have contributed to habitat degradation for Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrococercus urophasianus (Bonaparte, 1827); hereafter, “Sage-Grouse”), a species of conservation concern throughout its range. We evaluated relationships between habitat use in a landscape modified by juniper expansion and annual grasses and corticosterone metabolite levels (stress responses) in feces (FCORTm) of female Sage-Grouse. We used remotely sensed data to estimate vegetation cover within hens’ home ranges and accounted for factors that influence FCORTm in other vertebrates, such as age and weather. We collected 36 fecal samples from 22 radio-collared hens during the brood-rearing season (24 May–26 July) in southwestern Idaho 2017–18. Concentrations of corticosterone increased with home range size but decreased with reproductive effort and temperature. The importance of home range size suggests that maintaining or improving habitats that promote smaller home ranges would likely facilitate a lower stress response by hens, which should benefit Sage-Grouse survival and reproduction.

Idaho↗
USGS2011

Vertebrate species introductions in the United States and its territories

At least 1,065 introduced vertebrate species have been introduced in the United States and its territories, including at least 86 mammalian, 127 avian, 179 reptilian/amphibian, and 673 fish species. Examples in each major taxonomic group include domestic cat, small Indian mongoose, red fox, goat, pig, rabbit, rats, house mouse, gray squirrel, nutria, starling, Indian common myna, red-vented bulbul, brown treesnake, red-eared slider, brown trout, tilapia, and grass carp. We briefly review some of these species and the types of damage they cause. We then review the basic types of methods used for control or eradication of each taxonomic group, including physical, chemical, biological, and cultural methods. We discuss some of the challenges in managing these species, including issues with the use of toxicants, land access, public attitudes, and monitoring difficulties. Finally, we list some ongoing research and future research needs, including improved detection methods, improved attractants, improved barriers, improved capture methods, fertility control, and risk assessment methods.

Current Zoology↗
USGS2019

Intra- and interspecific variation in production of bile acids that act as sex pheromones in lampreys

Pheromones are important sexual signals in most animals, but research into their evolution is largely biased toward insects. Lampreys are a jawless fish with a relatively well-understood pheromone communication system and offer a useful opportunity to study pheromone evolution in a vertebrate. Once sexually mature, male sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), and likely other lampreys, produce and release bile acids that act as sex pheromones. Spawning males do not feed and therefore produce bile acids primarily for sexual communication whereas larvae produce the same bile acids but for digestion, offering an opportunity to compare the evolution of bile acids produced for sexual versus nonsexual functions. We profiled eight pheromone-related bile acids in livers from larvae and males and determined the effect of life stage on intra- and interspecific variation in bile acid production. Our results indicate less variation among males than larvae within P. marinus but more variation among species for males than larvae. We postulate that bile acid production in males is shaped by directional or stabilizing selection that reduces variance within P. marinus and directional or disruptive selection that promotes diversification across species. Although our results offer support for a role of sexual selection in the evolution of a lamprey pheromones, they do not eliminate possible roles of other aspects of lamprey ecology.

Physiological and Biochemical Zoology↗