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Ants form an important insect group in many terrestrial ecosystems. The research of ant species diversity is a relevant line of ecological and faunistic studies to completely reveal the biodiversity. Particular attention is given to Protected Areas where a high level of ant species diversity is known. The study of ant fauna and ant community structure was carried out in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve in 2014–2020. Material has been obtained using hand collecting, on census routes, and using carbohydrate and protein baits. The annotated list of ants in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve includes 42 species belonging to 11 genera and three subfamilies. Of them, 17 species are reported for the first time in this Protected Area. Most ant species belong to the genera of Formica, Lasius, and Myrmica, which amount to approximately 75% of the ant species richness in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve. The zoogeographical analysis of the ant fauna demonstrated seven geographical range types with a predominance of the European-West-Siberian and North-Palaearctic ranges. The ant diversity was analysed using the Renyi diversity profile based on census route data. The spatial distribution of ant species was estimated using detrended correspondence analysis. We found a high level of ant species diversity, conditioned by the effect of species evenness in the Mordovia State Nature Reserve. The most species-specific habitats were pine (Pinus sylvestris) forests with Convallaria majalis predominance in herb layer, linden (Tilia cordata) forests with participation of Betula pendula and Picea abies, dry Poa pratensis-dominated meadows, and moist meadows with predominance of Lupinus polyphyllus. The differences between the studied habitats were determined by microclimate conditions for specific ant species. On the model plots, the ant species density was about 7 species per 100 m2 in average.

The free-roaming cat population in Japan is increasing, and these cats are regarded as a tourism resource in some areas; however, their welfare status is unknown. Thus, this study assessed the welfare status of free-roaming cats in the old town of Onomichi City, Hiroshima, Japan. Route censuses were conducted 8 times per month for 3 years to estimate cat populations in the uptown and downtown areas of Onomichi. In the 1st year, we found 124 cats and 80 cats in the uptown and downtown areas, respectively. Approximately half the cats in each area were in poor physical condition. By the 3rd year, 99 of the 124 uptown cats and 66 of the 80 downtown cats had disappeared; moreover, uptown cats in poor physical condition disappeared in significantly greater numbers than those in good condition. It was presumed most missing cats died from illness or injury as opposed to having migrated elsewhere. This study suggests the welfare status of free-roaming cats in Onomichi is poor, and organized management of these cats is a matter of great urgency to improve their status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Daisuke Tanamura and Euichi Hirose (2017) Gastropterids are generally small sea slugs with vivid colors. In a shallow back-reef at Zanpa (Okinawajima Island, Ryukyu Archipelago), ve gastropterid species were observed during route censuses (0-2.6 m in depth, 400 m in length) conducted from November 2011 to June 2014 (89 times, 32 months): Sagaminopteron ornatum , Siphopteron brunneomarginatum , Si. citrinum , Si. flavum , and Si. tigrinum . Among them, Si. tigrinum was observed only in 2013, but the other four species were observed every spring during the survey. When the route was divided into four zones based on depth and dominant substrata, each species was mainly found in particular zones. In laboratory experiments for substrate selection, Si. flavum significantly preferred natural sand and rubble to flat glass-bottoms, glass beads, dried sand, or bleached rubble, suggesting that substrate material is a potential key for habitat selection in this species. Although a larger number of individuals preferred natural sand from their principle habitat to natural sand from a deeper zone where this species was rarely observed, no significant difference was found in the preference by binomial test.