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The West Indies can be considered as a laboratory of biogeography and evolution, and the Caribbean Islands constitute one of the planet's biodiversity hotspots. Within the region, Cuba is the largest island and is crucial to gaining an understanding of the origin and evolutionary history of Caribbean flora and fauna. This paper provides an introduction to a Special Issue of the Biological Journal of the Linnean Society on current Cuban plant and animal biodiversity, with an emphasis on evolutionary biology and biogeography. The present issue includes 10 contributions and addresses a wide diversity of species and taxonomic groups, study levels, and research tools. This collection of articles not only provides an integrative vision of Cuba's biodiversity and the potential patterns and processes involved in its evolutionary history, but could also provide food for future research on its biodiversity from an evolutionary perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polymita brocheri (Cepolidae) is a hermaphroditic, threatened Cuban endemic tree snail, whose mating behavior has never been studied. Here, we described the mating behaviour and the use of the dart apparatus of P. brocheri, in captivity, and discussed the functional morphology of the dart apparatus and the spermatophore. The study was conducted between 2012 and 2018. Twenty-five adult individuals were collected in Maisí, Guantánamo and other seven individuals were obtained from a captive breeding colony. Individuals were kept isolated in plastic containers between 15 and 30 days before the mating sessions. Mating duration averaged 208 min and consisted of three stages: courtship, copulation and post-copulation. On average, courtship lasted 30 min, and included tactile contacts and semicircular movements. Copulation started simultaneously and lasted on average 105 min. During this stage took place the reciprocal exchange of spermatophores. The spermatophore was formed by three regions: neck, body and tail, with spines of different sizes in the neck and body. We suggested that spines might slow down spermatophore uptake into the bursa copulatrix. Post-copulation average was 76 min; penis withdrawal settled the beginning of this stage. Post-copulatory activity was characterized by semicircular movements. During all mating stages, three uses of the dart apparatus were distinguished: wiping, rubbing and stabbing, all of which were mainly directed toward the anterior region of the partner's body, usually without loss of the dart. The dart apparatus consists of several types of tissues and the accessory mucous glands possess abundant secretory cells. The low frequency of stabbing, as well as the presence of cylindrical epithelium and mucus in the atrial sac, suggest a key role of wiping and rubbing in order to transfer accessory gland products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global climate is changing quickly and as a consequence knowledge about the daily cycles, and their relationship with climate factors and reproductive biology, is a key step for conservation and management of land snails. However, this topic has not received any attention in the Cuban tree snail Polymita muscarum (Cepolidae). Hence, the aim of the present study is to characterise the daily activity pattern of the tree snail P. muscarum, and its relationship with temperature, relative humidity and mating duration. Furthermore, we evaluated the allocation of time for mating as a function of daily activity of this species. The field work was conducted in September and October- 2012, in an agroecosystem from Yaguajay, Banes municipality, Holguín province, Cuba; the number of physically active adult individuals was recorded during surveys of 30 min each hour during a 24-29 h time period in a fixed plot of 119 m2 each month. A unimodal pattern of the daily activity was detected. In both months, significant multiple regressions were found between log10 (number of physically active adult individuals + 1.5) and the climate variables studied. However, the predictive value of these equations suggests that there were other factors, no quantified in the present study, that probably also influence the number of physically active adult individuals. In the studied agroecosystem, the allocation of time for mating represented a proportion between 29-67 % in relation to the daily mating activity period, which indicates a substantial investment in reproductive effort compared to the daily cycle of P. muscarum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emergence patterns of Odonata (Insecta) from a lotic habitat in Eastern Cuba. The emergence patterns of tropical odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) are scarcely known. We studied the emergence patterns of odonates in a freshwater lotic system in Giro, Northern Santiago de Cuba, between January and December 2008. We visited the locality between 09:00 and 14:00, on a weekly basis, and collected exuviae from a fixed section (8 x 1 m2) offshore, along the riparian vegetation. We collected data on species composition and, for each species, abundance, relative biomass and emergence pattern. We collected 443 exuviae belonging to 22 species: seven Zygoptera and 15 Anisoptera. Half of the annual Odonata emergence took place in the dry season (December to March) with the highest value in February (25 %). For species for which we found seven or more exuviae per month, Enallagma coecum and Macrothemis celeno tended to be a synchronal emergence. We also found temporal segregation of the emergence pattern between M. celeno and Protoneura capillaris, Neoneura maria, Progomphus integer and Scapanea frontalis. These differences were probably related to the highest annual fluctuations of temperature, relative humidity and number of rainy days per month. We concluded that there is an asynchrony and heterogeneity in Odonata emergence times in the studied freshwater lotic system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hermaphroditic animals display a remarkable range of complex mating behaviours that are frequently related to the transfer of accessory-gland products. Here, we describe the use of the dart, an accessory reproductive device, and the mating behaviour of the hermaphroditic Cuban tree snail Polymita picta. Mating can be divided into three stages: courtship, copulation and post-copulation. Polymita picta has the longest mating duration of all Polymita species investigated so far. During courtship, a partial genital eversion exposes the sensitive zone, genital lobes and dart apparatus. During all mating stages, three uses of the dart apparatus can be distinguished: wiping, rubbing and stabbing, all of which mainly target the anterior region of the body, usually without loss of the dart. Morphological variation in the dart involves the extent of curvature, irregularities along the length and total length. These characteristics possibly provide a larger contact surface and deeper penetration through the body wall, which could result in increased sperm storage and paternity. The spermatophore is equipped with spines and we suggest that these might slow down spermatophore uptake into the bursa copulatrix. Overall, the general mating pattern, the presence of the sensitive zone, repeated use of the dart and its shape diversity support the idea that in more ancestral dart-possessing snails the dart apparatus is used to transfer accessory gland secretions, not only by stabbing but also through wiping and rubbing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuba has one of the richest land snail faunas of the world. This important fact has promoted different kind of studies on this group to promote conservation programs, from which many studies have directed their efforts to inventories, and population and community ecology. To contribute with this population knowledge, we studied land snails assemblages in three karstic elevations at the "Escaleras de Jaruco-Tapaste-Cheche" Natural Protected Landscape, Mayabeque, Cuba. We aimed to analyze the variation of the composition and structure of the assemblages between the rainy and little rainy months. The study was conducted from August to November 2009 and from January to April, 2010, in ten permanent square plots (9m²) separated for over 20m, on each elevation (Beluca, La Chirigota and La Jaula). In each plot, only live individuals were registered (physiologically active and at rest) to obtain species richness and abundance; besides, temperature (oC) and relative humidity (%) were also considered in each plot. A total of 4 248 individuals were observed which comprised two subclasses, five orders, 11 families, 20 genera and 21 species of terrestrial molluscs. From the total, 19 were Cuban endemics and eight were exclusive from Mayabeque, Matanzas. The Jaula showed the greater riches with 19 species, followed of Beluca with 17, and The Chirigota with 15. In the rainy months, La Jaula, showed individual's greater abundance with 1 707, followed of Beluca with 1 305 and La Chirigota with 1 236. We observed differences in the population density in the three elevations between the rainy and little rainy months, which can be due to the climatic adverse conditions that are shown at the little rainy months. Additionally, during the survey we observed dominance of prosobranch species over the pulmonates. The specific abundance curves showed a steep slope, although was major in the rainy months in relation to the little rain months, which indicates the presence of dominant, common and rare species in the assemblages. In this study, it was demonstrated than the riches and the abundance of land snails in all three elevations, was favored for the elevated relative humidity and the air temperature during the rainy months. These environmental conditions resulted fundamental for the survival of these terrestrial gastropods, as the reproduction and search of food were favored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many species of pulmonate land snails are equipped with one or more so-called "love darts". Even though the number and shape of these calcareous darts vary considerably between species, dart use has only been investigated in very few species. Here, we redescribe the mating behaviour of Polymita muscarum because previous reports did not include the use of the dart apparatus. Mating in this hermaphroditic land snail can be divided into three stages: courtship, copulation and post-copulatory activity. During courtship, full eversion of the genital atrium is reached, thus exposing the sensitive zone, genital lobes and dart apparatus. We observed that P. muscarum pushes the everted dart apparatus repeatedly onto different parts of the partner's body and does not lose its dart after stabbing. Dissected specimens had a single, slender dart with a round base, a broad corona and a circular cross-section. We propose that the morphology of P. muscarum 's dart is consistent with the idea of simple darts needing to be stabbed more often in order to increase the transfer of mucus, which contains a biologically active substance (i.e. allohormone) that enhances the chances of paternity. Besides adding to the growing diversity in the use of love darts in land snails, these findings contribute to the understanding of the evolution of this peculiar reproductive act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parachondria neglectus is a terrestrial mollusk endemic of Cuba. This species constitutes the only report of the Annulariidae family in the municipality of Manzanillo, Granma province. In the present study, the temporal dynamics of the structural subniche of a population of P. neglectus was characterized. Thirty expeditions were carried out between December 2013 and February 2015. 83.9 % of the mollusks were found on the ground (around the base of trees and shrubs) and 16.1 % used the trunk of eight plant species as diurnal resting substrate. The test of independence performed using a 2×2 contingency table with Yates correction showed that in the population the frequency of using one substrate or another depends on the occurrence or not of rainfall (X2 = 214.88; P = 0.0001). This species was found at an average trunk distance of 13 ± 6.42 cm. The C-index values indicated marked preference of this mollusk for Swietenia mahagoni during all climatic periods sampled. During the rainy season this species also showed statistically significant preferences for Cordia gerascanthus, Ehretia tinifolia and Bursera simaruba. For the population, the height above the ground presented a mean value of 153.5 ± 71.3 cm. The heights above the ground reached by this species on rainy and non-rainy days showed statistically significant differences (U = 21519.5; P < 0.001). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was designed with 90 neonates of the American crocodile, Crocodylus acutus, that were raised and fed with a standard diet during 50 days and with two experimental diets for 30 days, in three groups (A, B, C) kept in experimental square tanks during 30 days at the Manzanillo Zoocriadero (Province of Granma). The influence on size and body weight increase of two types of diets against the standard diet in C. acutus was analyzed, as well as the economic costs associated. The sea fish diet (B) is more effective compared to the standard diet of fish, cow liver and lung (A) and to the fly maggot diet (C), since the growth rate of neonates was 35 mm /day, growing 1.35 times more. The weight increase was 3.71 g/day, higher than the increases obtained with the other two diets. It was demonstrated that with diet B neonates grew 1.35 times more than with the diets A and C. However, each neonate fed with diet B costs 14 times more than those fed with the other two diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuba has one of the richest diving beetles species diversity in the Caribbean islands. However, Cuban Dytiscidae remain scarcely studied, and there is need to identify those species and habitats that urgently require effective conservation actions. Here we aim to identify the threatened taxa of the family Dytiscidae in Cuba according to their degree of vulnerability. For that, we compiled distributional data on the Cuban fauna, including data from literature, collections and own samplings carried out between the period 2000 and 2014. In addition, the vulnerability of the species was evaluated using a methodology that combines six criteria regarding both species and habitat attributes. This analysis of vulnerability was completed to 50 (94%) out of 53 Cuban species. Five species (9%) were identified as highly vulnerable, 20 (38%) moderately and 25 (48%) as having low conservation status. The five most threatened species were Laccodytes cobrinae, Laccophilus alariei, Copelatus barbouri, C. darlingtoni, and Desmopachria glabella. These species are endemic to Cuba and characterized by highly localized populations and low abundance as well as high habitat specificity. Thus, we propose the inclusion of these five species in both the red list of Cuban fauna and the IUCN Red List (under the category of "Vulnerable"). In addition, not all areas where these species were found belong to the National System of Protected Areas of Cuba. Thus, we suggest the inclusion of the Laguna Base Julio A. Mella and the North of Imías, and to develop effective management measures to prevent the alteration of these aquatic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]