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Hodotermes Mossambicus
''Hodotermes'' (from Greek ὁδός (hodós), travelling; Latin '' termes'', woodworm) is a genus of African harvester termites in the Hodotermitidae. They range from Palaearctic North Africa, through the East African savannas to the karroid regions of southern Africa. As with harvester termites in general, they have serrated inner edges to their mandibles, and all castes have functional compound eyes. They forage for grass at night and during the day, and their pigmented workers are often observed outside the nest. Nests They nest by excavating in the soil, and the diffuse subterranean system of ''H. mossambicus'' may contain several spherical hives which may be 60 cm in diameter. They are interconnected by galleries and are located from near the surface to more than 6 m deep. Loose particles of excavated soil are brought to the surface and dumped at various points around the nest. Diet The diet of ''H. mossambicus'' consists primarily of ripe and/or frost- or drou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hodotermitidae
The harvester termites (from Greek ὁδός (hodós), travelling; Latin '' termes'', woodworm) are an ancient, Old World family of termites, the Hodotermitidae. They are distinguished by the serrated inner edge of their mandibles, and their functional compound eyes which are present in all castes. They forage for grass at night and during daylight hours, and pigmented workers are often observed outside the nest. Their range includes the deserts and savannas of Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia. Their English name refers to their habit of collecting grass, which is not unique to the family, though. General The family consists of three extant genera and some 18 or 19 species. ''Anacanthotermes'' is found in deserts and semideserts of North Africa, the Middle East, and Southwest Asia, including Baluchistan and southern India. ''Hodotermes'' has a vast range from Palaearctic North Africa, through the East African savannas to the karroid regions of southern Africa. ''Microho ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hodotermes Mossambicus
''Hodotermes'' (from Greek ὁδός (hodós), travelling; Latin '' termes'', woodworm) is a genus of African harvester termites in the Hodotermitidae. They range from Palaearctic North Africa, through the East African savannas to the karroid regions of southern Africa. As with harvester termites in general, they have serrated inner edges to their mandibles, and all castes have functional compound eyes. They forage for grass at night and during the day, and their pigmented workers are often observed outside the nest. Nests They nest by excavating in the soil, and the diffuse subterranean system of ''H. mossambicus'' may contain several spherical hives which may be 60 cm in diameter. They are interconnected by galleries and are located from near the surface to more than 6 m deep. Loose particles of excavated soil are brought to the surface and dumped at various points around the nest. Diet The diet of ''H. mossambicus'' consists primarily of ripe and/or frost- or drou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert is a large semi-arid sandy savanna in Southern Africa extending for , covering much of Botswana, and parts of Namibia and South Africa. It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African Namib coastal desert, whose name is of Khoekhoegowab origin and means "vast place". Etymology ''Kalahari'' is derived from the Tswana word ''Kgala'', meaning "the great thirst", or ''Kgalagadi'', meaning "a waterless place"; the Kalahari has vast areas covered by red sand without any permanent surface water. History The Kalahari Desert was not always a dry desert. The fossil flora and fauna from Gcwihaba Cave in Botswana indicates that the region was much wetter and cooler at least from 30 to 11 thousand BP (before present) especially after 17,500 BP. Geography Drainage of the desert is by dry black valleys, seasonally inundated pans and the large salt pans of the Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana and Etosha Pan in Namibia. The only permanent river, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pasture
Pasture (from the Latin ''pastus'', past participle of ''pascere'', "to feed") is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep, or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs (non-grass herbaceous plants). Pasture is typically grazed throughout the summer, in contrast to meadow which is ungrazed or used for grazing only after being mown to make hay for animal fodder. Pasture in a wider sense additionally includes rangelands, other unenclosed pastoral systems, and land types used by wild animals for grazing or browsing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are distinguished from rangelands by being managed through more intensive agricultural practices of seeding, irrigation, and the use of fertilizers, while rangelands grow primarily native vegetation, managed with extensive practices like co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vitellogenesis
Vitellogenesis is the process of yolk protein formation in the oocytes of non mammalian vertebrates during sexual maturation. The term ''vitellogenesis'' comes from the Latin ''vitellus'' ("egg yolk"). Yolk proteins, such as Lipovitellin and Phosvitin, provides maturing oocytes with the metabolic energy required for development. Vitellogens are the precursor cells that lead to yolk protein synthesis in the oocyte. Estrogen and vitellogenin production have a positive correlation. When estrogen production in the ovary is increased via the activation of the hypothalmo-pituitary axis it leads to heightened vitellogenin production in the liver. Vitellogenin production in the liver is the first step of vitellogenesis. Once Vittelogenins are released into the blood stream where they are then transported to the growing oocyte where they lead to yolk protein production. The transport of vitellogenins into the maturing oocyte is done via receptor mediated endocytosis which is a low density ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gekkonidae
Gekkonidae (the common geckos) is the largest family of geckos, containing over 950 described species in 64 genera. Members of the Gekkonidae comprise many of the most widespread gecko species, including house geckos (''Hemidactylus''), tokay geckos (''Gekko''), day geckos (''Phelsuma''), mourning geckos (''Lepidodactylus'') and dtellas (''Gehyra''). Gekkonid geckos occur globally and are particularly species-rich in tropical areas. Hemidactylus geckos are one of the most species-rich and widely distributed of all reptile genera. Carranza, S., and E. .. Arnold. "Systematics, Biogeography, and Evolution of Hemidactylus Geckos (Reptilia: Gekkonidae) Elucidated Using Mitochondrial DNA Sequences." Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, vol. 38, no. 2, Elsevier Inc, 2006, pp. 531–45, . Fossils The earliest known gekkonidae fossil record '' Yantarogekko'' was found in Eocene-Aged Baltic amber. Distribution Species within the Gekkonidae family can be located in every warm land ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ptenopus
''Ptenopus'' is a small genus of lizards, known commonly as barking geckos, in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to southern Africa. There are only three described species in this genus. Species and subspecies The following species and subspecies are recognized as being valid. *''Ptenopus carpi'' – Namib chirping gecko *'' Ptenopus garrulus'' – common barking gecko **''Ptenopus garrulus garrulus'' **''Ptenopus garrulus maculatus'' *'' Ptenopus kochi'' – Koch's barking gecko ''Nota bene'': A binomial authority or a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species or subspecies was originally described in a genus other than ''Ptenopus''.Alexander, Graham; Marais, Johan (2007). ''A Guide to the Reptiles of Southern Africa''. Random House / Struik Nature. . Etymology The specific name, ''carpi'', is in honor of Dutch-born South African amateur naturalist Bernhard Karp (1901–1966).Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pachydactylus
''Pachydactylus'' is a genus of insectivorous geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is endemic to Africa, and member species are commonly known as thick-toed geckos. The genus also displays rich speciation, having 57 distinct species identified when compared to other closely related gecko genera like '' Rhoptropus,'' most of which have emerged since 35 Ma. It has been suggested that the reason for this rich speciation not from adaptive radiation nor nonadaptive radiation, but that the genus represents a clade somewhere between the two drivers of speciation. ''P. bibronii'' geckos have been used by NASA as animal models for experimentation. Description The genus ''Pachydactylus'' is characterized by dilated toe tips, usually with undivided scansors. Body scales are small, granular and non-overlapping, with scattered, large keeled tubercles. Coloration of Pachydactylus species varies, but is generally drab in color. Presence of adhesive toe pads varies by species ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chondrodactylus
''Chondrodactylus'' is genus of geckos, lizards in the family Gekkonidae. The genus is commonly known as thick-toed geckos. Little is known of their biology. Species and subspecies The following species and subspecies are recognized as being valid. *'' Chondrodactylus angulifer'' – common giant ground gecko **''Chondrodactylus angulifer angulifer'' **''Chondrodactylus angulifer namibensis'' *'' Chondrodactylus bibronii'' – Bibron's thick-toed gecko *'' Chondrodactylus fitzsimonsi'' – Fitzsimons's thick-toed gecko *'' Chondrodactylus laevigatus'' – Fischer's thick-toed gecko *'' Chondrodactylus pulitzerae'' – Pulitzer's thick-toed gecko *'' Chondrodactylus turneri'' – Turner's thick-toed gecko ''Nota bene'': A binomial authority In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name compos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Trinervitermes
''Trinervitermes'' is a termite genus belonging to family Termitidae. Members are native to the Old World. They inhabit grasslands and store grass in their nests or mounds, just below the ground surface. Their grass-collecting activities are mainly nocturnal. The soldier caste has atrophied mandibles and a fontanelle squirt gun on the frons. Diterpenes and monoterpenes are released to deter ants and smaller predators, but these are not effective against larger mammalian predators. Due to the snout on the head of soldiers and their grass-collecting habits, they are known as snouted harvester termites. Species Species include: * ''Trinervitermes biformis'' (Wasmann, 1902) – India and Sri Lanka * ''Trinervitermes dispar'' (Sjöstedt) – East Africa to South Africa * ''Trinervitermes rapulum'' (Sjöstedt) – East Africa to southern Africa * ''Trinervitermes rhodesiensis '' (Sjöstedt) – East Africa to southern Africa * '' Trinervitermes trinervoides'' (Sjöstedt, 1911) – South ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aardwolf
The aardwolf (''Proteles cristata'') is an insectivorous species of hyena, native to East and Southern Africa. Its name means "earth-wolf" in Afrikaans and Dutch. It is also called maanhaar-jackal (Afrikaans for " mane-jackal"), termite-eating hyena and civet hyena, based on its habit of secreting substances from its anal gland, a characteristic shared with the African civet. Unlike many of its relatives in the order Carnivora, the aardwolf does not hunt large animals. It eats insects and their larvae, mainly termites; one aardwolf can lap up as many as 250,000 termites during a single night using its long, sticky tongue. The aardwolf's tongue has adapted to be tough enough to withstand the strong bite of termites. The aardwolf lives in the shrublands of eastern and southern Africa – open lands covered with stunted trees and shrubs. It is nocturnal, resting in burrows during the day and emerging at night to seek food. Taxonomy The aardwolf is generally classified with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bat-eared Fox
The bat-eared fox (''Otocyon megalotis'') is a species of fox found on the African savanna. It is the only extant species of the genus ''Otocyon'' and considered a basal canid species. Fossil records indicate this canid first appeared during the middle Pleistocene. It is named for its large ears, which have a role in thermoregulation. The bat referred to in its colloquial name is possibly the Egyptian slit-faced bat (''Nycteris thebaica''), which is abundant in the region and has very large ears. Although not commonly used, other vernacular names include big-eared fox, black-eared fox, long-eared fox, Delalande's fox, cape fox, and motlosi. Systematics and evolution The bat-eared fox is the only living species of the genus ''Otocyon''. Its scientific name, given by Anselme Gaëtan Desmarest, was initially ''Canis megalotis'' (due to its close resemblance to jackals), and later changed by Salomon Müller which placed it in its own genus, ''Otocyon''; its huge ears and different ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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