Musée National d'Histoire Naturelle

Six potential Ca‐Mg‐Fe carbonate reference materials were assessed for oxygen and carbon isotope ratios homogeneity by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). This new suite includes three dolomites (Tucka‐22, M9548.2, Eugui) and one ankerite (WPA‐177‐2) with Fe# ranging from 0.0004 to 0.3429, one magnesite (M21350.2) with Fe# = 0.0099 and one siderite (Vizille‐1) with Fe# = 0.6152. The six materials were split into 128 to 2048 metrologically identical aliquots, each containing roughly 100 mg of sample. In this study, we report a detailed characterisation of the split materials for their major and minor chemical element compositions using electron probe microanalysis (EPMA), mineralogical compositions using X‐ray diffraction (XRD), oxygen and carbon isotope values determined in three independent gas‐source isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GS‐IRMS) laboratories. The repeatability of our SIMS measurements varied from ± 0.15 to ± 0.31‰ (1 standard deviation, 1 s ) for δ 18 O and from ± 0.29 to ± 0.71‰ (1 s ) for δ 13 C. These six carbonate samples span a wide range in oxygen (δ 18 O VSMOW from 12.98 ± 0.09‰ to 26.92 ± 0.11‰, 1 standard error of the mean, 1SE) and carbon (δ 13 C VPDB from ‐11.74 ± 0.20‰ to 2.43 ± 0.06‰, 1SE) isotope ratios. Significant SIMS compositional matrix effects of +6.7‰ (for δ 18 O) and ‐3.2‰ (for δ 13 C) were observed along the dolomite‐ankerite solid‐solution series in the compositional range Fe# = 0.0004 to 0.3429. Similarly, large compositional matrix effects of +4.2‰ and ‐9.5‰ were observed for δ 18 O and δ 13 C, respectively, along the magnesite‐siderite solid‐solution series. This confirms the need for multiple matrix‐matched reference materials spanning across a wide range in chemical compositions in order to get accurate SIMS isotope ratios in carbonate minerals that form solid‐solutions. The Ca‐Mg‐Fe carbonate reference materials described in this study were produced in sufficient amounts to be available to the global geochemical community for years to come.

Vector-borne pathogens (VBPs) are becoming increasingly important in veterinary medicine and public health, with wildlife potentially playing a key role in their transmission. The objective of the current study was to investigate the occurrence of vector-borne pathogens in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Spleen samples from 277 legally hunted foxes were collected over a period of twelve months (May 2020 to April 2021) in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. VBPs were identified by performing PCR analysis on the samples, followed by Sanger sequencing, and a phylogenetic analysis was performed on Mycoplasma spp. A total of 94 % of the samples showed a positive result. The pathogens identified were Hepatozoon spp. (77 %), Babesia vulpes (68 %), Mycoplasma haemocanis (5 %), Mycoplasma spp. (5 %), Bartonella taylorii (1 %), Bartonella rochalimae (0.7 %), and Trypanosoma pestanai (0.4 %). None of the examined samples tested positive for filarioid helminths, Rickettsia spp., and Anaplasmataceae. This study highlights the role of foxes as reservoirs for pathogens that may affect domestic animals and humans, potentially contributing to the spread of these pathogens through shared environments and vectors.

Abstract. A series of 17 museum tourmaline samples from several pegmatites of Minas Gerais, Brazil, were investigated by several techniques including single-crystal X-ray structure refinements, electron microprobe, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-TOF-MS). Chemically, most samples are Na-dominant on the X site and therefore belong to the alkali group. They correspond to fluor-elbaites or elbaites, where similar proportions of Al and Li share the Y positions. Elbaites are located close to the elbaitic end-member, with Fe2+ strongly depleted and the schorlitic component negligible, while fluor-elbaites tend to align along the fluor-elbaite to fluor-schorl solid solution. One sample, with vacancies dominant on the X site, is identified as a rossmanite close to the foitite compositional field. Besides the classical schorlitic substitution, several other mechanisms were observed, evolving towards rossmanite (XNa++0.5YLi+=X□+ 0.5 YAl3+), towards liddicoatite (XNa++0.5YAl3+=XCa2++0.5YLi+), or towards oxy-foitite (0.5 XNa++YFe2++0.5W(OH)-=0.5X□+YAl3++0.5WO2−). Single-crystal data indicate a unit-cell parameters varying between 15.8187(3) and 15.9309(3) Å and c parameters ranging from 7.0924(2) to 7.1279(2) Å. These values are similar to those obtained for Brazilian tourmalines of the elbaite–schorl solid solution. A detailed cation distribution has also been established, indicating that the B site is fully occupied by boron, that the T site is mainly occupied by Si and sometimes by minor amounts of B, and that the Z site is mainly occupied by Al with sometimes minor amounts of Fe3+. The X site contains vacancies, Na, K, and Ca, and the Y site is occupied by Li, Al, and Fe2+ and minor amounts of Mn2+, Ti, Mg, and Zn. In two samples, a significant disorder between Li and Ca on the X and Y sites has been observed. The position of our samples in a diagram correlating the fluorine and the Fe2+ contents of tourmalines indicates that they are below the trend admitted for primary pegmatitic tourmalines. This feature can be explained by their occurrence in miarolitic cavities, where fluid circulations may affect the tourmaline composition. Finally, the trace-element contents, including rare earth elements (REEs), are discussed in detail and appear to be influenced by both the geochemical pegmatitic context and crystal–chemical constraints.

Abstract The hitherto oldest known mass mortality of clam shrimp is described from the Early Devonian (Emsian) of Luxembourg. This (almost) monospecific clam shrimp association allows for a much more comprehensive assessment and understanding of preservational and ontogenetic variation in a single taxon, Pseudestheria diensti (Gross, 1934). This suggests that other taxa originally described from the “classical” Willwerath locality, the type locality of P. diensti, are variants of the latter, and thus Pseudestheria subcircularis Raymond, 1946 and Palaeolimnadiopsis ? eifelensis Raymond, 1946 are synonymized here with P. diensti. A further clam shrimp taxon, for which we propose a new species, Palaeolimnadia stevenbeckeri n. sp., is found in the same stratum, but not in the mass mortality layer itself. The clam shrimp mass mortality is interpreted to reflect sudden destruction of the original habitat on a delta plain and subsequent transport and burial in a marginal marine low-energy setting.http://zoobank.org/0cfcb6a1-3fb7-4a1a-a1a4-609f8b1bc536

We present an overview of wildlife-vehicle collision (WVC) liability covering 36 European countries. We reviewed approaches to WVC liability which are currently in effect across Europe and their potential consequences for WVC reporting. To obtain relevant information, we conducted a survey, including a web-based questionnaire. We retrieved answers to questions related to human fatalities from WVC, the existence of WVC databases, roadkill data systems and recommendation for drivers in the event of WVC. In 19 countries, no one is liable when a motorized vehicle collides with a wild animal. In the remaining countries, road managers or road owners may be liable as well as drivers or hunters, either consistently or under certain conditions. Liability can, in some countries, be changed after a legal assessment. Human fatalities due to WVCs have been reported in 27 countries, with approximately 90 deaths annually across European roads. The number of injured people and estimates of socio-economic losses were not possible to obtain at a European level as many countries lack reliable databases. We discuss how existing WVC liability across countries provoke some actors to transfer liability to another actor or avoid reporting these incidents altogether. WVC underreporting in certain national databases is one of the consequences of the existing WVC liability rules in the given countries. This fact reduces the potential to identify hotspots and define appropriate mitigation measures. In conclusion, we propose several procedures for modifying WVC liability that could enhance wildlife protection and road safety.

The recovery of wolves (Canis lupus) across Europe is a notable conservation success in a region with extensive human alteration of landscapes and high human population densities. We provide a comprehensive update on wolf populations in Europe, estimated at over 21,500 individuals by 2022, representing a 58% increase over the past decade. Despite the challenges of high human densities and significant land use for agriculture, industry, and urbanization, wolves have demonstrated remarkable adaptability and increasing population trends in most European countries. Improved monitoring techniques, although varying in quality and scope, have played a crucial role in tracking this recovery. Annually, wolves kill approximately 56,000 domestic animals in the EU, a risk unevenly distributed and differently handled across regions. Damage compensation costs 17 million EUR every year to European countries. Positive economic impacts from wolf presence, such as those related to reducing traffic accidents with wild ungulates or supporting wildlife tourism, remain under studied. Wolf recovery in Europe is supported by diverse policy and legal instruments such as LIFE programs, stakeholder platforms, as well as the EU Habitats Directive and the Bern Convention. Coexisting with newly established wolf populations in Europe entails managing impacts on human activities, including livestock depredation, competition for game, and fear of attacks on humans, amidst varying social and political views on wolf recovery. Sustainable coexistence continues to operate in evolving and complex social, economic, and political landscapes, often characterized by intense debates regarding wolf policies.

Chewing lice (Phthiraptera) are obligate and permanent ectoparasites commonly found on birds. The life cycle of these insects is completed on the body of the host and therefore many are host specific. This is the first report of chewing lice on a wild Golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) and a zoo-kept Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) in Tyrol, Austria. Three different species of chewing lice were identified: Craspedorrhynchus aquilinus was found on Aquila chrysaetos and Colpocephalum turbinatum and Falcolipeurus quadripustulatus were found on Gyps fulvus. The lice were identified morphologically and by barcoding. Chewing lice (Phthiraptera) of eagles, vultures, and other Accipitriformes are understudied, and further research is needed.