A captorhinid-dominated assemblage from the palaeoequatorial Permian of Menorca (Balearic Islands, western Mediterranean)

The Late Carboniferous to Permian continental successions of the Southern Alps can be subdivided into two main tectono-sedimentary Cycles, separated by a marked unconformity sealing a Middle Permian time gap, generally estimated at over 10 Ma. The lower cycle (1), between the Variscan crystalline basement and the Early Permian, is mainly characterised by fluvio-lacustrine and volcanic deposits of calc-alkaline acidic-to-intermediate composition, which range up to a maximum thickness of more than 2,000 m. The upper cycle (2), which is devoid of volcanics, is mostly dominated through the Mid?–Late Permian by alluvial sedimentation which covered the previous basins and the surrounding highs, giving rise to the subaerial Verrucano Lombardo-Val Gardena (Groden) red-beds, up to about 800 m thick. The palaeontological record from the terrigenous deposits of both the above cycles consists mainly of macro- and microfloras and tetrapod footprints. The age of the continental deposits is widely discussed because of the poor chronological significance of a large number of fossils which do not allow reliable datings; however, some sections are also controlled by radiometric calibrations. The comparison with some selected continental successions in southern Europe allows to determine their evolution and set up correlations. A marked stratigraphic gap shows everywhere between the above-mentioned Cycles 1 and 2. As in the Southern Alps, the gap reaches the greatest extent during the Mid-Permian, near the Illawarra Reversal geomagnetic event (265 Ma). In western Europe, however, such as in Provence and Sardinia, the discussed gap persists upwardly to Late Permian and Early Triassic or slightly younger times, i.e. to the onset of the “Alpine sedimentary Cycle”, even though in northeastern Spain (Iberian Ranges, Balearic Islands) this gap results clearly interrupted by late Guadalupian–Lopingian deposits. The above two major tectonosedimentary cycles reflect, in our view, two main geodynamic events that affected the southern Europe after the Variscan orogenesis: the Late Carboniferous–Early Permian transformation of the Gondwana–Eurasia collisional margin into a diffuse dextral transform margin and the Middle–Late Permian opening of the Neotethys Ocean, with the onset of a generalised extensional tectonic regime and the progressive westward marine ingression.

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According to most historians, Christopher Columbus was born in Genoa, Italy. However, based on some key facts in the discoverer's biography, as well as in the linguistic analysis of his texts, some historians and linguists believe that Columbus could have been of Catalan origin. A Ligurian Columbus would have carried the Colombo surname, whereas he would have been called Colom if he were Catalan. In order to test whether it would be possible to discriminate between a Ligurian or a Catalan origin were Columbus' Y-chromosome haplotype to be retrieved, we genotyped 17 Y-chromosome STRs in 238 Spanish (from Catalonia, Valencia, and the Balearic Islands) and French Colom men, and 114 North Italian Colombo (from Liguria, Lombardy, and Piedmont). The Italian samples and, in particular, the Lombard Colombos were genetically as diverse as the general population, and we found little evidence of clusters of haplotypes that could indicate descent from a single founder. Colombo is actually the most frequent surname in Lombardy, where foundlings and orphans used to be given the surname Colombo. By contrast, Y-chromosome diversity was reduced in the Iberian Colom, where most of the men had Y chromosomes belonging to a few lineages. This implies that a positive identification would be more likely if Columbus were of Catalan descent. In this study, we have shown the diverse dynamics of two surnames linked by their etymology, in what is, to the best of our knowledge, the first genetic analysis of a surname in Southern Europe.

The role of the northward expansion of Culicoides imicola Kieffer in recent and unprecedented outbreaks of Culicoides-borne arboviruses in southern Europe has been a significant point of contention. We combined entomological surveys, movement simulations of air-borne particles, and population genetics to reconstruct the chain of events that led to a newly colonized French area nestled at the northern foot of the Pyrenees. Simulating the movement of air-borne particles evidenced frequent wind-transport events allowing, within at most 36 hours, the immigration of midges from north-eastern Spain and Balearic Islands, and, as rare events, their immigration from Corsica. Completing the puzzle, population genetic analyses discriminated Corsica as the origin of the new population and identified two successive colonization events within west-Mediterranean basin. Our findings are of considerable importance when trying to understand the invasion of new territories by expanding species.

Rural basilicas are the most important evidence of Christianization of the countryside on the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). Recent investigations of rural landscape transformations suggest that some churches were built along communication routes and linked to preexisting settlements. To obtain new data that could support this hypothesis, a geophysical survey has been carried out at the early Christian complex of Son Peretó, one of the most emblematic sites for the understanding of Late Antiquity on the island. The objective was to better define the site investigating the possible presence of other remains related to the Christian complex, that is undergoing excavation, or to a previous settlement that was later Christianized. The geophysical survey was carried out combining magnetometry and ground‐penetrating radar. For the magnetic investigation, a multiprobe gradiometer array was used. GPR was used to examine the areas nearby the remains already excavated and to better define areas where the magnetic data revealed interesting anomalies. GPR data were collected using an IDS GPR system. The results revealed both the presence of architectural remains beneath the soil that help define the Early Christian complex, as well as other remains that suggest the church was part of a larger settlement.

The paper presents the results of an interim analytical approach to the Late Roman shipwreck of Ses Fontanelles recently found in the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). The excellent state of preservation of the hull and the cargo, including amphorae with painted inscriptions (tituli picti), and its location in shallow waters offshore of one of the main touristic beaches of the island makes this a unique finding in the Mediterranean. A first season of excavations and study of the cargo triggered an analytical approach to solve some of the problems pose by archaeological research, mainly related to the possible origin of the vessel. The analytical strategy combines petrographic analysis for the study of the provenance of the amphorae, archaeozoology and residue analysis to identify their content, and analysis of the wood and plant remains to understand the use of vegetal resources in shipbuilding and in the stow of the cargo. The results of the combination of the petrographic analysis, the study of the ichthyofauna and the organic residue analysis suggest that the boat probably departed from the area of Cartagena in the southeastern part of the Iberian Peninsula, carrying a cargo of fish sauce (liquaminis flos), oil, and wine (probably also some olives preserved in grape derivatives), transported in three main types of amphorae. The analysis of the wood shows, as known in Roman shipbuilding, a clear selection of forest resources. The shipbuilders used pine for longitudinal parts of the hull, while for the small pieces related to the assemblage system (pegged, mortise and tenons) and subjected to a great stress they selected harder woods mainly Cupressaceae, Olea europaea, and Laurus nobilis. In addition, the study reveals that mainly branches of Vitis vinifera, but also other herbaceous plants were used as dunnage protecting the cargo during the journey. The results help to shed some light into different aspects of this unique vessel sunk in Mallorcan waters and contributes to show the benefit of applying archaeological sciences in maritime archaeology.

به منظور مطالعه مرجان‌های پرمین در شمال باختر ایران، برش چینه‌شناسی در کوه‌های علی‌باشی انتخاب و مورد نمونه‌برداری قرار گرفت. پس از مطالعه میکروسکپی برشهای طولی، عرضی و سریالی متعدد تهیه شده از بیش از 180 سنگواره مرجانی تعداد 12 گونه متعلق به 6 جنس از مرجان‌های روگوزا و تابولا شناسایی شد. توالی پرمین منطقه جلفا، قلمرو دو نوع فونای مرجانی است. قلمرو فونای واگینوفیلیده شامل جنس‌های شاخص مرجانهای کلنی حوضه تتیس مانند Ipciphyllum و Waagenophyllum به دیرینگی پرمین میانی؟ ـ پسین است. قلمرو فونای سیاتاکسونیا به دیرینگی پرمین پسین شامل نماینده‌های فیلوژنتیک آخرین مرجان‌های روگوزاست و غالبا دربردارنده جنس Pentaphyllum است که با فراوانی زیاد، تا نزدیکی حادثه انقراضی انتهای پرمین در رأس سازند علی باشی به حیات خود ادامه داده داده است. همچنین آخرین و جوانترین مرجان تابولا پیش از رویداد انقراضی پرمین پسین در منطقه جلفا، جنس Protomichelinia دانسته شده است. فونای مرجانی پرمین شمال باختر ایران به خوبی با فونای پرمین آباده در ایران مرکزی و فونای قفقاز جنوبی شباهت دارد. همچنین مرجانهای فونای واگینوفیلیده مشابه فونای هم سن در جنوب چین هستند، در حالی که مرجانهای سیاتاکسونیای پرمین پسین بوم‌گرایی بالایی را نشان می‌دهند.

Although they exist, fatalities related to floods are a rare occurrence in the island of Mallorca. In the aftermath of the Sant Llorenç flash‐flood of October 2018, which killed 13 people, a research was undertaken to develop database gathering information about the flood related victims on the island. The data was obtained from official reports and newspapers archives and was completed via field research and witnesses' interviews. The difficulties in obtaining information reduced the period to the past 58 years. The results show that 25 people died as a result of a flood event in basins with an average area of 19.83 km2 and a minimum of only 0.10 km2. Breaking down further into demographics, 14 were male and 11 were female. The largest number of victims is included in the 18–65 age group and 36% of the fatalities were tourists and foreign residents. Even if the number of fatalities is small compared with other Mediterranean regions, the research results highlight the importance of the need of an increased safety campaign in the Islands, aimed both to residents and to tourists as well, taking into account the importance of Mallorca as a holidays resort in Europe.

Groundwater control on the suspended sediment load in the Na Borges River, Mallorca, Spain

Rhamnus lycioides L. subsp. Oleoides (Rhamnaceae) is a perennial shrub native to the Mediterranean Basin distributed along an altitudinal gradient, from sea level up to 1 000 m a.s.l. The specific goals of our study were (i) to compare plant morphology between two contrasting populations, (ii) to determine the reproductive system of R. lycioides, quantifying the relative importance of insects and wind as pollen vectors, (iii) to test if pollen limitation differs between populations, (iv) to study the main factors influencing fruit set and (v) to compare plant reproductive performance (mass allocation to flowers, fruits and seeds) between the two habitats. In the present study, we examined plant morphology and the reproductive performance of R. lycioides L. in contrasting environments in two populations located at the extremes of its altitudinal range in the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Western Mediterranean Basin) along a 3-year period. Plant morphology, the relative importance of insects and wind as pollen vectors, the pollen limitation to seed production and the plant reproductive performance (mass allocation to flowers, fruits and seeds) were determined. Rhamnus lycioides individuals showed a higher plant surface/plant height ratio at the mountain than at the coast. This species appeared to be ambophilous despite its inconspicuous flowers, although the relative importance of wind as a pollination vector was higher at the mountain than at the coastal site. Fruit set was much higher at the mountain, where pollen appeared to be a limiting factor. By contrast, fruit set was not limited by pollen availability at the coastal population, where resource (water and nutrients) limitation seemed to be more determining. Flower size was greater at the coast, in contrast to fresh fruit weight that was higher at the mountain. Despite the relatively few differences between sites in precipitation patterns along the study period, water availability appeared to be the key factor explaining not only fruit set but also the reproductive performance of this species in the study populations.

The role of wild and free-roaming domestic carnivores as a reservoir of Leishmania infantum was investigated on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain), an endemic area for this disease. Serum, blood and/or spleen samples from 169 animals [48 dogs from a kennel, 86 wild-caught feral cats, 23 pine martens (Martes martes), 10 common genets (Genetta genetta) and two weasels (Mustela nivalis)] were analysed. Seroprevalence determined by Western blotting was 38% in dogs and 16% in feral cats, while the prevalence of infection determined by PCR was 44% in dogs, 26% in cats, 39% in pine martens and 10% in genets. This is the first report of infection by L.infantum in the pine marten or any other member of the Mustelidae family. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis found 33 different patterns in 23 dogs, 14 cats and three martens. Two patterns were shared by dogs and cats, two by different cats, and one by different dogs. Patterns were different to those previously reported in carnivores from peninsular Spain. No external lesions compatible with leishmaniasis were observed in any species other than the dogs. Although the dog is probably the primary reservoir of leishmaniasis in endemic areas, the prevalence and the absence of apparent signs of this disease within the island's abundant feral cat and pine marten populations could make these species potential primary or secondary hosts of L.infantum in Mallorca.

Several types of light traps are being used in different European countries to help determine the potential vector species of blue­tongue virus (BTV). The four traps compared in this study were: i) the Onderstepoort trap – black light trap, with 8 W ultraviolet light tube used in the United Kingdom and Italy; ii) mini-CDC – black light, model 912, with 4 W UV light tube, used in Spain and Portugal; iii) Rieb trap, white light model, with 4 W UV light tube, used from 2000 to 2006 in France; iv) UK trap, with 4 W standard white incandescent bulb, used in the past in the UK and other European countries for African horse sickness surveillance. All traps included a downdraught suction fan. Tests were conducted from 18 Oct. to 19 Nov. 2007, from 18 Feb. to 4 June 2008, and from 1 Oct. to 28 Nov. 2008. During at least nine non-consecutive nights the traps were placed following a randomized block design in four different positions on a cattle farm located on the island of Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). In 2008, only three traps (Onderstepoort, UK and mini-CDC) were tested. Results showed major differences in collecting Culicoides. The Onderstepoort trap showed the best performance in terms of total number of Culicoides captured in autumn both in 2007 and 2008. The UK trap, and especially the Rieb trap showed the lowest efficacy in terms of captures. In autumn 2008, the Onderstepoort trap cap­tured on average 90 Culicoides per night, whereas the mini-CDC captured on average 27. During spring 2008, however, the mini- CDC performed better as it captured on average 180 Culicoides per night, against 84 captured by the Onderstepoort. However, Fisher’s least significant difference test showed no statistically sig­nificant differences between the traps (P < 0.05). No remarkable difference was observed between the four traps as they all cap­tured a similar range of species. Captures of Culicoides newsteadi were greater during the autumn, and those of C. obsoletus in the spring. Finally, the Onderstepoort trap showed a higher sensitiv­ity in catching Culicoides midges in low population levels of the vector, especially during the winter season.

Many tourism destinations have historically been mass tourism destinations, focusing on sun, sea and sand package holidays. Destinations, particularly islands such as Malta and the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean have often been heavily developed on an ad-hoc basis during the 1960's and 1970s which has resulted in unplanned tourism resorts leading to much environmental and social degradation. Due to this degradation, these islands have been losing competitive advantage over other destinations and realise that both their tourism product and market is deteriorating. In response, they have developed sustainable tourism policies to counter this deterioration. This paper examines two island destinations which have attempted to implement a sustainable tourism policy: Malta and Calviá (on the island of Mallorca in the Spanish Balearics). Although different in terms of governance structure, many economic, social, environmental and political issues are compared which are similar in how they have affected successful movement towards more sustainable forms of tourism through policy development. The paper concludes with recommendations provided by stakeholders within the industry for moving towards more sustainable behaviour and provides insight into sustainable tourism policy implementation issues for other destinations.

Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) is a quarantine pathogen heavily affecting economically important crops worldwide. Different sequence types (STs) belonging to Xf subspecies are present in various areas of Spain, including the Balearic Islands, and cause the almond leaf scorch disease (ALSD) in Prunus spp. The increased demand for rapid tests for early detection of the pathogen should enforce strict containment measures. Molecular detection through isothermal amplification reactions enables simplified instrumentation and the use of raw nucleic acid extracts. Colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (cLAMP) was applied to rapidly detect Xf in naturally infected almonds on Mallorca Island (Spain), using a quick crude sap extraction without DNA purification. Following tissue homogenization, an alkaline treatment for target DNA extraction was conducted before the cLAMP test. The cLAMP assay was able to detect up to 100 CFU/mL of the Xf bacterial suspension diluted in healthy almond sap. The same crude extracts used in the cLAMP test were also tested by qPCR. An overall positive agreement of about 47% was observed between the results of the two techniques, while a decrease in cLAMP sensitivity was evident as the bacterial titer declined in infected plants over Cq > 26–27. This study shows the potential of the cLAMP application as a rapid and low-cost point-of-care diagnostic method for the timely monitoring of Xf directly in the field.

Palynological investigations in 377 m deep subsurface sediments of Bore core MLG-28 from Gundala area of Lingala-Koyagudem coal belt, Godavari Graben, Andhra Pradesh have revealed three distinctly identifiable palynoassemblages related to Early Permian (Karharbari and Barakar formations) and Late Permian (Raniganj Formation). Palynoassemblage-I showing dominance of Parasaccites alongwith high percentage of Scheuringipollenites and Callumispora belongs to Upper Karharbari. Palynoassemblage-II having dominance of nonstriate disaccates chiefly Scheuringipollenites indicates Lower Barakar affinity while Palynoassemblages-III characterised by dominance of striate disaccates along with the occurrence of some stratigraphically significant taxa, viz. Kamthisaccites, Lunatisporites, Falcisporites, Hamiapollenites, Guttulapollenites, Lundbladispora and Weylandites indicates the Late Permian (Raniganj) age. Raniganj palynoflora has been demarcated in lithologically designated Barren Measures Formation. This is the first report of Late Permian (Raniganj) palynoflora from Gundala area.