Morphometric study of the exuviae of Aeshna juncea (Linnaeus, 1758) (Odonata: Aeshnidae)

The aim of this study was to estimate different body measurements and derive prediction equation for live weight of Jamuna basin sheep using different body measurement. A total of 520 individual records of sheep (47 males and 473 females) including all temporary at nine-month age (320), first pair permanent at 1.6 year age (161) and 2nd pair permanent at two years age (39) were collected from two Upazila of Sherpur district. Body weight (BW) was taken using a weighing scale and different measurements were taken using the tailor's tape measure and measuring stick while animals were on standing position. Data were analyzed with the help of SPSS-v-20 computer package program. Average BW, wither height(WH), rump height(RH), body length(BL), sternum height(SH), body depth(RD), bi-costal diameter(BD), ear length(EL), rump width(RW), head width(HW), rump length(RL), head length(HL), heart girth(HG), cannon bone circumference(CC) and muzzle diameter(MD) were 12.28±2.75 kg, 49.42±3.78, 54.04±3.88, 49.38±4.57, 28.06±3.00, 53.09±4.40, 15.07±2.58, 8.66±3.32, 15.72±2.33, 12.87±2.20, 14.30±2.29, 18.23±2.30, 55.02±4.71, 9.22±1.01, and 16.65±1.73cm, respectively. According to sex BW, WH, RH, SH, RD and CC were found significant (p<0.001), HG and MD were found significant(p<0.01). Stepwise multiple regression analysis according to agein all temporary groups showed that the body weight was found the best fitted equation having the highest R2value 64% (BW = - 15.53+0.24HG+0.13WH+0.16BD-.1RW+0.05EL) whereas in 1.3-1.6 and 1.9-2 years age group the R2 value for BD was 56 (BW = - 15.65+0.31HG+0.22WH)and 83% (BW = -24.51+0.21RH+0.35HG+0. 19BL-0.78RL+1.2RW-0.87HW), respectively. R2value for BD in male (BW = -28.91+0.43HG+0.35WH) and female (BW = -10.62+0.27HG+ 0.13WH+0.06BD-0.13HW+0.07BL-0.10SH-0.10RL) was 88and 59%, respectively. It is concluded that the best prediction parameter of BW was HG, WH, BD, RW, EL, RH, BL and HW. SAARC J. Agri., 18(1): 183-196 (2020)

This study was conducted with the aim of morphometrical characterization and structural indices to assess type and function of indigenous goats reared in two production system in Sidama Zone, Southern Ethiopia. The study encompassed both qualitative and quantitative parameters which were taken from 780 head of adult goats of both sexes from age 1PPI to 4PPI. Age was estimated by dentition. The qualitative traits were assessed visually and recorded while; quantitative traits were assessed using self-devised equipment. Thirteen morphometrical measurements were taken per goat and from which also indices were calculated. Data collected by visual observation and linear measurements were analyzed by Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version, 20) and the value was considered significance at P<0.05 and P<0.01. The qualitative data were assessed by chi–square test. The observed coat color patterns in studied area for both sexes across the districts were plain. Most frequently observed coat color type from sampled goats at Aroresa district were brown and black while, most frequently observed coat color type at Lokabaya district were white. The results of morphometrical measurements indicated that Does age group of 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 reared at Aroresa district had higher value for most measured traits. Bucks age group 1 and 2 reared at Lokabaya district had higher value for their body length, chest girth, rump length, horn length, body weight, rump height and chest depth except rump width, face length and head width which is higher for the Buck in age group 1 and 2 reared at Aroresa district. The Bucks reared at Lokabaya district had higher values for their neck circumference and body weight while, the Bucks reared at Aroresa district had higher value for their head width. In generally, most morphometric traits were different between the goats reared in the studied districts and these variations indicate the possibilities for selection between the goats in the areas. The regression was done to regress body weight from linear body measurements for different age and sex groups separately. As a result from multiple regressions, chest girth, body length, chest depth and neck circumference were the best fitted models to predict body weight for different age and sex groups separately.

Longevity and age of sexual maturity are key life history trait factors directly linked to ecological and evolutionary aspects. In this study, we determined age structure of Parvilacerta parva individuals from Sivas (Turkey) using skeletochronology. The maximum age was found to be seven years for females and six years for males of P. parva. A significant relationship was found between age and body size in individuals whose head length, head width and body length were measured. Additionally, it was seen that there is a significant relationship among body length, head length and head width.

Pregnant Swiss albino mice were exposed to 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 Gy of gamma radiation on day 17 of gestation. Sham-exposed controls were examined for comparison. Exposed mice as well as controls were left to complete gestation and parturition. Pups were observed up to age 6 weeks; appearance of physiological markers (pinna detachment, eye opening, fur development, vaginal opening, and testes descent), postnatal mortality, body weight, body length, head length, head width, and tail length were recorded. A significant delay in fur development was observed at 0.3 Gy and in other physiological markers at doses above 0.3 Gy, while a significant increase in mortality and growth retardation occurred only at 1.0 and 1.5 Gy. Although congenital anomalies such as syndactyly and bent tail were observed at doses of 0.5-1.5 Gy, only syndactyly showed a statistically significant increase in frequency. A statistically significant lower body weight was observed during the first week of postnatal life, but body weights increased to normal levels by the second week in animals exposed to doses less than 1.0 Gy. At higher doses, low body weight persisted throughout the postnatal period. Head length and tail length showed a significant decrease from controls at 0.5-1.5 Gy, and the effect was evident from birth to age 6 weeks. But a similar effect on body length and head width was noticed only at 1.0 and 1.5 Gy. These studies indicate that even in the absence of any major morphological changes, normal development of physiological landmarks and postnatal growth can be impaired by fetal irradiation at 17 days p.c. (post coitus). Morphological changes appear to have a threshold between 0.3-0.5 Gy, while physiological marker effects may occur with a lower threshold.

Abstract. Ustadi, Ikhsan N, Junus M, Suyadi. 2021. Improving the larvae acceptance rate and morphometric characteristics of queen Apis cerana javana by grafting larvae at different ages. Biodiversitas 23: 166-170. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of different ages of grafted larvae on the acceptance rate and morphometric characteristics of queen Apis cerana javana Fabr. The total of 72 larvae were 1, 2, and 3 days old and was reared in 7 colonies with 3 treatments (larvae age) and 6 replications. The morphometrics studied consisted of body length, emergence weight, head length, head width, thorax length, thorax width, fore wing length, fore wing width, abdomen length, and abdomen width. The results showed that the different ages of grafted larvae had a highly significant on body length, emergence weight (P&lt;0.01), significant on abdomen length (P&lt;0.05), but not on head length, head width, thorax length, thorax width, fore wing length, fore wing width, abdomen width, acceptance rate. However, the higher acceptance rate was 73.33% to be found in 1 day old of larvae than in 2 and 3 days old. The age of grafted larvae of 1 day old has a higher body length, emergence weight, and abdomen length (P&lt;0.05) than in 2 and 3 days old of larvae. Thus, it can be concluded that the age of grafted larvae of 1 day old was the best age to queen rearing of Apis cerana javana.

The population variability of three breeds of Nigerian sheep was investigated using multivariate discriminant analysis. The sampled populations comprised mature 331 Yankasa, 296 Uda and 166 Balami sheep kept by traditional farmers in northern Nigerian. A total of ten morphological traits (withers height, rump height, body length, face length, rump length, tail length, chest circumference, head width, shoulder width and rump width) were collected on each animal. The univariate analysis revealed that the body measures of Balami sheep were significantly larger (P<0.05) than others with the exception of tail length. Uda sheep also had higher mean values (P<0.05) than their Yankasa counterparts in all the morphological traits analysed. However, the stepwise discriminant analysis revealed that head width chronologically followed by tail length, chest circumference and body length were more discriminating in separating the three sheep populations. The Mahalanobis distance of the morphological traits between Yankasa and Balami sheep was longest (4.83) while the least differentiation was observed between Uda and Yankasa sheep (1.79). Nearest neighbour discriminant analysis showed that most Balami sheep (61.45%) were classified into their source genetic group. While 41.22% of Uda sheep were misclassified as Yankasa sheep, 35.35% of Yankasa were wrongly assigned as Uda sheep, showing the level of genetic exchange that has taken place between the two breeds overtime. The present phenotypic information could be complemented with genetic analyses; and serve as a basis for designing appropriate conservation, breeding and selection strategies for Nigerian sheep.

Morphological traits, as core components of functional traits, are fundamental in determining environmental adaptability. However, under climate warming, the adaptive morphological changes and associated ecological risks of locust populations migrating to higher altitudes remain poorly understood. Here, we investigated Calliptamus italicus, the dominant locust species in the desert steppes of the Ili River Basin, to explore the response patterns of its morphological functional traits along an altitudinal gradient and their relationships with environmental factors. Morphological measurements revealed that forewing area, width, and length, as well as hindwing width, exhibited highly significant positive correlations with altitude (p &lt; 0.01); in contrast, body length, head width, head height, pronotum length, pronotum width, hind femur length, and hind tibia length displayed significant negative correlations with altitude (p &lt; 0.05). All morphological indicators presented highly significant sexual dimorphism (p &lt; 0.001). Ratio analysis showed that the pronotum width-to-head width ratio (M/C), pronotum height-to-head width ratio (H/C), and forewing length-to-hind tibia length ratio (E/F) were significantly positively correlated with the altitudinal gradient (p &lt; 0.05), with all ratios exhibiting significant sexual differences (p &lt; 0.05). Random Forest analysis showed that PC1 (75.5% of variation) reflected traits for feeding, jumping, and reproduction, whereas PC2 (5.6%) represented flight-related traits, with significant sexual dimorphism. This study demonstrates that trait variation in C. italicus along an altitudinal gradient is closely linked to environmental factors. Our findings provide critical data for predicting habitat adaptation responses in locust populations, thereby enhancing the precision and efficacy of locust plague management and contributing to the conservation and restoration of desert steppe ecosystems.

The discriminate function and canonical correlation analysis were carried out in order to differentiate between subpopulations, and to determine the discriminate variables which may contribute on the differentiation of the three Pesisir cattle subpopulations in West Sumatra. Around 528 of Pesisir cattle's were as sample. They were distributed in three subpopulations in West Sumatra: Pesisir Selatan, Padang Pariaman, and Agam districts. Body measurement data were collected for body weight, body length, withers height, hip height, chest width, chest depth, chest girth, hip width, head length, and head width. The data were statistically analyzed by using discriminate function. The results of the study found that the Pesisisr cattle growing in Padang pariaman showed very different in body measurement with those growing in Agam and Pesisir Selatan subpopulation. The results also indicated that withers height, hip height, head width, body weight, and head length were the most importance body measurement to differentiate amongst the Pesisir cattle population in west sumatra.

Regression equations are presented for the estimation of dry weight from head width and body length for 20 common New Zealand stream‐dwelling macroinvertebrate taxa. Equations for taxa grouped at order level are also provided. A power equation, y = a x b is used to express the relationship between dry weight and body size. For the majority of taxa, dry weight could be estimated with more precision from body length than from head width.

The life stages of Macroglenes penetrans (Kirby), an egg–larval parasitoid of the wheat midge, Sitodiplosis mosellana (Géhin), are described. The mean length and width, respectively, of 25 parasitoid eggs deposited in host eggs were 0.105 ± 0.008 (SD) mm and 0.041 ± 0.006 mm. Mature oocytes were 0.131 ± 0.008 mm long by 0.038 ± 0.004 mm wide, slightly larger than laid eggs.A frequency distribution of head width (HW) indicated two larval instars during the feeding period. During development, the HW of the first instar remains almost constant at about 0.03 mm whereas body length (BL) increases from about 0.15 to about 0.3 mm. Both HW and BL increase in the second instar from about 0.15 and 0.49 to 0.34 and 1.05 mm, respectively, for mature larvae. The third instar does not feed and is characterized by hook-like "pseudomandibles" and four incurving spines on the terminal segment. The pupa is adectious exarate. Adults are about 2 mm long, shiny bluish-black, and have translucent wings. Males have prominent rust-coloured eyes; eyes of females are less prominent and fuscous.

Aeolothrips intermedius is a thrips predator often found in phytocoenoses worldwide. Both the adults and larvae of this species prey on small invertebrates, including phytophagous species from Thysanoptera group. The aim of this study was to determine the morphological variability of the A. intermedius relative to the locality and, indirectly, to the species of host plant. Insects were collected from five localities in southwest Poland and five different host plants. For each of the sexes, six morphometric features were assessed: body length, length of antennae, wing length, head length, head width and length of pronotum. Additionally, the body mass for each individual was estimated. The findings revealed that in females, both the locality and host plant had a significant impact on almost all of these features. In males, the morphometric features under study correlated strongly with locality and only moderately with the host plant. Certain differences were observed between males and females, mainly in terms of antennae length. The results show that A. intermedius exhibits significant variability in this respect, which is indicative of the species’ phenotypic plasticity. The body length was the trait with the most distinct response to the locality and host plant.

Three populations of the Triturus cristatus superspecies were studied using morphological and electrophoretic techniques. Two bivariate statistics - the ratio between the length of forelimbs and interlimb distances and that between head width and body length - and eleven allozyme loci revealed close similarity between a sample taken in Moravia (Czech Republic) and a sample of T. dobrogicus collected in Vienna (Austria). Accordingly, the Moravian population should be classified as T dobrogicus. Therewith, the northeastern limit of the known distribution of Triturus dobrogicus is extended into the Czech Republic.

Morphometric characterization is the foundation for conservation initiatives, performance enhancement, breeding, and a long-term utilization strategy. This study aimed to determine the morphometrics of Kacang goats under a semi-intensive system in Talawi District, Sawahlunto, based on different ages and sexes. This study used 221 total Kacang goats (140 female and 81 male). Morphometric measurements included the head length, head width, head height, chest girth, body length, and shoulder height. A descriptive analysis approach was utilized in this study, with mean, standard deviation, and coefficient of variation presented. The findings demonstrated that the head and body size of Kacang goats in Talawi increased by age, with female sizes higher than male goats. Adult goats showed chest girth, body length, and shoulder height less than the Indonesian Standard for the Kacang breed. According to the findings of this study, Kacang Goats in Talawi have features below the SNI standard, and female goats have larger morphometric sizes than male goats. Selection programs and the introduction of superior males should be done to improve the productivity of Kacang goats in Talawi.

Alate viviparous female. (Plate III, figs. 1-6.) General color of body and appendages brown. Length of body 1.64 mm. Head very dark brown. Width much greater than the length. Posterior margin somewhat curved, front between the antennae strongly arched. Dorsal surface with a few very short fine spines each arising from a minute circular clear area. Width of head across the eyes .408 mm. Eyes dark reddish-brown; large, prominent, with elongated ocular tubercles. Ocelli large, bordered with black. Antennae dark brown except a small basal portion of the third segment which is somewhat lighter than the rest; six-segmented, reaching about to the middle of the abdomen. The unguis of the sixth segment slightly longer than the third segment and the fourth longer than the fifth. The first two segments smooth, the remaining segments definitely imbricated, all segments with a few very short reclining spines. Length of antennal segments as follows: I, .068 mm., II, .048 mm., III, .286 mm., IV, .204 mm., V, .163 mm., VI, base, .082 mm., unguis, .326 mm. Third segment with 13 oval to circular sensoria scattered over most of one side of the

The Lesotho Merino sheep is a native Merino strain formed from the indigenous fat‐tailed sheep through crossbreeding over many generations. This study is aimed at phenotypically characterizing Merino sheep locally bred in four agro‐ecological zones of Lesotho, facilitating easy selection based on morphological traits. Body weight (BW), body length (BL), withers height (WH), rump height (RH), chest girth (CG), rump length (RL) and rump width (RW) were measured in 2515 mature shorn Merino ewes from four agro‐ecological zones: mountains (n = 1554), the Senqu River Valley (n = 350), lowlands (n = 395) and foothills (n = 216). A multivariate discriminant analysis procedure identified and quantified the traits that differentiate the Merino sheep across these agro‐ecological zones. The structure matrix indicated that RL had the highest loading (0.82) in Function 1, whereas WH (0.6) and head width (0.36) exhibited the highest loadings in Functions 2 and 3, respectively. The standardized canonical discriminant coefficients showed that RL (1.02) and RW (0.60) were the highest in Function 1, whereas CG (0.65) and RH (0.41) were in Function 2, and WH (1.61) and RW (0.41) were in Function 3. The Mahalanobis distance was highest between the lowlands and the Senqu River Valley (3.46) and lowest between the mountains and foothills (0.61). Principal component analysis (PCA) extracted three components per agro‐ecological zone. Morphological traits differentiate Merino sheep across the agro‐ecological zones, suggesting the presence of two strains: one suited for the mountains, the Senqu River Valley, and foothills and another suited for the lowlands.