Hares and rabbits (Leporidae) in collection of the saris museum, Bardejov (Slovakia)

Размещено на http://www.allbest.ru/

Hares and rabbits (Leporidae) in collection of the saris museum, Bardejov (Slovakia)

Alexander Csanady

University of Presov, Faculty of Humanities and Natural Sciences (Presov, Slovakia)

Hares and rabbits (Leporidae) in collection of the Saris Museum, Bardejov (Slovakia). -- A. Csanady. -- The Natural History Department of the Saris Museum, Bardejov, Slovakia, was established in 1956 by PhMr. Tibor Weisz. The mammal collection consists of more than 5 000 specimens of 67 mammal species of the Slovakian fauna. The museum mostly represents the fauna of north-eastern Slovakia, i.e. the transition area between the Eastern and Western Carpathians and adjacent to the northernmost part of the Pannonian Basin. In the paper, data are presented on hare and rabbit specimens deposited in the collection of the Saris Museum in Bardejov (SMB), Slovakia. In total, data were evaluated on 27 specimens of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) from twelve sites of Slovakia (n = 19), one site of Czech Silesia (n = 1), and from unknow localities (n = 7). Individuals were acquired in 1958-1971, but mainly in 1965-1966 (n = 19, 70.4 %). Among them, one specimen had signs of „albinism“ and was collected from Zlate village. The collection also includes a skull of a brown hare with anomalous dentition. Similarly, two skulls of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) obtained from the Danish preparator N. H. Gustaffson were evaluated. Three rabit specimens were also found in the collection, including two skulls of the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and a skin-mount and skull of a domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus forma domestica). The collection contains 20 adult specimens (15 males and 5 females) with body size values recorded in the protocol cards. Mammalogical collections in the Saris Museum in Bardejov represent an outstanding scientific time capsule. All stored specimens in this particular and other similar collections, including those in local museums, will largely be needed and used as datasets by ecologists and conservationists in the future. It is necesary to preserve the collections, to computerise and digitise their inventories and the wealth of information they represent. At present, most of these data are not accessible electronically or online. Therefore, such collections, including that in Bardejov, must be sustained for a long term, which will require increased funding for their physical and scientific preservation.

Key words: hares, rabbits, faunal data, Slovakia, natural history collections.

Introduction

The Natural History Department of the Saris Museum in Bardejov, Slovakia (hereafter the SMB) was established in 1956 by PhMr. Tibor Weisz. The typical feature of T. Weisz's way of work was his focus toward collecting significant, long-term series of the same species from a single geographical area (Hromada et al. 2015). In total, between 1956-1983, he collected and deposited in the SMB's collection approximately 400 000 specimens of the fauna (invertebrates and vertebrates) and flora (Hromada 2015). He focused primarily on north-eastern Slovakia, particulary nearby to Bardejov city and the adjacent territory, i.e. the transition area between the Eastern and Western Carpathians adjacent to the northernmost part of the Pannonian Basin. Therefore, this area is of great interest from a zoogeographical point of view (Hromada et al. 2015).

In case of mammal collection, he collected material which provide more than 5 thousand specimens and useful source of data not only for zoological, but also ecological, morphological, biodiversity and conservation research (Hromada et al. 2015). It is very important, because museums with collections and data they represent provide entrance into the history and inform about the present (Cavarzere et al. 2017; Arbelaez-Cortes et al. 2017; Lacey et al. 2017; Hope et al. 2018; Dowler 2019). Moreover, they can help to predict the future of natural habitats and human-altered environments and then predict changes in biodiversity (Kress, 2014; Minteer et al. 2014; Rocha et al. 2014; Krell & Wheeler 2014; Holmes et al. 2016). Kemp et al. (2015) showed that three-quarters of newly named mammalian species are already part of natural history collections. Sometimes, the had been unrecognised for a century or longer, or misidentified and unlabelled. On the other hand, older specimens often lack the data needed to answer modern questions (Page et al. 2015; Hromada et al. 2015; Monfils et al. 2017; Drew et al. 2017).

The collection documents also allow to obtain information on the frequency and periods of reproduction, social behaviour of animals, migration, the food chain or the impact of parasites and external factors on body shape and size. They can also serve for research into population biology, evolutionary biology and systematics (Garnett & Les Christidis 2017).

Therefore, the main aim of this paper was to study hares and rabbits deposited in the SMB collection.

Material and Methods

In this paper, presented and evaluated are data of 27 specimens of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) from twelve sites of Slovakia (n = 19), one site of Czech Silesia (n = 1), and from unknow localities (n = 7, Fig. 1). All specimens (skin-mounts, study skins, and skulls) were divided by location and year of collection (Table 1, Figs 2, 3, 4). Similarly, information is given about two specimens of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) obtained from the Danish preparator N. H. Gus- taffson, most likely from Denmark (Figs 5, 6). Three rabbit specimens were also found in the SMB collection. They belong to the wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) represented by two skulls and a skin-mount and by one skull of the domestic rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus forma domestica).

Based on catalogue protocols with body size data, most of the specimens belong to adult animals (Hell 1972; Semizorova & Svarc 1987; Hell & Slamecka 1999).

Results and Disscusion

The importance of the SMB mammal collection in studies of animal biodiversity and morphometry was showed in previous studies (e.g. Canady 2013, 2015; Canady Comor 2015; Canady & Onderkova 2016; Canady et al. 2015a-b; Csanady et al. 2019a-b). In this paper, I focused on hares and rabbits (order Lagomorpha, family Leporidae) deposited in the collection. The family Leporidae, which includes hares and rabbits, represents one of the two extant families in the order Lagomorpha. It contains 11 genera and 63 species (Schai-Braun & Hacklander 2016), of which species of two genera (Oryctolagus and Lepus) are represented in the Slovakian fauna (Kristofik et al. 2012a-b).

The first one, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus Linnaeus, 1758) occurs in Slovakia discontinuously and sporadically, mainly in lowlands and uplands, especially in western Slovakia (Kristofik et al. 2012a). The second one, the European hare (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) is a well known species common in entire area (Hell 1972; Kristofik et al. 2012b) being the most abundant in lowlands and uplands in the warm lowland areas of Podunajska nizina and Vychodoslovenska nizina (Kristofik et al. 2012b). The aforementioned authors stated that both species are represented in Slovakia by nominative subspecies (O. c. cuniculus and L. e. europaeus). Similarly, the specimens of both species were deposited in the SMB collection.

Moreover, the SMB collection also contains specimens of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus Linnaeus, 1758), an arctic/subarctic species that mainly inhabits the tundra and taiga and has a fragmented distribution range in Europe (Schai-Braun & Hacklander 2016). hare rabbit faunal data slovakia

Summarisation of samples deposited in SMB collection confirmed the presence of twenty-seven brown hare specimens (Table 1) collected in various places (Fig. 1) and times (Fig. 2) mainly in north-eastern Slovakia (vicinities of Bardejov city) and Czech Silesia. The specimens were collected in 1958-1971, but mainly in 1965-1966 (n = 19, 70.4 %). It should be noted that these record locality data were also included into the summarisation of “Mammals of Slovakia: distribution, bionomy, and protection“ as unpublished data (see Kristofik et al. 2012a-b). The SMB collection contains 20 adult specimens (15 males and 5 females) with body size values recorded in the protocol cards.

Fig. 1. The number of brown hare (Lepus europaeus) specimen deposited in the SMB collection according to record localities.

Рис. 1. Кількість зразків зайця сірого (Le- pus europaeus) у колекції Музею Шаріша в Бардейові за місцями збору.

Fig. 2. The brown hare (Lepus europaeus) deposited in the SMB collection according to years of records.

Рис. 2. Кількість зразків зайця сірого (Lepus europaeus) у колекції Музею Шаріша в Бардейові за роками збору.

Table 1 The brown hare (Lepus europaeus) samples deposited in the SMB collection

Таблиця 1. Вибірки зайця сірого (Lepus europaeus) у колекції Музею Шаріша в Бардейові

The furs (Fig. 3) showed a colouration typical for the brown hare in Slovakia (e.g. Hell 1972; Hell & Slamecka 1999; Kristofik et al. 2012b) except for one specimen (see Fig. 4). This anomalously coloured individual had signs of „albinism“ and was obtained from Zlate village. However, we can not confirm that it was a completely albino individual because information about the eye colour was not found. Likewise, the colour of the fur suggests only partial albinism.

Colouration anomalies in brown hares were rarely found in Slovakia. Several authors have noted albinism (Horvath 1961; Mocko 1977), flavism (Sovis 1962, 1978), partial albinism and melanism (Hell 1972). Similarly, one specimen of the mountain hare (L. timidus) in typical winter fur is also present in the SMB collection. This specimen is displayed as a skin-mount in the public exhibition (Fig. 5) and its skull stored in the museum deposit (Fig. 6).

Fig. 3. Study skins of the brown hare (Lepus eu- ropaeus) deposited in the SMB collection.

Рис. 3. Тушки зайця сірого (Lepus europaeus) у колекції Музею Шаріша в Бардейові.

Fig. 4. A mounted male of the brown hare deposited in the SMB collection with anomalously coloured fur (in protocol cards with No. 550/59 stated as “albino“).

Рис. 4. Опудало самця зайця сірого з колекції Музею Шаріша з аномальним забарвленням хутра (під № 550/59 в облікових картках з позначкою «альбінос»).

Fig. 6 Skull of the mountain hare (Lepus timidus) deposited in the SMB collection (in protocol cards with no. 40/71).

Рис. 6. Череп зайця білого (Lepus timidus) з колекції Музею Шаріша (під № 40/71 в облікових картках).

Fig. 7. Skull of the brown hare (Lepus europaeus) deposited in the SMB collection with anomalous dentition.

Рис. 7. Череп зайця сірого (Lepus europaeus) з колекції Музею Шаріша з аномальними зубами.

One specimen of the European rabbit (O. cuniculus) is also displayed in the public exhibition as a skin-mount (in protocol cards with no. 32/65) having a fur colouration typical for the species. However, the exact record locality of this specimen is ambiguous. This is related to a record in a protocol indicating a locality from north-eastern Slovakia (i.e. Komarov), but on the skull stored in the collection, Opava (i.e. Czech Silesia) was indicated. I asume that the correct locality was Komarov and this contradiction occurred because the taxidermist (Mr. Boruvka) was from Opava.

It should also be noted that the collection also includes a skull of the brown hare with anomalous dentition (Fig. 7). The skull is deposited without protocol number and was collected in Zborov village in 1961.

Conclusions

Results presented in this study confirm the knowledge about the occurence of the studied species as well as highlight the importance of the SMB collection. Specimens and associated data are essential for making informed decisions about management and conservation now and in the future. Mammalogical collections of the Saris Museum in Bardejov represent an outstanding scientific time capsule. All stored specimens in this and other similar collections, including those from local museums, will largely be needed and used as datasets by ecologists and conservationists in the future. It is necesary to preserve the collections, to computerise and digitise their inventories and the wealth of information they represent. At present, most of these data are not accessible electronically or online. Therefore, collections, including those in Bardejov, must be sustained for a long term, which will require increased funding for their physical and scientific preservation.

References

1. Arbelaez-Cortez, E., A. R. Acosta-Galvis, C. DoNascimiento, D. Eepitia-Reina, A. Gonzales-Alvarado, C. A. Medina. 2017. Knowledge linked to museum specimen vouchers: measuring scientific production from a major biological collection in Colombia. Scientometrics, 112 (3): 1323-1341. CrossRef

2. Cavarzere, V., L. F. Silveira, V. R. Tonetti, P. Develey, F. K. Ubaid, L. B. Regalado, L. F. D. A. Figueiredo. 2017. Museum collections indicate bird defaunation in a biodiversity hotspot. Biota Neotropica, 17 (4): e20170404. CrossRef

3. Csanady, A., P. Krisovsky, L. Hloska. 2019a. Pelvic and sacral size dimorphism and allometry in two predatory carnivores with different life histories and locomotory adaptations. Turkish Journal of Zoology, 43 (6): 580-591. CrossRef

4. Csanady, A., S. Durankova, E. Labancova. 2019b. Are baculum size and allometry a response to post-copulatory sexual selection in promiscuous males of the house mouse? Zoomorphology, 138 (2): 287-296. CrossRef

5. Canady, A. 2013. Variability of the baculum in the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) from Slovakia. Zoology and Ecology, 23 (3): 165-170. CrossRef

6. Canady, A., 2015. Records of partial albinism in house mouse (Mus musculus) from Slovakia. Zoology and Ecology, 25: 199-202. CrossRef

7. Canady, A., E. Comor. 2013. Contribution to the knowledge of variability of the penis bone (baculum) in Canis lupus from Slovakia (Carnivora: Canidae). Lynx (Praha) n.s., 44: 5-12.

8. Canady, A., E. Comor. 2015. Allometry of the baculum in the wolf (Canis lupus, Canidae) as an indicator of viability and quality in males. Zoology and Ecology, 25: 192-198.

9. CrossRef

10. Canady, A., A. Onderkova. 2016. Are size, variability and allometry of the baculum in relation to body length signals of a good condition in male weasels Mustela nivalis. Zoologi- scher Anzeiger. A Journal of Comparative Zoology, 264: 2933. CrossRef

11. Canady, A., L. Mosansky, P. Krisovsky. 2015a. Cranial dimorphism in Eurasian red squirrels, Sciurus vulgaris from Slovakia. Zoologischer Anzeiger -- A Journal of Comparative Zoology, 257: 96-102. CrossRef

12. Canady, A., L. Mosansky, P. Krisovsky. 2015b. Are there sex differences in the body size of the Eurasian red squirrel which affect reproductive success? European Journal of Ecology, 1 (1): 5-12. CrossRef

13. Dowler, R. C. 2019. Just what is a naturalist? Thoughts on natural history in the early 21st century. In: Bradley, R. D., H. H. Genoways, D. J. Schmidly, L. C. Bradley. (eds.). 2019. From field to laboratory: a memorial volume in honor of Robert J. Baker. Special Publications, Museum of Texas Tech University, 71: 861-871.

14. Drew, J. A., C. S. Moreau, M. L. Stiassny. 2017. Digitization of museum collections holds the potential to enhance researcher diversity. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 1 (12): 1789-1790. CrossRef

15. Garnett, S. T., L. Christidis. 2017. Taxonomy anarchy hampers conservation. Nature News, 546 (7656): 25-27. CrossRef

16. Hell, P. 1968. Taxonomic comparison of populations of hares (Lepus europaeus Pall., 1778) from lowland areas of southwestern and southeastern Slovakia. Biologia (Bratislava), 23: 901-906. (In Slovak)

17. Hell, P. 1969. Comparison of basic craniological measures Lepus europaeus Pall. from the West Slovak lowland with Lepus e. transsylvanicus Matsch. from northern and central Bulgaria. Lynx (Praha), n. s., 9: 20-24. (In Slovak)

18. Hell, P. 1972. Hare and rabbit. Priroda. Bratislava, 1-324. (In Slovak)

19. Hell, P., J. Slamecka. 1999. Hare beast. Biology, breeding and hunting in agrarian land. PaRPRESS publisher. Bratislava. 1-156. (In Slovakia)

20. Holmes, M. W., T. T. Hammond, G. O. Wogan, R. E. Walsh, K. LaBarbera, E. A. Wommack, F. M. Martins, J. C. Crawford, K. L. Mack, L. M. Bloch, M. W. Nachman. 2016. Natural history collections as windows on evolutionary processes. Molecular Ecology, 25 (4): 864-881. CrossRef

21. Hope, A. G., B. K., Sandercock, J. L. Malaney. 2018. Collection of scientific specimens: benefits for biodiversity scien - ces and limited impacts on communities of small mammals. BioScience, 68 (1): 35-42. CrossRef

22. Horvath, I. 1961. Two catches. Pol'ovnictvo a rybdrstvo, 13 (5): 10. (In Slovak)

23. Hromada, M. 2015. Natural history collection of T. Weisz in scientific publications, 1983-2015. Folia Oecologica, Acta Universitatis Presoviensis, 7: 79-88.

24. Hromada, M., A. Canady, P. Mikula, A. T. Peterson, and P. Tryjanowski. 2015. Old natural history collections for new millennium -- birds and mammals in the collection of PhMr. Tibor Weisz in Sarisske Museum Bardejov, Slovakia. Folia Oecologica, Acta Universitatis Presoviensis, 7: 115-141.

25. Kemp, C. 2015. Museums: The endangered dead. Nature, 518: 292-294. CrossRef

26. Krell, F.T., Q. D. Wheeler. 2014. Specimen collection: plan for the future. Science, 344 (6186): 815. CrossRef

27. Kress, W. J. 2014. Valuing collections. Science, 346: 13101310. CrossRef

28. Kristofik, J., P. Hell, J. Bucko. 2012. Brown hare - Lepus euro- paeus. In: Kristofik, J., S. Danko (eds). Mammals of Slovakia: distribution, bionomy and protection. Veda - Slovak Academy of Sciences, Publ. House, Bratislava, 200-206.

29. Kristofik, J., P. Hell, J. Bucko. 2012. Rabbit - Oryctolagus cuniculus. In: Kristofik, J., S. Danko (eds). Mammals of Slovakia: distribution, bionomy and protection. Veda - Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS), Publishing House, Bratislava,

30. 206-209.

31. Lacey, E. A., T. T. Hammond, R. E. Walsh, K. C. Bell, S. V. Edwards, E. R. Ellwood, R. Guralnick, S. M. Ickert- Bond, A. R. Mast, J. E. McCormack, A. K. Monfils, P. S. Soltis, D. E. Soltis, J. A. Cook. 2017. Climate change, collections and the classroom: using big data to tackle big problems. Evolution: Education and Outreach, 10 (1): 1-13. CrossRef

32. Minteer, B.A., J. P. Collins, K. E. Love, R. Puschendorf. 2014. Avoiding (Re)extinction. Science, 344: 260-261. CrossRef

33. Mocko, P. 1977. Caught an albino. Pol'ovnictvo a rybdrstvo, 29 (5): 16. (in Slovak)

34. Monfils, A. K., K. E. Powers, C. J. Marshall, C. T. Martine, J. F. Smith, L. A. Prather. 2017. Natural history collections: teaching about biodiversity across time, space, and digital platforms. Southeastern Naturalist, 16 (10): 47-57. CrossRef

35. Page, L. M., B. J. MacFadden, J. A. Fortes, P. S. Soltis, G. Riccardi. 2015. Digitization of biodiversity collections reveals biggest data on biodiversity. BioScience, 65 (9): 841-842. CrossRef

36. Rocha, L. A., A. Aleixo, G. Allen, F. Almeda, C. C. Baldwin, M. V. L. Barclay, [et al.] 2014. Specimen collection: An essential tool. Science, 344 (6186): 814-815. CrossRef

37. Semizorova, I., J. Svarc. 1987. Hare. Stdtni zemedelske nakla- datelstvi. Praha, 1-168. (In Czech)

38. Schai-Braun, S. C., K. Hacklander. 2016. Family Leporidae (Hares and Rabbits). In: Wilson, D. E., T. E. Lacher, and R. A. Mittermeier (Eds). Handbook of the Mammals of the World. Vol. 6. Lagomorphs and Rodents. I. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona, 62-148.

39. Sovis, B. 1962. Flavism in hare. Pol'ovnictvo a rybdrstvo, 14 (8): 10. (In Slovak)

40. Sovis, B. 1978. Flavism in hare. Pol'ovnictvo a rybdrstvo, 30 (4): 13. (In Slovak)

41. Smith, A. T., C. H. Johnston. 2008. Lepus timidus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T11791A3306541. CrossRef

Размещено на Allbest.ru