MediaID TaxonID Type Subtype Format Subject Title Description AccessURI ThumbnailURL FurtherInformationURL DerivedFrom CreateDate Modified Language Rating Audience License Rights Owner BibliographicCitation Publisher Contributor Creator AgentID LocationCreated GenericLocation Latitude Longitude Altitude ReferenceID 1final Passalidae http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology

The Passalidae, or bess beetles, are a family of about 500 beetles (Coleoptera) within one of the main clades of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Adults are relatively large, ranging 20-70 mm (0.75-2.75 inches) long, roughly cylindrical, shiny black beetles with ridged elytra, strong jaws, and lamellate antennae. Larvae have the typical scarabaeiform larval shape and appearance, but do not exhibit the C-shaped curl of other Scarabaeoidea and possess a pair of highly reduced hind legs, such that the larva appears to have only four legs rather than six. Passalid beetles are found world-wide, mainly in the tropics. In the United States, the family is represented by just two species: the widespread Odontotaenius disjunctus and the similar, less well-known species O. floridanus, which is known to occur only in a small area in Florida and was described in 1994.

The ecology of the Passalidae, especially species in the Old World, is not well known. While most feed and live in logs in advanced stages of decay, a few are associated with leaf litter collected by arboreal fern rhizomes or even found in the waste chambers of leaf cutter ants (Attaspp.), which are also rich in decaying plant matter.

Most of our knowledge on passalid life history is inferred from observation and experimentation on O. disjunctus. The Passalidae are unusual among the Coleoptera in that most species, if not all, are presocial, ie. they live in small family groups of multiple long-lived individuals that cooperate in rearing offspring. Both male and female adults excavate galleries in rotting logs, engage in defense against competitors, and feed the offspring pre-chewed wood, which the larvae cannot ingest otherwise. Larvae and recently metamorphosed adults also feed on adult fecal pellets, which aid digestion. Adults cooperate to assist larval offspring or siblings in the construction and repair of a pupal case out of wood and feces. Because the development time from egg to adult occurs in only a few months, while adult lifespan can reach years, a group of sexually mature adults in an established gallery can potentially rear multiple broods of offspring over their life time. Both larvae and adults of O. disjunctus can produce sound by, stridulation the former using the extremely reduced hind legs and the latter with their wings. While there is some evidence for the adaptive value of adult stridulation for deterring predation, showing aggression, and courtship, the function of stridulation in communication between adults and larvae within the colony is less clear.

Odontotaenius disjunctus is one of several recorded hosts for the tachnid fly Zelia vertebrata, whose larvae somehow penetrate the galleries to burrow into and feed within the bodies of the well-hidden beetle larvae. Other predators of the Passalidae probably include generalist vertebrates such as birds, rodents, or large mammals that find the beetles by searching for nests in logs and breaking open the galleries. The economic importance of bess beetles is minor and lies primarily in the service they provide as part of the community of organisms that decompose decaying plant matter and return carbon into the soil.

(Cotinis et al 2013; Gray 1946; Mahoney 2009; Schuster 1975; 1984, 1994, 2005; Schuster and Schuster 1997, 1985; Buchler et al. 1981; Browne and Scholtz 1999)

Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Jason Chen Jason Chen Dana;BoingBoing 1;2;3;4;5;6;7;8;9;10;11 2final Streptomyces clavuligerus http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology Streptomyces clavuligerus is a member of the gram-positive, soil-dwelling Actinobacteria, a class of bacteria largely responsible for producing the chemical geosmin which causes the sweet earthy smell after it rains. This species was first described in 1971 after being isolated from a South American soil sample (Higgens and Kastner 1971). Like other members of the genus, it exhibits a very complex life cycle that includes multicellular, spore-bearing hyphae and semi-dormant spores that can survive up to 70 years in the soil. Streptomyces clavuligerus is important pharmaceutically because it produces the antibiotic clavulanic acid which is worth more than one billion dollars annually.  It also produces more than 20 characterized secondary metabolites (more than any other organism to date) including several types of antibiotics and other potentially useful bioactive compounds. More than 20% of the gene clusters coding for these compounds are found on one of its plasmids, the largest plasmid ever to be sequenced (Medema et al. 2010; Song et al. 2010). Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Nicole Ferguson Nicole Ferguson Dana;BoingBoing 12;13;14;15;16;17 3final Tenrecinae http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology

Tenrecinae, known as the spiny tenrecs, is a subfamily of Afrotherian mammals within the Tenrecidae family. Tenrecinae contains five hedgehog-like species in four genera (Hemicentetes, Tenrec, Setifer, and Echinops), all indigenous to Madagascar. The common tenrec (Tenrec ecaudatus) also flourishes on Réunion, Mauritius, the Comoros, and the Seychelles, Indian Ocean islands where it has been introduced (Olsen 2013; Smith 2012).

Spiny tenrecs range from 80 grams to 2 kilograms (2.8 oz to 4.4 lbs) in size, generally larger than species in the three other tenrec subfamilies, and are mostly solitary and nocturnal (Garbutt 2007). Omnivores, they feed primarily on insects and soft invertebrates such as earthworms, though some species also eat baby rodents and frogs (Olsen 2013, Garbutt 2007). Barbed, quill-like spines are a distinguishing feature found throughout the Tenrecidae family. These spines are especially prominent on the coat of all five spiny tenrec species and are arranged much like the spines on a hedgehog (however hedgehog spines are derived from multiple hairs while tenrec spines are formed from a single modified hair; Olsen 2013, Garbutt 2007). When threatened, a spiny tenrec will curl into a ball, exposing its spines in self-defense. This similarity to a hedgehog-like life strategy is just one example of the considerable convergent evolution to other insectivore species for which the Tenrecidae family is well known (Olsen 2013, Garbutt 2007).

The genus of streaked tenrecs, Hemicentetes, is unusual in that its members produce sound with specialized row of quills that they stridulate, or rub together (Garbutt 2007; Davies 2011). Stridulation is thought to be a way for mothers and offspring to communicate. In contrast to other tenrecs, which are solitary, streaked tenrecs share burrows with related individuals (Garbutt 2007). The lowland streaked tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus) is also unusual in that it is partially diurnal (active during the daytime; Olsen 2013, Garbutt 2007). In addition, the barbed spines of this genus can detach and become lodged in an unlucky predator’s skin (Garbutt 2007).

The larger spiny tenerecs are hunted as a food and hide source and E. telfairi is successfully farmed on Réunion Island for meat, a practice that may spread (Olsen 2013; Harduin 1994; Tatayah and Driver 2000). Hunting does not appear to reduce population sizes of these species. The IUCN rates all five spiny tenrec species as “of least concern” on the red list of threatened species, since these animals are common within their limited distribution and readily adaptable to disturbed habitats, often among human habitation, and they breed readily (Jenkins and Goodman, 2013a,b; Olson and Goodman 2013; Vololomboahangy and Goodman 2013a,b). The common tenrac, Tenrec ecaudatus, is the most fecund mammal known. It can have a litter of 32 babies up to twice a year, and females may have up to 29 nipples (Garog 1999; Olsen 2013). The lowland streaked tenrec holds the mammalian record for shortest generation time: 25 days (Olsen 2013).

Spiny tenrecs are becoming more integrated into the Western world: several species, including the lesser hedgehog tenrac (Echinops telfairi) and the greater hedgehog tenrec (Setifer setosus) have become popular in the pet trade (Wikipedia 2013; Crittery Exotics 2012). Interestingly, however, due to the fact that spiny tenrecs are difficult to distinguish from hedgehogs, the US Department of Agriculture has banned their entrance into the US, because hedgehogs carry Foot and Mouth disease (even though tenrecs do not; Olsen 2013). The nuclear genome of one Tenrecinae species, the lesser hedgehog tenrec (Echinops telfairi), has been sequenced as part of the 29 Mammals Genome Project (Broad Institute 2013; Lindblad-Toh et al. 2011). The complete mitochondrial genome of this species had previously been sequenced (Nikaido 2003). This tenrec may become a model organism in science as its genome is explored, providing wider evolutionary diversity to the more conventional set of model organisms.

Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Maria Malzone Maria Malzone Dana;BoingBoing 18;19;20;21;22;23;24;25;26;27;28;29;30;31;32;33;34;35 4final Tillandsia usneoides http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology

Tillandsia usneoides (commonly called Spanish moss, although it is neither Spanish nor moss) is an atypical angiosperm, a primitive and xerophytic member of the Bromeliaceae. It is native to the coastal plain of the United States from Virginia to Texas and to tropical America as far south as Argentina and Chile. Its distribution may be correlated with major storm paths (Garth 1964). The blue-gray plant consists of a slender stem, up to 25 feet long, with alternating leaves growing chain-like to produce “festoons” (Billings 1904). The leaves are needle-shaped and covered with silver-gray scales. The inconspicuous fragrant flowers, which appear from April to June, are blue or pale green and have three petals. Spanish moss is dependent upon a host species or object upon which to grow. It is typically found on the branches of sparsely foliated or dead deciduous trees in high-humidity environments with soils rich in calcium carbonate (Garth 1964).

\nSpanish moss can grow from seeds but is typically spread by windblown fragments or from fragments incorporated in birds’ nests. This epiphyte has no roots; it captures all its water and nutrients from rain and dust in the atmosphere. Its vascular system is degenerate: Spanish moss has no functional xylem or phloem, water is absorbed by scales over the entire surface of the plant and every cell of the plant either photosynthesizes on its own or is proximal to a cell that shares resources (Billings 1904). It fixes carbon by Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM), an adaptation to arid conditions in which carbon dioxide enters the stomata at night to reduce loss of water in its cells.

\nNative American tribes traditionally used fibers derived from Spanish moss to weave into coarse cloth for bedding, to cord into rope, and to produce fire-tempered pottery (USDA NRCS 2013). Because the plant accumulates heavy metals, including mercury, it has proven useful in monitoring mercury pollution in urban areas (Malm et al. 1998; Fonesca et al. 2007).

\n Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Barbara Strack Barbara Strack Dana;BoingBoing 36;37;38;39;40;41 5final Atractaspis http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology

The burrowing asps (Atractaspis) are a genus of 15 species of venomous snake within the Atractaspididae family. Their range spans from Southern Africa up to the Sahara and into the Middle East (Underwood and Kochva 1993). They have earned themselves many other English common names, including mole viper, stiletto snake, and side-stabbing (or back-stabbing) snake. The Sudanese titles for these African and Arabic snakes are even more dramatic, with names such as ‘Father of blackness’, ‘Shroud bearer’, and ‘Bite dead’ (Greene 1997). Snakes of this genus are rarely seen due to their fossorial (burrowing) lifestyle, though they can sometimes be found crawling at the surface at night, especially after rains (Greene 1997). Their bodies are specialized for tunneling in the earth, giving them an overall worm-like shape with a cylindrical body, stubby tail, indistinct neck, and protruding upper jaw to help push through dirt and sand. All species within the genus look very similar with smooth scales and brown or black coloration, occasionally with a pale underbelly (Deufel and Cundall 2003).

Despite a somewhat drab and unassuming exterior, snakes in genus Atractaspis have rotating fangs unique in the snake world. Each fang moves autonomously and rotates out sideways to allow the snake to stab backwards into its prey, a huge divergence from the frontal strike characteristic of most venomous snakes. This method of feeding probably evolved as an adaptation to hunting in confined spaces, a challenge common to fossorial snakes (Deufel and Cundall 2003). Species of Atractaspis have hemorrhagins, specialized cardiotoxins and neurotoxins in their venom, which is used primarily to immobilize prey (Greene 1997, Kochva 2002). Their diet includes small rodents, frogs, other snakes, and often burrowing reptiles such as legless lizards, and/or amphisbaenians (worm lizards) (Shine et al. 2006, Deufel and Cundall 2003). When threatened, they hide their head in the coils of their body and raise their tail to mimic the head (Kochva 2002). Burrowing asps do not usually threaten people, though there have been a few cases of humans being bitten. Bite symptoms can include fever, nausea, general weakness, sweating, pallor, fluctuations in the level of consciousness, a rise in blood pressure, edema, and cardiovascular effects from the sarafotoxins that can even lead to cardiac arrest (Greene 1997, Stafford 2000, Kochva 2002). Venom toxicity varies greatly between the species of Atractaspis, and even varies between members of the same species in different geographical locations (Kochva 2002). An antivenom has been developed to counteract the effects of an Atractaspis bite (Abd-Elsalam 2011, Ismail et al. 2007).

Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Katie Moyer Katie Moyer Dana;BoingBoing 42;43;44;45;46;47;48;49 6final Dugong dugon http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology

The dugong (Dugong dugon) is the only living species in the mammalian family Dugongidae and one of only four species in its order, Sirenia. It inhabits shallow marine waters from East Africa to Vanuatu, from the Philippines down to Australia. Dugongs grow up to thirteen feet (4 m.) long, and weigh between 500 and 2,000 pounds (225-900 kg). Their smooth skin can be brown or grey, and it is covered approximately every inch with short sensory bristles. They have small eyes and a round oral disk that is densely covered with more stiff sensory bristles. They do vocalize, but unlike whales and dophins (the only other fully aquatic marine mammals), they do not utilize echolocation. Dugongs are similar in overall appearance to other sirenian species (the manatees). Differences include more caudal location of their nostrils on their snout than manatee nostrils and their tails are fluke-like, as opposed to the round tail seen in manatees.

Dugongs are herbivores. Sea grasses are consumed preferentially, but they will also eat some algae. Dugongs have molars that continue to grow throughout life. This may be beneficial to counteract the dentally abrasive effects of the silica that naturally occurs within the plants of their diet. Dugongs are strictly marine and therefore do not require fresh water, though they will drink it if it is provided.

Multiple anthropogenic activities, including hunting, watercraft collisions, fishing gear entanglement, and habitat loss and degradation have had negative impacts on the dugong. Natural occurrences, including extreme weather phenomena such as cyclones and predation by sharks and orca whales, also cause mortalities. Dugongs reproduce slowly, and provide a great deal of maternal investment; the calf suckles for at least 18 months. These factors make dugongs slow to rebound from population declines. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species lists dugongs as Vulnerable to extinction.

(Lanyon et al. 2006; Marsh 1988, 2008; Marsh et al. 1978; Marsh et al. 2001; Marsh et al. 2002)

\n\n Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Nicole Jaggi Nicole Jaggi Dana;BoingBoing 50;51;52;53;54;55 7final Origanum syriacum http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology

Zatar (Origanum syriacum), also known as Syrian oregano or bible hyssop, is an herbaceous perennial in the Lamiaceae (mint) family. A bushy herb, it grows 30-40 cm (12-16 inches) high, with oblong-ovate and slightly hairy leaves that are 10-15 cm (4-6 inches) long. It produces white flowers in spring and is very aromatic. A native of the Mediterranean, zatar is indispensable in Lebanese cuisine and is used medicinally. Some bible scholars believe zatar to be the 'hyssop' mentioned in the bible. As zatar is an Arabic word, it is translated into English with varying spellings (including za'tar, za'atar and zahtar). This common name is also used to refer to other plant species in the Laminaceae such as Satureja thymbra, Thymbra spicata and Coridothymus (Thymus) capitatus, all of which share a similar flavor profile and are used in the same ways. Zatar is the most economically important wild plant in Lebanon, where it grows wild in the mountains. As tons are harvested and consumed every year, it has recently been brought into cultivation. Used fresh or dried and crushed, zatar is a popular culinary herb and is used in the production of mankouche flatbread. A popular seasoning throughout the Middle East, zatar is transformed into the eponymous spice mix via the addition of sumac, sesame seeds and salt and pepper. Recipes vary, and a distinctly Palestinian variant replaces the sesame with caraway seeds.

(Barakat 2007; Constantino 2009; Musseman 2007; Khairallah 2010; Missouri Botanical Garden, n.d.; The Plant List 2010)

Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Emma Cooper Emma Cooper BoingBoing 56;57;58;59;60;61 8final Nepenthes http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology

Nepenthes is a genus of tropical pitcher plants, ranging from Southeast Asia, its center of diversity, westward into the Seychelles and eastern Madagascar and south to Australia. Nepenthes is the most diverse group of carnivorous plants to have evolved sophisticated pitcher traps and the only genus in the family Nepenthaceae. As in other carnivorous plants, the adaptive value of carnivory is thought to lie in the acquisition of nitrogen in nitrogen-poor environments.

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Pitchers grow on tendrils extending from the midribs of leaves and trap prey passively, collecting pools of water into which prey are lured (with bright colors and nectar secreted on the pitcher rim), drowned, and digested with no energetic active movement on the part of the plant. In some species a single plant may grow some pitchers that lie recumbent on the substrate and others that hang suspended in mid-air; this results in leaf dimorphism, in which ground pitchers are different in shape, size, and appearance from aerial pitchers. Though most prey are small nectarivorous insects, the largest Nepenthes species may produce pitchers capable of trapping small vertebrates such as lizards, rodents, and birds. A few species have evolved modifications of the prototypical pitcher morphology and behavior to collect leaf litter (N. ampullaria) or vertebrate droppings (N. lorii, N. rajah, N. macrophylla, and N. rafflesiana).

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Phytotelmata, the pools collected in Nepenthes pitchers, provide unique habitats that can support not only opportunistic species but entire faunal communities. These unusual and specialized communities are analogous to the phytotelmata collected by tree holes and New World bromeliads. Not surprisingly, Nepenthes species potentially form many mutualistic and commensalistic interactions with animals in their native ranges. The small organisms associated with Nepenthes traps are known as nepenthephiles, and may consist of both opportunistic and specialized inhabitants; the nature of their relationships with other nepenthephiles and with the plant, and the costs and benefits for all participants is often unclear. The water itself contains a community of protozoa, invertebrates, and even tadpoles that feed on excess prey, undigested prey remains, or each other, and may aid the plant in digestion.

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The small mutualistic ant Camponotus (Colobopsis) schmitzi lives in the hollowed-out leaf tendrils of N. calcarata, enhancing the plant's capture ability by protecting developing traps from herbivores, maintaining the slippery interior of the pitchers, and even swimming into the pools to subdue large prey. In exchange, the ants are provided with living space, prey, and nectar. Coprophagous (dung-eating) species lure small arboreal mammals with copious nectar or shelter; while feeding or roosting, the animals defecate or urinate into the pitcher. Small frogs, land crabs, and spiders may also take advantage of the insects and shelter afforded by the pitcher. Some Nepenthes species are known as 'monkey cups' because monkeys are known to drink the water in the pitchers.

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Human interest in Nepenthes ranges from the utilitarian to the aesthetic. Its unique carnivorous habit and unusual and varied forms made the genus an object of fascination by early naturalists and a fashionable but difficult plant to rear in captivity, and the culture and study of Nepenthes by an active community of enthusiasts continues. The highly slippery wax surfaces of the pitcher interior have also inspired modern attempts at engineering similar materials. Today many species, some of which are already scarce and occur only in a few localities, are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss and deterioration.

\n Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Jason Chen Jason Chen BoingBoing 62;63;64;65;66;67;68;69;70;71;72;73;74 9final Orostachys spinosa http://purl.org/dc/dcmitype/Text text/html http://rs.tdwg.org/ontology/voc/SPMInfoItems#TaxonBiology Chinese dunce cap (Orostachys spinosa) is a slow-growing, fleshy-leafed succulent in the family Crassulaceae. It is found in arid areas in Mongolia, Russia, China, and Kazakhstan and is remarkably hardy, thriving in temperatures as low as -40 degrees C (-40 F) and able to photosynthesize under a thin layer of snow. A fully-grown Chinese dunce cap resembles a sunflower head 10 cm (4 inches) across, with a flattened dome of spiral, tightly closed leaves surrounded by a ring of upright leaves. When the plant is mature, which takes about five years, it produces the conical flower stalk responsible for its common name and dies afterwards. Like other members of the Crassulaceae, O. spinosa copes with arid conditions by fixing carbon using the CAM (Crassulacean acid metabolism) pathway: it keeps stomata on the leaves closed during the day to minimize evaporative water loss but opens them at night to absorb carbon dioxide and store it for photosynthesis during the day. It is the most cold-tolerant CAM plant known. Orostachys spinosa is used in Mongolian herbal medicine, as forage for livestock in winter, and in decorative rock gardens (Oyungerel 2008).  Everyone http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ Corvi Zeman Corvi Zeman BoingBoing 75