volume 10 Issue 2 December 2023

 Palestine has a rich floristic and vegetation diversity due to its geography, topography, as well as the high climatic, lithologic, and edaphic diversity. Our current knowledge of the floral biodiversity within the West Bank is based upon literature data and the observed field records of Al-Sheikh; yet these data do not provide information regarding the location or the distribution range of the plant species. Data were accumulated and updated based upon field observations (Herbarium of Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability), published and unpublished available records, and biodiversity databases (BioGIS and GBIF). These studies focus on the southern hills of Jerusalem because it is a newly declared protected area and falls within the Mediterranean key biodiversity areas. Eight significant floral species are  notable records and are reported herein: Crepis reuteriana Boiss, Crepis robertioides Boiss., Fallopia convolvulus L., Fumana scoparia Pomel, Glaucium flavum Crantz, Sambucus ebulus L., Samolus valerandi L., and Coronilla cretica L.  Crepis robertioides Boiss. is an endangered species according to the IUCN Red list and its population is decreasing globally and locally; Sambucus ebulus L. and Fallopia convolvulus L. which is an adventive species (Dufour- Dror and Fragman 2019) are recorded in the West Bank for the first time. The remaining species are rare and recorded from new localities. Specimens of the species have been deposited at the Herbarium of Palestine Institute for Biodiversity and Sustainability.

The assessment of rangeland cover and health is fundamental for effective planning and for supporting sustainability efforts in arid lands including Jordan. The objective of this study is to evaluate the vegetation cover density and distribution in the Shaumari Wildlife Reserve over the period between 1991 and 2022 using remote sensing techniques. The Shaumari Wildlife Reserve natural rangelands (total area, 22 km2) are managed by the Royal Society for The Conservation of Nature. Landsat satellite sensor data from Thematic Mapper (TM, Landsat-TM5), Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Operational Land Imager (OLI) were used to derive the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) across growing seasons (March -July) and over the study period (thirty-two years). The results show that bare soil (NDVI: 0.0 – 0.1) and scattered vegetation (NDVI: 0.1-0.2) are the mainland cover classes in the reserve. The NDVI-Landsat showed that 70% (15.3 km2) to 94% (20.7 km2) of the reserve is classified as bare soil across the growing seasons (March, July) and over the study period from 1991to 2022. In addition, in July-August (1991-2022), the percentage of reduction in vegetation cover area (compared to March) ranged from 1% (1994) to 20% (2004). In terms of vegetation distribution, most grasses and shrubs were located in the northwestern side of the reserve across years. However, scattered vegetation was noticed in the southern part of the reserve in March 1991, 2004, 2016 and 2022. Interestingly, a significant positive relationship (R2 = 0.66, P< 0.01) was found between Landsat-NDVI values and annual precipitation (vegetation cover area = 0.0341 × precipitation + 0.0484). Therefore, the fluctuation in vegetation cover across the years was partially attributed to harsh climatic conditions, especially rainfall.In conclusion, considering the limited vegetation cover density and distribution in the reserve, a potential management and conservation practices should be carried out to sustain and enhance the cover density and distribution for the reserve which is home to the Arabian Oryx in Jordan.

Patiriella regularis or the New Zealand Sea Star spawns small eggs (150 µm) and has indirect development through the bipinnaria and brachiolaria larvae, typical for asteroids. While P. regularis has been used in studies related to reproduction and embryo development, the gametogenic cycle in this species has not been studied in terms of histological analysis or division into stages. The current study aims to describe the ovarian cycle and oogenesis of P. regularis in terms of organ indices and histological and ultrastructural analysis of the ovary using light and electron microscopy. The reproductive cycle in the female P. regularis showed high similarity to that in many other studied asterinid species and was divided into five growth/gametogenic stages: I) The recovery stage, II) The growing stage, III) The maturing stage, IV) The partly- spawned stage, and V) The spent stage.  While oocytes at different growing phases were found in the ovary throughout the reproductive cycle, the majority of the oocytes developed synchronously and indicated that P. regularis spawns during summer. The outcome of this study provides new insight into the gametogenesis of the P. regularis ovary throughout the reproductive cycle, and presents new details pertaining to oogenesis in a major invertebrate  phylum that is rarely studied

On the slopes of Barva Volcano in the Central Volcanic Mountain Range of Costa Rica, numerous farms are primarily dedicated to dairy cattle farming. This area belongs to the Lower Montane Tropical Forest life zone, a biome typically found at elevations ranging from approximately 1000 to 2000 meters above sea level. Among the farms located on the slopes of the Barva volcano, where striking remnants of the flora that once populated these areas can still be found, lies La Concordia. This farm measures approximately 400 hectares and varies in altitude between 1800 and 2000 meters above sea level. This farm was selected as study site to conduct a comprehensive survey of all trees and shrubs in the pastures and their uses  by the local people. Roads and trails of the farm were walked opportunistically, recording all the trees and shrubs observed in the pastures. Ten one-day surveys were conducted in 1981, and ten more were  performed between 1990 and 2000, to include sites not checked during the first ten surveys. After that, then five more were performed between 2001 and 2018, and two in 2023. On at least ten occasions, a local resident took part in these explorations to provide both the local name of the species and their most common uses. At least 141 taxa were identified, but some genera included more than one species totaling about 150 species. 105  taxa were determined at the species level, although nine of those were identified only in terms of  genus. All species found belong to ninetythree genera in sixty families. The main uses identified for these species include bearing edible fruits, being valuable for wildlife, charcoal production, providing shade for cattle, being useful as construction materials, and living fences and as a source for firewood, in addition to their ecological benefits. Some species are used for  special  purposes such as making tool handles, ox yokes, and for medicinal purposes. Trees and shrubs, even as elements outside the forest, continue to be of great importance to the inhabitants of a particular area. It is a priority to care for and sustainably exploit this valuable resource of trees outside  forests to continue to benefit from their riches and ecological services.

Pellets of the Pharoah eagle owl, Bubo ascalaphus, were collected from Al Eraiq Reserve on the southwestern coast of Qatar. The remains of seventy-five prey individuals were retrieved representing five species of mammals, unidentified birds, and scorpions. Small rodents (Gerbillus cheesmani and Jacalus loftusi) were the most retrieved (36%) while Meriones crassus was the least represented (8%). Lepus capensis was the most represented in terms of mass intake (79.9%). In addition, birds were considerably high in the owl’s diet and constituted 17.33%;scorpions 22.67%. These results reflect the opportunistic diet of the Pharoah eagle owl and its high adaptability to available food resources in ecosystems. 

Three species of ground beetles of the family Carabidae are recorded from Jordan for the first time: Siagona jenissoni (Dejean, 1826), Dixus sphaerocephalus (Olivier, 1795) and Laemostenus  complanatus (Dejean, 1828). The occurrence of the following six species in Jordan is confirmed: Grammognatha euphratica euphratica (Latreille and Dejean, 1822), Calosoma (Campalita) algiricum (Géhin, 1885), Paussus turcicus (I. Frivaldszky von Frivald, 1835), Clivina laevifrons (Chaudoir, 1842), Trechus quadristriatus (Schrank, 1781), and Sphodrus leucophthalmus (Linné, 1758). Taphoxenus (Lychnifugus) ziegleri (Casale and Assmann 2017) is collected from a new locality. The collection sites and dates, all available biological or ecological data, and the digital images are given for all the recorded species, including the male genitalia for Siagona jenissoni Dejean.

The longtail tadpole shrimp Triops longicaudatus (LeConte, 1846) is recorded from Jordan for the first time. Specimens were collected from Azraq Mudflat, located withinthe borders of the Azraq Wetland Reserve. This represents the first record of the family Triopsidae and the order Notostraca from the country of Jordan. The current study stresses the need for additional research on the fauna of temporary pond habitats in Jordan as well as the implementation of better conservation management strategies for this important environment

A teratological case of the Seed Bug (Spilostethus pandurus) is recorded from the Mar Saba area in the Bethlehem District, Palestine. This anomaly appears on the pronotum, scutellum, corium, and the membrane part of the specimen, which seems to occur less often than antennal anomalies in true bugs (Heteroptera). 

Wildlife researchers should be cautious about the risks associated with the spread of nonnative alien species. Ancestral stories on the occurrence of a giant mythical serpent were circulated among local communities in Iraq; however, their validity was rarely tested by researchers. In fact, most of these allegations were often regarded as unsubstantiated superstitions and remained unverified. In a rare case, the researchers report the occurrence of the Reticulated Python Malayopython reticulatus (Schneider, 1801) as an emergent alien species in the Iraqi environment possibly introduced from wildlife trade; its possible introduction pathways, movement, and fate are  also discussed.