Ectoparasites Associated with Desert Raven Corvus ruficollis, Lesson, 1831 at the Eastern Desert, Red Sea, Egypt

Abstract

http://eajbsa.journals.ekb.eg/ Ectoparasites Associated with Desert Raven Corvus ruficollis, Lesson, 1831 at the Eastern Desert, Red Sea, Egypt

Morphological Variation Within Populations of Darkling Beetles Pimelia carinata Solier, 1836 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Inhabiting in Different Regions in Egypt

“…Paleoclimatic cycles have developed boundaries between alternative desert environments and their permanently associated biodiversity (Riad, 2019Mahmoud et al, 2022. Indirect events associated with drought cycles in the Sahara became the most significant force driving post-Pleistocene variability (Bream et al, 2017;Riad 2022a). These changes are thought to cause the isolation of the homologous habitat, which in turn disrupt gene flow and thus the evolution of independent lineages and new species.…”

“…Only the strip of coastal, Mount Elba, the high mountains in Sinai are characterized by relatively heavy rainfall, which shows the diversity of the flora and the fauna. Recently, Egypt divided into 8 ecoregions, in particular: Eastern Desert, Western Desert, North Coastal Strip, Lower and Upper Nile Valley, Delta, Depression of El-Fayoum, Gebel Elba, and Sinai (Steyskal and ElBialy, 1967;El Hawagry and Gilbert, 2014;Riad 2022a).…”

“…Although insects represent most eukaryotes described worldwide, morphological measurements and the effects of habitat variation and isolation are still very scarce in most insect orders, including beetles (Coleoptera) (Mahmoud et al, 2022;Riad, 2022b). The family Tenebrionidae is the largest desert-dwelling family of Order Coleoptera, which includes approximately 1,700 genera including more than 20,000 species known from a global distribution (Riad 2022a;Bream et al, 2019;Haggag et al, 2018;Booth et al, 1990). Among all beetle families, Tenebrionidae ranks 7th in terms of species diversity.…”

“…Among all beetle families, Tenebrionidae ranks 7th in terms of species diversity. There is also an absence of information on the systematic evolution of this group, its subfamilies, and its clans (Hassan et al, 2017a;Riad 2022a). Pimelia carinata Solier, 1836 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) is found in the Sahara Desert (North part of Africa and all Middle East countries) and is characterized as a typical dark beetle (Larsen, 1991;Nyári et al, 2020;Ghahari et al, 2010a;Riad 2022b).…”