MUSEU NACIONAL DE HISTORIA NATURAL MUSEU E LABORAT6RIO ZOOL6GICO E ANTAOPOL6GICO

(MUSEU BOCAGE)

EUROPEAN MAMMALS

PROCEEDINGS OF TIlE I EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF MAMMALOGY

USBOA 1 996

EUROPEAN MAMMALS

PROCEEDINGS OF TIIE I EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF MAMMALOGY

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE:

Maria da Luz MATHIAS

Margarida SANTOS-REIS

Giovanni AMaRI

Roland LIBOIS

Anthony MITCHELL-JONES

Marie Charlotte SAINT-GIRONS

L1SBOA, 1996

PREFACE

The presence of Mammals in Europe is discreet and silent, it is in harmony with the true character of our continent: an old fashion aristocratic dame. There are not large roaring beasts or impressive horned hoofed ani­mals and gigantic pachyderms. Even though sabretooth cats and wooly mam­moths inhabited Europe only one million years ago, today our Mammal fauna is typically composed of tiny creatures, subterranean and nocturnal, that, like legendary elves, only a few special persons can see.

European Mammalogists day by day face this zoological reality and day by day discover its extreme interest and the dramatic complexity of the problems it conceals. Studied, and studied again, for about a hundred years and more, as far back as the times of Peter Simon Pallas, the European Mammal fauna goes on to present new and surprising scientific results. Beyond any doubt, that is the consequence of the use ' of modern gen;:tic, biochemical and molecular methods, which allow a dynamic evolutionary revision both of the systematic status of the species and, consequently, of the fauna(s) as a whole. Sorex araneus and Mus domesticus are good exam­ples of this, and their cytogenetic restlessness exhibits a true primacy among the mammals of the world. Discussing European primacies I would claim here for Suncus etruscus the «world record» of the smallest Mammal, today awarded to the minUSCUle bat Craseonycteris thonglongyai recently (1974) discovered in the Thailand bamboo forests . This tiny bat may be consid­ered, ultimately, the lightest Mammal, but our Savi's Et:uscan shrew cer­tainly remains the smallest one.

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European Mammalogists met twice in an international congress at Brno, the town of the Abbot Gregory Mendel, in Moravia, in 1960 and 1971. The first and second «Symposium theriologicum», organized by Prof. Josef Kratochvil, were, perhaps, the dress rehearsal for the establishment of a periodical meeting of European Mammalogists. Nonetheless the institution of a periodic «International Theriological Congress» (Moscow, 1974), prompted the opportunity of organizing a congress on a regional base since a world congress was set up with a four-year period. However, the idea of setting up a European Society of Mammalogists, together with a specific congress, came back vigorously few years ago, and took shape in the First European Congress of Mammalogy at Lisbon.

This volume is the scientific chronicle of that congress. It includes twenty-five papers selected from over one hundred presented during the Congress, both communications/papers and posters. Such a selection gives a true image of the structure and contents of the Lisbon Congress. The thematic sessions into which the congress was organized reflect the basic questions the zoologist poses to the animals he is studying: who are you?, where do you live?, what are you doing? The sections Morphology, and Genetics & Evolution, foundations of Taxonomy, answer the first question, whilst Biogeography and Ecology & Behaviour answer the other two.

Nevertheless, the European mammal fauna includes an anomalous Primate which according to Linnean nomenclature is considered «sapien!», but, on the contrary, whose «insipience» produced serious problems related to the management of the planet where he lives together with all other mammals and all other living beings. The Thematic sessions Conservation

& Management and Ecological Parasitology are devoted to the discussion of this concern.

I believe that the papers presented in this book will be of general interest for a broad spectrum of biologists, interested in the problems of the evolu­tion, ecology, and ethology of all of the animals, not only of Mammals.

Ernesto Capanna Universita di Roma «La Sapienza»

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FOREWORD

The interest in mammal conservation and scientific knowledge about them has greatly increased during the last decade in most of the European countries. Several new mammal societies were recently founded and many studies were developed in different countries without much contact between them, although the main concerns were the same: public health problems (e. g. rabies), conservation of threatened species (e. g. brown bear, wolf, lynx, otter), management of ungulate species, spreading of introduced spe­cies, among others.

This situation leads to the necessity of improving the exchange of sci­entific information and of comparing the different experiences, discussing common strategies and planning joint research projects.

The I European Congress of Mammalogy, held at Lisbon (18-23 March 1991), was a good opportunity to unite as many European mammalogists as possible.

The organization of the congress was planned and executed by a local Organizing Committee (Maria da Luz Mathias, Margarida Santos-Reis, Maria do Mar ciom, Carlos Magalhiies, Maria loao Cabral, Helena SerOdio and Gra~a Ramalhinho) with the participation of members of the Societas

Europaea Mammalogica (Fran~ois de Beaufort, Roland Libois, Giovanni Amori and Anthonny Mitchell-lones).

The selection of the submitted papers was performed by a Scientific

Committee which involved mammal research experts from several European countries: V. Hanak (Czechoslovakia), F. de Beaufort and M. C. Saint-Girons (France), L. Boitani (Italy), Z. Pucek (Poland), C. Alma~a and M. L. Mathias (Portugal), M. Delibes (Spain), R. l. Berry and G. Corbet (United King­dom).

The congress was attended by 260 participants from 26 European coun­tries and also Australia, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Canada and United States of America. A total of 195 papers was presented (4 plenary invited lectures, 63 oral presentations and 128 posters) covering eleven themes (Behaviour, Biogeography, Conservation & Management, Ecological Parasitology, Ecol-

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ogy, Evolution, Genetics, Morphology, Paleontology, Physiology and Tax­onomy). The summaries were published in the Programme and Abstracts volume.

A general overview of the congress can be gathered through the pa­pers published in this volume. They cover most of the topics discussed during the congress and concern a wide range of European mammal species.

Due to the interest generally expressed, a second congress will be held in 1995 at Southarnpton(United Kingdom) organized by the British Mam­mal Society. Such European congresses should be held every four years, in alternation with the International Theriological Congress, and the Societas Europaea Mammalogica could represent the link between them.

We hope that the development of mammalogy will continue to increase and that in the forthcoming meetings a wider range of subjects and species will be more deeply discussed.

Editorial Committee M. L. Mathias M. Santos-Reis G. Amori R. Libois A. Mitchell-Jones M. C. Saint-Girons

EUROPEAN MAMMALS

PROCEEDINGS OF THE I EUROPEAN CONGRESS OF MAMMALOGY

18-23 March 1991 - Lisboa, Portugal"

CONTENTS

Preface

Foreword

Plenary lectures

J. M. CORDY - Paleomammalogy, a descriptive discipline

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Page

only? .................................................................................... 15 C. ALMAyA - The beginning of Portuguese marnmalogy.... 37 J. B. SEARLE - «Species» and «race» as taxonomic catego-

ries in mammals: the genetic perspective ......................... 47

Thematic sessions

BIOGEOGRAPHY

F. SPITZENBERGER - Zoogeography of Austria's mammal fauna. An interim report on atlas work in progress .. .... ... 55

CONSERVATION & MANAGEMENT

J. GURNELL - The grey squirrel in Britain: problems for management and lessons for Europe ................................. 67

E. HUSSENOT, P. CRETON & V. RIDOUX - Cetaceans in Brittany: a synthesis of stranding data collected since 1976 83

P. CIUCCI & BOITANI - Identification of research priori-ties for conservation of species by PVA (Population Vi-ability Analysis) procedures: the case of the Italian wolf 95

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ECOLOGICAL F ARASITOLOGY Page

D. AMADDEO, L. A. !ERADI, G. L. AUTORINO & D. PEP.RELLA - Leptospirosis in wild rodents living in urban areas (Rome - Italy) ...................... .. ...... .. ................ 105

ECOLOGY & BEHAVIOUR

K. HANSEN - Impact of modem farming on food supply of hares (Lepus europaeus, Pallas) during the summer period 115

v v (r ;

B. BEJ(:EK & K. STASTNY - Small terrestrial mammal com-munities of wet meadows (Ti'ebon, S. Bohemia) ............. 125

J. ZEJDA - Transformation of agricultural landscape and its influence on small terrestrial mammal communities........ 133

M. ALCANTARA & M. DfAZ-Patterns of body weight, body size and body condition in the wood mouse Apodemus sylvatieus L.: effects of sex and habitat quality 141

J. VIITALA, J. PUSENIUS, H. YLONEN, T. MAPPES & H. HAKKARAINEN - Social organization and life-his-tory strategy in microtines ................................................. 151

G. BUJALSKA - Population dynamics in Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber, 1780) ............................................... 163

A. BUTET - Does food quality drive cycle in Microtus arvalis? Study on a French atlantic marsh population.... 177

J. RUIZ-OLMO & J. M. L6PEZ-MARTIN - Seasonal food of pine marten (Martes martes L., 1758) in a fir forest of Pyrenean Mountains (Northeastern Spain) ........................ 189

R. ROSOUX & R. LIDOIS - Use of day resting places by the European otter (LlItra lutra) in the Marais Poitevin (France). A radiotruacking study....................................... 199

A. SJARMIDI, G. VALET & F. SPITZ - Autumll frugivory in wild boar (Sus sero/a) ................................................... 213

D. PEPIN, C. RICHARD-HANSEN, F. LAMEREUX & P. MENAUT - On the concept of group in isard (Rupieapra pyrenaiea) .. . ............ ..... ............. ................. .......................... 225

GENETICS & EVOLUTION

J. GURNELL & M. ANDERSON - Evolutionary links be­tween squirrels and conifer seed phenology in high lati-

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Pa"

tude forests .................. ....................................................... 237 S. SMETS, M. LANGUY, D. GERARD & V. BAUCHAU _ .

A case of recent chromosomal evolution in the house mcuse ........................................................ .......................... 251

M. G. FILIPPUCCI & E. CAPANNA - Allozyme variation and differentiation among chromosomal races and species of the genus Eliomys (Rodentia, MYOXIDAE) .............. 159

MORPHOLOGY & TAXONOMY

M. L. MATHIAS - Skull size variability in adaptation and speciation of the semifossorial pine voles Microtus duodecimcostatus and M. lusitaniclis (Arvicolidae, Rodentia) ................. ,' ........ . ..... .......... . .. . ..... ...... ... ..... ....... .... 271

A. M. DE MARINIS, H. NIKOLOV , I. PETROV, S . . GERASIMOV & M. PANDOLFI - Geographic variation

in the skull of polecat Mustela putorius L. (Carnivora: Mustelidae) in Europe ..... ............................. ...................... 287

PHYSIOLOGY

L. CAROL! & L. SANTINI - The postnatal development of the Savi's pine vole, Microtus savii de Set. L. (Rodentia, ArvicoJidae) ....... .. .. ... ................................ .. ...... .. ................ 299

Contributors

Acknowledgements

314

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are grateful to the members of the Editorial Committtee for all their effort and interest in the organization of the congress which culminated in the preparation of this volume.

Tanks are also due to the staff that helped us during the congress, namely P. Abreu, D. Araujo, R. Azevedo, S. Borges, M. Brito, F. Abreu, L. Carneiro, L. Castro, E. Florencio, J. Gil, S. Marques, L. Moreira, T. Oli­

veira, A. Coelho, B. PI atinetti , J. Santos and L. Sousa. We are Also indebted to J. Airoldi, M. Artois, S. Berry, G. Bujalska.

W. Bullock, E. Capanna, G. Corbert. M. Cristaldi. R. Duguy, S. Erlinge, J. Flowerdew, L. Hansson, H. Henttonen, R. Henson, E. Hussenot. R. Kenward, R. Lacy, E. Le Boulenge, E. Lessa, S. Lovary, S. MacDonald, R. Mauget. C. MernlOd, F. Mouton, E. Nevo, B. Richard, J. Searle,

J. Theberge and L. Wauters. who examined carefully, as referees, the papers included in this volume. and to R. Lyle, the english revision of the manuscripts.

A special mention is given to the folowing public and private institutions, for their economical support: Departamento de Zoologia e Antropologia (FCUL), Servi~o Nacional de Parques, Reservas e Conserva­~ao da Natureza (MARN), Instituto Nacional de Investiga~ao Cientffica (INIC), Junta Nacional de Investiga~ao Cientffica e Tecnol6gica (INICT). Funda~ao Calouste Gulbenkian, lnstituto de Promo~ao Turistica (IPT), Gabinete de Incentivos e Congressos de Lisboa (GICOL), Banco Pinto & Sotto Mayor, Portucel, Soporcel, S6quimica and Depunigua.

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