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Claudio Prigioni - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The Italian action plan for the endangered Eurasian otter Lutra Lutra
Hystrix-italian Journal of Mammalogy, 2010Co-Authors: Anna Loy, Luigi Boitani, Laura Bonesi, Antonio Canu, Antonio Di Croce, Pier Luigi Fiorentino, Piero Genovesi, Livia Mattei, Manuela Panzacchi, Claudio PrigioniAbstract:Abstract Although recent evidence of the species recovery has been reported for many European countries, in Italy the Eurasian otter Lutra Lutra is still considered endangered. Otter populations are confined to few river basins in the southern part of the peninsula and these are both geographically and genetically isolated from other European populations. This critical situation led the Italian Ministry of Environment to promote the production of an Action Plan for the otter in Italy, whose methods, aims and actions are briefly summarized. Riassunto Il Piano d'Azione Nazionale per la Lontra Lutra Lutra Nonostante i segnali di recupero segnalati in molti paesi europei, la lontra Lutra Lutra e ancora una delle specie piu minacciate della fauna italiana, in virtu delle piccole dimensioni della popolazione e del suo isolamento , sia geografico, sia genetico, dal resto delle popolazioni europee. Sulla base di queste considerazioni il Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del territorio e del Mare ha recentemente promosso la realizzazione di un Piano d’Azione Nazionale per la Conservazione della Lontra, i cui contenuti, obiettivi, e azioni sono riassunti in questo lavoro. doi:10.4404/hystrix-21.1-4483
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trophic flexibility of the otter Lutra Lutra in southern italy
Mammalian Biology, 2008Co-Authors: Luigi Remonti, Claudio Prigioni, Alessandro Balestrieri, Silvia Sgrosso, Giuseppe PrioreAbstract:Abstract Diet composition of otters (Lutra Lutra) was investigated in 2001 by spraints analysis (N=1323) on five rivers of southern Italy, with the aim of assessing the influence of fish availability, elevation and discharge on the consumption of food resources alternative to fish. Data were expressed as per cent frequency of occurrence (%FO) and per cent volume (%V). The study confirmed the great feeding adaptability of the otter that, in rivers partially interconnected and flowing on a small area, showed a strong fish eating habit in some rivers (Sinni and Mercure-Lao) and a diet mainly constituted by alternative resources in other ones (amphibians in the rivers Cogliandrino and Frido, crustaceans in the River Battendiero). Fish consumption for the five rivers was significantly correlated with fish biomass and with mean summer discharge, while it was inversely correlated with the mean altitude of the five rivers. The lack of a clear seasonality in the consumption of food sources alternative to fish together with the correlation between fish use and fish biomass for each river indicated fish availability as the main factor affecting otter relying to non-fish preys. Otter diet seemed influenced by the characteristics of river habitats (altitude, discharge and consequently fish biomass) more than by summer drought, typical of Mediterranean regions. The %FO and the %V allowed to drawn a similar picture of otter diet. Nonetheless the %V was useful for better illustrating diet variation among the different rivers and we argue that it could be useful in habitats where the otter feeds on preys with different proportions of indigestible remains.
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Decline and recovery in otter Lutra Lutra populations in Italy
Mammal Review, 2007Co-Authors: Claudio Prigioni, Alessandro Balestrieri, Luigi RemontiAbstract:1 Changes in otter Lutra Lutra distribution in Italy were examined by analysing geographical, historical and survey data. 2 As in other European countries, otters declined sharply in Italy during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Between 1985 and 2004 the species became extinct, except for some reintroductions, in northern and most of central Italy while the species appears to have substantially recovered in its southern range. This recovery of the otter population is apparently not due to increased research effort, but reflects a real expansion of range. 3 Differences in the degree of range reduction during the second half of the 20th century and in the availability of suitable habitats are probably the major factors that have determined the two opposite trends shown by otter populations in the last 20 years. 4 Better knowledge of otter status and distribution is needed for effective conservation management. We suggest that a national survey of the Italian otter population that employs genetic approaches should represent a first step of the national action plan for otter conservation.
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PRELIMINARY STUDY ON THE ACOUSTIC COMMUNICATION OF CAPTIVE OTTERS (Lutra Lutra)
Hystrix-italian Journal of Mammalogy, 1995Co-Authors: Claudio Gnoli, Claudio PrigioniAbstract:The study was conducted on captive otters (Lutra Lutra) in a large enclosure (1.64 ha in area). Data on different kind of sounds related to specific behaviours wcrc rccorded by videocamera. Furthermore, sounds were collected by tape recorder, analysed by spectrograph and reprcscntcd by spectrograms. A general pattern of the vocalizations of otter has been obtained, in order to understand the acoustic communication system of the species. The main sound categories were blows, mewings and cries in an aggressive context, murmurs and two kinds of whistles in a social context. Kcy words: Lutra lutru, Acoustic communication, Captivity, Behaviour. RIASSUNTO - Studio preliniinai-e sdla conzunicazione ucustica della lontru (Lutra Lutra) in cattivita. - Lo studio t? stato condotto su lontre (Lutra Lutra) tenute in cattivith in un ampio recinto (1,64 ha). Attraverso riprese effettuate tramite videocamera, Sono stati raccolti dati sull'emissione delle diverse tipologie di suoni in determinati contesti comportamentali. Inoltre, per mezzo di un magnetofono Sono state registrate alcune manifestazioni sonore, successivamente analizzate mediante sonografo e rappresentate in forrna di spettrogrammi. In questo modo t: stato ottenuto un quadro della gamma di vocalizzazioni dclla lontra che pub contribuire alla comprensione del suo sistema di comunicazione acustica. Le principali categorie di suoni individuate consistono in sbuffi, miagolii e grida nell'ambito aggressivo, mormorii e due tipi di hchi nell'ambito del contatto sociale. Parole chiave: Lutra lutm, Comunicazione acustica, Cattivith, Comportamento.
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Feeding tests on captive otters Lutra Lutra
Hystrix-italian Journal of Mammalogy, 1995Co-Authors: Elena Ferrario, Claudio Prigioni, Renato FumagalliAbstract:The study was carried out during 1990-91 in "La Torbiera" Faunistic Park (Piemonte region, northern Italy). Feeding experiments were conducted on 4 pairs of otters (Lutra Lutra) of 2-7 year old, housed in enclosures of 210-360 m2 in size with ponds of 20-33 m2 and about 1 m in depth. Three foraging tests were done on a pair using eels Angiiilla anguilla, rainbow trout Salino gairdtieri and roach Rufilus erythrophthalnzus, in order to collect data on divc duration and foraging success. Both parameters varied widely and were influenced by the behaviour of fish prey. For eels, slow moving fishes, the dive duration and the foraging success were lower than those of other fish species. Feeding correction factors, calculated as ratio between the weight of ingested fish and the dry weight of remains in spraints, were determined from a total of 21 experiments carried out on eels, rudd Scardiniiis erytlzrophthulrnus and bleak A lhiirniis albur-nris alborella. The factors differed widely between the fish species and the highest value was found lor eels.
Elvira Ares-mazás - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Cryptosporidium and Giardia in wild otters (Lutra Lutra)
Veterinary Parasitology, 2006Co-Authors: Fernando Méndez-hermida, Hipólito Gómez-couso, Rafael Romero-suances, Elvira Ares-mazásAbstract:A total of 437 faecal samples from wild otter (Lutra Lutra) were collected from 161 sites in Galicia (northwest Spain) and were analysed by a direct immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts and Giardia sp. cysts were detected in 17 (3.9%) and 30 (6.8%) samples, respectively. The results demonstrate that otters may contribute to the contamination of watercourses, although further studies are required to establish which species or genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Giardia infect these animals and also the significance in terms of public health.
Arvid Uggla - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Sarcocystis species in skeletal muscle of otter (Lutra Lutra)
Parasitology, 1999Co-Authors: Kirsten Wahlstrom, T. Nikkilä, Arvid UgglaAbstract:Cysts of a Sarcocystis species were found in large numbers in skeletal muscle of an otter (Lutra Lutra) which was raised in Norway and died in captivity in Sweden. This is the first report of Sarcocystis infection in the otter. The sarcocysts were 0.3-2.3 mm long and 0.06-0.25 mm wide. As judged by light microscopy the sarcocyst walls were thin (< 3 microns) with a serrated surface but without visible projections. By transmission electron microscopy, the sarcocyst wall measured 0.6-1.8 microns and had minute undulations covering the entire sarcocyst surface giving the wall a wavy appearance. Septa were indistinct. The sarcocysts contained few metrocytes and numerous bradyzoites. Sarcocysts were not found in 69 other otters subjected to necropsy in Sweden.
Terje D. Josefsen - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Molecular characterisation of Sarcocystis Lutrae n. sp. and Toxoplasma gondii from the musculature of two Eurasian otters (Lutra Lutra) in Norway
Parasitology Research, 2015Co-Authors: Bjørn Gjerde, Terje D. JosefsenAbstract:Sarcocysts were detected in routinely processed histological sections of skeletal muscle, but not cardiac muscle, of two adult male otters ( Lutra Lutra ; Mustelidae) from northern Norway following their post-mortem examination in 1999 and 2000. The sarcocysts were slender, spindle-shaped, up to 970 μm long and 35–70 μm in greatest diameter. The sarcocyst wall was thin (∼0.5 μm) and smooth with no visible protrusions. Portions of unfixed diaphragm of both animals were collected at the autopsies and kept frozen for about 14 years pending further examination. When the study was resumed in 2013, the thawed muscle samples were examined for sarcocysts under a stereo microscope, but none could be found. Genomic DNA was therefore extracted from a total of 36 small pieces of the diaphragm from both otters, and samples found to contain Sarcocystidae DNA were used selectively for PCR amplification and sequencing of the nuclear 18S and 28S ribosomal (r) RNA genes and internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) region, as well as the mitochondrial cytochrome b ( cytb ) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 ( cox1 ) genes. Sequence comparisons revealed that both otters were infected by the same Sarcocystis sp. and that there was no genetic variation (100 % identity) among sequenced isolates at the 18S and 28S rRNA genes (six identical isolates at both loci) or at cox1 (13 identical isolates). PCR products comprising the ITS1 region, on the other hand, had to be cloned before sequencing due to intraspecific sequence variation. A total of 33 clones were sequenced, and the identities between them were 97.9–99.9 %. These sequences were most similar (93.7–96.0 % identity) to a sequence of Sarcocystis kalvikus from the wolverine in Canada, but the phylogenetic analyses placed all of them as a monophyletic sister group to S. kalvikus . Hence, they were considered to represent a novel species, which was named Sarcocystis Lutrae . Sequence comparisons and phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of the 18S and 28S rRNA genes and cox1 , for which little or no sequence data were available for S. kalvikus , revealed that S. Lutrae otherwise was most closely related to various Sarcocystis spp. using birds or carnivores as intermediate hosts. The cox1 sequences of S. Lutrae from the otters were identical to two sequences from an arctic fox, which in a previous study had been assigned to Sarcocystis arctica due to a high identity (99.4 %) with the latter species at this gene and a complete identity with S. arctica at three other loci when using the same DNA samples as templates for PCR reactions. Additional PCR amplifications and sequencing of cox1 (ten sequences) and the ITS1 region (four sequences) using four DNA samples from this fox as templates again generated cox1 sequences exclusively of S. Lutrae , but ITS1 sequences of S. arctica , and thus confirmed that this arctic fox had acted as intermediate host for both S. arctica and S. Lutrae . Based on the phylogenetic placement of S. Lutrae , the geographical location of infected animals (otters, arctic fox) and the distribution of carnivores/raptors which may have interacted with them, the white-tailed eagle ( Haliaeetus albicilla ) seems to be a possible definitive host of S. Lutrae . Some of the muscle samples from both otters were shown to harbour stages of Toxoplasma gondii through PCR amplification and sequencing of the entire ITS1 region (five isolates) and/or the partial cytb (eight isolates) and cox1 (one isolate). These sequences were identical to several previous sequences of T. gondii in GenBank. Thus, both otters had a dual infection with S. Lutrae and T. gondii .
Fernando Méndez-hermida - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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Cryptosporidium and Giardia in wild otters (Lutra Lutra)
Veterinary Parasitology, 2006Co-Authors: Fernando Méndez-hermida, Hipólito Gómez-couso, Rafael Romero-suances, Elvira Ares-mazásAbstract:A total of 437 faecal samples from wild otter (Lutra Lutra) were collected from 161 sites in Galicia (northwest Spain) and were analysed by a direct immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts and Giardia sp. cysts were detected in 17 (3.9%) and 30 (6.8%) samples, respectively. The results demonstrate that otters may contribute to the contamination of watercourses, although further studies are required to establish which species or genotypes of Cryptosporidium and Giardia infect these animals and also the significance in terms of public health.
