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Ecotourism can fuel an important source of financial income for African countries and can therefore help biodiversity policies in the continent. Translocations can be a powerful tool to spread economic benefits among countries and communities; yet, to be positive for biodiversity conservation, they require a basic knowledge of conservation units through appropriate taxonomic research. This is not always the case, as taxonomy was considered an outdated discipline for almost a century, and some plurality in taxonomic approaches is incorrectly considered as a disadvantage for conservation work. As an example, diversity of the genus Giraffa and its recent taxonomic history illustrate the importance of such knowledge for a sound conservation policy that includes translocations. We argue that a fine-grained conservation perspective that prioritizes all remaining populations along the Nile Basin is needed. Translocations are important tools for giraffe diversity conservation, but more discussion is needed, especially for moving new giraffes to regions where the autochthonous taxa/populations are no longer existent. As the current discussion about the giraffe taxonomy is too focused on the number of giraffe species, we argue that the plurality of taxonomic and conservation approaches might be beneficial, i.e., for defining the number of units requiring separate management using a (majority) consensus across different concepts (e.g., MU—management unit, ESU—evolutionary significant unit, and ECU—elemental conservation unit). The taxonomically sensitive translocation policy/strategy would be important for the preservation of current diversity, while also supporting the ecological restoration of some regions within rewilding. A summary table of the main translocation operations of African mammals that have underlying problems is included. Therefore, we call for increased attention toward the taxonomy of African mammals not only as the basis for sound conservation but also as a further opportunity to enlarge the geographic scope of ecotourism in Africa.
Spartaco Gippoliti; Jan Robovský; Francesco Angelici. Taxonomy and Translocations of African Mammals: A Plea for a Cautionary Approach. Conservation 2021, 1, 121 -136.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti, Jan Robovský, Francesco Angelici. Taxonomy and Translocations of African Mammals: A Plea for a Cautionary Approach. Conservation. 2021; 1 (2):121-136.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti; Jan Robovský; Francesco Angelici. 2021. "Taxonomy and Translocations of African Mammals: A Plea for a Cautionary Approach." Conservation 1, no. 2: 121-136.
The crested porcupine Hystrix cristata is one of the most well-known members of the Family Hystricidae, yet very little is known regarding its geographic variability in Africa. Two alternative hypotheses exist; pre-1940s classical taxonomy supported the existence of a distinct Eastern African species, Hystrix galeata, whereas recent molecular data seem to support only a North-South separation inside one single species, with the geographic-ecological barrier represented by the Sahara desert. Our morphometric data support the recognition of Hystrix cristata senegalica Cuvier, 1822 as the sub-Saharan representative of the species with a clear morphological difference between the North African and sub-Saharan crested porcupines, which seem re-conductible mostly to size difference. Within H. c. senegalica, our analysis seems to support a weak separation between the West African and the East African samples. Owing to considerable qualitative skull differences and overlooked molecular data, the taxonomic status of H. galeata remains uncertain as well as the status of porcupines of North-East Africa (Nubia). Our results also highlight the role of North Africa (mainly the Maghreb) as a refuge for the nominal taxon. This suggests that intraspecific variability is presently overlooked and that further integrative studies and more samples are needed to adequately assess the geographic variability of sub-Saharan crested porcupines.
Francesco Maria Angelici; Paolo Colangelo; Spartaco Gippoliti. Out of Europe: Investigating Hystrix cristata (Rodentia: Hystricidae) skull morphometric geographic variability in Africa. Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography 2021, 36, 1 .
AMA StyleFrancesco Maria Angelici, Paolo Colangelo, Spartaco Gippoliti. Out of Europe: Investigating Hystrix cristata (Rodentia: Hystricidae) skull morphometric geographic variability in Africa. Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography. 2021; 36 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFrancesco Maria Angelici; Paolo Colangelo; Spartaco Gippoliti. 2021. "Out of Europe: Investigating Hystrix cristata (Rodentia: Hystricidae) skull morphometric geographic variability in Africa." Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography 36, no. : 1.
The occurrence and the history of Neotropical mammal specimens in the collections of naturalistic museums in Rome, Italy, and their scientific utilization is here reviewed. These specimens belong to several scientific expeditions made after the discovery of the new Continent. The oldest specimens date back to the famous Museum of Athanasius Kircher at the Collegio Romano (1651) and to the Museo Zoologico della Università di Roma that was established inside the University of the Pontificial State (Archigymnasium) (1823). Many of these early specimens are now lost due to the complex history of Roman scientific museology, but some specimens are now available mainly in two institutions, the Museo Civico di Zoologia (established in 1932) and the Museo di Anatomia Comparata “Battista Grassi” of “Sapienza” University of Rome (1935). Among the numerous specimens, is noteworthy the presence of a hairy long-nosed armadillo, Dasypus pilosus, the first record in an Italian zoological collection and the 26th known specimen of this species in world museums. More recently, some Roman researchers have maintained a scientific interest for Neotropical mammals, including primates, with collaboration with South American mammalogists. A greater historical knowledge of scientific activities concerning the work of Italians researchers on Neotropical biodiversity should be pursued.
Riccardo Castiglia; Spartaco Gippoliti. Neotropical mammals in natural history collections and research in Rome, Italy. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi - Ciências Naturais 2020, 15, 851 -862.
AMA StyleRiccardo Castiglia, Spartaco Gippoliti. Neotropical mammals in natural history collections and research in Rome, Italy. Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi - Ciências Naturais. 2020; 15 (3):851-862.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRiccardo Castiglia; Spartaco Gippoliti. 2020. "Neotropical mammals in natural history collections and research in Rome, Italy." Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi - Ciências Naturais 15, no. 3: 851-862.
Alula Taibel has been an Italian zoologist of Austrian- Yemenite origin. After having served the Italian Army, he graduated in Natural Sciences at Bologna University in 1925. He was later director of the Poultry Station at Rovigo and scientific director of the Turin Zoological Garden. As to our knowledge no overview of his scientific work has never been published, a synthesis is here presented together with an almost complete list of his papers. Taibel has been one of the major experts on the Galliformes of the Cracidae family and therefore his papers on them are of particular relevance for ornithologists.
Spartaco Gippoliti. Alulah Taibel (1892-1984) a remarkable ornithologist, aviculturist and zoo-biologist. Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia 2020, 89, 1 .
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. Alulah Taibel (1892-1984) a remarkable ornithologist, aviculturist and zoo-biologist. Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia. 2020; 89 (2):1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. 2020. "Alulah Taibel (1892-1984) a remarkable ornithologist, aviculturist and zoo-biologist." Rivista Italiana di Ornitologia 89, no. 2: 1.
Conservation biology and biodiversity are today disciplines that no serious biologist can ignore, yet the practical importance and scientific value of taxonomy is greatly overlooked in today conservation practice. This is particularly true for researchers that have spent most of their time investigating the biology and management of a few species of mammals in a few places. It is here highlighted that the trend to replace taxonomic infraspecific units by ad hoc ecological and ‘conservational’ units having no universality is based on a misunderstanding of the concept of taxon as being a fixist and essentialist one. In this perspective paper, based on the author’s experience, several case-studies are discussed showing how a misunderstanding of taxonomy hampers biodiversity cataloguing and, by consequence, conservation of evolutionary history.
Spartaco Gippoliti. Everything mammal conservation biologists always wanted to know about taxonomy (but were afraid to ask). Journal for Nature Conservation 2020, 54, 125793 .
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. Everything mammal conservation biologists always wanted to know about taxonomy (but were afraid to ask). Journal for Nature Conservation. 2020; 54 ():125793.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. 2020. "Everything mammal conservation biologists always wanted to know about taxonomy (but were afraid to ask)." Journal for Nature Conservation 54, no. : 125793.
Spartaco Gippoliti. Conservation breeding programs and refined taxonomy as a political tool for biodiversity conservation: the de Beaux and Durrell legacies. Journal of Animal Diversity 2019, 1, 26 -33.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. Conservation breeding programs and refined taxonomy as a political tool for biodiversity conservation: the de Beaux and Durrell legacies. Journal of Animal Diversity. 2019; 1 (1):26-33.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. 2019. "Conservation breeding programs and refined taxonomy as a political tool for biodiversity conservation: the de Beaux and Durrell legacies." Journal of Animal Diversity 1, no. 1: 26-33.
For more than half a century, little taxonomic revisionary work has been directed towards extant European mammals so that the limits of most geographically widespread polytypic species remained scientifically untested. Occasionally, taxonomic changes have been proposed and several new species have been resurrected / discovered in the last decades mainly on the basis of genetic studies, often considered the only tool to establish objective species boundaries. Nevertheless, the precise details of species boundaries, subspecific variation and phylogenetic relationships remain unknown for several European mammal taxa. The inadequacies of outdated, incomplete taxonomic knowledge reach an extreme in southern Europe, and notably Italy, where cryptic species abound and specimen-based research is scanty. The state of mammalian taxonomic knowledge in Italy shows that Linnaean and Wallacean shortfalls are no means restricted to hyperdiverse, understudied tropics. They undermine our knowledge of temperate regions, with severe consequences for biodiversity conservation policies in Europe, where conservation assessments overlook significant endemic biodiversity. European mammalogy stands to benefit from an infusion of the tree-thinking philosophy that undergirds evolutionary theory and particularly phylogenetic methods systematics. Furthermore, it is important that taxonomic research be seen as a normal part of scientific advancement and of critical importance as the basis of a sound biodiversity conservation policy.
Spartaco Gippoliti; Colin P. Groves. Overlooked mammal diversity and conservation priorities in Italy: Impacts of taxonomic neglect on a Biodiversity Hotspot in Europe. Zootaxa 2018, 4434, 511 -528.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti, Colin P. Groves. Overlooked mammal diversity and conservation priorities in Italy: Impacts of taxonomic neglect on a Biodiversity Hotspot in Europe. Zootaxa. 2018; 4434 (3):511-528.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti; Colin P. Groves. 2018. "Overlooked mammal diversity and conservation priorities in Italy: Impacts of taxonomic neglect on a Biodiversity Hotspot in Europe." Zootaxa 4434, no. 3: 511-528.
In this paper, we commemorate the professional activity of Prof. Lorenzo Camerano 100 years after his death on 22 November 1917, with a special emphasis on his mammalogical studies. Our two aims are to widespread some of his little-known results on the systematic and phylogenetics of ungulates (particularly of the genus Capra) and to increase knowledge about that particular period of taxonomic research in Europe before the advent of the New Synthesis. Of particular interest are some of the results concerning the recent evolutionary history of chamois in Western Europe. Camerano, through specimen-based research based on abundant material, was able to design a phylogeographic picture that was confirmed by genetic studies only a few years ago.
Spartaco Gippoliti; Jan Robovský. Lorenzo Camerano (1856–1917) and his contribution to large mammal phylogeny and taxonomy, with particular reference to the genera Capra, Rupicapra and Rangifer. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 2018, 29, 443 -451.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti, Jan Robovský. Lorenzo Camerano (1856–1917) and his contribution to large mammal phylogeny and taxonomy, with particular reference to the genera Capra, Rupicapra and Rangifer. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali. 2018; 29 (2):443-451.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti; Jan Robovský. 2018. "Lorenzo Camerano (1856–1917) and his contribution to large mammal phylogeny and taxonomy, with particular reference to the genera Capra, Rupicapra and Rangifer." Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 29, no. 2: 443-451.
Many practices have been proposed in conservation education to facilitate a re-connection between nature and the young digital generation in anthropized contexts. In this paper we suggest that, at least in some specific circumstances (urban and suburban areas), non-native invasive species may have a paradoxical and positive impact in conservation education strategies, playing a role as an experiential tool, which represents a cultural ecosystem service, i.e. an ecosystem service that produces cultural benefits by improving pro-environmental behaviours in young people.
Corrado Battisti; Giuliano Fanelli; Sandro Bertolino; Luca Luiselli; Giovanni Amori; Spartaco Gippoliti. Non-native invasive species as paradoxical ecosystem services in urban conservation education. Web Ecology 2018, 18, 37 -40.
AMA StyleCorrado Battisti, Giuliano Fanelli, Sandro Bertolino, Luca Luiselli, Giovanni Amori, Spartaco Gippoliti. Non-native invasive species as paradoxical ecosystem services in urban conservation education. Web Ecology. 2018; 18 (1):37-40.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCorrado Battisti; Giuliano Fanelli; Sandro Bertolino; Luca Luiselli; Giovanni Amori; Spartaco Gippoliti. 2018. "Non-native invasive species as paradoxical ecosystem services in urban conservation education." Web Ecology 18, no. 1: 37-40.
Genetic rescue is a measure to mitigate the effects of reduced genetic variation in endangered small, isolated (inbreed) populations by introducing new genetic variation into such populations. This is usually accomplished by translocating individuals from a related population, assumed to belong to the same, often polytypic species, into the endangered population. If, however, the taxonomic classification does not reflect the ‘true’ diversity, genetic rescue can have detrimental effects on the survival of the endangered population (e.g. outbreeding depression). Here we point to problems if erroneous taxonomy informs such translocating strategies. Actions that promote artificial admixture of evolutionary lineages may be ineffective, or they may homogenize existing diversity and biogeographic patterns instead of protecting them. The extreme result is to drive target species and/or cryptic lineages to silent extinction. We single out conspicuous examples to illustrate the negative impacts of actions, which have resulted from artificial interbreeding of evolutionary distinct species or ill-conceived ‘genetic augmentation’. In such cases, translocations negate the overarching objective of biodiversity conservation: embodied in the concept of phylogenetic distinctiveness (PD), the encompassing scientific foundation of biodiversity conservation aims to maximize representation of the evolutionary history at the levels of species and ecosystems. A major underlying problem that we identify is persisting taxonomic inertia maintaining e.g., an overly simplified ungulate taxonomy, which is in most cases equivalent to a certain genomic incompatibility or a dilution of specific adaptations. Translocations and genetic rescue should only be employed, if potentially negative effects of the measures can be ruled out (including wrong taxonomy). Poor taxonomy has been – and indeed remains – at fault.
Spartaco Gippoliti; Fenton P.D. Cotterill; Colin P. Groves; Dietmar Zinner. Poor taxonomy and genetic rescue are possible co-agents of silent extinction and biogeographic homogenization among ungulate mammals. Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography 2018, 33, 1 .
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti, Fenton P.D. Cotterill, Colin P. Groves, Dietmar Zinner. Poor taxonomy and genetic rescue are possible co-agents of silent extinction and biogeographic homogenization among ungulate mammals. Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography. 2018; 33 ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti; Fenton P.D. Cotterill; Colin P. Groves; Dietmar Zinner. 2018. "Poor taxonomy and genetic rescue are possible co-agents of silent extinction and biogeographic homogenization among ungulate mammals." Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography 33, no. : 1.
Seventy years after his death, Reginald Innes Pocock’s prominence in mammalogy is demonstrated by the continuing amount of citations in recent works and the final acceptance of some of his systematic proposals at generic and suprageneric levels. Pocock’s ability to synthesize and integrate classical taxonomy with the then dominant polytypic species concept, utilizing both skull and external characters, of zoo and museum animals as unique opportunities for the advancement of mammal comparative biology – including the study of several extinct taxa – are an enduring legacy for mammalogy that deserves to be better appreciated especially among European zoologists.
Spartaco Gippoliti; Tommaso De Francesco; Jan Robovský. On the shoulders of giants: Reginald Innes Pocock and integrative mammal research in museums and zoos. Mammalia 2018, 82, 529 -539.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti, Tommaso De Francesco, Jan Robovský. On the shoulders of giants: Reginald Innes Pocock and integrative mammal research in museums and zoos. Mammalia. 2018; 82 (6):529-539.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti; Tommaso De Francesco; Jan Robovský. 2018. "On the shoulders of giants: Reginald Innes Pocock and integrative mammal research in museums and zoos." Mammalia 82, no. 6: 529-539.
Mono-and bispecific genera are of special concern as they represent unique phylogenetic/evolutionary trajectories within larger clades. In addition, as phylogenetically older taxa are supposed to be exposed to higher rarity and extinction risk, mono- and bispecific genera may be intrinsically more prone to extinction risks than multispecies genera, although extinction risks also depend on the ecological and biological strategy of the species. Here, the distribution across biogeographical zones and the threatening levels of two speciose orders of mammals (mono- and bispecific genera of Rodentia and Soricomorpha) are investigated in order to highlight major patterns at the worldwide scale. In Rodentia, 39.7% of the genera (n = 490) were monospecific and 17.9% were bispecific. In Soricomorpha, 44.4% of the total genera (n = 45) were monospecific and 15% were bispecific. There was a positive correlation between the number of monospecific genera and the total number of genera per family. Peaks of mono- and bi-specific genera richness were observed in Neotropical, Oriental and Afrotropical regions in rodents and in the Palearctic region in soricomorphs. Range size was significantly uneven across biogeographic region in rodents (with larger ranges in Nearctic and Oriental regions and smaller ranges in the Australian region), but there was no difference across biogeographic regions in terms of range size in soricomorphs. Most of the mono- and bispecific genera occurred in forest habitat in both taxa. The frequency distribution of the mono- and bispecific genera across IUCN categories did not differ significantly from the expected pattern using the total rodent genera and the multispecies genera. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Giovanni Amori; Alessandra Maria Bissattini; Spartaco Gippoliti; Leonardo Vignoli; Luigi Maiorano; Luca Luiselli. Least speciose among the most speciose: Natural history correlates of monospecific and bispecific genera of Rodentia and Soricomorpha. Integrative Zoology 2017, 12, 489 -499.
AMA StyleGiovanni Amori, Alessandra Maria Bissattini, Spartaco Gippoliti, Leonardo Vignoli, Luigi Maiorano, Luca Luiselli. Least speciose among the most speciose: Natural history correlates of monospecific and bispecific genera of Rodentia and Soricomorpha. Integrative Zoology. 2017; 12 (6):489-499.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Amori; Alessandra Maria Bissattini; Spartaco Gippoliti; Leonardo Vignoli; Luigi Maiorano; Luca Luiselli. 2017. "Least speciose among the most speciose: Natural history correlates of monospecific and bispecific genera of Rodentia and Soricomorpha." Integrative Zoology 12, no. 6: 489-499.
We review the state of African ungulate taxonomy over the last 120 years, with an emphasis on the introduction of the polytypic species concept and the discipline's general neglect since the middle of the 20th century. We single out negative consequences of ‘orthodox’ taxonomy, highlighting numerous cases of neglect of threatened lineages, unsound translocations that led to lineage introgression, and cases of maladaptation to local conditions including parasitic infections. Additionally, several captive breeding programmes have been hampered by chromosome rearrangements caused by involuntary lineage mixing. We advocate that specimen-based taxonomy should regain its keystone role in mammal research and conservation biology, with its scientific values augmented with genomic evidence. While integration with molecular biology, ecology and behaviour is needed for a full understanding of ungulate alpha diversity, we stress that morphological diversity has been neglected despite its tremendous practical importance for some groups of ‘utilizers’ such as trophy hunters, wildlife tourists and conservationists. We conclude that there is no evidence that purported ‘taxonomic inflation’ has adverse effects on ungulate conservation: rather, it is taxonomic inertia that has such adverse effects. We stress that sound science, founded on robust taxonomy, should underpin effective sustainable management (hunting, ranching, captive breeding and reintroduction programmes) of this unique African natural resource.
Spartaco Gippoliti; Fenton P. D. Cotterill; Dietmar Zinner; Colin P. Groves. Impacts of taxonomic inertia for the conservation of African ungulate diversity: an overview. Biological Reviews 2017, 93, 115 -130.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti, Fenton P. D. Cotterill, Dietmar Zinner, Colin P. Groves. Impacts of taxonomic inertia for the conservation of African ungulate diversity: an overview. Biological Reviews. 2017; 93 (1):115-130.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti; Fenton P. D. Cotterill; Dietmar Zinner; Colin P. Groves. 2017. "Impacts of taxonomic inertia for the conservation of African ungulate diversity: an overview." Biological Reviews 93, no. 1: 115-130.
This paper discusses the importance of western influence and perceptions on the conservation of nonhuman primates and other biodiversity, and the need for an ethical approach to conservation that is centred in the involvement of the local population, a vision shared by Cláudia Sousa.
Spartaco Gippoliti. Chimpanzee politics: some personal reflections on in situ primate conservation in Africa. Etnografica 2016, 672 -675.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. Chimpanzee politics: some personal reflections on in situ primate conservation in Africa. Etnografica. 2016; (vol. 20 (3):672-675.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. 2016. "Chimpanzee politics: some personal reflections on in situ primate conservation in Africa." Etnografica , no. vol. 20 (3: 672-675.
The twentieth century saw the decline of interest toward museum collections and an increased support to ‘experimental’ and ‘evolutionary’ biology, implicitly recognising the opposite nature of the ‘old’ museum-based taxonomy. With few exceptions, such as those of Florence and Verona, Italian museums after World War II were pushed at the border of scientific activity by the academic world and had to fight for their survival. Examples from the USA and elsewhere show the increased relevance of modern mammal collections to several fields of research. Despite an increased and welcomed attention to the value of historical collections, there is still scarce awareness of the need and relevance of maintaining and implementing mammal collections in museums as a valuable, long-term, source of data in the field of conservation biology, faunistic, taxonomy, molecular biology and health monitoring. In the present paper we suggest to create a network between mammalogists and a number of mammal collections, with one museum serving as focal point for a national mammal collection.
Spartaco Gippoliti; Giovanni Amori; Riccardo Castiglia; Paolo Colangelo; Ernesto Capanna. The relevance of Italian museum collections for research and conservation: the case of mammals. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 2014, 25, 351 -357.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti, Giovanni Amori, Riccardo Castiglia, Paolo Colangelo, Ernesto Capanna. The relevance of Italian museum collections for research and conservation: the case of mammals. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali. 2014; 25 (3):351-357.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti; Giovanni Amori; Riccardo Castiglia; Paolo Colangelo; Ernesto Capanna. 2014. "The relevance of Italian museum collections for research and conservation: the case of mammals." Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 25, no. 3: 351-357.
The recent publication of the travel journal by Giacomo Savorgnan di Brazzà, head of a scientific mission to Western Equatorial Africa on behalf of the French government in the years 1883–1886, provides a great opportunity to increase our knowledge of a small sample of primate specimens, now preserved in the Zoological Section of the University of Florence Natural History Museum. In the present paper, some of the taxonomic aspects of the new primate species proposed on the basis of the Brazzà-Pecile’s collection deposited at the Museum National de Histoire Naturelle in Paris are also discussed. Thanks to the newly available information stored in their diaries, it is now possible to restrict more precisely type localities of newly described taxa: namely Cercopithecus brazzae, Cercocebus agilis, Colobus guereza occidentalis and Piliocolobus bouvieri.
Spartaco Gippoliti; Paolo Agnelli. Primatological relics of the Mission Brazzà-Pecile in Equatorial Africa at the Museo di Storia Naturale of Florence University, with taxonomic notes. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 2014, 25, 195 -199.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti, Paolo Agnelli. Primatological relics of the Mission Brazzà-Pecile in Equatorial Africa at the Museo di Storia Naturale of Florence University, with taxonomic notes. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali. 2014; 25 (2):195-199.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti; Paolo Agnelli. 2014. "Primatological relics of the Mission Brazzà-Pecile in Equatorial Africa at the Museo di Storia Naturale of Florence University, with taxonomic notes." Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 25, no. 2: 195-199.
Heller et al. (2013), hereafter H&A, argue that the recent revision of the Bovidae (Groves and Grubb 2011), hereafter G&G (and see also Groves and Leslie 2011) is rife with Type 1 taxonomic errors (assigning the rank of species to a population that it is actually part of a metapopulation). Purportedly, G&G raise ecotypes or subspecies to the level of full species in the absence of credible evidence. Distinctly unwelcome, this increase in recognized species is labeled “taxonomic inflation” and apparently also causes taxonomic instability: altogether bad for conservation. We label this position “taxonomic conservatism” (Padial et al. 2009) and our criticism of the pejorative usage of “taxonomic inflation” echoes what Bernardo (2011) calls “inertial bias.” H&A is one contribution among recent rebuttals (Zachos and Lovari 2013; Zachos et al. 2013a, 2013b) condemning G&G: described as “a mess” of taxonomic artifacts created by a “splitting frenzy” (Zachos 2012). All these rebuttals reject the phylogenetic species concept (PSC), of which G&G used the diagnostic version (cf. Wheeler and Platnick 2000) to discover species.1
Fenton P. D. Cotterill; Peter J. Taylor; Spartaco Gippoliti; Jacqueline M. Bishop; Colin P. Groves. Why One Century of Phenetics is Enough: Response to “Are There Really Twice As Many Bovid Species As We Thought?”. Systematic Biology 2014, 63, 819 -832.
AMA StyleFenton P. D. Cotterill, Peter J. Taylor, Spartaco Gippoliti, Jacqueline M. Bishop, Colin P. Groves. Why One Century of Phenetics is Enough: Response to “Are There Really Twice As Many Bovid Species As We Thought?”. Systematic Biology. 2014; 63 (5):819-832.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFenton P. D. Cotterill; Peter J. Taylor; Spartaco Gippoliti; Jacqueline M. Bishop; Colin P. Groves. 2014. "Why One Century of Phenetics is Enough: Response to “Are There Really Twice As Many Bovid Species As We Thought?”." Systematic Biology 63, no. 5: 819-832.
The evolutionary history of plant and animal species has been deeply influenced by both climate changes and human actions. Human actions have been particularly heavy during the Anthropocene, when over 250 mammal species became extinct, mostly on islands. Here, we shortly review the existing literature, and test whether the various mammalian orders are all equally prone to extinction risks. We concluded that species belonging to the orders Rodentia, Primates, and Artiodactyla were more prone to become extinct, whereas those belonging to the orders Chiroptera and Carnivora were less. Surprisingly, apparently IUCN red list placed higher conservation concerns for the species belonging to the mammalian orders which are globally least prone to become extinct during the Holocene.
Giovanni Amori; Spartaco Gippoliti; Luca Luiselli. A short review of the roles of climate and man in mammal extinctions during the Anthropocene. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 2013, 25, 95 -99.
AMA StyleGiovanni Amori, Spartaco Gippoliti, Luca Luiselli. A short review of the roles of climate and man in mammal extinctions during the Anthropocene. Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali. 2013; 25 (1):95-99.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Amori; Spartaco Gippoliti; Luca Luiselli. 2013. "A short review of the roles of climate and man in mammal extinctions during the Anthropocene." Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali 25, no. 1: 95-99.
Comparing species checklists across countries can be important for determining the relative uniqueness of each country, which can be conveniently defined on the basis of the number of species occurring only in that country or, at most, in one of its neighboring countries. Production of accurate country checklists is complicated by the fact that, especially in scientifically neglected regions, the knowledge of the distribution of many species is unsatisfying. When distribution of a given species is insufficiently known, typically there may be apparent gaps in its distribution range. These species are defined here as 'gap species'. In this paper, we analyze the country checklists for rodents and insectivores of the African continent with the aims of (i) identifying the countries having a higher taxonomic uniqueness; (ii) highlighting countries where more research is needed; (iii) producing a list of gap species; and (iv) determining the ecological correlates of being a gap species. For both mammal groups, the important countries because of their low numbers of shared species were D.R. Congo, Cameroon, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania, and South Africa. The countries with highest percentages of endemic taxa were Kenya, South Africa, Somalia and Tanzania for insectivores, and Ethiopia and South Africa for rodents. The number of gap species per country was 0-5 for both insectivores and rodents, with the only exceptions of Togo (12) and Benin (15). Apart from Togo and Benin, the main gap countries for rodents were Nigeria, Chad, Gabon, Burundi, and Rwanda, and for insectivores were Niger and Chad. In both groups, the number of gap species per country was independent on the country area, and both range and body sizes did not influence the probability for a species to have distribution gaps. However, most gap species were tropical forest inhabitants. The biogeographic and conservation implications of these data are discussed
Giovanni Amori; Sabrina Masciola; Jenni Saarto; Spartaco Gippoliti; Carlo Rondinini; Federica Chiozza; Luca Luiselli. Spatial turnover and knowledge gap of African small mammals: using country checklists as a conservation tool. Biodiversity and Conservation 2012, 21, 1755 -1793.
AMA StyleGiovanni Amori, Sabrina Masciola, Jenni Saarto, Spartaco Gippoliti, Carlo Rondinini, Federica Chiozza, Luca Luiselli. Spatial turnover and knowledge gap of African small mammals: using country checklists as a conservation tool. Biodiversity and Conservation. 2012; 21 (7):1755-1793.
Chicago/Turabian StyleGiovanni Amori; Sabrina Masciola; Jenni Saarto; Spartaco Gippoliti; Carlo Rondinini; Federica Chiozza; Luca Luiselli. 2012. "Spatial turnover and knowledge gap of African small mammals: using country checklists as a conservation tool." Biodiversity and Conservation 21, no. 7: 1755-1793.
The role of ex situ activities for the conservation of biodiversity, and of zoos and aquaria in particular, is open to continuing debate. The present note highlights the conservation breeding potential of zoological gardens and aquaria in the European union, but it also recognises the lack of a convincing scientific and legal framework that encourages ex situ activities for ‘exotic’ species. If ex situ programmes are considered essential for global biodiversity conservation, the EU should not limit itself to regulating zoos through the zoo directive, but should actively promote and support their ex situ conservation activities.
Spartaco Gippoliti. Ex situ conservation programmes in European zoological gardens: Can we afford to lose them? Biodiversity and Conservation 2012, 21, 1359 -1364.
AMA StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. Ex situ conservation programmes in European zoological gardens: Can we afford to lose them? Biodiversity and Conservation. 2012; 21 (6):1359-1364.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSpartaco Gippoliti. 2012. "Ex situ conservation programmes in European zoological gardens: Can we afford to lose them?" Biodiversity and Conservation 21, no. 6: 1359-1364.