Formentera

Abstract: The first updated checklist of Balearic leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) since 1960 is presented here, evincing the presence of 118 species. This estimation is clearly lower than the 141 species reported in the only list available to date (Jolivet, 1953), and the dissimilarity is even more pronounced if we take into account that 22 new species have been added during this period. The possible explanations for these differences are discussed. The main island in the archipelago holds most of the species (Mallorca, 113 spp.), followed by Menorca (71 spp.), Eivissa (39 spp.) and Formentera (19 spp.). Thus, the Gymnesian islands (Mallorca and Menorca) are more species-rich than the Pityusic ones (Eivissa and Formentera). The number of species per island is significantly correlated with their respective areas not only for the Balearic but also for the much larger western Mediterranean islands of Corsica and Sardinia, and these abundances are not related with their nearness to the closest mainland. Among the different subfamilies and tribes, the Balearic flea-beetles (Alticinae) are clearly more prevalent whereas on the contrary, the Clytrini are less represented in comparison with the nearest mainland (Iberian Peninsula). The presented checklist includes four endemic species, Cryptocephalus majoricensis (Mallorca, Menorca and Formentera), C. tramuntanae (Mallorca), Cyrtonus majoricensis (Mallorca) and Timarcha balearica (Mallorca and Menorca). Furthermore, two adventitious species, Monoxia obesula and Epitrix hirtipennis of North American origin, have been reported for the first time in the Balearic Islands, in agreement with previous findings in other Mediterranean countries.

Abstract: The genetic variation of honeybee colonies collected in 22 localities on the Balearic Islands (Spain) was analysed using eight polymorphic microsatellite loci. Previous studies have demonstrated that these colonies belong either to the African or west European evolutionary lineages. These populations display low variability estimated from both the number of alleles and heterozygosity values, as expected for the honeybee island populations. Although genetic differentiation within the islands is low, significant heterozygote deficiency is present, indicating a subpopulation genetic structure. According to the genetic differentiation test, the honeybee populations of the Balearic Islands cluster into two groups: Gimnesias (Mallorca and Menorca) and Pitiusas (Ibiza and Formentera), which agrees with the biogeography postulated for this archipelago. The phylogenetic analysis suggests an Iberian origin of the Balearic honeybees, thus confirming the postulated evolutionary scenario for Apis mellifera in the Mediterranean basin. The microsatellite data from Formentera, Ibiza and Menorca show that ancestral populations are threatened by queen importations, indicating that adequate conservation measures should be developed for protecting Balearic bees.

Abstract: We present sulfur isotope ratio measurements of bone collagen from animals (n = 75) and humans (n = 120) from five sites dating to four chronological periods (Chalcolithic, Punic, Late Antiquity-Early Byzantine, and Islamic) from the Balearic Islands of Ibiza and Formentera, Spain. This study is a follow up to previously published δ13C and δ15N values by [Fuller et al.: Am J Phys Anthropol 143 (2010) 512–522] and focuses on using δ34S values to better understand the dietary patterns of these populations through time and to possibly identify immigrants to these islands. The range of δ34S values (10.5–17.8‰) observed for the animals was relatively broad, which suggests that a significant sea spray effect has added marine sulfates to the soils of Formentera and Ibiza. The mean δ34S values of the different human populations were found to be: Chalcolithic (16.5 ± 1.4‰), Punic rural (13.6 ± 1.7‰), Punic urban (12.9 ± 1.8‰), Late Antiquity-Early Byzantine (12.3 ± 2.1‰), and Islamic (9.1 ± 2.7‰). These human δ34S results are similar to the animal data, a finding that supports the notion that there was little marine protein consumption by these societies and that the diet was mainly based on terrestrial resources. During the Punic and Late Antiquity-Early Byzantine periods the δ34S values were used to identify individuals in the population who likely were not born or raised on the islands. In addition, 18 of the 20 individuals analyzed from the Islamic period have δ34S values that indicate that they were immigrants to Ibiza who died before acquiring the new local sulfur isotopic signature. Am J Phys Anthropol 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Abstract: EnglishThe oceurrenee of populations of the decapod braehyuran crab Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Grapsidae) in the Balearic Islands is given. These populations have been found at the upper sublittoral bottoms of Mallorca, Minorea and Formentera islands. This fact confirms the establishment in the Mediterranean Sea of this exotic crab, detected only recently in the Sicilia Straits, and also represents the first record of P. gibbesi in the Western Mediterranean Basin. catalaEs documenta la presencia de poblacions del crustaci decapo de braquiur Percnon gibbesi (H. Milne Edwards, 1853) (Grapsidae) a les illes Balears. Les poblacions s'han localitzat als fons sublitorals superiors de les illes de Mallorca Menorca i Formentera. Aquest fet confirma I'establiment a la Mar Mediterrimia d'aquest taxon exotic, detectat nomes moIt recentment a I'estret de Sicilia, i representa tambe la primera cita d'aquesta especie a la seva conea occidental. Es fan tambe alguns comentaris taxonomics sobre P. gibbesi.