Derradj Lotfi currently works as assistant professor at the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and technology, University of Amine Elokkal El Hadj Moussa Eg Akhamouk - Tamanghasset, Algeria.
ABSTRACT Floral foragers' pollination performance varies by taxon, and many crops rely on insect pollinators to produce fruit. Although honey bees are the primary pollinators for most crops, wild pollinators can sometimes be more effective and efficient. This study evaluated the pollination efficiency of several bee species: Apis mellifera , Megachile spp., and Bombus terrestris (queens and workers) on alfalfa. The research was conducted in the Wilaya of Mila, at Djebel Aougeb, Commune of Oued El Athmania (36°31′48.6″N, 6°39′49.1″ E), during the flowering seasons of 2021 and 2022. The experiments compared the pollination efficiency of the four groups based on pollen deposition per visit, foraging behaviour, and foraging speed. In terms of pollination efficiency, B. terrestris queens deposited the most pollen, visited more flowers per minute, and spent the least time per visit. This was followed by Megachile spp., while A. mellifera deposited the least pollen, visited fewer flowers per minute, and spent more time per flower. Whereas B. terrestris workers primarily collected nectar, contributing less to effective pollination. A significant increase in alfalfa grain yield was observed when comparing insect‐pollinated and unpollinated plants. The findings highlight the economic value of wild bees, particularly Bombus terrestris queens and Megachile species ( M. leachella and M. pilidens ), in agroecosystems. Insect pollination resulted in a substantial increase in fruit and seed production, with pollinated flowers producing up to 17 times more seeds in 2021 and 14 times more in 2022 compared to unpollinated flowers. Open pollination had a significantly greater impact than self‐pollination. To optimise pollination in Algerian alfalfa fields, synchronising the flowering period with the emergence of B. terrestris queens to avoid the dominance of workers and providing nesting habitats for Megachile species, in addition to using Apis mellifera , is recommended.
Abstract To this date, ticks remain the major problem in the livestock sector because of their role as vectors for serious agents of disease propagation. Given the scarcity of studies on ticks in Algeria, associations of species were mentioned in only one document and were not well detailed in another. This paper is a synoptic review of seven tick species associations related to host biotic factors in Algeria. The aim is to better understand the behaviour and biology of ticks to propose a new control method based on the association index. A total of 53 infested cattle were detected and 1,214 ticks were manually collected and identified based on their morphology during the summer of 2019 (June to August). Seven tick species were identified: viz. Rhipicephalus ( Boophilus ) annulatus , Rhipicephalus bursa , Rhipicephalus sanguineus , Hyalomma marginatum , Hyalomma lusitanicum , Hyalomma scupense , and Hyalomma anatolicum . The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used as an analytical tool to visualize similarities and correlations between cattle and females, males of tick species, according to three biotic factors (age, sex and breed of cattle). The results show that there is a relationship between the number of associated species and biotic factors (age of livestock). In addition, the degree of association is influenced by the host and other tick species and a new type of "astheno-association" is emerging that limits the number of associated species to two or three.
<title>Abstract</title> A four-month survey was carried out to study the prevalence, intensity and ecological indices of Ixodidae on cattle, goats and sheep brought to the slaughterhouse in the municipality of Tadjenanet, in north-eastern Algeria. Of the 447 animals examined, 67 (14.96%) were infested by one or more ticks. A total of 262 ticks were collected and ten species grouped under two genera were inventoried: <italic>Rhipicephalus</italic> spp. (79.77%) and <italic>Hyalomma</italic> spp. (20.23%). The tick spicies collected included <italic>Hyalomma anatolicum, Hyalomma excavatum, Hyalomma impeltatum, Hyalomma lusitanicum, Hyalomma marginatum, Hyalomma scupence, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus Rhipicephalus bursa, Rhipicephalus turanicus</italic> and <italic>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</italic>. This is the first time that <italic>Hyalomma impeltatum</italic> have been reported in Mila region. The most abundant species was <italic>Rhipicephalus bursa</italic> (41.22%). The presence of <italic>Hyalomma impeltatum</italic> in the study area was an interesting finding. The present study provides basic data on the status of the parasite in the province of Mila.
This article is the first study in the region of Mila (Algeria)that deals with the diversity of lizards. It wasconducted between May and October 2020, and we collected 75 individuals of lizards which were identifiedon-site and released afterward. The results show the presence of seven species of lizards: Acanthodactyluserythrurus, Chalcides ocellatus, Chamaeleo chameleon, Podarcis vaucheri, Psammodromus algirus, Tarentolamauritanica, and Timon pater. According to the resultsobtained, the best-represented species is Podarcisvaucheri (26.67%) followed by Tarentola mauritanica (25.33%), while the rarest species recorded- representedwith only one individual was Chalcides ocellatus. This study aims to establish a foundation for major projectsdedicated to lizard studies in other Algeria regions andpromote herpetology as a zoological discipline.
Lissothus guezzamensis sp. nov. is described here based on four adult female specimens from the In Guezzam Province, Algeria. Detailed illustrations and measurements are provided. L. guezzamensis sp. nov. can be distinguished from all the other known species by its coloration pattern, the dentition of the chela fingers, the carination and granulation of the fifth metasomal segment, and the shape of sternite VII.
