Дэлгэрэнгүй мэдээлэл

Массовое мечение цветными кольцами и GPSGSM- передатчиками в Монголии, России и Казахста- не помогло уточнить информацию о распространении красавок на местах гнездования и зимовки, выявить ключевые места предмиграционных скоплений и ми- грационных остановок, уточнить миграционные пути, а также определить важные экологические факторы и особенности на разных пролётных путях (Kanai et al., 2000: Yumin, Fenqi, 2017; Galtbalt et al., 2022; Ильяшен- ко и др., 2022).

МУИС-ийн Амьтан судлалын тэнхимийн судалгааны ажлын нэг гол чиглэл ховор хөхтөн амьтны судалгаа байв. Тэнхимийн эрхлэгч А.Г.Банников 1942- 1945 онд манай орны бүх нутгаар аялан, хийсэн ажлынхаа үр дүнгээр 1954 онд “БНМАУ-ын хөхтөн амьтан” нэг сэдэвт бүтээлээр шинжлэх ухааны докторын зэрэг хамгаалж, ном болгон хэвлүүлсэн нь өнөөдрийн хүртэл амьтан судлаачдын ширээний ном хэвээр байна. А.Г.Банников өөрийн судалгааны үр дүнгээр Их нуурын хотгорт үлдэж хоцорсон бөхөнг тусгаарлагдсан салбар зүйл хэмээн үзэж Saiga tatarica mongolica Bannikov, 1946 хэмээн нэрлэсэн юм.

МУИС - ХБНГУ-ын Мартин Лютерийн их сургуулийн биологичдын хамтын ажиллагааны нэгэн жарны замнал

We investigated the nationwide distribution of the European wildcat (Felis silvestris Schreber, 1777) in Hungary during three time periods (2004, 2014, and 2022) to assess changes in its distribution and to examine the impact of land cover variables on its occurrence across the country. An online questionnaire survey of Hungarian game management units revealed that the distribution of the species has increased over the last two decades in Hungary, with the eastern, northern, and south-western parts of the country holding the majority of its population. In addition, the results indicated that the presence of the species was significantly higher in areas with high broad-leaved forest cover. From this study, we conclude that the wildcat population showed a positive trend; however, the population vanished in some parts of Hungary, and broad-leaved forests are the most important habitat for wildcats.

Barcoding is an easy way to differentiate taxa on the basis of the mitochondrial COI fragment. Databases like BOLD and NCBI house thousands of barcodes across all living taxa. In this paper, we provide sequences of the barcode region for most Mongolian band-winged grasshoppers. Furthermore, we analyzed their phylogenetic relationships and used different approaches for species delimitation. Taxa could only be differentiated at the tribe level, whereas species within genera were largely admixed. Similarly, species delimitation tools failed to cluster the taxa on a species level. We discuss several reasons for the lack of resolution including incomplete lineage sorting, nuclear copies of mitochondrial DNA, hybridization, and failing taxonomy.

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Алтайн өвөр говийн ихэнх хэсэг нь ГИДЦГ-ын А хэсэгт хамаарах бөгөөд Эдрэнгийн нуруунаас эхлэн баруун өмнөд рүү БНХАУ-ын хил хүртэлх өргөн уудам газар нутгийг хамарсан амьтан, ургамлын хувьд ховор төрөл зүйлтэй хэт гандуу цөлийн экосистем юм. ГИДЦГ-ын А хэсгийн улсын тусгай хамгаалалттай газар нутаг нь 4.6 сая га талбайг хамрах бөгөөд энд амьдрах амьтдын хувьд цаг агаарын эрс тэс хатуу ширүүн нөхцөлд, уст цэгийн хүрэлцээ муутай экстрем орчинд дасан зохицож өнөөг хүртэл амьдарч ирсэн гэдгээрээ өвөрмөц онцлогтой.

Хар сүүлт зээр (Gazelle subgutturosa) нь Монгол орны цөл, цөлөрхөг хээрийн бүс нутагт тархсан, ховор амьтан юм. Хууль бус агнуур, бэлчээрийн доройтол, малын тоо толгойн өсөлт зэргээс хамаарч хар сүүлт зээрийн нийт популяцийн 30 хувь нь буурсан гэж үздэг. Иймд хар сүүлт зээрийн шилжилт хөдөлгөөн, орон зайн ашиглалт болон хар сүүлт зээрийн байршил нутаг гэрийн малын бэлчээр нутагтай хэрхэн давхцаж байгаа талаар судалгааны ажил төдийлөн хийгдэж байгаагүй. Бид Улаан шалын хоолой болон Зармангийн говиос 12 бодгаль хар сүүлт зээр барьж сансрын долгион дамжуулах хүзүүвчээр хар сүүлт зээрийн шилжилт хөдөлгөөний судалгааг хийж гүйцэтгэв.

There are summarized data on ectoparasites of Mongolian birds. The Mongolian-German Biological Expeditions found first records for the flea Ceratophyllus vagabundus and the Ischnocera louse Pectinopygus gyricornis at the host Phalacrocorax carbo.

The Mongolian-German Biological Expedition worked in 2014 from 31.07 until 05.08. in the West- Mongolian National Park Tavan Bogd with the lakes Choton-nuur, Churgan-nuur and Dajan-nuur. Within this very short time were recorded the Insectivora Sorex caecutiens and Sorex tundrensis. In addition, the Chiroptera Plecotus ognevi and Myotis petax were collected. A nursery roost of Myotis petax in a tree cave (Larix sibirica) was analysed. From the genus Clethrionomys the species C. rutilus and C. rufocanus were caught. Two Microtus species, M. gregalis and M. oeconomus were collected. The reproductive state of all caught animals was determined. From the family Cricetidae was Phodopus campbelli found only. Beside these micromammalia the Sciuridae species Eutamias sibiricus, Spermophilus undulatus and Marmota baibacina were documented photographically.

Between 2008 and 2014, four Mongolian-German Biological Expeditions worked for short periods in East Mongolia. The results related to mammalian fauna were summarized. Investigation areas were parts of the Daurian steppe, Buir-nuur- and Nömrög-gol-region. Chiroptera were recorded with four species. Especially, Vespertilio sinensis has to be considered as a characteristic species of the eastern steppes. Aggregations of some thousand individuals were found in the Buir-nuurregion. The other three species were Plecotus ognevi, Myotis petax and Myotis aurascens. It is to expect, that in eastern Mongolia some more Chiroptera-species will re-covered in future. The degree of investigation of insectivores is also insufficient. We recovered Mesechinus dauuricus, Sorex tundrensis and Sorex caecutiens as well as Crocidura shantungensis. From the family Sciuridae we collected only Spermophilus dauricus and Tamias sibiricus. The Muridae are represented by Rattus norvegicus, Mus musculus, and Apodemus agrarius et peninsulae. From these species exist representative sample series. In literature is documented, that East Mongolia belongs to the autochthonic centre of Rattus norvegicus. In the 30 and 40ties of the last century, Manchuria and East Mongolia were occupied by Japanese military that used Rattus norvegicus and its ectoparasites as biological weapons to transfer plague, anthrax and other pathogenic agents to humans. It would be useful to study the DNA of the recent wild Rattus norvegicus to reveal their genetically origin. The Spalacidae are represented by Myospalax psilurus and M. aspalax without any new investigation result of our expeditions. Microtus fortis and Microtus gregalis are the only recorded species of the Arvicolidae as well as Cricetulus barabensis and Phodopus campbelli for the Cricetidae. Morphometric data, remarks on reproduction state and habitat structures and requirements are subsumed here. In East Mongolia, we can expect many further mammalian species, which are to recover. Stationary research is recommendable, concentrated on micromammalian communities, reproduction cycles of different species and their feeding ecology. The study of the economic importance and relevance as well as the effectiveness of the great new agro-ecosystems in eastern Mongolia and the consequences of the change from natural into culture steppes is - and must be - a great challenge for the Mongolian sciences and scientists.

Although the house mouse as a common and widely distributed species is probably best-studied among small mammals, there is a lack of fundamental knowledge regarding species identity, morphology and ecology in Mongolia. Consequently, this study provides results of basic biological research on the Mongolian house mouse. A total of 172 specimens have been studied based on samples collected during the period 1962 to 2016. Using genetic and morphological markers, the taxonomic examination resulted in classification as Mus musculus musculus LINNAEUS, 1758. To characterise the Mongolian house mouse, three fur colour traits and 23 metric body and skull traits were analysed. Two obviously different morphotypes were identified: (1) light individuals with a distinct demarcation line, which occur in most parts of the country, (2) dark individuals with a diffuse demarcation line, which are mainly found in the northern part of the Selenge province. Furthermore, these morphotypes differ in five metric body and skull traits. In general, Mongolian house mice seem to be consistent with reference specimens from Eastern Europe according to metric traits, although exhibiting a shorter tail. In Mongolia Mus musculus lives hemisynanthropically. Habitat preferences are human settlements, but also in natural habitats such as oases, dunes and lakeshores. The population epigenetic analysis by using nonmetric cranial traits exposed three main populations: northcentral, southeast, and west. The latter seems to be more isolated from the other populations, probably due to the Altai Mountains as a natural barrier. The resulting epigenetic distances of the Mongolian house mice are rather low in comparison to other rodents, which indicates that house mice are quite talented in terms of dispersal. The western, southern, and eastern populations show lower values of fluctuating asymmetry (6.5 to 9.0 %), than the northern and central populations (11.5 to 13.1 %). Therefore, the latter seems to be more influenced by environmental or genetic stress factors.

Remote sensing and satellite telemetry have allowed to greatly expanding the understanding of how species use various landscapes, even in remote settings. However, remotely collecting data also harbours the risk of losing "touch with the ground". We explore the possibility of the additional insight cameras integrated in GPS-satellite collars can provide for the behaviour and ecology of free-ranging Przewalski's horse in the remote Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area in southeastern Mongolia. Over a 91-day period, the camera collected 1,080 images. 62% of the images showed Przewalski's horses and provided insights into behaviour and grouping patterns and can supplement indirect measures of behaviour from acceleration sensors. Other images provided first information on insect harassment and show the potential of images for ground-truthing environmental conditions, e.g. the occurrence of rainfall. The potential for camera collars as an additional tool to study large-bodied ungulates in remote ecosystems seems really promising, although this relatively new technology seems still prone to technical failures.

Mongolia is considered the stronghold of the Pallas’s cat (Otocolobus manul Pallas, 1776) populations. The species is thought to be widely distributed across Mongolia’s mountain steppes. However, the ecology and regional distribution of this species remain poorly known. In June 2018, we carried out an interview-based survey to estimate the current distribution of the Pallas’s cat in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park, Southern Mongolia, and assessed how the distribution is predicted to have changed over the last 30 years. We used a multi-season site-occupancy framework to evaluate factors affecting the probability of use by the Pallas’s cat while addressing for imperfect detection. Our study showed that the distribution of the Pallas’s cat was positively correlated with ruggedness while detection probability was negatively correlated with the number of years lived in the area and positively correlated with areas visited by the herders. Our results confirm the presence of the Pallas’s cat in an area that was not part of the known distribution as recently as 2016. They also suggest that the distribution of the Pallas’s cat in the Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park has shrunk by 15% over the last 30 years. These results highlight the importance of monitoring this elusive species to inform conservation and management efforts in Mongolia.

The cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo (Linnaeus, 1758) is a common breeding species at lake areas of Mongolia. Although molecular research has been conducted on many colonies worldwide, no studies of the genetic diversity of Mongolian colonies are known to date. In this study, we sequence for the first time a fragment of cytochrome oxidase 1 (CO1) from ten individuals of the 2017 resident population at Telmen-nuur. Here we perform molecular identification and analyze it in the context of existing data from populations studied worldwide. A clear assignment to the species P. carbo could be shown, but no identification on subspecies level is possible due to the lack of meaningful markers.

The Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo is a wide spread breeding species in Mongolia with a progressive population trend. Observations of the Mongolian-German Biological Expeditions were analyzed and summarized with data from literature. About 1,500 young birds were ringed in 2016 and 2017. One important recovery was coming from the wintering area Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve of Hong Kong. It is unclear if all Mongolian Cormorants are flying at the same route to their wintering region in South China. The main feeding fishes in Mongolia belong to endemic species of the genus Oreoleuciscus (Cyprinidae). Measurements of 113 eggs from Tolbo- and 155 eggs from Bööncsagaan-nuur were compared with statements of European collections. There were no great differences, but a higher variation in the measurements of Mongolian Cormorant eggs.

The first record of Streptopelia decaocto in Mongolia was noticed 1988 in the Dzungarian Gobi, Somon Bulgan, by the Mongolian-German Biological Expedition. In the last 30 years, this bird species has settled nearly all suitable habitats, so parks in the cities and Somon centres, river valleys and in the arid zone, the sajrs with elm trees or poplars as well as in some oases.

In der Mongolei sind gegenwärtig 20 verschiedene Fledermausarten aus sieben Gattungen nachgewiesen worden. Hierbei handelt es sich um sieben Arten Myotis, vier Arten Plecotus, drei Arten Eptesicus, zwei Arten Vespertilio, zwei Arten Hypsugo und je eine Art der Gattungen Nyctalus und Murina. Von den bisher bekannten Species konnten 11 nur selten und zwei von ihnen nur einmal gefunden worden. Bis auf die Arten der Gattung Plecotus und Hypsugo, die in getrennten Publikationen in diesem Heft behandelt werden (DOLCH et al. 2021a, 2021b), sind nachfolgend diese seltenen Funde zusammengestellt. Die Grundlage für die Häufigkeitseinschätzung bilden über 2000 Fledermausfänge an über 100 Fangplätzen der Feldexpeditionen „Chiroptera Mongolia“ (seit 1999) und der Mongolisch-Deutschen Biologischen Expeditionen, die seit 1962 unter der Leitung von Michael Stubbe in unterschiedlicher Zusammensetzung durchgeführt wurden.

Aim: Snow leopards are distributed across the mountains of 12 countries spread across 1.8 million km2 in Central and South Asia. Previous efforts to map snow leopard distributions have relied on expert opinions and modelling of presence-only data. Expert opinion is subjective and its reliability is difficult to assess, while analyses of presence-only data have tended to ignore the imperfect detectability of this elusive species. The study was conducted to prepare the first ever probabilistic distribution map of snow leopards across Mongolia addressing the challenge of imperfect detection. Location: We conducted sign-based occupancy surveys across 1,017 grid-cells covering 406,800 km2 of Mongolia's potential snow leopard range. Methods: Using a candidate model set of 31 ecologically meaningful models that used six site and seven sampling covariates, we estimate the probability of sites being used by snow leopards across the entire country. Results: Occupancy probability increased with greater terrain ruggedness, with lower values of vegetation indices, with less forest cover, and were highest at intermediate altitudes. Detection probability was higher for segments walked on foot, and for those in more rugged terrain. Our results showed broad agreement with maps developed using expert opinion and presence-only data but also highlighted important differences, for example in northern areas of Mongolia deemed largely unfavourable by previous expert opinion and presence-only analyses. Main conclusions: This study reports the first national-level occupancy survey of snow leopards in Mongolia and highlights methodological opportunities that can be taken to scale and support national-level conservation planning. Our assessments indicated that <12% of its entire land mass, and 42% of the potential snow leopard

New data on the Mongolian fauna of Soricidae came in the last decades from Russian scientists as Ju.G. Švecov, N.I. Litvinov and B.I. Sheftel, last not least in cooperation with Mongolian mammalogists. We remind on the publications of N. Chotochu, D. Bazardorž and R. Samjaa with his team. Also in future is a lot to do for understanding of biology, ecology and distribution of the Mongolian shrews. We have summarized the most important publications on shrews and made a grid mapping together with the results of the Mongolian-German Biological Expeditions. Up today there are known the following species from the Mongolian territory: Neomys fodiens, Crocidura suaveolens (or C. sibirica), Crocidura shantungensis as well as the Sorex-species S. roboratus, S. daphaenodon, S. isodon, S. minutissimus, S. araneus, S. caecutiens and S. tundrensis.

The Palaearctic is a zoogeographical region where knowledge of the distribution, taxonomy and ecology of bats (Chiroptera) is generally quite extensive. However, for many Palaearctic subregions, including Mongolia, detailed knowledge is still quite scarce. Also for some groups of species there are only few studies available to date. This holds also true for the long-eared bats of the genus Plecotus. For the long-eared bats, which live in close family groups and do not migrate over long distances, the development of different life form types can be expected. Studies tackling this are so far lacking. The fundamental revision of the genus Plecotus by SPITZENBERGER et al. (2006) on the basis of morphological and genetic studies was a stimulus for us to examine and revaluate our material according to these criteria. Furthermore, we took into account our gathered ecological knowledge from various field expeditions to all parts of this large and geographically diverse country with its extreme climatic conditions. Here we present our latest investigations and results on the morphology, phylogeny and ecology of the Mongolian Plecotus species. Sample material from two different sources have been morphologically and genetically investigated, namely material 1. from our field expeditions “Chiroptera Mongolia” (1999 to 2019) of the “Landesfachausschuss Säugetierkunde ” (LFA Säugetierkunde) des Naturschutzbundes in Brandenburg und Berlin together with Mongolian zoologists, and 2. from many field expeditions of M. Stubbe and A. Stubbe together with Mongolian zoologists collected by Mongolian-German Biological Expeditions since 1962. For distribution maps of the individual species observations kindly provide by other colleagues are additionally integrated. Genetic analyses based on the mitochondrial 16S-RNA (16S) and the mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) gene in combination with morphological studies, especially craniometric and dental characteristics, encourage us to propose a new Plecotus species (Plecotus gobiensis n. sp.) living in semi-arid areas of Mongolia. In addition, a cryptic subspecies (Plecotus ognevi nömrögi n. ssp.) may occur in the eastern steppes revealing moderate genetic but distinct morphological differences to Plecotus ognevi. The species and subspecies of the long-eared bats of the genus Plecotus currently detected in Mongolia are presented and genetically, morphologically and ecologically described in detail along with the currently known species distribution. Our report comprises the following species: Plecotus ognevi Kishida, 1927; Plecotus kozlovi Bobrinskii, 1926; Plecotus gobiensis n. sp. and Plecotus strelkovi Spitzenberger, 2006 as well as the subspecies Plecotus ognevi nömrögi n. ssp.

Human-induced ecological and climatic changes have led to the decline and even local extinction of many formerly widely distributed temperate and cold-adapted species. Determining the exact causes of this decline remains difficult. Bryodemella tuberculata was a widely distributed orthopteran species before the mid-19th century. Since then, many European populations have suffered drastic declines and are now considered extinct or critically endangered. We used ecological niche modelling based on a large dataset of extant and extinct occurrence data to investigate whether poor climatic suitability in the periphery of its global range was a possible cause of the local extinction of the European populations of B. tuberculata. We also used population genetics based on the COI marker to estimate and compare the genetic diversity of extant populations. We found that Europe still provides highly suitable habitats close to the climatic optimum, contradicting the assumption of climate change as major driver of this decline. Instead, changes in land-cover and other anthropogenic modifications of the habitats at the local scale seem to be the major reasons for local extinctions. Genetic analysis suggests Central Asia as center of diversity with a stable population size, whereas the effective sizes of the remaining European populations are decreasing. We found European genetic lineages nested within Central Asian lineages, suggesting a Central Asian source distribution area. Our results suggest that the declining European populations represent relics of a formerly wider distribution, which was fragmented by changes in land-use. These relics are now threatened by limited connectivity and small effective population sizes. Specific conservation actions, such as the restoration of former or potential new habitats, and translocation of individuals from extant populations to these restored sites may help slow, stall, or even revert the extinction process

The Old World sparrows include some of the best-studied passerine species, such as the cosmopolitan human commensal, the house sparrow (Passer domesticus) as well as poorly studied narrow-range endemics like the Iago sparrow (P. iagoensis) from the Cape Verde Archipelago or specialists from extreme environments like the desert sparrow (P. simplex). It is therefore notable that to date the most complete phylogenetic hypothesis for the Old World sparrows comprised only ten of 43 currently accepted species. With this study we provide an updated phylogeny of Passeridae covering about two third of the family’s species richness. Though still being far from taxon-complete, this new phylogenetic hypothesis provides firm evidence to clarify some open taxonomic questions. All genus-level taxa were reciprocally monophyletic with strong support. Contrary to previous classifications, bush sparrows and rock sparrows were not sister taxa, and therefore their classification in separate genera Gymnoris and Petronia is justified. Plumage color traits like the yellow throat patch of the latter two genera or head color pattern in Passer species do not provide reliable phylogenetic information, except for the large-sized African grey-headed sparrows that resulted as a monophyletic group (P. diffusus, P. griseus, P. gongoensis). Unexpectedly, two small-sized species, P. eminibey and P. luteus that to date are regarded as close relatives were firmly nested in two separate clades of Passer sparrows. Therefore, their separate generic treatment under Sorella eminibey and Auripasser luteus (together with A. euchlorus) does not seem justified.

In the Gobi region of Mongolia, mining activities have developed rapidly over the last 20 years. The development of the mining sector is important for the economic growth of Mongolia, but local communities have always been critical of its negative impact. The purpose of our study was to determine the mining effects on the small mammal community in the Gobi region. In order to achieve this goal, we estimated the species diversity and abundance of small mammal populations in the vicinity of the Tavan Tolgoi and Oyu Tolgoi mines in Umnugobi aimag of Mongolia in August 2017 and in August 2018. Generally, mining activities in the Gobi region have negative impacts on small mammal communities, and at the same time effects differ on the different species of small mammals.

To increase our understanding of bacterial intestinal colonization in animal populations lacking substantial anthropogenic influence we studied the diversity of E. coli in cormorants from the pristine West‐Mongolian steppe. E. coli were isolated from individual birds of two cormorant colonies located on small islands in lakes at least 100 km away from human settlements. Diversity of the isolates was studied using pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). 137 isolates of cormorant colony‐1 and 75 isolates of cormorant colony‐2 resulted in 60 and 33 PFGE types, respectively. Representative strains of each PFGE type were analyzed via PCR in terms of phylogroups and extraintestinal virulence‐associated genes (exVAGs). Bacterial adhesion to the chicken intestinal cell line CHIC‐8E11 and antimicrobial resistance was also determined. Most isolates belonged to phylogroup B1 (68.3%) followed by B2 and E with B2 harboring the highest total number of exVAGs per isolate. Unexpectedly, a PFGE type with relatively few exVAGs displayed the highest isolation frequency, also showing a high adhesion rate. Comparative analysis of exVAGs to other E. coli populations of wildlife origin revealed that the secreted autotransporter toxin encoding sat gene was only present in cormorants. Overall, E. coli in cormorants maintained a high diversity under minimal anthropogenic influences, which likely enables intestinal colonization.

The Mongolian plateau is a hotspot for mammals and a perfect environment for nomadic herding. The long-term co-existence with the local wildlife is nowadays threatened by a recent drastic increase of livestock numbers, and associated modifications in the ecosystems. Official hunting and livestock data were used to understand historical links between certain selected species (grey wolf, red fox, corsac fox, ground squirrels and marmots, vs. cattle, sheep, goat, horses and camels), during the period 1941-1985. Significant interactions appeared, like negative effects of goat numbers on wolves hunting. These models were thereafter used to predict the consequences of the increase of livestock in the period 1986-2015 on wildlife. A sharp decrease of wolves and corsac foxes was predicted, and positive effects on marmots, squirrels and red fox; i.e., beneficial for ecosystem-engineering borrowing species, but negative for predators. These predictions agree with the current situation, except for marmots which are currently declining.

The steppe regions of Mongolia have a rich grasshopper fauna. Especially, the short-horned (Cae- lifera) grasshopper family Acrididae with the subfamilies Gomphocerinae (slant-faced grasshop- pers) and Oedipodinae (band-winged grasshoppers) show a high diversity and abundance. This study reviews the Mongolian fauna of band-winged grasshoppers based on collection data of 50 years of expeditions of the German-Mongolian research cooperation. These collection data (assem- bled between 1962 and 2019) were used to generate a faunistic overview of Oedipodinae species for the region. In total 740 specimens belonging to 16 species were reported. Based on the collected material, study of the types and the original species descriptions following species were synony- mized: Bryodema gebleri mongolica ZUBOWSKY, 1900 syn. nov. with Bryodema gebleri (FISCHER von WALDHEIM, 1836), as well as Oedaleus asiaticus BEY-BIENKO, 1941 syn. nov. with Oedaleus decorus (GERMAR, 1825). Based on the generated dataset the region around Khus- tai National Park and the Great Lakes Depression in North-West-Mongolia were evaluated as the most species-rich spots of Oedipodinae.

Background: In addition to the broad dissemination of pathogenic extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia (E.) coli in human and veterinary medicine and the community, their occurrence in wildlife and the environment is a growing concern. Wild birds in particular often carry clinically relevant ESBL-producing E. coli. Objectives: We analyzed ESBL-producing and non-ESBL-producing E. coli obtained from wild birds in Mongolia to identify phylogenetic and functional characteristics that would explain the predominance of a particular E. coli clonal lineage in this area. Methods: We investigated ESBL-producing E. coli using whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetics to describe the population structure, resistance and virulence features and performed phenotypic experiments like biofilm formation and adhesion to epithelial cells. We compared the phenotypic characteristics to non-ESBL-producing E. coli from the same background (Mongolian wild birds) and genomic results to publicly available genomes. Results and Conclusion: We found ESBL-producing E. coli sequence type (ST) 1159 among wild birds in Mongolia. This clonal lineage carried virulence features typical for extra-intestinal pathogenic or enterotoxigenic E. coli. Comparative functional experiments suggested no burden of resistance in the ST1159 isolates, which is despite their carriage of ESBL-plasmids. Wild birds will likely disseminate these antibiotic-resistant pathogens further during migration.

Im Rahmen der über 50jährigen Wissenschaftskooperation zwischen der Martin-Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg und der Nationalen Universität der Mongolei/Ulaanbaatar und dem Engagement der Gesellschaft für Wildtier- und Jagdforschung (GWJF) stand 2019 die Erkundung der Ostmongolei auf dem Programm. Hier haben wir in einem Erlebnisbericht den groben Ablauf der Expeditionsroute zusammengestellt. Die Aufbereitung der wissenschaftlichen Ergebnisse wird uns noch mehrere Monate beschäftigen. Erste Daten zu Wiederfunden beringter Vögel (Stand 31.05.2020) sind im Bericht eingefügt.

This paper focusses on the distribution of Polyzonus fasciatus (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in , Mongolia and describes biological aspects of its development.