Bakkeius moragai n. gen. et n. sp. and Pojmanskia riosae n. gen. et n. sp. (Trematoda: Digenea: Brachylaimoidea) in birds from the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica

We describe 2 new species of leucochloridiid-like brachylaimoid digeneans parasitizing a variety of birds in the Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, each of which we assign to a new genus. According to Pojmanska's (Pojmanska, T. 2002a. Superfamily Brachylaimoidea Joyeux & Foley, 1930. In Keys to the Trematoda, D. I. Gibson, A. Jones, and R. A. Bray [eds.]. CAB International and The Natural History Museum, London, U.K., p. 31-36.) key for the Brachylaimoidea, we are unable to place either species in any family. One species most closely resembles members of Leucochloridium by having well-developed suckers, lacking an esophagus, and having cecal shoulders, gonads at the posterior end, and the genital pore at posterior end of body but differs by having symmetrical testes, a posttesticular ovary, and a terminal genital pore; thus, we propose the genus Bakkeius for it. The second new genus resembles members of Michajlovia by having ventral genital pores but differs by having extracecal uterine loops in the forebody, a cirrus sac containing the pars prostatica and seminal vesicle, and gland cells surrounding the genital pore; thus, we propose Pojmanskia for it. These new genera must currently be treated as incertae sedis according to Pojmanska (op. cit.); however, we feel that future phylogenetic analyses will require emendation of the family diagnosis for Leucochloridiidae to include those taxa with terminal and ventral genital pores and with preovarian testes.     

On Artigasia horridospina n.sp., Longior semialata n.sp., Mentecle magnifica n.sp., Paraxyo ensicrinatus n.sp. (Oxyurida: Hystrignathidae) and Pulchrocephala? pulchrocephala Travassos, 1925 (Oxyurida: Pulchrocephalidae)

Summary Four new species of hystrignathid nematodes are described from the midgut caeca of Passalus unicornus (Coleoptera: Passalidae) from St. Lucia, West Indies. Artigasia horridospina n.sp. is differentiated from A. dispar van Waerebeke, 1973 by virtue of fewer rows of spines in the oesophageal region and in possessing lateral alae, and from A. insignia Travassos & Kloss, 1958 in the extent of the oesophageal spiens and in having the lateral alae commence more anteriorly. The first annule is also much shallower than that of A. insignia. Longior semialata n.sp. is differentiated from L. longicollis Travassos & Kloss, 1958 on body length, b ratio, egg size and the starting point of the lateral alae. Mentecle magnifica n.sp. differs from M. parvus Travassos & Kloss, 1958 in having the spines of the oesophageal region extending much further down the body and in having ridged eggs. It is also longer and relatively thinner. Paraxyo ensicrinatus n.sp. differs from P. monodelpho Travassos & Kloss, 1958 in having a proportionately longer tail. The spines in the oesophageal region also extend considerably further posteriorly than in P. monodelpho.Two types of male associated with the above nematodes are described and illustrated, but not assigned to females. Pulchrocephala? pulchrocephala Travassos, 1925 is redescribed from the gut of the mole-cricket Scapteriscus vicinus.Scanning electron micrographs of four of the described species are given and briefly discussed. ac]19801024     

Deux prédateurs deTetranychidae en nouvelle-guinee:Stethorus exspectatus n.sp. etStethorus exsultabilis n.sp. [Col.: Coccinellidae]

Résumé Stethorus exspectatus n.sp. etS. exsultabilis n.sp. sont décrits de Papouasie Nouvelle-Guinée. Leurs proies connues sont citées, et quelques informations nouvelles sur la répartition du genreStethorus dans le Pacifique sont données.

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Summary Stethorus exspectatus n.sp. andS. exsultabilis n.sp. are described from Papua New Guinea, with records of their prey and new data on the distribution ofStethorus in the Pacific area.

     

Production and properties of ∝-mannosidase from aspergillus sp.

Summary Aspergillus sp NCIM 508 produced 22 U/L of extracellular -mannosidase activity in a medium containing 8 % brewer's yeast cells. The optimum period and pH range for maximum production of the enzyme were 7 days and 4.0–6.0, respectively. The optimum pH and temperature for enzyme activity were 6.0 and 50°C, respectively. The enzyme was stable for 24 h at 28°C, in the pH range 6.0–7.0. The enzyme retained 100 and 65 % of its original activity after heating for 15 min at 45 and 55°C, respectively. The Km and V_max for p-nitrophenyl--D- mannoside (PNPM) were 71M and 7.5 × 10^–2 moles/min/mg, respectively. The enzyme was strongly inhibited by 1 mM Hg⁺⁺ and Cu⁺⁺ and partially by Co.⁺⁺ (NCL Communication No.; 5780)     

Cold-adapted yeasts from Antarctica and the Italian Alps—description of three novel species: Mrakia robertii sp. nov., Mrakia blollopis sp. nov. and Mrakiella niccombsii sp. nov.

Worldwide glaciers are annually retreating due to global overheating and this phenomenon determines the potential lost of microbial diversity represented by psychrophilic microbial population sharing these peculiar habitats. In this context, yeast strains, all unable to grow above 20°C, consisting of 42 strains from Antarctic soil and 14 strains isolated from Alpine Glacier, were isolated and grouped together based on similar morphological and physiological characteristics. Sequences of the D1/D2 and ITS regions of the ribosomal DNA confirmed the previous analyses and demonstrated that the strains belong to unknown species. Three new species are proposed: Mrakia robertii sp. nov. (type strain CBS 8912), Mrakia blollopis sp. nov. (type strain CBS 8921) and a related anamorphic species Mrakiella niccombsii sp. nov. (type strain CBS 8917). Phylogenetic analysis of the ITS region revealed that the new proposed species were closely related to each other within the Mrakia clade in the order Cystofilobasidiales, class Tremellomycetes. The Mrakia clade now contains 8 sub-clades. Teliospores were observed in all strains except CBS 8918 and for the Mrakiella niccombsii strains.     

Bartolius pierrei n. g., n. sp. (Digenea: Gymnophallidae) from the Península Valdés, Argentina

Bartolius pierrei n. g., n. sp. (Digenea: Gymnophallidae) is described from metacercariae and naturally and cultivated obtained adults from southern Argentina. The second intermediate host is Darina solenoides (King) (Bivalvia: Mactridae) and the definitive host is Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein (Aves: Laridae). The diagnostic characters are as follows: Body small, oval. Oral sucker without lateral projections, twice size of ventral sucker (except in young metacercariae). Caeca short (in adults), without dorsal diverticula. Ventral sucker in posterior third of body. Ventral pit absent. Seminal vesicle bipartite. Ovary post-testicular. Vitelline glands paired, compact, close to ventral sucker. Uterus in fore- and hindbody. Genital atrium tubular. Genital pore inconspicuous, close to anterior margin of ventral sucker. Excretory vesicle Y-shaped with very short stem. Excretory formula: 2[(2+2)+(2+2)]=16. Bartolius is distinguished from other genera of the Gymnophallidae by the post-testicular position of the ovary.     

Sawadalepis prima n. g., n. sp. (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea) from the Schreiber’s bent-winged bat Miniopterus schreibersii Kuhl (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from China

Sawadalepis n. g. is erected for Sawadalepis prima n. sp. in Schreiber’s bent-winged bat Miniopterus schreibersii Kuhl (Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) from southern China. Diagnostic features of the currently monotypic genus include attributes of the osmoregulatory system and female genital organs. The dorsal osmoregulatory canals are shifted bilaterally towards the margins of proglottides in relation to the ventral canals. The genital pores are unilateral and sinistral. Among female attributes, the copulatory part of the vagina is covered externally by a dense layer of intensely stained cells; the conductive part of the vagina is clearly distinguishable from the seminal receptacle; the uterus has ventral and dorsal diverticula, extending bilaterally beyond the longitudinal osmoregulatory canals; and the eggs are spherical with thick outer coat.     

The ‘Pseudorhabdosynochus cupatus group’ (Monogenea: Diplectanidae) on Epinephelus fasciatus, E. howlandi, E. rivulatus and E. merra (Perciformes: Serranidae) off New Caledonia, with descriptions of Pseudorhabdosynochus cyathus n. sp. and P. calathus n. sp.

Pseudorhabdosynochus cupatus (Young, 1969) is characterised by small lamellosquamodiscs made up of central telescopic rings and peripheral rows of rodlets, and a sclerotised vagina in the shape of a thin-walled coiled tube with three accessory chambers. Two new species of Pseudorhabdosynochus are herein described from epinepheline fish off New Caledonia, South Pacific, and are considered part of the 'P. cupatus group'. P. cyathus n. sp. from Epinephelus howlandi has lamellosquamodiscs made up of four telescopic rings and four rows of separate rodlets; there are dorsal tegumental scales. This species was found only in young hosts; older hosts harbour P. venus Hinsinger & Justine, 2006. P. calathus n. sp. from Epinephelus rivulatus has lamellosquamodiscs made up of four telescopic rings and five rows of separate rodlets; the tegument is smooth. The three species, P. cupatus, P. calathus and P. cyathus, are strictly species specific; although morphologically very similar, they can be distinguished by features of the tegumental scales and measurements of the vagina and haptoral hard parts. P. melanesiensis (Laird, 1958) from E. merra is close to the 'P. cupatus group' according to the morphology of its sclerotised vagina but is distinguished by its squamodiscs which lack telescopic rings. Rare specimens found in E. merra are tentatively attributed to P. coioidesis Bu et al., 1999. A paratype of P. coioidesis is figured for comparison. E. merra, E. fasciatus, E. rivulatus and E. howlandi each have a Pseudorhabdosynochus species of the P. cupatus lineage: these are the dominant species in each host. In addition, E. merra, E. fasciatus and E. howlandi harbour a rare species of Pseudorhabdosynochus, respectively P. cf. coioidesis, P. caledonicus Justine, 2005 and P. venus; these rare species are morphologically unrelated to each other and to the 'P. cupatus group'.     

Paracreptotrema profundulusi n. sp. and P. blancoi Choudhury, Pérez-Ponce De León, Brooks, and Daverdin, 2006 (Trematoda: Allocreadiidae) from freshwater fishes of the genus Profundulus (Teleostei: Profundulidae) in southern México

Paracreptotrema profundulusi n. sp. (Trematoda: Allocreadiidae) is described from the intestine of the freshwater fishes Profundulus punctatus and P. balsanus (Teleostei: Profundulidae) from the Tehuantepec and the Atoyac-Verde River basins, in Oaxaca, México, in the western extreme of Central America. The new species is distinguished from Paracreptotrema blancoi Choudhury, Pérez-Ponce de León, Brooks, and Daverdin, 2006 , to which it is most similar, and from P. mendezi (Sogandares-Bernal, 1955) Choudhury, Pérez-Ponce de León, Brooks, and Daverdin, 2006 , by the caeca extending beyond the testes, vitelline follicles that invade the postesticular area, and uterus with transverse loops located mainly between the testes and the genital pore. Paracreptotrema blancoi was collected from the same host species and also from Profundulus oaxacae. Here, we provide data that show its broad distribution in several river basins of Neotropical southern México, including the Papagayo River basin, Guerrero, México, and the Atoyac-Verde and Tehuantepec river basins, and other rivers in Oaxaca, México. Freshwater fishes of the Profundulidae are endemic to Central America and host a helminth fauna that includes at least 4 species found only in these hosts.     

Purification and Characterization of α-Hydroxyglutarate Dehydrogenase from Alcaligenes sp.

NADH-dependent soluble l-α-hydroxyglutarate dehydrogenase (l-2-hydroxyglutarate: NAD⁺ 2-oxidoreductase) was found in a bacterium belonging to the genus Alcaligenes obtained from soil by citrate enrichment culture. A mutant with about 2.5-fold higher activity of the enzyme was derived from the bacterium and used as the enzyme source. High level of the enzyme was produced at the late stage of cultivation in the presence of citrate and with limited aeration. The enzyme was purified from the cells to homogeneity to give crystals, and its enzymatic properties were studied. The enzyme strongly reduced α-ketoglutarate to stereochemically pure l-α-hydroxyglutarate with NADH as a coenzyme, but it oxidized d-α-hydroxyglutarate with about 1/10 of the rate for l-form oxidation.     

Purification and some properties of β-mannanase from Bacillus sp.

-Mannanase produced by Bacillus sp. W-2, isolated from decayed commercial konjak cake, was purified from the culture supernatant by (NH₄)₂ SO₄ precipitation, adsorption to konjak gel, and column chromatography with DEAE-cellulose, Sephadex G-100 and Sephacryl S-200. Its molecular size was estimated by SDS-PAGE as 40 kDa, and by gel filtration as 36 kDa. The enzyme was most active at pH 7 and 70°C and was stable for at least 1 h between pH 5 and 10 and below 60°C. Its activity was completely inhibited by Hg²⁺. The enzyme hydrolysed galactomannan better than glucomannan and mainly produced mannose and mannobiose.The authors are with the Department of Bioproductive Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Utsunomiya University. Utsunomiya, Tochigi 321, Japan     

Poecilorhynchus perplexus n. g., n. sp. (Trypanorhyncha: Eutetrarhynchidae) from the brownbanded bambooshark, Chiloscyllium punctatum Müller & Henle, from Australia

A new genus of trypanorhynch cestodes is described from the brownbanded bambooshark, Chiloscyllium punctatum Müller & Henle (Hemiscylliidae) from off Nickol Bay, Western Australia. Poecilorhynchus perplexus n. g., n. sp. is placed in the Eutetrarhynchidae Guiart, 1927 because it is characterised by an elongate, acraspedote scolex with two oval bothria, the absence of bothrial pits, elongate bulbs, the presence of gland-cells within the bulbs and prebulbar organs, retractor muscles inserting at the base of each bulb and an acraspedote strobila. It can be distinguished from all other genera in this family by its possession of a poeciloacanthous typical armature, with a chainette composed of two longitudinal files of uncinate hooks on the external tentacular surface.