Comparative Ecology of the Gobies <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nes longus</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ctenogobius saepepallens</Emphasis>, Both Symbiotic with the Snapping Shrimp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Alpheus floridanus</Emphasis>

Synopsis We re-examined the symbiotic association of the western Atlantic gobiid fishes Nes longus and Ctenogobius saepepallens with the snapping shrimp Alpheus floridanus on the basis of a critical literature review and new data. Our research confirms that N. longus interacts closely with the shrimp and is dependent on it for the cover provided by the burrow that the shrimp constructs; the goby serves as the sentinel at the burrow entrance. Ctenogobius saepepallens is often seen occupying a burrow of the alpheid, and the shrimp will leave the burrow to deposit sediment with the goby at the entrance, even pushing the goby aside at times. However, the shrimp does not make contact with the goby with its antennae, nor does the goby communicate with caudal fin fluttering at the approach of danger. We suggest that their relationship is a first step in an evolutionary process that may lead to the very close mutualistic association exhibited by N. longus and the alpheid, as well as Indo-Pacific shrimp gobies of 13 different genera and their alpheid partners. Nes longus remains close to the burrow entrance; it feeds mainly on small gastropods, decapod crustaceans, ostracods, and isopods. By contrast, C. saepepallens makes longer excusions from the shelter of the burrow; its diet is dominated by benthic copepods, followed by ostracods and lesser amounts of foraminiferans, isopods, and decapod crustaceans. By virture of its greater mobility, it can be more selective in its prey.     

A multivariate morphometric study of the iberian representatives of<Emphasis Type="Italic">Potentialla</Emphasis> sect.<Emphasis Type="Italic">Recta</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rosaceae</Emphasis>)

A multivariate analysis has been performed in order to study the polymorphisms of the three species ofPotentilla sect.Recta (Th. Wolf)Juzepchuk represented in the Iberian Peninsula:P. asturica Rothm.,P. hirta L. andP. recta L. The variability of 20 characters (quantitative, binary and qualitative) has been evaluated in 76 collections mostly from the Iberian Peninsula and from other European territories, but also from North America, and North Africa. The analyses performed provide support for the recognition of the three species. The most discriminant among the quantitative characters is the width of the long trichomes on the stem, and then the width of the long trichomes on the leaves and the maximum length of the long trichomes. The interval of number of carpels, presence or absence of short eglandular trichomes and the abundance of long eglandular trichomes (>3 mm) are the most discriminant ones among the qualitative ones. The taxonomical position ofP. asturica, which has been previously subordinated as a subspecies within the other two taxa, is discussed. Our results support a good delimitation of this taxon which, on the basis of the morphological characters studied by us, seems to be morphologically more close toP. hirta than toP. recta, but differs significantly from both. A key to the three species is provided.     

Taxonomy and biogeography of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Niphargus steueri</Emphasis> (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

Niphargus steueri (Niphargidae) comprises a complex of four subspecies (N. s. steueri, N. s. kolombatovici, N. s. subtypicus, and N. s. liburnicus), the morphology and distribution of which have been poorly known until now. New diagnostic characters of the species and its four subspecies are presented and illustrated. The species is distributed along the major part of the Dinaric Karst, between Slovenia in the northwest and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the southeast. The distribution of the four subspecies approximately resembles the distribution of the evolutionary lineages of the subterranean amphibian Proteus anguinus and the Dinaric lineage of the cave shrimp Troglocaris agg. anophthalmus. Niphargus s. steueri is restricted to the Istran Peninsula; N. s. subtypicus is distributed in southeast Slovenia and northwest Croatia; N. s. liburnicus is known from two disjunctive localities, one on the island of Krk (Croatia) and the other in Gorizia (Italy); and N. s. kolombatovici is restricted to Dalmacija and Herzegovina. The somewhat variable putative synapomorphies of N. steueri probably suggest that the group is old and that the present distribution pattern is a result of historical events, possibly events in the Miocene Dinaride Lake system. Two populations of N. s. kolombatovici and one population of N. s. subtypicus deviate from the general distributional pattern and may belong to cryptic taxa that cannot be distinguished on the basis of morphology. Both hypotheses corroborate with the estimated times of divergence and with the number of independent lineages in the similarly distributed but unrelated stygobionts Proteus and Troglocaris.     

Floral development and systematic position of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arillastrum</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Allosyncarpia</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stockwellia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eucalyptopsis</Emphasis> (Myrtaceae)

We have investigated the floral ontogeny of Arillastrum, Allosyncarpia, Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis (of the eucalypt group, Myrtaceae) using scanning electron microscopy and light microscopy. Several critical characters for establishing relationships between these genera and to the eucalypts have been determined. The absence of compound petaline primordia in Arillastrum, Allosyncarpia, Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis excludes these taxa from the eucalypt clade. Post-anthesis circumscissile abscission of the hypanthium above the ovary in Stockwellia, Eucalyptopsis and Allosyncarpia is evidence that these three taxa form a monophyletic group; undifferentiated perianth parts and elongated fusiform buds are characters that unite Stockwellia and Eucalyptopsis as sister taxa. No floral characters clearly associate Arillastrum with either the eucalypt clade or the clade of Stockwellia, Eucalyptopsis and Allosyncarpia.We gratefully acknowledge Clyde Dunlop and Bob Harwood (Northern Territory Herbarium) for collecting specimens of Allosyncarpia, and Bruce Gray (Atherton) for collecting specimens of Stockwellia. The Australian National Herbarium (CANB) kindly lent herbarium specimens of Eucalyptopsis for examination. This research was supported by a University of Melbourne Research Development Grant to Andrew Drinnan.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Kryptoglanis shajii</Emphasis>, an enigmatic subterranean-spring catfish (Siluriformes, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Incertae sedis</Emphasis>) from Kerala,India

This is the report of a new species of catfish, Kryptoglanis shajii nov. gen. and nov. sp., distinguished from all other genera of siluriform fishes by the combination of the following morphological characters: viz. the absence of dorsal fin; the presence of four pairs of barbels; an upwardly directed mouth, with a distinctly projecting lower jaw; subcutaneous eyes; anal fin completely confluent with the caudal fin; anal and caudal fins together carry 70–74 fin rays; and no spines in any of the fins. Kryptoglanis, which has a maximum recorded size of 59.1 mm in standard length, was collected from a well fed by subterranean springs. The type locality is a well located at the extreme western part of Western Ghats, near Chalakudy in Thrissur district, Kerala State, India.     

Nine microsatellite DNA primers for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hippophae rhamnoides</Emphasis> ssp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">sinensis</Emphasis> (Elaeagnaceae)

Hippophae rhamnoides ssp. sinensis occurs mainly in the arid regions of northwest China. The wood stands of this subspecies play an important role in maintaining the local ecosystems in these regions. In addition, the genetic characteristics are essential to understand the historical range changes of this subspecies and its morphological differentiation with other subspecies. In this study, we developed nine microsatellite loci for this subspecies for the first time. We used the combining biotin capture method to enrich AG/CT/AC/GT/CG/GTG/CCA microsatellites. Twenty-six microsatellites were isolated from the enriching library and nine of them were found to be polymorphic through screening 12 distantly distributed individuals. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to twelve and expected heterozygosity from 0.2659 to 0.4767, respectively. We further performed cross-priming tests in another subspecies and two congeneric species. These firstly isolated loci will provide a useful tool to investigate the genetic structure of this subspecies and its morphological differentiation from the other subspecies.     

Polymorphism analysis of <Emphasis Type="Italic">csd</Emphasis> gene in six <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis mellifera</Emphasis> subspecies

The complementary sex determination (csd) gene is the primary gene determining the gender of honey bees (Apis spp). In this study we analyzed the polymorphism of csd gene in six Apis mellifera subspecies. The genomic region 3 of csd gene in these six A. mellifera was cloned, and identified. A total of 79 haplotypes were obtained from these six subspecies. Analysis showed that region 3 of csd gene has a high level of polymorphism in all the six A. mellifera subspecies. The A. m. anatolica subspecies has a slightly higher nucleotide diversity (π) than other subspecies, while the π values showed no significant difference among the other five subspecies. The phylogenetic tree showed that all the csd haplotypes from different A. mellifera subspecies are scattered throughout the tree, without forming six different clades. Population differentiation analysis showed that there are significant genetic differentiations among some of the subspecies. The NJ phylogenetic tree showed that the A. m. caucasica and A. m. carnica have the closest relationship, followed by A. m. ssp, A. m. ligustica, A. m. carpatica and A. m. anatolica that were gathered in the tree in turn.     

Larvae and juveniles of the plunderfishes <Emphasis Type="Italic">Artedidraco shackletoni</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">A.</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">skottsbergi</Emphasis> (Notothenioidei,Artedidraconidae) from the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean

Early life stages of Artedidraco skottsbergi and A. shackletoni were collected off Adélie Land. The morphology and pigmentation pattern of nine larvae and juveniles of A. skottsbergi between 17.2 and 21.4 mm in standard length (SL), and of two juveniles of A. shackletoni measuring 25.1 mm SL were described. A. skottsbergi was characterized by a heavily pigmented body, except for the caudal peduncle, with distinctively dense pigmentation on the ventrolateral half of the body and caudal section (17.2–17.9 mm SL). Furthermore, they had no pigmentation on the pectoral fin base until they attained 21.4 mm SL. Juvenile A. shackletoni had a heavily pigmented body except for the ventral side of the abdomen and the anal fin base. The proximal part of the dorsal fin and most of the anal fin were covered with melanophores. Although knowledge of larval and juvenile Artedidraco species is limited, the distribution of melanophores on the fins, pectoral fin base and caudal peduncle at each developmental stage may be useful for species identification.     

Revision of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serrulati</Emphasis> species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Penstemon</Emphasis> section <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccanthera</Emphasis> subsection <Emphasis Type="Italic">Serrulati</Emphasis>

A revision of Penstemon sect. Saccanthera subsect. Serrulati includes a new species (P. salmonensis), a new variety (P. triphyllus var. infernalis), and the elevation of a subspecies to species (P. curtiflorus), bringing the total number of species to eight, which are keyed and described, complete with nomenclature and type citations.     

Cytogenetic characterization of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hydrangea involucrata</Emphasis> Sieb. and <Emphasis Type="Italic">H. aspera</Emphasis> D. Don complex (Hydrangeaceae)<Emphasis Type="Italic">:</Emphasis> genetic,evolutional, and taxonomic implications

The subsection Asperae of genus Hydrangea L. (Hydrangeaceae) has been investigated for three reasons: several ambiguous classifications concerning Hydrangea aspera have been published, unexpected differences in genome size among seven accessions have been reported Cerbah et al. (Theor Appl Genet 103:45–51, 2001), and two atypical chromosome numbers (2n = 30 for Hydrangea involucrata and 2n = 34 for H. aspera) have been found when all other species of the genus present 2n = 36. Therefore, these two species and four subspecies of Hydrangea in all 29 accessions were analyzed for their genome size, chromosome number, and karyotype features. This investigation includes flow cytometric measurements of nuclear DNA content and bases composition (GC%), fluorochrome banding for detection of GC- and AT-rich DNA regions, and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) for chromosome mapping of 5 S and 18 S-5.8 S-26 S rDNA genes. In the H. aspera complex, the genome size ranged from 2.98 (subsp. sargentiana) to 4.67 pg/2C (subsp. aspera), an exceptional intraspecific variation of 1.57-fold. The mean base composition was 40.5% GC. Our report establishes the first karyotype for the species H. involucrata, and for the subspecies of H. aspera which indeed present different formulae, offering an element of discrimination. FISH and fluorochrome banding revealed the important differentiation between these two species (H. involucrata and H. aspera) and among four subspecies of the H. aspera complex. Our results are in agreement with the Chinese classification that places the groups Kawakami and Villosa as two different species: Hydrangea villosa Rehder and Hydrangea kawakami Hayata. This knowledge can contribute to effective germplasm management and horticultural use.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Johnius</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Johnius</Emphasis>) <Emphasis Type="Italic">majan</Emphasis> sp. nov., a sciaenid fish (Pisces: Sciaenidae) from Oman,Indian Ocean

Johnius (Johnius) majan sp. nov. is described on the basis of 8 specimens (117–158 mm in standard length) from Oman, Indian Ocean. The new species is distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters: black axillary spot on upper pectoral fin base; dorsal soft rays 29–32; anal soft rays 8; scales above lateral line 6, below 11; eye diameter 22.9–28.9% HL; interorbital width 32.0–38.0% HL; gill rakers 5–6 + 15–18 = 21–24; no mental barbel; last well developed pleural rib on 7th vertebra; swim bladder appendages 11; vertebrae 10 + 14 = 24.     

Revision of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nuchequula</Emphasis> with descriptions of three new species (Perciformes: Leiognathidae)

The leiognathid genus Nuchequula can be defined by the following combination of characters: mouth protruding downward; a narrow band of small, slender, villiform teeth in both jaws; teeth on upper jaw strongly recurved; the lateral line almost complete; a dark blotch on the nape. Although the genus was first established as a subgenus of Eubleekeria, it is here raised to generic level on the basis of the aforementioned morphological characters and recent molecular biological evidence. The genus comprises six valid species: N. blochii (Valenciennes 1835), distributed in India and Thailand; N. flavaxilla sp. nov., occurring only at Panay I., Philippines; N. gerreoides (Bleeker 1851), widely distributed in the Indo-West Pacific, from the Persian Gulf to Cape York, Australia, and north to Taiwan; N. glenysae sp. nov., from northern Australia and Ambon, Indonesia; N. longicornis sp. nov., from the Gulf of Thailand and Indonesia; and N. nuchalis (Temminck and Schlegel 1845), occurring in southern China including Taiwan, and southern Japan. Diagnostic characters of the species belonging to the genus are as follows: N. blochii—breast scaled, cheek naked, and a conspicuous black blotch distally on spinous dorsal fin; N. flavaxilla sp. nov.—breast naked, dorsolateral body surface fully scaled, preorbital spine bicuspid and not expanded distally, and second dorsal and anal fin spines conspicuously elongated; N. gerreoides—breast naked, anterior part of dorsolateral surface of body almost completely scaled, and second dorsal and anal fin spines not conspicuously elongated; N. glenysae sp. nov.—breast completely scaled, cheek scaled, and unique complicated sensory canals present on the suborbital area, extending to the nape; N. longicornis sp. nov.—breast naked, dorsolateral body surface fully scaled, preorbital spine bicuspid or tricuspid and extended distally, and second dorsal fin spines only conspicuously elongated; N. nuchalis—breast naked, anterior part of dorsolateral surface of body widely naked, and a conspicuous dark blotch distally on spinous dorsal fin.     

Revision of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Melamphaes</Emphasis> (Melamphaidae): Part 3. Multirakered species: <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. suborbitalis,M. parini</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">M. acanthomus</Emphasis>

In the third part of the revision of the genus Melamphaes Melamphaidae (Melamphaidae), we examine multirakered species (20 and more rakers at the first gill arch) with seven soft rays in the ventral fin that have a posttemporal (temporal) spine directed anteriorly-upwards, with 14–15 rays in the pectoral fin, and 11 (rarely 12) trunk vertebrae. M. suborbitalis inhabits the Atlantic Ocean (in the north up to 57°N, in the south, up to 40°S), the Indian Ocean (is known in its southwestern part), and the western part of the Pacific Ocean. There is no significant evidence on catches of this species in the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean. Apparently, M. suborbitalis is absent in the tropical waters of the oceans. Until recently, M. parini was known from the holotype caught in the Sea of Okhotsk. Two specimens of this rare species: from the central (the area of the Hawaiian Islands) and the northeastern part of the Pacific Ocean are reported. M. acanthomus is an endemic of the eastern part of the Pacific Ocean where it is known along the coasts of America from California to the northern coast of Chile (approximately between 33°N and 21°S).     

Comparison of Defense Body Movements of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis laboriosa</Emphasis>, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis dorsata dorsata</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Apis dorsata breviligula</Emphasis> Honey Bees

Defense behavior of three, free living giant (Megapis) honey bee subspecies, Apis laboriosa, A. dorsata dorsata and A. dorsata breviligula, was compared. Disturbed worker bees responded with characteristic dorso-ventral defense body twisting (DBT). Workers of A. laboriosa twisted the thorax by 55°, and the two other A. dorsata subspecies by about 10° more. A. laboriosa workers raised the tip of the abdomen by 90° and workers of the two other bee subspecies by about 20° higher. Differences in those traits were highly significant between A. laboriosa and both A. dorsata subspecies, but were not significant between those two subspecies. The whole cycle of DBT was the most vigorous in A. d. breviligula (0.11 s), and it was twice as vigorous as in A. d. dorsata (0.26 s) and trice as in A. laboriosa (0.32 s). A. laboriosa twisted the body together with wings folded over the abdomen, while the two A. dorsata subspecies raised the abdomen between spread wings. This supports the opinion to treat A. laboriosa as a separate species. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

A revision of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Heterospathe elegans</Emphasis> (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arecaceae</Emphasis>) complex in New Guinea

Summary  Three closely affiliated species of Heterospathe Scheff. (H. elegans (Becc.) Becc., H. humilis Becc. and H. versteegiana Becc.) from New Guinea are revised. They are reduced to a single species which is divided into two subspecies, and the new combination H. elegans subsp. humilis (Becc.) M. S. Trudgen & W. J. Baker is made. The subspecies can be readily distinguished by their growth habit. Epitypes are designated for the three previously published names, as informative material on the habit is not included in the existing type specimens. A new, potentially related species is described as H. pullenii M. S. Trudgen & W. J. Baker.     

Prevalence of avian influenza viruses, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycobacterium avium</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mycobacterium avium</Emphasis>, subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">paratuberculosis</Emphasis> in marsh-dwelling passerines in Slovakia, 2008

Prevalence of the infectious respiratory agens, avian influenza virus (AIV), Mycobacterium avium (M. avium), and Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP), was studied in migratory marsh-dwelling passerines captured in the Parížske močiare wetlands in Western Slovakia during 2008. Surveillance of 650 birds revealed a lower prevalence of AIV in spring (13.6%) than in summer (17.5%). A total of 14 different subtypes were detected in samples obtained from birds captured during the spring, with the most prevalent subtypes being H8N3, H6N4, H11N6 and H12N6. Subtypes H12N6, H6N6 and H2N5 were predominant in passerines captured during summer months. In eight cases, different AIV infections were detected in the oropharyngeal and cloacal samples originating from a single bird (H1N1 and H8N3; H1N3 and H9N3; H2N3 and H12N6; H2N1 and H8N1; H4N2 and H9N6; H5N5 and H11N6; H6N4 and H11N6; H7N1 and H10N3 in the oropharynx and cloaca, respectively). M. avium was detected in 9.2% and 0.8% of marsh-dwelling passerines captured during spring and summer, respectively. Only two birds were co-infected with AIV and M. avium. All birds were negative for MAP.     

Common genomic features of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Campylobacter jejuni</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">doylei</Emphasis> strains distinguish them from <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. jejuni</Emphasis> subsp. <Emphasis Type="Italic">jejuni</Emphasis>

Background  

Campylobacter jejuni has been divided into two subspecies: C. jejuni subsp. jejuni (Cjj) and C. jejuni subsp. doylei (Cjd). Nearly all of the C. jejuni strains isolated are Cjj; nevertheless, although Cjd strains are isolated infrequently, they differ from Cjj in two key aspects: they are obtained primarily from human clinical samples and are associated often with bacteremia, in addition to gastroenteritis. In this study, we utilized multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and a DNA microarray-based comparative genomic indexing (CGI) approach to examine the genomic diversity and gene content of Cjd strains.     

Redescription of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bregmaceros mcclellandi</Emphasis> Thompson, 1840 (Gadiformes: Bregmacerotidae)

 This study redescribes Bregmaceros mcclellandi Thompson, 1840, based on one specimen (74.4 mm SL) from the Bay of Bengal and 66 specimens (30.0–84.7 mm SL) from Mumbai (Bombay), India, because the type specimens have apparently been lost. The present specimens are characterized by having black dorsal, pectoral, and caudal fins and show the following morphology: caudal fin slightly forked; body chromatophores present mainly at the dorsal part; no scales on cheek; vertebrae 52–55 (13–15 + 38–41); dorsal rays 52–59; anal rays 54–60; pectoral rays 18–20; caudal rays 27–31 (principal rays 14); transverse scales 14–15. In the 66 Mumbai specimens, it was confirmed that the distinctive black fin pigmentation developed sequentially with growth, with complete pigmentation first on the anterior lobe of the dorsal fin, then simultaneously on the posterior lobe of the dorsal fin, the caudal fin, and the pectoral fin, and last, on the anal fin. This species is known only from the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, and Gulf of Thailand. A review of 16 nominal Bregmaceros species indicates that, besides B. mcclellandi, the distinctive dark fin pigmentation is found in B. atripinnis (Tickell), B. atlanticus Goode and Bean, B. japonicus Tanaka, and B. lanceolatus Shen. B. atripinnis is considered a junior synonym of B. mcclellandi, and the others are clearly distinct from B. mcclellandi. Comments are made on some of the characters to more fully characterize the species and for reference in future revisionary and phylogenetic studies. Received: June 17, 2002 / Revised: December 2, 2002 / Accepted: December 24, 2002