Bees of the genera Xenorhiza Michener and Palaeorhiza Perkins (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) of Papua New Guinea collected by Dr W. J. Pulawski of the California Academy of Sciences

Bees of genera Xenorhiza and Palaeorhiza of Papua New Guinea collected by Dr Pulawski are reported on. One species of Xenorhiza and 19 species of Palaeorhiza are recognized, including five new species of Palaeorhiza. New taxa are Palaeorhiza (Palaeorhiza) labergei, P. (Anchirhiza) pulawskii, P. (Callorhiza) demeter, P. (Cercorhiza) concordiana and P. (Zarhiopalea) nike.     

A Reinvestigation of the Development of the Embryo Sac in Gastrodia elata Blume (Orchidaceae)

The embryo sac of Gastrodia elata was reinvestigated. The ovuleis anatropous, unitegmic and tenuinucellate. The chalazal megasporeof a triad develops into an embryo sac. Four nuclei are formedat the micropylar end but only two at the chalazal end. A typicalegg apparatus and a single polar nucleus are derived from themicropylar quartet, while the chalazal two disappear beforematuration of the embryo sac. Double fertilization takes placenormally.     

Cryopreservation of Leucocytozoon caulleryi Sporozoites

Leucocytozoon caulleryi sporozoites that had been stored at - 196° C or -80° C for 6 or 12 months in Eagle's minimum essential medium or Medium 199 supplemented with 5% glycerol and 10% chicken serum showed infectivity to chickens. Glycerol at a concentration of 10% and dimethyl sulfoxide at 10% and 5% were found to be ineffective cryoprotective agents for the low temperature preservation of sporozoites. Sporozoites isolated from the intact females of Culicoides arakawae , which had been stored at -80° C for 6 or 12 months without cryoprotective agents, retained their infectivity. No differences were observed in the prepatent period, duration of parasitemia, and presence of serum-soluble antigens between chickens infected with frozen sporozoites and those infected with fresh sporozoites.     

Progression throughout All Stages of Meiosis from the Early Prophase of Newt Primary Spermatocytes in vitro

Stages of prophase of living primary spermatocytes were determined by use of Rose culture chambers (1). Dissociated primary spermatocytes were cultured at low cell-density in a collagen matrix at 22°C or 27°C and the percentages of cells which had progressed from various stages in prophase through meiosis to various advanced stages were measured. In a standard medium (Leibovitz-15 + 10% fetal bovine serum), more than 70% of the primary spermatocytes at stages beyond the pachytene stage could advance to round spermatids with flagella within a few days at 22°C. The percentages of cells that progressed from stages before the late zygotene stage were less, but at least 13 % of leptotene cells reached metaphase I within a week at 22°C. The percentage of cells that progressed was slightly lower at 27°C than at 22°C: 6.3 and 4.3 days were required for progress from leptotene to metaphase I at 22°C and 27C, respectively. Fetal bovine serum was not indispensable for progression through meiosis. Moreover, 0.5–5.0 μg/ml ovine follicle stimulating hormone (NIAMDD-o-FSH-13), 0.01–1.0 μg/ml 5α-dihydrotestosterone and 1.0 μg/ml testosterone propionate had no significant effect in increasing the percentage of cell progression at 22°C.