Variation of metallothioneins in gills of the clam Ruditapes decussatus from the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia)

Cadmium (Cd) and metallothionein (MT) concentrations were determined in the subcellular fractions of the gills of the clam Ruditapes decussatus. Clams were collected monthly during the period of sexual development (from June to August 2001) from two different sites situated in the Gulf of Gabès (Tunisia). These sites differ by their degree of metal contamination. Differences in condition index (CI) were observed in June and August between clams from both sites. In clams from both sites, cadmium was approximately equally distributed between the soluble (S1) and insoluble (C1) fractions. MT levels varied according to month but not sex. Site and body mass of clams seem to be important factors to explain the variation of MT levels compared to cadmium.     

The nassariids from the Gulf of Gabès revisited (Neogastropoda,Nassariidae)

Since the latter half of the nineteenth century, marine biologists have recognized that many molluscs living in the Gulf of Gabès, on the southern coast of Tunisia, exhibit a number of morphological characters that set them apart from the ‘typical form or variety’ that occurs in the rest of their Mediterranean distribution area. In the family Nassariidae, local forms (varieties or subspecies) were recognized as early as 1882, but none of these is currently recognized as having taxonomical significance. We have revisited the species-level systematics of the family using an integrative approach, based on morphological, geographic and molecular evidence (COI and 28S). Besides Tritia gibbosula (not sampled by us), we delimitated seven species, three with a broad range: Tritia neritea (probably introduced), T. mutabilis (but with considerable genetic structure between localities), and T. corniculum; and four not previously recognized as valid, and which may be considered Gulf of Gabès endemics: T. lanceolata, T. tenuicosta, T. pallaryana sp. nov. and T. djerbaensis sp. nov. Also, Tritia elongata is recognized as a valid species in the T. corniculum complex, with a distribution outside the Gulf of Gabès. It is remarkable that all have paucispiral protoconchs indicating non-planktotrophic larval development.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:069F3B3B-66E8-4C07-A974-3023924426EB     

New grylloblattid insects (Insecta: Grylloblattida) from the Grès à Voltzia of the Vosges (Middle Triassic of France)

New grylloblattid insects (Grylloblattida) are described from the Grès à Voltzia of the Vosges (Anisian of Alsace and Lorraine, France): Chauliodites anisicus, sp. nov. (Chaulioditidae), Palaeomesorthopteron pullus gen. et sp. nov. (Mesorthopteridae), Megakhosarodes vosgesicus sp. nov. (Megakhosaridae), Dorniella elcanoides sp. nov., D. apectinata sp. nov., D. diluta sp. nov., D. ovalis sp. nov., Baharellinus umbrosus sp. nov. Embigryllus shcherbakovi gen. et sp. nov., and Vosgesopterum arzvillerensis gen. et sp. nov. (Blattogryllidae).     

New remains of Dorcatherium crassum (Artiodactyla: Tragulidae) from the Early Miocene (MN4) of Els Casots (Subirats,Vallès-Penedès Basin)

New tragulid dental remains from the late Early Miocene (16.5–16.3 Ma, MN4) locality of Els Casots (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Catalonia, Spain) are described. This sample fits well, both in size and occlusal morphology, with the material of Dorcatherium crassum from the type locality (Sansan, France; MN6). We therefore attribute the tragulid from Els Casots to this species, also in agreement with its known chronostratigraphic range throughout Europe (MN4–MN6) and the previous records of this species from other MN4 localities of the Vallès-Penedès Basin. The described remains – which include the postcanine lower deciduous and permanent dentition, as well as several upper cheek teeth – constitute the most complete sample of D. crassum from the Iberian Peninsula. The presence of this species at Els Casots is consistent with the lacustrine depositional environment inferred from sedimentological evidence and associated fauna, and further confirms the nearby presence of densely forested environments with a humid climate with low seasonality.     

Dinosaur footprints from the Early Jurassic of Le Mazel (Lozère,Southern France)

During the 20^th century, the first dinosaur tracks of the Causses Basin were identified at Saint-Laurent-de-Trèves, in the Parc National des Cévennes (southern France). A recent excavation reveals a new theropod tracksite in the Hettangian deposits from Le Mazel, 2 km from the historical tracksite at Saint-Laurent-de-Trèves. The tracks are here described combining a biometric approach and 3D imaging photogrammetry. The main track-bearing surface bears 64 in situ tridactyl footprints preserved as concave epireliefs. Two morphotypes were identified, a “Grallatorid” morphotype and a “Kayentapus” morphotype. Footprints belonging to the first morphotype are closely similar to Grallator lescurei, Grallator minusculus, and Grallator sauclierensis. This study shows the difficulty to distinguish quite similar tridactyl tracks from an ichnotaxonomic point of view and highlights the importance of detailed biometric comparisons. Tracks are preserved in a brown to yellowish dolomudstone showing abundant cryptalgal laminites and mud cracks. These deposits were accrued in shallow environments such as intertidal and supratidal zones of a tidal flat.     

The Miocene mammal record of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia)

The land mammal record of the Vallès-Penedès Basin (Catalonia, NE Spain) ranges from the early Miocene (Ramblian) to the late Miocene (Turolian), that is from about 20 to 7 Ma. Here we present an updated review of the mammal succession focusing on biochronology as well as on environmental and faunal changes. Based on faunal similarities with central Europe, we interpret this basin as a transitional zone between the forested environments of northern regions and the more arid landscapes of the inner Iberian Peninsula. The quality of the Vallès-Penedès record and its chronostratigraphic control is clearly better for the late Aragonian and the Vallesian (between 12.6–9.0 Ma), especially for small mammals. Therefore, we analyze small mammal diversity dynamics during this interval. Contrary to previous analyses, which found an abrupt extinction event coinciding with the early/late Vallesian boundary (the Vallesian Crisis), our results show that this pattern is due to uneven sampling. Instead, taxonomic richness slowly decreased since the late Vallesian as a result of a series of extinctions that mostly affected forest-dwelling taxa.     

The late Miocene mammals from the Konservat-Lagerstätte of Saint-Bauzile (Ardèche,France)

Diatomite deposits of Saint-Bauzile near Privas (Ardèche) in southern France have been known since more than two centuries for abundant and extremely well-preserved fossils of plants and animals. The radiometric dating brackets fossil-bearing horizons between 7.2 and 7.6 Ma, which is consistent with the biochronologic age given by fossil mammals, which are characteristics of the late MN11 zone, i.e. the second part of the late Miocene. The main interest of this site for mammals is that they are preserved almost “in the flesh”, as entire skeletons with bones in their anatomical connection, and often with skin and fur charred and forming a halo around the body. In this work, we studied the remains of a lagomorph, two rodents, an equid, a suid, a bovid and a rhino. The mode of preservation of mammals as entire bodies suggests sudden death and rapid burial of individuals.     

A partial hominoid humerus from the middle miocene of Castell de Barberà (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Catalonia, Spain)

The hominoid right partial humerus IPS4334, from the middle Miocene (MN 8) of Castell de Barberà (Vallès-Penedès Basin, Catalonia, Spain), is described. It preserves the mid-distal portion of the shaft until the proximal margins of the radial and coronoid fossae, as well as the proximal portion of the olecranon fossa; the capitulum, the trochlea and the two epicondyles are missing. Although morphological comparisons are restricted, available evidence indicates that IPS4334 is more derived towards the modern hominoid condition than the Klein Hadersdorf specimen attributed to Griphopithecus (ca. 13-14 Ma), thus being most similar (except for its larger size and greater robusticity) to the presumably juvenile specimen of Dryopithecus fontani from Saint Gaudens in France (ca. 11-12 Ma). On the basis of shaft measurements and allometric regressions derived for extant hominoids, a body mass estimate around 50 kg is derived for IPS4334. Morphological similarities with the Saint Gaudens specimen, together with the large body mass estimate, suggest a tentative attribution of IPS4334 to cf. D. fontani, which is the largest hominoid taxon so far recorded from the Vallès-Penedès Basin. The larger size and higher robusticity of IPS4334 as compared to the Saint Gaudens specimen might be explained by the juvenile status of the latter and/or sexual dimorphism. When both specimens are considered together with a partial femur from Abocador de Can Mata, D. fontani emerges as a less suspensory ape than the late Miocene Hispanopithecus, the locomotor repertoire of the former emphasizing climbing, but still displaying a significant quadrupedal component.     

Morphology of the spermatozoon in two sympatric species of Fissurella Bruguière, 1789 (Mollusca: Vetigastropoda) from Southern Chile

Summary

Light and electron microscopy were used to analyze the morphology and ultrastructure of the spermatozoon of Fissurella nigra and Fissurella picta, two sympatric species of keyhole limpets from the southern Chilean coast. The spermatozoa of both species are of the aquasperm type, typical of species with external fertilization. Each species had its own distinctive spermatic morphology, particularly in relation to size. Proceeding from anterior to posterior, the spermatozoa of both species each consists of an elongated head with a conical acrosome having a deep subacrosomal space and truncated conical nucleus, followed by a midpiece containing five mitochondria associated in a compact ring around the proximal and distal centrioles, and, at the end, a flagellum. The spermatozoon head of F. nigra is almost twice as long as that of F. picta. This difference constitutes the first morphological evidence that the size of the spermatozoon could represent a candidate for the maintenance of reproductive isolation between these two sympatric species.     

Apodopsyllus gabesensis n. sp.: a new species of Paramesochridae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from the Gulf of Gabès (south-eastern Tunisia)

Several specimens belonging to a new species of Apodopsyllus were collected during a study on the diversity of meiobenthic communities in the Gulf of Gabès, a Mediterranean shallow-water bay at the south-eastern coast of Tunisia in July 2005. The new species Apodopsyllus gabesensis n. sp. shares the characteristics of the genus such as the lack of endopods from P2 to P4 and the soft and slightly cuticularized body. Apodopsyllus gabesensis n. sp. belongs to the few known species of Apodopsyllus that are described to have comparably distinct patterns of dorsal and lateral cuticular plates and pores. Besides a typical combination of characters that clearly distinguishes the new species from its congeners, the new species shows the following unique single characters: female P5 with a hitherto unknown combination of shape of the exopodal part and shape and setation of the baseoendopodal lobe with two small stout spines; male P6 with a particular shape, and a distinct armature of the exopodal spines in P2–P4 in the male that are pinnate with very short spinules contrary to the female where spines are smooth. The genus Apodopsyllus contains 26 species with the inclusion of the new species.     

Taxonomy of subgenus Temnoclemmys Bergounioux, 1958 (Testudines: Geoemydidae: Ptychogasterinae) based on new material from the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula)

The taxonomy of the freshwater turtle subgenus Ptychogaster (Temnoclemmys) (Testudines, Geoemydidae, Ptychogasterinae) is revised based on new and previously-published material from the Vallès-Penedès Basin (NE Iberian Peninsula). Additional remains of subgenus Ptychogaster, first reported from this basin, are also described. Although the oldest remains of Temnoclemmys are left unassigned, most of the available remains are attributed to its type species, Ptychogaster (Temnoclemmys) batalleri, originally described from the Late Miocene (MN9 and MN10) of this basin. The new material expands the chronostratigraphic range of P. batalleri in the Vallès-Penedès Basin back to the MN7 + 8 and shows that “Testudo” celonica is its junior synonym. Emended diagnoses for Ptychogaster and Temnoclemmys are also provided.     

New Middle Permian insects from Salagou Formation of the Lodève Basin in southern France (Insecta: Pterygota)

Summary

New insects are described from the Middle Permian (Guadalupian) of Salagou Formation in the Lodève Basin (Languedoc region, France). Palaeopterans are represented by new odonatopterans viz. Huangiopterum lodevense n. gen., n. sp. and Huangiopterum species B, attributed to clade Panodonata (Huangiopteridae n. fam.), already recorded through the family Saxonagrionidae in the same formation, and a diaphanopterodean Martynovia cf. halli Beckemeyer 2004 (Martynoviidae) known from the Lower Permian of Oklahoma. Archaeorthopterans are supplemented by Bethouxia ariegensis n. gen., n. sp., Paralongzhua elongata n. gen., n. sp., Lodevolongzhua incompleta n. gen., n. sp., the caloneurodean Jarmiloptera mouralensis n. gen., n. sp., and a cnemidolestodean cf. Tococladus sp. (Tococladidae). Permophyllum rotundatum n. sp. (?Tettigoniidae) demonstrates the first presence of Orthoptera with wings probably mimicking Peltaspermales reproductive organs in Late Palaeozoic possibly analogous to the known crypsis of roachoid tegmina with pteridosperm pinnules. Frequent occurrence of hardly identifiable grylloblattid wing fragments support their significant role in term of abundance and diversity of the Permian faunas. New taxa based on wing venation pattern as Genera and species undetermined A, B (Liomopteridae), Permobaharellus salagousensis n. gen., n. sp. (family uncertain), Lodevophlebia reticulata n. gen., n. sp. (Sylvaphlebiidae), Oborella lodevensis n. sp. (Euryptilonidae), and Genus and species undetermined C, were described. Paoliida is represented by a paoliid gen. et sp. indet. and three anthracoptilids Strephocladus gandi n. sp., Strephocladus mouralensis n. sp., Lodevocladus subtilis n. gen., n. sp. The first record of miomopteran Palaeomantis sp. (Paleomanteidae) from Salagou Formation is presented. Acercarian insects are represented by the first record of Thripida and diverse new hemipterans, namely Euroscytina lutevanorum n. gen., n. sp. (Cicadomorpha: Scytinopteridae), Prosbole dio n. sp., Prosbole garrici n. sp., Pervestigia cf. veteris Becker-Migdisova 1961 (Prosbolidae), Archescytina species A (Paleorrhyncha: Archescytinidae) and Permopsyllidium lesclansis n. sp. (Sternorrhyncha: Psylloidea: Protopsyllidiidae). Entomofauna from the Salagou Formation demonstrate highly diverse insect communities with some taxa linked to early and late Permian ones known from assemblages in Euramerica and Russia, such as Obora (Czech Republic), Wellington Formation (Kansas and Oklahoma, USA), and Tshekarda (Ural, Russia).     

Respiratory metabolism of the soft tick,Ornithodoros turicata (Dugès)

The rate of oxygen consumption was investigated in fed larval, nymphal and adult Ornithodoros turicata ticks and in starved nymphal and adult ticks. Oxygen consumption rate of fed adult ticks increased with increasing temperature. The metabolic rate of adult ticks was affected by starvation whereby starved adult ticks showed a significantly lower oxygen consumption than their fed counterparts. The oxygen consumption rate of fed female ticks was significantly higher than that of fed males but, there was no significant difference between the oxygen consumption rates of starved female versus starved male ticks. Oxygen consumption of fed larvae was significantly greater than those of fed first through third instar nymphs. Fed and starved nymphal ticks as well as fed adult ticks ventilated continuously. In contrast, starved adults ventilated discontinuously. The ability to reduce metabolic rate, plus the capability to ventilate discontinuously allow O. turicata adults to cope with prolonged starvation.     

First occurrence of Palaeotheriidae (Perissodactyla) from the late–middle Eocene of eastern Thrace (Greece)

A detailed assessment of postcranial fossils collected at Balouk Keui (Thrace, Greece) in the mid-19th Century by the naturalist Auguste Viquesnel enabled us to identify the material as pertaining to Palaeotherium sp., cf. P. magnum, which constitutes the easternmost occurrence of the genus during the Eocene. We have constrained the geographic and stratigraphic provenance of the fossil by reassessing information about Viquesnel's itinerary and observations. Although the exact age of the fossil remains uncertain, the occurrence of a palaeothere in the Thrace Basin during the Eocene indicates a wider geographic distribution for the genus, which had previously been restricted to western and central Europe. The palaeothere of Balouk Keui confirms that the palaeogeographic range of this group included the Balkans during the middle–late Eocene. This discovery also shows that at least intermittent land connections between western Europe, Southeast Asia, and perhaps Central Iran facilitated mammalian dispersal during the middle–late Eocene, before the famous Grande Coupure.     

Net photosynthetic response patterns of the basidiomycete lichen Cora pavonia (Web.) E. Fries from the tropical volcano La Soufrière (Guadeloupe)

Summary The response of net photosynthesis to temperature, moisture, and light was examined in thalli of the tropical basidiomycete lichen Cora pavonia from recent lahar flows on the volcanic summit La Soufrière (Guadeloupe, French West Indies). Although thalli of C. pavonia are typically exposed to only low light intensities and isothermal temperature conditions under prevailing cloud/shroud conditions on La Soufrière, their photosynthetic response matrix reveals an unexpected breadth of response. The temperature optimum of net photosynthetic uptake in C. pavonia rises from 6°C at a photon flux area density of 25 mol m^–2 s^–1 PAR to 27°C at 1000 mol m^–2 s^–1 PAR, with rates of maximal net photosynthetic uptake exceeding 25 mg CO₂ g^–1 h^–1. Net photosynthesis was optimal at thallus moisture contents of 250 to 350 percent water content by weight, declining only slightly in fully saturated thalli. These response patterns pose an apparent paradox, as on most days they will act to severely restrict net photosynthetic uptake by thalli of C. pavonia on La Soufrière. This paradox is discussed in context of those selective pressures faced by lichen thalli in later successional stages as well as those imposed by brief periods of atypical weather conditions.     

Properties of the β-d-glucosidase (cellobiase) from the wood-rotting fungus,Coriolus versicolor

Summary Structural and kinetic parameters of the -d-glucosidase (cellobiase, -d-glucoside glucohydrolase) from Coriolus versicolor have been determined. It is a high molecular weight glycoprotein (300,000 d) composed 10% by weight of protein, 90% by weight of carbohydrate in which glucose is the primary hexose sugar. The K_m for 4-nitrophenyl--d-glucopyranoside (4 NPG) and cellobiose are 0.276 and 2.94 mM respectively at pH 4.5 and 40°. d-Glucose is a competitive inhibitor with a K_i of 1.8 mM with 4 NPG as substrate, and at high concentrations, cellobiose exhibits a substrate inhibition effect on the enzyme, so negating attempts to overcome the competitive inhibition of glucose by increasing the concentration of the substrate.     

Isolation and re-association of the subunits from the pro-(carboxypeptidase A)–pro-(proteinase E) binary complex from pig pancreas

The component subunits of the pro-(carboxypeptidase A)–pro-(proteinase E) binary complex from pig pancreas were separated with a high recovery (80–95%) of their original potential activity. The isolated subunits and the reconstituted complex have properties similar to those of the corresponding natural species. The tryptic activation course of the pro-(carboxypeptidase A) subunit is substantially modified when bound to pro-(proteinase E), whereas the activation of pro-(proteinase E) is not dependent on this association.