Systematic Study on Lomatogonium A. Br. (Gentianaceae)

The present paper deals with the infrageneric classification, phylogeny and geographic distribution of the genus Lomatogonium. A cladistic analysis was undertaken to establish the taxa and to evaluate the relationships between the taxa. The PAUP computer program was used in this analysis. The most parsimonious tree (Cladogram) of the rotate-corolla group of subtribe Gentianinae shows that Lomatogonium is closely related to Lomatogoniopsis and Swertia, but distantly to Veratrilla. Among them, Swertia is more primitive than Lomatogonium and hence Sect. Swertia was selected as the outgroup to polarize the character states of ingroup (Lomatogonium). A data matrix of 29 charaters of Lomatogonium was made for constructing the cladogram. Two most parsimonious trees were formed one of which, with the lowest f value, was at last selected as a shortest tree. In this tree 18 species fall into three groups, i.e. Sect. Sarcorhizoma, Sect. Lomatogonium and Sect. Pleurogynella. The former comes at a lower level with more plesiomorphies while the latter at a higher level with more apomorphies. Lomatogonium is distributed in the northern temperate zone. However, 16 species are centred in Asia and two extend to Europe, or further to the Arctic region, but none has been found from Africa, Australia and South erica. The analysis of distribution pattern of species shows that the Qinling-Hengduan Mountain region is both the frequence and diversity centers of Lomatogonium. From the cladogram of Lomatogonium (Fig. 5 ), L. perenne appears to occupy the most plesiomorphic node. This is an indication that it is the extant species closest to the ancestral form and it also implies that the ancestral species may reside in the habitat of this species (the Qinlin-Hengduan Mountain region). On the other hand, a umber of species of Swertia Sect. Swertia also occur in this region today, which indicates that the Qinlin-Hengduan Mountain region may well be the original center of Lomatogonium. From the distribution pattern of L. rotatum, it can be concluded that the time of the origin dates back at least before the Pliocene. After emergence, this genus had first developed and dispersed in the original center and adjacent region, then diverged into two lineages. One gave rise to the widespread species (northern temperate distribution species L. carinthiacum and L. rotatum), and the other formed the Himalayan species.A taxonomic revision of the whole genus Lomatogonium is presented. In this paper, one new section (Sect. Sarcorhizoma), one new species (L. zhongdianense S. W. Liu et T. N. Ho) and one new variety (L. forrestii var. densiflorum S. W. Liu et T. N. Ho) are described. The key to the species is given. Type studies are made for all the taxa.     

Seasonal distribution and abundance of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) in the Faro and Deo Division of the Adamaoua Plateau in Cameroon

Ten years after the large-scale tsetse control campaigns in the important cattle rearing areas of the Faro and Deo Division of the Adamaoua Plateau in Cameroon, the seasonal distribution and abundance of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) were determined. During a period of 12 consecutive months (January-December 2005), the tsetse population was monitored along four trap transects consisting of a total of 32 traps and two flyround transects traversing the study area, which comprised the tsetse-infested valley, a buffer zone and the supposedly tsetse-free plateau. Throughout the study period, a total of 2195 Glossina morsitans submorsitans and 23 Glossina tachinoides were captured in the traps and 1007 G. m. submorsitans (78.8% male flies) were captured along the flyround transects. All G. tachinoides and almost all G. m. submorsitans were captured in the valley. Five G. m. submorsitans were captured in traps located in the buffer zone, whereas no flies were captured in traps located on the plateau. The index of apparent abundance (IAA) of G. m. submorsitans was substantially higher in the areas close to game reserves. In the remaining part of the valley, where wildlife is scarce and cattle are present during transhumance (dry season), the IAA of tsetse was substantially lower. In this part of the valley, the abundance of tsetse seemed to be associated with the presence of cattle, with the highest IAA during transhumance when cattle are present and the lowest apparent abundance during the rainy season when cattle have moved to the plateau. It is concluded that the distribution of tsetse in a large part of the valley undergoes substantial seasonal changes depending on the presence or absence of cattle. The repercussions of those findings for the control of tsetse in the valley and the probability of reinvasion of the plateau are discussed.     

Evidence of Host Discrimination by Microctonus hyperodae Loan (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Euphorinae), a Parasitoid of the Argentine Stem Weevil Listronotus bonariensis (Kuschel) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Microctonus hyperodae is a solitary endoparasitoid of the Argentine stem weevil, Listronotus bonariensis. Early investigation into the biology of the parasitoid indicated that there was no discrimination between parasitized and unparasitized hosts. However, dissection data from two experiments were analyzed according to three mathematical models. Model I was based on the Poisson distribution and assumed random selection of hosts. The host discrimination model (model II) assumed that parasitized hosts had reduced attractiveness to searching parasitoids. A competition model (model III) made the assumption that competition between the early immature parasitoid stages led to premature mortality, which was not accounted for in the dissection results. The dissection data indicated statistically significant departure from the Poisson model. Results from the laboratory experiment indicated that host discrimination explained the results more accurately than parasitoid larval competition. Models II and III both provided adequate fits to the field data, although the departure from the observed data was greatest for the competition model. Both intra- and inter-ecotypic host recognition were evident, and there was some indication that clonal recognition took place. This is the first evidence of host discrimination by a member of the genus Microctonus. It has provided further indication of the success of M. hyperodae as a biological control agent.     

Échinodermes de l'Ordovicien supérieur (Ashgill) de Sardaigne et d'Algérie

Research on the influence of sea level variations on the benthic faunas have been carried out in the Upper Ordovician of Sardinia. Study of the depositional facies and sequence analysis of the upper part (Lower Ashgill) of the Portixeddu Formation led to the identification of the sedimentary environments. Cystoids and crinoids are associated to bryozoans and brachiopods in most levels. The numerical analysis of associations and megaguilds shows that crinoids and cystoids have a higher frequency in the proximal and median facies of the upper offshore. The columnal association characterized by Conspectocrinus celticus and the coronoid Mespilocystites tregarvanicus has been discovered in the upper part of the formation. This material and complementary samples from Upper Ordovician of Sardinia and Kabylia (Algeria) bring additional data on the systematic and show the wide distribution of this fauna outside of the Ibero-armorican domain. The distribution of this echinoderm association supports a palaeogeographical position of the Ibero-armorican domain and Sardinia within the north gondwanan margin during the Lower Palaeozoic.     

Le Lias et le Dogger du sud du Bassin parisien (France) : rôle de la tectonique syn-sédimentaire et reconstitutions paléogéographiques à l'échelle de la biozone d'ammonite

The Lias and Dogger series in the southern Paris Basin outcrops are precisely dated following the ammonite biozonation scale. In these series, the depositional environment context is accurately identified and thus various isopic zones can bee recognized. From the outcrop study, the depositional sequence and the tectonics events are also distinguished. The poorly dated subsurface data should be not anymore interpreted as diagraphic signatures, with the traditional peak to peak correlation. They now need to be analysed according to the geodynamic evolution of each isopic zone. The Liassic transgressive series (in the Armorican continent) and the Dogger platforms numerous carbonate bodies are correlated at biostratigraphic scale, throughout the whole southern Paris Basin. Subsequently, paleogeographic maps are established and based on depositional sequences. The basin evolution image changes radically. This shows clearly that the complexes carbonate bodies layout prohibits any depositional environment interpretation and any isopach mapping at geological stage level. If not, the carbonate platforms of different age would be amalgamated, without any connection with the reality. Over the time, paleogeographic maps show syn-sedimentary short wavelength deformations, more or less well expressed according to the local sedimentary context. During the Lias and the Dogger, three steps can be distinguished in the southern Paris Basin. Hettangian to Lower Aalenian, the progressive increase in accommodation drives to total immersion of the continental areas; the maximum of accommodation during the Middle Toarcian entails uniform sedimentary conditions. However, short wavelength deformations persist. The major accidents defining the isopic zones are mainly North-South oriented. Middle Aalenian to Middle Bathonian, isopic zones are contrasted, controlled by the North-South accidents but also the North West-South East ones ; the variable accommodation allowed the development of regional sedimentary gaps and shallow limestone progradations on a marly area (so called “Sillon marneux”) ; tectonics events correspond to the Tethyan and the North Sea riftings influences. Upper Bathonian to Upper Oxfordian, the North West-South East tectonics accidents are particularly active; this tectonic phase could be associated to the thermal event, described in the Paris Basin and announcing the Malm depositional environment.     

An Ultrastructural Study on the Development of Egg- apparatus in Rice Embryo Sac

The development of the egg-apparatus (consisted of an egg cell and two synergids) of rice ( Oryza sativa L. ) was studied at the uhrastructural level. The walls of the egg cell and synergids, immediately after their formation, possessed numerous plasmodesmata. Plasmodesmata were also present on walls between the egg cell and synergids. During the enlargement phase of the egg cell and synergids, the walls at the tip region began to loosen and vesiculate. By the time the embryo sac became mature, the part of the wall of the egg cell and synergids, facing the chalaza, disappeared. Consequently, the tip regions of the egg cell and synergids were only protected by a plasma membrane. When the embryo sac reached full maturity, the upper and middle region of the wall of the synergids broke up into pieces. At that time one synergid began to degenerate. Plasmodesmata persisted at the hook region of the wall of both the egg cell and synergids. Most plastids in the egg cell contained starch grains that persisted throughout the period of the embryo sac development. Starch grains in the plastids of the synergids appeared only before the time when the two polar-nuclei moved into the region above the egg-apparatus. They then disappeared and did not appear again until the embryo sac had reached full maturity. The size and location of the vacuoles in the egg cell were different from those in the synergids. The time of formation was also different. Vacuoles in the egg cell formed late in comparison with the synergids. Vacuoles in the chalazal region of the egg cell (especially at the early stage of the embryo sac development) were much larger than those in the micropylar region. Vacuoles in the synergids tended to concentrate mainly in the chalazal region. There was a peak period of lipid formation in the two synergids. The peak appeared when the embryo sac neared maturity. At the early stage of development, the nuclei of the synergids were elliptical in shape and were situated at the central region near the micropyle. The shape of the nuclei at the late stage of development became less regular and tended to move more towards the micropylar region. Changes in the uhrastructure of the egg cell and synergids of rice appeared to be closely related to the metabolic processes controlling the embryo sac formation and development.     

A reassessment of the relations in Malaysia between ants (Crematogaster) on trees (Leptospermum and Dacrydium) and epiphytes of the genus Dischidia (Asclepiadaceae) including 'ant-plants'

Three species of epiphytic Dischidia have been investigated in terms of their relationship to ants on trees. Two species, D. parvifolia and D. astephana , are associated with ants and trees in montane areas. A clear association has been found between ants of the genus Crematogaster and the tree Leptospermum flavescens. This relationship is complex and probably both organisms benefit from the association. The ants live in tunnels in the wood of the major branches and the trunk, and the entire tree is occupied by one ant colony. Trees occupied by ants are maintained by the ants substantially clear of epiphytes other than the two species of Dischidia. The potential benefits to the tree and to the ants of this association are noted. The roots of D. astephana and D. parvifolia penetrate into the cavities of these ant nests and presumably gain nutrients from waste in the ant nests. Both Dischidia species are effectively scavenging upon the waste material from the ant-tree association. The leathery dome-shaped leaves of D. astephana are not vital to the development of the scavenging habit as D. parvifolia has lens-shaped leaves, but may offer some advantage to D. astephana by the uptake of nutrients from waste deposited by the ants under the dome-shaped leaves by interception of stem flow and by uptake of gaseous waste. Ants do not nest under these leaves. Seeds of these species of Dischidia are taken by ants into the central woody area of the ant nest where they germinate. Both Leptospermum and Dischidia can be visualized as showing adaptations to a nutient-deficient tropical montane environment. These adaptations are discussed as is the need for reassessment in this genus of the term 'ant-plant', and the need for wider recognition of the 1ant-tree' relationship between Crematogaster and Leptospermum.     

Early embryonic development of the mayfly Ephemera japonica McLachlan (Insecta: Ephemeroptera,Ephemeridae)

In the newly laid egg of the mayfly Ephemera japonica, an egg nucleus (oocyte nucleus) at metaphase of the first maturation division is in the polar plasm at the mid-ventral side of the egg, and a male pronucleus lies in the periplasm beneath a micropyle situated just opposite the polar plasm or at the mid-dorsal side of egg. The maturation divisions are typical. An extensive and circuitous migration of the male pronucleus is involved in the fertilization process: it first moves anteriad in the periplasm from beneath the micropyle to the anterior pole of the egg and then turns posteriad in the yolk along the egg's long axis to the site of syngamy, near the center of the egg. Cleavage is superficial. The successive eight cleavages, of which the first five are synchronized, result in the formation of the blastoderm, and about ten primary yolk cells remain behind in the yolk. Even in the newly formed blastoderm, the thick embryonic posterior half and the thin extraembryonic anterior half areas are distinguished: the former cells are concentrated at the posterior pole of the egg to form the germ disc, and the latter cells become more flattened, forming serosa. Time-lapse VTR observations reveal a yolk stream that is in accord with the migration of the male pronucleus in time and direction. The yolk stream is also generated in activated unfertilized eggs, and it is probable that the migration of the male pronucleus in association with the fertilization may be directed by the yolk stream. J. Morphol. 238:327–335, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

New freshwater diatom genus,Edtheriotia gen. nov. of the Stephanodiscaceae (Bacillariophyta) from south‐central China

We describe a new genus and species of the diatom family Stephanodiscaceae with light and scanning electron microscopy from Libo Small Hole, Libo County, Guizhou Province, China. Edtheriotia guizhoiana gen. & sp. nov. has striae across the valve face of varying lengths, and are composed of fine striae towards the margin and onto the mantle. Many round to stellate siliceous nodules cover the exterior of the valve. External fultoportulae opening are short tubes; the opening of the rimportula lacks a tube. Internally a hyaline rim is positioned near the margin. Marginal fultoportulae possess two arcuate opercles. Areolae have domed cribra on the valve face. Those near the margin do not open to the interior. One to three sessile to slightly‐raised rimportulae are placed on the valve face towards the margin; they do not terminate shortened striae towards the center of the valve. This suite of features distinguishes this group from other known genera in the Stephanodicaeae. Cyclotella shanxiensis is transferred to Edtheriotia, making the new combination E. shanxiensis (Xie & Qi) Kociolek et al. comb. nov. It differs from E. guizhoiana by the presence of open pores near the margin of the valve. Features of the new genus are compared and contrasted with others in the Family Stephanodiscaceae. The two species of the genus, unlike most in the family, are known only from rivers and ponds from China and Japan.     

Pandanus subg. Martellidendron (Pandanaceae) part II: revision of sect. Martellidendron Pic. Serm. in Madagascar

This paper provides a taxonomic revision of Pandanus sect. Martellidendron , which so far comprises six species of which only one is known from both staminate and pistillate plants. Research in herbaria and in the field in Madagascar has provided the data on which a revision of the unclear taxonomy of this section can be based. Based on micromorphology, architecture and phytogeography, the number of these dioecious species is reduced. One new species (P. gallinarum Callmander) from the Biosphere reserve of Mananara-North on the east coast is described, and P. karaka Martelli is transferred to this section 30 years after it was assigned to section Dauphinensia. A key to all species of subg. Martellidendron is provided. Finally, the important role of the section for the understanding of the phylogeny of the Pandanaceae is discussed in the context of Indian Ocean biogeography.     

The phylogeny ofActaea (Ranunculaceae): A biogeographical approach

Phylogenetic analyses of the genusActaea were performed using morphological, ecological and biogeographical characters. Using solely morphological characters, the relationships of the three identified species-groups remain uncertain. Close biogeographical examination and comparison of the areas with ecological peculiarities as well as climate data gave important insight into the phylogeny ofActaea and the whole tribe. Consequently, the obtained biogeographical data were used for phylogenetic reconstructions. Both, from the point of view of morphological and biogeographical data,A. pachypoda andA. asiatica are the most ancestral species. They grow on the east sides of the continents, mainly in broad-leaved forests. In West Eurasia the apomorphicA. spicata andA. acuminata occur under similar climatic and ecological conditions, but these species are adapted to another climate rhythm. The most advanced species (A. erythrocarpa, A. rubra) are to be found in the boreal forests where they are widely distributed. This biogeographical approach revealed that the evolution of the species led to a gradual widening and shifting of their ecological constitutions.     

On the homology of the scales in Gunnera (Gunneraceae)

In the genus Gunnera , the species of subgenus Panke are unique in having large, triangular scales between the leaves on the rhizomes. The morphological significance of these scales has been extensively debated in the past. They have been interpreted as stipules, ligules, or cataphylls, with attempts made to identify homologous structures in representatives of the other subgenera. In the stoloniferous subgenus Misandra, the shoot apex is covered by a hoodlike structure, usually termed ochrea, generally considered homologous to the scales in Panke . Efforts to find similar structures in the remaining subgenera were unsuccessful. Due to the lack of a phylogenetic hypothesis, the homology of the scales has remained unresolved. In this study, the shoot apices of species from all subgenera were examined by light and scanning electron microscopy and the results interpreted in a phylogenetic context. The tip of the stolons in subgenera Pseudogunnera and Milligania carries two opposite cataphylls at the base of the new shoot. These are homologous to the ochrea in Misandra which is in turn homologous to the scales in Panke ; the latter are thus neither stipules nor ligules but cataphylls. The stems of subgenera Ostenigunnera and Gunnera have no similar structures. © 2003 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2003, 142 , 301−308.     

Effects of Microbial and Other Antagonistic Organism and Competition on Entomopathogenic Nematodes

Antagonistic factors, broadly identified as antibiosis, competition and natural enemies, impact on entomopathogenic nematodes. Antibiosis can occur through the release of plant chemicals from the roots into the soil, which may adversely affect the host-finding behavior of the infective stage nematode, or the presence of these chemicals in the host insect may negatively affect nematode reproduction. In laboratory studies, intra-specific and inter-specific competition reduces nematode fitness, and inter-specific competition can cause local extinction of a nematode species. For example, after concomitant infection of a host, a steinernematid species usually excludes a heterorhabditid species. The mechanism for the steinernematid superiority has been postulated to be a bacteriocin(s) produced by Xenorhabdus, the symbiotic bacterium of the steinernematid, which prevents Photorhabdus, the symbiotic bacterium of the heterorhabditid, from multiplying. Inter-specific competition between two steinernematid species shows that both can co-exist in a host, but one species will eventually prevail in the environment. By having different foraging strategies, however, both steinermatid species may co-exist in the same habitat. An important issue is whether the introduction of an exotic entomopathogenic nematode species will competitively displace an indigenous nematode species. Although the environmental risks are small, the recommended policy is that the introduction of exotic nematodes be regulated. With other pathogens, entomopathogenic nematodes can out-compete entomopathogenic fungi, but not Bacillus thuringiensis, for the same host individual when both the nematode and entomopathogen are applied simultaneously. The best studied natural enemy is the nematophagous fungus, Hirsutella rhossiliensis, which causes higher mortality in Steinernema glaseri compared with Heterorhabditis bacteriorphora. Differential susceptibility to the fungus may be associated with the retention of the second-stage cuticle by H. bacteriophora. Invertebrate predators including mites and collembolans feed on entomopathogenic nematodes. Although a number of studies have been conducted with antagonists, there is a dearth of field data. We suggest that long-term research plots be established where natural populations of entomopathogenic nematodes occur and include antagonists as a component of such studies.     

Foliar sclereids in the Magnoliaceae

The foliar sclereids in 136 species representing 11 of the 12 genera of Magnoliaceae were studied and compared. Sclereids occur in four different cell assemblages within the leaf: diffuse idioblasts, mesophyll, dermal system, and the vein sheath including terminal elements. Tropical members tend to have the most highly sclerified leaves. In species of Manglietia the leaves have sclerified spongy mesophyll and either sclerified epidermis or hypodermis. In Talauma , sclerification affects the vein sheath and terminal cells of veinlets, with a specialized thick marginal vein in the Asian taxa but not in the American ones. Liriodendron and the magnolias native to the north temperate zone have only minimal sclerification, which usually is confined to the vein sheath of the midrib and the main lateral veins, and as idioblastic sclereids in the petiole and the midrib near the base of the blade. The two largest genera Magnolia and Michelia are heterogeneous and include species which vary as to their combinations of sclerified elements among the four possible types.     

Transcriptomic Analysis of Human Retinal Surgical Specimens Using jouRNAl

Retinal detachment (RD) describes a separation of the neurosensory retina from the retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). The RPE is essential for normal function of the light sensitive neurons, the photoreceptors. Detachment of the retina from the RPE creates a physical gap that is filled with extracellular fluid. RD initiates cellular and molecular adverse events that affect both the neurosensory retina and the RPE since the physiological exchange of ions and metabolites is severely perturbed. The consequence for vision is related to the duration of the detachment since a rapid reapposition of the two tissues results in the restoration of vision ¹. The treatment of RD is exclusively surgical. Removal of vitreous gel (vitrectomy) is followed by the removal non essential part of the retina around the detached area to favor retinal detachment. The removed retinal specimens are res nullius (nothing) and consequently normally discarded. To recover RNA from these surgical specimens, we developed the procedure jouRNAl that allows RNA conservation during the transfer from the surgical block to the laboratory. We also standardized a protocol to purify RNA by cesium chloride ultracentrifugation to assure that the purified RNAs are suitable for global gene expression analysis. The quality of the RNA was validated both by RT-PCR and microarray analysis. Analysis of the data shows a simultaneous involvement of inflammation and photoreceptor degeneration during RD.     

Comparative morphology of the carpel in the Liliaceae: Hewardieae, Petrosavieae, and Tricyrteae

The young pistils in the melanthioid tribes, Hewardieae, Petrosavieae and Tricyrteae, are uniformly tricarpellate and syncarpous. They lack raphide idioblasts. All are multiovulate, with bitegmic ovules. The Petrosavieae are marked by the presence of septal glands and incomplete syncarpy. Tepals and stamens adhere to the ovary in the Hewardieae and the Petrosavieae but not in the Tricyrteae. Two vascular bundles occur in the stamens of the Hewartlieae and Tricyrtis latifolia. Ventral bundles in the upper part of the ovary of the Hewardieae are continuous with compound septal bundles and placental bundles in the lower part. Putative ventral bundles occur in the alternate position in the Tricyrteae and putative placental bundles in the opposite. position in the Petrosavieae. The dichtomously branched stigma in each carpel of the Tricyrteae is supplied by a bifurcated dorsal bundle.     

L’Homme fossile d’Asselar (actuel Mali). Étude critique,mise en perspective historique et nouvelles interprétations

During the well known Augiéras-Draper mission which took place in 1927 and 1928 between Dakar and Alger through the Sahara desert, T. Monod and V. Besnard discovered a human skeleton near the military post of Asselar in French Sudan (current Mali). Back in France, the fossil was given to the Institut de Paléontologie Humaine where M. Boule and H. Vallois were in charge of its study. This work was then published in 1932. After this first exhaustive study, Asselar man was barely used in anthropological studies, with the exception of O. Dutour's works in the 90's. The goal of this study is to understand why, despite some prestige, this fossil didn’t have the importance he was fated with its geographical and chronological position. Publications of the first third of the twentieth century, archives about this discovery and the skeleton it-self are in the center of this new analysis. Results show that because of the lack of specification about its unearthing and its dating, Asselar fossil is hardly usable in an anthropological perspective. It although shows that Boule et Vallois limited the study of this fossil to a discussion about the Grimaldi “race”, designation not use anymore. This race was created in 1906 by R. Verneau and the discussion of the relation between Asselar man and Grimaldi race was a virulent debate at this time. Finally, the study of Asselar skeleton with archeo-anthropological principles gave the opportunity to demonstrate, for the first time, a sepulchral context. This rehabilitation of Asselar fossil gives new perspectives which would be investigate with new approaches in dating, genetics, 3D imaging… and will fully contribute to discussions about North Africa peopling.     

Relations entre les représentations figuratives et les signes dans trois grottes magdaléniennes : Les Combarelles I, Rouffignac (Périgord, France) et Altxerri (Pays basque, Espagne)

Magdalenian signs are more numerous and more varied than ones of another periods in the Upper Palaeolithic. In the 3986 signs studied in 28 caves, 2364 signs, or 59,3% of signs are associated with figurative representations. For the question about the relations between the figurative representations and the signs associated, we chose four parameters: thematic analysis, interior analysis, chronological analysis and external analysis. Especially in three caves like Les Combarelles I, Rouffignac (Périgord, France) and Altxerri (Spanish Basque), we got interesting results by those analyses. The thematic analysis let find whether the themes are associated with specific signs. In the many caves, the most numerous figurative representations are often associated with signs. About the interior analysis, many signs are located on the flank of the animal figures. And, the chronological analysis show that the signs were made before the figurative representations the same times that after. The anteriority of making signs and the posterity depends on the place (external analysis) in the three caves. So, our analysis methods with those varied parameters make the signs characterized by type, by cave or by region.     

Tick saliva: recent advances and implications for vector competence

Abstract . Secretions of the tick salivary glands are essential to the successful completion of the prolonged feeding of these ectoparasites as well as the conduit by which most tick-borne pathogens are transmitted to the host. In ixodid ticks the salivary glands are the organs of osmoregulation, and excess water from the bloodmeal is returned via saliva into the host. Host blood must continue to flow into the feeding lesion as well as remain fluid in the tick mouthparts and gut. The host's haemostatic mechanisms are thwarted by various anti-platelet aggregatory, anticoagulatory and anti-vasoconstrictory factors in tick saliva. Saliva components suppress the immune and inflammatory response of the host permitting the ticks to remain on the host for an extended period of time and, adventitiously, enhancing the transmission and establishment of tick-borne pathogens. Over the years much work has been done on the numerous enzyme and pharmacological activities found in the tick saliva. The present article reviews the most recent work on salivary gland secretionith special emphasis on how they favour pathogen transmission.     

The effects of osmotic experiments and prolactin on the mucous cells in the skin and the ionocytes in the gills of the teleost Cichlasoma biocellatum

Summary Adult Cichlasoma biocellatum were kept in deionized water, 25% sea-water and tap-water. The mucous cells in the epithelium of the gills and the buccal floor were not affected by the osmotic experiments. In animals kept in deionized water the mucous cells in the skin remained unaffected, but the ionocytes (chloride cells) in the gills were strongly stimulated. Keeping the animals in salt water led to a strong regression of the epidermis including the mucous cells, and of the ionocytes. The regression could be counteracted by prolactin injections. The changes in the skin and the ionocytes could be correlated with the activity of the prolactin producing cells in the adenohypophysis. It is suggested that the epidermis and its mucous cells as well as the ionocytes are under prolactin control.The authors gratefully acknowledge the interest and helpful suggestions of Prof. Dr. P. G. W. J. van Oordt. Thanks are also due to Mr. H. van Kooten for making the photographs, to Dr. L. Boomgaart for correcting the english, and to the N. I. H., Bethesda, Maryland (U.S.A.) for presenting the ovine prolactin.