Integumental organs of the phyllosoma larva of the rock lobster Jasus edwardsii (Hutton)

The external morphology and distribution of the integumentalorgans of the final-stage phyllosoma of the rock lobster Jasusedwardsii were examined. Seven types of organs were recognizedon the integument of the body trunk, antennules and antennae:plumose setae, simple setae, porous setae, aesthetasc setae,simple pores, dorsal cuticular organs and dome-shaped structures.The plumose setae and simple pores were abundant on the dorsalsurface of the cephalosome, abdomen and telson. The dorsal cuticularorgans were present only on the dorsal surface of the cephalosome,and the aesthetasc setae were restricted to the antennule. A comparison of the morphology of these organs with the senseorgans of other decapods with known function suggests that thedorsal surface of the body trunk is one of the major sites ofreception of near-field water movement in the Jasus phyllosoma.     

A new species of the genus Attheyella (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Canthocamptidae) from Gosu cave in Korea

A new species, Attheyella namkungi sp. nov., is described from Gosu cave at Danyang, Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. This species bears a superficial resemblance to A. coreana Miura, 1969 in having a 2-segmented mandibular palp with only four smooth apical setae, and in the armature formulae of the antennary exopod and thoracic legs. However the new species is clearly distinguishable by the non-sexually dimorphic caudal rami, two long plumose setae and a short seta on leg 6, and the absence of the setular row at the inner lateral margin of each caudal ramus. The new species is characterized from other congeners by having two adjacent inner spines on female leg 3 endopod-2, the caudal ramus twice as long as its width, absence of a barbed apophysis on male leg 3 endopod-2, and the seta number of legs 5 and 6. A key to the Korean species of the genus Attheyella is provided.     

Post-embryonic development of amphipod crustacean pleopods and the patterning of arthropod limbs

Morphology and post-embryonic development of the pleopodal rami of the amphipod crustacean Gammarus roeselii Gervais, 1835 are described, with particular reference to the differentiation of limb articles. An article is the part of a limb between two complete arthrodial membranes and, in the pleopodal rami, most arthrodial membranes are accompanied by two plumose setae on the opposite faces of the article. During post-embryonic development, the rami acquire new plumose setae and new arthrodial membranes proximal to the already differentiated part; this implies that new articles are produced by the division of the most proximal article only. On the proximal article of the inner ramus there are also some bifid setae, whose number increases post-embryonically, most likely by proximal addition of new setae. Data from different limb types of different arthropod groups suggest that during post-embryonic development new articles are also produced from one or more specific zone(s) of the limbs. General aspects of these “growth zones” in arthropod limbs are discussed and their distribution, in respect to both different limb types and different taxa, is reviewed. The available data do not allow unambiguous conclusions about the evolution of growth zones and limb patterning, but the most relevant questions are nevertheless outlined.     

Hooked setae: tests of the anchor hypothesis

Abstract. We tested the hypothesis that hooked setae function as anchors in three species of tubiculous polychaetes ( Eudistylia vancouveri, Schizobranchia insignis , and Owenia fusiformis ). All maintained position within their tubes when exposed to high pressures (up to 100–200 kPa) applied from the posterior direction (where it would tend to cause the tips of hooks to embed in the tube wall). When pressure was applied in the opposite direction, where hooks would not tend to embed in the tube wall, the worms were expelled from their tubes at lower pressures (30–100 kPa). The ability of these worms to maintain their position within their tubes was independent of body size. On the basis of these findings we made three predictions. First, worms that use their hooked setae as anchors should have those hooks located on the body in greatest number and size on the segments associated with greatest worm diameter. Second, as worms increase in size, setal armory should increase in a predictable way. The force that can be applied to extract worms from their tubes by suction feeding fish or wave action would increase as the area subject to suction increases (proportional to the cross sectional area of the tube). Therefore, we predict that setal armory should also increase as a squared function. Third, hooks or uncini should show patterns of wear or loss and/or the worms' bodies should show scars or wounds where the setae are most used (e.g., where worm diameter is at its maximum). All of these predictions were supported by the data and indicate that hooked setae function as anchors for tubiculous polychaetes. This is important for understanding the biology of these animals and has implications for using hooked setae as characters in phylogenetic analyses.     

The snake hiss: potential acoustic mimicry in a viper–colubrid complex

Examples of acoustic Batesian mimicry are scarce, in contrast to visual mimicry. Here we describe a potential case of acoustic mimicry of a venomous viper model by harmless viperine snakes (colubrid). Viperine snakes resemble vipers in size, shape, colour, pattern, and anti‐predatory behaviours, including head flattening, false strikes, and hissing. We sought to investigate whether hissing evolved as part of, or separately to, the viper mimic syndrome. To do this, we recorded and analysed the hissing sounds of several individual asp vipers, viperine snakes, and grass snakes (a close relative of viperine snakes that hisses but does not mimic the asp viper). Frequencies consistently ranged from 40 to 12 000 Hz across species and individuals. All vipers (100%) and most viperine snakes (84%) produced inhalation hissing sounds, in comparison to only 25% of grass snakes. Inhalation hissing sounds lasted longer in vipers than in viperine snakes. The hissing‐sound composition of grass snakes differed significantly from that of both asp vipers and viperine snakes; however, the hissing‐sound composition between viperine snakes and asp vipers was not statistically distinguishable. Whilst grass snake hissing sounds were characterized by high frequencies (5000–10 000 Hz), both vipers and viperine snake hissing sounds were dominated by low frequencies (200–400 Hz). A principal component analysis revealed no overlap between grass snakes and vipers, but important overlaps between viperine snakes and vipers, and between viperine snakes and grass snakes. The likelihood that these overlaps respectively reflect natural selection for Batesian mimicry and phylogeny constraints is discussed. © 2014 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 113 , 1107–1114.     

Caligus solea n. sp. (Copepoda: Caligidae) parasitic on the common sole Solea solea (Linnaeus) from the north-eastern Mediterranean off the Turkish coast

A new species of caligid copepod, Caligus solea n. sp., is described from the common sole Solea solea (Linnaeus) caught off the north-eastern Mediterranean coast of Turkey. Both sexes of the parasite were collected from all over the upper body surface of its host. The new species belongs to the macarovi-group of species as established by Boxshall & Gurney (Bull Br Mus (Nat Hist) (Zool), 39:161–178, 1980), with which it shares the following four characters: (i) leg 4 with two-segmented exopod, distal segment carrying three apical spines but no lateral spine; (ii) distal exopodal segment of leg 1 with three plumose setae posteriorly plus four distal margin elements, spine 1 naked, spines 2 and 3 with accessory process and spine 4 about twice length of the others; (iii) females with one-segmented abdomen while males with two-segmented abdomen; (iv) male maxilliped with myxal process opposing the tip of the subchela. However, the new species differs from its congeners within the macarovi-group in the number of sensillae on each papilla on and around the postantennal process, and also in the absence of serrations along the distal margin of the maxilla. This is the twenty-eighth species of Caligus to be reported from the Mediterranean Sea.     

Composition of external setae during regeneration and transformation of the bilaterally asymmetric claws of the snapping shrimp,Alpheus heterochelis

The paired thoracic chelipeds or claws of adult snapping shrimp, Alpheus heterochelis, are bilaterally asymmetric, consisting of an enlarged and elaborate, sound-producing major (snapper) claw and a much smaller minor (pincer) claw. These paired claws vary in the composition of their external sensilla. Both possess long serrulate and simple short setae but the snapper also have plumose setae and long serrulate setae on the plunger. The pincers differ in having short serrulate setae and, in males alone, a prominent fringe of plumoserrate setae. During regeneration of each claw type, these setal structures are gradually added over three molts to reach the pristine condition. The long serrulate and simple short setae appear first, being seen in intermolt limb buds and commonly in both claws. Setae exclusive to each claw, i.e., plumoserrate and short serrulate in the pincer and plumose and long serrulate on the plunger in the snapper, appear sparsely in either the regenerated 1st or 2nd postmolt claw, they proliferate in the subsequent 2nd or 3rd postmolt claw. Transformation of the pincer claw to the snapper type begins in the 1st postmolt stage with the loss of pincer setae and addition of snapper setae and is completed by the 3rd postmolt stage. Since changes in composition of the external sensilla are restricted to postmolt stages, the underlying hypodermis is presumably being remodeled during proecdysis.     

Hissing in bumblebees: an interspecific defence signal

Summary: Bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) react to disturbances within the nest by a conspicuous hissing sound. The sound is characterised by a high intensity in the ultrasonic frequency range. It is elicited by vibrations of the nest and by mammalian breath and artificial air currents containing CO₂. Domestic mice entering a bumblebee nest elicit these sounds and retreat immediately in response to the bumblebees' signal. It is concluded that the hissing sounds serve as aposematic warning signals aimed at predators entering the nest.     

HOLDING ON BY THEIR HOOKS: ANCHORS FOR WORMS

We examined the hooked setae of a dominant group of tube-dwellers, the polychaete annelids, and found a pattern of setation that is predictable by tube type, exclusive of worm taxon or orientation; we also demonstrated the mechanical significance of these hooked setae. When tube-dwelling worms belonging to different lineages are pressurized, they resist differentially as a function of the direction in which hooks face. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that hooks are used primarily to resist removal of worms from their tubes, are polyphyletic in origin, and are active agents of resistance.     

Setal Structure and Chaetogenesis in Scolelepis squamata and Malacoceros fuliginosus (Spionidae,Annelida)

In Scolelepis squamata and Malacoceros fuliginosus two alternatingly arranged transverse rows of setae are found in each ramus. These are capillary setae in all thoracic setigers, whereas in abdominal setigers they may alternate with hooded hooks. In M. fuliginosus only the abdominal neuropodia bear hooded hooks, whereas in S. squamata these setae are present in both rami in the abdomen. Here every second seta (the capillary one) degenerates before its formation is complete, leading to a single row of hooded hooks. In the transverse rows new setae are formed in a medio-lateral formative site in both species. Additionally in each ramus there exists one longitudinal row of capillaries which each possesses its own formative site. Ultrastructure and formation of the hooded hooks in S. squamata is very similar to that of hooded hooks in Capitellidae. The hood is preformed by a certain group of microvilli of the chaetoblast, which soon differentiates two layers of microvilli, raising an inner and an outer hood lamella. The hooded hooks and their arrangement are regarded as homologous characters in Spionidae and Capitellidae. This indicates a closer relationship of Spionidae with a taxon consisting of Capitellidae, Arenicolidae, Maldanidae, Oweniida, Terebellida, Sabellida, and Pogonophora.     

Ultrastructure and formation of hooded hooks in Capitella capitata (Annelida, Capitellida)

 The hooded hooks of Capitella capitata are aligned in a transverse row inside each neuro- and notopodial rim of the last thoracic and all abdominal setigers. Each seta consists of a rostrum, a capitium, the spines of which surmount the rostrum, and a long, sigmoid shaft or manubrium, towards which rostrum and capitial spines are curved. A thin hood, complete except for a subapical opening and a short, subrostral cleft, encloses the apical portions of the seta. Generally, the tip of the rostrum extends beyond the hood. The hood consists of an outer and an inner lamella, between which is a compartment loosely filled with fibrillar material. Hooded hooks are generated at the dorsal edge of the neuropodial rim and at the ventral edge of the notopodial rim during the entire life of C. capitata. Chaetogenesis starts in a small compartment surrounded by the basal chaetoblast and four follicle cells. Initially a group of microvilli emanating from the chaetoblast preforms the rostrum. Next, stout microvilli appear adrostrally, each preforming a spine of the capitium. When both structures have been formed, the longitudinal axis of the anlage shifts, because the actin filaments inside the microvilli reorientate and initiate formation of the manubrium. During this initial phase of chaetogenesis the anlage sinks into the chaetoblast, until the latter finally enwraps the anlage, except the tip of the rostrum. The chaetoblast now generates microvilli that face the new setal structures and preform the hood. During further development the microvilli separate into two layers, an inner and an outer one. The inner layer of microvilli merges with the manubrium prior to the outer layer. Addition of setal material occurs between the bases of the microvilli and elongates the manubrium until it extends beyond the epidermal surface. The microvilli, which have continuously been withdrawn from the seta during chaetogenesis, remain in the basal section. Specific morphogenetic and structural correspondence between the hooked setae of species of Maldanomorpha, Psammodrilida and Oweniida, the uncini of species of the Sabellida, Terebellida and Pogonophora, and the hooded hooks of species of Capitellidae justify the hypothesis that all these setae are homologous. This hypothesis implies the existence of a monophyletic group consisting of all polychaetous Annelida with such setae. Accepted: 16 December 1997     

Patterns of setal numbers conserved during early development of swimming legs of Copepoda (Crustacea)

During swimming leg development, the number of setae present on the exopod and endopod of the bilobed bud, the transformed swimming leg with 1-segmented rami and the swimming leg with 2-segmented rami of copepods is analysed. For swimming leg 1, the most frequent number of setae on the presumptive rami of the bilobed bud is found at a higher percentage among copepod species than the most frequent number of setae for either the transformed swimming leg with 1-segmented rami or the swimming leg with 2-segmented rami. However, for swimming legs 2–4 the most frequent number of setae for the the transformed swimming leg with 1-segmented rami is found at a higher percentage of species than that on either the bilobed bud or the swimming leg with 2-segmented rami. Thus, in the cases of swimming legs 2–4, species with different numbers of setae on the presumptive exopod and endopod of the bud bilobed bud develop the same number of setae on the rami of the transformed swimming leg with 1-segmented rami. Increasing the number of species analysed is expected to make more robust the hypothesis that the number of setae on the transformed swimming leg with 1-segmented rami is conserved relative to the number of setae on the bilobed bud.     

Sexually dimorphic mechanosensitive swimmeret sensilla affect abdominal posture in the lobster

The sensilla on the male and female second swimmerets are sexually dimorphic. Female swimmerets contain many long "smooth hairs" (long simple setae) on the coxa and rami. The endopodite of the male swimmeret has an accessory lobe covered with short "bristly spines" (serrate setae). In both sexes the swimmeret rami are lined by "feathered hairs" (plumose setae). The influence of mechanosensory stimulation of these sensilla upon abdominal tonic motor activity was analyzed in an in vitro swimmeret-nerve cord preparation. Movement of several clusters of smooth hairs produced an abdominal extension program by exciting the flexor inhibitor f5, inhibiting the flexor excitors, and activating several extensors. Stimulation of the male bristly spines excited the medium-sized flexor excitors f3 and f4. In both sexes the feathered hairs did not generate any response to mechanical stimulation. We infer that in nongravid females the smooth hairs are involved in receiving mechanosensitive cues to support abdominal extension. Bristly spines may contribute to postural adjustments that assist mating. The long latencies of these responses and their propagation to adjacent ganglia suggest that they are mediated by postural interneurons rather than by direct afferent terminations on postural motoneurons.     

Morphology and distribution of setae on the antennules of the Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus reveal new types of bimodal chemo-mechanosensilla

This study describes the morphology and distribution of setae on the lateral and medial flagella of the antennules of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus in an effort to identify antennular chemoreceptors in addition to the well-studied aesthetasc chemosensilla. Setae were examined using light and electron microscopy, and their distribution on flagellar annuli was analyzed. We identified ten setal types based on external morphology: hooded, plumose, short setuled, long simple, medium simple, short simple, aesthetasc, guard, companion, and asymmetric setae, with the last four types being unique to the "tuft" located on the distal half of the lateral flagellum. The three setal types whose ultrastructure was examined--hooded, long simple, and medium simple setae--had characteristics of bimodal (chemo-mechanoreceptive) sensilla. The antennules have four distinct annular types based on their setal complement, as shown by cluster analysis. This basic distribution of non-tuft setal types is similar for both lateral and medial flagella. Annuli in the tuft region have tuft setal types superimposed on a basic organization of non-tuft setal types. These results show that the antennules possess a diverse set of setae, that these setae have a highly ordered arrangement on the antennules, that at least four (and probably many more) of these setal types are chemosensilla, and suggest that most antennular chemosensilla are bimodally sensitive.     

Seasonal variations in size and morphology of Acanthocyclops robustus (Copepoda Cyclopoida)

The variations in the body length, swimming legs and some setaeof the freshwater cyclopid Acanthocyclops robustus were analysedduring an annual cycle in the field, and in laboratory experimentsat different culture temperatures. In Lake Créteil. ashallow temperate sand-pit lake, there is a seasonal morphologicalvariation of the setae: the plumose forms were restricted tothe warmer season and the spinose ones to colder periods. Contraryto other years, the specific ‘spine formula’ ofthe swimming legs (3-4-4-4) did not vary during the referenceyear. In laboratory experiments, both sex and post-embryonicdevelopmental temperatures had an effect on the length of adults.A significant parental effect on body length was detected. Pairswith anomalous spine formulae produced offspring either withanomalous spine formulae or typical 3-4-4-4 formulae. No significanteffects of parental culture temperatures, offspring culturetemperatures and sex on the total number of spines were found.Modification of plumose into spinose setae did not occur, whateverthe offspring developmental temperatures. The results presentedhere suggest that the alterations of the appendages of the cyclopidA.robustus could be compared to the cyclomorphosis in otherzooplanktonic groups, and contribute to our understanding ofthe role of phenotypic induction in aquatic biology.     

Revising the definition of the crustacean seta and setal classification systems based on examinations of the mouthpart setae of seven species of decapods

The crustacean cuticle has numerous projections and some of these projections, the setae, have important mechanical as well as sensory functions. The setae display a wide diversity in their external morphology, which has led to great problems separating setae from other projections in the cuticle and problems in making a consistent classification system. Here, the cuticular projections on the mouthparts of seven species of decapods are examined by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. A new definition is given: a seta is an elongate projection with a more or less circular base and a continuous lumen; the lumen has a semicircular arrangement of sheath cells basally. From the details of the external morphology the mouthpart setae are divided into seven types: pappose, plumose, serrulate, serrate, papposerrate, simple and cuspidate setae, which are suggested to reflect mechanical functions and not evolutionary history. This classification system is compared with earlier systems.  © 2004 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2004, 142 , 233–252.     

Formation of flagella lacking outer rings by flaM, flaU, and flaY mutants of Escherichia coli.

Among flagellar mutants of Escherichia coli, flaM or flaU mutants form basal bodies lacking the outer P and L rings, whereas flaY mutants predominantly form basal bodies lacking the L ring. In these mutants, hooks and filaments are occasionally assembled onto these incomplete basal bodies. When the hook protein gene, flaFV, of Salmonella typhimurium was cloned on the multicopy plasmid pBR322 and introduced into these mutants, the efficiency with which cells assembled hooks and filaments onto the incomplete basal bodies increased significantly. Such cells formed characteristic dotted swarms on semisolid plates, indicating that cells carrying flagella without the outer rings are weakly motile because of poor function of their flagella, a low flagellar number per cell, or both of these defects. FlaV mutants also produced incomplete basal bodies lacking the outer rings, but assembly of hooks and filaments did not occur in these mutants even after introduction of the plasmid carrying flaFV of S. typhimurium. The failure in the case of flaV mutants was attributed to their inability to modify the rod tip to the structure competent for assembly of hook protein.     

Paradoxapseudes shimojiensis sp. nov. (Crustacea: Tanaidacea: Apseudidae) from a submarine limestone cave in Japan,with notes on its chelipedal morphology and sexual system

ABSTRACT

We describe Paradoxapseudes shimojiensis sp. nov. from a submarine limestone cave at Shimoji-jima Island, Ryukyu Islands, southwestern Japan. This species resembles five species (P. basibidens, P. bassoprofundo, P. bermudeus, P. edgari, and P. heroae, among 17 congeners) that bear a long pleotelson, but differs from them in having (i) a naked antennal article 1, (ii) the maxillipedal basis with one inner distal plumose seta, (iii) the chelipedal basis with one dorsodistal and one ventro-subproximal simple setae, (iv) the pereopod-1 basis with four dorsal simple setae longer than the width of the pereopod-1 basis, but without ventrodistal spiniform setae, (v) the pereopod-1 merus with three mid-inner ventral simple setae, and (vi) the pleopodal protopod with two inner plumose setae. We determined partial nucleotide sequences for the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) and 18S rRNA (18S) genes in P. shimojiensis for future use in DNA barcoding and phylogeny. Paradoxapseudes shimojiensis has serial ridges on the inner surfaces of the left and right chelipedal bases that quite resemble the stridulatory organs in harvestmen (Opiliones); by analogy, we speculate that these ridges may be stridulatory sound-producing organs. Two specimens had both a fully-developed marsupium and genital cone, suggesting that P. shimojiensis is simultaneously hermaphroditic.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:391C3C0F-8845-4496-A27D-936384F9E59D