Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci from the Australian endemic mountain pygmy‐possum,Burramys parvus Broom

The endemic mountain pygmy‐possum, Burramys parvus, is an endangered Australian marsupial restricted to mainland alpine regions. Population structure, breeding system and gene flow are crucial for the development of effective conservation strategies, but have not been investigated in B. parvus. Here we have isolated eight polymorphic microsatellite markers from B. parvus to investigate these parameters. We found two to 12 alleles with observed heterozygosity values ranging from 0.321 to 0.878 for these loci in initial estimates from a single population.     

Three new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anthocephalum</Emphasis> Linton, 1890 (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea) from dasyatid stingrays of the Gulf of California

Three new species of Anthocephalum Linton, 1890 are described from dasyatid stingrays collected in the Gulf of California. Anthocephalum michaeli n. sp. is described from Dasyatis longus (Garman). This species most closely resembles A. alicae Ruhnke, 1994, but differs from this species in proglottid number. A. lukei n. sp. is also described from D. longus. This new species is most similar to A. cairae Ruhnke, 1994, but differs from that species in marginal loculi number and number of proglottids. The third new species, A. currani n. sp., is described from D. brevis (Garman). This species is most similar to A. centrurum (Southwell, 1925) Ruhnke, 1994, but differs from that species in marginal loculi number, number of testes and ovarian length. Phyllobothrium kingae Schmidt, 1978 is also consistent in morphology with species of Anthocephalum and is transferred to this genus, forming the new combination Anthocephalum kingae n. comb. This species most closely resembles A. michaeli n. sp., but differs in testicular shape. This brings the total number of species of Anthocephalum to nine. The transfer of the species Phyllobothrium arctowskii Wojciechowska, 1991, P. georgiense Wojciechowska, 1991, P. rakusai Wojciechowska, 1991 and P. siedleckii Wojciechowska, 1991 to Anthocephalum is not warranted, as these four species lack a posteriorly recurved cirrus-sac and a sinuous vagina, and have vitelline follicles uninterrupted by the ovary. Of the nine known species, all are parasitic in batoid fishes, and six are found in species of Dasyatis Garman. The phylogenetic status of Anthocephalum species in relationship to Rhinebothroides Mayes, Brooks & Thorson, 1981, Pararhineothroides Zamparo, Brooks & Barriga, 1999 and other rhinebothriin taxa is discussed.     

Size,sex and seasonal patterns in the assemblage of Carcharhiniformes in a sub‐tropical bay

Size, sex and seasonal patterns among Carcharhiniformes were examined in shallow regions of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. A total of 1259 sharks were caught, comprising 13 species. The Australian sharpnose shark Rhizoprionodon taylori and the blacktip complex Carcharhinus limbatus–Carcharhinus tilstoni comprised 55% of all shark individuals. Neonates were observed for five species including the dusky shark Carcharhinus obscurus, which contrary to previous reports was relatively abundant in shallow, predominantly estuarine waters. Three contrasting patterns of occurrence were observed: smaller species were abundant and present throughout much of their ontogeny, larger species were mainly caught as neonates or juveniles and vagrant species were only caught during the warmer months. The shark assemblage differed significantly among seasons. While many species were observed during the warmer months, species diversity was lower in winter when C. obscurus comprised 43% of the catch. Overall, the results indicated that spatial and temporal distribution patterns were not synchronous for all species. The capture of small numbers of neonate C. obscurus in late autumn and winter demonstrates that parturition among Carcharhiniformes is not confined to spring and summer in sub‐tropical waters.     

Four new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aloe</Emphasis> (Aloaceae) from Ethiopia,with notes on the ethics of describing new taxa from foreign countries

Subsequent to the treatment of the Aloaceae, with 38 species of Aloe, in the Flora of Ethiopia (Sebsebe Demissew & Gilbert 1997), four more species, Aloe bertemariae Sebsebe & Dioli (2000), A. friisii Sebsebe & M. G. Gilbert (2000), A. clarkei L. E. Newton (2002) and A. elkerriana Dioli & T. A. McCoy (2007) have been described from that country. Here four additional new species are described: Aloe benishangulana Sebsebe & Tesfaye from near Assosa, Benishangul-Gumuz in Welega floristic region; A. ghibensis Sebsebe & Friis from the Ghibe Gorge, Kefa floristic region; A. weloensis Sebsebe from near Dessie in Welo floristic region and A. welmelensis Sebsebe & Nordal along the Welmel River in Bale floristic region. The phytogeographical positions of the new species are assessed by comparison with the previously known species. Complications with the deposition of type material of A. clarkei and A. elkerriana is used to raise various issues regarding the ethics of describing new taxa from foreign countries.     

Microhabitat use by mountain pygmy‐possum (Burramys parvus): Implications for the conservation of small mammals in alpine environments

The Australian alpine region harbours a wide range of species, many of which are endemic and of high conservation value. Among these species, the endangered mountain pygmy‐possum, Burramys parvus, is of particular interest because this specialized marsupial is highly sensitive to extreme temperatures. The selection of microhabitats by B. parvus is a critical but poorly understood element of its biological characteristics. To understand the microhabitat preferences of B. parvus, we performed detailed investigations of the thermal properties of alpine boulder fields. The selection of a preferred microclimate was demonstrated by comparing temperatures and environmental conditions in preferred and non‐preferred boulder fields. The variability of the daily temperature depended on the depth at which measurements were made within the boulder fields. Temperatures were more stable as depth increased. The results suggest that B. parvus prefers to occupy deep boulder fields at high elevations with good rock structure (small rock and cavity size with multiple layers) and long snow duration because these boulder fields can provide a favourable microclimate. At 1 m depth, the maximum temperatures in the hottest part of the year were 1.27°C cooler in preferred compared to non‐preferred boulder fields. In the coldest part of the year, immediately following the melting of persistent snow cover, the minimum temperatures at a depth of 1 m were 1.67°C warmer in preferred compared to non‐preferred boulder fields. On average, the snow duration was 27 days greater in the boulder fields preferred by B. parvus than in non‐preferred boulder fields. Our results emphasize the value of boulder field microhabitats as thermal refuges for small mammals in rocky habitats within alpine environments in the light of continuing habitat loss and climate change.     

A new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Triloculotrema</Emphasis> Kearn, 1993 (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) from a deep-sea shark,the blacktailed spurdog <Emphasis Type="Italic">Squalus melanurus</Emphasis> (Squaliformes: Squalidae), off New Caledonia

Triloculotrema chisholmae n. sp. is described from three specimens collected from the nasal tissues of a deep-sea shark, the blacktailed spurdog Squalus melanurus Fourmanoir & Rivaton, caught off New Caledonia, South Pacific. The new species is distinguished from the only other and type-species of the genus, T. japanicae Kearn, 1993, by the morphology of the sclerotised male copulatory organ (shorter and straight versus curved) and shorter hamuli.

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Résumé   Triloculotrema chisholmae n. sp. est décrit à partir de trois spécimens récoltés dans les tissus nasaux d’un requin de profondeur, l’aiguillat à queue noire Squalus melanurus Fourmanoir & Rivaton, pêché au large de la Nouvelle-Calédonie, Pacifique Sud. La nouvelle espèce est distinguée de l’espèce-type et seule autre espèce du genre, T. japanicae Kearn, 1993, par la morphologie de l’appareil copulateur male sclérifié (plus court, et droit au lieu de courbe), et par des hamuli plus courts.

     

A revision of the Haploporinae Nicoll, 1914 (Digenea: Haploporidae) from mullets (Mugilidae): <Emphasis Type="Italic">Saccocoelium</Emphasis> Looss, 1902

Saccocoelium Looss, 1902 is revised and a key to its recognised species is presented. S. obesum Looss, 1902 (type-species) and S. tensum Looss, 1902 are redescribed based on material from Liza spp. (Pisces: Mugilidae) in Spanish Mediterranean and, in the case of the former, Bulgarian Black Sea waters. Two new species, S. cephali n. sp. and S. currani n. sp., are described from Mugil cephalus L. in Spanish Mediterranean waters. S. gohari Ramadan, Saoud, Ashour & Mansour, 1989b is recognised and commented upon. Lecithobotrys helmymohamedi Ramadan, Saoud, Ashour & Mansour, 1989a, S. portsaidensis El-Shahawi, El-Gindy, Imam & Al-Bassel, 1992, S. saoudi El-Shahawi, El-Gindy, Imam & Al-Bassel, 1992, Neosaccocoelium aegyptiacus El-Shahawi, El-Gindy, Imam & Al-Bassel, 1992 are considered to be synonyms of S. tensum and Neosaccocoelium El-Shahawi, El-Gindy, Imam & Al-Bassel, 1992 a synonym of Saccocoelium. S. obesum, S. tensum and the two new species are compared morphometrically and distinguished by univariate and multivariate analyses. Lecithobotrys mugilis Rekharani & Madhavi, 1985 is transferred to Unisaccus Martin, 1973 as U. mugilis (Rekharani & Madhavi, 1985) n. comb., and Lecithobotrys sprenti Martin, 1973 [=  Saccocoelium sprenti (Martin, 1973) Overstreet & Curran, 2005] is transferred to Unisaccus as U. sprenti (Martin, 1973) n. comb. S. megasacculum Liu, Wang, Peng, Yu & Yang, 2004 is transferred to Elliptobursa Wu, Lu & Zhu, 1996 as E. megasacculum (Liu, Wang, Peng, Yu & Yang, 2004) n. comb. S. tripathi Dutta, 1995 (syn. Saccocoelium tripathi Datta & Manna, 1998) is considered to be a species inquirenda.

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The discovery of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Caligus</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">temnodontis</Emphasis> Brian, 1924 (Copepoda: Caligidae) from the bluefish <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pomatomus saltatrix</Emphasis> (Linnaeus) in the eastern Mediterranean Sea

The temnodontis variety of Caligus mauritanicus Brian, 1924 described by Brian (1924) is a valid species known only from a single host species, Pomatomus saltatrix (Linnaeus). New material of this species has been examined from the same host fish caught from Abuqir Bay, Alexandria (Egypt), from Iskenderun Bay (Turkey) and from off the coast of South Africa. Using this material, C. temnodontis Brian, 1924 is redescribed and compared with related species. It is most closely related to the Indo-Pacific species C. pagrosomi Yamaguti, 1939.     

Name change for the Cambrian trilobite <Emphasis Type="Italic">Turkestanella</Emphasis> Repina, 1975

A replacement name, Irakimaspis nom. nov., is proposed for the mid-Cambrian redlichiide trilobite Turkestanella Repina, 1975. The name was preoccupied by the tentaculite Turkestanella Klishevich, 1969 (Dacrioconarida).     

Within-trophic group interactions of bacterivorous nematode species and their effects on the bacterial community and nitrogen mineralization

Knowledge of the interactions between organisms within trophic groups is important for an understanding of the role of biodiversity in ecosystem functioning. We hypothesised that interactions between bacterivorous nematodes of different life history strategies would affect nematode population development, bacterial community composition and activity, resulting in increased N mineralization. A microcosm experiment was conducted using three nematode species (Bursilla monhystera, Acrobeloides nanus and Plectus parvus). All the nematode species interacted with each other, but the nature and effects of these interactions depended on the specific species combination. The interaction between B. monhystera and A. nanus was asymmetrically competitive (0,–), whereas that between B. monhystera and P. parvus, and also A. nanus and P. parvus was contramensal (+, –). The interaction that affected microcosm properties the most was the interaction between B. monhystera and P. parvus. This interaction affected the bacterial community composition, increased the bacterial biomass and increased soil N mineralization. B. monhystera and P. parvus have the most different life history strategies, whereas A. nanus has a life history strategy intermediate to those of B. monhystera and P. parvus. We suggest that the difference in life history strategies between species of the same trophic group is of importance for their communal effect on soil ecosystem processes. Our results support the idiosyncrasy hypothesis on the role of biodiversity in ecosystem functioning.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Democricetodon</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Megacricetodon</Emphasis> (Mammalia,Cricetidae) from the Miocene of Sandelzhausen,Southern Germany

The cricetid species Democricetodon gracilis (Fahlbusch, 1964), Democricetodon mutilus (Fahlbusch, 1964), Megacricetodon bavaricus (Fahlbusch, 1964), and Megacricetodon minor (Lartet, 1851) from Sandelzhausen (Early/Middle Miocene boundary, MN5, Southern Germany) are represented by more than 2,000 molars providing substantial data on the variability in sizes and on variation in morphologies. Temporal and spatial distributions of these species indicate that they are probably immigrants in SE Germany, originating from south-eastern or more southern areas. Except for M. minor, whose origin is not clear and could be regarded as an immigrant from more eastern areas. Using the length of the mesoloph in the second upper molars as an indicator of habitat, D. gracilis and M. minor had a preference for a humid habitat, D. mutilus and M. bavaricus a preference for drier habitats.      

A second species of Arctic shark: Pacific sleeper shark<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Somniosus pacificus</Emphasis> from Point Hope,Alaska

We report a dead, 229-cm-long Pacific sleeper shark, Somniosus pacificus, discovered in 1998 along the shore at Point Hope, Alaska. This is the first definitive record of this species from within the Arctic Circle, the first definitive report of a shark from the Chukchi Sea, and the first report of a shark other than a Greenland shark from within the Arctic Circle.A. Kowunna Sr. is deceased     

1H, 13C and 15N NMR assignments of the C1A and C1B subdomains of PKC-delta

The Protein Kinase C family of enzymes is a group of serine/threonine kinases that play central roles in cell-cycle regulation, development and cancer. A key step in the activation of PKC is translocation to membranes and binding of membrane-associated activators including diacylglycerol (DAG). Interaction of novel and conventional isotypes of PKC with DAG and phorbol esters occurs through the two C1 regulatory domains (C1A and C1B), which exhibit distinct ligand binding selectivity that likely controls enzyme activation by different co-activators. PKC has also been implicated in physiological responses to alcohol consumption and it has been proposed that PKCα (Slater et al. J Biol Chem 272(10):6167–6173, 1997; Slater et al. Biochemistry 43(23):7601–7609, 2004), PKCε (Das et al. Biochem J 421(3):405–413, 2009) and PKCδ (Das et al. J Biol Chem 279(36):37964–37972, 2004; Das et al. Protein Sci 15(9):2107–2119, 2006) contain specific alcohol-binding sites in their C1 domains. We are interested in understanding how ethanol affects signal transduction processes through its affects on the structure and function of the C1 domains of PKC. Here we present the ¹H, ¹⁵N and ¹³C NMR chemical shift assignments for the Rattus norvegicus PKCδ C1A and C1B proteins.     

Redescription of a poorly known acropomatid, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verilus sordidus</Emphasis> Poey 1860, and comparison with <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neoscombrops atlanticus</Emphasis> Mochizuki and Sano 1984 (Teleostei: Perciformes)

A poorly known acropomatid, Verilus sordidus Poey 1860, is redescribed based on six specimens from the western central Atlantic. We present diagnostic characters to differentiate this species from Neoscombrops atlanticus Mochizuki and Sano 1984, which has been confused with this species, and designate a neotype of V. sordidus. This species is distinguishable from N. atlanticus by the proximal-middle radial of the first anal-fin pterygiophore being slender with no trough or hollow on the anterodorsal portion (vs. hollow in N. atlanticus), several canine teeth posterior to the large canine teeth on either side of the symphysis of the lower jaw (vs. villiform teeth posterior to enlarged canines), and by the modal numbers of pectoral-fin rays, lateral-line scales, and gill rakers on the lower limb of the first arch.     

Effect of temperature and pressure on the proteolytic specificity of the recombinant 20S proteasome from<Emphasis Type="Italic"> Methanococcus jannaschii</Emphasis>

The hydrolytic specificity of the recombinant 20S proteasome from the deep-sea thermophile Methanococcus jannaschii was evaluated toward oxidized insulin B-chain across a range of temperatures (35°, 55°, 75°, and 90°C) and hydrostatic pressures (1, 250, 500, and 1,000 atm). Of the four temperatures considered, the same maximum overall hydrolysis rate was observed at both 55° and 75°C, which are much lower than the T_opt of 116°C previously observed for a small amide substrate (Michels and Clark 1997). At 35°C the rates of cleavage were highest at the carboxyl side of glutamine and leucine, whereas at the three higher temperatures, the most rapid cleavages occurred after leucine and glutamic acid residues. The distribution of proteolytic fragments and the cleavage sequence also varied between the lowest and higher temperatures. Application of hydrostatic pressure did not increase proteasome activity, as observed previously for the amide substrate (Michels and Clark 1997), but instead significantly reduced the overall conversion of the polypeptide substrate. Overall cleavage patterns observed for the recombinant M. jannaschii proteasome were similar to those reported previously for Thermoplasma acidophilum (Akopian et al. 1997) and human proteasomes (Dick et al. 1991), indicating that proteasome specificity has been conserved despite significant environmental diversity.Communicated by G. Antranikian     

A new species of the interstitial genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neopetitia</Emphasis> (Polychaeta,Syllidae, Eusyllinae) from Tenerife,with modified acicular chaetae in males

A new species of Neopetitia San Martín, 2003 is described from intertidal and shallow subtidal soft-bottom stations on the eastern and western coast of Tenerife, Canary Islands. The new species is characterized by the presence in males of a modified acicular chaeta in chaetiger 11. A discussion of known species of the genus is presented.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Neoskrjabinolepis nuda</Emphasis> n. sp. from shrews on Sakhalin Island,Russia, with a taxonomic review of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Neoskrjabinolepis</Emphasis> Spasskii, 1947 (Cestoda: Cyclophyllidea: Hymenolepididae)

Neoskrjabinolepis (Neoskrjabinolepidoides) nuda n. sp. is described from the shrews Sorex unguiculatus (type-host), S. gracillimus, S. isodon and S. caecutiens on Sakhalin Island, Russia. The new species is characterised by: rostellar hooks 40–44 μm long and provided with small epiphyseal thickening of the handle; a long (95–100 μm) cirrus consisting of basal region with claw-shaped spines, a parabasal region with thin needle-shaped spines and an unarmed distal region; a cirrus-sac extending well into the median field; and 15–22 eggs per gravid uterus. A review of the species of Neoskrjabinolepis Spasskii, 1947 is presented. Currently, this genus includes nine species and is divided in two subgenera on the basis of strobilar development, which is gradual in the subgenus Neoskrjabinolepis (four species) and serial in the subgenus Neoskrjabinolepidoides Kornienko, Gulyaev & Mel’nikova, 2006 (five species). An amended generic diagnosis and an identification key to Neoskrjabinolepis spp. are presented.