Opisthobranchiate Mollusca from Ghana: Chromodorididae

Nine species of the opisthobranch family Chromodorididae are described from Ghana: Cadlina evelinae Marcus; C. rumia Marcus; C. dubia sp. nov.; Chromodoris ghanensis (Edmunds); C. kpone sp. nov.; C. luleorosea (Rapp); Hypselodoris tana sp. nov.; H. bilineata (Pruvot-Fol) and Mexichromis tricolor (Cantraine). The small number of species found belonging to this warm-water family is attributed to the cold water of the Benguela current.     

中国近海海牛亚目(软体动物)的区系分析

中国近海共有海牛亚目(Doridacea)软体动物136种,隶属于23科49属,主要分布在浙江以南的热带、亚热带海区,有些种类向北可以分布到黄、渤海,少数种类仅分布于黄、渤海,属于印度-西太平洋区的中国-日本亚区。     

Phylogenetic relationships of Nembrothinae (Mollusca: Doridacea: Polyceridae) inferred from morphology and mitochondrial DNA

Within the Polyceridae, Nembrothinae includes some of the most striking and conspicuous sea slugs known, although several features of their biology and phylogenetic relationships remain unknown. This paper reports a phylogenetic analysis based on partial sequences of two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 16S rRNA) and morphology for most species included in Nembrothinae. Our phylogenetic reconstructions using both molecular and combined morphological and molecular data support the taxonomic splitting of Nembrothinae into several taxa. Excluding one species (Tambja tentaculata), the monophyly of Roboastra was supported by all the phylogenetic analyses of the combined molecular data. Nembrotha was monophyletic both in the morphological and molecular analyses, always with high support. However, Tambja was recovered as para- or polyphyletic, depending on the analysis performed. Our study also rejects the monophyly of "phanerobranch" dorids based on molecular data.     

Additional dextral triphorids (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from New Zealand

Abstract

Socienna maoria Finlay and Mendax duplicarinata Powell are referred to Metaxia Monterosato. Metaxia solitaria n.sp., Socienna cracens n.sp., and S. cracens regia n.subsp. are described. Additional range data are provided for Metaxia exaltata (Powell).     

Living Pleurotomariidae (Mollusca: Gastropoda) from the South Pacific

Abstract

Perotrochus caledonicus n.sp. is described from the upper bathyal south of New Caledonia, an old area that has remained stable over the past few million years, and P. tangaroana n.sp. is described from the bathyal of Lau Ridge. These represent the first occurrence of living Pleurotomariidae in the South Pacific; other representatives of the family are restricted to Southeast Asian seas or the Atlantic.     

Linnaeus' Neptunea (Mollusca: Gastropoda)

Three species of the arcto-boreal, large gastropod Neptunea , described by Linnaeus in 1758 and 1771, occur in large numbers over wide areas of the inshore North Atlantic and adjacent Arctic seas and are conspicuous among Pliocene and Pleistocene molluscs in the Icelandic, North Sea, and western Mediterranean basins. Selections of lectotypes for these species from shells in the collection of the Linnean Society of London, and designations of their type localities, establish the identity of Linnaeus' neptunes and more accurately determine their geographic and geologic distribution. The geographic range of Neptunea (Neptunea) antiqua (L.), the type species, now extends from southern Norway to the northern Biscay coast of France and from the westernmost Baltic Sea to southwestern Ireland; this species also occurs in Pliocene-Holocene marine deposits in West and East Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, England and France. Its type locality is determined to be the North Sea. N. (Neptunea) despecta (L.) lives in the eastern Canadian Arctic, off southern Greenland, the Barents Sea, and North Atlantic as far south as Massachusetts and Portugal; it also occurs in Pliocene-Holocene strata of eastern Canada, east-central Greenland, Norway (including Svalbard), the Soviet Union, Sweden and England. Its type locality is determined to be the postglacial deposits at Uddevalla in southwestern Sweden. N. (Sulcosipho) contraria (L.) now extends from the southern Biscay coast of France to Cape Spartel, Morocco; this species also occurs in Pleistocene and lower Holocene sequences of the western Mediterranean. Its type locality is determined to be Vigo Bay, Spain. A closely related fossil species, N. (S.) angulata (S. V. Wood), occurs in Pliocene and Pleistocene deposits of the North Sea basin.     

A new dicyemid from Benthoctopus sibiricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Octopoda)

A new species of dicyemid mesozoan is described from Benthoctopus sibiricus Loyning, 1930, collected in the eastern Chukchi Sea. Dicyemennea chukchiense n. sp. is a medium species that reaches about 2,000 μm in length; it lives in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized in having 23 peripheral cells, a conical calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the base of the propolar cells. An anterior abortive axial cell is present in vermiform embryos. Infusoriform embryos consist of 37 cells; a single nucleus is present in each urn cell and the refringent bodies are solid. This is the first dicyemid described from the Arctic waters.     

A new dicyemid from Octopus hubbsorum (Mollusca:Cephalopoda:Octopoda)

A new species of dicyemid mesozoan is described from Octopus hubbsorum Berry, 1953, collected in the south of Bahia de La Paz, Baja California Sur, México. Dicyema guaycurense n. sp. is a medium-size species that reaches about 1,600 μm in length. It occurs in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized as having 22 peripheral cells, a conical calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the base of the propolar cells. Infusoriform embryos consist of 39 cells; 1 nucleus is present in each urn cell and the refringent bodies are solid. This is the first of a dicyemid species from a host collected in the Gulf of California.     

Three new dicyemids from Octopus sasakii (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Octopoda)

Three new species of dicyemid mesozoan are described from Octopus sasakii Taki, 1942, collected from Tosa Bay and Kii Strait in Japan. Dicyema shimantoense n. sp. is a medium-size species that reaches about 3,000 microm in length, and lives in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized by having 22 peripheral cells, a conical calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the base of the propolar cells. Infusoriform embryos consist of 37 cells; a single nucleus is present in each urn cell, and the refringent bodies are solid. Dicyema codonocephalum n. sp. is also a medium-size species that reaches about 2,000 microm in length. It too lives in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized by having 17-22 peripheral cells, an elongated calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the middle of propolar cells. Infusoriform embryos consist of 37 cells; a single nucleus is present in each urn cell, and the refringent bodies are solid. Dicyemennea pileum n. sp. is a medium species that reaches about 2,000 microm in length. It attaches to the surface of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized by having 23 peripheral cells, a disc-shaped calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the propolar cells. An anterior abortive axial cell is absent in vermiform embryos. Infusoriform embryos consist of 38 cells; 2 nuclei are present in each urn cell, and the refringent bodies are liquid. These are the first dicyemids to be described from Octopus sasakii.     

Chitons (Mollusca: Polyplacophora) from El Salvador, Central America

Collections of 11 species of shallow water Polyplacophora from El Salvador were made in July 2002. Previously only five species had been documented in El Salvador: Chaetopleura lurida (Sowerby, 1832); Ischnochiton guatemalensis (Thiele, 1910); Ceratozona angusta (Thiele, 1909); Chiton stokesii (Broderip, 1832) and Acantochitona exquisita (Pilsbry, 1893). Of these, L. guatemalensis and A. exquisita were not collected in this census. Seven other species are reported here for El Salvador for the first time: Lepidochitona beanii (Carpenter, 1857); Ischnochiton dispar (Sowerby, 1832); Stenoplax limaciformis (Sowerby, 1832); Callistochiton expressus (Carpenter, 1865); Acanthochitona arragonites (Carpenter, 1867); A. ferreirai (Lyons, 1988) and A. hirudiniformis (Sowerby, 1832). The known geographic distribution of 1. dispar is extended to the north. An un-named species of Lepidochitona is briefly described.     

A new tritoniid species (Mollusca: Opisthobranchia) from Bouvet Island

Tritoniid sea slugs (Mollusca, Gastropoda, Opisthobranchia) are reported for the first time from Bouvet Island. Tritonia dantarti sp. n. shows morphological and anatomical differences with regard to the two previously known tritoniids reported from Antarctica and Sub-Antarctica, Tritonia vorax (Odhner 1926) and Tritonia challengeriana Bergh, 1884. Regarding the external morphology, T. dantarti sp. n. is characterized by a very bright orange coloration in the dorsum, white dorsal crests, highly ramified dendritic gills (the largest vertically orientated and the rest laterally orientated), and a quadrangular cross section. The radula presents very long, thin lateral teeth and the jaws present mainly unicuspidate, striated denticles. The seminal receptacle is large, pear-shaped and its grey pigmentation differs from the rest of the genital system. The Antarctic species T. challengeriana was also found in waters off Bouvet Island, while the Subantarctic species T. vorax was not found.     

Two new Ctenophthalmus (Insecta: Siphonaptera: Ctenophthalmidae) from Tanzania

During a recent epidemiological study of Lushoto plague focus, some uncommon specimens of fleas or even totally new species were collected. In this paper, we describe one of those, Ctenophthalmus (Ethioctenophthalmus) teucqae n. sp. Microscopic observation of comparison specimens deposited at National History Museum (London) allows us to create a sub-species, C. (E.) teucqae shumeensis n. ssp.     

Redescription of Dicyemennea nouveli (Phylum: Dicyemida) from Enteroctopus dofleini (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Octopoda)

A species of dicyemid mesozoan is redescribed from the giant Pacific octopus, Enteroctopus dofleini (Wülker, 1910), collected off Iwase in Toyama Bay, Honshu, Japan. Dicyemennea nouveli McConnaughey, 1959, is a large species that reaches about 12,000 microm in length. This species lives in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized as having 30-41 peripheral cells, a conical calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the middle of the metapolar cells. An anterior abortive axial cell is present in vermiform embryos. Full-grown vermiform embryos have as many as 4 agametes. Infusoriform embryos consist of 39 cells; 2 nuclei are present in each urn cell and the refringent bodies are solid.     

Redescription of two Dicyemennea (Phylum: Dicyemida) from Rossia pacifica (Mollusca: Cephalopoda: Decapoda)

Two species of dicyemid mesozoan are redescribed from Rossia pacifica Berry, 1911, collected off Iwase in Toyama Bay, Honshu, Japan. Dicyemennea brevicephaloides Bogolepova-Dobrokhotova, 1962, is a large species that reaches about 4,000 microm in length. This species attaches to the surface of the branchial heart appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized as having 23 peripheral cells, a disc-shaped calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the propolar cells. An anterior abortive axial cell is absent in vermiform embryos. Infusoriform embryos consist of 35 cells; a single nucleus is present in each urn cell and the refringent bodies are absent. Dicyemennea rossiae Bogolepova-Dobrokhotova, 1962, is a medium species that reaches about 2000 microm in length. This species lives in folds of the renal appendages. The vermiform stages are characterized as having 29-34 peripheral cells, a conical calotte, and an axial cell that extends to the middle of the metapolar cells. An anterior abortive axial cell is present in vermiform embryos. Infusoriform embryos consist of 39 cells; 2 nuclei are present in each urn cell and the refringent bodies are solid.     

DNA barcoding analysis of Coleoidea (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) from Chinese waters

Coleoids are part of the Cephalopoda class, which occupy an important position in most oceans both at an ecological level and at a commercial level. Nevertheless, some coleoid species are difficult to distinguish with traditional morphological identification in cases when specimens are heavily damaged during collection or when closely related taxa are existent. As a useful tool for rapid species assignment, DNA barcoding may offer significant potential for coleoid identification. Here, we used two mitochondrial fragments, cytochrome c oxidase I and the large ribosomal subunit (16S rRNA), to assess whether 34 coleoids accounting for about one-third of the Chinese coleoid fauna could be identified by DNA barcoding technique. The pairwise intra- and interspecific distances were assessed, and relationships among species were estimated by NJ and bayesian analyses. High levels of genetic differentiation within Loliolus beka led to an overlap between intra- and interspecific distances. All remaining species forming well-differentiated clades in the NJ and bayesian trees were identical for both fragments. Loliolus beka possessed two mitochondrial lineages with high levels of intraspecific distances, suggesting the occurrence of cryptic species. This study confirms the efficacy of DNA barcoding for identifying species as well as discovering cryptic diversity of Chinese coleoids. It also lays a foundation for other ecological and biological studies of Coleoidea.     

Molecular Phylogeny of the Suborder Leucodontineae (Musci; Leucodontales) Inferred from rbcL Sequence Data

rbcL sequence data (1324 bp on average). Our analyses indicate (1) that Antitrichia is distantly related to the other members of Leucodontaceae and should be excluded from the family, (2) that Cryphaeaceae form a monophyletic clade, not with Anomodontaceae and Leptodontaceae, but with Leucodontaceae, refuting the placement of Leucodontaceae and Cryphaeaceae in different superfamilies, (3) that Forsstroemia, variously classified in Leucodontaceae, Cryphaeaceae or Leptodontaceae, forms a monophyletic clade with Neckera (Neckeraceae), and (4) that the presumed monophyly of Anomodon and that of Anomodontaceae are not supported. Received 18 September 1999/ Accepted in revised form 27 December 1999