External morphology of the male and female of Sphyrion lumpi (Krøyer,1845) (Copepoda; Siphonostomatoida; Sphyriidae)

Sphyrion lumpi is a sexually dimorphic, parasitic copepod which causes significant losses in fisheries in the North Atlantic. Studies involving both light and scanning electron microscopy revealed important details of the external morphology of both sexes that are discussed in relation to other members of the family Sphyriidae. Conclusions are drawn regarding the life cycle of S. lumpi. The present finding of this parasite on Urophycis tenuis constitutes a new host record.     

Description of a new species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes</Emphasis> Latreille, 1795 (Acari: Ixodidae) and redescription of <Emphasis Type="Italic">I. lasallei</Emphasis> Méndez &amp; Ortiz, 1958, parasites of agoutis and pacas (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae,Cuniculidae) in Central and South America

Ixodes bocatorensis n. sp. (Acari: Ixodidae), is described based on adults ex agoutis (Rodentia: Dasyproctidae), pacas (Rodentia: Cuniculidae) and “tapir and sloth” (Perissodactyla: Tapiridae and Pilosa) from Colombia, Panama and Venezuela. Adults of I. bocatorensis n. sp. are similar to those of I. lasallei Méndez & Ortiz, 1958 but can be distinguished by the scutum dimensions, punctation pattern, gnathosoma and palpi measurements and their ratios, basis capituli anterior angle and shape of the spur of palpal segment I ventrally. For comparative purposes the female of I. lasallei is redescribed and the true male of this species is described for the first time. Studied adults of I. lasallei were found on agoutis, pacas and ocelot (Carnivora: Felidae) in Colombia, Peru and Venezuela.     

Evolution of mixed-linkage (1 -> 3, 1 -> 4)-β-D-glucan (MLG) and xyloglucan in Equisetum (horsetails) and other monilophytes

Background and Aims

Horsetails (Equisetopsida) diverged from other extant eusporangiate monilophytes in the Upper Palaeozoic. They are the only monilophytes known to contain the hemicellulose mixed-linkage (1 → 3, 1 → 4)-β-d-glucan (MLG), whereas all land plants possess xyloglucan. It has been reported that changes in cell-wall chemistry often accompanied major evolutionary steps. We explored changes in hemicelluloses occurring during Equisetum evolution.

Methods

Hemicellulose from numerous monilophytes was treated with lichenase and xyloglucan endoglucanase. Lichenase digests MLG to di-, tri- and tetrasaccharide repeat-units, resolvable by thin-layer chromatography.

Key Results

Among monilophytes, MLG was confined to horsetails. Our analyses support a basal trichotomy of extant horsetails: MLG was more abundant in subgenus Equisetum than in subgenus Hippochaete, and uniquely the sister group E. bogotense yielded almost solely the tetrasaccharide repeat-unit (G4G4G3G). Other species also gave the disaccharide, whereas the trisaccharide was consistently very scarce. Tetrasaccharide : disaccharide ratios varied interspecifically, but with no consistent difference between subgenera. Xyloglucan was scarce in Psilotum and subgenus Equisetum, but abundant in subgenus Hippochaete and in the eusporangiate ferns Marattia and Angiopteris; leptosporangiate ferns varied widely. All monilophytes shared a core pattern of xyloglucan repeat-units, major XEG products co-chromatographing on thin-layer chromatography with non-fucosylated hepta-, octa- and nonasaccharides and fucose-containing nona- and decasaccharides.

Conclusions

G4G4G3G is the ancestral repeat-unit of horsetail MLG. Horsetail evolution was accompanied by quantitative and qualitative modification of MLG; variation within subgenus Hippochaete suggests that the structure and biosynthesis of MLG is evolutionarily plastic. Xyloglucan quantity correlates negatively with abundance of other hemicelluloses; but qualitatively, all monilophyte xyloglucans conform to a core pattern of repeat-unit sizes.     

Plastome phylogenomics of Allaeanthus,Broussonetia and Malaisia (Dorstenieae,Moraceae) and the origin of B. × kazinoki

Species of Broussonetia have been essential in the development of papermaking technology. In Japan and Korea, a hybrid between B. monoica and B. papyrifera (= B. × kazinoki) known as kōzo and daknamu is still the major source of raw materials for making traditional paper washi and hanji, respectively. Despite their cultural and practical significance, however, the origin and taxonomy of kōzo and daknamu remain controversial. Additionally, the long-held generic concept of Broussonetia s.l., which included Sect. Allaeanthus and Sect. Broussonetia, was challenged as phylogenetic analyses showed Malaisia is sister to the latter section. To re-examine the taxonomic proposition that recognizes Allaeanthus, Broussonetia, and Malaisia (i.e., Broussonetia alliance), plastome and nuclear ribosomal DNA (nrDNA) sequences of six species of the alliance were assembled. Characterized by the canonical quadripartite structure, genome alignments and contents of the six plastomes (160,121–162,594 bp) are highly conserved, except for the pseudogenization and/or loss of the rpl22 gene. Relationships of the Broussonetia alliance are identical between plastome and nrDNA trees, supporting the maintenance of Malaisia and the resurrection of Allaeanthus. The phylogenomic relationships also indicate that the monoecy in B. monoica is a derived state, possibly resulting from hybridization between the dioecious B. kaempferi (♀) and B. papyrifera (♂). Based on the hypervariable ndhF-rpl32 intergenic spacer selected by sliding window analysis, phylogeographic analysis indicates that B. monoica is the sole maternal parent of B. × kazinoki and that daknamu carries multiple haplotypes, while only one haplotype was detected in kōzo. Because hybridizations between B. monoica and B. papyrifera are unidirectional and have occurred rarely in nature, our data suggest that daknamu might have originated via deliberate hybrid breeding selected for making hanji in Korea. On the contrary, kōzo appears to have a single origin and the possibility of a Korean origin cannot be ruled out.

     

In Vitro Characterization of Echinomycin Biosynthesis: Formation and Hydroxylation of L-Tryptophanyl-S-Enzyme and Oxidation of (2S,3S) β-Hydroxytryptophan

Quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (QXC) and 3-hydroxyquinaldic acid (HQA) feature in quinomycin family and confer anticancer activity. In light of the significant potency against cancer, the biosynthetic gene clusters have been reported from many different Streptomyces strains, and the biosynthetic pathway were proposed mainly based on the in vivo feeding experiment with isotope labeled putative intermediates. Herein we report another gene cluster from Streptomyces griseovariabilis subsp. bandungensis subsp. nov responsible for the biosynthesis of echinomycin (a member of quinomycin family, also named quinomycin A) and presented in vitro evidence to corroborate the previous hypothesis on QXC biosynthesis, showing that only with the assistance of a MbtH-like protein Qui5, did the didomain NRPS protein (Qui18) perform the loading of a L-tryptophan onto its own PCP domain. Particularly, it was found that Qui5 and Qui18 subunits form a functional tetramer through size exclusion chromatography. The subsequent hydroxylation on β-carbon of the loaded L-tryptophan proved in vitro to be completed by cytochrome P450-dependent hydroxylase Qui15. Importantly, only the Qui18 loaded L-tryptophan can be hydroxylated by Qui15 and the enzyme was inactive on free L-tryptophan. Additionally, the chemically synthesized (2S,3S) β-hydroxytryptophan was detected to be converted by the tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase Qui17 through LC-MS, which enriched our previous knowledge that tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase nearly exclusively acted on L-tryptophan and 6-fluoro-tryptophan.     

Preparation and Properties of Nanoparticles,tRNA–Bivalent Metal Cation (Me<Superscript>2+</Superscript>) Complexes,and Prospects of Their Practical Use

The patterns of formation of RNA nanoparticles (NPs) during thermal cycling of bacterial total tRNA in the presence of cations Ca²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Zn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Cu²⁺ were studied. The optimal conditions for the production of NPs were found, and it was revealed that their size depends on the ratio of the concentrations of Me²⁺ and tRNA. The concentration of reagents for obtaining NPs of small size (from 5 to 100 nm) was selected. It was shown that tRNA-based nanoparticles can comprise short (20–50 nt) ribooligonucleotides, including aptamers and siRNAs. The stability of NPs during storage in buffer solutions of various composition was studied. It was found that the initial suspensions of NPs are quite stable, but they are rapidly destroyed in PBS buffer (pH 7.4). A simple and effective stabilizer (polyarginine) was found, the additives of which ensure the preservation of nanoparticles in PBS buffer for more than 5 h. Nanoparticles modified with the stabilizer are resistant to blood serum nucleases and can be used for transfection.     

Isomer distribution and structure of (2,2′-biphenyldiolato)bis(β-diketonato)titanium(IV) complexes: A single crystal X-ray, solution NMR and computational study

Novel dichlorobis(β-diketonato)titanium(IV) Ti(C₆H₅COCHCOR)₂Cl₂ and (2,2′-biphenyldiolato)bis(β-diketonato)titanium(IV) Ti(C₆H₅COCHCOR)₂biphen complexes with R = CH₃, C₆H₅ and CF₃, are synthesized and characterized by X-ray crystallography and further physical methods. There is a good agreement between DFT calculated and experimental structural data. A configurational analysis gives a calculated isomer distribution that is in agreement with the experimental data derived from low temperature ¹H NMR spectroscopy. The Ti(C₆H₅COCHCOR)₂biphen complexes exhibit high hydrolytic stability.     

Redescriptions of Nereis oligohalina (Rioja, 1946) and N. garwoodi González-Escalante & Salazar-Vallejo, 2003 and description of N. confusa sp. n. (Annelida,Nereididae)

Type material of several polychaete species described by Enrique Rioja from Mexican coasts are lost, and the current status of some species is doubtful. Nereis oligohalina (Rioja, 1946) was described from the Gulf of Mexico, but it has been considered a junior synonym of Nereis occidentalis Hartman, 1945, or regarded as a distinct species with an amphiamerican distribution. On the other hand, Nereis garwoodi González-Escalante & Salazar-Vallejo, 2003, described from Chetumal Bay, Caribbean coasts, could be confused with Nereis oligohalina. In order to clarify these uncertainties, Nereis oligohalina is redescribed based on specimens from the Mexican Gulf of Mexico, including a proposed neotype; further, Nereis garwoodi is redescribed including the selection of lectotype and paralectotypes, and Nereis confusa sp. n. is described with material from the Gulf of California. A key for the identification of similar species and some comments about speciation in nereidid polychaetes are also included.     

Indicators of infestation, colonization and infection of Triatoma dimidiata (Latreille) (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) in Campeche, México

Triatoma dimidiata (Latreille) is considered to be one of the primary vectors of Chagas disease in Southern Mexico and Central America. The objective of the present study was to obtain ecological information on T. dimidiata in two rural communities of Campeche, Mexico, where the vector is poorly studied. Our work consisted of monthly samplings carried out during one-year time at three levels: sylvatic, peridomestic and intradomestic, in order to estimate the population abundance of this species and its rate of infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. Triatoma dimidiata was the unique vector of this disease collected in San Juan Bautista Sakcabchen (SJBS) and Crucero San Luis (CSL). The total of 145 individuals were captured in SJBS; from these, 26.9%, 20% and 53.1% were collected in the sylvatic, peridomestic and intradomestic area, respectively. In CSL captures yielded 108 individuals: 40.7% in the sylvatic area, 20.4% peridomestic and 38.9% intradomestic. We found no correlation between climatic variables and population abundance of T. dimidiata. Dataset obtained suggests that individuals from the sylvatic area exhibit a high rate of natural infection by T. cruzi, with monthly percentages up to 61.5% for SJBS and 50% for CSL. At the peri and intradomestic level, the reservoirs apparently play an important role in the transmission, as the seroprevalence in dogs was 61.5% y 65.4%, for SJBS y CSL, respectively. Based on these findings, it was concluded that inhabitants of both communities are at a high risk of Chagas disease infection.     

Life-cycle,delimitation and redescription of Catatropis verrucosa (Frölich, 1789) Odhner, 1905 (Trematoda: Notocotylidae)

The life-cycle of Catatropis verrucosa (Frölich, 1789) Odhner, 1905 has been completed experimentally starting from infected snails collected along the River Danube in Europe. Each stage of the life-cycle is redescribed. Taxonomic problems are discussed and the main features of the species are listed. Synonyms for C. verrucosa are Fasciola verrucosa Frölich, 1789, F. anseris Gmelin, 1790, Monostoma verrucosa (Frölich, 1789) Zeder, 1800, and Catatropis charadrii Skrjabin, 1915. Other names, such as Notocotylus triserialis Diesing, 1839, Notocotyle triseriale (Diesing, 1839) Diesing, 1850, Monostoma verrugueux Dujardin, 1845, “Monostoma sp. du canard” of Blanchard (1847), Notocotyle verrucosum (Frölich, 1789) Monticelli, 1892, N. verruqueux Railliet, 1895, and Distoma verrucosum (Frölich, 1789) Wolffhugel, 1900, were found to represent adults and/or larvae of C. verrucosa. Conversely, but less often, adults and larvae of other species were found described and illustrated as C. verrucosa. One of these, C. verrucosa of Joyeux (1922), was renamed Pseudocatatropis joyeuxi Kanev & Vassilev, 1986. Occasionally, authors actually working with C. verrucosa ascribed their results to different species. Based on experimental life-cycle studies, the following facts were demonstrated. (1) The first intermediate hosts are the prosobranch freshwater snails Bithynia tentaculata (Linnaeus, 1758) and B. leachi (Leach, 1818). (2) The same snails are also first intermediate hosts for Notocotylus imbricatus (Looss, 1893) Szidat, 1935, N. parviovatus Yamaguti, 1934, and N. ponticus Tschiaberaschvili, 1966. In all these species, the species characteristics are expressed by the adult morphology only, and the larvae cannot be identified by morphological criteria. It is proposed that tri-oculate monostome cercariae found in naturally infected B. tentaculata and B. leachi be referred to as “Cercaria imbricata group”. These cercariae include Cercaria imbricata Looss, 1893, C. helvetica I Dubois, 1928, C. triophthalmia Faust, 1930, C. fennica I Wikgren, 1956; C. ephemera of Lutta (1934); C. monostomi of Mathias (1925), Lutta (1934) and Zdun (1961), Cercaria Notocotylus attenuatus of Francalanci & Manfredini (1969), and Monostome cercaria I Emmel, 1943. (3) There is no second intermediate snail host in the life-cycle of C. verrucosa. (4) The final hosts are birds. (5) The adult worms possess, on the ventral body surface, a median ridge and two lateral rows of 12 (range 11–14) papillae per row.     

Description of the male of Tityus kuryi Louren?o, 1997 and notes about males of Tityus stigmurus (Thorell, 1877) and Tityus serrulatus Lutz & Mello, 1922 (Scorpiones,Buthidae)

The male of Tityus kuryi Lourenço, 1997 is described for the first time. Despite being very similar to the female, the male presents more robust metasomal segments. Additionally, the distribution of the sexual populations of another two species of the T. stigmurus complex is reported herein: T. serrulatus Lutz & Mello, 1922 and T. stigmurus (Thorell, 1877). Males of T. serrulatus were, until now, restricted to the Minas Gerais State (Southwestern region of Brazil), and with new records reported here, its known distribution now encompasses the Northeastern region of Brazil. Males of T. stigmurus were previously recorded only for two municipalities in the State of Bahia, and here we present eight new records for Bahia State and one for Pernambuco State. We present a key to related species of the T. stigmurus complex based on morphology and coloration pattern.     

The chalicothere <Emphasis Type="Italic">Metaschizotherium bavaricum</Emphasis> (Perissodactyla,Chalicotheriidae, Schizotheriinae) from the Miocene (MN5) Lagerstätte of Sandelzhausen (Germany): description,comparison, and paleoecological significance

Within the fossil collection from the Sandelzhausen Lagerstätte in the Upper Freshwater Molasse near Mainburg, Germany, are remains of the schizotheriine chalicothere Metaschizotherium bavaricum, von Koenigswald, 1932. This new material includes elements from a large part of the body, and allows the dentition and postcranial skeleton of Metaschizotherium to be described in detail for the first time. At approximately 16 Ma (MN5), M. bavaricum is now the best-known Early and Middle Miocene European schizotheriine and is important for comparative studies. It differs to some degree from earlier Miocene (MN2–MN4) European material attributed to Moropus sp. or Metaschizotherium wetzleri (Kowalewsky, 1873) and to a larger degree from the Late Miocene species Ancylotherium pentelicum (Gaudry and Lartet, 1856). At Sandelzhausen, M. bavaricum apparently lived in a moist forested environment, where it probably fed on leaves, fruit, and seeds. Members of the Chalicotheriinae, such as Anisodon and Chalicotherium, are not found at Sandelzhausen and may not have been present in Europe at this time. M. bavaricum, like other Schizotheriinae, did not have the bizarre gorilla-like proportions of the Chalicotheriinae. Instead, its general body proportions resemble those of contemporary schizotheriine chalicotheres on other continents, for example, Moropus from North America. M. bavaricum is slightly smaller than the type species of Metaschizotherium, M. fraasi von Koenigswald, 1932 (MN6–MN7) and differs from it in small ways that are still being explored as variation within and differences between these species are clarified. The schizotheriine chalicothere from La Grive St.-Alban (France) referred to M. fraasi by von Koenigswald (Palaeontographica, Beitrage zur Naturgeschichte der Vorzeit 8:1–24, 1932) and Viret (Nouvelles Archives Musée d’Histoire Naturelle de Lyon 6:53–81, 1961) should be restudied and referred to a different taxon.     

Energetics and development of incipient colonies of the harvester termite, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trinervitermes trinervoides</Emphasis> (Sjöstedt) (Termitidae,Nasutitermitinae)

Energy dynamics within incipient colonies of the southern African mound dwelling harvester termite Trinervitermes trinervoides (Sj?stedt) (Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) were investigated. Development of incipient colonies established from field collected alates and changes in energy content of reproductives and brood were studied over a 25 week period in the laboratory. Colonies were then transferred into the field to study the established of the first mound. An initial four-week egg-laying cycle started within a week of pairing. Hatching occurred six weeks later. Two lines emerged from first instar undifferentiated larvae. Small larvae moulted first into minor presoldiers and then minor soldiers. Large larvae developed into major workers. Foraging began once second instar major workers had differentiated 20 weeks after colony foundation. First instar major workers did not forage but there is evidence of pre-foraging utilisation of soil humus. The epigeous mound was produced after three years. The energy available to maintain incipient termite colonies until the first workers start foraging is crucial to their survival. The royal pair of T. trinervoides does not feed during the rearing of the first brood, the fate of which depends largely on the reproductives accumulated energy reserves. The males and females expended 84.54 and 83.07% respectively of their total energy during this period. Once foraging started, the energy content of the royal pair increased and a second egg-laying cycle began. Received 25 July 2007; revised 19 March and 22 May 2008; accepted 4 September 2008.     

Cryptohelops menaticus – a new genus and species of the tribe Helopini (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) from the Palaeocene of Menat (France)

A new genus and species, Cryptohelops menaticus gen. et sp. n., are described from the Palaeocene of Menat (France). The new genus belongs to the subtribe Helopina of the tribe Helopini (subfamily Tenebrioninae of Tenebrionidae) based on the coarse and dense punctation of the hypomera, shape of the prosternum and metepisterna, a similar appearance to the native genera Helops and Stenohelops and the structure of the epipleura. The new genus also resembles Raiboscelis and Entomogonus by having the protibiae excised along the base of the inner side. The new genus is the oldest representative of the tribe Helopini. Four species of Helops sensu lato previously described from the Oligocene (H. wetteravicus K. Heyden et L. Heyden, 1865) and Miocene (H. atticus Redtenbacher in Ungern, 1867; H. meissneri Heer, 1847 and H. molassicus Heer, 1883) lack important diagnostic characters and should be regarded as members of the tribe Helopini with uncertain generic attribution.     

A comparison of larval,ovitrap and MosquiTRAP?surveillance for Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti

In Brazil, the entomological surveillance of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti is performed by government-mandated larval surveys. In this study, the sensitivities of an adult sticky trap and traditional surveillance methodologies were compared. The study was performed over a 12-week period in a residential neighbourhood of the municipality of Pedro Leopoldo, state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. An ovitrap and a MosquiTRAP were placed at opposite ends of each neighbourhood block (60 traps in total) and inspections were performed weekly. The study revealed significant correlations of moderate strength between the larval survey, ovitrap and MosquiTRAP measurements. A positive relationship was observed between temperature, adult capture measurements and egg collections, whereas precipitation and frequency of rainy days exhibited a negative relationship.     

Macrelmis pubescens (Grouvelle, 1889) – redescription of the species,designation of a lectotype and description of its larva (Coleoptera: Elmidae)

The adult of Macrelmis pubescens (Grouvelle, 1889) is redescribed, illustrated, a lectotype designated, and new locality information provided. The lectotype is housed in the Grouvelle’s collection in the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, Paris, France. The larva of M. pubescens is described, illustrated and compared with the known larvae of the genus. A diagnosis for Macrelmis Motschulsky, 1860 larvae is provided.     

Biosorption of Cd(II) and Pb(II) onto brown seaweed, Lobophora variegata (Lamouroux): kinetic and equilibrium studies

The present work deals with the biosorption performance of raw and chemically modified biomass of the brown seaweed Lobophora variegata for removal of Cd(II) and Pb(II) from aqueous solution. The biosorption capacity was significantly altered by pH of the solution delineating that the higher the pH, the higher the Cd(II) and Pb(II) removal. Kinetic and isotherm experiments were carried out at the optimal pH 5.0. The metal removal rates were conspicuously rapid wherein 90% of the total sorption occurred within 90 min. Biomass treated with CaCl₂ demonstrated the highest potential for the sorption of the metal ions with the maximum uptake capacities i.e. 1.71 and 1.79 mmol g⁻¹ for Cd(II) and Pb(II), respectively. Kinetic data were satisfactorily manifested by a pseudo-second order chemical sorption process. The process mechanism consisting of both surface adsorption and pore diffusion was found to be complex. The sorption data have been analyzed and fitted to sorption isotherm of the Freundlich, Langmuir, and Redlich–Peterson models. The regression coefficient for both Langmuir and Redlich–Peterson isotherms were higher than those secured for Freundlich isotherm implying that the biosorption system is possibly monolayer coverage of the L. variegata surface by the cadmium and lead ions. FT-IR studies revealed that Cd(II) and Pb(II) binding to L. variegata occurred primarily through biomass carboxyl groups accompanied by momentous interactions of the biomass amino and amide groups. In this study, we have observed that L. variegata had maximum biosorption capacity for Cd(II) and Pb(II) reported so far for any marine algae. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.