The species of Papilionidae and Pieridae (Lepidoptera) described by Cramer and Stoll and their putative type material in the Natural History Museum in London

A history is presented of specimens of Papilionidae and Pieridae in the Natural History Museum, London that are thought to include types of species described by Cramer and Stoll in ' De Uitlandsche Kapellen '. Background details on the publication and associated persons are also provided. The authenticity of the specimens is discussed together with a list of all the material available. Details of homonymy and synonymy are presented as discussed. Lectotypes are designated for Papilio alcmeone Cramer, 1777 , and Papilio antonoe Cramer, 1777 .  © 2005 The Natural History Museum, London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 145 , 283–337.     

A new genus and four new species of felt scales on Eucalyptus (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) in south-eastern Australia

Abstract  A new Australian eriococcid genus Fragorbis gen. n. (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) is described for ' Sphaerococcus ' pustulans Green and four new species, F. fructus sp. n., F. pseudopustulans sp. n., F. stipites sp. n. and F. superfacies sp. n. Four of the five species are known only from Victoria and the fifth species from the High Country east of Tumut in New South Wales. All species feed on Eucalyptus (Myrtaceae), either in blister galls, or under or on the bark. The adult female of each species and the first-instar nymph of F. pseudopustulans sp. n. are described and illustrated. Keys are provided to the adult females of the eriococcid genera found on Eucalyptus and Corymbia , and to the species of Fragorbis gen. n.     

Opinion

The Editors of Letters in Applied Microbiology will, at their discretion, publish invited and submitted ' Opinions ' on subjects in the general area of Applied Microbiology. They will not be subjected to the normal refereeing procedures and reprints will not be provided. The ' Opinions ' will not necessarily represent the views of the Society for Applied Bacteriology or of the Editors. The Editors may invite or readers may submit ' Responses ' to published ' Opinions ', provided that they are not merely polemics, and these will also be published at the discretion of the Editors. ' Responses ' will be treated precisely like ' Opinions '. They should clearly indicate, in their first sentence, the ' Opinion ' to which they are a response.     

Degradation of the plant flavonoid phellamurin by Aspergillus niger.

We have previously described the structure of phellamurin, a plant flavonoid, as 3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxy-8-isoprenylflavanone-7-O-glucoside (17). Degradation of phellamurin by Aspergillus niger using modified Czapek-Dox medium as well as phellamurin or one of its degradation products as a sole carbon source, is reported here. Eleven compounds are identified from phellamurin degradation products. A. niger apparently decomposes phellamurin by first removing glucose with beta-glucosidase; neophellamuretin is the first degradation product. Fission of the heterocyclic ring of (5'-hydroxyisopropyl-4',5'-dihydrofurano)[2',3'-h]3,4',5-trihydroxyflavanone, which is obtained from neophellamuretin through a few alterations of the side chain, is followed by cleavage of a C--C bond between C=O and carbon at alpha-position and conversion of (5'-hydroxyisopropyl-4',5'-dihydrofurano)[2',3'-d]-2',4,6',alpha-tetrahydroxychalcone to rho-hydroxymandelic acid (B-ring) and 2,4,6-trihydroxy-5-carboxyphenylacetic acid (A-ring). It is suggested that rho-hydroxymandelic acid is oxidized to rho-hydroxybenzoic acid. 2,4,6-Trihydroxy-5-carboxyphenylacetic acid is metabolized to phloroglucinol carboxylic acid, which subsequently is decarboxylated to phloroglucinol. These results provided new information on the isoprene unit metabolism of the side chain of phellamurin and firmly established the degradation pathway of phellamurin by A. niger.     

Opinion

The Editors of Letters in Applied Microbiology will, at their discretion, publish invited and submitted ' Opinions ' on subjects in the general area of Applied Microbiology. They will not be subjected to the normal refereeing procedures and reprints will not be provided. The ' Opinions ' will not necessarily represent the views of the Society for Applied Bacteriology or of the Editors. The Editors may invite or readers may submit ' Responses ' to published ' Opinions ', provided that they are not merely polemics, and these will also be published at the discretion of the Editors. ' Responses ' will be treated precisely like ' Opinions '. They should clearly indicate, in their first sentence, the ' Opinion ' to which they are a response.     

Degradation of the plant flavonoid phellamurin by Aspergillus niger.

We have previously described the structure of phellamurin, a plant flavonoid, as 3,4',5,7-tetrahydroxy-8-isoprenylflavanone-7-O-glucoside (17). Degradation of phellamurin by Aspergillus niger using modified Czapek-Dox medium as well as phellamurin or one of its degradation products as a sole carbon source, is reported here. Eleven compounds are identified from phellamurin degradation products. A. niger apparently decomposes phellamurin by first removing glucose with beta-glucosidase; neophellamuretin is the first degradation product. Fission of the heterocyclic ring of (5'-hydroxyisopropyl-4',5'-dihydrofurano)[2',3'-h]3,4',5-trihydroxyflavanone, which is obtained from neophellamuretin through a few alterations of the side chain, is followed by cleavage of a C--C bond between C=O and carbon at alpha-position and conversion of (5'-hydroxyisopropyl-4',5'-dihydrofurano)[2',3'-d]-2',4,6',alpha-tetrahydroxychalcone to rho-hydroxymandelic acid (B-ring) and 2,4,6-trihydroxy-5-carboxyphenylacetic acid (A-ring). It is suggested that rho-hydroxymandelic acid is oxidized to rho-hydroxybenzoic acid. 2,4,6-Trihydroxy-5-carboxyphenylacetic acid is metabolized to phloroglucinol carboxylic acid, which subsequently is decarboxylated to phloroglucinol. These results provided new information on the isoprene unit metabolism of the side chain of phellamurin and firmly established the degradation pathway of phellamurin by A. niger.     

A New Species Of The Late Triassic Rhynchosaur Hyperodapedon From The Santa Maria Formation Of South Brazil

A new rhynchosaur, Hyperodapedon huenei sp. nov., is described from the Upper Triassic Santa Maria Formation of the Paraná Basin, Brazil. The holotype is an almost complete skull and mandible, collected at Inhamandá, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The diagnosis of the genus Hyperodapedon Huxley is revised to include not only H. huxleyi Lydekker and H. gordoni Huxley (as generally accepted), but also the new species described here, various specimens usually assigned to ' Scaphonyx fischeri ' Woodward, and ' S '. sanjuanensis Sill. H. huenei sp. nov. exhibits a number of plesiomorphic features and appears to be the least derived species of Hyperodapedon , forming a sister taxon to the remaining members of the genus. A preliminary phylogenetic analysis for the more derived rhynchosaurs is presented. ' Scaphonyx ' sulcognathus Azevedo and Schultz represents the sister taxon of Hyperodapedon , while ' Rhynchosaurus ' spenceri Benton is considered to be a more derived Middle Triassic rhynchosaur. key words : Rhynchosauria, Hyperodapedon , Triassic, Brazil.     

New insights into innate immunity in Arabidopsis

The term innate immunity has been described as '. . . the surveillance system that detects the presence and nature of the infection and provides the first line of host defense . . .' (Medzhitov, 2001; Nat Rev Immunol 1: 135-145). The strategy of innate immunity is based on the recognition of constitutive and conserved molecules from pathogens by specific receptors, triggering defence responses (Medzhitov and Janeway, 2002; Science 296: 298-300). It has been only within the past few years that studies of plant innate immunity, especially in Arabidopsis, have provided important insights into molecular details that define innate immunity in plants. Here we review the innate immune response in Arabidopsis, where leucine-rich repeat (LRR) cell surface receptors play central roles in monitoring the presence of pathogen (microbe) associated molecules to initiate the rapid expression of defence genes. The PAMPS also activate the expression of genes encoding a family of endogenous peptides (AtPep1 paralogues) and their receptor (PEPR1) that amplify defence signalling through a feedback loop initiated by PAMPS. The concept of innate immunity has provided a valuable framework for researchers to re-evaluate the roles of exogenous and endogenous signals that regulate the expression of plant defensive genes.     

Efficient synthesis of gamma-DDB

Synthesis of gamma-DDB, which is another family member of gamma-DDB (dimethyl 4,4(')-dimethoxy-5,6,5('),6(')- dimethylenedioxybiphenyl-2,2(')-dicarboxylate), is described. The unsymmetric isomer (gamma-DDB) was constructed by a linker-directed intramolecular Ullmann coupling reaction, followed by the cleavage of the linker and re-esterification.     

The mRNA cap structure stimulates rate of poly(A) removal and amplifies processivity of degradation

Poly(A)-specific ribonuclease (PARN) is an oligomeric, processive, and cap-interacting 3' exonuclease. We have studied how the m7G(5')ppp(5')G cap structure affects the activity of PARN. It is shown that the cap has four distinct effects: (i) It stimulates the rate of deadenylation if provided in cis; (ii) it inhibits deadenylation if provided at high concentration in trans; (iii) it stimulates deadenylation if provided at low concentration in trans; and (iv) it increases the processivity of PARN when provided in cis. It is shown that the catalytic and cap binding sites on PARN are separate. The important roles of the 7-methyl group and the inverted guanosine residue of the cap are demonstrated. An active deadenylation complex, consisting of the poly(A)-tailed RNA substrate and PARN, has been identified. Complex formation does not require a cap structure on the RNA substrate. The multiple effects of cap are all accounted for by a simple, kinetic model that takes the processivity of PARN into account.     

Mapping at the nucleotide level of Xenopus laevis mitochondrial D-loop H strand: structural features of the 3' region

The D-loop resulting from limited synthesis of the newly replicated heavy (H) strand of mitochondrial DNA provides a good opportunity to examine both the origin and termination of DNA synthesis. We report here the precise determination of the 3' and 5' termini of nascent Xenopus laevis D-loop H strand. We observe two major classes of newly synthesized D-loop H strands, 1641 and 1675 nucleotides long. A stable putative secondary structure located around its 3' end is described. Analogous secondary structures are also found in the same region of the mammalian D-loop mitochondrial DNAs. Moreover a pentanucleotide (5' TACAT 3'), base-paired in these secondary structures and most often present in two copies, is conserved in all vertebrate species so far studied. The termination associated sequence previously described in mammals is part of the putative stop signal represented by the secondary structure except in man. These results show that the mechanism of arrest of H strand synthesis is common to vertebrates.     

Structure, folding and catalysis of the small nucleolytic ribozymes.

The small nucleolytic ribozymes are largely (but not exclusively) found in the RNA of plant pathogens and are involved in the self-catalysed processing of the concatameric RNA resulting from rolling circle replication. They catalyse a site-specific transesterification reaction in which their 2' hydroxyl attacks the 3' phosphate, with the exclusion of the 5' oxyanion. This requires an in-line geometry, which is not present in normal RNA structure. A significant part of the activation is probably provided by a distortion of the local conformation in order to facilitate the trajectory into the transition state and, thus, RNA folding and catalysis are intimately connected. A second element of the catalysis is provided by bound metal ions; however, a number of recent experiments cast doubt on the direct role of metal ions in the catalytic chemistry.     

A Machine for Sawing 80-Micrometer Slices of Carious Enamel

Design and construction of a machine that cats 80-μm slices of sound and carious dental enamel and other calcified tissues is described. These slices can be used for quantitative microradiographic studies. Preparation takes minutes. Thickness for a given slice is uniform within 2 μn, mean thickness is within 4 μm of the intended value and roughness is about 0.1 μm. Commercial components have been used where possible.' Information is provided to permit purchase of the components of the machine and its construction in the average university workshop.     

New records of coastal fishes in the northern Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, with comments on the biogeography of the south-western Atlantic Ocean

The distribution limits in the Atlantic of Callorhinchus callorynchus (Callorhinchidae) and Odontesthes argentinensis (Atherinopsidae) are extended northwards to 22° 22' S and 22° 31' S, respectively, whereas that of Lile piquitinga (Clupeidae) is extended southwards to 22° 22' S. Their occurrence in the north of Rio de Janeiro State is discussed. Remarks on the osteology of O. argentinensis, and morphometric and meristic data of L. piquitinga, are also provided.     

Synthesis of phosphono-pyrimidine and -purine ribonucleosides

The reaction of the lithiated species of 2', 3', 5'-tri-O-protected uridines and 6-chloropurine ribonucleoside with diethyl chlorophosphate provided the corresponding diethyl phosphonate derivatives (III, IV and VIII). The Arbuzov-reaction of 2', 3', 5'-tri-O-protected 4-chloro-2(1H)-pyrimidinone ribonucleoside with triethyl phosphite afforded the diethyl phosphonate derivative (VI).     

An Unusually Diverse Llandovery (Silurian) Diplograptid Fauna from the Southern Urals of Russia and Its Evolutionary Significance

This vesiculosus Biozone assemblage of chemically-isolated graptolites from the Orenburg District of Russia was obtained from limestones associated with pillow lavas of the Sakmara Formation of Silurian–Early Devonian age. It comprises 30 species, of which 24 are described. Nine are new, one is a new subspecies, and eight are left under open nomenclature. The assemblage is unique in its diversity of minute biserial graptolites referable to the genera ' Glyptograptus ', Normalograptus , Sudburigraptus , and Metaclimacograptus ; and is unusual in that well-preserved graptolite faunas are rare at this stratigraphical level, which is fixed by the occurrence of Cystograptus vesiculosus (Nicholson) s.l. and Paraclimacograptus innotatus (Nicholson). The following new forms are described: ' Glyptograptus ' tamariscus praecursor subsp. nov., G. mazovoensis sp. nov., G. nikitini sp. nov., G. pavlinovi sp. nov., G. telarius sp. nov., G. zimai sp. nov., Normalograptus legrandi sp. nov., N. melchini sp. nov., N. sobolevskayae sp. nov., and Metaclimacograptus bjerreskovae sp. nov. Five evolutionary lineages are defined within the ' Glyptograptus ' tamariscus (Nicholson) plexus, modifying and extending the pioneer work of Packham (1962). The diverse ' Glyptograptus ' faunas are considered to be a replacement for the Normalograptus fauna which peaked in the late Ordovician and early Silurian. Metaclimacograptus , although reasonably diverse in its speciation, exhibits a conservative style of evolution with little fundamental change throughout the Llandovery. It is suggested that cortical bandages have species-specific dimensions and micro-features. Some problematical micro- and ultrastructural features are described, notably fibrillar textures, parallel to the fusellar margins, in several species.     

Stability of (2'-5')oligoriboadenylates in various sera

Avian and mammalian sera were found to contain an enzyme activity degrading 2-5A oligonucleotides. The most extensive degradation of the A2' p5' A was observed in chicken serum. Degradation of this compound is not affected by the presence of cAMP, dsRNA, Mg2+, but is significantly inhibited by EDTA. The enzyme activity described is not inactivated by heating to 56 degrees C for 30 min. The 5-mU3' p5' A has also been degraded in chicken serum.