The Early Cambrian tommotiid Micrina, a sessile bivalved stem group brachiopod

The tannuolinid Micrina belongs to the tommotiids-a common and widely distributed, but poorly understood, group of Early Cambrian fossil metazoans with multiple external organophosphatic sclerites. Recent findings of sessile articulated tommotiid scleritomes indicate that previous reconstructions of tommotiids as slug-like bilaterians with a dorsal cover of sclerites require detailed re-evaluation. Comparative ultrastructural work has already indicated that the tommotiids might be a sister group to the Brachiopoda, with Micrina representing the most derived and brachiopod-like bimembrate tommotiid. Here we further develop and strengthen this controversial phylogenetic model with a new reconstruction of Micrina, where the two types of sclerites--mitral and sellate--belong to a near bilaterally symmetrical bivalved sessile organism. This new scleritome configuration was tested by recreating an articulated bivalved Micrina from isolated mitral and sellate sclerites; both sclerites have muscles that would have enabled movement of the sclerites. The mitral and sellate sclerites of Micrina are considered to be homologous with the ventral and dorsal valves, respectively, of organophosphatic linguliform brachiopods, indicating that a simple type of filter-feeding within an enclosed bivalved shell had started to evolve in derived tannuolinids. The new reconstruction also indicates that the phylogenetic range of 'bivalved', sessile lophophorates is larger than previously suspected.     

Discussion of the Early Devonian rhynchonellid brachiopod genus Borealirhynchia Su, 1976

The Early Devonian brachiopod genus Borealirhynchia was established by Su, 1976. Phylum Brachiopoda (Cambrian to Devonian). In: Paleontological Atlas of North China, Inner Mongolia Volume 1. Geological Publishing House Beijing, pp. 155-227 (in Chinese). It has not been previously described in detail, nor have transverse serial sections of the internal features of Borealirhynchia delerensis, the type species, been published. In this paper Borealirhynchia, along with a few species previously assigned to it, is analysed and discussed. Detailed transverse serial sections of the internal features of B.? lata Su, 1976, are provided, based on well-preserved specimens collected from the Lower Devonian strata of Dong Ujimqin Qi, northeastern Inner Mongolia. Borealirhynchia? gigantea Su, 1976 and Latonotoechia multicosta Su, 1976 are considered to be synonyms of B.? lata Su with the same external and internal characters present in all three species. Some Lower Devonian strata, in which Borealirhynchia was found and reported, from Dong Ujimqin Qi, northeastern Inner Mongolia, are fully described.     

The problematic cemented Devonian brachiopod Schuchertellopsis durbutensis Maillieux, 1939

The Devonian cemented brachiopod Schuchertellopsis durbutensis has proved difficult to classify and its possible taxonomic relationships are unknown. Morphologically Schuchertellopsis resembles more closely members of the Orthotetidina than the Davidsoniidina. Examination of the shell structure, a key diagnostic feature of the Orthotetidina, shows that Schuchertellopsis has the cross laminar secondary shell typical of all orthotetidines. However, the presence of both pseudopunctate and incipient an extropunctate fabric within the ventral valve is unique amongst orthotetidine brachiopods and is thought to represent a phase of shell fabric experimentation. Schuchertellopsis probably fits most comfortably within the Schuchertellidae, and is the earliest representative of that family.     

Occurrence of the earliest known Sphenothallus Hall in the Lower Cambrian of Southern Shaanxi Province, China

Three-dimensionally preserved specimens of an indeterminate species of Sphenothallus Hall occur in limestones in the uppermost Guojiaba and lower Xiannudong formations (Qiongzhusian and early Canglangpuan stages, Lower Cambrian) in southern Shaanxi Province, China. The specimens consist of a small (up to 3 mm long), gradually tapered, subcircular to elliptic (transversely) tube that is broken at both ends, commonly with the fracture edge at the wide (apertural) end of each face forming a V- or U-shaped notch. Some specimens preserve the subconical upper (proximal) part of the holdfast, and all specimens are black. Combined scanning and transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive elemental analyses show that the tube wall is finely laminated, with individual laminae measuring about 1 μm thick, and consists mainly of calcium phosphate but also contains organic material. Sphenothallus specimens from the Lower Cambrian Guojiaba and Xiannudong formations represent the earliest known record of this genus, and indicate that the origin of this taxon is coeval with and possibly related to the Early Cambrian bioradiation event.     

Morpho-anatomical differences of the Early Cambrian Chengjiang and Recent lingulids and their implications

Since the publication of Darwin's theory of evolution in 1859, lingulids have probably been the most widely quoted examples of arrested evolution. This, to some degree, may be because few anatomical features are impressed either on or inside valves so these may not adequately reflect the extent of change incurred during lingulid evolution. Two lingulid brachiopods, Lingulella chengjiangensis and Lingulellotreta malongensis, from the Early Cambrian Chengjiang Lagerstätte (Yunnan, South China) show preservation of a series of soft parts, notably the lophophores, setae mantle canals and perfectly impressed visceral region, which are vital to understanding the evolution and lifestyle of brachiopods. Analysis of the valve interiors favours the claim that an epifaunal mode of life could be a plesiomorphic state in contrast to the infaunal one of modern lingulids. Based on these fossils, the three‐pseudosiphon formation of setae found in Recent lingulids is proposed to be an apomorphy derived as an adaptation to an infaunal lifestyle. Comparison between the interior of the fossils with that of modern lingulids does little to support the widespread notion that the morphology of this lineage has remained remarkably constant since at least the early Palaeozoic.     

Early Pleistocene Dicerorhinus sumatrensis remains from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave, Guangxi, China

The Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave is very famous for its rich mammalian fauna and Gigantopithecus fossils. The Gigantopithecus Cave Fauna has been regarded as the typical Early Pleistocene fauna in South China. The majority of the fossils unearthed has been studied and published during the past decades. The only group remaining unpublished is the rhinoceros, which is studied in this paper. The rhino materials available today are only mandibles and lower cheek teeth. The dimensions of the tooth rows and the isolated teeth fall well within the range of the recent Dicerorhinus sumatrensis. Therefore, the rhino fossils from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave can be referred to this living species. The reduced lower incisors and the U-shaped lingual contour of the mandible also support this taxonomic determination. The rhino materials from the Liucheng Gigantopithecus Cave represent the earliest known record of this species and the smallest Pleistocene rhinocerotid in China.     

First report of Gogia (Eocrinoidea, Echinodermata) from the Early-Middle Cambrian of Sonora (Mexico), with biostratigraphical and palaeoecological comments

The blastozoan echinoderm genus Gogia is reported for the first time in the Early and the Middle Cambrian of Mexico. Reports in different members of the section of San José de Gracia (Sonora State, northwestern Mexico) extend the palaeogeographical range of the genus to the South Laurentia, and the stratigraphic range of Gogia granulosa to the whole first half of middle Middle Cambrian. Isolated plates occur in rocks deposited in detrital inner platform and complete specimens, in carbonate outer platform, confirming their ability to live in diverse environments. Their presence in these different environments through the Early-Middle Cambrian on Laurentia agrees with the onshore-offshore expansion of echinoderms during Cambrian.     

Early Cambrian Teichichnus-dominated ichnofabrics and palaeoenvironmental analysis of the Caerfai Group, Southwest Wales, UK

The early Cambrian Caerfai Group of Pembrokeshire in Southwest Wales yields an intensely bioturbated Teichichnus-dominated ichnofabric, and provides evidence for the early evolution of infaunal organisms. Three units of the Caerfai Group comprise the focus of this study in sections exposed at Caerfai Bay. In the St. Non's Sandstone few primary sedimentary structures are observed, bedding being predominantly massive with subordinate parallel and current ripple cross-lamination. The topmost St. Non's Sandstone contains common soft-sediment deformation phenomena, and collectively deposition is believed to have taken place in the proximal subaqueous reaches of a steep-fronted delta system. Teichichnus is the dominant trace, with subordinate Planolites, Palaeophycus and possible Rhizocorallium.The overlying Caerfai Bay Shales were deposited from mass flows with evidence of downslope creep suggesting deposition on a steep delta front. Sandstone debrites are common, as are tuffaceous beds with evidence of reworking by bottom currents. Sandstone and tuff event beds contain common Skolithos and Arenicolites with less frequent Planolites. Interbedded mudstones contain infrequent Teichichnus.The Caerfai Bay Shales coarsen and thicken-upwards into the Caerbwdy Sandstone. Debrite sandstone beds dominate, and bed thickening upsection indicates progradation of the delta system. The dominant trace fossil within the unit is Teichichnus which is constrained to the top few centimetres of individual sandstone beds. Less common are Planolites and Palaeophycus.The size and abundance of Teichichnus in the Caerfai Group are similar to, or exceed those in contemporaneous sections in Avalonia and Baltica. Local environmental factors were probably the primary control on trace fossil distribution. Substrate and salinity are proposed as the main influences on ichnodiversity and size in the Caerfai Group. Teichichnus is most abundant in the St. Non's Sandstone, where the proximal reaches of the delta experienced reduced salinity and possibly higher oxygen levels. Burrow diameter progressively decreases upsection, and bioturbation becomes less pervasive in subsequent units of the Caerfai Group. This indicates that by the Cambrian Stage 2, significant advances into reduced salinity environments had occurred, along with the dispersal of the Teichichnus producer throughout the Avalonia-Baltica seaway. Correlation within Avalonia indicates that a transgression in the Cambrian Stage 2 initiated the deposition of the Caerfai Group marking the onset of the Welsh Basin.     

Systematics and evolution of the genus Torrubiella (Hypocreales, Ascomycota)

Torrubiella is a genus of arthropod-pathogenic fungi that primarily attacks spiders and scale insects. Based on the morphology of the perithecia, asci, and ascospores, it is classified in Clavicipitaceae s. lat. (Hypocreales), and is considered a close relative of Cordyceps s. 1., which was recently reclassified into three families (Clavicipitaceae s. str., Cordycipitaceae, Ophiocordycipitaceae) and four genera (Cordyceps s. str, Elaphocordyceps, Metacordyceps, and Ophiocordyceps). Torrubiella is distinguished morphologically from Cordyceps s. lat. mainly by the production of superficial perithecia and the absence of a well-developed stipitate stroma. To test and refine evolutionary hypotheses regarding the placement of Torrubiella and its relationship to Cordyceps s. lat., a multi-gene phylogeny was constructed by conducting ML and Bayesian analyses. The monophyly of Torrubiella was rejected by these analyses with species of the genus present in Clavicipitaceae, Cordycipitaceae, and Ophiocordycipitaceae, and often intermixed among species of Cordyceps s. lat. The morphological characters traditionally used to define the genus are, therefore, not phylogenetically informative, with the stipitate stromata being gained and/or lost several times among clavicipitaceous fungi. Two new genera (Conoideocrella, Orbiocrella) are proposed to accommodate two separate lineages of torrubielloid fungi in the Clavicipitaceae s. str. In addition, one species is reclassified in Cordyceps s. str. and three are reclassified in Ophiocordyceps. The phylogenetic importance of anamorphic genera, host affiliation, and stipitate stromata is discussed.     

Structure and development of the style base in Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis, and Fimbristylis (Cyperaceae,Cyperoideae, Abildgaardieae)

The Abildgaardieae tribe within the family Cyperaceae comprises six or seven genera, among which Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis and Fimbristylis pose a challenge regarding their morphological delimitation. Molecular phylogenetic analyses including species of Abildgaardieae are rare, but in most of those studies, Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis appear as more closely related to each other than to the Bulbostylis genus. Duration of the style base has been one of the most widely used characters for delimiting these three genera. The style base is a persistent structure in most species of Bulbostylis and deciduous in Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis. The reasons why the style base may persist or fall off have been scarcely discussed. The assumption that abscission layers are present in the style base of all three genera and the fact that tracheids have been observed in the style base of Bulbostylis suggest that this structure might have histological complexity. In view of this, a complete ontogenetic and anatomical study of the gynoecium has been carried out for all these three genera. It turned out that the style base is histologically simple in Abildgaardia, Bulbostylis and Fimbristylis and shows similar structure and development in all three genera. The fact that the style base has a shorter duration in Abildgaardia and Fimbristylis than in Bulbostylis might be related to the lower number of sclerotised cells that make up such structures in the mature fruit of the former two genera. Abscission of the style and style base may be the result of much simpler reasons than the differentiation of an abscission layer, resulting merely from mechanical shear force effects. Differences among genera have been observed in the shape of the style base and the development of the style. The histological simplicity of the style base is consistent with the homoplastic appearance of this structure in genera that are not closely related (e.g. Rhynchospora). Because of this, while the presence of the thickened style base seems to be a synapomorphy in species of Abildgaardieae, its persistence on or detachment from the fruit might have emerged repeatedly during this clade evolution and might not be a suitable character for genera delimitation.     

Comparative pollen morphology of Brachylena, Tarchananthus and two species of Tubulifloridites (Asteraceae) from the Eocene, Knysna Lignite of South Africa

Two fossil taxa Tubulifloridites antipodica and T. viteauensis recovered from the Eocene Knysna Lignite of South Africa were examined with scanning (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The details of their sculpturing and wall structure are similar to the same species of fossil dispersed pollen taxa recovered from southwestern Africa and South America. Fifteen species of the woody South African taxa, Brachylaena (9 species) and Tarchonanthus (6 species) were investigated with SEM and TEM. All of the taxa are tricolporate, spherical to slightly prolate, microechinate to echinate and have a bilayered columellate infrastructure, except B.ilicifolia, which has a single columellate infrastructural level with the “granularization” of the outer portion of the infrastructural layer or the inner layer of the tectum. There is a similar distribution of plesiomorphic and derived pollen characters in a number of aster subfamilies and tribes suggesting a similar evolutionary progression of pollen, and pollen wall character evolution was occurring synchronously in a variety of aster subfamilies during the middle Tertiary and that these unique pollen features may be important to the evolution and diversification of the Asteraceae.     

Microstructure of the linguliformean brachiopod Linnarssonia from the Lower Cambrian of Sichuan, China

Acrotretoids, one of the oldest brachiopod groups, are abundant in the Lower Cambrian Jiulaodong Formation. The shell of Linnarssonia sp. is composed of two layers: a primary layer and a columnar secondary layer. The primary layer is mostly exfoliated, resulting in exposure of the openings to the central canal of the columns. Filae are seen on the surface of the columnar layer, indicating that the columnar secondary layer has influenced changes in ornament on the shell surface. The larval shell has only very weak ripples; the post-larval shell has obvious concentric ribs. Small pits of variable shape cover almost the entire shell surface. The secondary layer is composed of several columnar laminations, each of which comprises both the upper and lower laminae and the cylindrical columns between them. On the inner side of shell the thin columnar laminations increase. The new microstructural data show that two shell layers are developed in Early Cambrian acrotretoid brachiopods; the columnar lamination may be a primitive feature of the microstructural development of the Brachiopoda and may help establish the affinity between different stem-group brachiopods.     

Mycobiota associated with the ambrosia beetle Scolytodes unipunctatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

Ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) are associated with strictly entomochoric and mutualistic fungi. We studied the mycobiota associated with Scolytodes unipunctatus, ambrosia beetles that infest Cecropia trees in Central America. Isolates were characterized using morphology and rDNA sequences (ITS region, LSU, and SSU rDNA). Four species are described here: Raffaelea scolytodis sp. nov. (Ophiostomatales), Gondwanamyces scolytodis sp. nov., Custingophora cecropiae sp. nov., and Graphium sp. (Microascales). The genus Custingophora is emended to include Knoxdaviesia anamorphs of Gondwanamyces based on uniformity of DNA sequences and phenotype.     

Septal pore complex morphology in the Agaricomycotina (Basidiomycota) with emphasis on the Cantharellales and Hymenochaetales

The ultrastructure of septa and septum-associated septal pore caps are important taxonomic markers in the Agaricomycotina (Basidiomycota, Fungi). The septal pore caps covering the typical basidiomycetous dolipore septum are divided into three main phenotypically recognized morphotypes: vesicular-tubular (including the vesicular, sacculate, tubular, ampulliform, and globular morphotypes), imperforate, and perforate. Until recently, the septal pore cap-type reflected the higher-order relationships within the Agaricomycotina. However, the new classification of Fungi resulted in many changes including revision of existing and addition of new orders. Therefore, the septal pore cap ultrastructure of more than 325 species as reported in literature was related to this new classification. In addition, the septal pore cap ultrastructures of Rickenella fibula and Cantharellus formosus were examined by transmission electron microscopy. Both fungi have dolipore septa associated with perforate septal pore caps. These results combined with data from the literature show that the septal pore cap-type within orders of the Agaricomycotina is generally monomorphic, except for the Cantharellales and Hymenochaetales.It appears from the fungal phylogeny combined with the septal pore cap ultrastructure that the vesicular-tubular and the imperforate type both may have arisen from endoplasmic reticulum. Thereafter, the imperforate type eventually gave rise to the perforate septal pore cap-type.     

Temporal expression and steroidal regulation of piRNA pathway genes (mael, piwi, vasa) during Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis embryogenesis and early larval development

It has been extensively documented that exposure of amphibians and teleost fish to exogenous steroid hormones like estrogen, androgen, xenoestrogen or steroid biosynthesis inhibitors can impair their gonadal development or induce sex reversal against genotypic sex. However, the molecular pathways underlying sexual development and the effects of sex steroids or other exogenous hormones in these aquatic vertebrates remain elusive. Recently, a germ plasm-associated piRNA (piwi-interacting RNA) pathway has been shown to be a determinant in the development of animal gonadal germline cells. In the current study, we examined whether this piRNA pathway is involved in the regulation of sex steroid hormones in gonadal development. We firstly established developmental expression patterns of three key piRNA pathway genes (mael, piwi and vasa), during Silurana (Xenopus) tropicalis embryogenesis and early larval development. All three genes exhibit high expression at early developmental stages and have significantly decreased expression thereafter, indicating a very active involvement of piRNA pathway at the beginning of embryogenesis. We further examined gene expression changes of those genes in frog larvae exposed to two sex steroid biosynthesis inhibitors, fadrozole and finasteride, both of which are known to result in male-biased or female-biased phenotypes, respectively. We found that fadrozole and finasteride exposures increased the expression of piRNA pathway genes such as mael and vasa at the larval stage when the expression of piRNA pathway genes is programmed to be very low. Therefore, our results indicate that the piRNA pathway is likely a common pathway by which different sex steroid hormones regulate gonadal sex differentiation.