First record of a nematode Metastrongyloidea (Aelurostrongylus abstrusus larvae) in Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica (Mollusca, Achatinidae) in Brazil

Achatina (Lissachatina) fulica was introduced in Brazil in the 1980s for commercial purposes (“escargot” farming) and nowadays, mainly by human activity, it is widespread in at least 23 out of 26 Brazilian states and Brasília, including the Amazonian region and natural reserves, where besides a general nuisance for people it is a pest and also a public health concern, since it is one of the natural intermediate host of Angiostrongylus cantonensis, ethiological agent of the meningoencephalitis in Asia. As Brazil is experiencing the explosive phase of the invasion, the Laboratório de Malacologia do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz has been receiving samples of these molluscs for identification and search for Angiostrongylus cantonensis and Angiostrongylus costaricensis larvae. While examining samples of A. fulica different nematode larvae were obtained, including Aelurostrongylus, whose different species are parasites of felids, dogs, primates, and badger. Morphological and morphometric analyses presented herein indicated the species Aelurostrongylus abstrusus, as well as the occurrence of other nematode larvae (Strongyluris-like) found in the interior of the pallial cavity of A. fulica. This is the first report in Brazil of the development of A. abstrusus infective larvae in A. fulica evidencing the veterinary importance of this mollusc in the transmission of A. abstrusus to domestic cats. Since the spread of A. fulica is pointed out in the literature as one of the main causative spread of the meningoencephalitis caused by A. cantonensis the authors emphasize the need of sanitary vigilance of snails and rats from vulnerable areas for A. cantonensis introduction as the port side areas.     

Genetic Variation in Indian Populations of Scirpophaga incertulas as Revealed by RAPD-PCR Analysis

Scirpophaga incertulas, commonly referred to as yellow stem borer, is a predominant pest of rice causing serious losses in its yield. Genetic variation among populations of Scirpophaga incertulas collected from 28 hotspot locations in India was examined using the randomly amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction (RAPD-PCR). In all, 32 primers were used and 354 amplification products were observed. No RAPD-PCR bands diagnostic to the pest population from any specific region were identified. Cluster analysis using UPGMA showed that, with the exception of the pest population from Pattambi, all the populations cluster as one group with GD values in the range of 6–22%, suggesting that gene flow between populations is independent of geographic distance and appears to be unrestricted. The relatively high GD value of 48% exhibited by the pest population from Pattambi was the only exception.     

Development of Angiostrongylus cantonensis in the lung of Achatina fulica (author's transl)

Twenty-four Achatina fulica from Pai-sha of the Pescardores Islands, where no Angiostrogylus cantonensis has been found in A. fulica(4), were inoculated with the first stage larvae of A cantonensis. One snail was killed every day after 24 days following inoculation. The lung of each snail was separated and examined for larvae under microscope. The same lung was then digested with pepsin. The larvae recovered after pepsin digestion were examined for more detailed morphology. This study confirmed that the first stage larvae of A. cantonensis passed through the respiratory pore to the lung of A. fulica and developed into infectious form (3rd stage larvae) in the lung. The second and third stage larvae were found in the lung on the 7th and 17th day respectively after inoculation. Worm capsules were found in the lung on the 12th day after inoculation and the size of capsule was in proportion to the duration of the infection.     

Neuroeffector connections of multimodal neurons in the African snail (Achatina fulica)

Using a new method of animal preparation, the efferent connections of giant paired neurons on the dorsal surface of visceral and right parietal ganglia of snail, Achatina fulica, were examined. It was found that spikes in giant neurons d-VLN and d-RPLN evoke postjunctional potentials in different points of the snail body and viscerae (in the heart, in pericardium, in lung cavity and kidney walls, in mantle and body wall muscles, in tentacle retractors and in cephalic artery). The preliminary analysis of synaptic latency and facilitation suggests a direct connections between giant neurons and investigated efferents.     

Aplysiid species from East Africa with notes on the Indian Ocean Aplysiomorpha (Gastropoda: Opisthobranchia)

Eleven species of the opisthobranch order Aplysiomorpha collected from East Africa and neighbouring parts of the Indian Ocean are described. Three of the species are new to science. The nineteen species of Aplysiomorpha which are reliably reported from the Indian Ocean are listed, together with a key for their identification.     

Zoosporic fungi from Tunisia,and the Seychelles Islands (Indian Ocean)

Twenty-two zoosporic fungi were recovered from soil samples collected in Tunisia and in the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean. One, Phlyctochytrium chandlerii is described as new. Most of the others are referred, sometimes tentatively, to existing species or genera.     

Susceptibility of neonate Lissachatina fulica (Achatinidae: Mollusca) to a US strain of the nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita (Rhabditidae: Nematoda)

ABSTRACT

The nematode Phasmarhabditis hermaphrodita is a lethal parasite of many pest slug and snail species. It is used as a commercial biological control agent (Nemaslug®) in Europe but a number of key gastropod pests (e.g. Lissachatina fulica) are thought to be unsusceptible. Our data, however, demonstrated that a recently discovered U.S. strain of P. hermaphrodita causes statistically significant mortality to neonate L. fulica and consequently this nematode could be an important IPM tool for managing this snail pest in areas where P. hermaphrodita has been discovered. Soil moisture content appears to play an important role in determining nematode efficacy.     

Genetic structure and diversity of coffee (Coffea) across Africa and the Indian Ocean islands revealed using microsatellites

Background and Aims

The coffee genus (Coffea) comprises 124 species, and is indigenous to the Old World Tropics. Due to its immense economic importance, Coffea has been the focus of numerous genetic diversity studies, but despite this effort it remains insufficiently studied. In this study the genetic diversity and genetic structure of Coffea across Africa and the Indian Ocean islands is investigated.

Methods

Genetic data were produced using 13 polymorphic nuclear microsatellite markers (simple sequence repeats, SSRs), including seven expressed sequence tag-SSRs, and the data were analysed using model- and non-model-based methods. The study includes a total of 728 individuals from 60 species.

Key Results

Across Africa and the Indian Ocean islands Coffea comprises a closely related group of species with an overall pattern of genotypes running from west to east. Genetic structure was identified in accordance with pre-determined geographical regions and phylogenetic groups. There is a good relationship between morpho-taxonomic species delimitations and genetic units. Genetic diversity in African and Indian Ocean Coffea is high in terms of number of alleles detected, and Madagascar appears to represent a place of significant diversification in terms of allelic richness and species diversity.

Conclusions

Cross-species SSR transferability in African and Indian Ocean islands Coffea was very efficient. On the basis of the number of private alleles, diversification in East Africa and the Indian Ocean islands appears to be more recent than in West and West-Central Africa, although this general trend is complicated in Africa by the position of species belonging to lineages connecting the main geographical regions. The general pattern of phylogeography is not in agreement with an overall east to west (Mascarene, Madagascar, East Africa, West Africa) increase in genome size, the high proportion of shared alleles between the four regions or the high numbers of exclusive shared alleles between pairs or triplets of regions.     

The Indian Ocean dipole – the unsung driver of climatic variability in East Africa

A growing body of evidence suggests that an independent ocean circulation system in the Indian Ocean, the Indian Ocean dipole (IOD), is partly responsible for driving climate variability of the surrounding landmasses. The IOD had traditionally been viewed as an artefact of the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) system although increasingly the evidence is amassing that it is separate and distinct phenomenon. We review the causes of the IOD, how it develops within the Indian Ocean, the relationships with ENSO, and the consequences for East African climate dynamics and associated impacts on ecosystems, in particular along the Eastern Arc Mountains of Kenya and Tanzania. We evaluate current research initiatives focussed on characterizing and constraining the IOD and examine how effective these will be in determining climate change impacts on East African ecosystems and how such predictive capacity can be used in developing policy.     

The fern genus Elaphoglossum section Lepidoglossa (Dryopteridaceae) in Africa,Macaronesia, the mid‐Atlantic and southern Indian Ocean Islands

Elaphoglossum section Lepidoglossa in Africa, Macaronesia (Azores and Madeira), the mid‐Atlantic Ocean Islands (St Helena, Gough and Tristan da Cunha Island groups) and the southern Indian Ocean Islands (Marion and Prince Edward Islands) is reviewed. Fifteen Elaphoglossum species from this region are ascribed to the section. A new species, Elaphoglossum rivularum , confined to the Chimanimani Mountains in eastern Zimbabwe and formerly ascribed to E. kuhnii from West Africa, is described. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 165 , 20–63.     

Studies on the effects of dietary beryllium at two different calcium concentrations in Achatina fulica (Pulmonata)

The mortality was highest in snails fed beryllium in the diet containing the sub-optimal concentration of calcium. There was no increase in weight over an 8 week period. Snails fed the diet containing the optimal concentration of calcium without added beryllium showed maximum weight increase but calcium alone may not be responsible for elevated growth rate. Dietary calcium enhancement appears to be responsible for the reduced concentration of zinc, magnesium, phosphate and beryllium in the tissues. Beryllium treatment did not affect the calcium concentration in the digestive gland tissue but increased zinc and magnesium in the shell. The results are discussed in relation to uptake studies and possible enzyme systems involved.     

Host plant utilization by butterfly larvae in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Indian Ocean)

The larval food plants of the butterflies of the Andaman and Nicobar islands have not been studied, although the butterfly fauna per se is fairly well known. For the first time we report the food plants of the larvae of 120 species of butterflies from these islands on the basis of laboratory rearing and field studies. This information is essential for the formulation of management programmes for butterfly conservation on these islands which are known to harbour critical swallowtail and (possibly) danaine faunas.     

Genetic Variation in Remnant Populations of the Woolly Spider Monkey (Brachyteles arachnoides)

The muriqui or woolly spider monkey (Brachyteles arachnoids) is an endangered primate endemic to the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, <5% of which remains. The known muriqui population consists of <700 individuals separated into approximately 15 geographically isolated forest fragments. I present data on the distribution of genetic variation within and between two such remnant populations (FE and FBR) and summarize the implications of these results for long-range management of species genetic diversity. Eleven of 32 allozyme loci were polymorphic, representing an overall level of polymorphism of 34.4% and a mean heterozygosity per locus of 11%. Both values are among the highest reported for New World monkeys. Genetic differentiation between the two localities is highly significant (F_ST = 0.413, p < 0.001). Genetic distance between them is an order of magnitude greater than that between other populations of platyrrhine subspecies, but this could be an artifact of the small sample size from FBR. High levels of genetic diversity apparently characteristic of this species persist because (1) fragmentation and size reduction of muriqui populations has occurred very rapidly relative to the muriqui life span—although both polymorphism and heterozygosity were lost between generations in the largest population, the high genetic diversity present in the parent population was still in evidence; and (2) genetic diversity before population fragmentation by human activity was not distributed uniformly throughout the species' historic distribution. Thus, remnant muriqui populations are important genetic reservoirs of alleles that are unique or rare in the species gene pool as a whole. These results emphasize the need for the integration of conservation management efforts throughout the species range.     

Phylogeny and biogeography of tropical carnivorous land‐snails (Pulmonata: Streptaxoidea) with particular reference to East Africa and the Indian Ocean

Rowson, B., Tattersfield, P. & Symondson, W. O. C. (2010). Phylogeny and biogeography of tropical carnivorous land‐snails (Pulmonata: Streptaxoidea) with particular reference to East Africa and the Indian Ocean. —Zoologica Scripta, 40, 85–98. A phylogeny is presented for the speciose, near pan‐tropical, carnivorous achatinoid land‐snail superfamily Streptaxoidea inferred from DNA sequences (two nuclear and two mitochondrial regions) from 114 taxa from Africa, the Indian Ocean, Asia, South America and Europe. In all analyses, Streptaxidae are monophyletic, while the (two to six) previously recognised subfamilies are polyphyletic, as are several genus‐level taxa including the most speciose genus Gulella, necessitating major taxonomic review. The Asian Diapheridae are sister to Streptaxidae, which forms several well‐supported clades originating in a persistent basal polytomy. Divergence dating estimates, historical biogeography, and the fossil context suggest a Cretaceous origin of these families, but suggest Gondwanan vicariance predated most radiation. The basal polytomy dates to the Paleogene and may correspond to a rapid radiation in Africa. There is evidence for multiple Cenozoic dispersals followed by radiation, including at least two from Africa to South America, at least two from Africa to Asia and at least two from Africa to Madagascar, indicating Cenozoic turnover in tropical snail faunas. The endemic Seychelles and Mascarene streptaxid faunas each are composites of early Cenozoic lineages and more recent dispersals from Africa, with no direct evidence for an Asian origin as currently proposed. Peak streptaxid diversity in East Africa is explained by Neogene speciation among a large number of coexisting ancient lineages, a phenomenon most pronounced in the Eastern Arc‐Coastal Forests centre of endemism. This includes Miocene diversification in Gulella, a primarily East and South‐East African group which remains strikingly diverse even after unrelated ‘Gulella’ species are reclassified.     

大王马先蒿云南五个居群遗传变异研究

采用随机扩增多态DNA(RAPD)分子标记方法,对大王马先蒿(PedicularisrexL.)分布在云南中甸、丽江、大理、武定和昆明的5个居群(其中中甸居群有3个亚居群)的遗传多样性和遗传结构进行了研究。结果表明,大王马先蒿居群具有较高的遗传多样性,多态位点百分率P、Shannon表型多样性指数I和Nei的基因多样性指数h分别为82.0%、0.361和0.240,遗传多样性水平与居群的地理分布范围相关;大王马先蒿居群间的遗传变异较高,遗传变异主要发生在居群之间,而不是居群内部;居群间遗传分化系数Gst为0.747,遗传分化明显,居群间基因交流较少。居群间的遗传距离与居群间的相对地理距离具有一定的相关性。对云南西北部中甸居群的3个亚居群的遗传多样性分析表明,居群的遗传多样性水平与海拔高度有一定的相关性。居群间遗传变异较高可能是由于大王马先蒿为短命多年生植物,繁育系统为混交型,且自交占较大比例等原因造成的。     

Geographical gradients in the genome size variation of wild coffee trees (Coffea) native to Africa and Indian Ocean islands

The genus Coffea, mainly native to Africa and to the Indian Ocean islands (Mascarocoffea), accounts for 124 species. Genome size data are available for 23 African species. The aim of this study was to assess the genome size of 44 Mascarocoffea species and to investigate possible association with species geographic distribution, stomata traits, and species relationships. 2?C values were measured using flow cytometry. A lyophilization procedure for leaves was tested. The 2?C nuclear DNA content of Mascarocoffea species ranged from 0.96 to 1.41?pg. Coffea mauritiana and Coffea humblotiana have the smallest genomes and Coffea millotii has the largest. Mean 2?C DNA for Mascarocoffea and Africa is 1.19 and 1.43?pg, respectively. The overall DNA values corresponded to two partially overlapped normal distributions: one harboring species from east Africa Mascarocoffea, the other harboring species from west/central Africa. Plotted on a geographical map according to the native origin of species, these values showed a gradient in Madagascar and Africa. Genome sizes increased following a north to southeast gradient in Madagascar and an east to west gradient in Africa. None, or only weak correlations were noted between genome size and stomata parameters. Genetically close species could be highly distinctive in their genome size while divergent species could be similarly sized. The non-random geographic distribution and habitat of species, and the absence of correlation between genome size and genetic relationships, suggest that during Coffea genome evolution, both DNA content increase and/or decrease occurred independently in Africa and in the Indian Ocean Islands.