Microcotyle omanae n. sp. (Monogenea: Microcotylidae), a parasite of Cheimerius nufar (Valenciennes) (Sparidae) from the Arabian Sea

Microcotyle omanae n. sp. (Monogenea: Microcotylidae) is described from the gills of Cheimerius nufar (Valenciennes) (Sparidae) from the Arabian Sea. The new species closely resembles Microcotyle arripis Sandars, 1945, M. helotes Sandars, 1944, M. caudata Goto, 1984 and M. sebastis Goto, 1984, which have also been found in the Indo-Pacific. Microcotyle omanae n. sp. differs from M. arripis, M. helotes and M. caudata by its greater number of testes, from M. arripis, M. helotes by its greater length of the genital atrium, length/width ratio of the genital atrium and length of the eggs, and from M. helotes also in greater width of the clamps, from M. caudata and M. sebastis in its greater number of clamps and additionally from M. sebastis by its smaller genital atrial spines and clamps and by the ratio between length and width of the genital atrium. Moreover, the mature specimens of the new species have greater average body length than all above mentioned species. Correlations between 15 morphometric characters and body length are analysed in the new species, and their significance for species differentiation is discussed.     

Cluster Analysis of Longidorus Species (Nematoda: Longidoridae), a New Approach in Species Identification

Hierarchical cluster analysis based on female morphometric character means including body length, distance from vulva opening to anterior end, head width, odontostyle length, esophagus length, body width, tail length, and tail width were used to examine the morphometric relationships and create dendrograms for (i) 62 populations belonging to 9 Longidorus species from Arkansas, (ii) 137 published Longidorus species, and (iii) 137 published Longidorus species plus 86 populations of 16 Longidorus species from Arkansas and various other locations by using JMP 4.02 software (SAS Institute, Cary, NC). Cluster analysis dendograms visually illustrated the grouping and morphometric relationships of the species and populations. It provided a computerized statistical approach to assist by helping to identify and distinguish species, by indicating morphometric relationships among species, and by assisting with new species diagnosis. The preliminary species identification can be accomplished by running cluster analysis for unknown species together with the data matrix of known published Longidorus species.     

Two new species of the genus Epigonus (Perciformes: Epigonidae) from the South Pacific, with a definition of the Epigonus constanciae group

Two new species of Epigonus are described from the South Pacific. Epigonus chilensis is described on the basis of five specimens (166.3–208.3?mm standard length) collected from off Chile. It closely resembles Epigonus?lenimen (Whitley 1935), but differs in the presence of a minute tubercle on symphysis of lower jaw, body depth, orbital diameter, and lower-jaw length. Epigonus machaera is described on the basis of eight specimens (157.2–174.3?mm standard length) collected from the Chatham Rise, east of New Zealand. It closely resembles Epigonus?robustus (Barnard 1927), but differs in the shapes of tongue and two nub-like structures on symphysis of lower jaw and second dorsal-fin spine length. Besides the two new species, 14 species of the genus are characterized by having a pungent opercular spine, more than 40 pored lateral-line scales to end of hypural, and dorsal-fin rays VII-I, 8–10. These species belong to the Epigonus constanciae group, defined in this study. A key to the species in the group is provided.     

Cardicola beveridgei n. sp. (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) from the mangrove jack,Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Perciformes: Lutjanidae), and C. bullardi n. sp. from the Australian spotted mackerel,Scomberomorus munroi (Perciformes: Scombridae), from the northern Great Barrier Reef

Cardicola Short, 1953 is a genus of the Aporocotylidae Odhner, 1912 (Digenea), with 25 currently recognised species described from 32 species of Perciformes and Mugiliformes fishes around the world, including eight species from the Great Barrier Reef. Here, we describe two new species from this region, namely Cardicola beveridgei n. sp. from the ventricle and atrium of the mangrove jack, Lutjanus argentimaculatus (Forsskål) (Perciformes: Lutjanidae), and Cardicola bullardi n. sp. from the ventricle of the Australian spotted mackerel, Scomberomorus munroi Collette & Russo (Perciformes: Scombridae), from off Lizard Island, Queensland, Australia. These two new species are most easily distinguished from the 25 current members of Cardicola in having the combination of i) a spinous oral sucker, ii) an anteriorly intercaecal ovary, iii) a uterus that extends anteriorly from the oötype, iv) the number of spines per ventrolateral transverse row, and in v) body size and the length/width ratio, vi) the oesophagus and caecal length(s) relative to body total length, vii) the length of the posterior caeca relative to the anterior pair, viii) the testis length/width ratio and its total size relative to that of the body, ix) the postovarian field as a percentage of body length, and x) egg size. In addition, C. beveridgei n. sp. is further differentiated by possessing a female genital pore that opens anterodextral to the male pore while C. bullardi n. sp. differs further in possessing a testis that is almost entirely intercaecal and does not extend anteriorly to the level of the intestinal bifurcation. Employing genetic analysis of ITS2 rDNA sequence data, representing these species and a further 13 recognised and three putative species of Cardicola, we were able to unequivocally confirm these specimens as distinct (9–22% different over 420 nucleotide positions). Distance analysis of ITS2 showed that i) species of Cardicola from the Siganidae formed a monophyletic clade, to the exclusion of other Cardicola species reported from the Scombridae, Sparidae, Lutjanidae and Chaetodontidae, ii) a general phylogenetic isolation exists between the species of Cardicola reported from scombrid fishes, and iii) C. beveridgei n. sp. and Cardicola milleri Nolan & Cribb, 2006 from lutjanids and Cardicola chaetodontis Yamaguti, 1970 from chaetodontids are phylogenetically close, despite the evolutionary remoteness between the host groups and their highly disparate biology. Given the likelihood of many additional species being attributed to Cardicola, we predict that continued molecular analyses will indicate that this genus will prove to incorporate a series of radiations in association with particular fish taxa as well as evidence of host-switching. (Nucleotide sequences reported in this paper are available in the GenBank database under accession no. KF752497).     

Steinernema diaprepesi n. sp. (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), a Parasite of the Citrus Root Weevil Diaprepes abbreviatus (L) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

A nematode collected from Diaprepes abbreviatus is identified and described as a new species, Steinernema diaprepesi n. sp. The new species is closely related to S. feltiae, S. glaseri, and S. oregonense and can be distinguished from these species by the following characteristics: Males: Spicule averaging 79 (71-90) µm and spicule shape; D% (distance from anterior end to excretory pore/ esophagus length × 100) about 80; the ratio SW (spicule length/anal body width) about 1.8. Females: Vulva with short, double- flapped epiptygma; tail terminus usually with 5 papillae-like structures. Infective juveniles: Body averaging 1,002 (880-1,133) µm, EP (distance from anterior end to excretory pore) = 74 (66-83) µm; tail length = 83 (65-91) µm, and E% (EP/tail length × 100) = 89.6 (78-114). Lateral field pattern variable, the formula for the arrangement of ridges from head to tail is: 2, 6, 7, 8, 4, 2. The portion with eight ridges is the longest. This new species can be differentiated further from three closest species (S. feltiae, S. glaseri, and S. oregonense) by characteristic sequences of their ITS regions, including sequence lengths, ratios of similarity, composition, and differences in base characters in sequence alignment.     

A New Species of Euphlyctis (Anura: Dicroglossidae) from Barisal,Bangladesh

A new species of the genus Euphlyctis is described from the Barisal district of Bangladesh and compared with its morphologically similar and geographically proximate congeners. The new species is highly divergent in comparison to other congeneric species on basis of sequence divergence in mitochondrial DNA gene sequences (ranging from 5.5% to 17.8% divergence). Euphlyctis kalasgramensis sp. nov. can be readily diagnosed by having the following combination of characters: snout-vent length (SVL) 30.44 – 37.88 mm, absence of mid-dorsal line, nostril–snout length 3% of SVL, nostril much closer to snout tip than eye, nostril–snout length 48% of distance from front of eyes to nostril, relative length of fingers (shortest to longest: 1 = 2 < 4 < 3), tibia length 59% of SVL, foot length 55% of SVL.     

Distribution and some features of biology of representatives of the genus Lycodes in the western part of the Bering Sea in the summer period

Based on materials of bottom inventory trawl survey performed in summer 2008 in the western part of the Bering Sea, we show that representatives of the genus Lycodes in the summer period occur almost throughout the study water area of the sea from the sublittoral to the drop-off. The pattern of distribution and abundance of particular species depend on the depth and specific features of the hydrological regime of the given area. The most numerous species??Lycodes brevipes and L. palearis??are found in warm intermediate and in cold demersal water masses, are distributed over a vast stretch, and there form considerable concentrations. Deep-water species??L. beringi and L. concolor??are more stenothermal, occur along the narrow band of the continental slope, and are considerably inferior to stretch species in numbers. Of shallow species dwelling at depths smaller than 100 m, only L. raridens has high numbers and occurs over a considerable area in the northern part of the study area, the remaining species (L. mucosus, L. polaris, and L. turneri) are caught in small amounts at local sites. The largest sizes are in L. raridens and L. concolor, their maximum length in catches is more than 70 cm, the former species reaches maximum length in the seventh year of life, and the latter reaches maximum length in the ninth year. The smallest and slowest-growing among the studied fish is L. brevipes: its maximum length in catches does not exceed 39 cm and maximum age is 7 years.     

The nest structure in four wasp species of the genus Euodynerus Dalla Torre (Hymenoptera, Vespidae: Eumeninae)

A comparative analysis of the main parameters of the nest structure and composition in Euodynerus quadrifasciatus, Eu. dantici, Eu. disconotatus, and Eu. velutinus in the Crimea is given. Nests of all the studied species were obtained from trap-nests made of reed stems; the nests of Eu. dantici and Eu. disconotatus were additionally obtained from the abandoned cells of the nests of Sceliphron destillatorium. The nest of Eu. quadrifasciatus consists of a consecutive row of cells, each cell having its own bottom and lid with empty space between them; the nests of three other species consist of an uninterrupted row of cells without spaces, so that the cell bottoms act as partitions. The data on the diameter and length of nest cavities occupied by the studied species, the number of cells in nests, the sex ratio and the length of the cells with prospective females and males are reported. The correlations between the length of the cells and the diameter of the occupied cavities and between the length of the rear empty nest space and vestibule and the length of the occupied nest cavity are analyzed. The structure of cocoons and final nest plugs are described. The difference in the evolution of nest building instincts in members of the subgenera Pareuodynerus and Euodynerus s. str. and the role of adaptation to nest tenantry in the evolution of nest building instincts of Eu. dantici and Eu. disconotatus are discussed.     

Analysis of variations of basic morphometric characters in the species of grenadier (Macrouridae, Gadiformes) from the waters of the northern part of the Mid-Atlantic ridge

We investigate variations of the basic morphometric characters (length of head, length of snout, diameter of orbit, interorbital distance, etc.) of ten of the most common species of grenadiers (Macrouridae) in the waters of the northern part of the Mid-Atlantic ridge: Coelorinchus labiatus, Coryphaenoides armatus, C. brevibarbis, C. carapinus, C. guentheri, C. leptolepis, C. mediterraneus, C. rupestris, Macrourus berglax, and Paracetonurus flagellicauda. It is shown that most morphometric characters of the investigated species vary within the wider limits as compared with the published data. The representatives of genera Coelorinchus, Macrourus, and Paracetonurus well differ by a number of characters from the species of genus Coryphaenoides and from each other. In spite of a significant likeness in many characters of the species of genus Coryphaenoides, there are individual characters that differ well from one species to another.     

Two new species of Pupulina van Beneden, 1892 (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida: Caligidae) from mobulid rays off South Africa

The caligid genus Pupulina van Beneden, 1892 currently has three accepted species. Two new species, Pupulina cliffi n. sp. and P. merira n. sp., are described from Mobula kuhlii (Müller & Henle) and M. eregoodootenkee (Bleeker) (Mobulidae) caught along the east coast of South Africa. Pupulina cliffi can be distinguished from all the other species by the absence of posterolateral processes on the genital complex, whereas P. merira has very short, rounded posterolateral processes on the genital complex compared to the three previously known species. Additionally, P. merira is the only species with the abdomen only about two-thirds the length of the genital complex and the caudal rami about the same length as the abdomen. A dichotomous key to distinguish the five species of Pupulina is provided.     

Morphometrics of Infective Juveniles of Steinernema spp. and Heterorhabditis bacteriophora (Nemata: Rhabditida)

Selected morphometrics of Heterorhabditis bacteriophora and seven species of Steinernema from in vivo culture were compared in relation to time of harvest. In addition, five Steinernema species were reared in vitro and their morphometrics were compared with those from in vivo culture. With in vivo culture, there was generally a negative linear relationship between body length of infective juveniles (IJ) and time of harvest. The distance from the anterior end to the excretory pore (EP) and the tail length (T) of IJ also varied with time of harvest. The E percentage (= EP/T x 100) was the least variable. Body lengths of IJ reared in vitro were much less than those of IJ reared in vivo. The study suggests that IJ harvested from in vivo culture within 1 week of emergence from cadavers are best for species identification. Infective juveniles from in vitro culture should not be used for species identification.     

Editor's choice: Dissection of the Octoploid Strawberry Genome by Deep Sequencing of the Genomes of Fragaria Species

Cultivated strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) is octoploid and shows allogamous behaviour. The present study aims at dissecting this octoploid genome through comparison with its wild relatives, F. iinumae, F. nipponica, F. nubicola, and F. orientalis by de novo whole-genome sequencing on an Illumina and Roche 454 platforms. The total length of the assembled Illumina genome sequences obtained was 698 Mb for F. x ananassa, and ∼200 Mb each for the four wild species. Subsequently, a virtual reference genome termed FANhybrid_r1.2 was constructed by integrating the sequences of the four homoeologous subgenomes of F. x ananassa, from which heterozygous regions in the Roche 454 and Illumina genome sequences were eliminated. The total length of FANhybrid_r1.2 thus created was 173.2 Mb with the N50 length of 5137 bp. The Illumina-assembled genome sequences of F. x ananassa and the four wild species were then mapped onto the reference genome, along with the previously published F. vesca genome sequence to establish the subgenomic structure of F. x ananassa. The strategy adopted in this study has turned out to be successful in dissecting the genome of octoploid F. x ananassa and appears promising when applied to the analysis of other polyploid plant species.     

Description of Globodera ellingtonae n. sp. (Nematoda: Heteroderidae) from Oregon

A new species of cyst nematode, Globodera ellingtonae, is described from soil collected from a field in Oregon. Second-stage juveniles (J2) of the species are characterized by body length of 365-515 μm, stylet length of 19-22.5 μm, basal knobs rounded posteriorly and pointed anteriorly, tail 39-55 μm, hyaline tail terminus 20-32.5 μm, and tail tapering uniformly but abruptly narrowing and constricted near the posterior third of the hyaline portion, ending with a peg-like, finely rounded to pointed terminus. Cysts are spherical to sub-spherical, dark to light brown and circumfenestrate and cyst wall pattern is ridge-like with heavy punctations. Males have a stylet length of 21-25 μm and spicule length of 30-37 μm with a pointed thorn-like tip. Females have a stylet length of 20-22.5 μm, one head annule and labial disc, heavy punctations on the cuticle, and short vulval slit 7.5-8 μm long. Morphologically this new, round-cyst species differs from the related species G. pallida, G. rostochiensis, G. tabacum complex and G. mexicana by its distinctive J2 tail, and by one or another of the following: shorter mean stylet length in J2, females and males; number of refractive bodies in the hyaline tail terminus of J2; cyst morphology including Granek’s ratio; number of cuticular ridges between the anus and vulva; and in the shape and length of spicules in males. Its relationship to these closely related species are discussed. Based upon analysis of ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, G. ellingtonae n. sp. is distinct from G. pallida, G. rostochiensis, G. tabacum and G. mexicana. Bayesian and Maximum Parsimony analysis of cloned ITS rRNA gene sequences indicated three clades, with intraspecific variability as high as 2.8%. In silico analysis revealed ITS restriction fragment length polymorphisms for enzymes Bsh 1236I, Hinf I, and Rsa I that overlap patterns for other Globodera species.     

Study on Sequences of Ribosomal DNA Internal Transcribed Spacers of Clams Belonging to the Veneridae Family (Mollusca: Bivalvia)

The first and second internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) regions of the ribosomal DNA from four species, Meretrix meretrix L., Cyclina sinensis G., Mercenaria mercenaria L., and Protothaca jedoensis L., belonging to the family Veneridae were amplified by PCR and sequenced. The size of the ITS1 PCR amplification product ranged from 663 bp to 978 bp, with GC contents ranging from 60.78% to 64.97%. The size of the ITS1 sequence ranged from 585 bp to 900 bp, which is the largest range reported thus far in bivalve species, with GC contents ranging from 61.03% to 65.62%. The size of the ITS2 PCR amplification product ranged from 513 bp to 644 bp, with GC contents ranging from 61.29% to 62.73%. The size of the ITS2 sequence ranged from 281 bp to 412 bp, with GC contents ranging from 65.21% to 67.87%. Extensive sequence variation and obvious length polymorphisms were noted for both regions in these species, and sequence similarity of ITS2 was higher than that of ITS1 across species. The complete sequences of 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene were obtained by assembling ITS1 and ITS2 sequences, and the sequence length in all species was 157 bp. The phylogenetic tree of Veneridae clams was reconstructed using ITS2-containing partial sequences of both 5.8S and 28S ribosomal DNA as markers and the corresponding sequence information in Arctica islandica as the outgroup. Tree topologies indicated that P. jedoensis shared a close relationship with M. mercenaria and C. sinensis, a distant relationship with other species.     

A new species of the Weevil genus Auleutes Dietz (Coleoptera, Curculionidae: Ceutorhynchinae) from the U. S. A.

A new species, Auleutes alexanderi sp. n. formerly confused with and similar to the Holarctic A. epilobii (Pk.) is described from the Middle West and Southeast United States. The new species differs from A. epilobii in the rostrum densely covered with broad white scales in males and longer, less strongly curved and matte, not striate, and less flattened in females and in the structure of the aedeagus with a broad membranous medial part along the entire length.     

Three New Species of Phytotelm-Breeding Melanophryniscus from the Atlantic Rainforest of Southern Brazil (Anura: Bufonidae)

Three new species of Melanophryniscus are described from the Serra do Mar mountain range of the state of Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. All species are found at intermediate to high altitudes and share phytotelm-breeding as their reproductive strategy. The new species are distinguished from other phytotelm-breeding Melanophryniscus based on different combinations of the following traits: snout-vent length, presence of white and/or yellow spots on forearms, mouth, belly and cloaca, pattern and arrangement of warts, and presence and number of corneous spines. The discovery of these species in a rather restricted geographical area suggests that the diversity of phytotelm-breeding species of Melanophryniscus might be severely underestimated. The conservation status of these species is of particular concern, given that one of them is at risk of extinction not only due to its restricted habitat, but also because of anthropogenic disturbances.     

Homatula laxiclathra (Teleostei: Balitoridae), a new species of nemacheiline loach from the Yellow River drainage in Shaanxi Province, northern china

Homatula laxiclathra, new species, is here described from the Wei-He of the Yellow River drainage in Shaanxi Province, northern China. It is similar to H. berezowskii, H. longidorsalis, and H. variegata in the shared possession of a shallower body with a uniform depth, a character distinguishing all of them from all other congeners, but differs from these three species in the width of vertical brown bars on the caudal peduncle. This new species, along with H. berezowskii, differs from H. longidorsalis, and H. variegata in head length, caudal-peduncle depth, length of the dorsal adipose creast of the caudal peduncle, body squamation, and intestinal coiling. Homatula laxiclathra and H. berezowskii are further distinct in the caudal-fin shape and interorbital width.