A new species of Malmiana (Oligochaeta: Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) from tidepool fishes in northern California

Malmiana buthi n. sp. is described from the body and fins of the fluffy sculpin, Oligocottus snyderi, the tidepool sculpin, Oligocottus maculosus, and the woolly sculpin, Clinocottus analis, collected from tidepools at Horseshoe Cove on the Bodega Marine Reserve in Sonoma County, California. Prevalence of the leech was 32.6% on live-caught O. snyderi; mean intensity on O. snyderi was 3.3 leeches per fish, with a range from 1 to 7. The leech is not known to exceed 8 mm total length. The body is smooth, lacking papillae, tubercles, or pulsatile vesicles. Two pairs of crescentiform eyes are present on the oral sucker, and 1 pair of punctiform eyes occurs on the second annulus of the trachelosome. The caudal sucker has 14 small punctiform ocelli spaced evenly around the margin. The last 9 segments of the urosome have pairs of large punctiform ocelli both dorsally and ventrally. Body and caudal sucker pigmentation is uniformly reddish brown dorsally and ventrally with segental, lateral, unpigmented areas on both the urosome and trachelosome; pigmentation on the oral sucker is in the form of a cross. There are 5 pairs of testisacs; accessory gland cells on the atrial cornua and vector tissue are absent.     

A new species of marine leech (Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) from giant kelpfish, Heterostichus rostratus Girard, in southern California

Collections of giant kelpfish at inner Cabrillo Beach, San Pedro, California revealed the presence of an undescribed species of Heptacyclus, described here as Heptacyclus cabrilloi n. sp. The leech is small, only up to 14 mm total length including suckers; it has 2 pair of slightly crescentiform eyes on the oral sucker, 1 pair of punctiform ocelli on the second annulus of the trachelosome, 13 pairs of punctiform ocelli dorsally and ventrally on the urosome, and 14 marginal punctiform ocelli on the caudal sucker. Pigmentation is yellowish-tan with an unpigmented mid-dorsal stripe on both trachelosome and urosome, and with unpigmented halos around eyespots and urosome ocelli. Male reproductive system with 5 pairs of large, spherical testisacs. Mycetomes present, accessory gland cells on atrial cornu absent. Prevalence was 24.1% in June, 2011 with a range of 1-2 leeches per fish and 25.8% in October, 2011 with a range of 1-6 leeches per fish.     

A new species of Oceanobdella (Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) from the plain sculpin, Myoxocephalus jaok, from Bristol Bay, Alaska

Oceanobdella khani n. sp. is described from the plain sculpin, Myoxocephalus jaok, from Bristol Bay, Alaska, in the eastern Bering Sea. Prevalence was never greater than 10% in any single collection; maximum intensity was 12 leeches per host, but most fish had 5 or fewer leeches. Oceanobdella khani possesses generic characters of small oral sucker, 5 pairs of testisacs, unremarkable terminal male reproductive organs, coelomic system lacking pulsatile vesicles, and 3 pairs of eyes on the oral sucker-trachelosome. Oceanobdella khani is distinguished from other species in the genus by solid black pigmentation on the urosome, clitellum, trachelosome, and most of the oral sucker except for an unpigmented margin. The pigmentation of the caudal sucker is highly variable, ranging from overall mottled blackish gray to completely unpigmented. The caudal sucker lacks ocelli. Intestinal ceca are large, crop ceca are directed anteriorly, and postceca are separate for their entire length.     

Rhopalobdella japonica n. gen., n. sp. (Hirudinea, Piscicolidae) from Dasyatis akajei (Chondrichthyes: Dasyatididae) in the northwestern Pacific

A new genus and species of piscicolid leech in the Platybdellinae inhabits the oral cavity of Dasyatis akajei in the northwestern Pacific Ocean near Tanabe, Japan. The genus Rhopalobdella n. gen. is characterized externally by very small oral and caudal suckers and a smooth body that is widest just posterior to the clitellum. Eyespots and ocelli are lacking. The coelom is spacious with large segmental connecting sinuses between dorsal and ventral sinuses. There are 5 pairs of testisacs, an unusually extensive epididymis, and a very large bursa. Conducting tissue is absent. There are 2 pairs of esophageal diverticula and very well developed nephridia. Rhopalobdella japonica n. gen. n. sp. is characterized by a urosome that tapers strongly to the caudal sucker and by a single gonopore; the common oviduct opens into the posterior portion of the bursa. The coelomic and excretory systems resemble Aestabdella, but in other respects the genera are quite different. This is the first marine leech reported from rays in the northwestern Pacific.     

A new species of marine leech (Hirudinea: Piscicolidae) from the north-eastern Pacific Ocean, parasitic on the English sole, Parophrys vetulus Girard

The marine piscicolid leech Calliobdella knightjonesi sp. nov. from the Oregon coast is described and illustrated. Mature individuals do not exceed 10 mm in length, have faint reddish-brown segmental pigment bands, small pulsatile vesicles, six pairs of testisacs and a well-developed seminal receptacle connected to the posterior portion of the bursa by paired tissue strands. The leech lacks eyes and ocelli.     

Helobdella nilae sp. nov. (Hirudinoidea: Glossiphoniidae), from the Nile Delta,Egypt

A new freshwater leech species, Helobdella nilae, is described with diagnostically a dorsal nuchal gland (scute) on somite VII, five pairs of simple crop caeca, the last pair extending posteriorly as postcaeca, five pairs of compact spherical testisacs, an unpigmented dorsal surface lacking both papillae and sensilla. The mouth is subapical and surrounded by numerous single or paired pits (pores).     

The first record of the genus Helobdella (Hirudinoidea: Glossiphoniidae) from Australia,with a description of a new species,Helobdella papillornata

The first species of the genus Helobdella in Australia is recorded from Victoria. Helobdella papillornata has all of the diagnostic features of the genus including: triannulate segments, one pair of eyes on somite II, diffuse salivary glands, five crop caeca, one annulus between the gonopores and one annulus between the anus and the caudal sucker. It is characterised by a subterminal mouth, lobed gastric caeca, five to seven darkly pigmented papillae per somite on the dorsal surface, 14 brown dorsal stripes, five pairs of compact testisacs and a resting length of 15 mm and a maximum extended length of 40 mm. Individuals lay between 20 and 50 eggs attached directly to the ventral surface of the parent. At 20 °C the eggs hatch after 2 weeks and the young immediately reattach to the parent for a further 2 to 4 weeks, during which time the attached young feed on snails captured by the parent. After leaving the parent, young forage on their own or in small groups of three or more until they reach reproductive maturity. Individuals become reproductively mature, producing eggs and young, 3 to 4 months after hatching.     

The accessory lateral eye of a diplopod, Cylindroiulus truncorum (Silvestri, 1896) (Diplopoda: Julidae)

Using electron microscopy we describe an accessory lateral eye for Cylindroiulus, a diplopod. The accessory eye is situated at the cell body rind of the optic lobes, deep inside the head, and is composed of six R-cells; a dioptric apparatus is absent. Comparison reveals that many arthropods possess accessory lateral eyes in addition to the compound eyes or lateral ocelli. Their homology and distribution among the arthropod main lineages is discussed along with characters that may be useful for reconstructing phylogeny.     

Homology of the Lateral Eyes of Scorpiones: A Six-Ocellus Model

Scorpions possess two types of visual organs, the median and lateral eyes. Both eyes consist of simple ocelli with biconvex lenses that differ in structure and function. There is little variation in the number of median ocelli across the order. Except for a few troglomorphic species in which the median ocelli are absent, all scorpions possess a single pair. In contrast, the number of pairs of lateral ocelli varies from zero to five across Scorpiones and may vary within species. No attempt has been made to homologize lateral ocelli across the order, and their utility in scorpion systematics has been questioned, due to the variation in number. A recent study examined the number of lateral ocelli among various Asian Buthidae C.L. Koch, 1837 and proposed a “five-eye model” for the family. This model has not been examined more broadly within Buthidae, however, nor compared with the patterns of variation observed among other scorpion families. An eyespot, referred to as an accessory lateral eye, situated ventral or posteroventral to the lateral ocelli, has also been reported in some scorpions. Analysis of its structure suggests it serves a nonvisual function. We present the first comparative study of variation in the lateral ocelli across the order Scorpiones, based on examination of a broad range of exemplar species, representing all families, 160 genera (78%), 196 species (9%), and up to 12 individuals per species. We propose a six-ocellus model for Recent scorpions with four accessory ocelli observed in various taxa, homologize the individual ocelli, and correct erroneous counts in the recent literature. We also investigate the presence of the eyespot across scorpions and discover that it is more widespread than previously recognized. Future work should investigate the genetic and developmental mechanisms underlying the formation of the lateral ocelli to test the hypotheses proposed here.     

昆虫单眼的结构和功能

大多数昆虫的视觉器官除了复眼外还有一些简单的小眼,称为单眼。昆虫成虫和半变态类若虫的单眼称为背单眼,位于头顶两复眼之间。背单眼在数目和结构上都有较大变化,但基本结构包括角膜晶体、一层角膜生成细胞(覆盖在角膜晶体上)、视网膜(由大约1000个感光细胞构成,视类群而不同)。背单眼对弱光比较敏感,但在图像感知方面的作用并不显著;它是一种“激发器官”,可以增加复眼的感知能力。全变态昆虫的幼虫既没有复眼也没有背单眼,但在其头部两侧有些类似复眼小眼的侧单眼。侧单眼的结构也与小眼相似,包括角膜,晶体和由一些视网膜细胞组成的视杆。侧单眼是完全变态类昆虫幼虫仅有的感光器官,与复眼一样,它们可以感知颜色、形状、距离等等。     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Acheilognathus striatus</Emphasis> (Family: Cyprinidae), a new bitterling species from the lower Yangtze River,China

A new species of bitterling, Acheilognathus striatus sp. nov., is described on the basis of 57 specimens collected from the lower Yangtze River in Jiangxi Province, China. It can be distinguished from all congeners by the following combined characters: a pair of relatively long barbels, slightly longer than half of eye diameter; dorsal fin with three simple and 8–9 branched fin rays, anal fin with three simple and 7–8 branched fin rays; a black longitudinal stripe on body from the base of caudal peduncle, distinctly reaching anteriorly to the vertical line from the origin of dorsal fin, broader in males than in females; a scale distance between the longitudinal stripe and lateral line below the origin of dorsal fin; dorsal and anal fin margined with black band in males.     

A proposal to regard the former family Naididae as a subfamily within Tubificidae (Annelida, Clitellata)

A new species of Placobdelloides is described from crocodiles and river turtles in the Singapore Zoological Gardens. Placobdelloides stellapapillosa is three annulate, has one pair of eyes on somite I or II, six pairs of testisacs, two annuli between the gonopores, one post anal annulus, seven pairs of lobed crop caeca and 12–14 unique star-shaped papillae on the dorsal surface of each annulus. Star-shaped papillae on annulus a2 are typically larger and more pronounced than on annuli a1 and a3. Additional minute cone-shaped papillae may occur between the larger star-shaped papillae or may replace these papillae on annuli a1 and a3. Eggs and young (100–200) are attached by their posterior suckers directly to the ventral surface of the parent.     

Ultrastructure of the nephrostome in Enchytraeus albidus (Annelida, Clitellata)

 The nephrostome of Enchytraeus albidus exhibits a longitudinal slit-like opening on the dorsal side of a bulbous organ which is mainly composed of three cells, one flame cell situated centrally and endowed with a ciliary flame, and two cells lying superficially, called the mantle cell and the accessory mantle cell. The mantle cell occupies the ventral side of the organ extending on both sides up to the opening to constitute its immediate border on the frontal and lateral sides. Here it forms a kind of crest which is heavily subdivided into many protrusions and infoldings endowed with long cilia which exclusively spread into the coelomic cavity. The accessory mantle cell borders the narrow posterior slit of the opening, forming the roof of the initial canal which is devoid of cilia. From its anterior region a projection arises extending above the opening. The flame cell forms a groove from which the ciliary flame arises which extends into the canal. At its posterior region it replaces the accessory mantle cell displacing it onto the dorsal surface of the organ. It is argued that the mantle cell and the accessory mantle cell have presumbly originated from coelothelial cells. Thus the metanephridium may be a composite organ developing from a nephridioblastic and a coeloblastic source. A discussion of results in other annelid species indicates that metanephridia in the Annelida may have evolved more than once. Accepted: 13 October 1997     

The Development of the Brachiopod Crania (Neocrania) anomala (O. F. Müller)and its Phylogenetic Significance

The freely spawned eggs of Crania go through radial cleavage, embolic gastrulation, and the posteroventral part of the archenteron forms mesoderm through modified enterocoely. The blastopore closes in the posterior end of the larva. The ciliated, lecithotrophic larva has four pairs of coelomic pouches and three pairs of dorsal setal bundles. At metamorphosis, the larva curls ventrally by contraction of a pair of midventral muscles, which are extensions of the first pair of coelomic sacs; the larva attaches by the epithelium just behind the closed blastopore. The brachial valve is secreted by the middle part of the dorsal epithelium and the pedicle valve is secreted by the attachment epithelium. The second pair of coelomic sacs develop small attachment areas at the edge of the dorsal valve and become the lophophore coelom (mesocoel); the third pair of coelomic sacs become the body coelom (metacoel) with the adductor muscles. The posterior position of the closing blastopore is characteristic of deuterostomes. The ventral curving of the settling larva and the formation of both valves from dorsal epithelial areas indicate that the brachiopods have a very short ventral side as opposed to the phoronids. It is concluded that both groups have originated from a creeping ancestor with a straight gut.     

Porocottus leptosomus sp. nov., from the west coast of Korea, Yellow Sea (Scorpaeniformes: Cottidae)

 A new cottid species, Porocottus leptosomus, is described on the basis of 12 specimens collected from Taean, west coast of Korea, Yellow Sea. The species is distinguished from other species of Porocottus by the following combination of characters: a strongly compressed body, two pairs of branched cirri on the dorsal surface of the head, bases of head cirri smooth, a single cirrus on the dorsal tip of each spine of the first dorsal fin, a single opening of the sixth canaliculus of the infraorbital sensory canal, a long posterior medial canaliculus of the occipital canal with the terminal pore and a few supplementary pores, and melanophores on the isthmus hidden beneath the branchiostegal membrane. Received: January 11, 2001 / Revised: February 7, 2002 / Accepted: March 4, 2002     

A new species of Triplophysa (Nemacheilidae: Cypriniformes), from Guangxi, southern China

A new species, Triplophysa huapingensis, is described from the Hongshuihe River, Guangxi, China. The new species is distinguished from other species of Triplophysa by the following combination of characters: body covered with scales, lateral line complete, eyes not degenerate, dorsal fin truncate, caudal fin forked, tip of pelvic fin not reaching anus, eight branched rays of dorsal fin, six branched rays of pelvic fin, 16 branched rays of caudal fin, grey and black diffused blotches on dorsal and lateral head and body. A key to all recorded species of Triplophysa in the Xijiang River system is provided.     

Morphological variation among widely dispersed larval populations of anadromous southern hemisphere lampreys (Geotriidae and Mordaciidae)

Larvae of all three southern hemisphere anadromous parasitic lampreys were collected from rivers in Australia, New Zealand and South America. Body intervals were measured, trunk myomeres counted and the frequency of pigmentation in different body regions recorded. Morphometric data were subjected to multiple group principal components analysis (MGPCA) which took into account changes during growth. The components (together with myomere counts) and the pigmentation data were both subjected to discriminant analysis. Ordination and rank correlation tests revealed no evidence for either latitudinal clines or a continuum of circumpolar change amongst larval lamprey populations. Clustering of population centroids clearly distinguished between Mordacia lapicida (Gray) from Chile and M. mordax (Richardson) from south-eastern Australia. Populations of Geotria australis Gray divided into groups representing three geographical regions, namely Argentina, Chile and Australasia (Western Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand). Ammocoetes from Argentina were the most divergent, possessing a more posterior cloaca, taller dorsal fins, a greater gap between dorsal fins, and distinctive pigmentation on the head and caudal fin. Within the Australasian group, Western Australian and New Zealand populations clustered closer than either did with those from Tasmania. The cluster analyses for larval populations of G. australis suggest that, during their marine trophic phase, the adults of this species originating from Argentinian and Chilean rivers follow different migratory routes, whereas those from Western Australia, New Zealand and, to a lesser extent, Tasmania intermix.     

A new genus and species of Sarcoglanidinae from the Río Mamoré, Amazon Basin, with comments on subfamilial phylogeny (Teleostei, Trichomycteridae)

Stenolicmus sarmientoi is described as a new genus and species of the trichomycterid subfamily Sarcoglanidinae, from the RíAo Mamoré Basin, Bolivia. It can be distinguished from all other sarcoglanidines by: five-rayed pectoral fin; elongate body shape (HL about 15% of SL); absence of fontanelles on cranial roof; well-developed patches of opercular and interopercular odontodes (five or six on each bone); numerous accessory caudal-fin rays (13 dorsal and 11 ventral); and presence of extensive dark pigmentation on the surface of the body. Three synapomorphies support a hypothesis that the new taxon forms a monophyletic group with other sarcoglanidines: presence of an anterior ossification of the palatine cartilage; quadrate with a dorsal expansion directed posteriorly; and premaxilla with a long lateral process. Stenolicmus lacks some synapomorphies shared by Stauroglanis, Malacoglanis and Sarcoglanis , and shares some other synapomorphies exclusively with Sarcoglanis and Malacoglanis. These character distributions make it uncertain whether Stenolicmus is the sister group of all other sarcoglanidines or only of Malacoglanis plus Sarcoglanis , because the two positions imply equally parsimonious cladograms.     

The comparative morphology of epidermal glands in Pentatomoidea (Heteroptera)

The Heteroptera show a diversity of glands associated with the epidermis. They have multiple roles including the production of noxious scents. Here, we examine the cellular arrangement and cytoskeletal components of the scent glands of pentatomoid Heteroptera in three families, Pentatomidae (stink bugs), Tessaratomidae, and Scutelleridae (shield-backed bugs or jewel bugs). The glands are; (1) the dorsal abdominal glands, (2) the tubular glands of the composite metathoracic gland, and (3) the accessory gland component of the composite metathoracic gland. The dorsal abdominal glands are at their largest in nymphs and decrease in size in adults. The metathoracic gland is an adult-specific gland unit with a reservoir and multiple types of gland cells. The accessory gland is composed of many unicellular glands concentrated in a sinuous line across the reservoir wall. The lateral tubular gland is composed of two-cell units. The dorsal abdominal glands of nymphs are composed of three-cell units with a prominent cuticular component derived from the saccule cell sitting between the duct and receiving canal. The cuticular components that channel secretion from the microvilli of the secretory cell to the exterior differ in the three gland types. The significance of the numbers of cells comprising gland units is related to the role of cells in regenerating the cuticular components of the glands at moulting in nymphs.