A redescription of Cythere japonica Hanai, 1959 (Podocopida: Ostracoda)

Cythere japonica was proposed by Hanai (1959) as a new species of the genus Cythere , from the Pleistocene Sawane Formation in Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The characters of carapace were already known, but the appendages have not been previously described. The authors formerly considered that this species should be separate from the genus Cythere sensu stricto because it has twice as many sieve-type pore systems as typical Cythere species, and a markedly higher carapace. The existence of living Cythere japonica in the tidal zone of north-west Japan is confirmed, and its taxonomic position re-examined on the basis of its appendages and the ontogeny of pore systems. The appendages, except for the copulatory organ, are almost identical with those of other Cythere species, and their pore systems share the same pattern in and before the A-4 moult stage. On the basis of these features this species should be retained in the genus Cythere. Phylogenetic relationships are considered on the basis of the ontogeny of pore systems.
The abdominal segments of podocopid Ostracoda, which have always been regarded as difficult to observe because of their fusion, are shown clearly by the SEM.     

The ontogeny of the platycopid Keijcyoidea infralittoralis (Ostracoda: Podocopa)

Platycopid ostracods such as the genus Keijcyoidea Malz, 1981 (Family Cytherellidae) have a unique body plan and are regarded as a phylogenetically ancient lineage. Their ontogeny, which is important in considering phylogenetical relationships, is very poorly known except for the growth of the carapace; there are nine instars including the adult, as in other podocopan groups. All appendages in all immature instars (A-8 to A-1) of Keijcyoidea infralittoralis Tsukagoshi, Okada & Horne, 2006 are described and illustrated here. The anlagen of the copulatory organs and the sexual dimorphism of carapace size appear in the sixth (A-3) instar, whereas sexual dimorphism in both the fifth and the sixth limbs, a distinctive feature of adults, is not clearly evident until the eighth (A-1) instar. Appendages are added at the moults between the second (A-7) and third (A-6), and between the fifth (A-4) and sixth (A-3) instars. The seventh limb, which platycopid ostracods have lost in the adult stage, is observed as an anlage in the sixth (A-3) and seventh (A-2) instars. During the other moults, there are no significant changes to the body plan. The ontogeny of the Platycopida is compared with that of the Podocopida, and strongly suggests that the phylogenetic position of the Platycopida is as an end-member of the Podocopa. © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 153 , 213–237.     

The Effect of Benzyladenine on Changes in Nuclease and Protease Activities in Intact Bean Leaves during Ageing

Primary leaves of intact bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were treated with benzyladenine (BA) at different stages during growth. Changes in DNase, RNase, and proteas activities in the leaves were followed. Unlike the case of various excised tissues, cytokinin raised the activities of these hydrolases in intact bean leaves. Because BA elevated the levels of DNA, RNA, and protein in intact leaves, it may stimulate both synthesis and decomposition of these cellular constituents. The hydrolase activities showed differential responses to BA according to the age at which the leaf received the hormone treatment.     

Genetic differentiation and distribution routes of the bronze featherback Notopterus notopterus (Osteoglossiformes: Notopteridae) in Indochina

Mitochondrial DNA analysis was used to investigate genetic variation in the bronze featherback fish Notopterus notopterus in Indochina. Five hundred and five fish samples collected from 11 localities were separated into three genetically differentiated intraspecific groups. Chao Phraya River samples formed a distinct group. Mekong River samples were clearly separated into two different groups, namely, middle and lower Mekong groups. The lower Mekong group was closely related to Malay Peninsula group, even though the two groups are separated by a tract of ocean. F‐values (0.82–0.95) also confirmed genetic differentiation of the middle and lower Mekong groups. Although the two Mekong groups inhabit the same river basin, molecular clock calculations indicate they separated approximately 1.2 Mya, suggesting (1) evolutionary divergence before invasion of the Mekong River; (2) differences in migration routes to the river; and/or (3) differences in the timings of invasion. The complexities of historical events cannot be ignored in determinations of factors responsible for the exceptional biodiversity in the Mekong basin. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 101 , 575–582.     

Phylogeny and the evolution of nesting behaviour in the tribe Ageniellini (Insecta: Hymenoptera: Pompilidae)

The Pompilidae (spider hunting wasps) show a marked diversity in their hunting and reproductive ecology, but difficulties in phylogenetic taxonomy have hindered the elucidation of their evolutionary processes. We present here a review of the hunting and reproductive ecology of the pepsine tribe Ageniellini (including the first prey record for Macromerella), and phylogenetic analyses of this group to reconstruct the evolution of nest‐constructing behaviour. The maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses are based on 45 adult morphological characters, coded for 41 exemplar species, including five out‐group species, representing almost all the genera and subgenera in this tribe. Results supported the following eight clades uniting more than one genus: (1) Cyphononyx + Cryptocheilus + Ageniellini; (2) Ageniellini; (3) Auplopodina, containing Dimorphagenia, Auplopus, Machaerothrix, Phanagenia, Dichragenia, Paragenia, Macromerella, and Macromeris; (4) Phanagenia + Dichragenia + Auplopus artemis + Paragenia + Macromerella + Macromeris; (5) Auplopus artemis + Paragenia + Macromerella + Macromeris; (6) Paragenia + Macromerella + Macromeris; (7) Macromerella + Macromeris; and (8) Ageniella (Lissagenia) + Phanochilus. The monophyly of the genera Auplopus and Ageniella s.l. was not confirmed. The evolution of nesting behaviour was inferred, as burrowing in the soil without using water was ancestral in Ageniellini, and constructing nests by plastering mud obtained by softening soil with water was derived only once at the ancestor of the Auplopodina. The origin of cleptoparasitism was unclear. The origin of communal nesting is also discussed in relation to the evolution of nest‐constructing behaviour. The following new combinations are proposed: Ageniella (Alasagenia) sartoriana (Cresson) comb. nov. , Cyemagenia certator (Nurse) comb. nov. , and Auplopus artemis (Bingham) comb. nov. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 160 , 88–117.     

Chemical Analysis of Melanin Pigments in Feather Germs of Japanese Quail Bh (Black at Hatch) Mutants

Bh (black at hatch) is a mutation of Japanese quails which causes darkening or lightening of the plumage in heterozygotes or homozygotes, respectively. We chemically analyzed melanin pigments in feather germs of Bh mutant embryos and in feathers of adult animals. Dark brown dorsal feathers of wild-type adult animals had white barrings, but heterozygous ones lacked clear barrings. The feathers of wild-type and heterozygote animals contained both eumelanins and pheomelanins, the latter being more pheomelanic. On the dorsal skin of 10-day old wild-type embryos, longitudinal stripes from black and yellow rows of feather germs developed; two or three longitudinal rows of black feather germs and then two or three rows of yellow feather germs next to the short central feather germs. Heterozygous embryos appeared black in plumage pigmentation, due to the presence of‘gray’feather germs in rows of dorsal feather germs that corresponded to yellow rows in wild-type embryos. Homozygous dorsal feather germs did not develop the black and yellow longitudinal stripes, but were brown. Chemical analysis showed that embryos of each genotype contained both eumelanins and pheomelanins in the feather germs; however, the eumelanin content in ho-mozygous feather germs was very low. These results suggest that the Bh mutation causes pheomelanic changes in feathers of quails.     

Ion gradients in xylem exudate and guttation fluid related to tissue ion levels along primary leaves of barley

The concentration of ions in plant cells and tissues is an essential factor in determining physiological function. In the present study, we established that concentration gradients of mobile ions exist in both xylem exudates and tissues within a barley (Hordeum vulgare) primary leaf. For K⁺ and NO₃^?, ion concentrations generally decreased from the leaf base to the tip in both xylem exudates and tissues. Ion gradients were also found for Pi and Cl^? in the xylem. The hydathode strongly absorbed Pi and re‐translocated it to the rest of the plant, whereas Cl^? was extruded. The ion concentration gradients developed early during leaf growth, increased as the tissue aged and remained under both high and low transpiration conditions. Measurement of the expression profiles of Pi, K⁺ and NO₃^? transporters along the longitudinal axis of the leaf revealed that some transporters are more expressed at the hydathode, but for most transporters, there was no significant variation along the leaf. The mechanisms by which longitudinal ion gradients develop in leaves and their physiological functions are discussed.