The Hemiuroidea (Digenea) of pomacentrid fishes (Perciformes) from Heron Island,Queensland, Australia

The following species are described, figured and/or recorded from pomacentrid fishes from the vicinity of the southern Great Barrier Reef coral cay Heron Island, with some mention of comparative material from other host families and locations: Derogenes pearsoni n. sp. from Amblyglyphidodon curacao, Amphiprion akindynos, Plectroglyphidodon lacrymatus (type-host), Pomacentrus chrysurus, P. moluccensis, P. tripunctatus and Pomacentrus sp.; Derogenes pharyngicola n. sp. from Abudefduf whitleyi (type-host) and Plectroglyphidodon dickii; Lecithaster stellatus from Abudefduf sexfasciatus, A. whitleyi, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, Amblyglyphidodon curacao, Chrysiptera flavipinnis, Parma polylepis, Pomacentrus chrysurus, P. moluccensis, P. cf. nagasakiensis, P. cf. pavo, P. vaiuli, P. wardi, Seriola lalandi, Cheilinus diagrammus, Lethrinus miniatus and Choerodon cyanodus from Heron Island plus Acanthopagrus australis and Rhabdosargus sarba from Moreton Bay; Aponurus laguncula from Pomacentrus moluccensis plus Callionymus limiceps, Platycephalus endrachtensis and P. fuscus from Moreton Bay; Hysterolecitha nahaensis from Abudefduf bengalensis, A. sexfasciatus, A. whitleyi, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, Amblyglyphidodon curacao, A. leucogaster, Amphiprion akindynos, A. perideraion, Chromis atripectoralis, C. nitida, C. viridis, Chrysiptera flavipinnis, C. cf. rollandi, Dascyllus aruanus, D. reticulatus, Parma polylepis, Pomacentrus chrysurus, P. moluccensis, P. cf. nagasakiensis, P. nigromarginatus, P. cf. pavo, P. tripunctatus, P. wardi and Pomacentrus sp.; Hysterolecitha heronensis n. sp. from Pomacentrus philippinus (type-host), P. amboinensis, P. moluccensis, P. nigromarginatus and Pomacentrus sp.; Hysterolecitha sp. innom. from Parma polylepis; Thulinia microrchis n. comb. (new syns Hysterolecitha microrchis, H. xesuri, H. tinkeri, Thulinia tinkeri, H. sigani) from Abudefduf bengalensis, A. sexfasciatus, A. whitleyi, Acanthochromis polyacanthus, Amphiprion perideraion, Dascyllus aruanus, D. reticulatus, Dischistodus melanotus, Parma polylepis, Plectroglyphidodon dickii, Pomacentrus amboinensis, P. moluccensis, P. philippinus, P. taeniometopon, Pomacentrus sp. and Stegastes apicalis, plus Chaetodon citrinellus, C. kleinii, Chaetodontoplus meredithi, Lethrinus miniatus, Plectropomus leopardus, Siganus doliatus, S. lineatus and S. vulpinus; Leclthocladium sp. juv from Abudefduf whitleyi, Lecithochirium sp. (? ghanense-group) from Dascyllus aruanus; Lecithochirium sp. juv. from Abudefduf whitleyi; unidentified non-ecsomate hemiuroids from Chrysiptera cf. rollandi, Parma polylepis, Pomacentrus chrysurus, P. wardi and Stegastes apicalis.     

513. Masdevallia Idae

Summary.  The rare and little‐known Masdevallia idae Luer & Arias ( Orchidaceae ) from Peru is described and illustrated from the type collection, and the work of Carlyle Luer and Stig Dalström on the genera Masdevallia and Dracula is highlighted.     

Overexpression of Cytoplasmic TcSIR2RP1 and Mitochondrial TcSIR2RP3 Impacts on Trypanosoma cruzi Growth and Cell Invasion

Background

Trypanosoma cruzi is a protozoan pathogen responsible for Chagas disease. Current therapies are inadequate because of their severe host toxicity and numerous side effects. The identification of new biotargets is essential for the development of more efficient therapeutic alternatives. Inhibition of sirtuins from Trypanosoma brucei and Leishmania ssp. showed promising results, indicating that these enzymes may be considered as targets for drug discovery in parasite infection. Here, we report the first characterization of the two sirtuins present in T. cruzi.

Methodology

Dm28c epimastigotes that inducibly overexpress TcSIR2RP1 and TcSIR2RP3 were constructed and used to determine their localizations and functions. These transfected lines were tested regarding their acetylation levels, proliferation and metacyclogenesis rate, viability when treated with sirtuin inhibitors and in vitro infectivity.

Conclusion

TcSIR2RP1 and TcSIR2RP3 are cytosolic and mitochondrial proteins respectively. Our data suggest that sirtuin activity is important for the proliferation of T. cruzi replicative forms, for the host cell-parasite interplay, and for differentiation among life-cycle stages; but each one performs different roles in most of these processes. Our results increase the knowledge on the localization and function of these enzymes, and the overexpressing T. cruzi strains we obtained can be useful tools for experimental screening of trypanosomatid sirtuin inhibitors.     

A new genus of Bucephalidae Poche, 1907 (Trematoda: Digenea) for three new species infecting the yellowtail pike,Sphyraena obtusata Cuvier (Sphyraenidae), from Moreton Bay,Queensland, Australia

Three new species of the family Bucephalidae Poche, 1907 (Trematoda: Digenea) are described from the yellowtail pike, Sphyraena obtusata Cuvier (Sphyraenidae), from Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. The three species are morphologically consistent with the present broad concept of the genus Bucephalus Baer, 1827, but significant phylogenetic and ecological differences relative to the type-species of Bucephalus require the proposal of a new genus. Aenigmatrema n. g. is proposed for A. undecimtentaculatum n. sp. (type-species), A. inopinatum n. sp. and A. grandiovum n. sp. In addition, based on morphological, ecological and biogeographical similarities, we recombine two existing species of Bucephalus as Aenigmatrema kaku (Yamaguti, 1970) n. comb. and Aenigmatrema sphyraenae (Yamaguti, 1952) n. comb. Although the three species described in this study are extremely morphologically similar, they can be differentiated from each other, and from A. kaku and A. sphyraenae, morphometrically on the basis of egg size, tentacle number and a combination of the caecum and vitelline field lengths. Complete ITS2 rDNA, partial 28S rDNA and partial cox1 mtDNA sequence data were generated for the three new species, which formed a well-supported clade in all 28S phylogenetic analyses. An expanded phylogenetic tree for the subfamily Bucephalinae Poche, 1907 is presented, demonstrating unresolved issues with the morphology-based taxonomy of the subfamily. The three largest genera, Bucephalus, Rhipidocotyle Diesing, 1858 and Prosorhynchoides Dollfus, 1929 remain extensively polyphyletic, indicating the need for significant further systematic revision.

     

Effects of physiological condition and experience on oviposition behaviour of Trichogramma australicum Girault (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) on eggs of Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

We produced an ethogram for and investigated effects of physiological condition and experience on oviposition behaviour for Trichogramma australicum on Helicoverpa armigera eggs. The data, coupled with the ethogram, have enabled the establishment of standard behavioural categories which can be used to assess acceptability of H. armigera eggs to T. australicum reared in vitro or in eggs of other species. Physiological and experiential conditions were investigated using females of three different ages (0–24, 24–48 and 48–72 h old), two types of sexual states (mated and unmated) and two types of ovipositional experience (naive and experienced). Durations of host finding, host examination, and post-ovipositional re-examination were reduced by oviposition experience and were shorter in younger females (0–48 h old). Oviposition experience reduces the duration of the drilling and percentage of females host-feeding. Being mated and young reduces the host examination time in subsequent oviposition bouts. Only ovipositionally inexperienced females host-feed before oviposition and host-fed more frequently than experienced individuals after oviposition. Host-feeding needs consideration for optimal culture.