Terminal airway embryology of the delphinid porpoises,Stenella attenuata and S. longirostris

A light microscopic investigation of the histological development of the terminal airways of 18 Stenella attenuata and two S. longirostris showed the lungs to be in a glandular stage of development until 3 months postimplantation (p.i.) age. By 3.5 months (p.i.) the lung was at the canalicular stage. At 4 months mesenchymal rings and muscular bands were in a sphincterlike arrangement around terminal bronchioles. At 7 months (p.i.) the alveolar stage occured. About 8–9 months cartilaginous rings were present and in association with myoelastic sphincters. Their function remains an enigma, even though many hypotheses as to function have been proposed. We suggest that the presence of well-developed sphincters and cartilage in the neonate may give clues to their function as well as offer potential experiments that would not be as suitable in the adult porpoise.     

Pattern and depth of dives in Northern elephant seals, Mirounga angustirostris

A time-depth recorder was attached to a female Northern elephant seal at the end of her lactation fast before she entered the sea to feed. The animal dived continuously during its first 11 days at sea, the period recorded for a total of 653 dives. Mean dive time was 21 min, with the longest submersion lasting 32 min. Mean surface interval between dives was 3 min, resulting in a total surface time of 11 %. Mean dive depth was 333 m and the deepest dive was 630 m, the deepest ever recorded for a pinniped. A epth histogram recorder attached to another female yielded a similar frequency distribution of dive depths.     

Angle resolved fluorescence depolarization experiments on oriented lipid membrane systems

It is demonstrated that angle resolved steady state fluorescence depolarization experiments on oriented lipid membrane systems can be an useful alternative to time-resolved fluorescence depolarization experiments on vesicles. It is shown that some basic assumptions underlying time-resolved experiments are not always valid. The usefulness of the measurement of an additional order parameter, less than P4 greater than is demonstrated.     

Application of Metarhizium flavoviride (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) Spores Against the Tree Locust, Anacridium melanorhodon (Orthoptera: Acrididae), in Sudan

Spores of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium flavoviride were applied against the tree locust Anacridium melanorhodon melanorhodon in the field for the first time. The treated areas covered a total of 55 ha in the vicinity of Tendelti in the White Nile State of Sudan. At a dose of 100 g of spores/ha applied in 5 l of oil formulation, the application led to a reduction in population densities of 66-76% after 18 days. Correction of the data with the Henderson/ Tilton formula gave an overall control efficiency of 68%.