Spider mites of sugarcane in Australia: a review of grass-feeding Oligonychus Berlese (Acari: Prostigmata: Tetranychidae)

Abstract In many areas of the world, spider mites are significant pests of sugarcane. Australia is currently fortunate in lacking the most destructive species, and usually suffers only sporadic damage. Herein, we provide a key to the genera of spider mites associated with sugarcane, review the most significant genus, Oligonychus Berlese, and provide a key to the species of grass-feeding Oligonychus in the Australasian region. The species O. araneum Davis, O. digitatus Davis, O. grypus Baker and Pritchard, O. orthius Rimando, and O. oryzae (Hirst) are redescribed, while the Australian O. zanclopes sp. n. Beard and Walter from sugarcane and rice, O. turbelli sp. n. Beard and Walter, O. ephamnus sp. n. Beard and Walter and O. festucolus sp. n. Beard and Walter from other grasses, are newly described. Previous records of O. grypus in Australia appear to be misidentifications of what is described here as the new species O. zanclopes .     

Foraging interactions between Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans breeding on Marion Island and long-line fisheries in the southern Indian Ocean

Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans are frequently killed when they attempt to scavenge baited hooks deployed by long-line fishing vessels. We studied the foraging ecology of Wandering Albatrosses breeding on Marion Island in order to assess the scale of interactions with known long-line fishing fleets. During incubation and late chick-rearing, birds foraged further away from the island, in warmer waters, and showed high spatial overlap with areas of intense tuna Thunnus spp. long-line fishing. During early chick-rearing, birds made shorter foraging trips and showed higher spatial overlap with the local Patagonian Toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides long-line fishery. Tracks of birds returning with offal from the Toothfish fishery showed a strong association with positions at which Toothfish long-lines were set and most diet samples taken during this stage contained fishery-related items. Independent of these seasonal differences, females foraged further from the islands and in warmer waters than males. Consequently, female distribution overlapped more with tuna long-line fisheries, whereas males interacted more with the Toothfish long-line fishery. These factors could lead to differences in the survival probabilities of males and females. Non-breeding birds foraged in warmer waters and showed the highest spatial overlap with tuna long-line fishing areas. The foraging distribution of Marion Island birds showed most spatial overlap with birds from the neighbouring Crozet Islands during the late chick-rearing and non-breeding periods. These areas of foraging overlap also coincided with areas of intense tuna long-line fishing south of Africa. As the population trends of Wandering Albatrosses at these two localities are very similar, it is possible that incidental mortality during the periods when these two populations show the highest spatial overlap could be driving these trends.     

The Nephridium of the Bonellia viridis Male (Echiura)

The nephridium of the dwarf male of Bonellia viridis was investigated by means of transmission electron microscopy. The nephridium proved to be of a distinct protonephridial type and not a metanephridium as maintained in the older literature. The nephridium is composed of a ciliated duct that projects into the coelom. Five crown cells at the end of the duct function as terminal filtration cells. Each crown cell has a bundle of about 20 cilia, surrounded by a labyrinthic weir of cell processes that are presumably involved in filtration. The ciliary bundles enter the nephridial duct through perforations of the adjacent tubule cells. This finding of a protonephridium in a minute, coelomate animal that lacks a circulatory system corroborates a recently formulated functional theory on the distribution of nephridial types.     

TWO TYPES OF CYTOPLASMIC CLEAVAGE IN THE COENOCYTIC SOIL ALGA PROTOSIPHON BOTRYOIDES (CHLOROPHYCEAE)1

Cytokinesis in the coenocytic green alga Protosiphon botryoides (Kütz.) Klebs was studied with transmission electron microscopy. In vegetative cells, nuclei with associated basal bodies and dictyosomes are scattered throughout the cytoplasm. Mature cells may develop either multinucleate resting spores (coenocysts) or uninucleate zoospores. Cytokinesis may be preceded by contraction of the protoplast due to the disintegration of vacuoles that are present in larger, siphonous cells. The formation of coenocysts in ageing, siphonous cells, is signalled by cleavage of the chloroplast and the development of arrays of phycoplast microtubules in one or more transversely oriented planes through the cell. Nuclei with associated basal apparatuses stay dispersed throughout the cytoplasm; the basal bodies apparently are not involved in organization of the phycoplast. The plasma membrane invaginates, resulting in a centripetal cleavage of the protoplast into two or more multinucleate daughter protoplasts. Simultaneously, wall material is deposited along the outside of the daughter protoplasts by dictyosome-derived vesicles, and finally two or more thick-walled coenocysts are formed. The formation of zoospores, on the other hand, is signalled by clustering of the nuclei in one or more groups depending on the shape of the mother cell. The nuclei become arranged with the associated basal apparatuses facing toward the center of the cluster. Bundles of phycoplast microtubules develop between the nuclei, radiating from the center of a cluster toward the plasma membrane; basal apparatuses or associated structures apparently are involved in organization of the phycoplast. Cleavage furrows grow out centrifugally along these bundles of micro-tubules, fed by dictyosome-derived vesicles. No wall material is deposited. An additional mitotic division occurs during cleavage, and finally numerous uninucleate, wall-less, biflagellate zoospores are formed. The ultrastructural features of the two different types of cytoplasmic cleavage associated with two different types of daughter cells have not previously been reported for chlorophycean algae.     

Trans-epidermal Transport and Storage of Calcium in Holthuisana transversa (Brachyura; Sundathelphusidae) During Premoult

Holthuisana transversa reabsorbs much of its exoskeletal calcium in the last 3 days before ecdysis and stores it in circulating granules in the haemocoel and in non-circulating granules in the subepidermal connective tissue. Calcium enters the epidermal cells from the moulting fluid, probably through their apical microvilli and is either incorporated into intracellular calcium granules or exits the cell via the basolateral membranes to be used in formation of two other granule types. Intracellular granules (0.4–2 μm long) form in large masses in the apical cytoplasm of the epidermal cells. They are formed as membrane-bound vesicles by the Golgi, and calcium and organic matrix material are added from the surrounding cytoplasm. As development proceeds, lamellae appear and calcium carbonate is deposited in the matrix. Granule masses move basally and are stored in the connective tissue. Calcium is also incorporated into extracellular large granules (0.8–3.8 μm long) which are formed in narrow intercellular channels between epidermal cells. A third granule type (small granules, 0.26 μm diameter) is formed in subepidermal connective tissue cells and released into the haemolymph in very large numbers. Calcium was identified in the two larger granule types using X-ray microanalysis and significant amounts of phosphorus and potassium were also present in the large granules. A model for ion cycling between the exoskeleton and granules is presented.     

Healing the Modern in a Central Javanese City.

Healing the Modern in. Central Javanese City. Steve Ferzacca. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press, 2001. 280 pp.     

Two new species of Mallomonas (Synurophyceae) from the Ocala National Forest, Florida, U.S.A.

Two new species of Mallomonas, M. ocalensis and M. caerula , are described from a clearwater, acidic and oligotrophic waterbody in the Ocala National Forest, Florida, U.S.A. Mallomonas ocalensis , in the Series Doignonianae of the Section Torquatae, consists of relatively small cells with scales that have a series of parallel shield ribs with alternating thicknesses, collar scales with very short bristles and posterior scales with small protruding spines. Mallomonas ocalensis is most similar to Mallomonas dickii , but is distinguished from the latter species based on the highly variable thicknesses of the shield ribs and significantly larger scales. Mallomonas caerula , in the Series Mallomonas of the Section Mallomonas, consists of relatively large cells that bear large domed and dorneless scales, and long, robust and ribbed bristles. Bristles with and without helmets can be found. The shield, especially the distal portion, and the posterior flange of scales consists of series of more or less parallel ribs. Mallomonas caerula appears to be most closely related to Mallomonas acaroides var. acaroides and Mallomonas acaroides var. muskokana , but can be distinguished from the latter taxa on the basis of scale type, scale structure and bristle morphology. Both new species were found in the plankton and surface sediments of Blue Sink Pond.     

Plasma endotoxin and concentrations of stable metabolites of prostacyclin, thromboxane A2, and prostaglandin E2 in postpartum dairy cows

The presence of endotoxin in plasma and patterns of stable metabolites of prostacyclin (PC), thromboxane A2 (TXA2) and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) were determined during the first postpartum estrous cycles in sixteen dairy cows. These included 8 cows with uterine infections which exhibited shortened luteal phases (SC) and 8 cows which had normal luteal phases (NC) after the first post partum ovulations. Endotoxin was consistently detected in all SC cows during the abbreviated estrous cycles while plasma samples of NC cows were free of endotoxin. Plasma concentrations of TXA2 metabolite was higher in SC cows (p less than 0.05) (1785-3452 pg/ml) compared to NC cows (723-1240 pg/ml). Similarly, plasma concentrations of PC metabolite was higher in SC cows (p less than 0.07) (423-1847 pg/ml) compared to NC cows (159-325 pg/ml). In contrast, plasma concentrations of PGE2 metabolite was higher in NC cows (p less than 0.05) (850-2219 pg/ml) compared to SC cows (455-628 pg/ml). The results of this study suggest that postpartum uterine infections mediate the release of prostaglandins from the uteri by means of the endotoxin and endotoxin appears to stimulate selectively the production of PC and TXA2 favoring early demise of corpora lutea formed after first postpartum ovulations in dairy cows.