Acaricidal activity of Metarhizium anisopliae isolated from paddocks in the Mexican tropics against two populations of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus

The acaricidal effects of 55 strains of Metarhizium anisopliae (Metschnikoff) Sorokin, 1883 (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) isolated from paddocks of cattle farms were evaluated in two Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini 1887) (Ixodida: Ixodidae) populations, of which one was multi‐resistant and one was susceptible to chemical acaricides. Percentage mortality and reproductive efficiency indices in R. microplus were evaluated by adult immersion tests at a dose of 1 × 10⁸ conidia/mL for each fungal strain. Some strains were selected to calculate lethal concentrations to kill 50% (LC₅₀) and 99% (LC₉₉) of engorged ticks. Strains MaV22, MaV26 and MaV55 induced 100% mortality in R. microplus on day 14. Strains MaV05, MaV09 and MaV22 caused mortality of >90% from day 12 onward in both tick populations. The most effective acaricidal fungal strain, MaV55, inhibited egg laying by 54.86 and 55.86% in acaricide‐resistant and ‐susceptible R. microplus populations, respectively. None of the fungal strains had statistically significant effects on larval hatching. In conclusion, nine strains of M. anisopliae demonstrated high acaricidal effects against R. microplus and reduced its egg laying. No differences in acaricidal effects were observed between the two populations of ticks tested.     

Preservation effects on wet weight, dry weight, and ash-free dry weight biomass estimates of four common estuarine macro-invertebrates: no difference between ethanol and formalin

Two preservative treatments traditionally used in aquatic sciences, formalin (4%) and ethanol (70%), were compared for their effects on biomass estimations. The effects of both preservatives on wet weight, dry weight, and ash-free dry weight were determined for samples preserved for 10, 21, and 90 days. The effects were studied in four different macrofauna species commonly found in German estuaries: Heteromastus filiformis (Capitellidae, Polychaeta), Hediste diversicolor (Nereididae, Polychaeta), Corophium sp. (Amphipoda, Crustaceae), and Gammarus spp. (Amphipoda, Crustacea). The biomass estimates of preserved samples were compared with those of unpreserved samples. In all four species the loss in wet weight, dry weight, and ash-free dry weight was most pronounced within the first 10 days, and an additional weight loss was recorded between days 10 and 21. However, there was no further loss in weight for samples kept for as long as 90 days in the preservatives. In general, crustaceans exhibited higher weight loss than polychaetes, and smaller species (H. filiformis and Corophium sp.) showed higher weight loss and a higher variability than larger species. As our main result, significant differences between the two preservative treatments did never occur. Our results contradict some earlier investigations on this matter where formalin has been reported to be superior to alcoholic preservatives because weight loss was less pronounced than in ethanol. Factors affecting biomass estimates are discussed and we conclude that, for the macrofauna groups tested, the use of the toxic formalin solution is not justified when the major intent is biomass estimation.     

Cladichnus parallelum isp. nov. – a Mid- to Deep-Tier Feeding Burrow System

The ichnospecies Cladichnus parallelum consists of upper components characterized by downward branching, decreasingly inclined tubes, and lower components having horizontal, long, parallel tubes formed in the laminated part of a muddy, marly turbidite. The tubes of both components were successively produced, and the lower ones display an annulated fill. The producers of Cladichnus exhibit thigmotactic and phobotactic behavior in that the tubes are regularly spaced apart, do not cross over- or cross-cut, and their orientation is related to the fabric of the turbidite. The tube fill of both components is enriched in terrigenous material and organic matter suggesting selective feeding on the sediment surface, and the tubes do not show any grain sorting around them. The strong compression of the horizontal tubes suggests that the fill initially had high porosity. The producer of Cladichnus parallelum probably took advantage of burrowing in an anoxic setting; microbes likely played a role in converting organic material stored within the tubes or in processing dissolved compounds drained into the highly porous tubes.     

DYNAMICS OF CELLULAR AND EXTRACELLULAR cAMP IN ANABAENA FLOS-AQUAE (CYANOPHYTA): INTRINSIC CULTURE VARIABILITY AND CORRELATION WITH METABOLIC VARIABLES1

The production and extracellular release of cyclic adenosine 3′: 5′-monophosphate (cAMP) by the blue-green alga Anabaena flos-aquae (Lyngb.) Breb. varied greatly within and between active growth phase and stationary phase and under differing nutrient regimes. Enhanced cellular cAMP production was found in actively growing Anabaena inoculated into media deficient in nitrate or phosphate, or into fresh media containing non-limiting nutrient concentrations. In stationary phase Anabaena, but not actively growing cells, the concentrations of intra-cellular cAMP present in cells grown under a variety of nutrient regimes could be significantly correlated to [¹⁴C]-bicarbonate uptake by an exponential relationship.     

Abnormalities of the gonads of carp

Cyprinus curpio is usually dioecious, with well–developed paired gonads (ovaries or testes) of which the two parts are approximately equal in weight. However, a few instances of abnormal development have been observed. In one male fish, the right testis developed normally to maturity, while the left testis was vestigial. In a female fish, only the right component of the ovary was present. Some monoecious, synchronous hermaphrodite specimens have also been observed, and self fertilization demonstrated experimentally. It has been shown (Kossmann, 1971) that the progeny of such synchronous hermaphrodites may also have this characteristic. These studies demonstrate that even such a highly evolved teleost as the Carp may retain the primitive characteristic of hermaphroditism.