Indonesian Kickxellales: two species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Coemansia</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Linderina</Emphasis>

Four species belonging to Kickxellales (Kickxellomycotina) isolated from soil of Indonesia are described and illustrated. Two new species of Coemansia, C. asiatica and C. javaensis, were discovered in South Sulawesi and West Java, and two known species of Linderina, L. pennispora and L. macrospora, were discovered in East Kalimantan and South Sulawesi, respectively. These four species are newly added to the Indonesian mycobiota. A technique for inducing sporulation of C. javaensis and L. macrospora by adding substances derived from invertebrates such as aphids, nereids, or cladocerans to culture media is described.     

Route of Passive Ion Permeation in Epithelia

“Tight junctions” between cells in some epithelia actually provide the main route of passive ion permeation. The degree of junctional tightness may underlie important functional differences between different epithelia.     

Surface-bound Immunoglobulin as a Marker of B Lymphocytes in Man

IMMUNOLOGICAL reactions in many species depend on two functionally different types of small lymphocytes, thymus-derived T lymphocytes and bone marrow-derived B lymphocytes¹. In the mouse, the θ antigen is a marker for T lymphocytes, while membrane-bound Ig is found on θ-negative lymphocytes². This has raised the question whether the presence of surface-bound Ig³ may be regarded as a marker for B lymphocytes. We have obtained data indicating that this is the case with human lymphocytes.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Abudefduf nigrimargo</Emphasis>, a new species of damselfish (Perciformes: Pomacentridae) from Taiwan

A new species of damselfish, Abudefduf nigrimargo (Pomacentridae), is described on the basis of six specimens (91.8–119.5 mm standard length; SL) from Taiwan. Although similar to A. caudobimaculatus Okada and Ikeda 1939, A. saxatilis (Linnaeus 1758), A. troschelii (Gill 1862) and A. vaigiensis (Quoy and Gaimard 1825) in having five dark bands on the lateral surface of the body with yellowish interspaces dorsally, the new species can be distinguished from the others by the following combination of characters: 18–19 (mode 19) pectoral-fin rays; 20–23 (22) tubed lateral-line scales; 7–8 (7)?+?14–16 (16)?=?21–24 (23) gill rakers; relatively greater body depth and longer pectoral-fin length [57.3–60.8% (mean 59.0%) of SL and 36.8–40.8% (38.5%) of SL, respectively]; 5 scale rows on cheek; scales on suborbit, usually continuous over basal area of lacrimal; many scales on anteroventral region of head; scale covering on preopercle and interopercle continuous; scales on dorsal and lateral body surfaces with blackish margin (indistinct in subadult), second and third black bands on body not extending dorsally onto membranes of spinous dorsal fin; anterior and upper margins of fourth black band usually level with sixth dorsal-fin soft ray base and not extending onto small scales on the dorsal-fin base, respectively; and caudal-fin base without black spots.     

Validity of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abudefduf caudobimaculatus</Emphasis> Okada and Ikeda 1939 and synonymies of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Abudefduf vaigiensis</Emphasis> (Quoy and Gaimard 1825) (Perciformes: Pomacentridae)

Abudefduf caudobimaculatus Okada and Ikeda 1939, having long been regarded as a junior synonym of Abudefduf vaigiensis (Quoy and Gaimard 1825), is herein redescribed as a valid species on the basis of the holotype and 77 additional specimens. Abudefduf caudobimaculatus can be distinguished from A. vaigiensis in having 11–13 (modally 12) dorsal-fin soft rays, 4 scale rows above the lateral line, 2½ scale rows between the middle of the spinous portion of the dorsal-fin base and lateral line, 3–4 (4) scale rows on the cheek, scales always present on the anteroventral region of the head, eleventh and last dorsal-fin spines and pectoral-fin length 15.5–18.4%, 17.1–20.6%, and 33.5–39.9% of SL, respectively, two black spots on the caudal-fin base, anteriormost bar descending to behind the pectoral-fin base, 0–1 tubed lateral-line scales on the fourth vertical bar, and third to seventh (usually fifth or sixth) dorsal-fin soft ray base at the anterior margin of the fourth vertical bar. Synonymies of A. vaigiensis are discussed with designations of lectotypes for Glyphisodon vaigiensis and Glyphisodon rahti.     

Evolution of ontogenetic allometry shaping giant species: a case study from the damselfish genus Dascyllus (Pomacentridae)

The evolution of body size, the paired phenomena of giantism and dwarfism, has long been studied by biologists and paleontologists. However, detailed investigations devoted to the study of the evolution of ontogenetic patterns shaping giant species are scarce. The damselfishes of the genus Dascyllus appear as an excellent model for such a study. Their well understood phylogeny reveals that large‐bodied species have evolved in two different clades. Geometric morphometric methods were used to compare the ontogenetic trajectories of the neurocranium and the mandible in both small‐bodied (Dascyllus aruanus and Dascyllus carneus; maximum size: 50–65 mm standard length) and giant (Dascyllus trimaculatus and Dascyllus flavicaudus; maximum size: 90–110 mm standard length) Dascyllus species. At their respective maximum body size, the neurocranium of the giant species is significantly shorter and have a higher supraoccipital crest relative to the small‐bodied species, whereas mandible shape variation is more limited and is not related to the ‘giant’ trait. The hypothesis of ontogenetic scaling whereby the giant species evolved by extending the allometric trajectory of the small‐bodied ones (i.e. hypermorphosis) is rejected. Instead, the allometric trajectories vary among species by lateral transpositions. The rate of shape changes and the type of lateral transposition also differ according to the skeletal unit among Dascyllus species. Differences seen between the two giant species in the present study demonstrate that giant species may appear by varied alterations of the ancestor allometric pattern. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 99 , 99–117.     

Biodiversity of palm fungi in the tropics: are global fungal diversity estimates realistic?

Two questions are addressed: 'How many species of fungi can occur on a single host palm?' and 'What are the implications of this for global estimates of fungal diversity?' Fungal diversity estimates found in the literature are reviewed. Data on the numbers of fungi occurring on the above-ground tissues of six individual palms in the genus Licuala in Australia and Brunei Darussalam (Borneo) are provided. A total of 189 species of fungi were isolated and/or collected from the six palms. In addition, 53 'morphospecies' of mycelia sterilia were isolated, giving a total of 242 taxa from the 2672 isolates/collections made. The three palms in Australia (sampled once) yielded 100 species (each palm supporting an average of 54.7 taxa), while the three palms in Brunei Darussalam (sampled three times) yielded 172 species in total (approximately 111.3 taxa each). The magnitude of global fungal diversity, estimated at 1.5 million species, is discussed. Our results indicate that 33 to 1 would be a more accurate estimate (than 5.7 to 1) of the ratio of host specific fungal to palm species in the tropics. We therefore propose that global estimates of fungal diversity, based on temperate studies, require revision upwards.     

Evaluation of target volume and dose accuracy in intrafractional cases of lung cancer based on 4D-CT and 4D-CBCT images using an in-house dynamic thorax phantom

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the target volume and dose accuracy in intrafraction cases using 4-dimensional imaging modalities and an in-house dynamic thorax phantom. Intrafraction motion can create errors in the definition of target volumes, which can significantly affect the accuracy of radiation delivery. Motion management using 4-dimensional modalities is required to reduce the risk.Materials and methodsTwo variations in both breathing amplitude and target size were applied in this study. From these variations, internal target volume (ITVs) contoured in 10 phases of 4D-CT (ITV₁₀), average intensity projection (AIP), and mid-ventilation (Mid-V) images were reconstructed from all 4D-CT datasets as reference images. Free-breathing (FB), augmentation free-breathing (Aug-FB), and static images were also acquired using the 3D-CT protocol for comparisons. In dose evaluations, the 4D-CBCT modality was applied before irradiation to obtain position correction. Then, the dose was evaluated with Gafchromic film EBT3.ResultsThe ITV₁₀, AIP, and Mid-V provide GTVs that match the static GTV. The AIP and Mid-V reference images allowed reductions in ITVs and PTVs without reducing the range of target movement areas compared to FB and Aug-FB images with varying percentages in the range of 29.17% to 48.70%. In the dose evaluation, the largest discrepancies between the measured and planned doses were 10.39% for the FB images and 9.21% for the Aug-FB images.ConclusionThe 4D-CT modality can enable accurate definition of the target volume and reduce the PTV. Furthermore, 4D-CBCT provides localization images during registration to facilitate position correction and accurate dose delivery.