Cellular and molecular markers of anteroposterior and dorsoventral organisation in the vitellogenic follicles of adult Sarcophaga bullata (Diptera) and dorsoventral orientation of follicles in the ovary

Summary Polar organisation in the follicles of adult Sarcophaga bullata is reflected in the nurse cell-oocyte axis and in the orientation of the two polar cell pairs in the follicular epithelium. The internal organisation of the nurse cell chamber contributes to polarity but not to dorsoventral asymmetry. Dorsoventral asymmetry is correlated with the eccentric position of the germinal vesicle and the orientation of the polar cell pairs; no other follicle cell specialisations are seen. In an ovary, follicles are preferentially orientated with the dorsal side to the centre of the ovary. Cytoskeletal and some haemolymph proteins are molecular markers of polarity. Thus, in pre-vitellogenic stages, tubulin immunoreactivity is higher in the oocyte than in the nurse cells, actin immunoreactivity is the same over the cystocytes and larval serum proteins are restricted to the poles. During vitellogenesis, both actin and tubulin become more concentrated in the nurse cells and larval serum protein 1 accumulated in the polar cells during border cell migration when yolk polypeptides also accumulate in the oocyte. At the end of vitellogenesis a lipophorin is taken up by the oocyte. No molecular marker of dorsoventral asymmetry was identified.     

Caenorhabditis elegans development requires mitochondrial function in the nervous system

The mitochondrial respiratory chain (MRC) supplies the majority of the energy requirements of most eucaryotic cells. A null mutation in the Caenorhabditis elegans nuo-1 gene encoding a subunit of complex I (NADH-ubiquinone oxidoreductase) is lethal, leading to a developmental arrest at the third larval stage. To identify the tissues that regulate development in response to mitochondrial dysfunction, we restored nuo-1 expression with tissue-specific promoters. Only expression of nuo-1 ubiquitously or in the nervous system supported development to the adult stage. Pharyngeal expression of nuo-1 allowed development to proceed to the fourth larval stage. Expression of nuo-1 in the body muscles or in the germline had no effect. Furthermore, only ubiquitous or nervous system expression of nuo-1 allowed exit from the dauer state. Our results indicate that MRC function in the nervous system is needed to send and receive signals that control larval development and exit from dauer.     

韩国三种枝尺蛾亚科老熟幼虫的形态记述(鳞翅目:尺蛾科)(英文)

详细地记述了枝尺蛾亚科Petelia rivulosa (Butler)、Exangerona prattiaria(Leech)及Culcula panterinaria(Bremer＆Grey)老熟幼虫的形态特征,并提供了形态特征图。所有标本均保存在韩国江原大学校森林资源保护学科昆虫标本室。     

Life history parameters of the microtype parasitoid fly Pales pavida (Diptera: Tachinidae), and effects of host age and number of eggs ingested by host on parasitism success

With the aim of developing better procedures for rearing the microtype tachinid fly Pales pavida (Meigen), we performed ecological studies in the laboratory using the natural host Mythimna separata (Walker), investigating larval development, mating behaviour, individual oviposition patterns and relationships between parasitisation and number of eggs ingested (NEI) per host. The host instar at the time of parasitoid egg ingestion significantly affected the development time of the immature parasitoid: development took longer when the hosts ingested eggs when at the fifth instar than at the sixth (last) instar. There was no difficulty obtaining mated females in the laboratory when day 0–1 female flies were kept with day 2–4 males. Mean lifetime fecundity was 5805?±?568 eggs per female. Daily rates of oviposition by individual females varied widely; the greatest number of eggs laid in a day was exactly 1700. When the NEI by day 1 fifth instars or day 0 or 3 last instars was 1, 3, 6 or 10, the parasitisation percentage tended to increase with increasing NEI, although it did not differ significantly between NEI 6 and 10. Therefore, the percentage adult emergence per egg ingested decreased from NEI 6 to 10, particularly in the case of last instars. Using day 0 last instars, with six eggs ingested per host, should increase parasitisation rates and shorten the development time of the parasitoid for rearing.     

Fine-scale analysis of genetic structure in the brooding coral Seriatopora hystrix from the Red Sea

The dispersal of gametes and larvae plays a key role in the population dynamics of sessile marine invertebrates. Species with internal fertilisation are often associated with very localised larval dispersal, which may cause small-scale patterns of neutral genetic variation. This study on the brooding coral Seriatopora hystrix from the Red Sea focused on the smallest possible scale: Two S. hystrix stands (~100 colonies each) near Dahab were completely sampled, mapped and analysed at five microsatellite markers. The sexual mode of reproduction, the likely occurrence of selfing and the level of immigration were in agreement with previous studies on this species. Contrary to previous findings, both stands were in Hardy–Weinberg proportions. Also, no evidence for spatially restricted larval dispersal within the sampled areas was found. Differences between this and previous studies on S. hystrix could reflect variation in life history or varying environmental conditions, which opens intriguing questions for future research.     

The tadpole of Scinax skuki (Anura: Hylidae) from the type locality,with a description of its larval skeleton

Herein, we provide external and internal morphological data of Scinax skuki tadpoles from its type locality. The benthic tadpole of S. skuki has eyes and nostrils positioned dorsally, vent tube dextral and reaching the free margin of the ventral fin, oral disk ventral with posterior margin concave when partially closed, labial tooth row formula 2/3, and the presence of nonpigmented spurs behind the lower jaw. These characters, together with the absence of a tectum parietale, and the shapes of the pars articularis quadrati and suprarostral, are useful for species identification and may be informative for systematic purposes.     

Grain versus chaff: identifying a contrast between grain-rich and chaff-rich sites in the Neolithic of northern Greece

Recent archaeobotanical investigations of Late Neolithic sites in northern Greece have revealed a pattern as regards the crop parts represented at each site. Some sites appear to be dominated by chaff, mainly glume wheat chaff, while other sites are mainly characterised by cereal grain and pulses. This pattern could be the outcome of various factors: a. pre-depositional differential treatment of crops selecting for one category of plant remains to arrive at the site, b. depositional, therefore related to the type of activity represented at the excavated contexts and the use of space in relation to plants, and c. post-depositional factors such as erosion, or the type of features sampled. These alternative factors are considered in light of the preliminary results of the archaeobotanical investigation of seven Late Neolithic (5500–4000 cal. B.C.) sites from northern Greece. It is suggested that this pattern is the outcome of a differential use of space in relation to plants (storage, processing/food preparation, refuse disposal), probably related to aspects of the socioeconomic organisation of the settlements.     

Characterization of cathepsin B proteinase (AcCP-2) in eggs and larvae stages of hookworm Ancylostoma caninum

Cathepsin B proteinase constitutes a large multigenes family in parasitic and non-parasitic nematodes. The localization of cathepsin B proteinases (AcCP-1 and AcCP-2) in adult worm of Ancylostoma caninum has been characterized (Harrop et al., 1995), but the localization and function in eggs and larval stages remained undiscovered. Here we described the expressing of cathepsin B proteinase (AcCP-2) in Escherichia coli, and immuno-localization of cathepsin B proteinase in eggs and larvae stages of A. caninum. A cDNA fragment encoding a cathepsin B proteinase (AcCP-2) was cloned from A. caninum and expressed in E. coli. Gelatin digestion showed that recombinant cathepsin B proteinase (AcCP-2) has protease activity. The protein level of cathepsin B proteinase in larval and adult worm was detected by western blot. The immuno-localization of cathepsin B proteinase in eggs and larval stages was characterized. The expression of cathepsin B proteinase was more abundant in eggs and larvae stages of A. caninum. It implied that cathepsin B proteinase might play roles in the early development of A. caninum.     

Locomotor behaviors in zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae

Locomotor behaviors were examined in two experiments using zebrafish (Danio rerio) larvae at 4, 5, 6 and 7 days post fertilization (dpf). Larvae were observed in individual wells of a 12-well plate for 1 h a day. In Experiment 1, the same larvae were observed for four consecutive days beginning on post-fertilization day 4; in Experiment 2, different groups of larvae from the same egg collection were observed at 4, 5, 6 and 7 dpf. Automated images collected every 6 s were analyzed for information about larval location, orientation and general activity. In both experiments, 4 dpf larvae rested significantly more, used a smaller area of the well more frequently, and were generally less active than older larvae. All larvae exhibited a preference for facing away from the center of the well and for the edge of the well. However, prolonged exposure to the well influenced overall activity, orientation, and preference for the edge region. The implications of these results for understanding the development of larval behavior and for the design of procedures to measure the effects of experience in zebrafish larvae are discussed.     

Lipid, fatty acid and protein utilization during lecithotrophic larval development of Lithodes santolla (Molina) and Paralomis granulosa (Jacquinot)

During the larval development of the subantarctic king crab, Lithodes santolla, and stone crab, Paralomis granulosa, we compared changes in the carbon, fatty acid and protein contents of larvae reared under constant conditions from hatching to metamorphosis, either in presence or absence of food (Artemia spp. nauplii). In both species the feeding condition had no influence on any of the chemical parameters studied, indicating a fully lecithotrophic (i.e. non-feeding) mode of development from hatching of the first zoea to metamorphosis of the late megalopa. Dry mass and carbon contents at hatching were similar in the larvae of both species, but L. santolla contained initially higher total amounts of fatty acids and protein than P. granulosa. Both species utilized considerable portions of their total fatty acid pool which decreased logarithmically throughout the time of development. At metamorphosis, it was almost exhausted in P. granulosa, while L. santolla had consumed only about 60%. Protein utilization, in contrast, was higher in L. santolla (40%) than in P. granulosa (20%). Triacylglycerol was the principal storage lipid in both species, accounting initially for about 75% of the lipid fraction; it was strongly utilized during larval development. Phospholipid constituted the second largest lipid class; it also decreased in P. granulosa, but to a lesser extent in L. santolla. The major fatty acids of both species were 18:1(n−9), 20:5(n−3) and 16:0 as well as, in lower proportions, 18:1(n−7), 22:6(n−3), 16:1(n−7) and 18:0. Monounsaturated fatty acids represented the dominant group in L. santolla, whereas P. granulosa contained similar amounts of mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. In L. santolla, monounsaturated fatty acids, especially 16:1(n−7), were preferentially utilized as compared to polyunsaturates. Due to a particularly strong lipid utilization in P. granulosa, all individual fatty acids were largely depleted at metamorphosis, showing similar extents of consumption. L. santolla had higher initial lipid and protein stores that seem to be used more economically as compared to P. granulosa.