Molecular delineation of the Y-borne Sry gene in the Formosan pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla) and its phylogenetic implications for Pholidota in extant mammals

The systematic status of Pholidota has been a matter of debate, particularly regarding the apparent inconsistency between morphological and molecular studies. The Sry gene, a master regulator of male sex determination in eutherian mammals, has not yet been used for phylogenetic analyses of extant mammals. The objective of the present study was to clone and characterize the complete gene (1300 base pairs; bp) and amino acid sequences (229 residues) of Sry from the Formosan pangolin (Manis pentadactyla pentadactyla), a member of Pholidota. The Sry amino acid identity between pangolin and other reported species ranged from 42.5% (mouse, Mus musculus) to 84.1% (European hare, Lepus europaeus). Sequence conservation was primarily in the high motility group (HMG) box (234 bp), whereas homology outside the HMG box was low. The cloned Sry was mapped to the pangolin Y chromosome by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH); this was confirmed to be the first Y-borne molecular marker identified in Pholidota. Based on Bayesian phylogenetic analysis for Sry HMG sequences from 36 representative taxa, including the Formosan pangolin, Pholidota was more closely related to Carnivora than to Xenarthra, consistent with the emerging molecular tree inferred from markers not located on the Y chromosome. In conclusion, this study characterized the gene structure of Sry of the Formosan pangolin and provided insights into the phylogenetic position of Pholidota.     

Two New Triterpenes from the Orchid Pholidota yunnanensis Rolfe

Two novel triterpenes (1 and 2) were isolated from the orchid Pholidota yunnanensis Rolfe.Using chemical and spectral analyses (UV, IR, MS, 1D-NMR and 2D-NMR), these two triterpenes were established as 25-methylenecyclopholidonyl p-hydroxy-trans-cinnamate (1; named pholidotine A) and 25methylenecyclopholidonyl p-hydroxy-cis-cinnamate (2; named pholidotine B).     

The Entotympanic of Pangolins and the Phylogeny of the Pholidota (Mammalia)

Entotympanics are independent elements present in the auditory bullae of various eutherians. An entotympanic has been reported for extant pangolins of the Order Pholidota, but the actual distribution of this element remains uncertain, in part, because it is a small, loosely attached structure that is often lost in macerated skulls. Consequently, it is unknown whether or not the entotympanic characterizes Pholidota primitively or has evolved within the group. This report addresses the morphology and distribution of the entotympanic among living and extinct pholidotans. An entotympanic occurs in the African pangolins Manis gigantea, M. temminckii, and in one specimen of M. tricuspis. In each, it is a small, nodular bone that occupies a distinct fossa primarily on the basioccipital, the presence of which allows us to assess the occurrence of an entotympanic even in specimens in which the bone has fallen out. Both the entotympanic and the basioccipital facet are lacking in the four remaining extant pangolin species and in the late Eocene pangolin Patriomanis. To assess the significance of this entotympanic distribution, a phylogenetic analysis of extant pangolins plus Patriomanis based on 67 cranial characters was performed. Four different outgroup analyses all resulted in the same single most parsimonious tree, in which the three extant Asian pangolins form a monophyletic clade and the four extant African pangolins fall into a paraphyletic assemblage. Optimization of the entotympanic distribution onto this tree results in two patterns, dependent on the outgroup choice. If Patriomanis is the sole outgroup to the extant pangolins, the entotympanic arises within pangolins as a synapomorphy of Manis gigantea and M. temminckii, convergently acquired in some M. tricuspis. If Xenarthra and Palaeanodonta are employed as outgroups, the entotympanic optimization is ambiguous: the pattern is either as above or the entotympanic is present primitively within Pholidota and lost secondarily in Patriomanis and a clade comprising M. tricuspis, M. tetradactyla, and the Asian forms.     

Two New Triterpenes from the Orchid Pholidota yunnanensis Rolfe

Two novel triterpenes (1 and 2) were isolated from the orchid Pholidota yunnanensis Rolfe.Using chemical and spectral analyses (UV, IR, MS,1D-NMR and 2D-NMR), these two triterpenes were established as 25-methylenecyclopholidonyl p-hydroxy-trans-cinnamate (1; named pholidotine A) and 25-methylenecyclopholidonyl p-hydroxy-cis-cinnamate (2; named pholidotine B).     

Time-budgets and activity patterns of captive Sunda pangolins (Manis javanica)

This is the first assessment of Manis javanica behavior in captivity. The aim of the investigation was to assess behavior in order to suggest ways of improving captive care and management of the species. This was undertaken by constructing time-budgets and activity patterns and identifying any abnormal repetitive behavior (ARB) exhibited. Scan and focal animal sampling were implemented in observations of seven subjects. Analyses detailed idiosyncrasies in how subjects partitioned their active time. Peak activity occurred between 18:00 and 21:00 hr. Two ARBs, clawing and pacing, were identified and the cessation of clawing in one subject was possible by modifying its enclosure. Stress-related behavior, understood to be related to several factors, means maintaining this species in captivity remains problematic. Recommendations are made pertaining to husbandry, captive management, and future research.     

3种石斛属植物和细叶石仙桃的红外光谱分析和鉴定

利用傅里叶红外光谱仪和OMINI采样器直接迅速地测定3种石斛属常用原料药植物和常用伪品细叶石仙桃的红外光谱。结果表明,细叶石仙桃与石斛属组3种植物茎叶的红外光谱图存在较大差异,亲缘关系较远,而石斛属组内种间红外光谱图的差异较小。其中,铁皮石斛茎的特征峰为1 254、1 416、1 5453、365 cm-1等,铁皮石斛叶的特征峰为914、1 061 cm-1等。研究表明,铜皮石斛与铁皮石斛具有相似的红外光谱图,它可作为药用石斛品种代用品,而细叶石仙桃则不能作为药用石斛的代用品。     

Morphology of the tongue of Vermilingua (Xenarthra: Pilosa) and evolutionary considerations

The tongue of anteaters (Xenarthra, Pilosa, Vermilingua) is a highly specialized for myrmecophagy. Here, we describe the topography and histology of the tongue, and compare it to that of other xenarthrans and other myrmecophagous eutherian mammals. The tongue of Vermilingua is long and slender, with an apical protuberance, which differs between Myrmecophagidae and Cyclopes didactylus . In the former, the rostral region is conical, and in the latter, it is dorsoventrally compressed, as observed in sloths. The tongue of Vermilingua has filiform and circumvallate papillae on the surface; foliate and fungiform papillae are absent. The filiform papillae of Myrmecophaga tridactyla are simple all over the tongue, differing from Tamandua tetradactyla and Cyclopes didactylus , which present composed filiform papillae in the rostral and middle regions. Histologically, the tongue has a peculiar organization of muscular and neurovascular tissues, differing from the usual mammalian pattern. However, the tongue structure is less divergent in Cyclopes . The presence of two circumvallate papillae is common to the three major clades of Xenarthra (Cingulata, Folivora and Vermilingua). In each group, the tongue may reflect functional features related to myrmecophagous (anteaters and some armadillos), omnivorous (remaining armadillos) and folivorous (sloths) feeding habits. The similarities between the tongues of Vermiligua and other non‐xenarthran eutherian myrmecophagous mammals are somewhat general and, under close inspection, superficial, being an example of different lineages achieving the same morphofunctional adaptations through distinct evolutionary pathways.