Variación morfológica y un nuevo y remarcable tipo de dimorfismo sexual en la población de Pseudocyclops xiphophorus del Lago Faro en el noreste de Sicilia

The population of P. xiphophorus in Lake Faro exhibits variation in the form of caudal seta V. In some specimens of both sexes, this seta is spatulate but in others it is slender and unmodified. Occasional specimens are asymmetrical. In addition to this variation in caudal seta form, the Lake Faro population displays variation in male body length and in the extent of the sexually dimorphic specialisation of the right swimming leg 2. The scale of these differences between the morphotypes might suggest their taxonomic treatment as distinct species. The modification of the distal two segments of the exopod of right leg 2 in the male is a unique sexual dimorphism. We infer, from the presence of this hook on the right exopod in adult males only, that it is involved in mating behaviour. Laboratory-based breeding experiments between females and males showing different combinations of these characters were also performed. Experiments comparing egg production rates in females that have mated with modified or unmodified males revealed no significant differences. It appears therefore that gene flow is not interrupted between the morphotypes and that reproductive segregation does not occur. Observations of male leg 5 morphology and musculature revealed no significant differences between the two P. xiphophorus morphotypes.La población de P. xiphophorus del Lago Faro muestra variación en la forma de la seda caudal V. En algunos especímenes de ambos sexos presenta una morfología espatulada, pero en otros es esbelta y sin modificaciones. Ocasionalmente, es asimétrica en un mismo individuo. La población del Lago Faro muestra también variabilidad en la longitud corporal del macho y en el grado de dimorfismo sexual de la segunda pata natatoria derecha. La escala de estas diferencias entre morfotipos podría sugerir un tratamiento específico diferente para ellos. La modificación en el macho de los dos segmentos distales del exópodo de la segunda pata natatoria derecha es un carácter desconocido en otras especies del género. La presencia de un gancho en el exópodo derecho de los machos sugiere que esta modificación está relacionada con el comportamiento de apareamiento. Se han realizado cruzamientos en laboratorio entre hembras y machos que mostraban diferentes combinaciones de estos caracteres. La comparación de las tasas de producción de huevos en hembras que se han cruzado con machos con o sin modificaciones no muestra diferencias significativas. Parece por tanto que el flujo génico entre morfotipos no está interrumpido y que no tiene lugar segregación reproductiva. La observación de la morfología y del patrón muscular de la pata quinta del macho no ha revelado tampoco diferencias significativas entre los dos morfotipos de P. xiphophorus

Misophriopsis okinawensis sp. nov. (Crustacea: Copepoda) from Hyperbenthic Waters off Okinawa, South Japan, with Definitions of Related Genera Misophria Boeck, 1864 and Stygomisophria gen. nov.

A new misophrioid copepod Misophriopsis okinawensis (Crustacea) is reported from Kume Island, Okinawa, South Japan. A full description of the new misophrioid is presented, together with supplementary notes on the males of Misophria pallida Boeck, 1864. Consideration of the phylogeny of the new species led to a reassessment of the affinities between all the named species of Misophria Boeck, 1864 and Misophriopsis Boxshall, 1983. A new genus, Stygomisophira, is recognised based on Misophria kororiensis Boxshall et Iliffe, 1987. Diagnoses are presented of all three genera

Two new species of parasitic copepods from the genera Nothobomolochus and Unicolax (Cyclopoida: Bomolochidae) from Australian waters

A 2016 collaborative survey of commercial fish parasites in Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia led to the discovery of two new species of parasitic copepods belonging to the family Bomolochidae. Females of Nothobomolochus johndaveorum n. sp. were found attached to the gill filaments of Gerres subfasciatus and Gerres oyena. The new species most closely resembles N. leiognathicola and N. quadriceros. All 3 species possess 3 modified setae on the first antennulary segment that are approximately the same length and have a robust seta on the second antennulary segment adjacent to the 3 modified setae giving a superficial appearance of 4 modified setae on the antennule. The new species can be distinguished from these two species in its possession of longer inner setae on the first two endopodal segments of leg 4: the seta on endopodal segment 1 extends past the midline of the distal segment in the new species vs to the proximal margin of the distal segment in the other two species, and the seta on segment 2 extends well beyond the distal margin of the endopod in the new species vs just to the margin in the other two species. Females and males of Unicolax longicrus n. sp. were found in the nasal sinuses of Sillago maculata and Sillago ciliata. The new species differs from 6 of its 7 congeners in having a leg 4 exopod formula of II, I, 4 rather than II, I, 3 or II, I, 5. The new species resembles U. anonymous in this feature, but differs in its possession of a leg 5 that is relatively longer and less wide, and, whereas U. anonymous possesses inner and outer distal spines on leg 5 that are approximately the same length, those of the new species are relatively longer and asymmetrical. Unicolax longicrus n. sp. is unique among its congeners in its possession of a leg 4 with highly elongated endopodal segments 2 and 3, from which its name is derived. In addition to describing the two new species, host and locality reports for all species of Nothobomolochus and Unicolax are reviewed

A New Species of Paramacrochiron (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Macrochironidae) Associated with the Rhizostome Medusa Rhopilema hispidum Collected from the Gulf of Thailand, with a Phylogenetic Analysis of the Family Macrochironidae

Paramacrochiron thailandicum n. sp. (Copepoda: Cyclopoida: Macrochironidae) is described from the rhizostome medusa Rhopilema hispidum occurring in the Gulf of Thailand. The new species is distinguishable from other congeners mainly by detailed features of the fourth legs and the urosome in both sexes. Copepodid and adult stages of the genus Paramacrochiron seem to be host-specific to rhizostome medusae, but may spend periods free in the plankton or benthos during the absence of the host. A cladistic analysis shows that the Macrochironidae comprises two main lineages. Paramacrochiron is recovered as a monophyletic group, located on one lineage together with Pseudomacrochiron, which appears as a paraphyletic taxon with the limited character set used. The other main lineage comprises the genera Macrochiron and Sewellochiron, but the sole species of the latter genus, Sewellochiron fidens, is nested within Macrochiron. This analysis provides little support for maintaining Sewellochiron as a separate genus

Some Observations of Morphology and Behavior of a Hyperbenthic Misophrioid Copepod

The locomotion, feeding, excretion, and oviposition of a member of the copepod family Misophriidae were observed based on a live specimen collected from a sandy bottom at a depth of 52 m off Nagannu Island, Okinawa, Japan. This species is related to Arcticomisophria Martínez Arbizu and Seifried, 1996 in the armature of leg 1, but the fifth leg is much more reduced. The combination of morphological characters strongly suggests that it represents an undescribed genus. The maxillipeds played a major role in attaching to the bottom and in crawling, while the antennae and mandibular palps were involved in slow swimming along the bottom. It fed on small-sized cultured phytoplankters, and excreted numerous fecal pellets. The female carried 4-5 eggs of 0.09 mm diameter that were loosely attached to the urosome. Nearly complete nuclear 18S and 28S rRNA gene sequences and a partial mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) gene sequence were obtained and are made available for future phylogenetic and systematic work

Historical biogeography of the neotropical Diaptomidae (Crustacea:Copepoda)

Introduction: Diaptomid copepods are prevalent throughout continental waters of the Neotropics, yet little is\ud known about their biogeography. In this study we investigate the main biogeographical patterns among the\ud neotropical freshwater diaptomid copepods using Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity (PAE) based on species records\ud within ecoregions. In addition, we assess potential environmental correlates and limits for species richness.\ud Results: PAE was efficient in identifying general areas of endemism. Moreover, only ecoregion area showed a\ud significant correlation with diaptomid species richness, although climatic factors were shown to provide possible\ud upper limits to the species richness in a given ecoregion.\ud Conclusion: The main patterns of endemism in neotropical freshwater diaptomid copepods are highly congruent\ud with other freshwater taxa, suggesting a strong historical signal in determining the distribution of the family in the\ud Neotropics.We would like to thank to Professor Edinaldo Nelson dos Santos Silva (INPA, Brazil) for useful insight during this study. We also thank FAPESP (process 2008/02015-7, 2009/00014-6, 2011/18358-3) for financial support to GPN; and CNPq for financial support to DP (process 141702/2006-0) and MRP (process 304897/2012-4)

Parasitic copepods from Egyptian Red Sea fishes: Bomolochidae Claus, 1875

© The Author(s) 2015 Open Access - This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The attached file is the published version of the article

Lesioning of the Striatum Reverses Motor Asymmetry in the 6-Hydroxydopamine Rodent Model of Parkinsonism

In the rat several paradigms of grafting of adrenal medulla into the striatum were studied following the induction of a parkinsonian model, using a unilateral 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of the substantia nigra . Direct autologous grafting of adrenal medulla into the caudate-putamen complex, a radiofrequency lesion of the striatum alone, and a radiofrequency lesion followed by delayed grafting of adrenal medulla were compared by analyzing rotational behavior. Direct grafting of adrenal medulla produced an overall reduction in apomorphine induced turning behavior by 43.5% when compared with controls. Radiofrequency lesioning of the striatum without graft showed the best improvement over control animals with a 92% reduction in the total number of rotations induced by apomorphine. Delayed grafting into the caudate lesion cavity also produced a dramatic reduction in motor asymmetry but did not improve the behavioral outcome over that of the lesion alone. Animals receiving only radiofrequency lesions exhibited a band of increased tyrosine hydroxylase like immunoreactivity bordering the lesion cavity. Graft survival was limited in the nonlesioned animals but appeared enhanced in the animals whose striatum was previously lesioned. Lesion location within the striatum influenced the behavioral outcome. Large reductions in apomorphine-induced rotations could result from small lesions of the dorso-lateral striatum. These findings indicate that selective destruction of the caudate-putamen complex without tissue transplantation produces a dramatic reduction in the motor asymmetry of 6-OHDA treated rats. Suggested explanations for the decrease in induced rotational behavior with radiofrequency lesions include a decrease in the number of striatal dopamine receptors following cell destruction and lesioninduced recovery of host dopaminergic afferents. Striatal damage in critical areas can reverse some of the motor behavior associated with the 6-OHDA model and needs to be considered when evaluating the effects of neural grafting in this model

New Species in the Old World: Europe as a Frontier in Biodiversity Exploration, a Test Bed for 21st Century Taxonomy

The number of described species on the planet is about 1.9 million, with ca. 17,000 new species described annually, mostly from the tropics. However, taxonomy is usually described as a science in crisis, lacking manpower and funding, a politically acknowledged problem known as the Taxonomic Impediment. Using data from the Fauna Europaea database and the Zoological Record, we show that contrary to general belief, developed and heavily-studied parts of the world are important reservoirs of unknown species. In Europe, new species of multicellular terrestrial and freshwater animals are being discovered and named at an unprecedented rate: since the 1950s, more than 770 new species are on average described each year from Europe, which add to the 125,000 terrestrial and freshwater multicellular species already known in this region. There is no sign of having reached a plateau that would allow for the assessment of the magnitude of European biodiversity. More remarkably, over 60% of these new species are described by non-professional taxonomists. Amateurs are recognized as an essential part of the workforce in ecology and astronomy, but the magnitude of non-professional taxonomist contributions to alpha-taxonomy has not been fully realized until now. Our results stress the importance of developing a system that better supports and guides this formidable workforce, as we seek to overcome the Taxonomic Impediment and speed up the process of describing the planetary biodiversity before it is too late