A new record of a rare species Masturus lanceolatus (Point-tail sunfish) from Chennai coastal waters, India

297-301A single individual point tailed sunfish Masturus lanceolatus was landed at Kasimedu fishing harbour, Chennai coast by gill netter, for the first time. In the present study, morphometrics and meristic measurements of the sunfish were made, which was found to be 120 cm long and weighed approximately 44 kg. The specimen has been compared with earlier reports

3-(2-Meth­oxy­naphthalen-1-yl)-2-benzofuran-1(3H)-one

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C19H14O3, contains two crystallographically independent mol­ecules in which the dihedral angles between the naphthalene and benzofuran ring systems are 76.49 (7) and 86.17 (7)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions into chains running parallel to the a axis. In addition, the crystal packing is stabilized by C—H⋯π inter­actions

Further records of rare brachyuran crab Eucrate indica (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura Euryplacidae) along the Chennai coast, Tamil Nadu, India

This study reports further occurrence of the crab Eucrate indica (Crustacea: Decapoda: Brachyura: Euryplacidae) along the Chennai coast, Tamil Nadu, India. The crabs were obtained from a depth of 40-60 m in the trawl by-catch. The morphological features, color and distribution of these crabs are given

Arribazón de medusa azul Porpita porpita en las playas de Visakhapatnam, India (Bahía occidental de Bengala)

Porpita porpita occurs in the tropical and sub-tropical waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans, and the mass numbers of stranded colonies seem to be increasing. Although its presence in Indian waters is minimal, this is the first record ever made of P. porpita in Visakhapatnam coastal waters. The present study provided a detailed description of the species and its global distribution. Further, the perceived increase in gelatinous zooplankton blooms in the observed area indicates that jellyfish can negatively affect fisheries because they compete with zooplanktivorous fish, prey upon fish eggs and larvae, and indirectly compete with higher trophic levels by reducing the plankton available to planktivores. Conversely, jellyfishes also play a vital role in regulating global marine plankton food webs, spatio-temporal dynamics, and biomass, which is a role that has been generally neglected so far.Porpita porpita se encuentra en las aguas tropicales y subtropicales de los océanos Pacífico, Atlántico e Índico, y el número masivo de colonias varadas parece estar aumentando. Aunque su presencia en las aguas de la India es mínima, este es el primer registro de P. porpita en las aguas costeras de Visakhapatnam. El presente estudio proporcionó una descripción detallada de la especie y su distribución global. Además, el aumento percibido en las floraciones de zooplancton gelatinoso en el área observada, indica que las medusas pueden afectar negativamente a las pesquerías porque compiten con los peces zooplanctívoros, se alimentan de huevos y larvas de peces, e indirectamente compiten con niveles tróficos más altos al reducir el plancton disponible para los planctívoros. Por el contrario, las medusas también juegan un papel vital en la regulación de las redes alimentarias del plancton marino global, la dinámica espacio-temporal y la biomasa, un papel que generalmente se ha descuidado hasta ahora.  

(Biphenyl-4-yl)[2-(4-methyl­benzo­yl)phen­yl]methanone

In the title compound, C27H20O2, the central benzene ring makes dihedral angles of 64.86 (7) and 70.35 (7)° with the methyl-substituted ring and the biphenyl ring system, respectively. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯O inter­actions, which link the mol­ecules into chains parallel to the b axis

(4-Methyl­phen­yl)[2-(thio­phen-2-ylcarbon­yl)phen­yl]methanone

The crystal studied of the title compound, C19H14O2S, was an inversion twin with a 0.7 (1):0.3 (1) domain ratio. The central benzene ring makes dihedral angles of 63.31 (9) and 60.86 (9)°, respectively, with the 4-methyl­phenyl and thio­phene rings. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and S⋯π [3.609 (3) Å] inter­actions

Potential of Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Preventive Management of Novel H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) Pandemic: Thwarting Potential Disasters in the Bud

The emergence of novel H1N1 has posed a situation that warrants urgent global attention. Though antiviral drugs are available in mainstream medicine for treating symptoms of swine flu, currently there is no preventive medicine available. Even when available, they would be in short supply and ineffective in a pandemic situation, for treating the masses worldwide. Besides the development of drug resistance, emergence of mutant strains of the virus, emergence of a more virulent strain, prohibitive costs of available drugs, time lag between vaccine developments, and mass casualties would pose difficult problems. In view of this, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) offers a plethora of interesting preventive possibilities in patients. Herbs exhibit a diverse array of biological activities and can be effectively harnessed for managing pandemic flu. Potentially active herbs can serve as effective anti influenza agents. The role of CAM for managing novel H1N1 flu and the mode of action of these botanicals is presented here in an evidence-based approach that can be followed to establish their potential use in the management of influenza pandemics. The complementary and alternative medicine approach deliberated in the paper should also be useful in treating the patients with serious influenza in non pandemic situations

Redescription and new distributional records of Matuta planipes (Fabricius, 1798) (Crustacea; Decapoda; Matutidae) from Chennai Coast, Tamil Nadu

Matuta planipes is reported for the first occurrence from Chennai coast, Tamil Nadu. Four female and two male specimens was caught in trawl net near Kasimedu fish landing center, on September 2013. The morphological characters of Matuta planipes, is having on surface regions of male chela a single spine, frontal lobes and carapace covered with reticulated loops as compared with bispinose chela, rounded lobes and minutely spotted carapace of the latter, these characters mostly differs from Matuta victor. The specimen has been compared with the earlier reports and other similar species