Occurrence of Chelonibia testudinaria (Linnaeus) (Crustacea: Cirripedia) in coastal waters of Pakistan

Five specimens of sessile barnacle, Chelonibia testudinaria (Linnaeus) were collected, in February 1993, from the back of a green turtle, Chelonea mydas, which was going back to the sea after laying eggs on Sandspit beach (24 degree 49'N; 66 degree 56'E). Chelonibia testudinaria is widely distributed throughout tropical and temperate seas and has only been reported to be found attached to turtles (Newman and Ross, 1976). In spite of its wide distribution it has not been reported from Northern Arabian Sea bordering Pakistan. The only species of genus Chelonibia known to occur in coastal waters of Pakistan is C. patula (Ranzani) recently reported by Javed and Mustaquim (1992). A brief description of C. testudinaria based on the present material is given below. All the specimens are housed in the Centre of Excellence in Marine Biology

Biochemical systematics of vertain polychaetes with special reference to Polydora ciliata (Johnston)

Intraspecific variation in Polydora ciliata (Johnston) was assessed on the basis of evidence from morphology and population genetics. Morphological characters were studied by scanning electron microscopy and differences were observed between populations of P. ciliata with respect to the setae of the enlarged 5th segment and in the length of caruncle. Gene frequencies were determined for all the nine populations of P. ciliata by the use of polyacrylamide slab gel electrophoresis. Seven enzyme systems comprising 13 loci were investigated from individual worms. The enzyme systems were: 1. acid phosphatase, 2. esterase, 3. glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, 4. malate dehydrogenase, 5. malic enzyme, 6. phosphoglucose isomerase, and 7. xanthine dehydrogenase. The mean genetic identity and genetic distance were calculated using Nei's index. The genetic identity calculations revealed a high degree of similarity between populations of P. ciliata which bore in hard substrates. The 'boring' and 'non-boring' forms of P. ciliata were significantly different from each other with respect to phosphoglucose isomerase, esterase and acid phosphatase. Two other species of Polydora, P. ligni Webster and P. limicola (Annenkova) were also studied morphologically and electrophoretically in order to assess interspecific variation. P. ligni was found very similar genetically to the 'non-boring' form of P. ciliata. Other polychaetes which were studied electrophoretically include; 1. Arenicola marina, 2. Nereis diversicolor, 3. N. virens and N. fucata. Inter and intraspecific variation was observed but due to small sample sizes gene frequencies were not determined.<p

Schistomeringos japonica (Family Dorvilleidae) – A new record of polychaete from Pakistani coast

485-487A marine polychaete worm, of the genus Schistomeringos Jumars, 1974, is hereby reported for the first time from the coasts of Pakistan. Several specimens of Schistomeringos japonica (Annenkova, 1937) were collected from settlement panels deployed at Korangi Fish Harbour (24˚48&acute;8.34˝ N; 67˚17&acute;60˝ E), Karachi, Pakistani coast. S. japonica is closely related to S. rudolphi (Delle Chiaje, 1828) but differs in having furcate chaeta from the first, not the second, pair of parapodia. S. rudolphi has been reported from the Red Sea. Detailed description and illustrations of S. japonica, based on Pakistani materials, are given herein