Monacha samsunensis (Pfeiffer, 1868): another Anatolian species introduced to Western Europe, where it is known as Monacha atacis Gittenberger & de Winter, 1985 (Gastropoda: Eupulmonata: Hygromiidae)

Populations of Monacha atacis from southern Occitania in France and of M. samsunensis from northern Anatolia in Turkey (Atakum/Samsun and Kastamonu) were investigated by an integrative approach based on morphological (shell and genitalia) and molecular (mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences) features. Morphological examination revealed a complex pattern of variation within and between geographically separated populations, while molecular analysis showed strong similarity between the two species, confirming earlier suggestions that the species are conspecific. Pfeiffer’s name Helix samsunensis introduced in 1868 has priority over the name M. atacis given by Gittenberger & de Winter in 1985. © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group

Weltersia obscura, a new slug from the island of Montecristo (Tuscan Archipelago, Italy): a hitherto undiscovered endemic or a recent alien? (Mollusca, Pulmonata, Limacidae)

Unexpectedly, an unknown limacid slug was found in damp meadows and granite trails on the western side of Montecristo, a small island of the Tuscan Archipelago (N Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy), the malacofauna of which has been extensively studied in the last 50 years. It is distinguished from all other anatomically studied limacid species: its duct of the bursa copulatrix joins to the female distal genitalia while in all other limacids except Limacus flavus, it joins to the penis (or the genital atrium). Several other features distinguish the Montecristo slug from L. flavus: body colour, structure of ovispermiduct and free oviduct (with a peculiar sphincter in the new slug), internal structure of the penis and female distal genitalia. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences of several mitochondrial (COI, 16S rDNA) and nuclear (ITS2, 28S rDNA) gene fragments supported the assignation of the Montecristo slug to the family Limacidae, but also its distinction from all molecularly characterized species from the genera Limax, Ambigolimax, Bielzia, Lehmannia, Limacus and Malacolimax. Therefore we decided to describe it within a new genus as Weltersia obscura sp. nov. The origin of this slug is obscure - it is not clear if it is an endemic species overlooked in previous field studies or an alien species introduced to the island very recently

Monacha cantiana s.l. (Montagu, 1803) (Gastropoda: Hygromiidae) - mitochondrial lineage occurring in Austria

Monacha cantiana s.l., a species not native to Austria, was first recorded in northern lower Austria in 1995 and later in Vienna and surroundings. Its distribution continues to spread. To clarify the origins of this introduced species, some Viennese populations of M. cantiana s.l. were compared with other M. cantiana lineages using the mitochondrial cytochrom c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) and 16SrRNA (16S) gene sequences. Genital structures were dissected to find anatomical traits that could distinguish different species or genetic lineages. A Maximum Likelihood tree placed the Austrian specimens in a clade of north Italian populations. Specimens from both areas showed identical morphology of anatomical structures. Phylogenetic analysis showed that the Austrian-north Italian clade was closely related to the French Monacha cemenelea, but not to M. cantiana s.str.. More comprehensive studies using molecular genetic markers and anatomical traits may be able to determine whether or not the Austrian-north Italian clade is conspecific with M. cemenelea

Evaluating the online activity of users of the e-bug web site

Web server log analysis is being increasingly used to evaluate the user behaviour on healthcare resource web sites due to the detailed record of activity that they contain. This study aimed to use this information to evaluate the e-Bug web site, a healthcare resource that provides a range of educational resources about microbes, hand and respiratory hygiene, and antibiotics. This evaluation was conducted by analysing the web server logs of the e-Bug web site for the period January 2008 to November 2009, using a proprietary application named Sawmill. The e-Bug web site has had .900000 page views generated from .88000 users, with an increase in May 2009 during the swine flu epidemic and a further increase in September 2009 following the official launch of e-Bug. The majority of visitors were from the UK, but visits were recorded from 190 different countries. Word® document resources were downloaded .169000 times, with the most popular being a swine flu factsheet. PowerPoint® document resources were downloaded .36000 times, with the most popular relating to the ‘chain of infection’. The majority of visitor referrals originated from search engines, with the most popular referral keywords being variations on the e-Bug name. The most common non-search engine referrals were from other healthcare resources and agencies. Use of the site has increased markedly since the official launch of e-Bug, with average page views of .200000 per month, from a range of countries, illustrating the international demand for a teaching resource for microbes, hygiene and antibiotics

Development of an educational resource on microbes, hygiene and prudent antibiotic use for junior and senior school children

Health promotion interventions aimed at children and young people have the potential to lay the foundations for healthy lifestyles. One such intervention, e-Bug, aims to provide schoolchildren with knowledge of prudent antibiotic use and how to reduce the spread of infection. Many children and schools approach learning in different ways; therefore, it is essential to research school needs and the variety of learning styles when creating any school resources. This article outlines the process involved during the development of a pan-European educational resource, and identifies the final pack layout, based on feedback from teacher focus groups, student questionnaires and European partner discussion

Association of missense variants in GDF9 with litter size in Entlebucher Mountain dogs

In the past two decades, average litter size (ALS) in Entlebucher Mountain dogs decreased by approximately 0.8 puppies. We conducted a GWAS for ALS using the single-step methodology to take advantage of 1632 pedigree records, 892 phenotypes and 372 genotypes (173 662 markers) for which only 12% of the dogs had both phenotypes and genotypes available. Our analysis revealed associations towards the growth differentiation factor 9 gene (GDF9), which is known to regulate oocyte maturation. The trait heritability was estimated at 43.1%, from which approximately 15% was accountable by the GDF9 locus alone. Therefore, markers flanking GDF9 explained approximately 6.5% of the variance in ALS. Analysis of WGSs revealed two missense substitutions in GDF9, one of which (g.11:21147009G>A) affected a highly conserved nucleotide in vertebrates. The derived allele A was validated in 111 dogs and shown to be associated with decreased ALS (-0.75 ± 0.22 puppies per litter). The variant was further predicted to cause a proline to serine substitution. The affected residue was immediately followed by a six-residue deletion that is fixed in the canine species but absent in non-canids. We further confirmed that the deletion is prevalent in the Canidae family by sequencing three species of wild canids. Since canids uniquely ovulate oocytes at the prophase stage of the first meiotic division, requiring maturation in the oviduct, we conjecture that the amino acid substitution and the six-residue deletion of GDF9 may serve as a model for insights into the dynamics of oocyte maturation in canids