Revisionary systematics of Octocorallia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) guided by phylogenomics

The anthozoan sub-class Octocorallia includes over 3500 nominal species of soft corals and gorgonian sea fans, many of which serve as critical foundation species in benthic marine ecosystems in shallow waters to the deep sea. Despite their familiarity and ecological impor-tance, the diversity and taxonomy of octocorals remain poorly known. All of the orders, subordinal groups, and a majority of families have been recognized to be poly- or paraphyletic, but poor resolution of the deeper nodes in mitochondrial or single-locus nuclear gene trees have hindered formal revision of the higher-level taxonomy of the group. We used sequence data from target-capture of 739 ultraconserved and exon loci to reconstruct a fully resolved phylogeny for 185 octocoral taxa represent-ing 55 of 63 currently recognized families. We use this phylogeny, sup-plemented with a gene tree for mitochondrial mtMutS for an additional 107 taxa, to guide a revision of the families and orders of Octocorallia. We (1) elevate the anthozoan sub-classes Octocorallia and Hexacorallia to the rank of Class; (2) replace the three currently recognized orders of Octocorallia (Alcyonacea, Pennatulacea, Helioporacea) with two new orders reflecting reciprocally monophyletic major clades; and (3) revise all families with the exception of the 15 recognized families of sea pens, which we accommodate within a new superfamily. The revised classifi-cation of Octocorallia thus comprises 79 families, including 18 that are newly described and three that have been reinstated or elevated in rank. In addition, two new genera are described and another three reinstated. We leave the family assignment of 46 of 413 genera as incertae sedis until further molecular or morphological data can be obtained to confirm their phylogenetic affinities

Easy and convenient millimole‐scale synthesis of new, potential biomarkers for gamma‐hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) intake: Feasible for analytical laboratories

New biomarkers indicating the abuse of drugs and alcohol are still of major interest for clinical and forensic sciences. The endogenous neurotransmitter and approved drug, gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), is often illegally used for drug-facilitated crimes by spiking GHB into alcoholic beverages. Analytical detection windows of only 6 h in blood and 12 h in urine are often too short to provide reliable proof of GHB ingestion. Therefore, new biomarkers are needed to prove exogenous GHB administration. Previously, amino acid GHB conjugates were discovered in an untargeted metabolomics screening and fatty acid esters with GHB were recently discussed as promising biomarkers to enlarge the analytical detection time windows. However, the development of analytical methods is still slowed down since reference compounds for targeted screenings are still missing. In this paper, we describe simple procedures for the rapid synthesis and purification of amino acid GHB conjugates as well as fatty acid esters, which can be adopted in analytical and clinical/forensic laboratories. Structural characterization data, together with IR, $^1$H-nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), $^{13}$C-NMR, high-resolution mass spectra (MS), and MS/MS spectra in positive and negative ionization mode are reported for all obtained GHB conjugates and GHB conjugate precursors

Anguilliform larvae collected off North Carolina

The distinctive larval stage of eels (leptocephalus) facilitates dispersal through prolonged life in the open ocean. Leptocephali are abundant and diverse off North Carolina, yet data on distributions and biology are lacking. The water column (from surface to 1,293 m) was sampled in or near the Gulf Stream off Cape Hatteras, Cape Lookout, and Cape Fear, North Carolina during summer through fall of 1999–2005, and leptocephali were collected by neuston net, plankton net, Tucker trawl, and dip net. Additional samples were collected nearly monthly from a transect across southern Onslow Bay, North Carolina (from surface to 91 m) from April 2000 to December 2001 by bongo and neuston nets, Methot frame trawl, and Tucker trawl. Overall, 584 tows were completed, and 224 of these yielded larval eels. The 1,295 eel leptocephali collected (combining all methods and areas) represented at least 63 species (nine families). Thirteen species were not known previously from the area. Dominant families for all areas were Congridae (44% of individuals, 11 species), Ophichthidae (30% of individuals, 27 species), and Muraenidae (22% of individuals, ten species). Nine taxa accounted for 70% of the overall leptocephalus catches (in order of decreasing abundance): Paraconger caudilimbatus (Poey), Gymnothorax ocellatus Agassiz complex, Ariosoma balearicum (Delaroche), Ophichthus gomesii (Castelnau), Callechelys muraena Jordan and Evermann, Letharchus aliculatus McCosker, Rhynchoconger flavus (Goode and Bean), Ophichthus cruentifer (Goode and Bean), Rhynchoconger gracilior (Ginsburg). The top three species represented 52% of the total eel larvae collected. Most leptocephali were collected at night (79%) and at depths \u3e 45 m. Eighty percent of the eels collected in discrete depth Tucker trawls at night ranged from mean depths of 59–353 m. A substantial number (38% of discrete depth sample total) of larval eels were also collected at the surface (neuston net) at night. Daytime leptocephalus distributions were less clear partly due to low catches and lower Tucker trawl sampling effort. While net avoidance may account for some of the low daytime catches, an alternative explanation is that many species of larval eels occur during the day at depths \u3e 350 m. Larvae of 21 taxa of typically shallow water eels were collected at depths \u3e 350 m, but additional discrete depth diel sampling is needed to resolve leptocephalus vertical distributions. The North Carolina adult eel fauna (estuary to at least 2,000 m) consists of 51 species, 41% of which were represented in these collections. Many species of leptocephali collected are not yet known to have juveniles or adults established in the South Atlantic Bight or north of Cape Hatteras. Despite Gulf Stream transport and a prolonged larval stage, many of these eel leptocephali may not contribute to their respective populations

Discovery of a Distinctive Spotted Color Pattern in the Cuskeel Neobythites unicolor (Teleostei, Ophidiidae) Based on Underwater-Vehicle Dives, with New Records from the Southern and Eastern Caribbean

In situ images and/or collection of seven specimens by underwater-vehicle dives at 269–609 m depth off Curaçao, Dominica, and Puerto Rico (S, E, and NE Caribbean) revealed new records and a previously unknown, distinctive color pattern for the cuskeel Neobythites unicolor (Ophidiidae). Species identification was based on detailed comparisons with earlier studied type and non-type material using morphometric, meristic, and otolith-form characters. A revised color description is provided based on images of live specimens in situ in their habitat, shortly after capture, and after preservation. Live and fresh specimens of Neobythites unicolor show a large number of distinctive, dark, rounded or irregularly shaped spots distributed dorsally on head, dorsal portion of body, and on the dorsal fin. This color pattern fades when fish are frozen, and it is completely lost during preservation over several years. The available images of fresh color patterns indicate an increase in spot size with fish size. In addition, some of the quantitatively examined morphometric and otolith characters of museum specimens show positive allometry. No geographic variation in color patterns could be detected. Although the Curaçao population is separated from all other known populations of N. unicolor by at least 650 km, the only population difference found was a slightly lower pectoral-fin ray count for the four specimens collected off Curaçao. An updated distribution map is provided correcting for an erroneous record in the inner Gulf of Mexico from which N. unicolor appears to be completely absent. While the spotted color pattern described here is unique among the 54 species of Neobythites, a similar pattern occurs in two other genera of the subfamily Neobythitinae, Sirembo and Spottobrotula. Further requirements to more fully understand the color diversity and related biology, ecology, and evolution in the species-rich genus Neobythites are emphasized.publishedVersio

Demersal fish assemblages on seamounts and other rugged features in the northeastern Caribbean

© The Author(s), 2017. This is the author's version of the work and is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers 123 (2017): 90–104, doi:10.1016/j.dsr.2017.03.009.Recent investigations of demersal fish communities in deepwater (>50 m) habitats have considerably increased our knowledge of the factors that influence the assemblage structure of fishes across mesophotic to deep-sea depths. While different habitat types influence deepwater fish distribution, whether different types of rugged seafloor features provide functionally equivalent habitat for fishes is poorly understood. In the northeastern Caribbean, different types of rugged features (e.g., seamounts, banks, canyons) punctuate insular margins, and thus create a remarkable setting in which to compare demersal fish communities across various features. Concurrently, several water masses are vertically layered in the water column, creating strong stratification layers corresponding to specific abiotic conditions. In this study, we examined differences among fish assemblages across different features (e.g., seamount, canyon, bank/ridge) and water masses at depths ranging from 98 to 4060 m in the northeastern Caribbean. We conducted 26 remotely operated vehicle dives across 18 sites, identifying 156 species of which 42% of had not been previously recorded from particular depths or localities in the region. While rarefaction curves indicated fewer species at seamounts than at other features in the NE Caribbean, assemblage structure was similar among the different types of features. Thus, similar to seamount studies in other regions, seamounts in the Anegada Passage do not harbor distinct communities from other types of rugged features. Species assemblages, however, differed among depths, with zonation generally corresponding to water mass boundaries in the region. High species turnover occurred at depths <1200 m, and may be driven by changes in water mass characteristics including temperature (4.8–24.4 °C) and dissolved oxygen (2.2–9.5 mg per l). Our study suggests the importance of water masses in influencing community structure of benthic fauna, while considerably adding to the knowledge of mesophotic and deep-sea fish biogeography.Funding was provided by NOAA-OER for the 2014 E/V Nautilus cruise and by the USGS Environments and Hazards Program and Ocean Exploration Trust for the 2013 E/V Nautilus 807 cruise.2019-03-1

Further Evidence for the Invasion and Establishment of Pterois volitans (Teleostei: Scorpaenidae) Along the Atlantic Coast of the United States

We document the continues population expansion of red lionfish, Pterois volitans, the first documented successful introduction of an invasive marine fish species from the western Pacific to Atlantic coastal water of the United States. Red lionfish are indigenous to the Indo-Pacific and have apparently established one or more breeding population on reefs off the southeastern United States. Fifty-nine specimens, most presumably adult red lionfish, were documented or collected on live-bottom reefs North Carolina, South Caroline, and Florida, and on a manmade structure off Georgia. Observation/collection depths and bottom water temperatures for these fish ranged from 4-99 m and 13.8-24.4 o c, respectively. Eleven juvenile lionfish, believed to be expatriated from southeastern waters, were collected in estuaries along the coast of Long Island, NY, at depths of 0-5 m and water temperatures ranging from 13.8-16.5 oC. Twelve of the total 70 specimens collected or observed were positively identified as red lionfish. Based on histological assessment of gonad tissue, two reproductively-active males and one immature female were collected. The life history of red lionfish, especially their reproductive biology and food habits, should be investigated along the east coast of the US to determine the potential impacts of the species on ecosystems they have invaded

Description of a new species of black coral in the family Aphanipathidae (Anthozoa, Antipatharia) from Puerto Rico

Black corals (Anthozoa: Antipatharia) are an anthozoan lineage in the class Hexacorallia that occur across a wide range of habitats from the tropics to the poles and from surface waters to depths deeper than 8000 m. A new species of black coral, Aphanipathes puertoricoensis sp. nov., collected with a remotely operated vehicle 357 m deep off Puerto Rico is recognized in the family Aphanipathidae. The new species is characterized by very long and loosely coiled primary branches and up to 0.5 mm tall spines with as many as 40 or more small conical tubercles. A phylogeny composed of 13 taxa that are closely related to the new species was reconstructed from 793 nuclear loci to show their systematic relationships. Our study integrated morphological and genomic data to show that this new species is distinct from other species in the genus Aphanipathes. Furthermore, our results add to the growing knowledge of black coral diversity, while further demonstrating the need for exploration in deep waters of the Caribbean Sea

Treatment with FRAX486 rescues neurobehavioral and metabolic alterations in a female mouse model of CDKL5 deficiency disorder

Introduction: CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a rare neurodevelopmental condition, primarily affecting girls for which no cure currently exists. Neuronal morphogenesis and plasticity impairments as well as metabolic dysfunctions occur in CDD patients. The present study explored the potential therapeutic value for CDD of FRAX486, a brain-penetrant molecule that was reported to selectively inhibit group I p21-activated kinases (PAKs), serine/threonine kinases critically involved in the regulation of neuronal morphology and glucose homeostasis.Methods: The effects of treatment with FRAX486 on CDD-related alterations were assessed in vitro (100 nM for 48h) on primary hippocampal cultures from Cdkl5-knockout male mice (Cdkl5-KO) and in vivo (20 mg/Kg, s.c. for 5 days) on Cdkl5-KO heterozygous females (Cdkl5-Het).Results: The in vitro treatment with FRAX486 completely rescued the abnormal neuronal maturation and the number of PSD95-positive puncta in Cdkl5-KO mouse neurons. In vivo, FRAX486 normalized the general health status, the hyperactive profile and the fear learning defects of fully symptomatic Cdkl5-Het mice. Systemically, FRAX486 treatment normalized the levels of reactive oxidizing species in the whole blood and the fasting-induced hypoglycemia displayed by CdklS-Het mice. In the hippocampus of Cdkl5-Het mice, treatment with FRAX486 rescued spine maturation and PSD95 expression and restored the abnormal PAKs phosphorylation at sites which are critical for their activation (P-PAK-Ser144/141/139) or for the control cytoskeleton remodeling (P-PAK1-Thr212).Conclusions: Present results provide evidence that PAKs may represent innovative therapeutic targets for CDD

The skeletal effect of post-natal treatment with N-acetylcysteine in a diastrophic dysplasia mouse model

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A tenuis relationship: traditional taxonomy obscures systematics and biogeography of the ‘Acropora tenuis’ (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) species complex

Molecular phylogenetics has fundamentally altered our understanding of the taxonomy, systematics and biogeography of corals. Recently developed phylogenomic techniques have started to resolve species-level relationships in the diverse and ecologically important genus Acropora, providing a path to resolve the taxonomy of this notoriously problematic group. We used a targeted capture dataset (2032 loci) to investigate systematic relationships within an Acropora clade containing the putatively widespread species Acropora tenuis and its relatives. Using maximum likelihood phylogenies and genetic clustering of single nucleotide polymorphisms from specimens, including topotypes, collected across the Indo-Pacific, we show ≥ 11 distinct lineages in the clade, only four of which correspond to currently accepted species. Based on molecular, morphological and geographical evidence, we describe two new species; Acropora rongoi n. sp. and Acropora tenuissima n. sp. and remove five additional nominal species from synonymy. Systematic relationships revealed by our molecular phylogeny are incongruent with traditional morphological taxonomy and demonstrate that characters traditionally used to delineate species boundaries and infer evolutionary history are homoplasies. Furthermore, we show that species within this clade have much smaller geographical ranges and, consequently, population sizes than currently thought, a finding with profound implications for conservation and management of reef corals