A new species of the genus <i>Atelopsalis</i> (Acari: Halacaridae) from Zanzibar, Tanzania

A new halacarid species belonging to the genus Atelopsalis is described from the east coast of Zanzibar,Tanzania. Atelopsalis zanzibari sp. nov. is characterized by an anterior areola and two longitudinal costae on anterior dorsal plate, posterior dorsal plate with four costae, genu I with one spine, genu II devoid of spine. This is the first report of the genus Atelopsalis from Tanzania

Effects of a herbicide and copper mixture on the quality of marine plankton

Pesticides and metals are often used in agriculture and are therefore often simultaneously discharged to nearby estuarine and marine areas. The effects of this organic-inorganic chemical mixture on food quality of aquatic organisms are currently unknown. In this study we test if a mixture of copper (inorganic) and the herbicide Primextra® Gold TZ (organic) affects the quality of the diatom Thalassiosira weissflogii and the copepod Acartia tonsa - two key species that fuel the local food-web. We quantified quality (i.e. energy content as food for the next trophic level) in terms of fatty acids, proteins and thiobarbituric acid reacting substances. We found non-additive effects (positive and negative) of the metal-herbicide mixture on the diatom and copepod species. In general, nutritionally important biochemical parameters of Acartia tonsa were most sensitive to the chemical stressors