A practical staging atlas to study embryonic development of Octopus vulgaris under controlled laboratory conditions

Abstract Background Octopus vulgaris has been an iconic cephalopod species for neurobiology research as well as for cephalopod aquaculture. It is one of the most intelligent and well-studied invertebrates, possessing both long- and short-term memory and the striking ability to perform complex cognitive tasks. Nevertheless, how the common octopus developed these uncommon features remains enigmatic. O. vulgaris females spawn thousands of small eggs and remain with their clutch during their entire development, cleaning, venting and protecting the eggs. In fact, eggs incubated without females usually do not develop normally, mainly due to biological contamination (fungi, bacteria, etc.). This high level of parental care might have hampered laboratory research on the embryonic development of this intriguing cephalopod. Results Here, we present a completely parameter-controlled artificial seawater standalone egg incubation system that replaces maternal care and allows successful embryonic development of a small-egged octopus species until hatching in a laboratory environment. We also provide a practical and detailed 1 staging atlas based on bright-field and light sheet fluorescence microscopy imaging for precise monitoring of embryonic development. The atlas has a comparative section to benchmark stages to the different scales published by Naef (1928), Arnold (1965) and Boletzky (2016). Finally, we provide methods to monitor health and wellbeing of embryos during organogenesis. Conclusion Besides introducing the study of O. vulgaris embryonic development to a wider community, this work can be a high-quality reference for comparative evolutionary developmental biology.status: publishe

General and species-specific recommendations for minimal requirements for the use of cephalopods in scientific research

International audienceHere we list species-specific recommendations for housing, care and management of cephalopod molluscs employed for research purposes with the aim of contributing to the standardization of minimum requirements for establishments, care and accommodation of these animals in compliance with the principles stated in Directive 2010/63/EU. Maximizing their psychophysical welfare was our priority. General recommendations on water surface area, water depth and tank shape here reported represent the outcome of the combined action of the analysis of the available literature and an expertise-based consensus reached – under the aegis of the COST Action FA1301 – among researchers working with the most commonly used cephalopod species in Europe. Information on water supply and quality, environmental conditions, stocking density, feeding and handling are also provided. Through this work we wish to set the stage for a more fertile ground of evidence-based approaches on cephalopod laboratory maintenance, thus facilitating standardization and replicability of research outcomes across laboratories, at the same time maximizing the welfare of these animals

General and species-specific recommendations for minimal requirements for the use of cephalopods in scientific research

Here we list species-specific recommendations for housing, care and management of cephalopod molluscs employed for research purposes with the aim of contributing to the standardization of minimum requirements for establishments, care and accommodation of these animals in compliance with the principles stated in Directive 2010/63/EU. Maximizing their psychophysical welfare was our priority. General recommendations on water surface area, water depth and tank shape here reported represent the outcome of the combined action of the analysis of the available literature and an expertise-based consensus reached - under the aegis of the COST Action FA1301 - among researchers working with the most commonly used cephalopod species in Europe. Information on water supply and quality, environmental conditions, stocking density, feeding and handling are also provided. Through this work we wish to set the stage for a more fertile ground of evidence-based approaches on cephalopod laboratory maintenance, thus facilitating standardization and replicability of research outcomes across laboratories, at the same time maximizing the welfare of these animals

sj-pdf-1-lan-10.1177_00236772221111261 - Supplemental material for General and species-specific recommendations for minimal requirements for the use of cephalopods in scientific research

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-lan-10.1177_00236772221111261 for General and species-specific recommendations for minimal requirements for the use of cephalopods in scientific research by Giovanna Ponte, Katina Roumbedakis, COST Action FA1301, Viola Galligioni, Ludovic Dickel, Cécile Bellanger, Joao Pereira, Erica AG Vidal, Panos Grigoriou, Enrico Alleva, Daniela Santucci, Claudia Gili, Giovanni Botta, Pamela Imperadore, Andrea Tarallo, Lars Juergens, Emily Northrup, David Anderson, Arianna Aricò, Marianna De Luca, Eleonora Maria Pieroni, Graziano Fiorito in Laboratory Animals</p

First Observation of the Decays (B)over-bar(0) -> D+K-pi(+)pi(-) and B- -> (DK-)-K-0 pi(+)pi(-)

First observations of the Cabibbo-suppressed decays (B) over bar (0) -> D+K-pi(+)pi(-) and B- -> (DK-)-K-0 pi(+)pi(-) are reported using 35 pb(-1) of data collected with the LHCb detector. Their branching fractions are measured with respect to the corresponding Cabibbo-favored decays, from which we obtain B((B) over bar (0) -> D+K-pi(+)pi(-))/B((B) over bar (0) -> D+pi(-)pi(+)pi(-) = (5.9 +/- 1.1 +/- 0.5) x 10(-2) and B(B- -> (DK-)-K-0 pi(+)pi(-))/B(B- -> D-0 pi(-)pi(+)pi(-)) = (0.9 +/- 1.3 +/- 0.9) x 10(-2), where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The B- -> (DK-)-K-0 pi(+)pi(-) decay is particularly interesting, as it can be used in a similar way to B- -> (DK-)-K-0 to measure the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa phase gamma

Search for the rare decays B-s(0) -> mu(+)mu(-) and B-0 -> mu(+)mu(-)

A search for the decays B-s(0) -> mu(+)mu(-) and B-0 -> mu(+)mu(-) is performed with 0.37 fb(-1) of pp collisions at root s = 7 TeV collected by the LHCb experiment in 2011. The upper limits on the branching fractions are B(B-s(0) -> mu(+)mu(-)) mu(+)mu(-)) mu(+)mu(-)) mu(+)mu(-)) < 3.2 x 10(-9) at 95% confidence level