An African heritage of fishes : inaugural lecture delivered at Rhodes University

Inaugural lecture delivered at Rhodes UniversityRhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Fifty years of ichthyology in Grahamstown

In July 1946, the fledgling Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) awarded Dr J.L.B. (James Leonard Brierley) Smith of Rhodes University College a research fellowship of £800 to enable him to devote his energies to ichthyology. The university responded by providing accommodation, equipment and appointing Smith a research professor. These actions marked the beginning of what has become a major academic development in Grahamstown as represented by the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, the Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science (DIFS), and the Freshwater Fish Section at the Albany Museum. At present more than 40 people are employed in one way or other in these organizations, more than 20 of them professionals, in addition to whom there are 41 postgraduate students currently studying ichthyology or fisheries science through DIFS at Rhodes University. Altogether this represents a concentration of ichthyological expertise probably unmatched anywhere else in the world. It is opportune therefore to highlight a few of the more significant milestones in the history of ichthyology in Grahamstown and so illuminate some of the key factors behind this achievement

Preliminary Studies on the Use of Monoclonal Antibodies as Probes for Sympathetic Development

The precise structural organization and proper functioning of the adult nervous system depend on the ability of neurones to make highly ordered synaptic connexions. To define molecules involved in the development of these connexions and to study their functional roles, we use primary cultures of dissociated rat sympathetic neurones grown in the virtual absence of non-neuronal cells. These neurones can develop adrenergic or cholinergic properties, depending on the environment in which they are grown. This ability to manipulate neuronal phenotype is being used in an attempt to identify cell surface macromolecules that are important in the development or function of adrenergic and cholinergic properties. We have produced monoclonal antibodies against the surface membranes of these neurones and are in the process of characterizing them. Results are presented on the binding specificity of one of these antibodies and on the effect of two other antibodies on neurotransmitter synthesis, uptake, and release

Detecting Non-Brownian Trait Evolution in Adaptive Radiations

Many phylogenetic comparative methods that are currently widely used in the scientific literature assume a Brownian motion model for trait evolution, but the suitability of that model is rarely tested, and a number of important factors might affect whether this model is appropriate or not. For instance, we might expect evolutionary change in adaptive radiations to be driven by the availability of ecological niches. Such evolution has been shown to produce patterns of change that are different from those modelled by the Brownian process. We applied two tests for the assumption of Brownian motion that generally have high power to reject data generated under non-Brownian niche-filling models for the evolution of traits in adaptive radiations. As a case study, we used these tests to explore the evolution of feeding adaptations in two radiations of warblers. In one case, the patterns revealed do not accord with Brownian motion but show characteristics expected under certain niche-filling models

Karyology of the redfin minnows, genus Pseudobarbus Smith, 1841 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): one of the evolutionarily tetraploid lineages of South African barbines

The karyotypes of six species of Pseudobarbus Smith, 1841, namely P. afer (Peters, 1864), P. asper (Boulenger, 1911), P. burchelli Smith, 1841, P. burgi (Boulenger, 1911), P. phlegethon (Barnard, 1938) and P. tenuis (Barnard, 1938), were examined by conventional Giemsa staining and described. All six karyotypes have 2n = 100 chromosomes, dominated by biarmed chromosomes, as does the only other member of the genus, P. quathlambae (Barnard, 1938). Sex-related intraspecific karyotype variation was not found. The shared chromosome numbers and general similarity of the karyotypes (FN = 186–192) provide a new synapomorphy to support their monophyly, which is already indicated by anatomical and mtDNA markers. Karyotype evolution within the genus has been accompanied by chromosomal inversions and centromeric shifts. Comparison of the diploid number found in Pseudobarbus with other African barbine cyprinines, which have in the region of 2n=50 and lower FNs, suggests a tetraploid evolutionary origin of the genus, possibly by allotetraploidy

Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 56

A neotype for Clarias gariepinus (Burchell, 1822) is designated and described. Data from 41 specimens from the type locality are also presented. The geographical distribution of the species is discussed.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation

Valence band offset of InN/AlN heterojunctions measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

The valence band offset of wurtzite-InN/AlN (0001) heterojunctions is determined by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to be 1.52±0.17 eV. Together with the resulting conduction band offset of 4.0±0.2 eV, a type-I heterojunction forms between InN and AlN in the straddling arrangement

Transition from electron accumulation to depletion at InGaN surfaces

The composition dependence of the Fermi-level pinning at the oxidized (0001) surfaces of n-type InxGa1−xN films (0<=x<=1) is investigated using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy. The surface Fermi-level position varies from high above the conduction band minimum (CBM) at InN surfaces to significantly below the CBM at GaN surfaces, with the transition from electron accumulation to depletion occurring at approximately x=0.3. The results are consistent with the composition dependence of the band edges with respect to the charge neutrality level

Ichthyological Bulletin of the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology; No. 50

The publication of a new phase of research on the fishes of the Okavango drainage starts with this account which gives the valid names and broad distribution patterns of all species known from the system. Eighty species and subspecies are recognised, of which at least two (Parakneria fortuita Penrith; Serranochromis gracilis Greenwood) are endemic. Notes on early collections, synonymy, taxonomic status and distribution are given. New synonyms are recognized under Aplocheilichthys hutereaui (A. schalleri), Aplocheilichthys johnstoni (Haplochilus carlislei) and Ctenopoma multispinis (Ctenopoma machadoi) respectively. Recently published taxonomic changes are incorporated including two genera (Mesobola and Afromastacembelus), a species Serranochromis (Sargochromis) gracilis and the re-allocated Amphilius uranoscopus. The Zambezian Hemichromis species is re-identified as H. elongatus. A number of unresolved taxonomic problems are pointed out and certain dubious records are excluded from the checklist. The Okavango has a diverse fish fauna with tropical affinities. Many fish species are poorly studied. Man-induced threats to the continued natural functioning of this complex and dynamic system, especially large-scale water abstraction, overgrazing, deforestation and biocide spraying to eliminate tsetse fly, make it imperative that studies on the nature and role of the fishes are continued.Rhodes University Libraries (Digitisation