Adult and Larval Stomatopod Crustaceans Occurring in Hawaiian Waters

Volume: 7Start Page: 399End Page: 43

Biology of the Polyclad Prosthiostomum (Prosthiostomum) sp., a New Coral Parasite from Hawaii

Prosthiostomum (Prosthiostomum) sp., a species of polyclad flatworm yet to be described, is an obligate ectoparasitic symbiont of the hermatypic coral Montipora. Field and laboratory studies have demonstrated an intimate parasite/host association involving the utilization of host corals as food and substrate by the parasite. Development of larvae is within the immediate host environment; consequently, infections are produced through direct infection. Various aspects of the biology, such as the developmental history, feeding habits, and parasite/host response to thermal environment, are reported. It is concluded that all aspects of the life history of this species show adaptations toward host specificity. This represents a rare example of true coral parasitism since most animals known to feed on coral tissues are considered to be facultative predators. The optimal thermal environment for the parasite appears to coincide with that of the coral host, a phenomenon which may tend to produce a seasonally stable parasite/host interaction. The parasite appears to become a serious coral pest only in disrupted systems such as artificial laboratory situations or in the polluted sections of Kaneohe Bay, Oahu

Additional Records of Hawaiian Platyctenea (Ctenophora)

In a previous paper (Matthews, 1954 :282) representative samples of all orders of Ctenophora were reported for Hawaii. Of these, the platyctenids were represented by only two immature specimens of Coeloplana dubosequii collected on the reef of the Hawaii Marine Laboratory on December 31, 1952. This small, pale, yellowish-green platyctenid has not been collected since, although the alga (Hypnea nidifica) on which it was found has been periodically examined. Also, continuous examination of spines of the slate-pencil urchin, Heterocentrotes mamillatus (viz. Utinomi, 1961 :116, pI. 58, no. 9), has failed to reveal platyctenids, although Dawydoff (1938: 161) reported having collected Coeloplana weilli on this urchin in the region of Ream (Gulf of Siam, Cambodia). It is rather ironical that, quite by chance, plaryctenids were taken in 1961 on the spines of the black urchin, Echinothrix diadema, collected from the sandy bottom in about 10 m of water at the seaward edge of Waikiki reef. Again, in January, April, and May 1962, and in April 1963, platyctenids were taken on E. diadema at about the same depth, near Buoy No.8, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu

THE METABOLISM OF RADIONUCLIDES BY MARINE ORGANISMS. II. THE UPTAKE, ACCUMULATION, AND LOSS OF YTTRIUM91 BY MARINE FISH, AND THE IMPORTANCE OF SHORT-LIVED RADIONUCLIDES IN THE SEA

Volume: 111Start Page: 352End Page: 35

THE METABOLISM OF RADIONUCLIDES BY MARINE ORGANISMS. I. THE UPTAKE, ACCUMULATION, AND LOSS OF STRONTIUM 89 BY FISHES

Volume: 111Start Page: 336End Page: 35

Kinetic analysis of a complete poxvirus transcriptome reveals an immediate-early class of genes

Vaccinia virus is the prototypic orthopoxvirus and was the vaccine used to eradicate smallpox, yet the expression profiles of many of its genes remain unknown. Using a genome tiling array approach, we simultaneously measured the expression levels of all 223 annotated vaccinia virus genes during infection and determined their kinetics. For 95% of these genes, significant transcript levels were detected. Most remarkably, classification of the genes by their expression profiles revealed 35 genes exhibiting immediate-early expression. Although a similar kinetic class has been described for other virus families, to our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of its existence in orthopoxviruses. Despite expression levels higher than for genes in the other three kinetic classes, the functions of more than half of these remain unknown. Additionally, genes within each kinetic class were spatially grouped together in the genome. This genome-wide picture of transcription alters our understanding of how orthopoxviruses regulate gene expression