Laboulbeniomycetes (Fungi, Ascomycota) of Denmark

In this study, the thallus-forming Laboulbeniomycetes (Herpomycetales and Laboulbeniales) from Denmark are presented as an illustrated monograph. Sixteen species and one genus are newly described based on morphology and ecology (host association). The new genus is named Tanmaurkiella Santam. gen. nov. and includes two species: T. pselaphi Santam. gen. et sp. nov. (type species) and T. huggertii Santam. gen. et sp. nov., both on Pselaphus heisei Herbst, 1792 (Col. Staphylinidae Pselaphinae). The other 14 new species are Amorphomyces ventricosus Santam. sp. nov. on Myrmecocephalus concinnus (Erichson, 1839) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Cantharomyces papillatus Santam. sp. nov. on Bledius terebrans (Schiødte, 1866) (Col. Staphylinidae Oxytelinae), Cryptandromyces cryptophagi Santam. sp. nov. on Cryptophagus distinguendus Sturm, 1845 (Col. Cryptophagidae), Cryptandromyces danicus Santam. sp. nov. on Euconnus wetterhallii (Gyllenhal, 1813) (Col. Staphylinidae Scydmaeninae), Dimeromyces oculatus Santam. sp. nov. on Longitarsus luridus (Scopoli, 1763) (Col. Chrysomelidae), Euphoriomyces enghoffii Santam. sp. nov. on Leiodes rugosa Stephens, 1829 (Col. Leiodidae), Euphoriomyces smicri Santam. sp. nov. on Smicrus filicornis (Fairmaire & Laboulbène, 1855) (Col. Ptiliidae), Laboulbenia inexpectata Santam. sp. nov. on Acupalpus exiguus Dejean, 1829 (Col. Carabidae), Laboulbenia pygidicola Santam. sp. nov. on Syntomus truncatellus (Linnaeus, 1761) (Col. Carabidae), Monoicomyces brachiatus Santam. sp. nov. on Atheta sodalis (Erichson, 1837) and Ocyusa picina (Aubé, 1850) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces crassicaulis Santam. sp. nov. on Oxypoda elongatula Aubé, 1850 (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces reboleirae Santam. sp. nov. on Gnypeta carbonaria (Mannerheim, 1830) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), Monoicomyces validus Santam. sp. nov. on Atheta vestita (Gravenhorst, 1806), Aleochara grisea Kraatz, 1856, and Geostiba circellaris (Gravenhorst, 1806) (Col. Staphylinidae Aleocharinae), and Stigmatomyces thoracochaetae Santam. sp. nov. on Thoracochaeta brachystoma (Stenhammer, 1855) (Diptera Sphaeroceridae). The total number of laboulbeniaceous species from Denmark rises from 29 to 195, which means that 166 are here reported as new country records. Among these, Kainomyces isomali Thaxt. deserves special mention as it is a new European record. The same applies to nine species which are reported here for the first time after their original description. For this study, an intensive sampling programme has been realized, with 429 Danish localities screened including around 1900 collections with fungi. Two new synonymies are established: Laboulbenia acupalpi Speg. (Spegazzini 1915a) syn. nov. for Laboulbenia stenolophi Speg. (Spegazzini 1914), and Monoicomyces oxytelis Huldén (Huldén 1983) syn. nov. for Monoicomyces invisibilis Thaxt. (Thaxter 1900). The new combination Peyritschiella oxyteli (Cépède & F.Picard) Santam. comb. nov. is proposed for Rheophila oxyteli Cépède & F.Picard including neotypification, and delimitation of Peyritschiella protea Thaxt. is incorporated. Lectotypes for Laboulbenia polyphaga Thaxt. and Symplectromyces vulgaris (Thaxt.) Thaxt. are designated. Nineteen species are illustrated here with photographs for the first time. Three species: Eumonoicomyces papuanus Thaxt., Peyritschiella protea, and Stigmatomyces euconni F.Picard, which were reported from Denmark in the literature should be removed from the Danish Funga. We have examined the following types of Thaxter from FH (Farlow Herbarium, Harvard University Herbaria): Asaphomyces cholevae Thaxt., Dimorphomyces myrmedoniae Thaxt., Eumonoicomyces papuanus, Laboulbenia polyphaga, Peyritschiella protea, Rhadinomyces pallidus Thaxt., and Symplectromyces vulgaris. Ceratomyces pyrenaeus Santam. is newly recorded from USA, and this is also a new record from the American continent. Description of the genus Cryptandromyces Thaxt. has been emended to incorporate the new species here described. Morphology of the antheridium in Eumonoicomyces papuanus is studied, and the status of the genus Eumonoicomyces Thaxt. vis-à-vis Monoicomyces Thaxt. is discussed. Identification keys are provided for genera and species. In support of the additional aim of this work to serve as a reference for the study of Laboulbeniomycetes fungi in Europe, we include maps and the Appendix 1 for comparison of the known species in the ten most diverse, better studied, European countries.

Assessing the water quality of Suva foreshore for the establishment of estuary and marine recreational water guidelines in the Fiji Islands

The Standards for water quality in Fiji defined in the Environment Management Regulations (2007) only relate to effluent discharge into the environment. Urbanisation is contributing to wastewater contamination in receiving estuary and marine recreational waters, thus requiring specific guidelines. To create a baseline for this, a sampling programme with relevant physico-chemical and biological parameters was implemented at 3 sites along the Suva foreshore, for 8 consecutive months, during low and high tides. Analysis was done in triplicates, using standard methods approved for the examination of water and wastewater. In the absence of relevant Fiji guidelines, the results were compared with ANZECC (2000) guidelines for estuary and marine waters. Low DO levels, high COD, TN, NH3, TP, OP and heavy metal concentrations were measured in all 3 sites. For instance, TN and NH3 concentrations as high as 4.44 ±0.99 mg/L and 2.58 ± 0.89 mg/L respectively were recorded in Wailea river (Site 2). The colony counts for the TC, FC and E. coli were in most cases above the limits. These results confirm that wastewater discharges add to the inherent levels of parameters in receiving water bodies and support the need for a specific, robust Fiji standards to better monitor water quality in foreshore areas.

The Sampling Programme and the Measurement and Description of Dispersion

The steps required during the planning of a sampling campaign are described. The time of sampling within the life-cycle, the size of the sampling unit, number of samples, and distribution of the samples is discussed. Statistical aspects of sample design are introduced, including the normal distribution, the negative binomial distribution and species dispersal, Taylor’s power law, and aggregation indices. Pattern analysis, SADIE spatial analysis, and crowding indices are described. Nearest-neighbour and closest-neighbour techniques to estimate population density are reviewed. Sequential sampling methodologies and software are described. Presence–absence sampling and binomial data analysis are described.

Sydney rock oyster farming in Australia.

The 120-year-old Sydney rock oyster industry in New South Wales (NSW) and southern Queensland is one of the oldest aquaculture industries in Australia. The industry has been forced to adapt to competition from other species, tighter harvesting and oyster storage and handling requirements as well as eroding profit margins. Recent changes in farming practices include the move away from stick culture to single seed culture, as the half-shell market demands a more uniformly shaped oyster. When selective breeding demonstrated that it could reduce time to market (50 g whole weight) by nearly a year out of an industry average of 3.5 years, the industry wanted to try hatchery technology. Although the industry had never used hatchery technology before, it purchased 10 million spat or 8% of its annual spat requirement from hatcheries in 2003-2004, the first year that they were made available to farmers. The industry also embraced the Australian Shellfish Quality Assurance Program, which requires that shellfish harvest areas be classified on the basis of a sanitary survey and the results of an ongoing strategic water-sampling programme. This programme ensures product safety for the consumers and helps to provide the industry with a long-term future.

Mochary example: how the highest European local species richness of pimpliform ichneumonid parasitoids (Ichneumonidae: Pimplinae, Poemeniinae and Rhyssinae) is under threat of disappearance in the Carpathian forests

A small forest patch (approx. 250 ha) of the Ukrainian Carpathian forest revealed an unexpected diversity of ichneumonid parasitoids: 95 species of Pimplinae, Poemeniinae and Rhyssinae), comprising appoximately 39 % of the total number of European species. This is the highest local species richness of the group ever recorded in Europe and one of the highest in the World. These results were obtained due to the use of a long-term multi-method sampling programme. Being extremely diverse and highly specialized ichneumonids (saproxylic parasitoids especially) are relatively vulnerable to habitat destruction and endangered because of deforestation. This is important for conservation of natural Carpathian forests and understanding the requirements for further study and estimation of the studied group species richness. Key words: Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae, Rhyssinae, Poemeniinae, parasitoids, species richness, conservation, Ukraine

Monthly variations in crustacean zooplankton abundances in Sundarapandian Pattinam and Manamelkudi in the Palk Strait, India (9-10°N, Arabian Sea)

The present investigation has been made to study the distribution of crustacean zooplankton, and its qualitative and quantitative composition, as well as for making an assessment of species abundances and of the evenness of zooplankton in two habitats along the Palk Strait, between the east coast of Tamil Nadu (India) and Sri Lanka. The sampling programme was executed from July 2005 to June 2006. The two sampling sites, Sundarapandian Pattinam (Station I) and Manamelkudi (Station II), respectively, are located in one of the most productive marine zones of the world. The various groups of crustacean zooplankton were Ostracoda, Copepoda, Amphipoda, Isopoda, Cumacea, Euphausiacea, and Decapoda. Maximum occurrences were observed during the summer and the pre-monsoon seasons, and minimum occurrences were observed during the monsoon months. The present study showed that the distribution pattern of total zooplankton fluctuated at both stations. Station II is richer in absolute abundance in comparison with Station I.

Field sampling strategies for coffee berry borer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) infesting berries in coffee farms in Hawaii

The coffee berry borer (CBB), Hypothenemus hampei Ferrari, a recent invader to Hawaii, is impacting coffee growers by reducing yields and quality and increasing production costs. Monitoring strategies are needed to assess infestations and where control operations are warranted, and evaluate their effectiveness. To develop and validate a fixed-precision sequential sampling plan, an intensive CBB sampling programme was conducted in 17 small farms in Kona and Kau districts in the Big Island in 2016/17. At each location, 30 trees/ha were monitored at 2–4 week intervals. Results show that the CBB has an aggregated spatial distribution based on Taylor's power law parameters. According to Green's stop line formula, between 6 and 50 coffee branches per ha (sample unit) are required to estimate infestation rates of 1.5–2.5% infested green berries (suggested economic threshold) with a precision fixed at 10 to 25%. Concurrently, a modified strategy was tested on 14 farms, in which only infested green berries (not total) was counted. The standard and modified sampling methods were highly correlated (R2 ≥ 0.98), while the modified approach required on average only 35 min (27% less time) to complete, with an additional 24 min taken to observe the position of the CBB inside the berry. Our data also show that berry infestation rates of CBB prior to harvest were a good predictor of the total defects resulting in processed green coffee from these farms (Pearson's r coefficient of 0.82). Our findings support improved sampling for the CBB under Hawaiian conditions using a simpler and faster monitoring strategy based on counting green infested berries.

Reproduction and population structure of Octopus mimus fished in a Marine Protected Area of Ecuador

Octopus mimus is the main octopus targeted by the small-scale fishery in the Eastern Pacific. Commercial catches of octopus from the Reserva de Producción Faunística Marino-Costera Puntilla de Santa Elena (REMACOPSE) Marine Protected Area in Ecuador were sampled from July to December 2013 in order to describe the reproduction and population structure of this octopus. The 4171 sampled octopuses ranged from 56 to 250 mm in mantle length (ML) and 45 to 3178 g in body weight (BW). Mean octopus weight did not change monthly. Males were mostly mature while the majority of females were immature. Presence of some mature and a few spent females in all months sampled suggests that the population shows an extended spawning period. No spawning peak could be properly defined. Sex ratios did not significantly shift from the expected 1:1 in most samples. Females mature at a larger size (1234 g, BW; 165 mm, ML) than males (487 g BW; 114 mm ML). We recommend considering a minimum legal size of 1200 g BW. A year-long sampling programme for O. mimus should also be completed in order to detect any spawning peak.

Cardiorespiratory and gastrointestinal parasites of dogs in north-west Italy

SummaryThe present study was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of gastrointestinal and cardio-respiratory parasites in dogs in Liguria (northwest Italy) which is a region that has scarcely been studied. A total of 450 dogs (260 males and 190 females) were enrolled in the study from 2009 and 2013. All dogs lived in a rural or semi-rural environment in the provinces of Imperia (n = 352) or Savona (n = 98), Liguria. Coprological examinations showed that 197 dogs (43.8 %, CI 38.7-48.9 %) were infected by parasites. Specifically, 3.3 % of the dogs presented only cardio-respiratory species, 32.4 % only intestinal species, and 8.0 % presented a mixed infection.The most frequent intestinal parasites wereToxocara canis(20 %),Trichuris vulpis(17.8 %), Ancylostomatidae (12 %), Coccidia (2.7 %),Aonchotheca putorii(1.8 %) andToxascaris leonina(1.8 %). The cardio-respiratory species found wereEucoleus aerophilus(9.6 %),Eucoleus boehmi(1.6 %),Angiostrongylus vasorum(0.7 %), andCrenosoma vulpis(0.2 %). A total of 116 dogs (25.8 %) were parasitized by a single species, multiple infections were observed in 81 dogs (18.0 %) up to a six-order infection.This preliminary study highlighted that the prevalence of intestinal parasites in investigated area is high. Cardio respiratory parasites were detected in an area that has not been investigated before. The creation of a more extensive sampling programme of the area, on a provincial basis in order to build a more detailed map of prevalences for different species of dog parasites throughout Liguria, a more extensive sampling programme of the area needs to be created - ideally for each province.