A new species of the Genus Pelodiscus Fitzinger, 1835 (Testudines: Trionychidae) from Huangshan, Anhui, China

A new species of the soft-shelled turtle genus Pelodiscus is described based on seven specimens from Huangshan, southern Anhui Province, China. The new species, Pelodiscus huangshanensis sp. nov., is distinguished from other species in the genus Pelodiscus by the following characteristics: (1) Small size (maximum carapace length of 101.16 mm and maximum body length of 190 mm); (2) keel high; (3) tiny yellowish-white spots on the throat; (4) no black pinstripes around the eyes; (5) white longitudinal bands on both sides of the neck in juveniles, absent in adults; (6) plastron yellowish-white, and only a dark patch on each side of the armpit; (7) many tubercles on the dorsal surface, but indistinct in the center; and (8) entoplastron “⌒” shaped. The phylogenetic relationships of the species in Pelodiscus were reconstructed using the sequences of cytochrome b (cyt b) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4) genes. The new species formed a monophyletic clade with strong support. The uncorrected pairwise distances between the new species and other representatives of Pelodiscus ranged from 5.4% to 9.2% for cyt b and 4.1% to 7.6% for ND4. The new species brings the number of species of the genus Pelodiscus to six; five species are distributed in China, with three species endemic to China.

The dark-ventral-patch of male red deer, a sexual signal that conveys the degree of involvement in rutting behavior

Background In polygynous mammals, signalling may play a decisive role in mating behavior, mediating the intensity of male fights and female mate choice. During the rutting season, male red deer may show a visible dark patch in their ventral fur. Recently, this patch has been suggested to act as a flexible sexual signal, due to its relationships with other variables such as age, body size, antler development, volatile compounds, or the competitive environment. The analysis of fur pigmentation at the ventral patch suggests that this might also visually indicate the male intrinsic predisposition to take part in mating competition. Results To assess the possible role of this trait as a communicative signal related to mate competition, we used red deer behavioral observations during the rut in Doñana National Park (Spain) to examine the link between the degree of expression of the dark ventral patch and the rutting activity (assessed from both intra-and-inter-sexual behaviors). Consistent with our predictions, we found in a field study that males with large dark patches showed a higher frequency of rutting behaviors (mainly roaring and flehmen), more interactions with females, and attained larger harem sizes. Conclusions The dark ventral patch was a better predictor of male behavior than antler tines or territory holding, thus standing as a short-term indicator of male willingness to invest in mating competition.

Different types of macular telangiectasia in two eyes of a patient

Purpose: To report a case of macular telangiectasia (MacTel) showing the features of type 3 disease in one eye and type 2 disease in the other eye. Methods: Descriptive case report Case description: A 50-year-old well-controlled diabetic man presented with complaints of distorted vision in the right eye for the past 1 year. His best-corrected visual acuity in both eyes was 20/20, N6. His anterior segment findings were normal. The right eye fundus showed an irregular perifoveal greying and a localised dark patch temporally inside the perifoveal region. Few microaneurysms were seen on clinical examination. No hard exudates were noted. The left eye fundus showed a few microaneurysms with minimal perifoveal greying temporally. Imaging with confocal blue reflectance, fluorescein and optical coherence tomography angiography confirmed the diagnosis of MacTel type 3 in the right eye and type 2A stage 2 in the left eye with mild non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy in both eyes. Conclusion: This case raises the possibility that type 3 disease could be a progressive non-proliferative form of a pre-existing type 2 MacTel disease.

A new species of Bryconops Kner (Characiformes: Iguanodectidae) from the Rio Maicuru, lower Amazon basin, Brazil

A new species of Bryconops is described from the rio Maicuru, a tributary of the left margin of the lower Amazon River, Pará, Brazil. Bryconops chernoffi new species, differs from all its congeners by the presence of an elongated dark patch of pigmentation immediately after the posterodorsal margin of the opercle, running vertically from the supracleithrum to the distal margin of the cleithrum (vs. absence of a similar blotch), and by a dark dorsal fin with a narrow hyaline band at middle portion of dorsal-fin rays (vs. dorsal fin hyaline or with few scattered chromatophores). It differs further from all its congeners, except B. colanegra, by the presence of a blurred black stripe at the anal fin base. It differs from B. colanegra by possessing fewer predorsal scales (8–9 vs. 10–11) and in that the third infraorbital contacts the preopercle ventrally (vs. third infraorbital not contacting preopercle ventrally). The new species is assigned to the subgenus Creatochanes by the number of maxillary teeth, and ossification and denticulation of the gill rakers.

Isolated Sunspot with a Dark Patch in the Coronal Emission

On the base of the 17 GHz radio maps of the Sun taken with the Nobeyama Radio Heliograph we estimate plasma parameters in the specific region of the sunspot atmosphere in the active region AR 11312. This region of the sunspot atmosphere is characterized by the depletion in coronal emission (soft X-ray and EUV lines) and the reduced absorption in the a chromospheric line (He I 1.083 μm). In the ordinary normal mode of 17 GHz emission the corresponding dark patch has the largest visibility near the central solar meridian. We infer that the reduced coronal plasma density of about ~ 5 × 10

Garra findolabium, a new species of cyprinid fish (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) from the Red River drainage in Yunnan, China

Garra findolabium, new species, is described from the Red River (Yuan-Jiang in Chinese, Song Hong in Vietnamese) in Yunnan, China. It can be distinguished from all other congeners in Southeast Asia and China by the following combination of characters: posterior edge of the oral sucking disc with a median fissure and divided it into two lamellas; caudal fin with an anomalistic dark patch, extending to 50% of length of caudal fin; no barbels; absence of proboscis in front of nostrils; 37–38 lateral-line scales; 16 circumpeduncular scales; distance of anus to anal-fin origin about 33.3–38.7% of distance of pelvic-fin origin to anal-fin origin.

Epithelioid Angiosarcoma Arising in the Tuberculous Pyothorax

Chronic pyothorax associated with pulmonary tuberculosis was recently proposed to be one of the predisposing factors of angiosarcoma arising in the chest wall. Separately, several authors have reported pleural angiosarcoma that has a close resemblance to mesothelioma, the latter having no apparent association with a history of pyothorax. I present a detailed pathologic description of an autopsy case of thoracic angiosarcoma arising after long-standing tuberculous pyothorax, for the purpose of better illustrating this condition. In this case, the main tumor mass was situated on the soft tissue of the chest wall outside the rib girdle. On the pleuropulmonary tissue, tumor infiltration was grossly observable as a dark patch, 2 cm in diameter, on the outer surface of the wall of the pyothorax (pleural peel). Infiltration of the tumor was found in the soft tissue just outside of the peel and in the attached rib. However, the tumor was not found in the peel itself, nor was it found in the necrotic content of the pyothorax. This case suggests that angiosarcoma associated with pyothorax is not similar to primary pleural angiosarcoma and shows the rather ordinary feature of the tumor's arising in the soft tissue.