Octopus djinda (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae): a new member of the Octopus vulgaris group from southwest Australia

A new Octopus Cuvier, 1797 species, Octopus djinda Amor, 2021 (previously treated as O. cf. tetricus and O. aff. tetricus), is described from the shallow waters off southwest Australia. This species was classified as conspecific with O. tetricus Gould, 1852 from Australia’s east coast and New Zealand but is shown here to be morphologically and genetically distinct. This description is based on 25 individuals across three localities in southwest Australia, encompassing most of its distribution. Greater and non-overlapping sucker counts on the males hectocotylised arm delimit east and west coast forms. DNA barcoding using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I also successfully differentiates between these taxa; 13 polymorphisms along a 349 bp partial fragment (3.7% sequence divergence). A close relative of the O. vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 species-group, O. djinda, sp. nov. supports a highly productive fishery and is currently one of two octopod fisheries worldwide to have received sustainable certification from the Marine Stewardship Council. The taxonomic description presented here provides formal recognition of the taxonomic status of southwest Australia’s common octopus, O. djinda, sp. nov. and facilitates appropriate fisheries catch reporting and management.

Study Identification of Some Species of Fish Using the Partial Fragment of Mitochondrial Cytochrome Oxidase Subunit-1Gene (COI) in Danau Panggang, South Borneo

Danau Panggang is a unique habitat for fish species used for food and economic purposes that live in it. This study aims to identify several important and endangered fish species in Danau Panggang using the DNA sequence method and water quality in Danau Panggang. The DNA sequence was then aligned with the RefSeq from the GenBank data library by using the BLAST program of NCBI to find the closest identity associated with several types of fish samples being analyzed. The sequence analysis of the DNA show that some fish species analyzed have specific identifications :Trichopodus pectoralis, Phalacronotus apogon, Belodontichthys dinema, Anabas testudineus, and Leptobarbus hoevenii. Based on the results of the phylogenetic tree, it is also found that the relationship between fish taxons in flooded swamps of Danau Panggang is close to one another.

Resurrection of a Viral Internal Ribosome Entry Site from a 700 Year Old Ancient Northwest Territories Cripavirus

The dicistrovirus intergenic region internal ribosome entry site (IGR IRES) uses an unprecedented, streamlined mechanism whereby the IRES adopts a triple-pseudoknot (PK) structure to directly bind to the conserved core of the ribosome and drive translation from a non-AUG codon. The origin of this IRES mechanism is not known. Previously, a partial fragment of a divergent dicistrovirus RNA genome, named ancient Northwest territories cripavirus (aNCV), was extracted from 700-year-old caribou feces trapped in a subarctic ice patch. The aNCV IGR sequence adopts a secondary structure similar to contemporary IGR IRES structures, however, there are subtle differences including 105 nucleotides upstream of the IRES of unknown function. Using filter binding assays, we showed that the aNCV IRES could bind to purified ribosomes, and toeprinting analysis pinpointed the start site at a GCU alanine codon adjacent to PKI. Using a bicistronic reporter RNA, the aNCV IGR can direct translation in vitro in a PKI-dependent manner. Lastly, a chimeric infectious clone swapping in the aNCV IRES supported translation and virus infection. The characterization and resurrection of a functional IGR IRES from a divergent 700-year-old virus provides a historical framework for the importance of this viral translational mechanism.

Prevalence Rate and Molecular Characteristics of Oestrus ovis L. (Diptera, Oestridae) in Sheep and Goats from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Heads of sheep (n = 600) and goats (n = 800) slaughtered at Al-Aziziah Abattoir in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were inspected for the presence of O. ovis larvae (L). Heads were split along the longitudinal axes, and larvae (L1, L2, and L3) were gathered. The infestation rate was significantly higher in goats (44.5%; 356/800) than that in sheep (22.3%; 134/600). Out of the 151 collected larvae from sheep, 0% were L1, 1.3% were L2, and 98.7% were L3. Out of the total of 468 larvae from goats, 0% were L1, 1.2% were L2, and 98.8% were L3. The infestation rate was significantly higher in males than that in females. Myiasis-causing larvae collected from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, were authenticated as O. ovis, according to morphological characteristics. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a partial fragment (600 bp) of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mtCOI) gene further confirmed the species. Phylogenetic analysis based on the partial mtCOI gene sequence demonstrated that 23 unique sequences showed high similarity based on nucleotide pairs of O. ovis accessions retrieved from GenBank.

Molecular Characterization of Paramphistomum cervi in Buffaloes

Background: Paramphistomiasis (Rumen fluke disease) in ruminants is a major health problem, while documented reports on Paramphistomum species are limited in Asian countries. The present study aimed to identify paramphistomoid flukes that infects buffaloes with the goal of characterization of prevalence in Pakistan and its comparison with neighbor countries.Materials, Methods & Results: In 2018, a total of 178 slaughtered buffaloes aged four to six years were examined and flukes were collected from their infected rumen and reticulum using sterilized forceps. After amplification and sequencing of 18S rRNA partial fragment, the generated sequences were edited (810bp) and aligned with the other sequences of Paramphistomum species retrieved from NCBI. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using maximum likelihood method in MEGA X. The 18S rRNA sequence was found 100% similar with Paramphistomum cervi of China and 98% with Paramphistomum epiclitum and other Paramphistomum species of India. The parasitic Pharamphistomum species was identified molecularly as P. cervi.Discussion: Molecular studies provide insight into the biology and phylogenetic relationship among various parasites. These studies are reliable in the genetic-based identification and description of several disease causing agents. The 18S rRNA sequence of P. cervi generated in this study was found closely identical to the P. cervi of the neighbor countries (China and India) which may be due to the similar geographical, environmental conditions and transboundary movement of infected hosts. This is the first nature of study which provides the molecular-based evidence of P. cervi existence in Pakistan and revealed the 18S rRNA as novel molecular marker for the identification and further characterization of Paramphistomum species across Pakistan. The submitted sequence of this study will provide a baseline for further molecular characterization and to compare with other Paramphistoma species from different regions of Pakistan.

Genetic evidence for allopatric speciation of the Siberian ibex Capra sibirica in India

Montane systems, formed by a series of climatic oscillations and temporal topographic metamorphoses, have broken up the contiguous distribution of widespread species and accelerated allopatric speciation. We used a partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene to address speciation across the entire range of the Siberian ibex Capra sibirica. We demonstrated that the Siberian ibex is a polytypic species, plausibly formed by a combination of at least 2 species and/or 3 to 4 sub-species. Bayesian phylogeny showed that the Indian-Tajikistan (I-T) clade is adequately diverged from the other clades based on the mean intra-specific distance criterion, and warrants recognition as a distinct species. We provide pragmatic evidence for the endorsement of the I-T clade as a distinct species of Siberian ibex and urge prioritization of the conservation of this species at global and regional scales.

Tryphactothrips rutherfordi (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera, Panchaetothripinae): first description of the male

The subfamily Panchaetothripinae (family Thripidae) is represented by 140 species under 40 genera (Thrips Wiki 2019). In India, 36 species under 16 genera are recorded (Tyagi & Kumar 2016, Tyagi et al. 2017, Rachana and Varatharajan, 2018, Johnson et al. 2019). The members of this subfamily are leaf-feeders and usually dark brown in colour with strongly reticulate sculpture on body, terminal antennal segments needle-shaped, tarsi 1- or 2-segmented, fore wing upper vein fused with costa. The genus Tryphactothrips was established by Bagnall (1919), and this genus remains monobasic with only Dinurothrips rutherfordi Bagnall from Sri Lanka as the type species. The genus Tryphactothrips can be distinguished from related genera by the presence of sculptured round areolae on abdominal segments. It is closely related to Anisopilothrips Stannard & Mitri but can be identified by paired sigmoidal setae on abdominal tergites (absent in Anisopilothrips), mesonotum without complete median longitudinal split (complete median longitudinal in Anisopilothrips). Recently, a series of both sexes of Tryphactothrips rutherfordi with banded fore wings was collected on fern from Kerala state of India. Females were identified using published keys (Wilson 1975), and the male is here described for the first time. DNA was isolated from the studied specimens and partial fragment of mtCOI gene was amplified and sequenced (Tyagi et al. 2017). Four sequences were submitted in the GenBank (Accession No. MN627201 to MN627204). Photographs and illustrations were taken through a Leica Trinocular Microscope (Leica DM-1000) using Leica software application suite (LAS EZ 2.1.0). The studied specimens were deposited in the National Zoological Collections (NZC), Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India.

Vappolotes, a new genus of coelotine spiders (Araneae, Agelenidae) from Guizhou, China

A new genus of the subfamily Coelotinae F.O. Pickard-Cambridge, 1893, Vappolotes Zhao et S. Li gen. n., with two new species, V. ganlongensis Zhao et S. Li sp. n. (♂♀) and V. jianpingensis Zhao et S. Li sp. n. (♀), is described. The genus is restricted to southern China (Guizhou). Its relationship to other coelotine genera is discussed. A partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I of both species were obtained to aid species identification at the molecular level.

A continent-scale study of the social structure and phylogeography of the bent-wing bat, Miniopterus schreibersii (Mammalia: Chiroptera), using new microsatellite data

Miniopterus schreibersii is a cave-dwelling bat species with a wide distribution in the western Palearctic spanning southern and central Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, the Middle East, and the Caucasus. We investigated the social structure and its effects on the genetic makeup of this species, using 10 nuclear microsatellite markers and a partial fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Samples were examined from the species' entire circum-Mediterranean range. Local structuring that was previously detected among populations of M. schreibersii using mitochondrial markers was not observed for microsatellite markers, indicating male-biased dispersal for the species. Some support was found for postglacial expansions in Europe, with Anatolia potentially acting as the primary refugium during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). However, support for this hypothesis is not as strong as that previously detected using mitochondrial DNA markers. This is likely due to the diminishing effect of male-mediated dispersal, replenishing the nuclear diversity faster than the mitochondrial diversity in regions that are relatively far from the glacial refugia.

A new species of Fibularia from Japanese waters with a redescription of F. japonica and F. ovulum (Echinodermata: Echinoidea: Clypeasteroida)

A new species, Fibularia coffea sp. nov., occurs from shallow waters in Japan. This new species is distinguished from the other species of Fibularia by the following characters: test height is low, oral surface is slightly depressed toward the peristome, number of pores of petal III continues to increase with the test growth, reaching over 30 at TL > 7.5 mm, and black pigments form symmetric pentaradial on aboral surface in living animals. Two further Japanese species, Fibularia japonica and F. ovulum, are redescribed based on the type specimens (F. japonica) and additional specimens (F. ovulum), respectively. A tabular key to the extant species of Fibularia is also provided. A partial fragment of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) of the type specimens of F. coffea sp. nov. and the additional specimen of F. japonica was sequenced for barcoding in future works.