A new terrestrial planarian species of the genus Marionfyfea (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida) found in Europe

Small (c. 1 cm long) terrestrial planarians found in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France are described as a new species, Marionfyfea adventor sp. nov. Individuals of the new species have a patchy brown external appearance with small, seemingly random pale blue-ish patches. They have multiple eyes, uniserial around the anterior end, biserial or triserial laterally for a short distance then sparsely uniserial and lateral to the posterior end. The anatomy is characterized by five or six pairs of ventral testes and a single pair of ovaries adjacent to the pharyngeal pouch. The base of each ovary is surrounded by parovarian cells. The penis is of the inverted type with a basal hemispherical seminal vesicle. Two adenodactyls, one ventral, one dorsal, are present in the common antrum. The only other known species of Marionfyfea is recorded only from the Auckland Islands, New Zealand and we assume that the new species has been introduced to Europe.

http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:7AC3D565-0BEB-4B67-8BEC-11A13A70D663     

Diplecogaster tonstricula,a new species of cleaning clingfish (Teleostei: Gobiesocidae) from the Canary Islands and Senegal,eastern Atlantic Ocean,with a review of the Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta species-group

The Diplecogaster-ctenocrypta species-group is reviewed; it comprises two species. The clingfish Diplecogaster ctenocrypta from the Canary Islands is redescribed. The new species Diplecogaster tonstricula, a facultative cleaner of other teleosts, is described on the basis of eight specimens and colour photos from Senegal and the Canary Islands, eastern Atlantic Ocean. The species is small, apparently not exceeding 23 mm total length; it is characterised by having nine dorsal-fin rays, eight anal-fin rays, 24–25 pectoral-fin rays, 14–15 principal caudal-fin rays, 13–16 rakers on third gill arch, pelvic disc without lateral papillae in region A, disc region B with two rows of weak papillae, interorbital distance 4.1–4.6 in head length, distance between disc and anus 14–17% of SL, head and body with 10–13 narrow vertical brownish bars, cheek with a white ocellus surrounded by black, and with a small black spot in the middle. The new species is compared with other species of the genus; a key to the six known species of the eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Sea and South African genus Diplecogaster is presented. A checklist is provided for the species of Diplecogaster and their synonyms.     

Association of Rhabdocline needle blight and epicormic branching in Douglas-fir

In northern Utah, Douglas-firs ( Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco) with symptoms of Rhabdocline needle blight had a significantly higher frequency of epicormic branching than did healthy trees. It is not known whether Rhabdocline infection stimulates epicormy, or whether the proliferation of epicormics increases resistance to the disease.     

Additions to the vascular flora of Wyoming

Eight species previously unreported for Wyoming are listed. A range extension is noted for Erigeron humilis, and Cymopterus bipinnatus is verified as occurring in Wyoming.     

Potential contribution of respiration by Anabrus simplex (Mormon crickets) to net CO 2 exchange in three Great Basin ecosystems

Disturbance events can significantly influence net CO 2 exchange (NCE) in ecosystems. High densities of Anabrus simplex (Mormon crickets) periodically afflict large areas of the western USA; their sheer numbers could make them a significant source of CO 2 . We modeled cricket respiration at the ecosystem level using air and body temperatures and insect gas exchange measurements. Cricket CO 2 efflux values were compared to ecosystem CO 2 flux from eddy covariance measurements in 3 Great Basin ecosystems: a juniper woodland, a sagebrush shrubland, and a crested wheatgrass pasture. Mean respiration from Mormon crickets was 0.96 g CO 2 ? m –2 d –1 . Since Mormon crickets are present when NCE is otherwise near 0, they can potentially alter NCE between 20% (juniper woodland) and 60% (crested wheatgrass pasture). Transient pests such as Mormon crickets can be an important component of NCE.     

Anaerobic benzene oxidation coupled to nitrate reduction in pure culture by two strains of Dechloromonas.

Benzene contamination is a significant problem. It is used in a wide range of manufacturing processes and is a primary component of petroleum-based fuels. Benzene is a hydrocarbon that is soluble, mobile, toxic and stable, especially in ground and surface waters. It is poorly biodegraded in the absence of oxygen. However, anaerobic benzene biodegradation has been documented under various conditions. Although benzene biomineralization has been demonstrated with nitrate, Fe(III), sulphate or CO2 as alternative electron acceptors, these studies were based on sediments or microbial enrichments. Until now there were no organisms in pure culture that degraded benzene anaerobically. Here we report two Dechloromonas strains, RCB and JJ, that can completely mineralize various mono-aromatic compounds including benzene to CO2 in the absence of O2 with nitrate as the electron acceptor. This is the first example, to our knowledge, of an organism of any type that can oxidize benzene anaerobically, and we demonstrate the potential applicability of these organisms to the treatment of contaminated environments.     

Regulation of microRNA biogenesis and turnover by animals and their viruses

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a ubiquitous component of gene regulatory networks that modulate the precise amounts of proteins expressed in a cell. Despite their small size, miRNA genes contain various recognition elements that enable specificity in when, where and to what extent they are expressed. The importance of precise control of miRNA expression is underscored by functional studies in model organisms and by the association between miRNA mis-expression and disease. In the last decade, identification of the pathways by which miRNAs are produced, matured and turned-over has revealed many aspects of their biogenesis that are subject to regulation. Studies in viral systems have revealed a range of mechanisms by which viruses target these pathways through viral proteins or non-coding RNAs in order to regulate cellular gene expression. In parallel, a field of study has evolved around the activation and suppression of antiviral RNA interference (RNAi) by viruses. Virus encoded suppressors of RNAi can impact miRNA biogenesis in cases where miRNA and small interfering RNA pathways converge. Here we review the literature on the mechanisms by which miRNA biogenesis and turnover are regulated in animals and the diverse strategies that viruses use to subvert or inhibit these processes.