The Gonads of the South American Dolphins, Inia geoffrensis, Pontoporia blainvillei, and Sotalia fluviatilis

The appearances of the gonads are described in males and females of 18 Inia geoffrensis, 11 Pontoporia blainvillei, and eight Sotalia fluviatilis from South America. Males of I. geoffrensis become sexually active at a length of about 228 centimeters, females at 175 to 180 centimeters. Length at birth is 76 to 80 centimeters; parturition occurs from about July to September in the upper Amazon. Males of P. blainvillei are still sexually immature at a length of 128.5 centimeters, females become sexually active at a length of 137 centimeters. Off Uruguay, pregnant females have fetuses 6 centimeters in length in February and 61 centimeters in October. Males of S. fluviatilis are sexually active at a length of 148 centimeters, females at 140 centimeters. Gonad weights and details of corpora lutea and albicantia are given. Corpora albicantia appear to persist as in other cetaceans. The ovaries of I. geoffrensis are relatively bulky with the corpora enclosed in the ovarian substance and not pedunculated as in P. blainvillei and S. fluviatilis in which the right ovary is poorly developed.

Host-Specificity of Myxoma Virus: Pathogenesis of South American and North American Strains of Myxoma Virus in Two North American Lagomorph Species

The pathogenesis of South American and North American myxoma viruses was examined in two species of North American lagomorphs, Sylvilagus nuttallii (mountain cottontail) and Sylvilagus audubonii (desert cottontail) both of which have been shown to have the potential to transmit the South American type of myxoma virus. Following infection with the South American strain (Lausanne, Lu), S. nuttallii developed both a local lesion and secondary lesions on the skin. They did not develop the classical myxomatosis seen in European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The infection at the inoculation site did not resolve during the 20-day time course of the trial and contained transmissible virus titres at all times. In contrast, S. audubonii infected with Lu had very few signs of disseminated infection and partially controlled virus replication at the inoculation site. The prototype Californian strain of myxoma virus (MSW) was able to replicate at the inoculation site of both species but did not induce clinical signs of a disseminated infection. In S. audubonii, there was a rapid response to MSW characterized by a massive T lymphocyte infiltration of the inoculation site by day 5. MSW did not reach transmissible titres at the inoculation site in either species. This might explain why the Californian myxoma virus has not expanded its host-range in North America.

The Pentastomid Sebekia mississippiensis sp. n. in the American Alligator and Other Hosts

Sebekia mississippiensis sp. n. is described from Alligator mississippiensis in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Florida. Closely related to S. oxycephala in South American crocodilians, it differs by having a smaller and less spinous hook shield, a broader base for the posterior extensions of the oral cadre. and a thinner and more delicate tegument. The male reproductive system differs somewhat from that described for other pentastomids. Nymphs parasitize several fishes as well as turtles, snakes, and mammals.

Millennial-Scale Climate Variability during the Last Glacial Period in the Tropical Andes

Millennial-scale climate variation during the Last Glacial period is evident in many locations worldwide, but it is unclear if such variation occurred in the interior of tropical South America, and, if so, how the low-latitude variation was related to its high-latitude counterpart. A high-resolution record, derived from the deep drilling of sediments on the floor of Lake Titicaca in the southern tropical Andes, is presented that shows clear evidence of millennial-scale climate variation between ~60 and 20 ka BP. This variation is manifested by alternations of two interbedded sedimentary units. The two units have distinctive sedimentary, geochemical, and paleobiotic properties that are controlled by the relative abundance of terrigenous or nearshore components versus pelagic components. The sediments of more terrigenous or nearshore nature likely were deposited during regionally wetter climates when river transport of water and sediment was higher, whereas the sediments of more pelagic character were deposited during somewhat drier climates regionally. The majority of the wet periods inferred from the Lake Titicaca sediment record are correlated with the cold events in the Greenland ice cores and North Atlantic sediment cores, indicating that increased intensity of the South American summer monsoon was part of near-global scale climate excursions.