Thermus rehai sp nov., isolated from Rehai of Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China

A yellow-pigmented strain of the genus Thermus, with optimum growth temperatures about 65-70 degreesC, was isolated from the hot springs in Rehai of Tengchong, Yunnan Province, China. Morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics, pigment analysis of RH99-GF7504 strain and its phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA showed that this organism represented a new species of the genus Thermus(1)). This strain had maximum temperatures for growth below 80 degreesC. The new isolate from Rehai of Tengchong could be distinguished from other strains of the genus Thermus by its special structure and by its inability to hydrolyze gelatin and starch. On the basis of phylogenetic analysis, morphological, physiological and biochemical characteristics, the name Thermus rehai sp nov is proposed for the species, represented by strain RH99-GF7504 (CCTCC-AB200292).

On-going generation of multiple forms of HIV-1 intersubtype recombinants in the Yunnan Province of China

Objectives: To investigate the molecular epidemiology of HIV in China's Yunnan Province, where the initial HIV-1 outbreak among injecting drug users (IDU) occurred in 1989, and to analyse the genesis and interrelationship of the epidemic with that in surrounding areas. Design: A molecular epidemiological investigation was conducted among IDU in three prefectures in Yunnan Province, including Wenshan (east), Honghe (southeast) and Dehong (west). Methods: Thirty-nine specimens were collected from consenting IDU in 2000-2001. The nucleotide sequences of 2.6 kb gag-RT and 340 base pair (bp) env (C2/V3) regions were determined. Phylogenetic tree and recombination breakpoint analyses were performed. Results: The circulating recombinant form (CRF), CRF08_BC, predominated in east Yunnan near Guangxi Province (89% in Wenshan and 81% in Honghe), whereas it was not detected in Dehong(0/14) in the west. In contrast, 71% (10/14) of the Dehong isolates were unique recombinant forms (URF), mostly between subtypes B' (Thailand variant of subtype B) and C, with distinct profiles of recombination breakpoints. The subtype B' accounts for the remaining 29% (4/14) of Dehong isolates. Interestingly, two Honghe isolates (2/16) shared some of the precise B'/C recombination breakpoints with CRF07_BC. Conclusion: New recombinant strains are arising continually in west Yunnan near the Myanmar border. Some appeared to be secondary recombinants derived from CRF07_BC that had further recombined with other strains. The uneven distribution of subtypes, CRF and URF, suggests the presence of independent transmission networks and clusters among IDU in Yunnan. (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins.

Molecular epidemiology of the heterosexual HIV-1 transmission in Kunming, Yunnan Province of China suggests origin from the local IDU epidemic

Molecular epidemiological investigation was conducted among injecting drug users (IDUs) (n = 11) and heterosexuals (n = 15) in Kunming, Yunnan Province of China. HIV-1 genotypes were determined based on the nucleotide sequences of 2.6-kb gag-RT region. The distribution of genotypes among IDUs was as follows: CRF07_BC (5/11) and CRF08_BC (5/11); subtype B' (1/11). Similarly, a majority of Kunming heterosexuals (14/15) were infected with CRF07_BC (4/15), CRF08_BC (6/15), or subtype B' (4/15), known to predominate among IDUs in China. This contrasts with trends in the coastal regions of China and surrounding southeastern Asian countries, where CRF01_AE predominates among heterosexuals. The heterosexual HIV-1 epidemic in Kunming thus appears to derive from the local IDU epidemic. Of note, subtype B' was the most prevalent strain among heterosexuals before 1997, while CRF07_BC and CRF08_BC became predominant in 2002, indicating a transition of HIV-1 genotype distribution between the early and the more recent samples from Kunming heterosexuals.

Onychostoma virgulatum, a new species of cyprinid fish (Pisces: Teleostei) from southern Anhui Province, South China

Onychostoma virgulatum, new species, is described from the Qiupu River, a tributary on the Southern bank of the lower Yangtze River at Shitai County, southern Anhui Province, South China. It shares with O. fusiforme and O. meridionale the presence of a longitudinal dark brown stripe extending along the lateral line, a character separating them from all other congeners of the moderate-mouth group diagnosed by having a slightly arched or nearly transverse mouth opening (with the extremities slightly curved posteriorly), its width being equal to or slightly less than the width of head at this same point, and a short postlabial groove extending along half of the length of the lateral margin of the lower jaw. Onychostoma virgulatum differs from both in the presence of two pairs of barbels in adults, from O. fusiforme in the body depth, caudal-peduncle depth, and position of pelvic and anal fins, and from O. meridionale in the structure of the last simple dorsal-fin ray.

Metzia longinasus, a new cyprinid species (Teleostei: Cypriniformes) from the Pearl River drainage in Guangxi Province, South China

Metzia longinasus, a new cultrine cyprinid species from the Hongshui-He River of the Pearl River drainage in Guangxi Province, southern China, is described here. It can be distinguished from all other congeners by having a combination of the following characters: a superior mouth, 43 or 44 lateral-line scales, a long head (length 27.2-30.8% of standard length), a long snout (length 31.7-37.0% of head length), 10 or 11 branched anal-fin rays, and no longitudinal black band extending along each side of body from the extremity of the gill opening to caudal-fin base.

Fridericia dianchiensis sp nov (Enchytraeidae, oligochaeta) from Yunnan Province, China

Fridericia dianchiensis, a new enchytraeid species collected from Yunnan Province, is described here. It is characterized by a combination of the following characters: 1) lateral bundles containing maximum 3 chaetae; 2) esophageal appendages with 3-4 simple, terminal branches; 3) dorsal vessel originating in XX-XXIII; 4) sub-neural glands absent; 5) seminal vesicle large, occupying two segments; 6)clitellum girdle-shaped or gland cells absent between bursal slits and pre-middle ventrally; 7) coelomocytes without refractile vesicles, 8) spermatheca without diverticula and both ampullae broadly united; and 9) long spermathecal ectal duct without gland at the orifice.

Triplophysa lixianensis, a new nemacheiline loach species (Pisces : Balitoridae) from the upper Yangtze River drainage in Sichuan Province, South China

Triplophysa lixianensis, a new nemacheiline loach species, is described from the Min Jiang of the upper Yangtze River drainage in Sichuan Province, South China. It can be separated from all other species of Triplophysa by having a unique combination of the following characters: posterior chamber of gas bladder greatly reduced or absent; caudal peduncle columnar with a roughly round cross- section at its beginning; anterior edge of lower jaw completely exposed or uncovered by lower lip; intestine short, forming a zigzag loop below stomach; dorsal- fin origin closer to caudal- fin base than to snout tip; pelvic fin inserted anterior to dorsal- fin origin; snout length 50.6 - 57.5 % of head length; eye diameter 12.3 15.4 % of head length; caudal peduncle length 25.1 - 27.1 % of standard length; anal fin with five branched rays; lower lip greatly furrowed with two thick lateral lobes; and body smooth or scaleless.

Bibarba bibarba: A new genus and species of Cobitinae (Pisces : Cypriniformes : Cobitidae) from Guangxi Province (China)

A new genus of Cobitinae, Bibarba gen. n., and a new species, B. bibarba sp. n., were discovered and are described for the Chengjiang River, a tributary of the Hongshuihe River in Guangxi Province of southern China. This river region is characterized by a Karst landscape, and the river that is inhabited by the new genus is a slowly moving stream with arenaceous and cobblestone beds. The new genus resembles Cobitis Linnaeus, 1758 (subfamily Cobitinae) in the shape and pigmentation pattern of their body, the absence of scales on their head, and the presence of a suborbital spine, but differs from it by a single Lamina circularis on the third pectoral fin ray instead of on the base of the second pectoral fin ray; two pairs of barbels (one rostral pair and one maxillo-mandibular pair) instead of three pairs of barbels (one rostral pair, one maxillary pair, and one maxillo-mandibular pair); a relatively thick and short suborbital spine with a strong medio-lateral process instead of a suborbital spine without or with a weakly formed medio-lateral process as in Cobitis; and the lack of a black stripe extending from the occiput through the eye to the insertion of the rostral barbel. The first two characters have not been reported in any other genus of the subfamily Cobitinae. A morphometric character analysis based on PCA reveals differences between B. bibarba and C. sinensis in body size, barbel length, interorbital width, pectoral fin length in males, and the position of the dorsal and ventral fins. Type specimens of the new species are kept in the Freshwater Fishes Museum of the Institute of Hydrobiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Wuhan, Hubei Province. (c) 2007 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Qianlabeo striatus, a new genus and species of Labeoninae from Guizhou Province, China (Teleostei : Cyprinidae)

Qianlabeo striatus gen. et sp. nov. is described from a stream tributary to the Beipan Jiang of the upper Zhu Jiang (Pearl River) drainage in Matou, Anshun County, Guizhou Province, China. This monotypic genus is mainly characterized by its oromadibular morphology, namely an upper lip only present in and fully adnate to the side of the upper jaw, not covered by the pendulous rostral fold; the median portion of the upper jaw lacking an upper lip but bearing a thin, flexible and cornified cutting edge that is fully covered by the pendulous rostral fold; a postlabial groove prolonged, extended anteromedially close to the anteromost point of the midline of the lower lip but not to meet with its counterpart. The type species of this genus, Q. striatus has a longitudinal dark stripe along the side of the body.

Observations on two species of phyllodistomes (Trematoda : Gorgoderidae) from fishes of the Hubei Province, central China, with an erection of Neophyllodistomum gen. n.

Two rare trematode species so far reported in the genus Phyllodistomum Braun, 1899, P. pawlovskii (Zmeev, 1936) and P. serrispatula Chin, 1963, were found in the urinary system the yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco (Richardson) of Bao'an Lake (prevalence 8 %) and the swamp eel Monopterus albus (Zouiev) of Liangzi Lake (prevalence 6 9/6), respectively, from the Hubei Province, central China. In contrast to the original description, P. pawlovskii showed a considerable morphological variability particularly in the shape, size and topography of testes. A unique morphological feature of P. serrispatula is the presence of many conspicuous lateral outgrowths on the hindbody and, principally based on this character, a new genus Neophyl-lodistomum is erected (type species N. serrispatula (Chin, 1963) comb. n.)) to accommodate this species. Both trematode species are briefly redescribed. P. pawlovskii and N. serrispatula are reported for the first time from the Hubei Province and the former from the Yangtze River drainage system.