Study of Apiosoma piscicola (Blanchard 1885) occurring on fry of freshwater fishes in Hongze, China with consideration of the genus Apiosoma

Apiosoma piscicola (Blanchard 1885) was reported from fry of Carassius auratus (Var. pengze) and Ctenopharyngodon idella during parasite surveys in May 2005 and June 2006 at Hongze Lake Fish Hatchery, Jiangsu province, China. Twelve morphometric parameters were used to describe this peritrich in detail in the present study and comparisons were made with other reports. Its synonyms, Glossatella cylindriformis (Chen 1955) and Apiosoma magna (Banina 1968), were clarified based on reliable data. A. piscicola was still considered somewhat host-specific by us, especially to cyprinids, although it shows a quite wide limit of host variability. The telotroch was also observed, and its structures were described herein. Besides, the difficulties of the generic taxonomy were discussed and some suggestions were given.

Report on some species of Palaemonidae (Crustacea, Decapoda) from French Polynesia

Based on material collected from French Polynesia and deposited in the Museum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, the present paper reports 31 palaemonid shrimp species, which belong to the Palaemoninae (two genera, three species) and to the Pontoniinae (12 genera, 28 species), including six new species. The new species are: Izucaris crosnieri n. sp., Periclimenes alexanderi n. sp., P. josephi n. sp., P platydactylus n. sp., P polynesiensis n. sp. and P vicinus n. sp. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of the new species are provided. Besides the six new species, ten other species are recorded for the first time from French Polynesia: Exoclimenella maldivensis Duris & Bruce, 1995, Kemponia rapanui (Fransen, 1987) n. comb., Palaemonella crosnieri Bruce, 1978, P spinulata Yokoya, 1936, Periclimenaeus hecate (Nobili, 1904), P orbitocarinatus Fransen, 2006, Periclimenes aleator Bruce, 199 1, P paralcocki Li & Bruce, 2006, P uniunguiculatus Bruce, 1990, Pontonides loloata Bruce, 2005.

Karyological studies on the Sino-Himalayan genus, Cremanthodium (Asteraceae : Senecioneae)

Twenty-two populations of seven species of Cremanthodium from high altitude regions of western China were observed karyologically. C. ellisii, C. microglossum, C. brunneo-pilosum, C. stenoglossum, C. discoideum and C. lineare all had the same chromosome number of 2n=58 whereas C. humile had 2n=60. All chromosome numbers of these species are documented here for the first time. The basic number of x=30 is new for this genus. The karyotypes of all species belong to 2A type according to Stebbins' asymmetry classification of karyotypes. Two basic chromosome numbers, x=30 and x=29 in Cremanthodium, correspond exactly to two branching patterns in this genus, sympodial versus monopodial. The systematic and taxonomic statuses of the sympodial species need further study. The karyomorphological data provide no support to the sectional subdivision in Cremanthodium. (C) 2001 The Linnean Society of London.