Isolation of Gemmata-like and Isosphaera-like planctomycete bacteria from soil and freshwater

New cultured strains of the planctomycete division (order Planctomycetales) of the domain Bacteria related to species in the genera Gemmata and Isosphaera were isolated from soil, freshwater, and a laboratory ampicillin solution. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene from eight representative isolates showed that all the isolates were members of the planctomycete division. Six isolates clustered with Gemmata obscuriglobus and related strains, while two isolates clustered with Isosphaera pallida. A double-membrane-bounded nucleoid was observed in Gemmata-related isolates but not in Isosphaera-related isolates, consistent with the ultrastructures of existing species of each genus. Two isolates from this study represent the first planctomycetes successfully cultivated from soil.

Stratigraphic and palaeoenvironmental significance of a Pennsylvanian (Upper Carboniferous) palynoflora from the PiauFormation, Parnaba Basin, northeastern Brazil

A well-preserved palynoflora is reported from within a cored interval of a coal-exploratory borehole (1-UN-23-PI of the Geological Survey of Brazil) in the southern part of the Parnaiba Basin, northeastern Brazil. The sample studied is from the lower portion of the Piaui Formation. Its palynoflora is characterized by particular abundance of the trilete cavate/pseudosaccate miospores Spelaeotriletes triangulus Neves and Owens, 1966 and S. arenaceus Neves and Owens, 1966, together with cingulizonate forms mainly attributable to Vallatisporites Hacquebard, 1957 and Cristatisporites R. Potonie and Kremp emend. Butterworth et al., 1964. Radially and bilaterally symmetrical monosaccate pollen grains are also well-represented, chiefly by Plicatipollenites Lele, 1964 and Potonieisporites Bhardwaj, 1954, respectively. Taeniate grains (i.e., monosaccates and bisaccates) are relatively minor constituents of the palynoflora; no marine microplankton were encountered. Several species are described in detail : the trilete apiculate spores Brevitriletes levis (Balme and Hennelly) Bharadwaj and Srivastava, 1969 and Horriditriletes uruguaiensis (Marques-Toigo) Archangelsky and Gamerro, 1979; and the taeniate pollen grains Meristocorpus ostentus sp. nov. and Lahirites segmentatus sp. nov. A Pennsylvanian (Late Carboniferous : late Westphalian) age is adduced for the palynoflora via its correlation with part of the Tapajos Group (specifically, the upper Itaituba Formation) of the Amazonas Basin in northern Brazil. The entirely land-derived palynomorphs, associated with abundant plant debris, corroborate previous suggestions that the lower part of the Piaui Formation accumulated in a nonmarine setting under conditions of aridity.

Diversity in the Monogenea and Digenea: does lifestyle matter?

If the cestodes are excluded, then the parasitic platyhelminths of fishes divide neatly into the external and monoxenous Monogenea and the internal and heteroxenous Digenea. Both groups have apparently had long associations of coevolution, host switching and adaptation with fishes and have become highly successful in their respective habitats. Current estimates of species richness for the two groups suggest that they may be remarkably similar. Here we consider the nature of the diversity of the Monogenea. and Digenea of fishes in terms of richness of species and higher taxa to determine what processes may be responsible for observed differences. The Monogenea includes at least two super-genera (Dactylogyrus and Gyrodactylus) each of which has hundreds of species, no comparable genera are found in the Digenea. Possible reasons for this difference include the higher host specificity of monogeneans and their shorter generation Lime. If allowance is made for the vagaries of taxonomic 'lumping' and 'splitting', then there are probably comparable numbers of families of monogeneans and digeneans in fishes. However, the nature of the families differ profoundly. Richness in higher taxa (families) in the Digenea is explicable in terms of processes that appear to have been unimportant in the Monogenea. Readily identifiable sources of diversity in the Digenea are: recolonisation of fishes by taxa that arose in association with tetrapods; adoption of new sites within hosts; adoption of new diets and feeding mechanisms; adaptations relating to the exploitation of ecologically similar groups of fishes and second intermediate hosts; and adaptations relating to the exploitation of phylogenetic lineages of molluscs. In contrast, most higher- level monogenean diversity (other than that associated with the subclasses) relates principally to morphological specialisation for attachment by the haptor. (C) 2002 Australian Society for Parasitology Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lepocreadiinae lepocreadiids (Digenea) from tetraodontiform fishes in the waters off Tasmania, Queensland and Moorea, French Polynesia

Two new species of Pseudocreadium are described from off northern Tasmania, P maturini sp. nov. from Meuschenia freycineti and P aubreyi sp. nov. from Acanthaluteres vittiger. They differ from the only other recognised species in the genus by the number of ovarian lobes and by size, and they differ from each other by size, shape, caecal length, forebody length, pre-oral lobe size, uterine position, excretory vesicle length and oral sucker shape. Lobatocreadium exiguum is redescribed from Sufflamen bursa, off Moorea, French Polynesia and Abalistes stellatus, Swain Reefs, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland. Records and measurements are given for Hypocreadium cavum from Sufflamen fraenatus and Lepotrema clavatum from Melichthys vidua, both off Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Queensland.

Further observations on the Enenteridae Yamaguti, 1958 (Digenea, Lepocreadioidea) of the Indo-West Pacific region, including a new species from Western Australia

Measurements are given for all and full descriptions and illustrations for some of the following enenterid species: Enenterum aureum Linton, 1910 in Kyphosus bigibbus and K. sydneyanus? from Ningaloo Coral Reef, Western Australia, K. vaigiensis from off Heron Island, Queensland and K. vaigiensis from off Moorea, French Polynesia; E. mannarense Hafeezullah, 1980 in K. bigibbus and K. sydneyanus? from Ningaloo Coral Reef; E. elongatum Yamaguti, 1970 in K. vaigiensis from Heron Island, Queensland and K. bigibbus and K. sydneyanus? from Ningaloo Coral Reef; Koseiria alanwilliamsi sp. nov. in Kyphosus cornelii from off Kalbarri, Western Australia; Koseiria xishaense Gu et Shen, 1983 in K. vaigiensis from off Heron Island and K. bigibbus from off Palau, Micronesia; Proenenterum isocotylum Manter, 1954 in Aplodactylus arctidens from off Stanley, Tasmania; R ericotylum Manter, 1954 in A. arctidens from off Stanley; Cadenatella isuzumi Machida, 1993 from Kyphosus bigibbus and K. sydneyanus? from Ningaloo Coral Reef; Cadenatella pacifica (Yamaguti, 1970) from Kyphosus bigibbus from Ningaloo Coral Reef. Two recent cladistic studies of the Enenteridae are discussed and a further analysis has shown that Enenterum and Cadenatella are monophyletic, whilst Koseiria appears polyphyletic. The zoogeography and host-specificity of Kyphosus-inhabiting enenterids is discussed.

New graptolite faunas from the Llandovery, lower Silurian of the Graveyard Creek Subprovince, Broken River region, Queensland, Australia

A continuous biostratigraphic sequence has been established, possibly from as low as the sedgwickii Biozone but certainly throughout the Telychian Stage (?sedgwickii, turriculatus, ?crispus, griestoniensis and crenulata biozones). Thirty-three taxa have been recorded, including the new genus Wandograptus wandovalensis sp. nov., the new species Pseudostreptograptus queenslandensis and the new subspecies Dictyonema paululum australis and Stimulograptus sedwickii loydelli. A number of species have been recorded from Australia for the first time: Dictyonema cf. geniculatum Bulman, Petalolithus kurcki (Rickards), Pristiograptus initialis (Kirste), Monoclimacis directa Zalasciewicz, Monograptus aff. distans (Portlock), Monograptus sartorius Törnquist, and Torquigraptus pragensis (Bouček). Nine forms have been left under open nomenclature. The type section for the Poley Cow Formation yields a griestoniensis biozone fauna close to the top, and this level can be correlated with a griestoniensis Biozone fauna in the Broken River crossing section, again just below the top of the formation. Further north, griestoniensis Biozone faunas have also been recognized, beyond Diggers Creek, and in the Quinton Formation at Top Hut, enabling a reliable time plane throughout the region. At Top Hut, the highest graptolitic strata yield a crenulata Biozone fauna; and stratigraphically lower sequences, referable to the ?sedgwickii, turriculatus and ?crispus biozones, have been established on the Broken River section. It is likely that a full Telychian (Upper Llandovery) sequence occurs in the Poley Cow and Quinton formations enabling accurate correlation with other parts of the world.

Isolation and characterisation of Indian Ocean ciguatoxin

We report the isolation and initial characterisation of Indian Ocean ciguatoxin (I-CTX) present in toxic lipid soluble extracts isolated from ciguateric fishes collected off the Republic of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. Following i.p. injection of this extract, mice displayed symptoms that were similar, though not identical, to those produced by Pacific and Caribbean ciguatoxins (P-CTXs and C-CTXs). Using a radiolabelled brevetoxin (PbTx) binding assay and mouse bioassay guided fractionation, I-CTX was purified by Florisil, Sephadex LH-20 and TSK HW-40S chromatography with good recovery. Isolation to purity was not possible by preparative reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) due to significant losses of toxicity. However, analytical reversed phase HPLC coupled to an electrospray mass spectrometry detector identified a [M + H](+) ion at m/z 1141.58 which co-eluted with activity that displaced [3 H]-PbTx binding to rat brain. This mass corresponded to C-CTX-1, but the fragmentation pattern of I-CTX showed a different ratio of pseudo molecular and product ions. I-CTX was found to elute later than P-CTX-1 but was practically indistinguishable from C-CTX-1 on reversed phase HPLC, while the TSK HW-40S column chromatography differentiated I-CTX from the later eluting C-CTX-1. Taken together, these results indicate that I-CTX is a new ciguatoxin (CTX) responsible for ciguatera caused by reef fish in the Indian Ocean. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spondylostrobus F. Mueller: operculate fruits of an extinct dicotyledon from the mid-Tertiary of Australia

Spondylostrobus F. Mueller, which accommodates operculate fruit-stones reported only from the mid-Tertiary of Australia, is redefined on the basis of type and other specimens of the type species, S. smythii F. Mueller, and of specimens included in S. rozefeldsii sp. nov. The globose to ellipsoidal fruits have 3-6 locules symmetrically disposed around a massive fibrous axis. Each locule has a single anatropous ovule, axile placentation, and a dorsal germination operculum that extends from near the base to the apex. In possessing these characters Spondylostrobus more closely resembles operculate fruits within the tribe Spondiadeae (Anacardiaceae) than operculate fruits of other dicotyledonous families. Spondylostrobus has widespread distribution in Oligocene-Miocene sediments of eastern Australia. At many localities it is associated with fruit-stones having affinities with extant taxa that now occur in rainforests, monsoonal forests, and fringing communities of northern Australia. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

A new species of Phyllurus (Lacertilia : Gekkonidae) and a revised phylogeny and key for the Australian leaf-tailed geckos

Phyllurus gulbaru, sp. nov., is a highly distinct species of leaf-tailed gecko restricted to rocky rainforest of Pattersons Gorge, north-west of Townsville. The possession of a cylindrical, non-depressed, tapering original and regenerated tail separates P. gulbaru from all congeners except P. caudiannulatus. From this species P. gulbaru is separated by having a partially divided, as opposed to fully divided, rostral scale. Furthermore, the very small spinose body tubercles of P. gulbaru are in marked contrast to the large spinose body scales of P. caudiannulatus. An analysis of 729 bp of mitochondrial 12S rRNA and cytochrome b genes reveals P. gulbaru to be a deeply divergent lineage with closer affinities to mid-east Queensland congeners than the geographically neighbouring P. amnicola on Mt Elliot. In conservation terms, P. gulbaru is clearly at risk. Field surveys of Pattersons Gorge and the adjacent ranges indicate that this species is restricted to a very small area of highly fragmented habitat, of which only a small proportion receives a degree of protection in State forest. Further, there is ongoing, unchecked destruction of dry rainforest habitat by fire. Under current IUCN criteria, P. gulbaru warrants an Endangered ( B1, 2) listing.

New species of Opechona Looss, 1907 and Cephalolepidapedon Yamaguti, 1970 (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) from fishes off northern Tasmania

Two new species of lepocreadiid trematodes are described from teleost fishes from off the coast of northern Tasmania. Opechona kahawai sp. nov. from Arripis sp. (Arripidae) differs from congeners by a combination of a longer prepharynx, longer excretory vesicle and the genital pore antero-sinistral to the ventral sucker. Cephalolepidapedon warehou sp. nov. from Seriolella punctata (Centrolophidae) differs from its only congener in the vitellarium reaching into the posterior forebody, a heavy concentration of eye-spot pigment in the forebody, a relatively narrower and more elongate body, a longer prepharynx and a more distinct oesophagus.

Life cycle evolution in the Digenea: a new perspective from phylogeny

We use a new molecular phylogeny, developed from small and large subunit ribosomal RNA genes, to explore evolution of the digenean life cycle. Our approach is to map character states on the phylogeny and then use parsimony to infer how the character evolved. We conclude that, plesiomorphically, digenean miracidia hatched from eggs and penetrated gastropod first intermediate hosts externally. Fork-tailed cercariae were produced in rediae and emerged from the snail to be eaten directly by the teleost definitive host. These plesiomorphic characters are seen in extant Bivesiculidae. We infer that external encystment and the use of second intermediate hosts are derived from this behaviour and that second intermediate hosts have been adopted repeatedly. Tetrapod definitive hosts have also been adopted repeatedly. The new phylogeny proposes a basal dichotomy between 'Diplostomida' (Diplostomoidea, Schistosomatoidea and Brachylaimoidea) and 'Plagiorchiida' (all other digeneans). There is no evidence for coevolution between these clades and groups of gastropods. The most primitive life cycles are seen in basal Plagiorchiida. Basal Diplostomida have three-host life cycles and are associated with tetrapods. The blood flukes (Schistosomatoidea) are inferred to have derived their two-host life cycles by abbreviating three-host cycles. Diplostomida have no adult stages in fishes except by life cycle abbreviation. We present and test a radical hypothesis that the blood-fluke cycle is plesiomorphic within the Diplostomida.

A review of the genus Ledermuelleriopsis Willmann (Acari : Prostigmata : Stigmaeidae)

The mite family Stigmaeidae (Acari:Prostigmata) is of considerable importance in biological control, but its genera are often poorly defined and have never been subjected to cladistic analysis. Herein, we report the stigmaeid genus Ledermuelleriopsis Willmann from Australia for the first time, present a preliminary phylogenetic analysis that demonstrates that Eustigmaeus Berlese and Ledermuelleriopsis Willman are distinct, review the genus at the world level, and provide diagnostic characters of the adult females for each of the 21 known species. We also catalogue habitats, distributions and localities of holotypes. Four new species from Australia are described and illustrated: L. parvilla, sp. nov. from old dune sand, L. barbellata, sp. nov. from wet-sandy heath litter, and L. pustulosa, sp. nov. and L. claviseta, sp. nov. from dry eucalypt forest litter. A key to adult females of all known Ledermuelleriopsis species is provided. The Australian species and L. incisa Wood from New Zealand can be separated from all other members of the genus by a synapomorphy: the reduction of the number of setae on the aggenital shield to one pair. Results of a preliminary morphological cladistic analysis for those stigmaeid genera in which the larvae and adults of both sexes are known, indicate that Ledermuelleriopsis is basal to a clade containing Cheylostigmaeus Willman and Eustigmaeus.