Threatened fishes of the world: Pseudobagrus medianalis (Regan) 1904 (Bagridae)

Conservation status, identification, distribution, abundance, habitat and ecology, threats, conservation actions and recommendations of a endemic bagrid catfish, Dianchi bullhead, Pseudobagrus medianalis were introduced based on data and knowledge from a

Morphometrics, length-weight relationship and condition of Rastrineobola argentea (Pellegrin 1904) in the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria (Kenya)

Correlation between total length (TL), fork length (FL) and standard length (SL) of Raslrineobola argentea (pellegrin 1904) in the Winam Gulf of Lake Victoria indicate that FL = 0.92 TL - 0.74 and SL = 0.90 TL - 1.74. Length-weight relationship of log-transformed data shows that the slopes of the regression lines were 3.06 to 3.22 for juveniles, 2.70 to 3.05 for males and 3.24 to 3.71 for females. The slopes were significantly different between groups at at a =0.05. The Fulton's condition factor (K) was highest in December (1.019-1.073) and March/April (1.015-1.030) but lowest in June (1:00-1.025) for all stations. Significant differences between groups demands for the use of different growth models for juveniles, males and females especially for the von Bertalanffy growth equation which uses length-weight relationship. Observed cyclic viations in condition factor suggests two peak breeding seasons for this species in the Winam Gulf. The practical lmplications of these results in stock assessment using length-based fish stock assessment methods is briefly discussed.

A preliminary genetic map of Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri Jones et Preston 1904)

Zhikong scallop (Chlamys farreri Jones et Preston 1904) is one of the most important aquaculture species in China. The development of a genetic linkage map would provide a powerful tool for the genetic improvement of this species. Amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) is a PCR-based technique that has proven to be powerful in genome fingerprinting and mapping, and population analysis. Genetic maps of C. farreri were constructed using AFLP markers and a full-sib family with 60 progeny. A total of 503 segregating AFLP markers were obtained, with 472 following the Mendelian segregation ratio of 1:1 and 31 markers showing significant (P< 0.05) segregation distortion. The male map contained 166 informative AFLP markers in 23 linkage groups covering 2468 cM. The average distance between markers was 14.9 cM. The female genetic map consisted of 198 markers in 25 linkage groups spanning 3130 cM with an average inter-marker spacing of 15.8 cM. DNA polymorphisms that segregated in a 3:1 ratio as well as the AFLP markers that were heterozygous in both parents were included to construct combined linkage genetic map. Five shared linkage groups, ranging from 61.1 to 162.5 cM, were identified between the male and female maps, covering 431 cM. Amplified fragment length polymorphism markers appeared to be evenly distributed within the linkage groups. Although preliminary, these maps provide a starting point for the mapping of the functional genes and quantitative trait loci in C. farreri.

Deer forests, game shooting and landed estates in the South West of Ireland, 1840 - 1970

This thesis is concentrated on the historical aspects of the elitist field sports of deer stalking and game shooting, as practiced by four Irish landed ascendancy families in the south west of Ireland. Four great estates were selected for study. Two of these were, by Irish standards, very large: the Kenmare estate of over 136,000 acres in the ownership of the Roman Catholic Earls of Kenmare, and the Herbert estate of over 44,000 acres in the ownership of the Protestant Herbert family. The other two were, in relative terms, small: the Grehan estate of c.7,500 acres in the ownership of the Roman Catholic Grehan family, and the Godfrey estate of c.5,000 acres, in the ownership of the Protestant Barons Godfrey. This mixture of contrasting estate size, owner's religions, nobleman, minor aristocrat and untitled gentry should, it is argued, yield a diversity of the field sports and lifestyles of their owners, and go some way to assess the contributions, good or bad, they have bequeathed to modern Ireland. Equally, it should help in assessing what importance, if any, applied to hunting. In this context, hunting is here used in its broadest meaning, and includes deer stalking and game shooting, as well as hunting with dogs and hounds on foot and horseback. Where a specific type of hunting is involved, it is so described; for example, fox hunting, stag hunting, hare hunting. Similarly, the term game is sometimes used in sporting literature to encompass all species of quarry killed, and can include deer, ground game (hares and rabbits), waterfowl, and various species of game birds. Where it refers to specific species, these are so described; for example grouse, pheasants, woodcork, wild duck, etc. Since two of these estates - the Kenmare and Herbert - each created a deer forest, unique in mid-19th century Ireland, they form the core study estates; the two smaller estates serve as comparative studies. And, equally unique, as these two larger estates held the only remnant population of native Irish red deer, the survival of that herd itself forms a concomitant core area of analysis. The numerary descriptions applied to these animals in popular literature are critically reassessed against prime source historical evidence, as are the so-called deer forest 'clearances'. The core period, 1840 to 1970, is selected as the seminal period, spanning 130 years, from the creation of the deer forests to when a fundamental change in policy and administration was introduced by the state. Comparison is made with similar estates elsewhere, in Britain and especially in Scotland. Their influence on the Irish methods and style of hunting is historically examined.

Avoiding Negligence and Profusion: The failure of the Joint-Stock form in the Anglo-Indian Tea Trade, 1840-1870

In the 19th century, firms operating in the Anglo-Indian tea trade were organised using a variety ownership forms including the partnership, joint-stock and a combination of the two known as the Managing agency. Faced with both an increasing need for fixed capital and high agency costs caused by the distance between owners and managers, the firms adapted and increasingly adopted the hybrid managing agency model to overcome these problems. Using new data from Calcutta and Bengal Commercial Registers and detailed case studies of the Assam Company and Gillanders, Arbuthnot and Co, this paper demonstrates that British entrepreneurs did not see the choice of ownership as a dichotomy or firm boundaries as fixed, but instead innovatively drew on the strengths of different forms of ownership to compete and grow successfully.