Results of the Austrian-Ceylonese hydrobiological mission 1970 of the 1st Zoological Institute of the University of Vienna (Austria) and the Department of Zoology of the Vidyalankara University of Ceylon, Kelaniya. Pt. 6. A new Drepanosticta from Ceylon (Order: Odonata; insecta)

The author describe a new species of Drepanosticta from Sri Lanka. This new species is named in honour of the collector, Professor Dr. F. Starmühlner.

Comparative molecular cytogenetic studies in the order Carnivora: mapping chromosomal rearrangements onto the phylogenetic tree

We have made a set of chromosome-specific painting probes for the American mink by degenerate oligonucleotide primed-PCR (DOP-PCR) amplification of flow-sorted chromosomes. The painting probes were used to delimit homologous chromosomal segments among human, red fox, dog, cat and eight species of the family Mustelidae, including the European mink, steppe and forest polecats, least weasel, mountain weasel, Japanese sable, striped polecat, and badger. Based on the results of chromosome painting and G-banding, comparative maps between these species have been established. The integrated map demonstrates a high level of karyotype conservation among mustelid species. Comparative analysis of the conserved chromosomal segments among mustelids and outgroup species revealed 18 putative ancestral autosomal segments that probably represent the ancestral chromosomes, or chromosome arms, in the karyotype of the most recent ancestor of the family Mustelidae. The proposed 2n = 38 ancestral Mustelidae karyotype appears to have been retained in some modern mustelids, e.g., Martes, Lutra, ktonyx, and Vormela. The derivation of the mustelid karyotypes from the putative ancestral state resulted from centric fusions, fissions, the addition of heterochromatic arms, and occasional pericentric inversions. Our results confirm many of the evolutionary conclusions suggested by other data and strengthen the topology of the carnivore phylogenetic tree through the inclusion of genome-wide chromosome rearrangements. Copyright (C) 2002 S. KargerAG, Basel.

Karyotypic conservatism in the suborder Feliformia (Order Carnivora)

Multidirectional comparative chromosome painting was used to investigate the karyotypic relationships among representative species from three Feliformia families of the order Carnivora ( Viverridae, Hyaenidae and Felidae). Complete sets of painting probes derived from flow-sorted chromosomes of the domestic dog, American mink, and human were hybridized onto metaphases of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta, 2n = 40) and masked palm civet (Paguma larvata, 2n = 44). Extensive chromosomal conservation is evident in these two species when compared with the cat karyotype, and only a few events of chromosome fusion, fission and inversion differentiate the karyotypes of these Feliformia species. The comparative chromosome painting data have enabled the integration of the hyena and palm civet chromosomes into the previously established comparative map among the domestic cat, domestic dog, American mink and human and improved our understanding on the karyotype phylogeny of Feliformia species. Copyright (C) 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Karyotypic evolution and phylogenetic relationships in the order Chiroptera as revealed by G-banding comparison and chromosome painting

Bats are a unique but enigmatic group of mammals and have a world-wide distribution. The phylogenetic relationships of extant bats are far from being resolved. Here, we investigated the karyotypic relationships of representative species from four families

The mitochondrial genome organization of the rice frog, Fejervarya limnocharis (Amphibia : Anura): a new gene order in the vertebrate mtDNA

The mitochondrial DNA of the rice frog, Fejervarya limnocharis (Amphibia, Anura), was obtained using long-and-accurate polymerase chain reaction (LA-PCR) combining with subcloning method. The complete nucleotide sequence (17,717 bp) of mitochondrial genome was determined subsequently. This mitochondrial genome is characterized by four distinctive features: the translocation of ND5 gene, a cluster of rearranged tRNA genes (tRNA(Thr), tRNA(Pro), tRNA(Leu) ((CUN))) a tandem duplication of tRNA(Mer) gene, and eight large 89-bp tandem repeats in the control region, as well as three short noncoding regions containing two repeated motifs existing in the gene cluster of ND5/tRNA(Thr)/tRNA(Pro)/tRNA(Leu)/tRNA(Phe). The tandem duplication of gene regions followed by deletions of supernumerary genes can be invoked to explain the shuffling of tRNAM(Met) and a cluster of tRNA and ND5 genes, as observed in this study. Both ND5 gene translocation and tandem duplication of tRNA(Met) were first observed in the vertebrate mitochondrial genomes. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Polychaetous annelids (order Sabellida) from the Karachi coast, Pakistan

Fifteen species of polychaete worms, belonging to order Sabellida, are described from the Karachi coast. Of these 10 are new records for Pakistan: Hydroides albiceps (Grube, 1870), H. exaltatus (Marenzellar, 1885), Protula sp. Spirobranchus tetraceros (Schmarda, 1861), Vermiliopsis infundibulum glandigera group, Demonax sp. and Bispira cf tricyclia (Schmarda, 1861).

Simulating intertwined design processes that have similar structures: A case study of a small company that creates made-to-order fashion products

The authors use simulation to analyse the resource-driven dependencies between concurrent processes used to create customised products in a company. Such processes are uncertain and unique according to the design changes required. However, they have similar structures. For simulation, a level of abstraction is chosen such that all possible processes are represented by the same activity network. Differences between processes are determined by the customisations that they implement. The approach is illustrated through application to a small business that creates customised fashion products. We suggest that similar techniques could be applied to study intertwined design processes in more complex domains. Copyright © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

Phylogenetic relationships within mammalian order Carnivora indicated by sequences of two nuclear DNA genes

Phylogenetic relationships among 37 living species of order Carnivora spanning a relatively broad range of divergence times and taxonomic levels were examined using nuclear sequence data from exon1 of the IRBP gene (approximate to1.3 kb) and first intron

Parallel and Convergent Evolution of the Dim-Light Vision Gene RH1 in Bats (Order: Chiroptera)

Rhodopsin, encoded by the gene Rhodopsin (RH1), is extremely sensitive to light, and is responsible for dim-light vision. Bats are nocturnal mammals that inhabit poor light environments. Megabats (Old-World fruit bats) generally have well-developed eyes, while microbats (insectivorous bats) have developed echolocation and in general their eyes were degraded, however, dramatic differences in the eyes, and their reliance on vision, exist in this group. In this study, we examined the rod opsin gene (RH1), and compared its evolution to that of two cone opsin genes (SWS1 and M/LWS). While phylogenetic reconstruction with the cone opsin genes SWS1 and M/LWS generated a species tree in accord with expectations, the RH1 gene tree united Pteropodidae (Old-World fruit bats) and Yangochiroptera, with very high bootstrap values, suggesting the possibility of convergent evolution. The hypothesis of convergent evolution was further supported when nonsynonymous sites or amino acid sequences were used to construct phylogenies. Reconstructed RH1 sequences at internal nodes of the bat species phylogeny showed that: (1) Old-World fruit bats share an amino acid change (S270G) with the tomb bat; (2) Miniopterus share two amino acid changes (V104I, M183L) with Rhinolophoidea; (3) the amino acid replacement I123V occurred independently on four branches, and the replacements L99M, L266V and I286V occurred each on two branches. The multiple parallel amino acid replacements that occurred in the evolution of bat RH1 suggest the possibility of multiple convergences of their ecological specialization (i.e., various photic environments) during adaptation for the nocturnal lifestyle, and suggest that further attention is needed on the study of the ecology and behavior of bats.