Guide to the freshwater fauna of Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Supplement 4

In the present supplement, where records in the past have been few in a group, new records are given of localities both as regards species previously recorded from Sri Lanka and especially for new records. This gives the new records more standing and may enable others to collect these species. Over 50 species are recorded for the first time in Sri Lanka. A general survey of the freshwater fauna is attempted. This is intended to give an indication of the groups as regards their numerical status in species and the extent to which different groups have been investigated. Using this data on the invertebrate fauna, the prospects for introduction of invertebrates is discussed.

A baseline report of water quality and invertebrate assessment in River Hohwa, Lake Albert: final report

Tullow Oil plc is to launch an onshore Early Production System (EPS) of oil drilling rated at 4,000 barrels of oil per day by 2009. The location of the EPS is in the Kaiso-Tonya area of Block 2 Oil Exploration Zone along Lake Albert within the Albertine graben. Tullow Oil plc contracted Environmental Resources Management (ERM) Southern Africa (Pty) Ltd in conjunction with Environmental Assessment Consult Limited (EACL) to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for pre-construction and operation of the proposed EPS. ERM in association with EACL requested National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) to conduct a baseline survey of water quality and invertebrates in River Hohwa. This study was requested as part of an earlier baseline survey conducted at the Kaiso-Ngassa spit oil exploration area in Block 2. It was conducted at five selected sites (Fig. 1 & Table 1) within the Hohwa River basin in the Kaiso-Tonya Exploration Area 2. The study was pertinent because the targeted oil wells for EPS are upstream this river which drains the Kaiso-Ngassa valley into Ngassa lagoon.

The freshwater zooplankton of Sri Lanka, with a discussion of tropical freshwater zooplankton composition

Based on the study of over 500 zooplankton samples collected in Sri Lanka during 1965-1974, the species composition from different habitats is analysed. The zooplankton assemblage is typically tropical with relatively few species of Cladocera and Copepoda. The Rotifera include a large number of species of the genus Brachionus. The limnetic zooplankton resembles the pond zooplankton closely in that all the eurytopic species found in the different types of habitats, including ponds; also occur in the limnetic zooplankton. The large Cladocera belonging to the genus Daphnia are very rare. In general, large zooplankters are absent. The size composition of the zooplankton has a smaller range than in temperate regions. This is due to the absence of large-sized zooplankton species. The reasons for the differences in species variety and size composition between zooplankton of temperate and tropical regions is perhaps due to a number of factors. These include the effects of high and uniform temperatures, food availability and predation by fish and invertebrates.

Technical report on the environmental monitoring of the cage area at the Source of the Nile (SON) Fish Farm for quarter 1: January-March 2011

The first environmental survey was undertaken in February 2011. The survey covered physical-chemical parameters (Water depth, water transparency, water column temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and conductivity), nutrient status, algal and invertebrate communities (algae, micro-invertebrates/zooplankton and macro-invertebrates/macro-benthos) and the fish community. This report presents the field observations made and provides a scientific interpretation and discussion of the results with reference to possible impacts of the cage facilities to the water environment and the different aquatic biota at and around the cage site including natural fish communities.

Reservoir fishery resources of south-east Asia

Although the reservoir area in south-east Asia is considerable, the fish production is low in the majority of reservoirs. Although high fish production has been recorded in a number of reservoirs in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, high fish production in reservoirs has with few exceptions resulted from the introduction of typical lake species from Africa. Addition of further lake fish species especially into deeper reservoirs will probably increase present fish yields. Diversification of the lake fish fauna can be achieved by introduction of species indigenous to the region like Etroplus suratensis. In this introduction of fish species, three points may be noted with specific reference to Tilapia spp.: (a) Lakes without indigenous cyprinids show marked fluctuation in fish catch with the introduction of Tilapia, and this could be stabilised by the introduction of predators and more diverse species. (b) Lakes with a moderate diversity of fish fauna show a high stabilised production with the introduction of Tilapia, presumably because of the effect of predator pressure on excessive Tilapia breeding. (c) Lowland lakes with a rich diversity of indigenous fish species colonising lakes may not require the introduction of Tilapia. Introduction of invertebrates into reservoirs in south east-Asia has not been done deliberately so far. However, the experience in other parts of the world, notably the Soviet Union, indicates that such introductions are likely to prove beneficial and to increase fish production. The potential for a considerable increase in fish production from reservoirs exists in south-east Asia. Proper management is likely to cost less than what is required for fish culture. Rural areas are likely to benefit most from increased fish production in reservoirs, and this might be a way to provide cheap protein where it is most urgently needed.

Environment monitoring technical report for the SON cage fish culture site at Bugungu, Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria, August 2014

Source of the Nile Fish farm (SON) is located at Bugungu area in Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria. The proprietors of the farm and the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) have an established collaborative arrangement where NaFIRRI provides technical back-stopping to enable quarterly environment monitoring of the cage site; a mandatory requirement of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). The agreed study areas are physical-chemical factors (water depth, water transparency/secchi depth, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, BOO, pH, conductivity), and selected nutrients), algal community (including primary production), aquatic invertebrates (zooplankton and macrobenthos) and the fish community. This report presents field observations made during the third quarter (July-September) field survey undertaken during August 2014; along with scientific interpretation and discussion of the results in reference to possible impacts of the cage facility to the water environment quality and aquatic biota.

Technical report on the environmental monitoring of the cage area at the Source of the Nile (SON) Fish Farm for quarter 3: July-September 2011

Source of the Nile Fish farm (SON) is located at Bugungu area in Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria. The proprietors of the farm requested for technical assistance of NaFIRRI to undertake regular environment monitoring of the cage site as is mandatory under the NEMA conditions. NAFIRRI agreed to undertake quarterly environment surveys in the cage area covering selected physical-chemical factors Like water column depth, water transparency, water column temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH and conductivity; nutrient status, algal and invertebrate communities (microinvertebrates/zooplankton and macro-invertebrates/macro-benthos) as well as fish community. The first quarter survey was undertaken in February 2011; the second in May 2011 and the third quarter survey, which is the subject of this report, in September 2011. Results/observations made are presented in this technical report along with a scientific interpretation and discussion of the results with reference to possible impacts of the cage facilities to the water environment and aq-uatic biota, including the natural fish community at and around the cage site.

SON bi‐annual environment monitoring technical report for the cage culture site at Bugungu, northern Lake Victoria, June 2012

Source of the Nile Fish farm (SON) is located at Bugungu area in Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria. The proprietors of the farm requested NaFIRRI to provide technical assistance to undertake regular environment monitoring of the cage site as is mandatory under the NEMA conditions. NAFIRRI agreed to undertake regular environment surveys in the cage area covering selected physical‐chemical factors i.e. water column depth, water transparency, water column temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, redox potential and turbidity; nutrient status, algal and invertebrate communities (micro‐invertebrates/zooplankton and macro‐invertebrates/macro‐benthos) as well as fish community. The first year‐round quarterly surveys were completed for the year 2011. It was decided by SON management to change the frequency of the monitoring surveys to biannual starting in the year 2012 and the first such survey, which is the subject of this report, was undertaken in June 2012. Results/observations made are presented in this technical report along with a scientific interpretation and discussion of the results with reference to possible impacts of the cage facilities to the water environment and aquatic biota. SON

Environment monitoring technical report for the SON cage fish culture site at Bugungu, Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria, March 2014

Source of the Nile Fish farm (SON) is located at Bugungu area in Napoleon Gulf, northern Lake Victoria. The proprietors of the farm and the National Fisheries Resources Research Institute (NaFIRRI) have an established collaborative arrangement where NaFIRRI provides technical back‐stopping to enable quarterly environment monitoring of the cage site as a mandatory requirement of the National Environment Management Authority (NEMA). The agreed study areas are selected physical‐chemical factors (water depth, water transparency/secchi depth, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, conductivity, and nutrient status), algal community (including primary production), aquatic invertebrates (zooplankton and macro‐benthos) and the fish community. This report presents field observations made during the first quarter (January‐March) field survey undertaken during March 2014; along with scientific interpretation and discussion of the results in reference to possible impacts of the cage facility to the water environment quality and aquatic biota. The

MULTIPLE GENOTYPES OF MITOCHONDRIAL-DNA WITHIN A HORSE POPULATION FROM A SMALL REGION IN YUNNAN PROVINCE OF CHINA

mtDNA genotypes of six domestic horses (three adult short horses whose heights are under 1 m and three common domestic horses) from a small region of 15 km(2) in Malipo county of Yunnan province of China were investigated by the technique of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) with restriction endonucleases which recognize 6-bp sequences. An average of fragments for an individual was obtained. Unlike other domestic animals, this population of horses exhibits high mtDNA genetic diversity. Each of the six horses has a specific mtDNA genotype showing a pattern of multiple maternal origins, as suggested by fossil and literature records. We think the population of horses is an amazing seed-resource pool of horses and hence deserves to be paid more attention from the view of conservation genetics. However it is also remarkable that we did not find any typical mtDNA genetic markers which would discriminate between short horses and common domestic horses.

Y-chromosome evidence of southern origin of the East Asian - Specific haplogroup O3-M122

The prehistoric peopling of East Asia by modern humans remains controversial with respect to early population migrations. Here, we present a systematic sampling and genetic screening of an East Asian-specific Y-chromosome haplogroup (O3-M122) in 2,332 individuals from diverse East Asian populations. Our results indicate that the O3-M122 lineage is dominant in East Asian populations, with an average frequency of 44.3%. The microsatellite data show that the O3-M122 haplotypes in southern East Asia are more diverse than those in northern East Asia, suggesting a southern origin of the O3-M122 mutation. It was estimated that the early northward migration of the O3-M122 lineages in East Asia occurred similar to 25,000-30,000 years ago, consistent with the fossil records of modern humans in East Asia.

Phylogenetic study of complete cytochrome b genes in musk deer (genus Moschus) using museum samples

As an endangered animal group, musk deer (genus Moschus) are not only a great concern of wildlife conservation, but also of special interest to evolutionary studies due to long-standing arguments on the taxonomic and phylogenetic associations in this group. Using museum samples, we sequenced complete mitochondrial cytochrome b genes (1140 bp) of all suggested species of musk deer in order to reconstruct their phylogenetic history through molecular information. Our results showed that the cytochrome b gene tree is rather robust and concurred for all the algorithms employed (parsimony, maximum likelihood, and distance methods). Further, the relative rate test indicated a constant sequence substitution rate among all the species, permitting the dating of divergence events by molecular clock. According to the molecular topology, M. moschiferus branched off the earliest from a common ancestor of musk deer (about 700,000 years ago); then followed the bifurcation forming the M. berezouskii lineage and the lineage clustering M. fuscus, M. chrysogaster, and M. leucogaster (around 370,000 years before present), interestingly the most recent speciation event in musk deer happened rather recently (140,000 years ago), which might have resulted from the diversified habitats and geographic barriers in southwest China caused by gigantic movements of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau in history. Combining the data of current distributions, fossil records, and molecular data of this study, we suggest that the historical dispersion of musk deer might be from north to south in China. Additionally, in our further analyses involving other pecora species, musk deer was strongly supported as a monophyletic group and a valid family in Artiodactyla, closely related to Cervidae. (C) 1999 Academic Press.

Hydrographical conditions and benthic assemblages in the Suez Gulf, Egypt

The coastal development and human activities along the Suez Gulf leading to sedimentation, degrade the quality of water, disturbing the natural structure and functions of aquatic communities. The Suez Gulf is a large semi-closed area with a 346 km long coastline on the western beach side. The prevailing physicochemical parameters in shallow intertidal waters were measured seasonally over the year. Benthic faunas in the sampling sites were studied indicating their regional distribution in relation to the impact of different environmental parameters in the intertidal region. The concentration of copper in seawater reached high level at St. IV (4.57 ug/1), which is exposed to sewage and petroleum hydrocarbons. The grain size of the sediment is a determining factor for the organic carbon concentration and the sandy substrate enhances organic matter degradation processes. A large number of oil fields are present along the western coast of the Suez Gulf, therefore, cadmium and organic matter appeared to be high. The values of pH did not vary greatly among the different sampling sites. It was high at EI-Ein, El-Sukhna and Ras-Shukeir due to the disposal of mainly acidic sewage and industrial effluents of the two stations Adabiya and Ras-Gharib respectively. The macrobenthos included 71 species embraced mainly from Mollusca (53.5% Gastropoda and 12.7% Bivalvia) and the other invertebrates included 7 groups namely, Rhizostoma, Polychaeta, Cirripedia, Amphipoda, Isopoda, Decapoda and Echinodermata. The distribution of benthos is affected by the temperature and salinity of seawater. The concentration of organic matter in seawater and in sediments in shallow waters shows high values in the central part of the Gulf of Suez.

A horsefly saliva antigen 5-like protein containing RTS motif is an angiogenesis inhibitor

The Ag5 proteins are the most abundant and immunogenic proteins in the venom secretory ducts of stinging insects. An antigen 5-like protein (named tabRTS) composed of 221 amino acid residues was purified and characterized from the salivary glands of the horsefly, Tabanus yao (Diptera, Tabanidae). Its cDNA was cloned from the cDNA library of the horsefly's salivary gland. TabRTS containing the SCP domain (Sc7 family of extracellular protein domain) was found in insect antigen 5 proteins. More interestingly, there is an Arg-Thr-Ser (RTS) disintegrin motif at the C-terminus of tabRTS. The RTS motif is positioned in a loop bracketed by cysteine residues as those found in RTS-disintegrins of Crotalidae and Viperidae snake venoms, which act as angiogenesis inhibitors. Endothelial Cell Tube formation assay in vitro and chicken chorioallantoic membrane (CAM) angiogenesis assay in vivo were performed as to investigate the effect of tabRTS on angiogenesis. It was found that tabRTS could significantly inhibit angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Anti-alpha(1)beta(1) monoclonal antibody could dose-dependently inhibit the anti-angiogenic activity of tabRTS. This result indicated that tabRTS possibly targets the alpha(1)beta(1) integrin to exert the anti-angiogenic activity as snake venom RTS-/KTS-disintegrins do. The current work revealed the first angiogenesis inhibitor protein containing RTS motif from invertebrates, a possible novel type of RTS-disintegrin. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Notes on the fish resources of the Bahuda estuary, Orissa, India

Estuaries form an important site for the zoologist as these are the places known to be very rich in food and nutrients and so, become nesting-cum-breeding grounds for many species and also, own good species diversity. Bahuda estuary of Orissa is located at the inter-state border of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. Explored for many invertebrates, this estuary was not properly investigated for its rich fish fauna. Various surveys at Bahuda estuary revealed that it is an important site of study for the faunal diversity of fishes in the east coast. Forty-eight species belonging to 33 genera under eight orders and 22 families were examined referring standard literature· and methods. Most of the groups of fishes encountered are of commercial importance.