Recent examinations of some marine fishes from off the southern coast of Iraq revealed the presence of five species of Philometra Costa, 1845 (Nematoda: Philometridae): Philometra arabiensis sp. n. (males and females) from the ovary of the shrimp scad Alepes djedaba (Forsskål) (Carangidae, Carangiformes), Philometra psettoditis Moravec, Walter et Yuniar, 2012 (females) from the body cavity of the Indian halibut Psettodes erumei (Bloch et Schneider) (Psettodidae, Pleuronectiformes), Philometra terapontis Moravec, Gopalakrishnan, Rajkumar, Saravanakumar et Kaliyamoorthy, 2011 (female) from the ovary of the jarbua terapon Terapon jarbua (Forsskål) (Terapontidae, Centrarchiformes), Philometra sp. (females) from the ovary of the Arabian blackspot threadfin Polydactylus mullani (Hora) (Polynemidae, Carangariformes) and Philometra sp. 2 of Moravec et al. (2016a) (females) from the ovary and body cavity of the bartail flathead Platycephalus indicus (Linnaeus) (Platycephalidae, Perciformes). Philometra arabiensis sp. n. is mainly characterised by the length of spicules (198-243 μm) and gubernaculum (75-99 μm), the gubernaculum/spicule length ratio (1 : 2.33-2.79), the structure of the gubernaculum distal portion and the male caudal end, and the body length of males (1.86-2.73 mm). The present findings of P. psettoditis and P. terapontis in fishes of the Arabian Gulf represent new geographical records for these parasites.
- MeSH
- Dracunculoidea * MeSH
- Crustacea MeSH
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning MeSH
- Fish Diseases * epidemiology parasitology MeSH
- Ovary parasitology MeSH
- Perciformes * parasitology MeSH
- Fishes parasitology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Iraq MeSH
The present study is based on material collected in the intertidal and shallow subtidal areas of two Islands in the Persian Gulf, Abu-Musa and Larak. The new species, Synalpheus pentaspinosus n. sp., is closely related to S. quinquedens Tattersall, 1921. These two species share a very characteristic, sixth pleonite armed posteriorly with five stout sharp teeth, a feature unique within the genus. The color of ovaries or freshly laid eggs, red-orange in S. pentaspinosus n. sp. vs. green in S. quinquedens, is the most obvious character, by which the new species may be distinguished from S. quinquedens in the field. In addition, the two species can be separated by two characters on the dactylus of the minor cheliped. In the new species, the dactylus is furnished with two prominent rows of setae, one dorsally and one mesially, and has a small concavity on the cutting edge, contrasting to only one mesial row of setae and no obvious concavity in S. quinquedens.
- MeSH
- Animal Structures MeSH
- Decapoda * MeSH
- Animal Distribution MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Indian Ocean MeSH
Extensive samplings of benthic fauna along the Iranian coastlines of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman during 2018-2019 resulted in a small series of shrimps of the alpheid genus Salmoneus. Based on a thorough examination of this material, as well as previously collected specimens, one new species, S. rashedi n. sp., is described, whilst a significant range extension of S. chadwickae Ďuriš Horká, 2016 is reported. Salmoneus rashedi n. sp. is a member of S. gracilipes species group. The present new species differs from other species of the group by a longer rostrum with a short dorsal crest and a single ventral rostral tooth; the species occurs in two colour forms from yellow to reddish orange with some transverse red bands.
- MeSH
- Animal Structures MeSH
- Decapoda * MeSH
- Animal Distribution MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Iran MeSH
The material of the present checklist has been collected from the Iranian intertidal and shallow subtidal shores of the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman from 2015 to 2019, in addition to re-examining all the materials deposited in the Zoological Museum of the University of Tehran. This checklist providing 16 new records for the Persian Gulf and 15 for the Gulf of Oman raised the number of recorded caridean shrimps to 109 and 49 for these gulfs, respectively. However, the actual number of these shrimps are higher than these numbers due to two facts. Firstly, most of the subtidal diverse ecosystems, e.g. coral reefs and seagrass bed have not been seriously investigated taxonomically. Secondly, there are some members of species complexes and probably some new species in the study which need to be carefully treated.
- MeSH
- Decapoda * MeSH
- Ecosystem MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Indian Ocean MeSH
- Oman MeSH
Acanthocephalus balkanicus Batchvarov et Combes, 1974 was incompletely described from the northern crested newt, Triturus cristatus (Laurenti) (Amphibia: Salamandridae), a possible synonym of the Balkan crested newt, Triturus ivanbureschi Arntzen et Wielstra, from a pond in village of Pesnopoy, southern Bulgaria. We provide a full description of adult males and females of the same taxon from the olm, Proteus anguinus Laurenti (Amphibia: Proteidae), the only exclusively aquatic cave-dwelling vertebrate in Europe, captured in Postojna-Planina Cave System in Slovenia. Cystacanths were also collected from the cave ecomorph of Asellus aquaticus (Linnaeus) (Crustacea: Asellidae) in the same location. Molecular analysis of specimens from Slovenia revealed that they are genetically almost identical to those of Acanthocephalus anguillae (Müller, 1780), a common parasite of European freshwater fishes. We propose to recognise the morphological and host differences by describing A. balkanicus as a new subspecies of A. anguillae. Acanthocephalus anguillae balkanicus is rather small and cylindrical with cylindrical proboscis having 10 rows of 6 hooks with simple roots each, long neck, large balloon-shaped lemnisci, small spherical anterior testis, and 6 club-shaped cement glands in 3 pairs. SEM images reveal more morphological details and the X-ray scans of gallium cut hooks shows considerably higher levels of phosphorus and calcium in adult hooks than in cystacanth hooks, especially in basal areas. Sulfur levels were higher in the arch and basal area of cystacanth hooks than adult hooks. Considering that both definitive and intermediate hosts of the Slovenian population of this acanthocephalan are bound to cave life, it is possible that its entire life cycle is uniquely completed underground.
- MeSH
- Acanthocephala anatomy & histology classification ultrastructure MeSH
- Host-Parasite Interactions MeSH
- Isopoda parasitology MeSH
- Caves MeSH
- Microscopy, Electron, Scanning veterinary MeSH
- Microscopy veterinary MeSH
- Proteidae parasitology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Slovenia MeSH
A neotype is designated for Joryma brachysoma (Pillai, 1964). The general morphology and appendages of the female and male stages are illustrated and re-described based on the neotype and several additional fresh specimens collected from the type host Pellona brachysoma Bleeker (=Sardinella brachysoma Bleeker) from nearby the type locality. The present redescription and neotype designation further resolves the taxonomic ambiguity regarding the species identification and conserves the name of J. brachysoma.
- MeSH
- Host-Parasite Interactions * MeSH
- Isopoda anatomy & histology classification MeSH
- Fishes parasitology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Male MeSH
- Female MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- India MeSH
A new species of the rhynchocinetid genus Cinetorhynchus, C. gabonensis sp. n. from the Atlantic waters of Gabon, is described based on morphological and molecular comparisons and its distinctive colour pattern. This is the second known species of the genus in the eastern Atlantic, and the third species in the Atlantic as the whole. The new species is more closely related to the western Atlantic C. manningi, both having quadrispinose ambulatory dactyli (i.e. with unguis + 3 ventral spinules), but differs from the latter by the presence of an arthrobranch on the three anterior pereiopods (vs only on the first pereiopod in C. manningi). The branchial formula of the new species is consistent with most of the Indo-West Pacific congeners, and with the amphi-Atlantic C. rigens; the latter possessing trispinose ambulatory dactyli. Other distinctions of the new species from its congeners are in the carpal and meral spinulation of the ambulatory legs, and in the posterolateral and posteroventral armament of pleomeres IV and V. Cinetorhynchus gabonensis sp. n. differs from both known Atlantic congeners also by a specific colour pattern which is dense deep-red mottled with a pair of small white spots delineated by deep-red broad rings on the top of the third pleomere.
- MeSH
- Animal Structures MeSH
- Decapoda * MeSH
- Animal Distribution MeSH
- Beak * MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Geographicals
- Gabon MeSH
Mandatory disclosure of the species identity, production method, and geographical origin are embedded in the regulations and traceability systems, governing international seafood trade. A high-resolution mass spectrometry-based metabolomics approach could simultaneously authenticate the species identity and geographical origin of commercially important shrimps. The highly innovative approach spared the need for multiple testing methods which are in routine use currently. A robust chemometric model, developed using the metabolite fingerprint dataset, could accurately predict the species identity of the shrimp samples. Subsequently, species-specific biomarkers were discovered and a tandem mass spectrometry method for authentication of the species was developed. Two other chemometric models from the metabolomics experiment accurately predicted the geographical origin of king prawns and tiger prawns. The study has shown for the first time that food-metabolomics along with chemometrics can simultaneously check for multiple seafood fraud issues in the global seafood supply-chain.
- MeSH
- Food Analysis methods MeSH
- Biomarkers analysis chemistry MeSH
- Decapoda chemistry classification MeSH
- Species Specificity MeSH
- Metabolomics * MeSH
- Seafood analysis MeSH
- Tandem Mass Spectrometry MeSH
- Geography MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
Social deprivation early in life affects further individual development and leads to irreversible behavioural alterations later in life. Although the syndrome is well-studied in vertebrates including humans, its presence in invertebrates has been described only in eusocial insects and cockroaches. Here we show the first evidence of social deprivation in subsocial decapod crustaceans, based on analysis of video-recorded agonistic encounters of juvenile red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii, Girard). In comparison with maternally incubated juveniles, isolated crayfish had altered repertoires, numbers and frequency of agonistic interactions similar to those described in vertebrates. Our results support the view on the syndrome of social deprivation as a ubiquitous trait in species with developed maternal care across diverse taxa.
- MeSH
- Agonistic Behavior physiology MeSH
- Video Recording methods MeSH
- Behavior, Animal physiology MeSH
- Decapoda physiology MeSH
- Astacoidea physiology MeSH
- Animals MeSH
- Check Tag
- Animals MeSH
- Publication type
- Journal Article MeSH
- Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't MeSH
Here we describe a new species of Xiphonectes A. Milne-Edwards, 1873 (Brachyura: Portunidae) from southern Madagascar. Xiphonectes aculeatus sp. nov. is morphologically most similar to X. latibrachium (Rathbun, 1906) from Hawaii, and X. paralatibrachium Crosnier, 2002, from the Marquesas Islands, French Polynesia. All three species have a carapace with six anterolateral teeth, a long spine on the inner dorsal margin of the cheliped carpus, and a produced, flattened, anterior region on the third maxilliped merus. Among these species, Xiphonectes aculeatus sp. nov. is easily distinguished by the acutely produced posterodistal angle on the meri of its swimming legs, dorsal and marginal structures on its carapace, and most notably, the shape of its frontal teeth.
