Dendromonocotyle species (Monogenea: Monocotylidae) are the only monocotylids to parasitize the skin of chondrichthyan hosts. Currently 11 species are recorded from the skin of ray species in the Dasyatidae, Myliobatidae and Urolophidae. There have been increasing reports of Dendromonocotyle outbreaks on rays kept in public aquaria. This paper provides a broad review of Dendromonocotyle that should assist taxonomists and aquarists with species identification and help decisions on potential control methods for Dendromonocotyle infections. The taxonomy and host-specificity of Dendromonocotyle are discussed and a key to current species is provided. We summarise what little is known about the biology of Dendromonocotyle including egg embryonation and hatching, feeding, camouflage and reproduction. The efficacy of freshwater baths, chemical treatments and biological control measures such as the use of cleaner fish for Dendromonocotyle is also discussed. We demonstrate that effective control of Dendromonocotyle on captive rays is hampered by the lack of basic biological data on the life cycle of the parasites. A case history is provided outlining the success of a public aquarium (Underwater World, Mooloolaba, Queensland, Australia) in managing D. pipinna infections on captive Taeniura meyeni without chemical intervention simply by taking measures to reduce host stress.
A fauna of quill mites of the subfamily Picobiinae (Acari: Syringophilidae) associated with African birds is revised. Two new monotypic genera are proposed, Gunabopicobia gen. n. for Picobia zumpti Lawrence, 1959 and Lawrencipicobia gen. n. for Picobia poicephali Skoracki et Dabert, 2002. These new genera differ from other genera of the subfamily by the following features: in females of Gunabopicobia, propodonotal setae vi are situated anterior to the level of setae ve; the narrow lateral propodonotal shields bear bases of setae vi, ve, si and se; the bases of setae 1a-1a are coalesced; the genital setae and the opisthosomal lobes are absent; the leg I with full set of solenidia and apodemes I are devoid of the thorn-like protuberances in the middle part. In females of Lawrencipicobia, the bases of setae 1a-1a are not coalesced; the propodonotal shield is entire; the genital setae are present; legs I are with full set of solenidia. Additionally, two new species belonging to Picobia Haller, 1878 are described, Picobia illadopsae sp. n. parasitising Illadopsis rufipennis (Sharpe) (Passeriformes: Pellorneidae) in Kenya and Picobia phoenicuri sp. n. infecting Phoenicurus moussieri (Olphe-Galliard) in Tunisia. The following species are redescribed, Columbiphilus alectoris (Fain, Bochkov et Mironov, 2000), Lawrencipicobia poicephali (Skoracki et Dabert, 2001) comb. n. and Picobia phoeniculi (Fain, Bochkov et Mironov, 2000). The key to the genera of the Picobiinae is provided.
In the present study, we review the known zoogonid cercariae, summarise their life-cycles and first intermediate host distributions, and present a new cercaria, Cercaria capricornia XI (Digenea: Zoogonidae), which was found in one of three nassariid gastropods, Nassarius olivaceus (Bruguière), surveyed in the intertidal zone in the Capricornia region of Central Queensland, Australia. Morphological data and molecular analysis of the ITS2 rDNA region support placement of this cercaria in the family Zoogonidae but do not allow any further resolution of its identity. There are now fifteen cercariae described as belonging to the Zoogonidae; thirteen of these, including the present species, infect neogastropods as first intermediate hosts and two use vetigastropods. This study reinforces the pattern that the Nassariidae is by far the most commonly reported family for the Zoogonidae. Given its richness we predict that the Nassariidae will prove to harbour many more zoogonid species.
Traditionally, the Microsporidia were primarily studied in insects and fish. There were only a few human cases of microsporidiosis reported until the advent of AIDS, when the number of human microsporidian infections dramatically increased and the importance of these new pathogens to medicine became evident. Over a dozen different kinds of microsporidia infecting humans have been reported. While some of these infections were identified in new genera (Enterocytozoon, Vittaforma), there were also infections identified from established genera such as Pleistophora and Encephalitozoon. The genus Pleistophora, originally erected for a species described from fish muscle, and the genus Encephalitozoon, originally described from disseminated infection in rabbits, suggested a link between human infections and animals. In the 1980's, three Pleistophora sp. infections were described from human skeletal muscle without life cycles presented. Subsequently, the genus Trachipleistophora was established for a human-infecting microsporidium with developmental differences from species of the genus Pleistophora. Thus, the existence of a true Pleistophora sp. or spp. in humans was put into question. We have demonstrated the life-cycle stages of the original Pleistophora sp. (Ledford et al. 1985) infection from human muscle, confirming the existence of a true Pleistophora species in humans, P. ronneafiei Cali et Takvorian, 2003, the first demonstrated in a mammalian host. Another human infection, caused by a parasite from invertebrates, was Brachiola algerae (Vavra et Undeen, 1970) Lowman, Takvorian et Cali, 2000. The developmental stages of this human muscle-infecting microsporidium demonstrate morphologically what we have also confirmed by molecular means, that B. algerae, the mosquito parasite, is the causative agent of this human skeletal muscle infection. B. algerae had previously been demonstrated in humans but only in surface infections, skin and eye. The diagnostic features of B. algerae and P. ronneafiei infections in human skeletal muscle are presented. While Encephalitozoon cuniculi has been known as both an animal (mammal) and human parasite, the idea of human microsporidial infections derived from cold-blooded vertebrates and invertebrates has only been suggested by microsporidian phylogeny based on small subunit ribosomal DNA sequences but has not been appreciated. The morphological data presented here demonstrate these relationships. Additionally, water, as a link that connects microsporidial spores in the environment to potential host organisms, is diagrammatically presented.
Paramoniezia suis Maplestone et Southwell, 1923 is redescribed from the type and only specimen, and is considered to be a genus inquirendum and species inquirenda, possibly based on a host misidentification. Paramoniezia phacochoeri Baylis, 1927 is redescribed from new material from Phacochoerus africanus (Gmelin) from South Africa and is transferred to Moniezia Blanchard, 1891 as M. phacochoeri (Baylis, 1927) comb. n. A redescription of M. mettami Baylis, 1934, also from Ph. africanus, establishes the independence of the two congeneric species parasitizing warthogs. A new genus, Phascolocestus, is erected for Paramoniezia johnstoni Beveridge, 1976 from vombatid marsupials as Phascolocestus johnstoni (Beveridge, 1976) comb. n., and additional host and distributional data are provided for this species.
Analyzing the earthquake catalogue of the Upper Egypt area since 1982 revealed some char acteristics of the seismic activity in the area. Construction of a seismicity map according to the seismicity level in the Upper Egypt showed 14 seismic zones and that the seismic activity is intense around the stra it of the Gulf of Suez, along the Red Sea axis, Abu Dabbab and Aswan area. While the detailed study of Aswan zone showed 8 distinct sub-seismic zones and that the activity is concentrated in and around Gable Marawa area. The b-value was calculated for each seismic zone; it is found that the highest value is in Abu Dabbab area followed by Aswan area. A seismic energy rele ased map of the Upper Egypt was constructed for the period from 1982 to 2006; the map reveals the main active zones with high energy values. The study gives new insight for a better understanding of the seismic activity in the Upper Egypt and helps in the seismic hazard assessment., Haggag Hamed Mohamed, Gaber Hassan Hassib, Sayed Abdalah Dahy and Ezzat Mohamed El-Amin., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
The present-day mass function (PDMF) of field stars in the solar neighborhood is discussed. Major uncertainties in the derivation exist, in partlcular the luminosity-mass relation and the bolometric corrections. Consequently, It is not clear whether the PDMF turns over at very low masses (M < 0.3 Mq), and the slope at the
high-mass end (M > 10 Mq) is more uncertain than usually assumed. The reality of two features in the PDMF (at M = 1.2 Mq and M = 3 Mq respectively) is an open question. Next, the concept of a bimodal IMF is critically examined. Both Gůsten and Mezger's (1983) and Larson's (1986) bimodal models may run into problems. If the effects of high-mass stars prevent low-mass stars from forming, the term "biassed IMF" is a better
description of the situation than "bimodal IMF". The IMF is probably not universal; reported IMF variations in open clusters and globular clusters are unlikely to be spurious. Finally the physics of the IMF is discussed. The. fact that the mass of a star in the making depends on many random-valued (multlplicative) input parameters
suggests a stochastic rather than a deterministic approach for the origin of the IMF.
Some results about the continuity of special linear maps between $F$-spaces recently obtained by Drewnowski have motivated us to revise a closed graph theorem for quasi-Suslin spaces due to Valdivia. We extend Valdivia's theorem by showing that a linear map with closed graph from a Baire tvs into a tvs admitting a relatively countably compact resolution is continuous. This also applies to extend a result of De Wilde and Sunyach. A topological space $X$ is said to have a (relatively countably) compact resolution if $X$ admits a covering $\{A_{\alpha }\:\alpha \in \Bbb N^{\Bbb N}\}$ consisting of (relatively countably) compact sets such that $A_{\alpha }\subseteq A_{\beta }$ for $\alpha \leq \beta $. Some applications and two open questions are provided.
A recent infestation of Gyrodactylus cichlidarum Paperna, 1968 on yolk sac fry of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus niloticus (L.), in an isolated aquarium system in the UK resulted in high mortalities and provided an opportunity to study this species in greater detail. A tentative identification was made using the measurements and drawings of the ventral bar and hamuli provided in the original description; however, details on the morphology of the marginal hooks were lacking. A comparison of the gyrodactylid material collected from O. n. niloticus with the holotype of G. cichlidarum, the only known available specimen, from Mango tilapia, Sarotherodon galilaeus galilaeus (L.), confirmed its identity. Proteolytic digestion and image analysis of the opisthaptoral hard parts were used to obtain tissue-free, accurate measurements as part of a complete revised description of G. cichlidarum. Further, a comparison of G. cichlidarum from both hosts with the holotype and several paratypes of Gyrodactylus niloticus Cone, Arthur et Bondad-Reantaso, 1995 cited as parasitizing captive stocks of Nile tilapia in the Philippines revealed the two species to be synonymous. An 803 bp fragment of the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers 1 and 2 and the 5.8S was obtained and is provided with the revised description. This is the first DNA sequence from a Gyrodactylus species originating from the African continent. The sequence is very divergent from other species in the genus and only the 5.8S sequence places it unambiguously in the genus Gyrodactylus. In addition to G. cichlidarum, two specimens of another morphological similar species of Gyrodactylus were also found on the UK held stock of O. n. niloticus. These latter specimens, Gyrodactylus sp., differed from G. cichlidarum in having a longer hamulus point with a smaller hamulus aperture and possessing marginal hook sickles that had a shorter shaft with a longer point giving the sickles a more rounded, closed appearance.
Using ideas from John Searle, Roy Harris, Michael Reddy, and Nelson Goodman, I argue that texts, such as they are commonly conceived, lack brute existence. The common idea of texts is a conceptual construction which is useful in practical everyday contexts but not in serious theorizing, where it creates illusions and contradictions. One of these illusions is the idea of an objective textual meaning, a meaning which is ''in the text'': what we actually have in the way of textual meaning are the ideas of various persons – authors, readers, and commentators – about the meaning of the text. When applied to fictional characters, this way of viewing things explains why it makes sense to regard fictional characters as being created and as lacking brute existence., Použitím nápadů od Johna Searleho, Roy Harris, Michaela Reddyho a Nelsona Goodmana, tvrdím, že texty, tak jak jsou běžně koncipovány, postrádají hrubou existenci. Společná myšlenka textů je koncepční konstrukce, která je užitečná v praktických každodenních kontextech, ale ne ve vážném teoretizování, kde vytváří iluze a protiklady. Jednou z těchto iluzí je myšlenka objektivního textuálního významu, významu, který je "v textu": to, co vlastně máme ve způsobu textuálního významu, jsou myšlenky různých osob - autorů, čtenářů a komentátorů - o významu textu. Při použití na fiktivní postavy vysvětluje tento způsob prohlížení věci, proč má smysl považovat fiktivní postavy za vytvořené a chybějící hrubou existenci., and Anders Pettersson