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Sample records for cephalopoda

  1. Phylogenetic Diversity of Cephalopoda (Animalia:Mollusca) Along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea Coastline

    KAUST Repository

    Byron, Gordon

    2016-12-01

    Although the Red Sea presents a unique environment with high temperature and salinity, it remains an area that is understudied. This lack of information is reflected in many areas, one which is biodiversity. Despite increasing work on biodiversity throughout the Red Sea and an increase in Cephalopoda studies, Cephalopoda in the Red Sea remain underrepresented, which is especially pronounced in molecular analyses. Members of the class Cephalopoda are considered to be major contributors to coral reef ecosystems, serving as part of the food chain and exhibiting population increases due to targeted teleost fisheries and global climate change. In order to assess the biodiversity of Cephalopoda in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea, 87 specimens were collected from 25 reef locations between 17°N and 28°N latitude, as well as from the largest fish market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Taxonomic identification of specimens was determined using morphological comparisons with previously reported species in the Red Sea and the molecular barcoding region Cytochrome Oxidase I. 84 Red Sea sequences were compared with sequences from GenBank and analyzed using a complement of Neighbor-Joining, Maximum-Likelihood, and Bayesian inference trees. Species complexes were also investigated for Sepia pharaonis and Sepioteuthis lessoniana, which had been previously reported. From 17 cuttlefish, our study yielded three species, two of which matched previously reported species in GenBank. In addition, two distinct clades of Sepia pharaonis were identified. Of 35 squid collected, four species were identified, one of which did not match any other accepted species in literature, while Sepioteuthis lessoniana in the Red Sea formed a distinct clade. From 30 different specimens a total of five genera of Octopoda were present, forming six distinct species. Five Octopoda species collected did not match previously reported species, although many specimens were paralarvae or juveniles, so morphologically we

  2. Phylogenetic Diversity of Cephalopoda (Animalia:Mollusca) Along the Saudi Arabian Red Sea Coastline

    KAUST Repository

    Byron, Gordon

    2016-01-01

    ecosystems, serving as part of the food chain and exhibiting population increases due to targeted teleost fisheries and global climate change. In order to assess the biodiversity of Cephalopoda in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea, 87 specimens were collected from 25

  3. The complete mitochondrial genome of Octopus conispadiceus (Sasaki, 1917) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yuanyuan; Zheng, Xiaodong; Cheng, Rubin; Li, Qi

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of Octopus conispadiceus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae). The whole mitogenome of O. conispadiceus is 16,027 basepairs (bp) in length with a base composition of 41.4% A, 34.8% T, 16.1% C, 7.7% G and contains 13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, and a major non-coding region (MNR). The gene arrangements of O. conispadiceus showed remarkable similarity to that of O. vulgaris, Amphioctopus fangsiao, Cistopus chinensis and C. taiwanicus.

  4. A congenital malformation of the systemic heart complex in Sepia officinalis L. (Cephalopoda)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schipp, R.; von Boletzky, S.; Jakobs, P.; Labourg, P. J.

    1998-03-01

    In semi-adult Sepia officinalis L. (Cephalopoda) from the Bay of Arcachon (France) a congenital malformation of the systemic heart is described by macro-and microscopical methods. It concerns an atypical doubling of the site of insertion at the cephalic aorta at the apical ventricle. Its comparison with the paired anlagen of the systemic heart complex in normal embryogenesis and the central circulatory system of Nautilus gives rise to interpret it as a form of atavism. The possible causal role of mutagenic antifoulings is discussed.

  5. The complete mitochondrial genome of the cryptic "lineage B" big-fin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) in Indo-West Pacific.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Kang-Ning; Yen, Ta-Chi; Chen, Ching-Hung; Ye, Jeng-Jia; Hsiao, Chung-Der

    2016-05-01

    In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the cryptic "lineage B" big-fin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) has been sequenced by next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consisting of 16,694 bp, includes 13 protein coding genes, 25 transfer RNAs, 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition of "lineage B" S. lessoniana is 36.7% for A, 18.9 % for C, 34.5 % for T and 9.8 % for G and show 90% identities to "lineage C" S. lessoniana. It is also exhibits high T + A content (71.2%), two non-coding regions with TA tandem repeats. The complete mitogenome of the cryptic "lineage B" S. lessoniana provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for big-fin reef squid species complex.

  6. The complete mitochondrial genome of the cryptic "lineage A" big-fin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) in Indo-West Pacific.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hsiao, Chung-Der; Shen, Kang-Ning; Ching, Tzu-Yun; Wang, Ya-Hsien; Ye, Jeng-Jia; Tsai, Shiou-Yi; Wu, Shan-Chun; Chen, Ching-Hung; Wang, Chia-Hui

    2016-07-01

    In this study, the complete mitogenome sequence of the cryptic "lineage A" big-fin reef squid, Sepioteuthis lessoniana (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae) has been sequenced by the next-generation sequencing method. The assembled mitogenome consists of 16,605 bp, which includes 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNAs, and 2 ribosomal RNAs genes. The overall base composition of "lineage A" S. lessoniana is 37.5% for A, 17.4% for C, 9.1% for G, and 35.9% for T and shows 87% identities to "lineage C" S. lessoniana. It is also noticed by its high T + A content (73.4%), two non-coding regions with TA tandem repeats. The complete mitogenome of the cryptic "lineage A" S. lessoniana provides essential and important DNA molecular data for further phylogeography and evolutionary analysis for big-fin reef squid species complex.

  7. A multi-gene phylogeny of Cephalopoda supports convergent morphological evolution in association with multiple habitat shifts in the marine environment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lindgren Annie R

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The marine environment is comprised of numerous divergent organisms living under similar selective pressures, often resulting in the evolution of convergent structures such as the fusiform body shape of pelagic squids, fishes, and some marine mammals. However, little is known about the frequency of, and circumstances leading to, convergent evolution in the open ocean. Here, we present a comparative study of the molluscan class Cephalopoda, a marine group known to occupy habitats from the intertidal to the deep sea. Several lineages bear features that may coincide with a benthic or pelagic existence, making this a valuable group for testing hypotheses of correlated evolution. To test for convergence and correlation, we generate the most taxonomically comprehensive multi-gene phylogeny of cephalopods to date. We then create a character matrix of habitat type and morphological characters, which we use to infer ancestral character states and test for correlation between habitat and morphology. Results Our study utilizes a taxonomically well-sampled phylogeny to show convergent evolution in all six morphological characters we analyzed. Three of these characters also correlate with habitat. The presence of an autogenic photophore (those relying upon autonomous enzymatic light reactions is correlated with a pelagic habitat, while the cornea and accessory nidamental gland correlate with a benthic lifestyle. Here, we present the first statistical tests for correlation between convergent traits and habitat in cephalopods to better understand the evolutionary history of characters that are adaptive in benthic or pelagic environments, respectively. Discussion Our study supports the hypothesis that habitat has influenced convergent evolution in the marine environment: benthic organisms tend to exhibit similar characteristics that confer protection from invasion by other benthic taxa, while pelagic organisms possess features that

  8. Accumulation of cesium-137 by useful mollusca

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, Yuzuru; Nakahara, Motokazu; Nakamura, Ryoichi

    1978-01-01

    There are few data available on the radioactive contamination of marine mollusca, especially cephalopoda. Therefore, in this paper, data obtained on the radioactive contamination of cephalopoda were compared with those on pelecypoda and gastropoda. The uptake and elimination experiments were carried out by means of radioisotope tracer methods, and the concentration factors of 137 Cs due to radioactive fallout were estimated. The contamination of cephalopoda was also compared with those of other marine organisms in terms of concentration factor. The activity ratios in the organs or tissues of octopus were in the range of 3.5 and 12.8 on the 14th day after the beginning of exposure and those of squid were in the range of 8.8 and 10.9 on the 6th day after the commencement of the experiment. The biological half time was 90 days for octopus from the observation over 75 days, while it was 31 days for clam from the results of 75 days' experiment. The concentration factors of 137 Cs due to radioactive fallout were in the range of 3 and 23 for cephalopoda, 7 and 28 for pelecypoda and 24 and 30 for gastropoda, respectively. It was concluded that no difference in the concentration factors was clearly observable among the classes of mollusca, but the values were substantially similar to those of crustaceans and slightly lower than those of marine fish. (auth.)

  9. Cephalopoda: Sepiidae

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    1992-06-09

    Jun 9, 1992 ... mag benadeel aangesien die optimum-temperature en -diepte vir teling nie saamval nie. • Presented at the ... snapshot of the S. australis population against which changes in ... usually for 30 min, during daylight in stratified semi-random squares .... This mean mass was used to estimate a total number of.

  10. High accumulation of cobalt-60 by the particular organ or part of some species in mollusca

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Katsuhiko

    1981-01-01

    A large amounts of samples in marine Cephalopoda and Tridacna were sampled in north west pacific ocean, near Japan. The samples were separated into organs or parts for determination of Co-60 concentration. A peculiar accumulation of Co-60 by the branchial heart of Octopus was also recognized in field condition, but it had become apparent that branchial heart of squid had not same ability. Liver of Cephalopoda had the ability to highly accumulate the Co-60 and specific activity of squid was one order highter than Octopus. The concentration of Cobalt-60 in visceral muss kidney of Tridacna maxima lineally increased with increasing shell length but that in other soft parts was kept constant. After examination of the other papers it was assumed that Co-60 highly accumulated in these organs was transfered by the food chain. (author)

  11. Chiroteuthis veranyi from the Atlantic sector of the southern ocean ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Chiroteuthis veranyi (Férussac, 1835) (Cephalopoda: Chiroteuthidae) from South Georgia is described from material collected during the British Antarctic Survey's Offshore Biological Programme. The material closely resembles C. veranyi from elsewhere and, in common with C. lacertosa, C. imperator and C. calyx, has two ...

  12. (Lamarck, 1798) (Cephalopoda, Ommastrephidae)

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    spamer

    Females dominated the samples (78%) and attained larger size and ... Mature females were found mainly during winter and mature males nearly year-round, indicating that they .... importance, both accounting for <1%. A striking observation ...

  13. [Feeding habits of Trichiurus lepturus in Beibu Gulf of South China Sea].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Yun-Rong; Chen, Jun-Lan; Hou, Gang; Lu, Huo-Sheng; Jin, Xian-Shi

    2010-03-01

    From August 2008 to September 2009, the feeding habits of Trichurus lepturus L. in Beibu Gulf of South China Sea were studied by monthly sampling and stomach content analysis. In study area, T. lepturus was euryphagous, which fed on fish, cephalopoda, benthic crustacean, and zooplankton, etc., among which, Bregmaceros rarisquamosu, Decapterus maruadsi, and Acetes chinensis were the main prey components, accounting for 37.99%, 16.42%, and 10.03%, respectively. D. maruadsi and Anchoviella heteroloba appeared throughout the Beibu Gulf all year round, and could be served as the index species for the migration and fishing ground distribution of T. lepturus. The indices feeding intensity and stomach fullness differed significantly among seasons (P 0.05), which peaked in autumn and had an annual average value of 1.97. Cluster analysis revealed that when the preanal length of T. lepturus was 190 mm, i. e., at 50% of maturity length, a clear diet shift happened, from small zooplankton, pelagic fishes, and crustacean for the juveniles to predominantly larger fish and cephalopoda for the adults.

  14. Metabolism of 60Co in mollusca

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakahara, Motokazu

    1983-01-01

    After mollusca were bred in 60 Co-labeled sea water or were given 60 Co-labeled feed for certain hours, their tissues including the liver were removed as experimental samples. 60 Co metabolism was observed by the Sephadex gel filtration profile. A gel chromatogram of the liver in gastropoda showed a marked peak of 60 Co on the high-molecular side. Although the peak was observed on both high- and low-molecular sides in pelecypoda, it was more marked on the high-molecular side than on the low-molecular side. In cephalopoda, the peak pattern was similar to that in the other mollusca, but the proportion of low-molecular components was comparatively large. The gel filtration profile of 60 Co in various tissues of cephalopoda revealed the incorporation of 60 Co into the high-molecular components in blood, three peaks in the kidneys, and the incorporation of 60 Co into the low-molecular components in the branchial heart. The metabolism of 60 Co was dependent upon the chemical form of Co in gastropoda, and organic 60 Co was specifically observed in the high-molecular components. (Namekawa, K.)

  15. Enlightenment of old ideas from new investigations: more questions regarding the evolution of bacteriogenic light organs in squids

    OpenAIRE

    Nishiguchi, M. K.; Lopez, J. E.; Boletzky, S. v.

    2004-01-01

    Bioluminescence is widespread among many different types of marine organisms. Metazoans contain two types of luminescence production, bacteriogenic (symbiotic with bacteria) or autogenic, via the production of a luminous secretion or the intrinsic properties of luminous cells. Several species in two families of squids, the Loliginidae and the Sepiolidae (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) harbor bacteriogenic light organs that are found central in the mantle cavity. These light organs are exceptional in ...

  16. An ethogram for Benthic Octopods (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mather, Jennifer A; Alupay, Jean S

    2016-05-01

    The present paper constructs a general ethogram for the actions of the flexible body as well as the skin displays of octopuses in the family Octopodidae. The actions of 6 sets of structures (mantle-funnel, arms, sucker-stalk, skin-web, head, and mouth) combine to produce behavioral units that involve positioning of parts leading to postures such as the flamboyant, movements of parts of the animal with relation to itself including head bob and grooming, and movements of the whole animal by both jetting in the water and crawling along the substrate. Muscular actions result in 4 key changes in skin display: (a) chromatophore expansion, (b) chromatophore contraction resulting in appearance of reflective colors such as iridophores and leucophores, (c) erection of papillae on the skin, and (d) overall postures of arms and mantle controlled by actions of the octopus muscular hydrostat. They produce appearances, including excellent camouflage, moving passing cloud and iridescent blue rings, with only a few known species-specific male visual sexual displays. Commonalities across the family suggest that, despite having flexible muscular hydrostat movement systems producing several behavioral units, simplicity of production may underlie the complexity of movement and appearance. This systematic framework allows researchers to take the next step in modeling how such diversity can be a combination of just a few variables. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

  17. Octopus tetricus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda as an ecosystem engineer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Scheel

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The Sydney octopus (Octopus tetricus occurs in unusual numbers on a shell bed of its prey remains that have accumulated as an extended midden where additional octopuses excavate dens. Here, O tetricus are ecosystem engineers, organisms that modulate availability of resources to other species and to their own species by causing physical state changes in materials. A community of invertebrate grazers and scavengers has developed on the shell bed. Fishes are attracted to the shell bed in numbers significantly greater than in nearby habitats. Large predators, including wobbegong sharks, were attracted to and fed on concentrations of fish, inhibiting the activities of the original engineers, the octopuses. Positive feedbacks included the accumulation of shell debris, increasing shelter availability for additional octopuses and aggregating fish. Negative feedbacks included reductions of nearby prey size and availability, aggression among octopuses, and predator limitation to octopus activity that would otherwise maintain the shell bed.

  18. Biology of the cirrate octopod grimpoteuthis glacialis (cephalopoda ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Robson, 1930), of dorsal mantle length 20–165 mm during a 1996 trawling survey near the Antarctic Peninsula allowed the basic biology of the species to be examined. Their presence in bottom trawls at depths of 333–879 m, but their absence from ...

  19. Vanadium, rubidium and potassium in Octopus vulgaris (Mollusca: Cephalopoda

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    Sónia Seixas

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available The levels of vanadium, rubidium and potassium were determined in Octopus vulgaris caught during commercial fishing activities at three locations (Cascais, Santa Luzia and Viana do Castelo in Portugal in autumn and spring. We determined the concentration of these elements in digestive gland, branchial heart, gills, mantle and arms in males and females. At least five males and five females were assessed for each season/location combination. Elemental concentrations were determined by Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE. Vanadium was detectable only in digestive gland and branchial heart samples. Its concentration was not correlated with total weight, total length or mantle length. There were no differences in concentrations of V, Rb and K between sexes. There were significant differences in vanadium concentrations in branchial hearts in autumn between samples from Viana do Castelo and those from the other two sites. We found a significant positive relationship between the concentration of vanadium and those of potassium and rubidium in branchial hearts. Branchial hearts appear to play an important role in decontamination of V.

  20. La familia Ocythoidae (Cephalopoda: Octopoda en el Perú

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    Franz Cardoso

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Se revisa la familia Ocythoidae en base a la literatura y material peruano. La familia presenta sólo un género y una especie, Ocythoe tuberculata Rafinesque, 1814. Esta especie es epipelágica y posiblemente cosmopolita en aguas oceánicas cálidas (subtropicales de los Océanos Atlántico, Pacífico e índico y del Mar Mediterráneo. Se presenta información sobre la sistemática y biología de la especie.

  1. The inkless octopuses (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) of the southwest Atlantic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gleadall, Ian G; Guerrero-Kommritz, Juergen; Hochberg, Frederick G; Laptikhovsky, Vladimir V

    2010-06-01

    Three inkless octopodids are described from the continental shelf off southeastern South America. These octopuses are a non-commercial by-catch in the Falkland Islands fishery. Muusoctopus eureka (Robson, 1929) is one of two common inkless octopuses and is of medium size, with orange-pink skin and a distinctive pattern of irregular dark markings, interspersed with white spots visible only in living or freshly dead specimens. The second common inkless octopus is M. longibrachus akambei, a new subspecies of the Chilean species Muusoctopus longibrachus ( Ibáñez, Sepúlveda and Chong, 2006 ). It has slender arms and is much larger at full maturity than M. eureka. It is a plain orange color when alive, pinkish cream when preserved. Muusoctopus bizikovi, sp. nov., is a smaller, rarer species, colored wine-red whether alive or preserved, and has a vestigial ink duct between the digestive gland and the anus. Relations with other species are discussed. This group of octopuses has often been associated with the genus Benthoctopus Grimpe, 1921 , which is a junior synonym of Bathypolypus Grimpe (a genus of small species characterized by much shorter arms and males with a robust copulatory organ bearing transverse lamellae). It is argued that the misleading characterization of the so-called Benthoctopus group of species as "smooth skinned" is based upon the artefactual appearance of specimens fixed and preserved suboptimally following a detrimental freeze-thaw cycle of fisheries material previously frozen while at sea.

  2. Intramantle Inking: A Stress Behavior in Octopus bimaculoides (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toll, Ronald B

    2011-01-01

    Several Pacific 2-spot octopuses (Octopus bimaculoides) shipped from California and held in a recirculating seawater system at Illinois College exhibited an unusual postshipping stress behavior not previously documented in the literature. Ink, normally ejected into the surrounding seawater, was uncharacteristically retained in the mantle cavity. We describe the resulting behaviors, discuss successful resuscitation efforts, and briefly consider the possible role(s) that ink may have played in the death of one octopus. PMID:22330791

  3. Adult and offspring size in the ocean over 17 orders of magnitude follows two life history strategies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Neuheimer, Anna; Hartvig, Martin; Heuschele, Jan

    2015-01-01

    is observed along with variability in physical and biological forcing factors in space and time. We compiled adult and offspring size for 407 pelagic marine species covering more than 17 orders of magnitude in body mass including Cephalopoda, Cnidaria, Crustaceans, Ctenophora, Elasmobranchii, Mammalia...... discuss where these two strategies occur and how these patterns (along with the relative size of the offspring) may be shaped by physical and biological constraints in the organism’s environment. This adaptive environment along with the evolutionary history of the different groups shape observed life......Explaining variability in offspring vs. adult size among groups is a necessary step to determine the evolutionary and environmental constraints shaping variability in life history strategies. This is of particular interest for life in the ocean where a diversity of offspring development strategies...

  4. Evaluation of As, Se and Zn in octopus samples in different points of sales of the distribution chain in Brazil

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marildes Josefina Lemos Neto; Elizabeth de Souza Nascimento; Mariza Landgraf; Vera Akiko Maihara; Silva, P.S.C.

    2014-01-01

    Shellfish such as squid and octopus, class Cephalopoda, has high commercial value in restaurants and for export. As, Se and Zn concentrations were determined in 117 octopus acquired in different points of the distribution chain in 4 coastal cities of Sao Paulo state (Guaruja, Santos, Sao Vicente and Praia Grande)-Brazil. The methodology for elemental determination was Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis (INAA). The element concentration in the octopus samples (wet weight) range from: 0.184 to 35.4 mg kg -1 for As, 0.203 to 2.26 mg kg -1 for Se and 4.73 to 37.4 mg kg -1 for Zn. Arsenic and Se levels were above the limit for fish established by Brazilian legislation, while Zn concentrations were in accordance with literature values. (author)

  5. Comparative morphology among representatives of main taxa of Scaphopoda and basal protobranch Bivalvia (Mollusca

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luiz Ricardo L. Simone

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available This study deals with detailed morphology and anatomy of 4 species of Scaphopoda and 5 species of protobranch Bivalvia. Both classes are traditionally grouped in the taxon Diasoma, which has been questioned by different methodologies, such as molecular and developmental. This study is developed under a phylogenetic methodology with the main concern in performing it in an intelligible and testable methodology. The analyzed Scaphopoda species came from the Brazilian coast and belong to the family Dentaliidae [(1 Coccodentalium carduus; (2 Paradentalium disparile] and Gadiliidae; [(3 Polyschides noronhensis, n. sp. from Fernando de Noronha Archipelago; (4 Gadila braziliensis]. These species represent the main branches of the class Scaphopoda. From protobranch bivalves, representatives of the families Solemyidae [(5 Solemya occidentalis, from Florida; S. notialis, n. sp. from S.E. Brazil], Nuculanidae [(6 Propeleda carpentieri from Florida], and Nuculidae [(7 Ennucula puelcha, from south Brazil] are included. These species represent the main branches of the basal Bivalvia. The descriptions on the anatomy of S. occidentalis and of P. carpentieri are published elsewhere. The remaining are included here, for which a complete taxonomical treatment is performed. Beyond these species, representatives of other taxa are operationally included as part of the ingroup (indices are then shared with them, as a procedure to test the morphological monophyly of Diasoma. These taxa are: two lamellibranch bivalves [(8 Barbatia - Arcidae; (9 Serratina - Tellinidae; both published elsewhere;, and Propilidium (10 Patellogastropoda, and (11 Nautilus, basal Cephalopoda, based on basal taxa. The effective outgroups are (12 Neopilina (Monoplacophora and (13 Hanleya (Polyplacophora. The phylogenetic analysis based on morphology revealed that the taxon Diasoma is supported by 14 synapomorphies, and is separated from Cyrtosoma (Gastropoda + Cephalopoda. Although they are not

  6. Gonad development during the early life of Octopus maya (Mollusca: Cephalopoda).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Avila-Poveda, Omar Hernando; Colin-Flores, Rafael Francisco; Rosas, Carlos

    2009-02-01

    Gonad development during the early life of Octopus maya is described in terms of histological, morphometric, oocytes growth, and somatic-oocyte relationship data obtained from octopus cultured at the UMDI-UNAM, in Sisal, Yucatan, Mexico. This study is the first publication on gonad development during the early life of Octopus maya. A total of 83 O. maya specimens were used; their sizes ranged from 6.5 to 76 mm of total length (TL), 4 to 28 mm of dorsal mantle length (DML), 2.5 to 20 mm of ventral mantle length (VML), and 0.0180 to 7.2940 g of fixed body weight (fBW). Animals were weighed and measured only after preservation. A loss of 10% of living weight was estimated for juvenile octopuses after formalin preservation. The relation of length to weight (VML, DML, TL/fBW) pooled for both sexes had a strong positive correlation (r), as shown by a potential power function that was quite close to 1. Compound images were produced from numerous microscopic fields. The histological examination revealed that, 4 months after hatching, male octopus (24.5 mm DML and 7.2940 g fBW) were in gonad stages 2 (maturing) to 3 (mature), with spermatogonia and spermatocytes in the tubule wall and abundant spermatids and spermatozoa in the central lumen of the seminiferous tubules, suggesting the occurrence of different phases of gonad development at different maturity stages. In contrast, females (22.5 mm DML and 4.8210 g fBW) at the same time since hatching were immature (stage 1), with many oogonia, few oocytes, and germinal epithelium. This suggests that males reach maturity earlier than females, indicating a probable onset of maturity for males at around 4 months of culture or 8 g of wet body weight. Our results indicate the possibility that the size-at-weight can be recognized early with a degree of certainty that allows the sexes to be separated for culture purposes; but more detailed studies on reproduction in relation to endocrinology and nutrition are needed.

  7. Estrategias de forrajeo de Robsonella fontaniana (d'Orbigny, 1834) (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae)

    OpenAIRE

    Ibáñez, Christian M; Sepúlveda, Roger D; Sanhueza, Evelin; Ruiz, J Francisco; Chong, Javier

    2009-01-01

    En este estudio se analizó la dieta natural y las preferencias dietarias del pulpo Robsonella fontaniana (d'Orbigny, 1834). Veintisiete individuos fueron recolectados en Bahía San Vicente, Chile, para estudiar sus contenidos estomacales, y otros 12 individuos fueron usados en experimentos de laboratorio para pruebas de selección dietaria. En el contenido estomacal se encontraron 11 tipos de presas, de los cuales los crustáceos braquiuros fueron los ítemes presa más frecuentes. Para las prueba...

  8. The diet and feeding ecology of Conger conger (L. 1758 in the deep waters of the Eastern Ionian Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A. ANASTASOPOULOU

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The diet of the European conger eel Conger conger was investigated for the first time in the Eastern Mediterranean. Fish dominated the European conger eel diet in the deep waters of E. Ionian Sea. All other prey taxa were identified as accidental preys. However, intestine analysis showed that Natantia, Brachyura and Cephalopoda might have a more important contribution in the diet of the species. C. conger exhibited a benthopelagic feeding behavior as it preyed upon both demersal and mesopelagic taxa. The high vacuity index and the low stomach and intestine fullness indicated that the feeding intensity of the species in the deep waters of Eastern Ionian Sea was quite low. C. conger feeding strategy was characterised by specialisation in various resource items. A between-phenotype contribution to niche width was observed for some prey categories. European Conger eel feeding specialisation seemed to be an adaptation to a food-scarce environment, as typified in deep-water habitats

  9. First record of depth octopus Muusoctopus longibrachus (Cephalopoda: Octopoda for Peruvian sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franz Cardoso

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The octopus deep-sea Muusoctopus longibrachus (Ibañez et al. 2006 is recorded for the first time in the Peruvian sea. Two male specimens were caught at 852 – 875 m depth between 05°08'S and 09°18'S. This species was known only from Chile, in the present study extends its distribution north to Peru.

  10. Ultrastructure of the optic gland of the squid Sepiotheutis sepioidea (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dwight Arrieche

    1999-12-01

    Full Text Available I describe the fine structure of the optic gland (OG in the tropical squid Sepiotheutis sepioidea at different sexual maturity stages. Squids were collected in Mochima National Park, Venezuela (10°; 20' 22 " - 10°; 24' N; 64° 19' - 64 ° 22' W. Morphometric characteristics and the development of reproductive organs at different sexual maturity stages (female n = 101; male n = 105, were significantly different (ANOVA, p Se examinó la ultraestructura fina de la glándula óptica (GO en varios estadios de desarrollo sexual del calamar tropical Sepiotheutis sepioidea, proveniente de las costas de la Bahía de Mochima, Venezuela (10° 20' 22 " - 10° 24' N; 64° 19' - 64° 22' W. Los parámetros morfométricos y de los órganos reproductivos (hembras n = 101; machos n = 105, presentaron diferencias significativas entre los estados de maduración sexual (ANOVA, p < 0.001, el índice gonadal promedio en las hembras osciló entre 0.1 - 2.95 %, y en los machos entre 0.22 - 1.38 %. La GO son un par de órganos ovales ubicados en el borde posterior del tracto óptico en el cerebro de los cefalópodos, ésta posee los mismos tipos de células descritos en otros cefalópodos con algunas leves diferencias. La célula principal en el estadio de maduración juvenil posee un perfil dendrítico con delgados procesos del citoplasma, abundantes ribosomas, mitocondrias circulares con crestas tubulares, y un núcleo prominente eucromatínico; en el estadio de adulto las células principales presentan las cisternas del retículo endoplasmático rugoso dilatadas concéntricamente en la célula, el aparato de Golgi es activo con abundantes gránulos electron densos de secreción, las mitocondrias son escasas, y el gránulo de lipofucsina es de mayor tamaño. La dimensión del núcleo de la célula principal y la abundancia de organelos, presentaron oscilaciones en las etapas del ciclo de vida.

  11. The Complete Sequence of the Mitochondrial Genome of the Chamberednautilus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boore, Jeffrey L.

    2005-12-01

    Background: Mitochondria contain small genomes that arephysically separate from those of nuclei. Their comparison serves as amodel system for understanding the processes of genome evolution.Although complete mitochondrial genome sequences have been reported formore than 600 animals, the taxonomic sampling is highly biased towardvertebrates and arthropods, leaving much of the diversity yetuncharacterized. Results: The mitochondrial genome of a cephalopodmollusk, the Chambered Nautilus, is 16,258 nts in length and 59.5 percentA+T, both values that are typical of animal mitochondrial genomes. Itcontains the 37 genes that are typical for animal mtDNAs, with 15 on oneDNA strand and 22 on the other. The arrangement of these genes can bederived from that of the distantly related Katharina tunicata (Mollusca:Polyplacophora) by a switch in position of two large blocks of genes andtranspositions of four tRNA genes. There is strong skew in thedistribution of nucleotides between the two strands. There are an unusualnumber of non-coding regions and their function, if any, is not known;however, several of these demark abrupt shifts in nucleotide skew,suggesting that they may play roles in transcription and/or replication.One of the non-coding regions contains multiple repeats of a tRNA-likesequence. Some of the tRNA genes appear to overlap on the same strand,but this could be resolved if the polycistron were cleaved at thebeginning of the downstream gene, followed by polyadenylation of theproduct of the upstream gene to form a fully paired structure.Conclusions: Nautilus sp. mtDNA contains an expected gene content thathas experienced few rearrangements since the evolutionary split betweencephalopods and polyplacophorans. It contains an unusual number ofnon-coding regions, especially considering that these otherwise often aregenerated by the same processes that produce gene rearrangements. Thisappears to be yet another case where polyadenylation of mitochondrialtRNAs restores what would otherwise bean incompletestructure.

  12. Distribution, population biology, and trophic ecology of the deepwater demersal fish Halosauropsis macrochir (Pisces: Halosauridae on the mid-Atlantic Ridge.

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    Odd Aksel Bergstad

    Full Text Available Halosauropsis macrochir ranked amongst the most abundant and widespread demersal fishes on the mid-Atlantic Ridge of the North Atlantic (Iceland-Azores with greatest abundance at 1700-3500 m. All sizes, ranging from 10-76 cm total length, occurred in the area without any apparent spatial pattern or depth trend. Using otolith sections displaying growth increments assumed to represent annuli, the age range recorded was 2-36 years, but most individuals were <20 years. Length and weight at age data were used to fit growth models. No differences between sexes in length and weight at age were observed. The majority of samples had a surplus of males. Diet analysis showed that H. macrochir feeds on Crustacea, Teleostei, Polychaeta, and Cephalopoda, but few prey could be identified to lower taxonomical levels. The mid-Atlantic Ridge constitutes a major portion of the North Atlantic living space of the abyssal halosaur where it completes its full life cycle, primarily as an actively foraging euryophagous micronekton/epibenthos and infauna feeder, becoming a partial piscivore with increasing size.

  13. Interacciones macho-hembra del pulpo rojo patagónico Enteroctopus megalocyathus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae durante el comportamiento de apareamiento Male-female interactions of Patagonian red octopus Enteroctopus megalocyathus (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae during mating behavior

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    Ranferi Gutiérrez

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Se evalúa, en condiciones de laboratorio, el comportamiento de apareamiento de ocho parejas de Enteroctopus megalocyathus mediante videograbaciones durante 24 h. El comportamiento precopulatorio (CP se caracterizó por presentar tres eventos (natación, exhibición y contacto y el comportamiento copulatorio (CC se caracterizó por mostrar un solo evento (cópula. Del tiempo total de interacción de las parejas, el 34,4% correspondió al CP y el 65,6% correspondió al CC. Entre los tiempos de machos y hembras no hubo diferencias significativas por evento. Al compararse todos los eventos entre sí en relación al tiempo de duración, se presentó el siguiente orden: cópula > contacto > exhibición > natación. Se observó una tendencia a periodos de apareamiento más largos donde el peso de la hembra fue superior al macho, sugiriendo que el peso de la hembra es un factor determinante en la duración de los encuentros de apareamiento.The mating behavior of eight couples of Enteroctopus megalocyathus was evaluated under laboratory conditions by videotaping for 24 h. The precopulatory behavior (CP was characterized by three patterns (swimming, exhibition and contact and copulatory behavior (CC was characterized by display of a single pattern (copulation. Of the total interaction time between octopuses, 34.4% corresponds to CP and 65.6% corresponds to CC. Between times of males and females were not significantly different by pattern. In all events, compared to each other for the duration, presented the following order: copulation > contact > exhibition > swimming. There was a trend towards longer periods of mating where the female weight was higher than the male, suggesting that female weight is a determining factor in the duration of mating encounters.

  14. Vestigial phragmocone in the gladius points to a deepwater origin of squid (Mollusca: Cephalopoda)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arkhipkin, Alexander I.; Bizikov, Vyacheslav A.; Fuchs, Dirk

    2012-03-01

    The microstructure of the gladius cone was investigated in six species of nektonic squid: shallow-water Loligo gahi (Loliginidae), pelagic eurybathic Illex argentinus, Todarodes pacificus, Dosidicus gigas (Ommastrephidae), and deepwater Onykia ingens (Onychoteuthidae) and Gonatus antarcticus (Gonatidae) using state-of-the-art microscopy. Apart from L. gahi, all other species had septa-like layers in the gladius cone, which for the first time were investigated in detail and compared with those in extinct Cretaceous belemnites Hibolithes sp. and Pachyteuthis sp., and spirulid Cyrtobelus sp. It was found that the organic layers of the gladius cone in recent squid can be homologized with the organic components of the shell in fossil phragmocone-bearing coleoids. The septa-like layers in modern gladius cones therefore represent a vestigial phragmocone composed of organic septal rudiments of the ancestral phragmocone that has lost the siphuncle and gas-filled chambers. The well-developed rostrum in onychoteuthids and small rostrum of the gladius in ommastrephids and gonatids can be seen as homologous with the belemnoid rostrum, which may indicate a close phylogenetic relationship between belemnites and at least some squid. Possible evolutionary pathways of the reduction of the functional phragmocone in squid ancestors are discussed. Several features such as the loss of shell calcification, deep water speciation, and the structure of the equilibrium organ point to a deep-water origin of squids.

  15. Pseudomonas oryzihabitans cutaneous ulceration from Octopus vulgaris bite: a case report and review of the literature.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aigner, Birgit Angela; Ollert, Markus; Seifert, Florian; Ring, Johannes; Plötz, Sabine Gisela

    2011-08-01

    Octopus vulgaris is a common marine animal that can be found in nearly all tropical and semitropical waters around the world. It is a peaceful sea dweller with a parrotlike beak, and its primary defense is to hide through camouflaging adjustments. Bites from animals of the class Cephalopoda are very rare. We describe a boy who was bitten on his forearm by an Octopus vulgaris. A 9 -year-old boy was bitten by an Octopus vulgaris while snorkeling. There was no strong bleeding or systemic symptoms; however, 2 days later, a cherry-sized, black, ulcerous lesion developed, surrounded by a red circle that did not heal over months and therefore had to be excised. Histologic examination showed ulceration with extensive necrosis of the dermis and the epidermis. A microbial smear revealed Pseudomonas (formerly known as Flavimonas) oryzihabitans. After excision, the wound healed within 2 weeks, without any complications or signs of infection. To the best of our knowledge, this case represents the first report of an Octopus vulgaris bite resulting in an ulcerative lesion with slow wound healing owing to P oryzihabitans infection. We recommend greater vigilance regarding bacterial contamination when treating skin lesions caused by marine animals.

  16. Diastereoisomer- and species-specific distribution of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) in fish and marine invertebrates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Son, Min-Hui; Kim, Jongchul; Shin, Eun-Su; Seo, Sung-Hee; Chang, Yoon-Seok

    2015-12-30

    The levels and distributional characteristics of hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) diastereoisomers have been largely reported for various fish and select shellfish. In this study, we reclassified a number and variety of marine invertebrates, including shellfish, to further contribute to the comprehensive understanding of the effects and assessment of human exposure to HBCD. Overall, 30 marine invertebrate species (n=188) were investigated and the following order of ∑2HBCD (α- and γ-HBCD) was observed: fish>chordata>cephalopoda>echinodermata>bivalve>crustacea. The marine invertebrates that were reclassified into nektonic and benthic organisms showed similar concentration of ∑2HBCD. The feeding habits and modes of the marine organisms were considered to compare the degree of bioaccumulation and diastereoisomer-specific distribution of HBCD due to the effects of the environment in and around pollution sources, as well as the organisms' metabolic capacities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the species-specific distribution patterns of HBCD for both fish and marine invertebrates. We expect to significantly expand the understanding of the environmental fate of HBCD for marine organisms. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Fecundity and spawning of Abralia verany (Rüppell, 1844 (Cephalopoda: Enoploteuthidae in the Aegean Sea

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    Alp Salman

    2005-06-01

    Full Text Available A total of 24 female Abralia verany specimens, with a mantle length between 26-47 mm, were investigated. The mean potential fecundity (PF and mean relative fecundity (RF of ovaries were calculated as 26584 eggs and 4379 eggs g-1, respectively. The mean egg number determined in the oviduct was 251. Diameters of ripe eggs in the oviduct were approximately 1.01 mm. According to the findings given above the PF values of A. verany in the eastern Mediterranean are higher than the ones off northwest Africa.

  18. Spawning pattern of the neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii (Cephalopoda: Oegopsida around the Hawaiian Islands

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    Dharmamony Vijai

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The neon flying squid, Ommastrephes bartramii, is an oceanic squid species that is widely distributed in the North Pacific, with the winter-spring cohort spawning around the Hawaiian Islands. Here, we investigated the spawning characteristics of O. bartramii by analyzing various reproductive parameters of individuals (622 males, 108 females collected in this region. Female spawning status was determined from the somatic indices and histological characteristics of the ovaries. At all developmental stages, the ovaries of spawned females contained oocytes, and oviduct fullness was not correlated with body size. Thus, because the eggs mature asynchronously, with multiple filling and evacuation events, this species is considered an intermittent spawner. Mature males with developed accessory glands were also present within the distribution range of healthy spawned females, indicating that mating occurs between spawning events. Our data indicate that the first spawning event occurs at a mantle length of ~520-540 mm for Hawaiian O. bartramii. Subsequently, the squid forage and grow, and refill the oviducts, before the second spawning event occurs.

  19. Hábitos alimentarios de Dosidicus gigas (D' Orbigny, 1835 (Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea frente a la costa centro-sur de Chile Feeding habits of Dosidicus gigas (D'Orbigny, 1835 (Cephalopoda: Teuthoidea in the central-south coast off Chile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    PATRICIO ULLOA

    2006-12-01

    Full Text Available Se estudiaron los hábitos alimentarios del calamar rojo Dosidicus gigas (D'Orbigny, 1835 frente a la costa de Chile centro-sur, durante el invierno del año 2005. Se examinaron un total de 52 estómagos, en todos los cuales había contenido alimentario. Los ejemplares provenían de pescas efectuadas por la flota arrastrera industrial que opera entre 36°39' S y 38°55'S sobre la merluza común Merluccius gayi (Guichenot 1848 y a una profundidad media de 290 m sobre la plataforma continental. Para la descripción del espectro trófico, alimento principal y el establecimiento de las eventuales diferencias sexuales u ontogenéticas en la frecuencia de aparición de los ítemes presa, se utilizaron los métodos numérico, gravimétrico, de frecuencia de ocurrencia, índice de importancia relativa (IIR e índice de similitud porcentual (ISP. No se observaron diferencias sexuales ni ontogenéticas en la frecuencia de aparición de los ítemes presa. Los resultados muestran que D. gigas es un depredador oportunista, principalmente ictiófago, y secundariamente malacófago (incluye el canibalismo y carcinófago. Se discuten los eventuales motivos e implicancias de tal conductaA study on the feeding habits of the jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas (D'Orbigny, 1835 was carried out during the winter season 2005, in waters of the Chilean central and southern Pacific. A total of 52 jumbo squid stomachs from the fishing of the continental slope were collected and examined, in the Eighth and Ninth regions, between 36°40' S and 38°55'S, at an average depth of 290 m. To determine the trophic spectrum, the feeding preferences and the importance of the sex and ontogenetic condition in the diet, the numeric, gravimetric, frequency of occurrence methods, and the index of relative importance and dietary similarity were utilized. The frequency of the prey did not vary with relation to the sex and ontogenetic conditions, and was besides a hight trophic similarity in such analysis. The results showed that the diet of D. gigas consist predominatly of fishes and secondly of Mollusca (to include the cannibalism and crustacean; suggesting that D. gigas is an oportunistic predator of third trophic level. We discuss the reasons and implications of such behavior

  20. Extraction and characterization of collagen from Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic squid and its potential application in hybrid scaffolds for tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coelho, Rui C G; Marques, Ana L P; Oliveira, Sara M; Diogo, Gabriela S; Pirraco, Rogério P; Moreira-Silva, Joana; Xavier, José C; Reis, Rui L; Silva, Tiago H; Mano, João F

    2017-09-01

    Collagen is the most abundant protein found in mammals and it exhibits a low immunogenicity, high biocompatibility and biodegradability when compared with others natural polymers. For this reason, it has been explored for the development of biologically instructive biomaterials with applications for tissue substitution and regeneration. Marine origin collagen has been pursued as an alternative to the more common bovine and porcine origins. This study focused on squid (Teuthoidea: Cephalopoda), particularly the Antarctic squid Kondakovia longimana and the Sub-Antarctic squid Illex argentinus as potential collagen sources. In this study, collagen has been isolated from the skins of the squids using acid-based and pepsin-based protocols, with the higher yield being obtained from I. argentinus in the presence of pepsin. The produced collagen has been characterized in terms of physicochemical properties, evidencing an amino acid profile similar to the one of calf collagen, but exhibiting a less preserved structure, with hydrolyzed portions and a lower melting temperature. Pepsin-soluble collagen isolated from I. argentinus was selected for further evaluation of biomedical potential, exploring its incorporation on poly-ε-caprolactone (PCL) 3D printed scaffolds for the development of hybrid scaffolds for tissue engineering, exhibiting hierarchical features. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Comparative molecular analysis of evolutionarily distant glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase from Sardina pilchardus and Octopus vulgaris.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baibai, Tarik; Oukhattar, Laila; Mountassif, Driss; Assobhei, Omar; Serrano, Aurelio; Soukri, Abdelaziz

    2010-12-01

    The NAD(+)-dependent cytosolic glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH, EC 1.2.1.12), which is recognized as a key to central carbon metabolism in glycolysis and gluconeogenesis and as an important allozymic polymorphic biomarker, was purified from muscles of two marine species: the skeletal muscle of Sardina pilchardus Walbaum (Teleost, Clupeida) and the incompressible arm muscle of Octopus vulgaris (Mollusca, Cephalopoda). Comparative biochemical studies have revealed that they differ in their subunit molecular masses and in pI values. Partial cDNA sequences corresponding to an internal region of the GapC genes from Sardina and Octopus were obtained by polymerase chain reaction using degenerate primers designed from highly conserved protein motifs. Alignments of the deduced amino acid sequences were used to establish the 3D structures of the active site of two enzymes as well as the phylogenetic relationships of the sardine and octopus enzymes. These two enzymes are the first two GAPDHs characterized so far from teleost fish and cephalopod, respectively. Interestingly, phylogenetic analyses indicated that the sardina GAPDH is in a cluster with the archetypical enzymes from other vertebrates, while the octopus GAPDH comes together with other molluscan sequences in a distant basal assembly closer to bacterial and fungal orthologs, thus suggesting their different evolutionary scenarios.

  2. The biology and ecology of the jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas (Cephalopoda in Chilean waters: a review

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    Christian M Ibáñez

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT. The jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas is the most abundant cephalopod species in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, which supports the biggest cephalopod fishery in the world. Due to its growing economic importance, the population growth and distributional expansion of this squid is being increasingly studied. Nevertheless, some basic features of the biology of D. gigas are still unknown or have been poorly investigated. In this review we summarize the known information regarding the biology and ecology of this species in the southeastern Pacific Ocean; we focus on the Chilean region in order to propose hypotheses and research lines for a better understanding the life history of this organism. Available data on the size structure, reproduction and genetics of D. gigas allows us to propose hypotheses related to the squid's life history traits. Based on the current literature and publications of colleagues, we propose two hypotheses regarding the effect of spatial variation on the life history of D. gigas. Hypothesis 1: Squids mature at large sizes and spawn in oceanic waters with warm temperatures where paralarvae and juveniles develop. Immature squids migrate near shore to feed, grow and mature, and then return to the offshore sites to spawn. Hypothesis 2: Alternatively, juvenile D. gigas in the oceanic zone do not migrate to coastal waters and mature at small sizes compared to individuals living near the coast that mature at larger size and migrate to oceanic waters to spawn. We provide background information about the feeding behavior and parasitism of this species, suggesting that D. gigas is an important trophic link in the southeastern Pacific marine ecosystem. However, more studies on the feeding habits, reproduction and parasite load are needed not only to test hypotheses proposed in this study, but also to advance the overall knowledge of this species.

  3. A contribution to the understanding of phylogenetic relationships among species of the genus Octopus (Octopodidae: Cephalopoda

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    María Soledad Acosta-Jofré

    2011-11-01

    Full Text Available Many species of the genus Octopus are important resources for fisheries worldwide. Its approximately 200 species show a strong similarity in structural morphology and a wide diversity in skin coloration and patterning, behaviour and life strategies that have hampered the study of phylogenetic relationships. We used a Bayesian approach to estimate as yet unknown phylogenetic relationships among O. tehuelchus from the southwestern Atlantic, new specimens of O. mimus (Chile and Peru and other Octopus species, and used Bayes factors to test phylogenetic hypotheses. O. tehuelchus was more closely related to the genera Callistoctopus, Grimpella and Macroctopus than to Octopus, and therefore its generic placement may need a revision. O. vulgaris specimens from Costa Rica (Pacific Ocean and O. oculifer grouped with O. mimus. Bayes factors showed positive evidence in favor of this grouping and therefore these individuals could have been misidentified, being in fact O. mimus. O. vulgaris specimens from the Costa Rican Caribbean were more related to O. mimus than to other O. vulgaris and could represent a cryptic species. The remaining O. vulgaris clustered with O. tetricus. Bayes factors found strong evidence against the monophyly of O. vulgaris as currently defined, giving statistical support to the monophyly of an O. vulgaris s. str. + O. tetricus group proposed previously by other authors.

  4. Diet Composition and Variability of Wild Octopus vulgaris and Alloteuthis media (Cephalopoda Paralarvae: a Metagenomic Approach

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    Lorena Olmos-Pérez

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The high mortality of cephalopod early stages is the main bottleneck to grow them from paralarvae to adults in culture conditions, probably because the inadequacy of the diet that results in malnutrition. Since visual analysis of digestive tract contents of paralarvae provides little evidence of diet composition, the use of molecular tools, particularly next generation sequencing (NGS platforms, offers an alternative to understand prey preferences and nutrient requirements of wild paralarvae. In this work, we aimed to determine the diet of paralarvae of the loliginid squid Alloteuthis media and to enhance the knowledge of the diet of recently hatched Octopus vulgaris paralarvae collected in different areas and seasons in an upwelling area (NW Spain. DNA from the dissected digestive glands of 32 A. media and 64 O. vulgaris paralarvae was amplified with universal primers for the mitochondrial gene COI, and specific primers targeting the mitochondrial gene 16S gene of arthropods and the mitochondrial gene 16S of Chordata. Following high-throughput DNA sequencing with the MiSeq run (Illumina, up to 4,124,464 reads were obtained and 234,090 reads of prey were successfully identified in 96.87 and 81.25% of octopus and squid paralarvae, respectively. Overall, we identified 122 Molecular Taxonomic Units (MOTUs belonging to several taxa of decapods, copepods, euphausiids, amphipods, echinoderms, molluscs, and hydroids. Redundancy analysis (RDA showed seasonal and spatial variability in the diet of O. vulgaris and spatial variability in A. media diet. General Additive Models (GAM of the most frequently detected prey families of O. vulgaris revealed seasonal variability of the presence of copepods (family Paracalanidae and ophiuroids (family Euryalidae, spatial variability in presence of crabs (family Pilumnidae and preference in small individual octopus paralarvae for cladocerans (family Sididae and ophiuroids. No statistically significant variation in the occurrences of the most frequently identified families was revealed in A. media. Overall, these results provide new clues about dietary preferences of wild cephalopod paralarvae, thus opening up new scenarios for research on trophic ecology and digestive physiology under controlled conditions.

  5. Recognizing cephalopod boreholes in shells and the northward spread of Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797 (Cephalopoda, Octopodoidea)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hiemstra, Auke-Florian

    2015-01-01

    Octopuses prey on molluscs by boring through their shell. Among the regular naticid borings, traces of cephalopod predation should be found soon on Dutch beaches. Bottom trawling has declined, and by the effects of global warming Octopus will find its way back to the North Sea where it lived before.

  6. Rearing and growth of the Octopus Robsonella fontaniana (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) from planktonic hatchlings to benthic juveniles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uriarte, Iker; Hernández, Jorge; Dörner, Jessica; Paschke, Kurt; Farías, Ana; Crovetto, Enzo; Rosas, Carlos

    2010-04-01

    Globally, octopus larviculture is one of the challenges faced in the attempt to diversify aquaculture and achieve cephalopod farming. Currently, only juveniles of Octopus vulgaris, Octopus joubini, and Enteroctopus dofleini have been obtained at an experimental level. This is the first study to look at the characteristics of planktonic and benthic Robsonella fontaniana juveniles in an effort to analyze the morphometric changes occurring during their planktonic and benthic phases and to explore the feasibility of obtaining settlement under controlled conditions. The morphometric measurements varied exponentially over time and did not show different tendencies before and after settlement. Mantle growth in relation to total length fit a logarithmic regression, whereas arm length and eye diameter increased linearly with respect to total length throughout the entire paralarval and juvenile periods. This suggests that the size of the mantle decreases with age in proportion to the total octopus length, whereas the organs more directly involved in catching prey tend to increase in direct proportion to the total length. The present study shows that R. fontaniana can be reared from hatching through the final paralarval stage on a diet of Lithodes santolla (king crab) zoeae; after settlement, the juveniles can be reared on a diet of crab such as Petrolisthes.

  7. The Anatomy and Morphology of the Adult Bacterial Light Organ of Euprymna scolopes Berry (Cephalopoda:Sepiolidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    McFall-Ngai, M; Montgomery, M K

    1990-12-01

    The sepiolid squid, Euprymna scolopes, has a bilobed luminous organ in the center of the mantle cavity, associated with the ink sac. Luminous bacterial symbionts (Vibrio fischeri) are housed in narrow channels of host epithelial tissue. The channels of each lobe of the light organ empty into a ciliated duct, which is contiguous with the mantle cavity of the squid. Surrounding the symbiotic bacteria and their supportive host cells are host tissues recruited into the light organ system, including a muscle-derived lens and thick reflector that appear to permit the squid to control the quality of bacterial light emission.

  8. A new species of pouched octopus, Cistopus Gray, 1849 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae) from the southwest coast of India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sreeja, Vijayamma; Norman, Mark D; Kumar, Appukuttannair Biju

    2015-12-16

    Octopuses of the genus Cistopus Gray, 1849 are commercially valuable catches in the cephalopod fisheries of India. The primary and unique diagnostic character of this genus is the possession of eight small mucous pouches embedded in the oral faces of the webs between the bases of each arm. Historically only a single species of Cistopus, C. indicus, had been reported from Indian waters. In reviewing the octopod fauna off the Kerala coast, we have detected three species of Cistopus, of which one is described here as a new species. Cistopus platinoidus sp. nov. is distinct from Cistopus species described to date (C. indicus, C. taiwanicus and C. chinensis) on the basis of sucker counts, the number and position of enlarged suckers in males, and presence/absence of a calamus. Our studies of catch composition of Kerala octopod fisheries indicate a higher diversity of target species than previously suspected, including a number of undescribed species. Taxonomic resolution and collation of biological and distributional data are required for effective monitoring and management of these valuable fisheries.

  9. Octopus insularis (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae on the tropical coast of Brazil: where it lives and what it eats

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    Allan Torrecilla Batista

    Full Text Available Abstract Octopus insularis is the dominant octopus in the shallow tropical waters of the coast and oceanic islands in the North and Northeast of Brazil. Is the abundance, distribution, habitat and diet of this species on the continent the same as in oceanic islands? These factors were evaluated in seeking these answers at two areas of occurrence of Octopus insularis on the coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Three main types of habitats were described where the species is concentrated, being: Deep Reefs (Reefs of Risca (> 15 m, Flat Biogenic Plateaus (Restingas (5-15 m and Shallow Sedimentary Reefs (Pirangi reefs (< 5 m. An aggregate spatial distribution was verified, along with bathymetric segregation in which small individuals occupied shallow areas. Regarding diet, O. insularis consumed mainly crustaceans (68% in shallow reef areas, bivalves (86% in biogenic plateau areas, and gastropods (33% in deep reef areas. The characterization of new occurring habitats, such as the area of biogenic plateau, and changes in their diet due to habitat function have shown that O. insularis occupies a broader niche than has been described in literature to date, expanding our knowledge on the ecology and biology of this octopus species of economic interest.

  10. Soft robotic arm inspired by the octopus: I. From biological functions to artificial requirements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Margheri, L; Laschi, C; Mazzolai, B

    2012-06-01

    Octopuses are molluscs that belong to the group Cephalopoda. They lack joints and rigid links, and as a result, their arms possess virtually limitless freedom of movement. These flexible appendages exhibit peculiar biomechanical features such as stiffness control, compliance, and high flexibility and dexterity. Studying the capabilities of the octopus arm is a complex task that presents a challenge for both biologists and roboticists, the latter of whom draw inspiration from the octopus in designing novel technologies within soft robotics. With this idea in mind, in this study, we used new, purposively developed methods of analysing the octopus arm in vivo to create new biologically inspired design concepts. Our measurements showed that the octopus arm can elongate by 70% in tandem with a 23% diameter reduction and exhibits an average pulling force of 40 N. The arm also exhibited a 20% mean shortening at a rate of 17.1 mm s(-1) and a longitudinal stiffening rate as high as 2 N (mm s)(-1). Using histology and ultrasounds, we investigated the functional morphology of the internal tissues, including the sinusoidal arrangement of the nerve cord and the local insertion points of the longitudinal and transverse muscle fibres. The resulting information was used to create novel design principles and specifications that can in turn be used in developing a new soft robotic arm.

  11. Soft robotic arm inspired by the octopus: I. From biological functions to artificial requirements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Margheri, L; Laschi, C; Mazzolai, B

    2012-01-01

    Octopuses are molluscs that belong to the group Cephalopoda. They lack joints and rigid links, and as a result, their arms possess virtually limitless freedom of movement. These flexible appendages exhibit peculiar biomechanical features such as stiffness control, compliance, and high flexibility and dexterity. Studying the capabilities of the octopus arm is a complex task that presents a challenge for both biologists and roboticists, the latter of whom draw inspiration from the octopus in designing novel technologies within soft robotics. With this idea in mind, in this study, we used new, purposively developed methods of analysing the octopus arm in vivo to create new biologically inspired design concepts. Our measurements showed that the octopus arm can elongate by 70% in tandem with a 23% diameter reduction and exhibits an average pulling force of 40 N. The arm also exhibited a 20% mean shortening at a rate of 17.1 mm s −1 and a longitudinal stiffening rate as high as 2 N (mm s) −1 . Using histology and ultrasounds, we investigated the functional morphology of the internal tissues, including the sinusoidal arrangement of the nerve cord and the local insertion points of the longitudinal and transverse muscle fibres. The resulting information was used to create novel design principles and specifications that can in turn be used in developing a new soft robotic arm. (paper)

  12. Recent findings of Ommastrephes bartramii (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae in the eastern Mediterranean and the implication on its range expansion

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. LEFKADITOU

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available The neon flying squid Ommastrephes bartramii is found circumglobally in subtropical, temperate waters and sustains important fisheries in the North Pacific, but it is rarely encountered in the Mediterranean Sea. During the last decade, and particularly since 2004, the frequency of its presence in the Aegean Sea and nearby regions has increased, raising a question about a change in the species distribution and abundance in this area. In this study, we reviewed the literature on O. bartramii findings in the Mediterranean Sea and present new data describing body and beak morphometry, diet and the maturity of specimens recently collected from the easternmost basins. According to data from the entire Mediterranean Sea, collected individuals reached 66 cm in mantle length (ML, wherein only females were larger than 32 cm in ML. An isometric growth in body weight (BW was shown, whereas the lower beak rostral length (LRL was allometrically positive in relation to the ML. Occasional catches by jigs during experimental cruises provided most of the individuals recorded in the period from 1982-1992. In contrast, the most recent records are primarily comprised of mature females collected on or near the shore in the eastern basin and of predominantly smaller individuals from the western basin caught by professional jigging fisheries. The distribution of the specimen recorded from the Aegean Sea indicates an association between the species distribution and the circulation of the warm Levantine Intermediate Water. The more frequent observations of moribund spawning females at the periphery of the Cretan Sea are indicative of a spawning ground at this area. The suspected recent increase of O. bartramii abundance in both the northeastern and northwestern basins might be due to the warming of upper sea layers, which has been observed since the mid-1980s and is considered to be the main factor driving the northward expansion of the warm-water species’ range within the Mediterranean Sea.

  13. The distribution of Thorolamellaptychus and some rare Mortilletila-mellaptychus (Cephalopoda) in the Valanginian of southeast France and Spain

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Vašíček, Zdeněk; Janssen, N. M. M.; Klein, J.

    2016-01-01

    Roč. 281, č. 2 (2016), s. 111-121 ISSN 0077-7749 Institutional support: RVO:68145535 Keywords : Lamellaptychi * Thorolamellaptychus * Mortilletilamellaptychus * Symphysocostatus Event * Vocontian Basin Subject RIV: DB - Geology ; Mineralogy Impact factor: 0.777, year: 2016 http://www.schweizerbart.de/journals/njgpa

  14. Population dynamics and stock assessment for Octopus maya (Cephalopoda:Octopodidae fishery in the Campeche Bank, Gulf of Mexico

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco Arreguín-Sánchez

    2000-06-01

    Full Text Available The octopus (Octopus maya is one of the most important fish resources in the Mexican Gulf of Mexico with a mean annual yield of 9000 ton, and a reasonable number of jobs created; O. maya represents 80% of the total octopus catch, followed by Octopus vulgaris. There are two artisanal fleets based on Octopus maya and a middle-size fleet that covers both species. Catch-at-length structured data from the artisanal fleets, for the 1994 season (August 1st to December 15th were used to analyze the O. maya population dynamics and stock and to estimate the current level of exploitation. Von Bertalanffy growth parameters were: L = 252 mm, mantle length; K=1.4 year -1; oscillation parameters C=1.0, WP=0.6; and tz=0.842 years. A rough estimate of natural mortality was M=2.2, total mortality from catch curve Z=8.77, and exploitation rate F/Z=0.75. This last value suggests an intensive exploitation, even when yield per recruit analysis indicates both fleets may increase the minimum legal size on about 10% to increase yields. The length-based VPA also shows that the stock is being exploited under its maximum acceptable biological limit. These apparently contradictory results are explained by biological and behavioral characteristics of this species. Because most females die after reproduction, a new gross estimation of natural mortality was computed as M=3.3. The new estimate of exploitation rate was F/Z=0.57. This new value coincides with results from the length-VPA and the Thompson and Bell methods, the former suggesting that a reduction of 20% in fishing mortality may provide larger yields. This fishery resource is fully exploited and current management measures must be revised to sustain and probably optimize yields.Octopus maya es uno de los recursos pesqueros más importantes del Golfo de México, con rendimientos anuales promedio de 9 000 t, y constituye el 80% de la captura total, seguido por O. vulgaris. En la pesquería participan dos flotas artesanales sobre O. maya, y una de mediana altura capturando ambas especies. Datos de frecuencia de longitudes de la captura para la temporada de pesca 1994 (Agosto 1° a Diciembre 15 fueron usados para analizar la dinámica poblacional y el estado de explotación de O. maya. Los parámetros del modelo de von Bertalanffy fueron: L° = 252 mm longitud de manto, K = 1.4 años-1, C = 1.0 y WP = 0.6, y tZ = 0.842 años. Una estimación inicial de la mortalidad natural fue M = 2.2, la mortalidad total Z = 8.77, y tasa de explotación F/Z = 0.75, lo cual sugiere una intensa explotación. El análisis de rendimiento por recluta indica que podría aumentarse la talla mínima legal para incrementar los rendimientos. El VPA indica un recurso explotado al límite de su capacidad biológica. Debido a que las hembras mueren después de la reproducción, una nueva estimación de mortalidad natural, M = 3.3, y tasa de explotación, F/Z = 0.57 fueron obtenidas, coincidiendo con los resultados del VPA basado en longitudes y el método de Thompson y Bell.

  15. Immunohistochemical localization of cardio-active neuropeptides in the heart of a living fossil, Nautilus pompilius L. (Cephalopoda, Tetrabranchiata).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Springer, J; Ruth, P; Beuerlein, K; Westermann, B; Schipp, R

    2004-01-01

    Neuropeptides play an important role in modulating the effects of neurotransmitters such as acetylcholine and noradrenaline in the heart and the vascular system of vertebrates and invertebrates. Various neuropeptides, including substance P (SP), vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) and FMRFamide, have been localized in the brain in cephalopods and the neurosecretory system of the vena cava. Previous studies involving cephalopods have mainly focussed on the modern, coleoid cephalopods, whereas little attention was paid to the living fossil Nautilus. In this study, the distributions of the peptides related to tachykinins (TKs) and the high affinity receptor for the best characterized TK substance P (tachykinin NK-1), VIP, as well as FMRFamide were investigated in the heart of Nautilus pompilius L. by immunohistochemistry. TK-like immunoreactivity (TK-LI) was seen associated to a sub-population of hemocytes, VIP-LI glial cells in larger nerves entering the heart, whereas FMRFamide immunoreactivity was distributed throughout the entire heart, including the semilunar atrioventricular valves. The pattern of FMRFamide immunoreactivity matched that of Bodian silver staining for nervous tissue. The NK-1-LI receptor was located on endothelial cells, which were also positive for endothelial nitric oxide synthase-LI (eNOS). The results indicate that neuropeptides may be involved in the regulation of the Nautilus heart via different mechanisms, (1) by direct interaction with myocardial receptors (FMRFamide), (2) by interacting with the nervus cardiacus (VIP-related peptides) and (3) indirectly by stimulating eNOS in the endothelium throughout the heart (TK-related peptides).

  16. Genetic structure of Octopus vulgaris (Cephalopoda, Octopodidae) in the central Mediterranean Sea inferred from the mitochondrial COIII gene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fadhlaoui-Zid, Karima; Knittweis, Leyla; Aurelle, Didier; Nafkha, Chaala; Ezzeddine, Soufia; Fiorentino, Fabio; Ghmati, Hisham; Ceriola, Luca; Jarboui, Othman; Maltagliati, Ferruccio

    2012-01-01

    The polymorphism of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase III was studied in the Mediterranean octopus, Octopus vulgaris Cuvier, 1797. A total of 202 specimens from seven sampling sites were analysed with the aim of elucidating patterns of genetic structure in the central Mediterranean Sea and to give an insight into the phylogeny of the Octopus genus. Phylogenetic analyses showed that individuals from the central Mediterranean belong to the O. vulgaris species whose limits should nevertheless be clarified. Concerning genetic structure, two high-frequency haplotypes were present in all locations. The overall genetic divergence (Φ(ST)=0.05, P<0.05) indicated a significant genetic structuring in the study area and an AMOVA highlighted a significant break between western and eastern Mediterranean basins (Φ(CT)=0.094, P<0.05). Possible explanations for the observed patterns of genetic structuring are discussed with reference to their relevance for fisheries management. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier SAS.

  17. Molecular characterization of a KIF3B-like kinesin gene in the testis of Octopus tankahkeei (Cephalopoda, Octopus).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dang, Ran; Zhu, Jun-Quan; Tan, Fu-Qing; Wang, Wei; Zhou, Hong; Yang, Wan-Xi

    2012-05-01

    KIF3B is known for maintaining and assembling cilia and flagellum. To date, the function of KIF3B and its relationship with KIF3A during spermiogenesis in the cephalopod Octopus tankahkeei remains unknown. In the present study, we characterized a gene encoding a homologue of rat KIF3B in the O. tankahkeei testis and examined its temporal and spatial expression pattern during spermiogenesis. The cDNA of KIF3B was obtained with degenerate and RACE PCR and the distribution pattern of ot-kif3b were observed with RT-PCR. The morphological development during spermiogenesis was illustrated by histological and transmission electron microscopy and mRNA expression of ot-kif3b was observed by in situ hybridization. The 2,365 nucleotides cDNA consisted of a 102 bp 5' untranslated region (UTR), a 2,208 bp open reading frame (ORF) encoding a protein of 736 amino acids, and a 55 bp 3' UTR. Multiple alignments revealed that the putative Ot-KIF3B shared 68, 68, 69, 68, and 67% identity with that of Homo sapiens, Mus musculus, Gallus gallus, Danio rerio, and Xenopus laevis, respectively, along with high identities with Ot-KIF3A in fundamental structures. Ot-kif3b transcripts appeared gradually in early spermatids, increased in intermediate spermatids and maximized in drastically remodeled and final spermatids. The kif3b gene is identified and its expression pattern is demonstrated for the first time in O. tankahkeei. Compared to ot-kif3a reported by our laboratory before, our data suggested that the putative heterodimeric motor proteins Ot-KIF3A/B may be involved in intraspermatic transport and might contribute to structural changes during spermiogenesis.

  18. Analysis of beak morphometry of the horned octopus Eledone cirrhosa (Cephalopoda: Octopoda in the Thracian Sea (NE Mediterranean

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E. LEFKADITOU

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Cephalopod beaks are chitinous structures situated in the buccal mass lying at the base of their arms. Because they are among the few hard structures of cephalopods with high resistance to erosion during digestive process in predator stomachs, the study of the beak morphometry is of major importance for the species taxonomy, as well as, for the size estimation of the cephalopods consumed. In this study new information is provided on the dimensions and pigmentation process of the upper and lower beak of the horned octopus Eledone cirrhosa derived from 67 female and 47 male specimens caught by trawl in the Thracian Sea (NE Mediterranean. The growth of both beaks was allometric in relation to the mantle length and body weight. According to the results of covariance analysis, no difference was found in growth pattern of beaks between sexes. Four degrees of pigmentation were identified in both upper and lower beaks, the darkening process starting in females at a smaller size.

  19. El desarrollo temprano del calamar patagónico Loligo gahi D’Orbigny,1835 en aguas peruanas (Cephalopoda: Loliginidae

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    Franz Cardoso

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available El desarrollo temprano del calamar patagónico, Loligo gahi D’Orbigny, 1835 fue estudiado en el campo y en el laboratorio. Las puestas colectadas en la Isla San Lorenzo, Perú, fueron transferidas al laboratorio, e incubadas en un sistema cerrado de agua marina. Las cápsulas midieron de 88 a 169 mm de longitud y cada cápsula contenía entre 56 y 114 huevos fertilizados. Los huevos midieron de 1,7 a 2,1 mm de longitud y la longitud del manto de los individuos eclosionados varió de 1,9 a 2,8 mm. El desarrollo de las paralarvas se logró a los 20 días, a una temperatura promedio de 19 ºC. El patrón de desarrollo embrionario es similar al observado en otras especies de Loligo. Las paralarvas sobrevivieron 45 días con una dieta de zooplancton (copepódos, micidáceos y larvas de poliquetos.

  20. Transfer of 60Co from midwater squid to sperm whales

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Umezu, Takeshi; Minamisako, Yoko; Ebihara, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Hiroshi.

    1984-01-01

    Sperm whales are notable squid-eaters. They feed mainly on medium to large-sized cephalopods at midwater levels and defecate near the surface. This suggests the existence of an upward transport of 60 Co by sperm whales from the mesopelagic zone (150-1,200m). To elucidate this squid-whale route for this artificial radionuclide, 60 Co content was determined in squid and in predator whales captured by commercial whaling. In the Cephalopoda livers 60 Co levels of 30-500 mBq kg -1 wet were found and in the viscera of Odontoceti (toothed whales) 15-40 mBq kg -1 wet. About 0.3% of 60 Co ingested was estimated to be retained in a 23-year-old male sperm whale. In the livers of Bryde's whales, 60 Co levels of 40-80 mBq kg -1 wet were detected, but not in euphausiids and sardines, their possible prey. The level of Co in sperm whales was nearly the same as in Bryde's whales. Specific radioactivity 60 Co/ 59 Co in mBq μg -1 was several times higher in sperm whale (1.1-1.6) than in cephalopods (0.19-0.77). Eating prey with a high content of 60 Co in the 1960's may have contributed to the present body burden in sperm whales with a long-life span. However, the origin of 60 Co in Bryde's whales is unknown. (author)

  1. Enlightenment of old ideas from new investigations: more questions regarding the evolution of bacteriogenic light organs in squids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishiguchi, M K; Lopez, J E; Boletzky, S v

    2004-01-01

    Bioluminescence is widespread among many different types of marine organisms. Metazoans contain two types of luminescence production, bacteriogenic (symbiotic with bacteria) or autogenic, via the production of a luminous secretion or the intrinsic properties of luminous cells. Several species in two families of squids, the Loliginidae and the Sepiolidae (Mollusca: Cephalopoda) harbor bacteriogenic light organs that are found central in the mantle cavity. These light organs are exceptional in function, that is, the morphology and the complexity suggests that the organ has evolved to enhance and direct light emission from bacteria that are harbored inside. Although light organs are widespread among taxa within the Sepiolidae, the origin and development of this important feature is not well studied. We compared light organ morphology from several closely related taxa within the Sepiolidae and combined molecular phylogenetic data using four loci (nuclear ribosomal 28S rRNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and 12S and 16S rRNA) to determine whether this character was an ancestral trait repeatedly lost among both families or whether it evolved independently as an adaptation to the pelagic and benthic lifestyles. By comparing other closely related extant taxa that do not contain symbiotic light organs, we hypothesized that the ancestral state of sepiolid light organs most likely evolved from part of a separate accessory gland open to the environment that allowed colonization of bacteria to occur and further specialize in the eventual development of the modern light organ.

  2. Complete sequences of the highly rearranged molluscan mitochondrial genomes of the scaphopod graptacme eborea and the bivalve mytilus edulis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boore, Jeffrey L.; Medina, Monica; Rosenberg, Lewis A.

    2004-01-31

    We have determined the complete sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the scaphopod mollusk Graptacme eborea (Conrad, 1846) (14,492 nts) and completed the sequence of the mitochondrial genome of the bivalve mollusk Mytilus edulis Linnaeus, 1758 (16,740 nts). (The name Graptacme eborea is a revision of the species formerly known as Dentalium eboreum.) G. eborea mtDNA contains the 37 genes that are typically found and has the genes divided about evenly between the two strands, but M. edulis contains an extra trnM and is missing atp8, and has all genes on the same strand. Each has a highly rearranged gene order relative to each other and to all other studied mtDNAs. G. eborea mtDNA has almost no strand skew, but the coding strand of M. edulis mtDNA is very rich in G and T. This is reflected in differential codon usage patterns and even in amino acid compositions. G. eborea mtDNA has fewer non-coding nucleotides than any other mtDNA studied to date, with the largest non-coding region being only 24 nt long. Phylogenetic analysis using 2,420 aligned amino acid positions of concatenated proteins weakly supports an association of the scaphopod with gastropods to the exclusion of Bivalvia, Cephalopoda, and Polyplacophora, but is generally unable to convincingly resolve the relationships among major groups of the Lophotrochozoa, in contrast to the good resolution seen for several other major metazoan groups.

  3. Distribution and abundance of Eledone cirrhosa (Lamarck, 1798 and Eledone moschata (Lamarck, 1798 (Cephalopoda: Octopoda in the Mediterranean Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paola Belcari

    2002-06-01

    Full Text Available Information on distribution, abundance and size composition of the two octopods Eledone cirrhosa and E. moschata was obtained from the MEDITS trawl surveys, carried out in a wide area of the Mediterranean basin from 1994 to 1999. Both species showed a wide geographic distribution, as they were collected in all the major areas investigated. E. cirrhosa showed a wide depth distribution, down to the 800 m isobath, while E. moschata was mostly restricted to within 200 m. Further analysis on spatio-temporal basis with a Generalised Linear Model, evidenced that differences among major areas, depth strata and their interaction were always significant. In the case of E. cirrhosa, differences among years and year-major area interaction were also significant. Two cohorts can be singled out in the size frequency distributions of E. cirrhosa, whereas only one mode can be clearly distinguished in most of the length distributions of E. moschata.

  4. Demographic disequilibrium in living nautiloids (Nautilus and Allonautilus: Canary in the coal mines?

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    W Bruce Saunders

    Full Text Available Averaged demographic data from previously unfished populations of Nautilus and Allonautilus (Cephalopoda provide a baseline to determine if a population is undisturbed and in "equilibrium" or is in "disequilibrium" as a result of fishery pressure. Data are available for previously undisturbed local nautiloid populations in Papua New Guinea, Australia, Indonesia, Fiji, Palau, American Samoa, New Caledonia and Vanuatu (total n = 2,669 live-caught, tagged and released animals. The data show that unfished populations average ~75% males and ~74% mature animals. By contrast, unpublished, anecdotal and historical records since 1900 from the heavily fished central Philippines have shown a persistent decline in trap yields and a change in demographics of N. pompilius. By 1979, a sample of fished live-caught animals (n = 353 comprised only ~28% males and ~27% mature animals. Continued uncontrolled trapping caused collapse of the fishery and the shell industry has moved elsewhere, including Indonesia. In addition, we show that estimated rates of population decline are offered by unpublished tag-release records in unfished Palau. These data show that patterns of trap yields and demographic differences between fished and unfished populations in relative age class and sex ratios can indicate disequilibria wrought by fisheries pressure that can render local populations inviable. Given adequate samples (n ≥100 live-caught animals, a threshold of <50% males and mature animals in fished populations should signal the need to initiate curative conservation initiatives. The current trajectory of uncontrolled nautiloid fisheries can only mean trouble and possibly extinction of local populations of this ancient, iconic molluscan lineage.

  5. Phylogeographical patterns among Mediterranean sepiolid squids and their Vibrio symbionts: environment drives specificity among sympatric species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zamborsky, D J; Nishiguchi, M K

    2011-01-01

    Bobtail squid from the genera Sepiola and Rondeletiola (Cephalopoda: Sepiolidae) form mutualistic associations with luminous Gram-negative bacteria (Gammaproteobacteria: Vibrionaceae) from the genera Vibrio and Photobacterium. Symbiotic bacteria proliferate inside a bilobed light organ until they are actively expelled by the host into the surrounding environment on a diel basis. This event results in a dynamic symbiont population with the potential to establish the symbiosis with newly hatched sterile (axenic) juvenile sepiolids. In this study, we examined the genetic diversity found in populations of sympatric sepiolid squid species and their symbionts by the use of nested clade analysis with multiple gene analyses. Variation found in the distribution of different species of symbiotic bacteria suggests a strong influence of abiotic factors in the local environment, affecting bacterial distribution among sympatric populations of hosts. These abiotic factors include temperature differences incurred by a shallow thermocline, as well as a lack of strong coastal water movement accompanied by seasonal temperature changes in overlapping niches. Host populations are stable and do not appear to have a significant role in the formation of symbiont populations relative to their distribution across the Mediterranean Sea. Additionally, all squid species examined (Sepiola affinis, S. robusta, S. ligulata, S. intermedia, and Rondeletiola minor) are genetically distinct from one another regardless of location and demonstrate very little intraspecific variation within species. These findings suggest that physical boundaries and distance in relation to population size, and not host specificity, are important factors in limiting or defining gene flow within sympatric marine squids and their associated bacterial symbionts in the Mediterranean Sea.

  6. Reproductive system and the spermatophoric reaction of the mesopelagic squid Octopoteuthis sicula (Ruppell 1844) (Cephalopoda : Octopoteuthidae) from southern African waters

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hoving, H. J. T.; Lipinski, M. R.; Videler, J. J.

    2008-01-01

    Reproductive features of the poorly known oceanic squid Octopoteuthis sicula are described and quantified to gain insight into the reproductive biology of the species. The data are based on 39 complete and partial specimens from southern African waters, collected between 1975 and 2005. The specimens

  7. Phylogenetic characterization of epibiotic bacteria in the accessory nidamental gland and egg capsules of the squid Loligo pealei (Cephalopoda:Loliginidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barbieri, E; Paster, B J; Hughes, D; Zurek, L; Moser, D P; Teske, A; Sogin, M L

    2001-03-01

    Sexually mature female squid Loligo pealei harbour dense bacterial communities in their accessory nidamental glands (ANGs) and in their egg capsules (ECs). This study describes a molecular approach using the 16S rRNA gene (rDNA) to identify bacterial populations within the ANG and the ECs of the North Atlantic squid species L. pealei. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) and 16S rDNA analysis showed that predominantly alpha- and, to a lesser extent, gamma-proteobacteria were the predominant components of the ANG and EC bacterial communities. Sequencing results showed the presence of alpha-proteobacterial populations affiliated with the Roseobacter group and additional deep-branching alpha-proteobacterial lineages. In contrast, isolates from the ANG and ECs contained only a few alpha-proteobacteria of the Roseobacter group compared with several gamma-proteobacterial isolates, mostly Shewanella and Pseudoalteromonas species. Most of the ANG-associated bacterial populations were also found within the ECs of L. pealei. The molecular approach allowed the visualization of alpha-proteobacteria as major constituents of a bacterial symbiosis within the reproductive system of the Loliginidae.

  8. Biología reproductiva del pulpo Octupus mimus (Mollusca: Cephalopoda de la región de Matarani, Arequipa, Perú

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Victor Ishiyama

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available De mayo de 1995 a abril de 1996, se realizaron al azar muestreos mensuales de 25 ejemplares de Octopus mimus de los desembarques del puerto de Matarani, Arequipa (16° 59'40"S y 72° 06'13"W. Son animales gonocóricos, presentan dimorfismo sexual, y los machos tienen el brazo ectocotilizado o copulador. La proporción de sexos fue de 2,1:1,0 a favor de los machos; se determinaron ocho estadios de desarrollo de los ovocitos, durante la ovogénesis. De acuerdo a su comportamiento reproductivo, se estableció la siguiente escala de madurez gonadal: a indiferenciado, b inmaduro, c inicio de maduración, d en desarrollo, e maduros, fl cópula, g postcópula, autofecundación y evacuación, h postevacuación. Las hembras maduras se encontraron preferentemente, en la primavera y verano; los machos maduros a fines de la primavera y en el verano; la cópula se realizó preferentemente durante el verano; la autofecundación y evacuación de los huevos, se evidenciaron en agosto (50%, octubre 50%, noviembre (71,4%, diciembre (33% y enero (33%. La primera madurez en los machos se encontró a los 9,5 cm y en las hembras a los 12,5 cm de la longitud dorsal del cuerpo. Se observó algunas hembras con ovocitos maduros en lisis y con inicio de ovogénesis avanzada de un nuevo ciclo, que evidencia que no todas las hembras mueren después de cuidar los huevos hasta el final de la eclosión.

  9. Genetic differentiation of Octopus minor (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) off the northern coast of China as revealed by amplified fragment length polymorphisms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, J M; Sun, G H; Zheng, X D; Ren, L H; Wang, W J; Li, G R; Sun, B C

    2015-12-02

    Octopus minor (Sasaki, 1920) is an economically important cephalopod that is found in the northern coastal waters of China. In this study, we investigated genetic differentiation in fishery populations using amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs). A total of 150 individuals were collected from five locations: Dalian (DL), Yan-tai (YT), Qingdao (QD), Lianyungang (LY), and Zhoushan (ZS), and 243 reproducible bands were amplified using five AFLP primer combinations. The percentage of polymorphic bands ranged from 53.33 to 76.08%. Nei's genetic identity ranged from 0.9139 to 0.9713, and the genetic distance ranged from 0.0291 to 0.0900. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using the unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean, based on the genetic distance. The DL and YT populations originated from one clade, while the QD, LY, and ZS populations originated from another. The results indicate that the O. minor stock consisted of two genetic populations with an overall significantly analogous FST value (0.1088, P octopus fisheries, so that this marine resource can be conserved for its long-term utilization.

  10. Reproductive cycle and sexual maturation of the musky octopus Eledone moschata (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae in the northern and central Adriatic Sea

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    Svjetlana Krstulović Šifner

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Length-weight relationships, sex ratio, maturity patterns, reproductive outputs, fecundity and spawning period of the musky octopus Eledone moschata (Lamarck, 1798 in the northern and central Adriatic Sea are presented for the first time. Samples were collected on a monthly basis by commercial bottom trawls between October 2001 and June 2003. A total of 1552 specimens were analysed (779 males, 764 females, 9 undetermined. The overall sex ratio was close to 1:1, but during summer males were dominant. Length-weight relationships calculated for each sex and the whole sample showed negative allometric growth (b

  11. New Eocene Coleoid (Cephalopoda Diversity from Statolith Remains: Taxonomic Assignation, Fossil Record Analysis, and New Data for Calibrating Molecular Phylogenies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pascal Neige

    Full Text Available New coleoid cephalopods are described from statolith remains from the Middle Eocene (Middle Lutetian of the Paris Basin. Fifteen fossil statoliths are identified and assigned to the Sepiidae (Sepia boletzkyi sp. nov.,? Sepia pira sp. nov., Loliginidae (Loligo clarkei sp. nov., and Ommastrephidae (genus indet. families. The sediments containing these fossils indicate permanent aquatic settings in the infralittoral domain. These sediments range in age from 46 Mya to 43 Mya. Analysis of the fossil record of statoliths (from findings described here, together with a review of previously published data indicates marked biases in our knowledge. Fossil statoliths are known from as far back as the Early Jurassic (199.3 to 190.8 Mya but surprisingly, to the best of our knowledge, no record occurs in the Cretaceous. This is a "knowledge bias" and clearly calls for further studies. Finally, we attempt to compare findings described here with fossils previously used to constrain divergence and/or diversification ages of some coleoid subclades in molecular phylogenies. This comparison clearly indicates that the new records detailed here will challenge some estimated divergence times of coleoid cephalopod subclades.

  12. New Eocene Coleoid (Cephalopoda) Diversity from Statolith Remains: Taxonomic Assignation, Fossil Record Analysis, and New Data for Calibrating Molecular Phylogenies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Neige, Pascal; Lapierre, Hervé; Merle, Didier

    2016-01-01

    New coleoid cephalopods are described from statolith remains from the Middle Eocene (Middle Lutetian) of the Paris Basin. Fifteen fossil statoliths are identified and assigned to the Sepiidae (Sepia boletzkyi sp. nov.,? Sepia pira sp. nov.), Loliginidae (Loligo clarkei sp. nov.), and Ommastrephidae (genus indet.) families. The sediments containing these fossils indicate permanent aquatic settings in the infralittoral domain. These sediments range in age from 46 Mya to 43 Mya. Analysis of the fossil record of statoliths (from findings described here, together with a review of previously published data) indicates marked biases in our knowledge. Fossil statoliths are known from as far back as the Early Jurassic (199.3 to 190.8 Mya) but surprisingly, to the best of our knowledge, no record occurs in the Cretaceous. This is a "knowledge bias" and clearly calls for further studies. Finally, we attempt to compare findings described here with fossils previously used to constrain divergence and/or diversification ages of some coleoid subclades in molecular phylogenies. This comparison clearly indicates that the new records detailed here will challenge some estimated divergence times of coleoid cephalopod subclades.

  13. The oldest ascocerid cephalopod from the Silurian of Estonia and notes on the biogeography of the order Ascocerida (class Cephalopoda

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    Martina Aubrechtova

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available The early Palaeozoic order Ascocerida is a group of morphologically unique and rare cephalopods known from the Ordovician and Silurian rocks of Avalonia, Baltica, Laurentia and Perunica. The limited Estonian record of Silurian ascocerids is complemented with a specimen from the Pähkla locality (Island of Saaremaa; Paadla Regional Stage, Ludlow Series representing the stratigraphically oldest known occurrence of ascocerids in the Silurian of Estonia. The strata that were formerly exposed in Pähkla are likely correlated to the Hemse Group of the Island of Gotland (Sweden having a remarkable record of ascocerids. The appearance of Silurian ascocerids in Estonia is confined to a time interval when the group had the highest species diversity and the widest geographic dispersion, reaching also outside Baltica for the first time.

  14. Comparative population assessments of Nautilus sp. in the Philippines, Australia, Fiji, and American Samoa using baited remote underwater video systems.

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    Gregory J Barord

    Full Text Available The extant species of Nautilus and Allonautilus (Cephalopoda inhabit fore-reef slope environments across a large geographic area of the tropical western Pacific and eastern Indian Oceans. While many aspects of their biology and behavior are now well-documented, uncertainties concerning their current populations and ecological role in the deeper, fore-reef slope environments remain. Given the historical to current day presence of nautilus fisheries at various locales across the Pacific and Indian Oceans, a comparative assessment of the current state of nautilus populations is critical to determine whether conservation measures are warranted. We used baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS to make quantitative photographic records as a means of estimating population abundance of Nautilus sp. at sites in the Philippine Islands, American Samoa, Fiji, and along an approximately 125 km transect on the fore reef slope of the Great Barrier Reef from east of Cairns to east of Lizard Island, Australia. Each site was selected based on its geography, historical abundance, and the presence (Philippines or absence (other sites of Nautilus fisheries The results from these observations indicate that there are significantly fewer nautiluses observable with this method in the Philippine Islands site. While there may be multiple possibilities for this difference, the most parsimonious is that the Philippine Islands population has been reduced due to fishing. When compared to historical trap records from the same site the data suggest there have been far more nautiluses at this site in the past. The BRUVS proved to be a valuable tool to measure Nautilus abundance in the deep sea (300-400 m while reducing our overall footprint on the environment.

  15. Male reproductive system and spermatophores production and storage in Histioteuthis bonnellii (Cephalopoda: Histioteuthidae): A look into deep-sea squids' reproductive strategy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuccu, Danila; Mereu, Marco; Agus, Blondine; Cau, Angelo; Culurgioni, Jacopo; Sabatini, Andrea; Jereb, Patrizia

    2014-09-01

    Coleoid cephalopods go through a single breeding period in their life cycle, i.e., they are semelparous, although a great flexibility has been observed in their reproductive strategies, which range from simultaneous terminal spawning over a short period at the end of the animal's life to continuous spawning over a long period of the animal's life. So far, the information available on deep-sea species reproductive strategies is still poor and most of our knowledge about squid reproduction relates to females. In particular, not much is known on what strategy male squids have evolved to store sperm into spermatophores and adapt to semelparity. In this study an investigation of male reproductive strategy of the deep-sea umbrella squid Histioteuthis bonnellii (Férussac, 1835) is presented. The reproductive system was examined in 119 males caught in the Sardinian waters (Central Western Mediterranean) and is described for the first time. Results indicate that this species produces and stores spermatophores over a considerable period of time. The total number of spermatophores found in the reproductive system ranged between 12 and 3097 and the size of spermatophores stored by a single individual varied greatly, up to over 300%. Spermatophore length (SpL) gradually decreased towards the distal end of the reproductive system, so that spermatophores found in the proximal part of Needham's Sac were larger than those found in the terminal organ. Body size and SpL of spermatophores from the proximal part of Needham's Sac were positively correlated. Both indices of the sperm mass and of the ejaculatory apparatus decreased with the increase of SpL, while the cement body index increased, indicating that larger spermatophores contain less sperm and are equipped with larger cement bodies. Up to 64 spermatangia were found, exclusively in the terminal organ. The large size range of mature males (ML: 60.0-198.0 mm; TW: 113.50-2409.00 g) and the variation in spermatophore number and size indicate that in H. bonnellii males the allocation and storage of sperm start early in the individual life and extends in time, while animals continue to grow and produce spermatophores presumably more successful in attaching to female tissues. This pattern enlarges the time window available for reproduction and likely maximizes the percentage of mating success as the animals grow older and chances of mating events become comparatively lower, due to the basic low density of specimens in the deep-sea environment. Both aspects are potentially indicative of adaptation to the deep sea.

  16. Genome-wide comparisons reveal a clinal species pattern within a holobenthic octopod-the Australian Southern blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morse, Peter; Kjeldsen, Shannon R; Meekan, Mark G; Mccormick, Mark I; Finn, Julian K; Huffard, Christine L; Zenger, Kyall R

    2018-02-01

    The southern blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa (Hoyle, 1883) lacks a planktonic dispersal phase, yet ranges across Australia's southern coastline. This species' brief and holobenthic life history suggests gene flow might be limited, leaving distant populations prone to strong genetic divergence. This study used 17,523 genome-wide SNP loci to investigate genetic structuring and local adaptation patterns of H. maculosa among eight sampling sites along its reported range. Within sites, interrelatedness was very high, consistent with the limited dispersal of this taxon. However, inbreeding coefficients were proportionally lower among sites where substructuring was not detected, suggesting H. maculosa might possess a mechanism for inbreeding avoidance. Genetic divergence was extremely high among all sites, with the greatest divergence observed between both ends of the distribution, Fremantle, WA, and Stanley, TAS. Genetic distances closely followed an isolation by geographic distance pattern. Outlier analyses revealed distinct selection signatures at all sites, with the strongest divergence reported between Fremantle and the other Western Australian sites. Phylogenetic reconstructions using the described sister taxon H. fasciata (Hoyle, 1886) further supported that the genetic divergence between distal H. maculosa sites in this study was equivalent to that of between established heterospecifics within this genus. However, it is advocated that taxonomic delineations within this species should be made with caution. These data indicate that H. maculosa forms a clinal species pattern across its geographic range, with gene flow present through allele sharing between adjacent populations. Morphological investigations are recommended for a robust resolution of the taxonomic identity and ecotype boundaries of this species.

  17. Metabarcoding Reveals Seasonal and Temperature-Dependent Succession of Zooplankton Communities in the Red Sea

    KAUST Repository

    Casas, Laura; Pearman, John K.; Irigoien, Xabier

    2017-01-01

    Very little is known about the composition and the annual cycle of zooplankton assemblages in the Red Sea, a confined water body characterized by a high biodiversity and endemism but at the same time one of the most understudied areas in the world in terms of marine biodiversity. This high diversity together with the lack of references for several of the groups poses a problem in obtaining basic information on zooplankton seasonal patterns. In the present work, we used high throughput sequencing to examine the temporal and spatial distribution of the zooplankton communities inhabiting the epipelagic zone in the central Red Sea. The analysis of zooplankton assemblages collected at two sites—coastal and offshore—twice a month at several depth strata by using MANTA, Bongo and WP2 nets provides baseline information of the seasonal patterns of the zooplankton community over 1 year. We show that the seasonal fluctuation of zooplankton communities living in the upper 100 m of the water column is driven mainly by the annual changes in seawater temperature. The 18S rRNA gene was used for metabarcoding of zooplankton assemblages revealing 630 metazoan OTUs (97% similarity) in five phyla, highlighting the richness of the Red Sea community. During colder months, communities were characterized by lower richness and higher biomass than communities found during the hot season. Throughout the year the zooplankton communities were dominated by the class Maxillopoda, mainly represented by copepods and class Hydrozoa. The rise in the water temperature favors the appearance of classes Malacostraca, Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, and Saggitoidea. The present study provides essential baseline information for future monitoring and improves our knowledge of the marine ecosystem in the Red Sea while reporting the main environmental variable structuring zooplankton assemblages in this region.

  18. Globacrochordiceras gen. nov. (Acrochordiceratidae, late Early Triassic and its significance for stress-induced evolutionary jumps in ammonoid lineages (cephalopods

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    C. Monnet

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Globacrochordiceras transpacificum gen. et sp. nov. is an ammonoid (Ammonoidea, Cephalopoda with a shell characterized by plicate ribbing (rounded and undulating ribs strengthening on the venter without interruption, increasing involution through ontogeny, overhanging and deep umbilical wall, absence of tuberculation, subtriangular whorl section, globose adult shape with a closed umbilicus followed by an abrupt egressive coiling, and a subammonitic adult suture line. This new taxon occurs in Nevada (USA and in Guangxi (South China. It has its typical occurrence within the Neopopanoceras haugi Zone of late Spathian age (Early Triassic. The plicate ribbing, suture line and general shell shape are diagnostic of the family Acrochordiceratidae. The large adult size, high degree of involution and subammonitic suture line of Globacrochordiceras markedly contrast with the next younger genus of the family (Paracrochordiceras of early Anisian age, Middle Triassic, which is evolute and displays a ceratitic suture shape. Shell coiling and suture line of Globacrochordiceras are closer to that of the youngest member of the family: Acrochordiceras carolinae (late middle Anisian. The latter is the end-member of a long-term morphological evolutionary trend of the family during the early and middle Anisian. This trend composed of classical increases in adult size (Cope's rule, shell involution and suture indentation, lasted ca. four Myr. The sudden morphological evolutionary jump between Globacrochordiceras and Paracrochordiceras at the Spathian/Anisian (Early/Middle Triassic boundary may correspond to a generalized morphological reset of long-term trends, a process that differs from classic paedomorphic transformations. A dramatic global sea level change and carbon isotope positive excursion at the Early/Middle Triassic boundary both indicate stressful environmental changes that may have triggered this evolutionary jump. doi:10.1002/mmng.201300010

  19. Metabarcoding Reveals Seasonal and Temperature-Dependent Succession of Zooplankton Communities in the Red Sea

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Casas

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available Very little is known about the composition and the annual cycle of zooplankton assemblages in the Red Sea, a confined water body characterized by a high biodiversity and endemism but at the same time one of the most understudied areas in the world in terms of marine biodiversity. This high diversity together with the lack of references for several of the groups poses a problem in obtaining basic information on zooplankton seasonal patterns. In the present work, we used high throughput sequencing to examine the temporal and spatial distribution of the zooplankton communities inhabiting the epipelagic zone in the central Red Sea. The analysis of zooplankton assemblages collected at two sites—coastal and offshore—twice a month at several depth strata by using MANTA, Bongo and WP2 nets provides baseline information of the seasonal patterns of the zooplankton community over 1 year. We show that the seasonal fluctuation of zooplankton communities living in the upper 100 m of the water column is driven mainly by the annual changes in seawater temperature. The 18S rRNA gene was used for metabarcoding of zooplankton assemblages revealing 630 metazoan OTUs (97% similarity in five phyla, highlighting the richness of the Red Sea community. During colder months, communities were characterized by lower richness and higher biomass than communities found during the hot season. Throughout the year the zooplankton communities were dominated by the class Maxillopoda, mainly represented by copepods and class Hydrozoa. The rise in the water temperature favors the appearance of classes Malacostraca, Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, and Saggitoidea. The present study provides essential baseline information for future monitoring and improves our knowledge of the marine ecosystem in the Red Sea while reporting the main environmental variable structuring zooplankton assemblages in this region.

  20. Metabarcoding Reveals Seasonal and Temperature-Dependent Succession of Zooplankton Communities in the Red Sea

    KAUST Repository

    Casas, Laura

    2017-08-02

    Very little is known about the composition and the annual cycle of zooplankton assemblages in the Red Sea, a confined water body characterized by a high biodiversity and endemism but at the same time one of the most understudied areas in the world in terms of marine biodiversity. This high diversity together with the lack of references for several of the groups poses a problem in obtaining basic information on zooplankton seasonal patterns. In the present work, we used high throughput sequencing to examine the temporal and spatial distribution of the zooplankton communities inhabiting the epipelagic zone in the central Red Sea. The analysis of zooplankton assemblages collected at two sites—coastal and offshore—twice a month at several depth strata by using MANTA, Bongo and WP2 nets provides baseline information of the seasonal patterns of the zooplankton community over 1 year. We show that the seasonal fluctuation of zooplankton communities living in the upper 100 m of the water column is driven mainly by the annual changes in seawater temperature. The 18S rRNA gene was used for metabarcoding of zooplankton assemblages revealing 630 metazoan OTUs (97% similarity) in five phyla, highlighting the richness of the Red Sea community. During colder months, communities were characterized by lower richness and higher biomass than communities found during the hot season. Throughout the year the zooplankton communities were dominated by the class Maxillopoda, mainly represented by copepods and class Hydrozoa. The rise in the water temperature favors the appearance of classes Malacostraca, Cephalopoda, Gastropoda, and Saggitoidea. The present study provides essential baseline information for future monitoring and improves our knowledge of the marine ecosystem in the Red Sea while reporting the main environmental variable structuring zooplankton assemblages in this region.

  1. Temperature affects species distribution in symbiotic populations of Vibrio spp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishiguchi, M K

    2000-08-01

    The genus Sepiola (Cephalopoda: Sepiolidae) contains 10 known species that occur in the Mediterranean Sea today. All Sepiola species have a light organ that contains at least one of two species of luminous bacteria, Vibrio fischeri and Vibrio logei. The two Vibrio species coexist in at least four Sepiola species (S. affinis, S. intermedia, S. ligulata, and S. robusta), and their concentrations in the light organ depend on changes in certain abiotic factors, including temperature. Strains of V. fischeri grew faster in vitro and in Sepiola juveniles when they were incubated at 26 degrees C. In contrast, strains of V. logei grew faster at 18 degrees C in culture and in Sepiola juveniles. When aposymbiotic S. affinis or S. ligulata juveniles were inoculated with one Vibrio species, all strains of V. fischeri and V. logei were capable of infecting both squid species at the optimum growth temperatures, regardless of the squid host from which the bacteria were initially isolated. However, when two different strains of V. fischeri and V. logei were placed in direct competition with each other at either 18 or 26 degrees C, strains of V. fischeri were present in sepiolid light organs in greater concentrations at 26 degrees C, whereas strains of V. logei were present in greater concentrations at 18 degrees C. In addition to the competition experiments, the ratios of the two bacterial species in adult Sepiola specimens caught throughout the season at various depths differed, and these differences were correlated with the temperature in the surrounding environment. My findings contribute additional data concerning the ecological and environmental factors that affect host-symbiont recognition and may provide insight into the evolution of animal-bacterium specificity.

  2. An Eocene orthocone from Antarctica shows convergent evolution of internally shelled cephalopods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bengtson, Stefan; Reguero, Marcelo A.; Mörs, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    Background The Subclass Coleoidea (Class Cephalopoda) accommodates the diverse present-day internally shelled cephalopod mollusks (Spirula, Sepia and octopuses, squids, Vampyroteuthis) and also extinct internally shelled cephalopods. Recent Spirula represents a unique coleoid retaining shell structures, a narrow marginal siphuncle and globular protoconch that signify the ancestry of the subclass Coleoidea from the Paleozoic subclass Bactritoidea. This hypothesis has been recently supported by newly recorded diverse bactritoid-like coleoids from the Carboniferous of the USA, but prior to this study no fossil cephalopod indicative of an endochochleate branch with an origin independent from subclass Bactritoidea has been reported. Methodology/Principal findings Two orthoconic conchs were recovered from the Early Eocene of Seymour Island at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctica. They have loosely mineralized organic-rich chitin-compatible microlaminated shell walls and broadly expanded central siphuncles. The morphological, ultrustructural and chemical data were determined and characterized through comparisons with extant and extinct taxa using Scanning Electron Microscopy/Energy Dispersive Spectrometry (SEM/EDS). Conclusions/Significance Our study presents the first evidence for an evolutionary lineage of internally shelled cephalopods with independent origin from Bactritoidea/Coleoidea, indicating convergent evolution with the subclass Coleoidea. A new subclass Paracoleoidea Doguzhaeva n. subcl. is established for accommodation of orthoconic cephalopods with the internal shell associated with a broadly expanded central siphuncle. Antarcticerida Doguzhaeva n. ord., Antarcticeratidae Doguzhaeva n. fam., Antarcticeras nordenskjoeldi Doguzhaeva n. gen., n. sp. are described within the subclass Paracoleoidea. The analysis of organic-rich shell preservation of A. nordenskjoeldi by use of SEM/EDS techniques revealed fossilization of hyposeptal cameral soft tissues

  3. Determinación de la actividad antimicrobiana de la melanina purificada, a partir de la tinta de Octopus mimus Gould, 1852(Cephalopoda: Octopodidae

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marco Vega Petkovic

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Los cefalópodos, constituyen importantes modelos biomédicos orientados a vertebrados, con potencial farmacológico. Estos animales poseen una glándula de tinta, que produce un líquido marrón o negro (tinta, con una elevada concentración de melanina, a la cual se le han atribuido propiedades antibacterianas. Con esta información, se busca determinar el efecto protector de la melanina de Octopus mimus, mediante la extracción y purificación de la tinta y posterior evaluación de su actividad antimicrobiana frente a dos cepas (Staphylococcus aureus y Escherichia coli. Los resultados indican una actividad antimicrobiana moderada, en comparación con el antibiótico comercial (ampicilina 0,05 mg mL-1, y una concentración inhibitoria mínima diferencial entre ambas cepas bacterianas.

  4. Crecimiento del pulpo Octopus maya (Mollusca: Cephalopoda de la costa de Yucatán, México: un análisis de largo plazo

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    Marta Rocío Nepita Villanueva

    2001-03-01

    Full Text Available Los parámetros de crecimiento del pulpo (Octopus maya de las costas de Yucatán (México fueron estimados en siete años comprendidos entre 1983-1987, 1989 y 1992. A tales efectos se realizó un análisis de frecuencia de tallas de 19 251 pulpos muestreados de la captura comercial, con un intervalo de longitud de manto comprendido entre 50 y 240 mm. Se usaron los métodos indirectos ELEFAN, PROJMAT y SLCA. La incertidumbre de las estimaciones inherente a cada método y derivada del diseño de muestreo fue analizada con la técnica jackknife. Los parámetros de crecimiento L y K se unificaron a efectos comparativos mediante el índice phi prima (. El método ELEFAN resultó ser el más adecuado para estimar los parámetros de crecimiento de O. maya, brindando valores en el rango de aquellos previamente reportados en la literatura, mientras que PROJMAT y SLCA mostraron problemas en la convergencia de los parámetros, y tendieron a subestimarlos. Las estimaciones mediante jackknife detectaron poca variabilidad intermensual en pero gran variabilidad interanual. Los estimadores de precisión de la técnica jackknife, error porcentual y coeficiente de variación porcentual, no difirieron significativamente entre métodos. Las estimaciones de derivadas del ELEFAN variaron entre 4.19 y 5.23, coincidiendo con aquellas reportadas en la literatura (entre 4.25 y 4.91, mientras que PROJMAT y SLCA aportaron valores significativamente menores. Los resultados de dicho métodos condicen además con aspectos de la biología de la especie (e.g., corta longevidad. Sugerimos utilizar el ELEFAN conjuntamente con jackknife para estimar los parámetros de crecimiento de Octopus maya.Growth of the octopus (Octopus maya off Yucatan (Mexico was estimated from a long-term study (seven years by the length-based methods ELEFAN, PROJMAT and SLCA. Some 19 251 octopuses with a range of mantle length between 50 and 240 mm were sampled from commercial landings in 1983 - 1987, 1989 and 1992. The jackknife technique was applied to deal with uncertainty in growth estimates resulting from chance variations in sampling design. The growth index was used for comparative purposes. Results differed markedly among methods: ELEFAN produced parameter estimates within the range reported in the literature, whereas PROJMAT and SLCA showed problems to converge in an optimum combination of parameters, and tended to underestimate them. Jackknife analysis revealed very low intraannual variability in but high variability among years, especially when applying PROJMAT. No significant differences were found in precision parameters -percent error and coefficient of variation- among methods. Estimates of derived by ELEFAN varied between 4.19 and 5.23 and agreed with those reported in the literature (between 4.25 and 4.91, whereas PROJMAT and SLCA estimates were significantly lower. We suggest the use of ELEFAN, together with jackknife to estimate growth parameters of Octopus maya.

  5. A “Rosetta Stone” for metazoan zooplankton: DNA barcode analysis of species diversity of the Sargasso Sea (Northwest Atlantic Ocean)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bucklin, Ann; Ortman, Brian D.; Jennings, Robert M.; Nigro, Lisa M.; Sweetman, Christopher J.; Copley, Nancy J.; Sutton, Tracey; Wiebe, Peter H.

    2010-12-01

    Species diversity of the metazoan holozooplankton assemblage of the Sargasso Sea, Northwest Atlantic Ocean, was examined through coordinated morphological taxonomic identification of species and DNA sequencing of a ˜650 base-pair region of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) as a DNA barcode (i.e., short sequence for species recognition and discrimination). Zooplankton collections were made from the surface to 5,000 meters during April, 2006 on the R/V R.H. Brown. Samples were examined by a ship-board team of morphological taxonomists; DNA barcoding was carried out in both ship-board and land-based DNA sequencing laboratories. DNA barcodes were determined for a total of 297 individuals of 175 holozooplankton species in four phyla, including: Cnidaria (Hydromedusae, 4 species; Siphonophora, 47); Arthropoda (Amphipoda, 10; Copepoda, 34; Decapoda, 9; Euphausiacea, 10; Mysidacea, 1; Ostracoda, 27); and Mollusca (Cephalopoda, 8; Heteropoda, 6; Pteropoda, 15); and Chaetognatha (4). Thirty species of fish (Teleostei) were also barcoded. For all seven zooplankton groups for which sufficient data were available, Kimura-2-Parameter genetic distances were significantly lower between individuals of the same species (mean=0.0114; S.D. 0.0117) than between individuals of different species within the same group (mean=0.3166; S.D. 0.0378). This difference, known as the barcode gap, ensures that mtCOI sequences are reliable characters for species identification for the oceanic holozooplankton assemblage. In addition, DNA barcodes allow recognition of new or undescribed species, reveal cryptic species within known taxa, and inform phylogeographic and population genetic studies of geographic variation. The growing database of "gold standard" DNA barcodes serves as a Rosetta Stone for marine zooplankton, providing the key for decoding species diversity by linking species names, morphology, and DNA sequence variation. In light of the pivotal position of zooplankton in ocean

  6. Diet and stable isotope analyses reveal the feeding ecology of the orangeback squid Sthenoteuthis pteropus (Steenstrup 1855 (Mollusca, Ommastrephidae in the eastern tropical Atlantic.

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    Véronique Merten

    Full Text Available In the eastern tropical Atlantic, the orangeback flying squid Sthenoteuthis pteropus (Steenstrup 1855 (Cephalopoda, Ommastrephidae is a dominant species of the epipelagic nekton community. This carnivore squid has a short lifespan and is one of the fastest-growing squids. In this study, we characterise the role of S. pteropus in the pelagic food web of the eastern tropical Atlantic by investigating its diet and the dynamics of its feeding habits throughout its ontogeny and migration. During three expeditions in the eastern tropical Atlantic in 2015, 129 specimens were caught by hand jigging. Stomach content analyses (via visual identification and DNA barcoding were combined with stable isotope data (∂15N and ∂13C of muscle tissue to describe diet, feeding habits and trophic ecology of S. pteropus. Additionally, stable isotope analyses of incremental samples along the squid's gladius-the chitinous spiniform structure supporting the muscles and organs-were carried out to explore possible diet shifts through ontogeny and migration. Our results show that S. pteropus preys mainly on myctophid fishes (e.g. Myctophum asperum, Myctophum nitidulum, Vinciguerria spp., but also on other teleost species, cephalopods (e.g. Enoploteuthidae, Bolitinidae, Ommastrephidae, crustaceans and possibly on gelatinous zooplankton as well. The squid shows a highly opportunistic feeding behaviour that includes cannibalism. Our study indicates that the trophic position of S. pteropus may increase by approximately one trophic level from a mantle length of 15 cm to 47 cm. The reconstructed isotope-based feeding chronologies of the gladii revealed high intra- and inter-individual variability in the squid's trophic position and foraging area. These findings are not revealed by diet or muscle tissue stable isotope analysis. This suggests a variable and complex life history involving individual variation and migration. The role of S. pteropus in transferring energy and

  7. Diet and stable isotope analyses reveal the feeding ecology of the orangeback squid Sthenoteuthis pteropus (Steenstrup 1855) (Mollusca, Ommastrephidae) in the eastern tropical Atlantic.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merten, Véronique; Christiansen, Bernd; Javidpour, Jamileh; Piatkowski, Uwe; Puebla, Oscar; Gasca, Rebeca; Hoving, Henk-Jan T

    2017-01-01

    In the eastern tropical Atlantic, the orangeback flying squid Sthenoteuthis pteropus (Steenstrup 1855) (Cephalopoda, Ommastrephidae) is a dominant species of the epipelagic nekton community. This carnivore squid has a short lifespan and is one of the fastest-growing squids. In this study, we characterise the role of S. pteropus in the pelagic food web of the eastern tropical Atlantic by investigating its diet and the dynamics of its feeding habits throughout its ontogeny and migration. During three expeditions in the eastern tropical Atlantic in 2015, 129 specimens were caught by hand jigging. Stomach content analyses (via visual identification and DNA barcoding) were combined with stable isotope data (∂15N and ∂13C) of muscle tissue to describe diet, feeding habits and trophic ecology of S. pteropus. Additionally, stable isotope analyses of incremental samples along the squid's gladius-the chitinous spiniform structure supporting the muscles and organs-were carried out to explore possible diet shifts through ontogeny and migration. Our results show that S. pteropus preys mainly on myctophid fishes (e.g. Myctophum asperum, Myctophum nitidulum, Vinciguerria spp.), but also on other teleost species, cephalopods (e.g. Enoploteuthidae, Bolitinidae, Ommastrephidae), crustaceans and possibly on gelatinous zooplankton as well. The squid shows a highly opportunistic feeding behaviour that includes cannibalism. Our study indicates that the trophic position of S. pteropus may increase by approximately one trophic level from a mantle length of 15 cm to 47 cm. The reconstructed isotope-based feeding chronologies of the gladii revealed high intra- and inter-individual variability in the squid's trophic position and foraging area. These findings are not revealed by diet or muscle tissue stable isotope analysis. This suggests a variable and complex life history involving individual variation and migration. The role of S. pteropus in transferring energy and nutrients from

  8. On the identities of the molluscan names described in A Short Zoology of Tahiti in the Society Islands by Anthony Curtiss in 1938 (Mollusca: Cephalopoda, Gastropoda).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Low, Martyn E Y; Tan, Siong Kiat

    2014-02-11

    Anthony Curtiss described two species of cephalopod and nine species of gastropod molluscs from Tahiti. Herein, we discuss and determine the identities of these eleven names. Ten of these names are considered to be junior subjective synonyms of well-known taxa, and one an unavailable name.

  9. Mitogenomics does not resolve deep molluscan relationships (yet?).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stöger, I; Schrödl, M

    2013-11-01

    The origin of molluscs among lophotrochozoan metazoans is unresolved and interclass relationships are contradictory between morphology-based, multi-locus, and recent phylogenomic analyses. Within the "Deep Metazoan Phylogeny" framework, all available molluscan mitochondrial genomes were compiled, covering 6 of 8 classes. Genomes were reannotated, and 13 protein coding genes (PCGs) were analyzed in various taxon settings, under multiple masking and coding regimes. Maximum Likelihood based methods were used for phylogenetic reconstructions. In all cases, molluscs result mixed up with lophotrochozoan outgroups, and most molluscan classes with more than single representatives available are non-monophyletic. We discuss systematic errors such as long branch attraction to cause aberrant, basal positions of fast evolving ingroups such as scaphopods, patellogastropods and, in particular, the gastropod subgroup Heterobranchia. Mitochondrial sequences analyzed either as amino acids or nucleotides may perform well in some (Cephalopoda) but not in other palaeozoic molluscan groups; they are not suitable to reconstruct deep (Cambrian) molluscan evolution. Supposedly "rare" mitochondrial genome level features have long been promoted as phylogenetically informative. In our newly annotated data set, features such as genome size, transcription on one or both strands, and certain coupled pairs of PCGs show a homoplastic, but obviously non-random distribution. Apparently congruent (but not unambiguous) signal for non-trivial subclades, e.g. for a clade composed of pteriomorph and heterodont bivalves, needs confirmation from a more comprehensive bivalve sampling. We found that larger clusters not only of PCGs but also of rRNAs and even tRNAs can bear local phylogenetic signal; adding trnG-trnE to the end of the ancestral cluster trnM-trnC-trnY-trnW-trnQ might be synapomorphic for Mollusca. Mitochondrial gene arrangement and other genome level features explored and reviewed herein thus

  10. Uso del microhábitat por el protozoo parásito Aggregata patagonica Sardella, Ré & Timi, 2000 (Apicomplexa: Aggregatidae en su hospedador definitivo, el pulpo Enteroctopus megalocyathus (Gould, 1852 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae en el sur de Chile Microhabitat use by the protozoan parasite Aggregata patagonica Sardella, Ré & Timi, 2000 (Apicomplexa: Aggregatidae in his definitive host Enteroctopus megalocyathus (Gould, 1852 (Cephalopoda: Octopodidae in southern Chile

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CHRISTIAN M. IBÁÑEZ

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Los protozoos de la familia Aggregatidae requieren de dos hospedadores para completar su ciclo biológico: un crustáceo y un cefalópodo. En este estudio se busca evidenciar si existe un uso diferencial de microhábitats de las infrapoblaciones de Aggregata patagonica entre dos zonas del tracto digestivo de su hospedador definitivo, el pulpo Enteroctopus megalocyathus. Para ello, se examinaron 40 ejemplares de Ancud y 37 de Quellón, provenientes de las capturas artesanales de la Isla de Chiloé. El tamaño y la densidad de los ooquistes se cuantificaron en el ciego y el intestino del hospedador. Además, se efectuaron observaciones histológicas para determinar cuantitativamente la ocurrencia de los distintos estados de desarrollo del parásito. En Ancud el 80 % de los pulpos estaban parasitados en el ciego y el intestino, mientras que en Quellón era el 100 %. Se determinaron cuatro estados de desarrollo (microgametos, cigotos, esporoquistes inmaduros y maduros. Los ooquistes de A. patagonica fueron más pequeños y abundantes en el ciego, pero la cobertura fue mayor en el intestino. Además, la densidad y cobertura aumenta en pocos meses entre una muestra y otra. Al parecer, A. patagonica no usaría a los dos microhábitats como lugares de preferencia para pasar los diferentes estados de desarrollo, sino más bien, y según las condiciones del microhábitat, en el intestino crecerían más los ooquistes pero en menos cantidad, ocupando una mayor superficie del microhábitat, contrario a lo que ocurre en el ciego. Por esto se sugiere que A. patagonica hace un uso diferencial del microhábitat, mediante dos estrategias distintas de historia de vidaThe protozoan parasites of the family Aggregatidae, require two hosts to complete their life cycle, a crustacean and a cephalopod. This research looks for evidence of differential microhabitat use of Aggregata patagonica infrapopulations between two zones of the digestive tract of his definitive host, the octopus Enteroctopus megalocyathus. Forty specimens from Ancud and 37 from Quellón coming from artisanal catch from Chiloé Island in southern Chile were examined. The size and density of the oocysts were quantified in the caecum and intestine of the host. Histological preparations were carried out to determine quantitatively the occurrence of the different development stages of the parasite. In Ancud, 80 % of octopuses were parasited in the caecum and intestine, while in Quellón 100 % had oocyst. Four development stages (microgametes, zygotes, immature and mature sporocysts were recognized. The oocysts of Aggregata patagonica were smaller and more abundant in the caecum, but their coverage was higher in the intestine. Moreover, density and coverage increased in few months between samples. Apparently, Aggregata patagonica does not use the two microhabitats as preferential places to pass the different developmental stages, but rather, and according to the conditions of the microhabitat, the oocysts would grow more in the intestine albeit in small number, occupying a higher surface of the microhabitat, contrary to what happens in the caecum. This suggests that A. patagonica may have two distinct life history strategies

  11. Synchrotron FT-IR analyses of microstructured biomineral domains: Hints to the biomineralization processes in freshwater cultured pearls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soldati, A. L.; Vicente-Vilas, V.; Gasharova, B.; Jacob, D. E.

    2009-04-01

    & MURATA H. 1974 Optically-active vibrations and elastic constants of calcite and aragonite. Bulletin Chemical Society Japan, 47:265-273. DAUPHIN Y. 2006. Structure and composition of steptal nacreous layer of Nautilus macromphalus L. (Mollusca, Cephalopoda). Zoology 109: 95-95.