Statistical method for testing the neutral mutation hypothesis by DNA polymorphism.

Morphometric tools for landmark data: geometry and biology

This review provides a critical analysis of the biological effects of the most widely used plasticizers, including dibutyl phthalate, diethylhexyl phthalate, dimethyl phthalate, butyl benzyl phthalate and bisphenol A (BPA), on wildlife, with a focus on annelids (both aquatic and terrestrial), molluscs, crustaceans, insects, fish and amphibians. Moreover, the paper provides novel data on the biological effects of some of these plasticizers in invertebrates, fish and amphibians. Phthalates and BPA have been shown to affect reproduction in all studied animal groups, to impair development in crustaceans and amphibians and to induce genetic aberrations. Molluscs, crustaceans and amphibians appear to be especially sensitive to these compounds, and biological effects are observed at environmentally relevant exposures in the low ng l−1 to µg l−1 range. In contrast, most effects in fish (except for disturbance in spermatogenesis) occur at higher concentrations. Most plasticizers appear to act by interfering with the functioning of various hormone systems, but some phthalates have wider pathways of disruption. Effect concentrations of plasticizers in laboratory experiments coincide with measured environmental concentrations, and thus there is a very real potential for effects of these chemicals on some wildlife populations. The most striking gaps in our current knowledge on the impacts of plasticizers on wildlife are the lack of data for long-term exposures to environmentally relevant concentrations and their ecotoxicity when part of complex mixtures. Furthermore, the hazard of plasticizers has been investigated in annelids, molluscs and arthropods only, and given the sensitivity of some invertebrates, effects assessments are warranted in other invertebrate phyla.

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A critical analysis of the biological impacts of plasticizers on wildlife.

DURING this year I have so often been asked how this Code could be obtained that I hasten, with your permission, to announce that the Washington Biological Society has just published a reprint at the price of one dollar. Prof. C. W. Stiles, secretary to the Commission, says: “I would suggest that, if your colleagues wish copies, it would expedite matters to order a number at once”. The address of the Society is at the Bureau of Entomology, Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

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International Code of Zoological Nomenclature

The copepod Tigriopus: a promising marine model organism for ecotoxicology and environmental genomics.

A new interstitial species, Caecianiropsisgoseongensissp. n. is described from littoral off the east coast of Korea (Sea of Japan). The species can be distinguished from its congeners by the number of antennular articles, shape of the male appendix masculina, setation of pereopods, and length ratio of the uropodal rami. To aid species identification a taxonomic key to all species of Caecianiropsis Menzies & Pettit, 1956 is also provided as well as a partial 16S mitochondrial ribosome RNA of the new species, which is the first genetic information for the genus.

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A new interstitial species of the genus Caecianiropsis Menzies & Pettit, 1956 (Isopoda, Asellota) from Korea.

Two new planktonic ostracods of the genus Proceroecia Kock, 1992, P. hwanghaensis sp. nov. and P. joseondonghaensis sp. nov., collected from neritic waters off the south coast of South Korea are described. Morphologically, they are similar to P. microprocera (Angel, 1971), the type species of the genus, but show several clear morphological differences, most prominent being the shape of the male endopodite on the second antenna and the presence of a sensilla on the coxale of the fifth limb. The two new species have subtle differences, such as the length of the frontal organ, number of spines on the comb-like e-seta on the first antenna in males, number of spinules on the b-seta on the second antenna in females, etc. Sequences derived from partial mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (mtCOI) for these novel species have been compared with sequences available for other Proceroecia species on GenBank, including P. microprocera. These comparisons suggest that both new species are distinct taxa. They also indicate that one set of sequences on GeneBank previously attributed to P. microprocera and derived from material collected from Chinese waters, belong to P. hwanghaensis, and that another set of sequences of an unidentified Proceroecia species from the South China Sea can be attributable to P. joseondonghaensis. Hence, these new species occur widely in the neritic waters of East Asia. The present study increases the number of the known Proceroecia species to nine, and the numbers of halocyprid ostracod species recorded from Korean waters to six.

Description of two new Proceroecia species (Ostracoda: Halocyprididae) from neritic waters off South Korea with an insight into the morphological and molecular diversity of the genus

A new species in the genus Acartia, Acartia nadiensis sp. nov., is described from Fijian coastal waters. This species belongs to the subgenus Odontacartia based on the following morphological features: presence of a rostral filaments, a pointed process on the last prosomite, a serrated terminal spine on female P5, and the absence of a protrusion on the basis of the male right P5. This new species can be differentiated from its congeners by the combination of the absence of a spine on the first segment of the antennules, the short outer seta of female P5, and a medial spine on the exp-2 of the left male P5. Phylogenetic analyses using mitochondrial COI partial sequences show that the new species is distinct from its congeners.

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A new species in the genus Acartia Dana, 1846 (Crustacea, Copepoda, Calanoida, Acartiidae) from the South Pacific coastal waters of Nadi Bay, Fiji.

One major difficulty in identifying the gelatinous bodied bullet-shaped Siphonophore, Diphyids, is that their shape is deformed following ethanol fixation. Ethanol often is preferred over other fixatives, since samples fixed in ethanol can be used for molecular studies that can supplement morphological findings. To overcome this problem, we obtained protein mass spectra of ten species of Diphyidae found in the waters of the Kuroshio Current (Northwest Pacific and South Coast of South Korea) to test whether MALDI-ToF MS could be used as a methodology for species identification. In addition, a number of morphological characteristics that can be used with ethanol-treated samples was summarized. Concatenated phylogenetic analysis was also performed to determine the phylogenetic relationship by obtaining partial sequences of four genes (mtCOI, 16S rRNA, 18S rRNA, and ITS regions). Based on our integrative analysis, MALDI-ToF MS was evaluated as a potentially fast, inexpensive, and accurate tool for species identification along with conventional morphological and DNA barcoding for Diphyidae.

/pdf/novel-attempt-at-discrimination-of-a-bullet-shaped-3ao6fnzee1.pdf

Novel attempt at discrimination of a bullet-shaped siphonophore (Family Diphyidae) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF MS).

Two new species in the genus Nannopus Brady, 1880 (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from intertidal mudflats of the Yellow Sea along the Korean peninsula, Nannopus cylindricus sp. nov. and N. robustus sp. nov., are described. Nannopus cylindricus belongs to the group of Nannopus species with seven elements on P4 exp-3. Within this group, it is closest to a cryptic species complex related to N. ganghwaensis Vakati, Kihara & Lee, 2016 based on an inflated caudal seta IV. However, N. cylindricus differs from the other species in this complex with respect to caudal seta V (inflated and heavily cylindrical at its base in N. cylindricus, inflated only in the N. ganghwaensis cryptic complex). Nannopus robustus belongs to the group of species displaying two setae on P2 enp-2. Within this group, N. robustus is closely related to N. serratus Vakati & Lee, 2017 based on the presence of one endopodal naked seta arising from a stem-like protrusion on the mandibular palp. However, N. robustus can be distinguished from N. serratus based on the following characters: outermost distal spine on P2 exp-3 (extremely strong, smooth and recurved in N. robustus, moderately strong, denticulate and normal-shaped in N. serratus, and spine 1.6 times as long in N. robustus as in N. serratus), P2 exp-2 inner seta (absent in N. robustus, present in N. serratus), shape of caudal seta V (anterior part distinctly cylindrical in N. robustus, normal-shaped in N. serratus), and ornamentation of caudal seta VI (naked in N. robustus, pinnate in N. serratus). An updated key to the 17 valid species of Nannopus is provided.

Wonchoel Lee

Papers

A new interstitial species of the genus Caecianiropsis Menzies & Pettit, 1956 (Isopoda, Asellota) from Korea.

Description of two new Proceroecia species (Ostracoda: Halocyprididae) from neritic waters off South Korea with an insight into the morphological and molecular diversity of the genus

A new species in the genus Acartia Dana, 1846 (Crustacea, Copepoda, Calanoida, Acartiidae) from the South Pacific coastal waters of Nadi Bay, Fiji.

Novel attempt at discrimination of a bullet-shaped siphonophore (Family Diphyidae) using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-ToF MS).

On two new species of Nannopus Brady, 1880 (Copepoda: Harpacticoida: Nannopodidae) from intertidal mudflats of the Korean west coast (Yellow Sea).