Search results for " crustaceans."
showing 7 items of 7 documents
Updated checklist and distribution of large branchiopods (Branchiopoda: Anostraca, Notostraca, Spinicaudata) in Tunisia
2016
Temporary ponds are the most peculiar and representative water bodies in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world, where they often represent diversity hotspots that greatly contribute to the regional biodiversity. Being indissolubly linked to these ecosystems, the so-called “large branchiopods” are unanimously considered flagship taxa of these habitats. Nonetheless, updated and detailed information on large branchiopod faunas is still missing in many countries or regions. Based on an extensive bibliographical review and field samplings, we provide an updated and commented checklist of large branchiopods in Tunisia, one of the less investigated countries of the Maghreb as far as inland w…
Are epizoites biological indicators of a western Mediterranean striped dolphin die-off?
1994
During a die-off of Mediterranean striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba in 1990-91, 82 individuals stranded on the Spanish coast were examined for crustacean ectoparasites and epizoites. Six species were detected: Syncyarnus aequus, PenneUa sp., Xenobalanus globicipitis, Conchoderma virgatum, Lepas pectinata and Lepas cf. hillii. The barnacles L. pectinata and L. cf. hillii are reported here for the first time on cetaceans; they were attached to the teeth. C. virgaturn was also found on the teeth; this is an unusual attachment on cetaceans. X. globicipitis showed a higher prevalence on the dolphins studied than on those stranded in the same months before (1980 to 1990) and after (1991 to 1…
The role of freshwater copepods in the environmental risk assessment of caffeine and propranolol mixtures in the surface water bodies of Spain
2019
In this study we aimed at assessing: (i) the environmental risk posed by mixtures of caffeine and propranolol to the freshwater ecosystems of Spain; (ii) the sensitivity of freshwater copepod species to the two compounds; (iii) if the toxicity of caffeine and propranolol to freshwater copepods contributes to the environmental risk posed by the two compounds in the freshwater bodies of Spain. The environmental risk was computed as the ratio of MECs (i.e. the measured environmental concentrations) to PNECs (i.e. the respective predicted no-effect concentrations). The effects of caffeine and propranolol on the freshwater cyclopoid Diacyclops crassicaudis crassicaudis were tested both individua…
The nucleic acid binding protein PcCNBP is transcriptionally regulated during the immune response in red swamp crayfish Procambarus clarkii
2015
Cellular nucleic acid binding proteins (CNBPs) represent a highly conserved protein family among vertebrates; they harbour seven tandem zinc finger repeats CCHC type and have been described as transcriptional and translational regulators. To date, there is little characterization of CNBP in invertebrates since its structure and function have been analysed solely in Drosophila melanogaster. However, no CNBP has been investigated in other arthropod systems. In an effort to isolate immune-related genes in Procambarus clarkii, a partial mRNA coding a zinc finger containing protein was found to be up-regulated during the response to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) infection. The red swamp crayf…
Do invasive macroalgae influence biodiversity and abundance of Amphipod Crustaceans ?
2013
Amphipods are an essential element of the food web in marine coastal environments, and represent a good indicator of the health of the ecosystems. The composition of amphipod assemblage is often linked to algal coverage, in which the benthic species find refuge from predators and a great availability of food resources. Within the management and conservation of natural environments, one of the main problems is currently represented by the invasion of non-indigenous species, which modifies native communities. This research compares the amphipod fauna associated with Asparagopsis taxiformis (Delile) Trevisan de Saint-Léon, a non-indigenous red macroalga widely distributed along the west coast …
Length-Weight Relationships of 52 Species from the South of Sicily (Central Mediterranean Sea)
2022
The Length-Weight relationships (LWRs) of 52 species (14 never reported before) of fishes, crustaceans and cephalopods living on the shelf and upper slope off Southern Sicily are provided. Data were collected in the framework of the International bottom trawl survey in the Mediterranean (MEDITS) in the South of Sicily (Central Mediterranean), covering a time frame ranging from 2012 to 2019. Linear regressions were significant for all species (p < 0.05) with R2 values ranging from 0.86 to 0.99. The intercept (a) of LWRs ranged from 0.0003 to 0.4677, while the slope (b) ranged from 2.1281 to 3.306. The Welch t-test, used to evaluate differences between the obtained LWRs with those reported…
Isolation and characterization of microsatellite markers in the portunid crab Liocarcinus depurator using FIASCO and 454 next-generation sequencing
2012
The portunid crab Liocarcinus depurator is the dominant decapod crustacean present on mud bottoms of the continental shelf of the Mediterranean Sea. In order to better describe its genetic structure, a total of 11 microsatellites were isolated and tested in 28 L. depurator individuals from the Mediterranean locality of Tarragona. Initially, microsatellite isolation was carried out using the FIASCO methodology, but only 2 useful primer pairs could be designed. Given the low yield obtained, an alternative method based on 454 next-generation sequencing was assayed, which provided excellent results and from which another 9 primer pairs gave positive genotyping. All loci tested were polymorphic,…