Search results for "Crustacea"

On the occurrence and distribution of Calanipeda aquaedulcis Kritschagin, 1873 (Copepoda, Calanoida, Pseudodiaptomidae) in Sicily, Italy, with some n…

2019

The only population of the pseudodiaptomid copepod Calanipeda aquaedulcis Kritschagin, 1873 to date reported to occur in Sicily disappeared at the beginning of the XXI century due to deep environmental changes which affected the single site (Lake Biviere di Gela) known for this species on the island. In that site C. aquaedulcis is now replaced by Copidodiaptomus numidicus (Gurney, 1909), a diaptomid copepod whose distribution has been greatly increasing since the second half of the last century. In the present note, the occurrence of C. aquaedulcis in 12 novel water bodies spread throughout Sicily is reported, and some environmental data on the sites where the species was collected are prov…

Evolutionary history and diversity of arthropod hemocyanins

2004

Hemocyanins are copper-containing, multi-subunit proteins that transport oxygen in the hemolymph of many molluscs and arthropods [Markl and Decher, Adv. Comp. Environ. Physiol. 13 (1992) 325; van Holde et al., J. Biol. Chem. 276 (2001) 15563]. Arthropod hemocyanins originated more than 550 million years ago from oxygen-consuming phenoloxidases. Hemocyanins are present in various Onychophora, Chelicerata, Myriapoda, Crustacea, and Hexapoda, but subunit evolution differs striking in these arthropod subphyla. Hemocyanins also gave rise to non-respiratory proteins (crustacean pseudo-hemocyanins, insect hexamerins, and hexamerin receptors), which most likely have storage functions.

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…

Haemolymphatic parameters in two aquaculture crustacean species Cherax destructor (Clark, 1836) and Cherax quadricarinatus (von Martens, 1868)

2021

The growing demand for animal proteins of aquatic origin such as fish, molluscs and crustaceans have prompted some European and Italian companies to focus their attention on some species of freshwater crustaceans such as Cherax destructor and Cherax quadricarinatus. They are among the largest freshwater decapods, matures early, females can lay over a thousand eggs in a single brood and has a broad environmental tolerance. All these characteristics make it highly appreciated species for aquaculture and few years ago their breeding has spread to Europe and recently also in Italy (Sicily). Although some commercial yabby farms have been studied these species from different points of view (dieta…

Orchestin, a calcium-binding phosphoprotein, is a matrix component of two successive transitory calcified biomineralizations cyclically elaborated by…

2003

Orchestia cavimana is a crustacean that cyclically replaces its calcified cuticle during molting cycles in order to grow. Its terrestrial way of life requires storage of calcium during each premolt period, as calcareous concretions, in tubular diverticula of the midgut. During the postmolt period the stored calcium is reabsorbed and is translocated through the storage organ epithelium as calcified small spherules. In a previous study, we sequenced and characterized a remarkable component of the organic matrix of the premolt storage structures, Orchestin, which is a calcium-binding phosphoprotein. In this paper, we analyzed the spatiotemporal expression of the orchestin gene by Northern blot…

The marine crustacea decapoda of Sicily: a cecklist with remarks on their distribution.

2003

A checklist of the Crustacea Decapocla of Sicily, based on previously published records and on original data, is presented. The Sicilian waters were divided into three sectors to account for the different habitats present along the northern and western (sector A), eastern (B) and southern (C) coasts, for the sake of a better interpretation of the species distribution. A total of 186 species, vas recorded between 0 and 800 in depth, 31 of which are reported here for the first time. Sector A hosted 153 species, B 105 species. and C 117 species. The dissimilarities among the habitats present in the shallow waters of the three sectors accounted for the low co-occurrence of species: 30 species w…

Innovative enzymatic methods for determining the freshness of the mediterranean crustaceans

2014

Origin of the natural variation in the storage of dietary carotenoids in freshwater amphipod crustaceans

2020

Carotenoids are diverse lipophilic natural pigments which are stored in variable amounts by animals. Given the multiple biological functions of carotenoids, such variation may have strong implications in evolutionary biology. Crustaceans such as Gammarus amphipods store large amounts of these pigments and inter-population variation occurs. While differences in parasite selective pressure have been proposed to explain this variation, the contribution of other factors such as genetic differences in the gammarid ability to assimilate and/or store pigments, and the environmental availability of carotenoids cannot be dismissed. This study investigates the relative contributions of the gammarid g…

Native and subunit molecular mass and quarternary structure of the hemoglobin from the primitive branchiopod crustacean Triops cancriformis

2006

Many branchiopod crustaceans are endowed with extracellular, high-molecular-weight hemoglobins whose exact structural characteristics have remained a matter of conjecture. By using a broad spectrum of techniques, we provide precise and coherent information on the hemoglobin of one of the phylogenetically ‘oldest’ extant branchiopods, the tadpole shrimp Triops cancriformis. The hemoglobin dissociated under reducing conditions into two subunits, designated TcHbA and TcHbB, with masses of 35 775 ± 4 and 36 055 ± 4 Da, respectively, determined by ESI-MS. Nonreducing conditions showed only two disulfide-bridged dimers, a homodimer of TcHbA, designated D1 (71 548 ± 5 Da), and the heterodimer D2 (…

Growth and production of three macrozoobenthic species in the Gulf of Riga, including comparisons with other areas

1999

Three soft-bottom stations in the southern part of the Gulf of Riga were studied during the period December 1993 to January 1995. The amphipods, Monoporeia affinis and Pontoporeia femorata, and the poychaete Marenzelleria viridis, were analysed for production, using the cohort growth method. Animals were also analysed for carbon and nitrogen content in a CHN-analyser. Based on size measurements, the quantitative data were divided into age-classes and the growth of each cohort was calculated first as wet weight and then converted into carbon and nitrogen content. Total annual production of each species was calculated as well as turnover ratios. The turnover ratio for Monoporeia affinis was e…