Morphological and molecular evidence supports the first occurrence of two fishes, Siganus sutor(Valenciennes, 1835)and Seriolina nigrofasciata(Rüppell, 1829)(Actinopterygii:Perciformes), from marine waters of Odisha coast, Bay of Bengal, India

Marine ecosystems provide a wide variety of diverse habitats that frequently promote migration and ecological adaptation.The extent to which the geographic distribution of marine organism has reshaped by human activities remains underappreciated.The limitations intrinsic to morphology-based identification systems have engendered an urgent need for reliable genetic methods that enable the unequivocal recognition of fish species,particularly those that are prone to overexploitation and/or market substitution.In the present study,however,an attempt has been taken to identify two locally adapted fish species,Siganus sutor(Valenciennes,1835)and Seriolina nigrofasciata(Rüppell,1829)of order Perciformes,which happens to be the first record in Odisha coast,Bay of Bengal.The diagnostic characteristics of Siganus sutor are:dorsal fin XIII-10,anal fin VII-9,pectoral fin 15,pelvic fin II-3,while that of Seriolina nigrofasciata dorsal fin VI-I-35,anal fin I-17,pectoral fin 16,pelvic fin 5.All COI barcodes generated in this study were matched with reference sequences of expected species,according to morphological identification.Bayesian and likelihood phylogenetic trees were drawn based on DNA barcodes and all the specimens clustered in agreement with their taxonomic classification at the species level.The phylogeographic studies based on haplotype network and migration rates suggest that both the species were not panmitic and the high-frequency population distribution indicates successful migration.The result of this study provides an important validation of the use of DNA barcode sequences for monitoring species diversity and changes within a complex marine ecosystem.

Molt and reproduction enhancement together with hemolymph ecdysteroid elevation under eyestalk ablation in the female fiddler crab,Uca triangularis(Brachyura:Decapoda)

We present the results of eyestalk extirpation experiments performed on the fiddler crab, Uca triangularis at seasons of molting and reproduction, with a view to have a better understanding of the regulatory mechanisms of these two highly energy-demanding processes. Bilateral eyestalk ablation resulted in precocious acceleration of both molting and reproduction, irrespective of the season at which each experiment was conducted. The rate of accelerated ovarian growth, however, was maximum if the eyestalk ablation was conducted during August-January, the breeding season in the wild, or in February- May （molting-reproductive season）, wherein a section of the wild population would be engaged in molting and another section in breeding. The highest degree of precocious molt acceleration, on the other hand, was obtained during June-July when the population was primarily engaged in molting, but with no reproductive activity. The precocious oocyte maturation （due to de-eyestalking） was minimal in June--July. Significantly, the eyestalk ablation also resulted in a dramatic increase in the hemolymph ecdysteroid titer, revealing that a high ecdysteroid titer would have no restraining influence on vitellogenesis. No spawning was, however, observed among de-eyestalked females, even though their final oocyte size surpassed the size of the normal mature oocytes, implying that spawning is not exclusively under the control of eyestalk hormones. A comparative study performed on the viteUine components of the experimentals and the controls revealed that the precociously incorporated yolk under eyestalk ablation was biochemically impoverished. These results indicate that throughout the annual cycle, both the somatic and the reproductive growth of U. triangularis are under the influence of inhibitory principles from the eyestalks. It is also revealing that mere deprival of the inhibitory principles does not culminate into successful vitellogenesis. Arguably, the inhibitory influence from the eyestalks could be a prerequisite for normal healthy maturation of the oocytes and spawning.

Clupeid fish hosts a Peniculus sp.(Pennellidae,Siphonostomatoida, Copepoda)—First report on new host and season dependent prevalence

Pennellid copepod Peniculus fistula fistula(Nordmann, 1832)(Synonym: Peniculus fistula Nordmann, 1832,Aphia ID: 745880), a worldwide distributed species, has been recovered from at least 19 teleost families. The present paper reports for the first time from the Malabar coast(South India), not only the existence of a new host family, Clupeidae, hosting this parasitic copepod species(P. fistula fistula) but also their season dependent hosting. A total of 123 marine fish species, belonging to 77 genera and 38 families surveyed along the Malabar coast, only the clupeid, Anadontostoma chacunda(Hamilton, 1822) was shown to be infected by this copepod species;all the recovered(copepod) parasites were invariably found attached at the mid portion of the caudal fin lobes and lying parallel to the host body, indicating the strict site-specific parasitisation. There is a discrete seasonality in the prevalence(P<0.05) as the sign of infection was noticed during the period from September to May with relatively high prevalence during winter months(November–January). During the monsoon months(June–August), the host fish was found completely free from Peniculus infection. Interestingly, all the 229 recovered specimens(P. fistula fistula) were gravid females having paired uniserrate egg sacs with the length more than its own body length.

Clinico-pathological Studies in Experimental Eimeria Infection in Domestic Rabbits （Oryctolagus Cuniculus）

Clinico-pathological study of experimental Eimeria species infection （coccidiosis） such as E. magna, E. intestinalis, E. irresidua, E. media and E. perforans in rabbits was conducted with dose inocula of 1 lac sporulated oocysts. These rabbits were divided into two groups each consisting of 12 rabbits. Two rabbits of infected untreated group died of severe disease on the 27^th ＆ 28^th day post infection. The intestine of dead animals showed elevated lesions in the middle half portion with congestion and destruction of villar epithelium.