Ostracoda and foraminifera from Paleocene (Olinda well), Paraíba Basin, Brazilian Northeast

ABSTRACT Paleocene ostracods and planktonic foraminifera from the Maria Farinha Formation, Paraíba Basin, are herein presented. Eleven ostracod species were identified in the genera Cytherella Jones, Cytherelloidea Alexander, Eocytheropteron Alexander, Semicytherura Wagner, Paracosta Siddiqui, Buntonia Howe, Soudanella Apostolescu, Leguminocythereis Howe and, probably, Pataviella Liebau. The planktonic foraminifera are represented by the genera Guembelitria Cushman, Parvularugoglobigerina Hofker, Woodringina Loeblich and Tappan, Heterohelix Ehrenberg, Zeauvigerina Finlay, Muricohedbergella Huber and Leckie, and Praemurica Olsson, Hemleben, Berggren and Liu. The ostracods and foraminifera analyzed indicate an inner shelf paleoenvironment for the studied section. Blooms of Guembelitria spp., which indicate either shallow environments or upwelling zones, were also recorded reinforcing previous paleoenvironmental interpretations based on other fossil groups for this basin.

A scanning electron microscopic study on the appendage morphology of Astacus leptodactylus (Eschscholtz, 1823) and Pacifastacus leniusculus (Daña, 1852) (Crustácea:Decapoda: Astacoidea)

This study compares the morphology of rostrum, pereipods 1,2,4 and mouthparts of juvenile Astacus leptodactylus with those oí Pacifastacus leniusculus. Differences in morphology were observed, in particular with regard to the mouthparts e.g. including setal armature and number of teeth on the mandible. In general, the shape of the rostra in the two species is similar in that both taper to a point with a pair of sharp spines distally. Laterally the rostrum of A. leptodactylus is bordered by a regular row of setae, which is not so well defined in P leniusculus. The observations also showed that in addition to an increase in size, changes in morphology in the feeding apparatus between the developmental stages of the two species were present. It was concluded that both species have similar rostra, but different setal patterns and there are differences between the two species in the armature of mouthparts as development progresses. Therefore, important differences in the morphology of mouthparts between P. leniusculus and A. leptodactylus and in the different stages of the species might cause a difference in the feeding behavior and food choice of the species.

Este estudio compara la morfología del rostro, pereiópodos 1,2,4 y piezas bucales de los Astacus leptodactylus jóvenes con los de Pacifastacus leniusculus. Se observaron las diferencias en la morfología, en particular, con respecto a las piezas bucales, por ejemplo incluyendo la armadura setal y el número de dientes en la mandíbula. En general, la forma del rostro en las dos especies es similar, tanto cónicas, como en punta, con un par de espinas distalmente. Lateralmente al rostro, A. leptodactylus está bordeada por un fila de setas, que no está tan bien definida en P leniusculus. Las observaciones también muestran que, además de un aumento en el tamaño, estaban presentes cambios en la morfología en el aparato masticatorio, entre las etapas de desarrollo de las dos especies. Se llegó a la conclusión que ambas especies tienen rostros similares, pero diferentes patrones setales y hay diferencias entre las dos especies en la armadura de piezas bucales como evolución del desarrollo. Por lo tanto, importantes diferencias en la morfología de piezas bucales entre P leniusculus y A. leptodactylus y en las distintas etapas de la especie podrían causar una diferencia en la conducta de alimentación y opciones de alimentación de la especie.

Microanatomical characteristics of marginal ommatidia in three different size-classes of the semi-terrestrial isopod Ligia exotica (Crustacea / Isopoda)

The aims of this paper have been (a) to characterize marginal ommatidia from different eye regions through a detailed description of their distinct ultrastructural features in three different size-classes of L. exotica, and (b) to compare microanatomical characteristics of the marginal ommatidia with those of ommatidia of the same eye, but located further centrally. On the basis of transverse as well as longitudinal sections we conclude that new ommatidia are added from a crescentic dorso-anterio-ventral edge of the eye and that maturing ommatidia go through a sequence in which originally the nuclei of cone-, pigment-, and retinula cells are arranged in three separate layers. At the beginning of the microvillar development, the organization of the corresponding rhabdomeres is still quite different (much less regular) from that of those rhabdomeres that make up the mature rhabdom. Marginal ommatidia always possess smaller diameters than more centrally located ones and retinal screening pigment granules are most apparent in the retinula cells only after the first microvilli have appeared. The diameters of rhabdom microvilli (approx. 55 nm) do not differ in ommatidia from the five investigated eye regions in small specimens (< 1.5 cm body length), but show a tendency to be slightly wider in the anterior (= frontal or rostral) regions of the eye (approx. 65 nm) in larger specimens (> 2.0 cm body length).