Molecular analysis of predation by carabid beetles (Carabidae) on the invasive Iberian slug Arion lusitanicus.

The invasive Iberian slug, Arion lusitanicus, is spreading through Europe and poses a major threat to horticulture and agriculture. Natural enemies, capable of killing A. lusitanicus, may be important to our understanding of its population dynamics in recently invaded regions. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to study predation on A. lusitanicus by carabid beetles in the field. A first multiplex PCR was developed, incorporating species-specific primers, and optimised in order to amplify parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1) gene of large Arion slugs, including A. lusitanicus from the gut contents of the predators. A second multiplex PCR, targeting 12S rRNA mtDNA, detected predation on smaller Arion species and the field slug Deroceras reticulatum. Feeding trials were conducted to measure the effects of digestion time on amplicon detectability. The median detection times (the time at which 50% of samples tested positive) for A. lusitanicus and D. reticulatum DNA in the foreguts of Carabus nemoralis were 22 h and 20 h, respectively. Beetle activity-densities were monitored using pitfall traps, and slug densities were estimated using quadrats. Predation rates on slugs in the field by C. nemoralis in spring ranged from 16-39% (beetles positive for slug DNA) and were density dependent, with numbers of beetles testing positive being positively correlated with densities of the respective slug species. Carabus nemoralis was shown to be a potentially important predator of the alien A. lusitanicus in spring and may contribute to conservation biological control.

A new endosymbiotic bivalve (Heterodonta: Galeommatoidea), from Pacific holothurians.

A fourth known species of Entovalva (Mollusca: Galeommatoidea), found in the esophagus of Holothuria spinifera and Holothuria leucospilota from Nha Trang Bay, Viet Nam, is described. Morphologic comparisons with the 3 previously described species are presented and the first DNA sequences for Entovalva are provided. Entovalva nhatrangensis, n. sp., differs from Entovalva mirabilis Voeltzkow, 1890 in its body shape, folded outer body epithelium, and lack of ovary in the foot. It differs from Entovalva (Cycladoconcha) amboinensis (Spärk, 1931) in its body shape and folded outer body epithelium. It differs from Entovalva lessonothuriae Kato, 1998, in shape of its foot. Two partial cytochrome oxidase I sequences for species diagnostic use have been submitted to GenBank.

Molecular phylogeny of the model annelid Ophryotrocha.

Annelids of the genus Ophryotrocha are small opportunistic worms commonly found in polluted and nutrient-rich habitats such as harbors. Within this small group of about 40 described taxa a large variety of reproductive strategies are found, ranging from gonochoristic broadcast spawners to sequential hermaphroditic brooders. Many of the species have a short generation time and are easily maintained as laboratory cultures. Thus they have become a popular system for exploring a variety of biological questions including developmental genetics, ethology, and sexual selection. Despite considerable behavioral, reproductive, and karyological studies, a phylogenetic framework is lacking because most taxa are morphologically similar. In this study we use 16S mitochondrial gene sequence data to infer the phylogeny of Ophryotrocha strains commonly used in the laboratory. The resulting mtDNA topologies are generally well resolved and support a genetic split between hermaphroditic and gonochoristic species. Although the ancestral state could not be unambiguously identified, a change in reproductive strategy (i.e., hermaphroditism and gonochorism) occurred once within Ophryotrocha. Additionally, we show that sequential hermaphroditism evolved from a simultaneous hermaphroditic ancestor, and that characters previously used in phylogenetic reconstruction (i.e., jaw morphology and shape of egg mass) are homoplasic within the group.

Ciliary ultrastructure of polyplacophorans (Mollusca, Amphineura, Polyplacophora).

This study is part of a series of papers aiming to investigate the phylogenetic significance of ciliary ultrastructure among molluscs and to test the hypothesis of a relationship between Xenoturbella and the molluscs. The ultrastructure of the ciliary apparatus on the gills of the polyplacophorans Leptochiton asellus and Tonicella rubra was studied. The gill cilia of the two species are similar in shape. The free part of the cilium is long with a slender distal part. There are two ciliary rootlets. One of them is short, broad and placed on the anterior face of the basal body. The other rootlet is conical and has a vertical orientation. Among the mollusca, two ciliary rootlets in the ciliary apparatus of multiciliate ectodermal cells have only been reported from the Chaetodermomorpha and Neomeniomorpha. This character state is likely plesiomorphic for the Mollusca and indicates a basal (nonderived) position of these taxa among the molluscs. No possible synapomorphic character with Xenoturbella bocki was found.

Discrimination and phylogeny of solenogaster species through the morphology of hard parts (Mollusca, Aplacophora, Neomeniomorpha).

Ten species in five genera and three families from continental shelf and deep-sea collections of neomenioid Aplacophora (Mollusca) are described, emphasizing external anatomy and hard parts--body shape, radula, epidermal spicules, and copulatory spicules--as well as the reproductive system. One genus and seven species are new: Plawenia n.g., Plawenia sphaera, P. argentinensis, Dorymenia tortilis, Eleutheromenia bassensis, E. mimus, Kruppomenia levis, and K. delta. Also included are redescriptions of three published species, emphasizing hard parts for comparisons with the new species and genus: Dorymenia sarsii (Koren & Danielssen), Simrothiella margaritacea (Koren & Danielssen), and Plawenia schizoradulata (Salvini-Plawen). A cladistic analysis of species described here demonstrates the usefulness of hard parts for phylogeny. Specimens came from collections made in the southwest Pacific and the southwest and northeast Atlantic.