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Trimusculotrema schwartzi n. sp. (Monogenea: Capsalidae) from the skin of the stingray Dasyatis zugei (Elasmobranchii: Dasyatidae) off Hong Kong, China.

Trimusculotrema schwartzi n. sp. (Capsalidae) is described from the skin of the stingray Dasyatis zugei (Elasmobranchii: Rajiformes: Dasyatidae) off Hong Kong, China. Only three other species have been placed in the genus Trimusculotrema: T. micracantha (Euzet & Maillard, 1967), T. leucanthemum (Euzet & Maillard, 1967), and T. uarnaki Whittington & Barton, 1990. T. schwartzi n. sp. may be differentiated from all known species of Trimusculotrema by the length of the anterior hamuli and by the absence of pigment shields over the eye-spots. Its occurrence on a stingray off China represents a northern extension of the geographical range of Trimusculotrema.

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Anthobothrium altavelae sp. n. (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea) from the spiny butterfly ray Gymnura altavela (Elasmobranchii: gymnuridae) in Tunisia.

Seven Gymnura altavela (Linnaeus, 1758) (Elasmobranchii, Myliobatiformes) caught off the Tunisian coast were examined for endoparasites during a three-year period (1995-1998). A phyllobothriid cestode new to science was found in the spiral intestine of all host specimens. The presence of a tetrabothridiate scolex, bothridia lacking an apical sucker, laciniate strobila, and possession of postvaginal testes are sufficient to place this species in the genus Anthobothrium Van Beneden, 1850. In this genus, we consider that only two species, both previously reported from carcharhiniform sharks, are valid: Anthobothrium cornucopia Van Beneden, 1850 and A. laciniatum Linton, 1890. Anthobothrium altavelae sp. n. can be distinguished from its congeners by its length, strobila morphology, and the number of testes. The taxonomic position of the species attributed to Anthobothrium parasitic in gymnurids is discussed.

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Occurrence of lymphohaemopoietic tissue in the meninges of the stingray Dasyatis akajei (Elasmobranchii, chondricthyes).

The cytoarchitecture of the lymphohaemopoietic masses occurring in the "meninx primitiva" of the stingray Dasyatis akajei (Elasmobranchii, Chondricthyes) has been analyzed by light and scanning and transmission electron microscopy. Lymphohaemopoietic aggregates showing similar morphologies occurred along all the central nervous system, but they were more frequent in the telencephalon, diencephalon, and mesencephalon. In each aggregate, the granulopoietic tissue appeared in a fibroblastic stroma surrounding the large blood vessels, and the lymphoid components were present in a reticular network. Developing and mature eosinophils and heterophils--as well as lymphocytes, monocytes, macrophages, and plasma cells--are the main free cells present in these meningeal aggregates. The remarkable intimate association between macrophages and lymphoid cells to form close cell clusters suggests some immunological capacity for the meningeal lymphohaemopoietic tissue. According to their capacities, presence of lymphoid tissue, and histological organization, the meningeal lymphohemopoietic aggregates of Dasyatis akajei resemble other lymphomyeloid aggregates associated with cranium and choroid plexuses in Holocephali and Ganoidei. The phylogenetical relationships of these aggregates with mammalian bone marrow are discussed.

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[Description of Scalithrium n. gen. (Cestoda, Tetraphyllidea) with Scalithrium minimum (Van Beneden, 1850) n. comb., a parasite of Dasyatis pastinaca (Elasmobranchii, Dasyatidae), as type species].

Scalithrium gen. n. (Cestoda, Tetraphyllidea) is proposed with Scalithrium minimum (Van Beneden, 1850) n. comb., parasite of Dasyatis pastinaca (Elasmobranchii, Dasyatidae) as type-species. The new genus Scalithrium (Tetraphyllidea, Phyllobothriidae, Rhinebothriinae) is erected for several species previously included in the genus Rhinebothrium. These species have a scolex with four bothridia, the distal surface of which is divided by transverse septa in a single row of loculi. Scalithrium minimum (Van Beneden, 1850) n. comb. is redescribed from specimens collected from the type-host Dasyatis pastinaca in Tunisia and becomes the type-species of the new genus. After Braun (1900) Echeneibothrium variabile Van Beneden, 1850 is considered as type-species of the genus Echeneibothrium. Species of Rhinebothriinae to be transferred into the genus Scalithrium are discussed and a key is proposed for the eight species.

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The brain sizes of living elasmobranchii as their organization level indicator. I. General analysis.

The relationship between brain and body masses of 64 species and subspecies of modern sharks and skates was investigated. It was established that the level of their encephalization in terms of the polygons of encephalization and the allometry coefficient (alpha), shows quite obviously the general organization level of one or another taxon of sharks and skates. Alpha = 0.56 for the class of cartilaginous fishes, and for the superorder of sharks and skates alpha = 0.54 and 0.61, accordingly. For several orders alpha constitutes: sharks--common for relict Hexanchiformes and Heterodontiformes 0.44, Squaliformes 0.43 and Carcharhiniformes 0.52 and skates--Rajiformes 0.44 and Dasyatiformes 0.52. All values are similar to those of other vertebrates and the theoretically calculated value of alpha (0.67). It was established the "place" of present-day Elasmobranchii and all cartilaginous fishes in the evolutionary row of Gnathostomata and Craniata on the developing and relative sizes of CNS, and the corrected alpha value for this particular vertebrate class was specified which was found to be sensationally high also in the works of foreign and native authors (Bauchot et al., 1976; Northcutt, 1978; Ebbesson, 1980; Kreps, 1980).

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Central myelin in the shark Scyllium stellare (Elasmobranchii, Selachii).

The central myelin of the phylogenetically ancient shark Scyllium stellare (Elasmobranchii, Selachii) was examined at the electron microscope. The known different chemical compositions of the myelin in higher and lower vertebrates is not associated in the Scyllium with a lack of any basic structural myelin elements, but is probably linked to variations in the myelin compactness and periodicity. Several unusual myelin structures and irregular patterns of unknown origin have been observed. The relationship between myelin-forming cells and the most external layers of myelinated structures suggest the possibility that the cytoplasmic glial wrapping is not the only mechanism responsible for central myelination in this vertebrate.

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New species of Spinuris (monogenea: monocotyladae) from Zapteryx exasperata (elasmobranchii: rhinobatidae) from Baja California Sur, Mexico.

Monocotylid monogeneans were collected from the gills of 2 Rhinobatos productus and 5 Zapteryx exasperata in Bahia Almeja, Baja California Sur, Mexico. All are parasitized by monocotylids of the genus Spinuris, 9 specimens of Spinuris lophosoma Doran on Rhinobatos productus (new record) and 27 specimens of Spinuris zapterygis n. sp. on Z. exasperata. This new species differs from the other species in the genus Spinuris by the number of dorsal haptoral sclerites, morphology of hooks, and male copulatory apparatus. The generic diagnosis of the genus Spinuris is revised.

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Occipital spine of Orthacanthus (Xenacanthidae, Elasmobranchii): structure and growth.

The morphology of 16 occipital spines of the xenacanthid Orthacanthus from Upper Carboniferous deposits of Robinson (Kansas, USA), Nýran (Czech Republic) and Puertollano (Spain) is described. The nonreplaced spines reveal the growth pattern of the shark. Moreover, the relationship between growth and paleoenvironmental conditions can be used to determine paleoecological conditions. Both external and internal morphology indicate that the spine was superficially inserted in the skin. During growth, the spine moved from a deep position in the dermis, in which trabecular dentine is formed, to a more superficial location in which centrifugally growing lamellar dentine was formed. Centripetally growing lamellar dentine was deposited more slowly than the centrifugally growing dentine; it obliterated the pulp cavity. The denticles are independent dermal elements formed by a dermal papilla and secondarily attached by dentine to the spine proper. The number of denticles per annual cycle and the density of denticulation vary with the growth rate. Moreover, the ratio of length of denticulated region to total length of the spine changes throughout ontogeny. In consequence, those features cannot be used for systematic purposes without a careful analysis of the variability. Centrifugally growing lamellar dentine in spines from Robinson shows a regular alternation of layers, suggesting tidal conditions in the environment in which the sharks lived. Monthly and seasonal cycles also occur. Tidal (lunar) cyclicity is also observed in the denticles: size and distance between denticles increase and decrease gradually, forming waves that are considered seasonal and yearly cycles. The observed regularity could be related to the variation in calcium phosphate deposition following the cyclical changes in water temperature produced in the tidal zone. Monthly and seasonal cycles are the result of the interaction of the solar and tidal (lunar) cycles. The cyclical pattern of growth is used to determine the age and growth rates. Orthacanthus was a fast-growing shark like the Recent sharks Isurus, Mustelus, and Negaprion.

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Connections of the corpus cerebelli in the thornback guitarfish, Platyrhinoidis triseriata (Elasmobranchii): a study with WGA-HRP and extracellular granule cell recording.

The neuronal connections of the cerebellar corpus in the guitarfish Platyrhinoidis triseriata were investigated by WGA-HRP injections and extracellular recording of sensory evoked electrical activity. Injections of WGA-HRP into the corpus resulted in retrograde labeling of the following cell groups bilaterally: pretectal and accessory optic nuclei, interstitial nucleus of Cajal, nucleus ruber, oculomotor and possibly trochlear nucleus, central (periaqueductal) gray, nucleus H, reticular formation of the midbrain, cerebellar nucleus, caudal part of nucleus F, tentatively locus coeruleus and subcoeruleus field, octaval and trigeminal nuclei, intermediate octavolateralis nucleus, medial inferior reticular formation, lateral reticular nucleus, and spinal cord. Unilaterally labeled cells were seen in the contralateral inferior olive, which was found to project in sagittal zones onto the molecular layer of the corpus. Terminal fields of efferent Purkinje cell axons were labeled over the ipsilateral cerebellar nucleus exclusively. Purkinje cells in different parts of the corpus project topographically onto subdivisions of the nucleus. Mapping of evoked electrical multiple unit activity recorded from the granule cell layer of the corpus shows separate visual and tactile areas, mostly confined to the anterior and posterior lobes, respectively. Granule cells within the tactile area also responded to lateral line stimuli and, at two distinct medial locations in the caudal and rostral parts of the posterior lobe, to weak electric field stimulation in the bath. The body surface is somatotopically represented in the tactile area, but discontinuities in the map might indicate that the somatotopy is "fractured".

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Anatomy and functional morphology of the feeding apparatus of the lesser electric ray, Narcine brasiliensis (Elasmobranchii: Batoidea).

Protrusion of the jaws during feeding is common in Batoidea (rays, skates, sawfishes, and guitarfishes), members of which possess a highly modified jaw suspension. The lesser electric ray, Narcine brasiliensis, preys primarily on polychaete annelids using a peculiar and highly derived mechanism for jaw protraction. The ray captures its prey by protruding its jaws beneath the substrate and generating subambient buccal pressure to suck worms into its mouth. Initiation of this protrusion is similar to that proposed for other batoids, in that the swing of the distal ends of the hyomandibulae is transmitted to Meckel's cartilage. A "scissor-jack" model of jaw protrusion is proposed for Narcine, in which the coupling of the upper and lower jaws, and extremely flexible symphyses, allow medial compression of the entire jaw complex. This results in a shortening of the distance between the right and left sides of the jaw arch and ventral extension of the jaws. Motion of the skeletal elements involved in this extreme jaw protrusion is convergent with that described for the wobbegong shark, Orectolobus maculatus. Narcine also exhibits asymmetrical protrusion of the jaws from the midline during processing, accomplished by unequal depression of the hyomandibulae. Lower jaw versatility is a functional motif in the batoid feeding mechanism. The pronounced jaw kinesis of N. brasiliensis is partly a function of common batoid characteristics: euhyostylic jaw suspension (decoupling the jaws from the hyoid arch) and complex and subdivided cranial musculature, affording fine motor control. However, this mechanism would not be possible without the loss of the basihyal in narcinid electric rays. The highly protrusible jaw of N. brasiliensis is a versatile and maneuverable feeding apparatus well-suited for the animal's benthic feeding lifestyle.

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Dental homologies in lamniform sharks (Chondrichthyes: Elasmobranchii).

The dentitions of lamniform sharks are said to exhibit a unique heterodonty called the "lamnoid tooth pattern." The presence of an inflated hollow "dental bulla" on each jaw cartilage allows the recognition of homologous teeth across most modern macrophagous lamniforms based on topographic correspondence through the "similarity test." In most macrophagous lamniforms, three tooth rows are supported by the upper dental bulla: two rows of large anterior teeth followed by a row of small intermediate teeth. The lower tooth row occluding between the two rows of upper anterior teeth is the first lower anterior tooth row. Like the first and second lower anterior tooth rows, the third lower tooth row is supported by the dental bulla and may be called the first lower intermediate tooth row. The lower intermediate tooth row occludes between the first and second upper lateral tooth rows situated distal to the upper dental bulla, and the rest of the upper and lower tooth rows, all called lateral tooth rows, occlude alternately. Tooth symmetry cannot be used to identify their dental homology. The presence of dental bullae can be regarded as a synapomorphy of Lamniformes and this character is more definable than the "lamnoid tooth pattern." The formation of the tooth pattern appears to be related to the evolution of dental bullae. This study constitutes the first demonstration of supraspecific tooth-to-tooth dental homologies in nonmammalian vertebrates.

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Retinal neuropeptides in the skates, Raja clavata, R. radiata, R. oscellata (Elasmobranchii).

The distribution of immunoreactive neuropeptides was investigated in the retina of three species of skates (Raja clavata, R. radiata, R. oscellata), elasmobranch fish often used in electrophysiological work on the retina. Enkephalins, neuropeptide Y (NPY), substance P and glucagon were found in different types of amacrine cells. All four peptides appeared in cell bodies in the innermost part of the inner nuclear layer. Processes from the cells containing enkephalins were numerous and ramified throughout the inner plexiform layer. Processes from the cells containing glucagon were thick and rare, and were found throughout the inner plexiform layer, at times with a predominance in sublaminae 1 and 4. NPY-immunoreactive fibres appeared mainly in sublamina 1 but also in 2 or 3, and substance-P-immunoreactive fibres in sublaminae 1, 4 and 5. Antisera against somatostatin, VIP or neurotensin did not show any immunoreactivity in the skate retina.

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The cardiac ultrastructure of Chimaera monstrosa L. (Elasmobranchii: Holocephali).

The ultrastructure of the heart in Chimaera monstrosa L. is described. The endocardial and the epicardial cells are similar in the three cardiac regions. Myocardial cells show small variations. The myofibred, 4--6 microns thick, contains one or a few myofibrils. Each myosin filament is surrounded by six actin filaments. The sarcomere banding pattern includes the Z-, A-, I-, M-, N-, and H-band. End-to-end attachments between myofibres are composed of alternating desmosomes and fasciae adhaerentes. Desmosomes and nexuses occur between longitudinally oriented cell surfaces. The sarcoplasmic reticulum is poorly developed but well defined. Peripheral coupling-like structures are common, T-tubules are absent. Membrane bound dense bodies occur in all regions. Areas with ribosomes and single myosin filaments are often seen. The epicardial cells have a regular hexagonal surface and are much thicker than the endocardial cells. Numerous short and few longer cytoplasmic extensions face the pericardial cavity. The flat endocardial cells contain a large nucleus and small amounts of cytoplasm.

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Light- and electron-microscopic structure of cells protruding into the mesencephalic ventricle of Scyllium stellare (Elasmobranchii, Selachii).

In the elasmobranch fish, Scyllium stellare, a complex group of cells protrudes into the cavity of the mesencephalic ventricle of the optic tectum. It consists of six to seven large spherical perikarya which resemble neurons of the mesencephalic nucleus of the Vth cranial nerve. The bundled processes of these cells form a stalk connecting the protrusion with the brain tissue. The protrusion is located in the region where the mesencephalic ventricle joins the cerebral aqueduct. This complex was not found in all specimens examined in the present study. The functional role of this peculiar group of cells, which contain dense core granules and are bathed in the cerebrospinal fluid, is open to discussion.

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