Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-10-12DOI: 10.1111/azo.12522
Laith A. Jawad, Salim Serkan Güçlü, Habil Uğur Koca, Mehmet Cilbiz
{"title":"Scanning electron microscopy comparison of an abnormal and normal otoliths of the Anguilla anguilla collected from the Bafa Lake in Western Anatolia","authors":"Laith A. Jawad, Salim Serkan Güçlü, Habil Uğur Koca, Mehmet Cilbiz","doi":"10.1111/azo.12522","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/azo.12522","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Aberrations in the otolith can harmfully influence the imperative actions of the fish species. The chief drive of the current investigation is to describe the deformities in the otoliths of the European eel <i>Anguilla anguilla</i>. Out of 76 <i>Anguilla anguilla</i> individuals collected from Bafa Lake in Western Anatolia, Türkiye, four female specimens exhibited abnormal otoliths. Scanning electron microscope was used to determine the deformed otoliths examined. The outcomes of the abnormality analyses in <i>A. anguilla</i> otoliths, deformities were noticed such as numerous prominence structures and bumps of different sizes on the surface of the otolith produced by buildup of the different crystal structures in some parts of the otolith. These deformities were found in the left and/or right otoliths of the female individuals of different total lengths. The percentage of individuals with abnormal otoliths of <i>A. anguilla</i> is calculated as 5.3%. The current study presents for the first-time abnormal otolith information on left and right otoliths in female <i>A. anguilla.</i> Deformities in the otoliths of European eels are believed to result from a combination of genetic predisposition and stress caused by various environmental factors, such as water pollution, changes in salinity, temperature fluctuations and nutritional imbalances.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 4","pages":"343-351"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145012953","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-10-11DOI: 10.1111/azo.12521
Mahdi Iranmanesh, Majid Askari Hesni
{"title":"Application of otolith morphometrics in delineating population structure of Aphaniops stoliczkanus (Teleostei: Aphaniidae) in southern Iranian waters","authors":"Mahdi Iranmanesh, Majid Askari Hesni","doi":"10.1111/azo.12521","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/azo.12521","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Widely distributed Species in different geological and ecological environments often exhibit great intraspecific diversity. <i>Aphaniops stoliczkanus</i> (Day, 1872) is an endemic species of Middle East occurring over a vast geographic range in different basins. This species has been observed in freshwater, brackish water and hot sulphur springs; therefore, its populations are known to exhibit considerable morphological variation. In the present study, we have investigated the poorly studied populations of <i>A. stoliczkanus</i> of the Hormuz and Makran basins of Iran in terms of otolith morphology and morphometrics. According to the results, these populations can be divided into two distinct groups including east and west of the Strait of Hormuz. Our results also provide evidence that there is a relationship between otolith morphology and the environment, serving as environmental factors that may influence the formation of specific regions in the otolith shape. Despite the remarkable morphological similarities among otoliths in geographically close populations of Charak and Chiruyeh, our data purposed that geographically these populations have different dorsal tip shapes in their otolith. In comparison to the data from other studies, the otoliths of Qeshm Island appear to resemble the overall shape of otolith found in Oman very closely. However, it is believed that Qeshm Island population was separated from the Hormuz basin populations during the Holocene Sea level rise. Also, the outcomes of this study provide insights into the potential role of environmental factors in shaping intraspecific diversity and the migration patterns of this species within the Persian Gulf.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 3","pages":"318-328"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144220442","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-09-19DOI: 10.1111/azo.12520
İsmail Reis, Laith Jawad, Celal Ateş
{"title":"Description of aberrant otolith morphology of Saurida lessepsianus (Aulopiformes, Synodontidae) collected from the coast of Muğla province, Aegean Sea, Turkey","authors":"İsmail Reis, Laith Jawad, Celal Ateş","doi":"10.1111/azo.12520","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/azo.12520","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This is the first study investigating the aberrant otolith morphology in the Lessepsian lizardfish <i>Saurida lessepsianus</i> in the Aegean Sea, Turkey. A Leica Emspira 3 digital microscope was used to determine the aberrant otoliths examined. Two female specimens measuring 230 and 274 mm in total length (TL) were examined and showed an aberrant otolith on both sides of their head. These deformities might have been instigated by the impacts of changing water factors related to diverse pollutants in the Aegean Sea. Characteristics of otolith deformities are of immeasurable significance for aquatic habitats and other otolith studies.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 3","pages":"309-317"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144220360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-09-06DOI: 10.1111/azo.12519
Ragini Sinha, Dipak Kumar Mandal
{"title":"Immune system of fish with special reference to estrogenic immune regulation: A review","authors":"Ragini Sinha, Dipak Kumar Mandal","doi":"10.1111/azo.12519","DOIUrl":"10.1111/azo.12519","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Fish, first jawed vertebrate group appearing in evolution, have immune system similar to those of mammals. These early animals' innate and adaptive immune systems are completely developed, having head kidney and thymus as primary, spleen and mucosa associated lymphoid tissue as secondary immune organs. The adaptive immunity performs key role in defence against recurring infections and elimination of fish pathogens with the help of its memory cells, T-cell-receptors and immunoglobulins. Epidermal secretions including antibacterial peptides, lysozymes, lectins, complement and C-reactive proteins which function in disruption of antigens, phagocytosis, inflammatory response and mending of tissue injury play a significant role as elements of fish immune system. Fish, however, have greater innate immunity than humans do. Estrogens play crucial role in immunomodulation through nuclear oestrogen receptors, which are found in majority of immune cells and lymphoid organs in fish. There is mounting proof that xenoestrogens, that can attach as agonists to oestrogen receptors, pose significant ecotoxicological risk by disrupting the defence mechanism in fish. Though less potent than natural oestrogen, they can bioaccumulate to finally reach a substantial dose. This review's objective is to give an overview of the fish defence system, its estrogenic regulation and estrogenic-endocrine disruption.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 2","pages":"121-131"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-09-04DOI: 10.1111/azo.12518
Eleni A. Charmpila, Azad Teimori, Bettina Reichenbacher
{"title":"Otolith-based species identification in the killifish Aphaniops (Teleostei; Cyprinodontiformes; Aphaniidae) using both morphometry and wavelet analysis","authors":"Eleni A. Charmpila, Azad Teimori, Bettina Reichenbacher","doi":"10.1111/azo.12518","DOIUrl":"10.1111/azo.12518","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The killifish genus <i>Aphaniops</i> consists of nine species distributed in Eastern Africa and the Middle East. However, distinguishing these species from each other based on morphological traits is challenging. Here we investigate the utility of otoliths (sagittae) in distinguishing between <i>A. dispar</i>, <i>A. ginaonis</i>, <i>A. hormuzensis</i>, <i>A. kruppi</i> and <i>A. stoliczkanus</i>. Our approach is based on otoliths from 89 specimens and involves (1) otolith morphometrics, following prior recommendations, (2) shape analysis of otolith contours based on discrete wavelet transformation—a novel method in killifish otolith research—and comparative statistical analyses. Both methods reveal significant interspecific variation in the otolith regions of the rostrum, antirostrum and excisura. While method (1) effectively discriminates most species, method (2) struggles to differentiate <i>A. hormuzensis</i>, <i>A. stoliczkanus</i> and <i>A. kruppi</i>. Additionally, both methods encounter challenges in correctly classifying <i>A. hormuzensis</i> due to the high otolith variability of this species in our sample. Possible factors accounting for their variability are environmental fluctuations at the sampled hot sulphuric spring (Khurgo) and potential introgressive hybridization. We conclude that otolith morphometry is a valuable tool for <i>Aphaniops</i> species identification. Furthermore, we found that the distinctiveness of species-specific otolith traits increases with the divergence age of the species.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 3","pages":"291-308"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/azo.12518","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-08-13DOI: 10.1111/azo.12517
Anna L. Mikhlina, Ekaterina D. Nikitenko, Elena V. Vortsepneva
{"title":"Not all heroes wear shells: New data on the spicules' morphology in acochlidimorph mollusc","authors":"Anna L. Mikhlina, Ekaterina D. Nikitenko, Elena V. Vortsepneva","doi":"10.1111/azo.12517","DOIUrl":"10.1111/azo.12517","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Calcareous skeletal structures are common among different invertebrate groups, including Porifera, Cnidaria, Platyhelminthes, Mollusca, and Echinodermata. They appear externally as shells, plates, or scales, or internally as subepidermal spicules. Although typically formed outside of the cells, in one class of gastropod molluscs, the Heterobranchia, subepidermal and intracellular spicules are found—a rare case, at least for the molluscs. This type of spicules is present in several phylogenetically distant groups of heterobranch molluscs (Rhodopemorpha, Acochlidimorpha, and Nudibranchia), each different in terms of morphology and autecology. This raises questions about the origin and homology of subepidermal spicules in heterobranch molluscs. To answer these questions, understanding the process of spicule formation is crucial. This is impeded by insufficient data on the fine structure of the subepidermal spicules and adjacent epithelia. To address this problem, we carried out a comprehensive morphological study of subepidermal spicules and the body wall in one species of Acochlidimorpha. We revealed variations in the cellular composition of the epidermis, musculature organization, and spicules' arrangement, which most likely reflect the different functional roles of the spicule complex within Heterobranchia representatives. However, the obtained data are insufficient to answer the question of the origin of spicules and their homology within Heterobranchia.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 3","pages":"279-290"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142215143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-08-07DOI: 10.1111/azo.12516
Lorenzo Alibardi
{"title":"Development, differentiation and toughness in lizard claws derive from two types of cysteine–glycine-rich proteins","authors":"Lorenzo Alibardi","doi":"10.1111/azo.12516","DOIUrl":"10.1111/azo.12516","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The present study reports the formation of claws in lizards and their cornification. From a flat epidermis with lose mesenchyme, the skin forms undulations that become symmetric domes and later asymmetric for the elongation of their proximal part that gives rise to the outer scale surface. At the tip of digits claws develop in association with a mesenchyme that surrounds the cartilage of the last phalange. Beta-cells of claws appear 2–3 embryonic stages before those of scales formed in other body regions, including digital scales. The epidermis of the developing claw initially forms 3–4 embryonic layers under which elongated beta-cells accumulate long bundles of corneous material, immunopositive for CBPs. Claw beta-keratinocytes incorporate tritiated proline and accumulate numerous, oriented corneous bundles that rapidly occupy the entire cell. The bundles are electron-dense under transmission electron microscopy, suggesting that, in association to CBPs, other proteins are synthesized and increase the mechanical resistance of claws. Immunolabelling for cysteine-rich IFKs, HA and HB, shows that these keratins co-localize with CBPs only in claws but are low to absent in digital scales and adhesive setae. This indicates that the hardness of claws mainly depends from the association between these different proteins rich in glycine and cysteine.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 3","pages":"265-278"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-08-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141969130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-07-18DOI: 10.1111/azo.12513
Guillermo Escobar, Víctor Zaracho, Pedro Cuaranta, Carolina Barboza, Carolina Píccoli, Carlos A. Luna, Oscar F. Gallego, Mateo D. Monferran
{"title":"Herpetofauna diversity from late Holocene wetlands of northeastern Argentina","authors":"Guillermo Escobar, Víctor Zaracho, Pedro Cuaranta, Carolina Barboza, Carolina Píccoli, Carlos A. Luna, Oscar F. Gallego, Mateo D. Monferran","doi":"10.1111/azo.12513","DOIUrl":"10.1111/azo.12513","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The palaeofauna of the Quaternary is mostly known from the mammals' record, while the herpetofauna is less represented. In the same way, in northeastern Argentina reptile fossils records are scarce, usually represented by preliminary communications. This paper focuses on the study of herpetofauna remains from the Isla El Disparito archaeological site. The faunal materials collected at the site revealed an increase in taxonomic diversity related to the Quaternary herpetofauna in the IED site, with over 50% of the bone remains represented by anurans and at least six recognized squamates taxa. The purpose of this study is to properly identify these new records of herpetofauna remains from northeastern Argentina during the Holocene as well as to provide a dichotomous key of postcranial remains for identifying extant squamates taxa in other Quaternary sites from Argentina. The identified squamate assemblage includes the lizard <i>Ophiodes</i> sp., the snake families Typhlopidae, Dipsadidae, Viperidae and undetermined colubroids, along with anuran bone remains (Anura indet. and ?Hylidae). Additionally, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the herpetological assemblage in Argentina, providing insights into the composition of South American squamates during the Quaternary.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 2","pages":"215-231"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141746474","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-07-14DOI: 10.1111/azo.12515
Asiye Pak, Gamze Turgay-İzzetoğlu, Mehmet Salih Yıkılmaz, Savaş İzzetoğlu
{"title":"A comparative study of fat body at different developmental stages in Bombyx mori (L.): Histological and ultrastructural aspects","authors":"Asiye Pak, Gamze Turgay-İzzetoğlu, Mehmet Salih Yıkılmaz, Savaş İzzetoğlu","doi":"10.1111/azo.12515","DOIUrl":"10.1111/azo.12515","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The fat body, originating from mesodermal tissue of coelomic cavities during embryogenesis, can be found throughout the insect's body. In some insects, the fat body has two types (peripheral and perivisceral fat bodies) according to its location. In the fat body, trophocytes are known to be the basic cell type. Other fat body cells differentiating from the trophocytes are urocytes, mycetocytes, chromatocytes and haemoglobin cells. The study aimed to demonstrate the general structure and cell types of the fat body during the postembryonic developmental stages of <i>Bombyx mori</i> (L.). With Haematoxylin–Eosin staining, there is a single type of fat body throughout the larval stages but during Pp and P0 stages it consists of perivisceral and peripheral fat bodies. We also observed that the compact structure of the fat body at the beginning of the larval stage began to loosen as it transformed into the pupal stage. In the adult stage, it was reorganized during the metamorphosis and it didn't show both fat bodies distinction. At this stage, the fat body appeared in a loose, lace-like structure. We determined that <i>B. mori</i> fat body only consists of trophocytes and also among them; the fat body associated cells, oenocytes are detected.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 2","pages":"232-245"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141649797","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Acta ZoologicaPub Date : 2024-07-12DOI: 10.1111/azo.12514
Rafael Carvalho Santos, Jeniffer Natalia Teles, Fernando Luis Mantelatto, Rogerio Caetano Costa
{"title":"Life history of the snapping shrimp Synalpheus ubatuba: Morphological description of the first larval stage reared in laboratory","authors":"Rafael Carvalho Santos, Jeniffer Natalia Teles, Fernando Luis Mantelatto, Rogerio Caetano Costa","doi":"10.1111/azo.12514","DOIUrl":"10.1111/azo.12514","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Synalpheus ubatuba</i> zoea I was described by assessing laboratory-hatched larvae. It was compared to other <i>Synalpheus</i> descriptions available in the literature. Partial sequences of parental female's 16S rRNA were analysed and it provided additional evidence for species identification. The first <i>S. ubatuba</i> zoea can be identified by a set of morphological characteristics, namely: antennal scale 4-articled; basial endite of the maxillule with 3 stout spines + 1 spine; coxal endite of the maxilla with 3 plumose setae and 1 simple seta; basis of the first maxilliped with 4 spines and 2 simple setae; endopod of the third maxilliped with 5-articled with 0, 0, 0, 2 (1 serrate + 1 simple) setae, 4 simple setae. There was significant larval morphology difference between these characteristics in comparison to other species in the Brevicarpus group (<i>S. brevicarpus</i> and <i>S. minus</i>) which <i>S. ubatuba</i> belongs to. Despite systematic and ecological information provided in the original <i>S. ubatuba</i> description, the present study is the first to focus on the particular features of this species' larval morphology. Evidence of the herein provided larval morphology traits in addition to potential comparison to congeners presenting well-known larval descriptions, supported the identification of newly discovered species.</p>","PeriodicalId":50945,"journal":{"name":"Acta Zoologica","volume":"106 1","pages":"4-13"},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2024-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141611233","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}