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The Algae hydroid Thyroscyphus ramosus of the Indian subcontinent is the most easily recognizable fleshy colonial hydroid playing a vital role in benthic communities. Though this fauna is abundant, it has remained unexplored for the past nine decades in India. This study provides a detailed report of the morphology, ecology and geographical locations of T. ramosus. Morphological traits such as maximum height, gonophore, and theca twist directions were studied in detail. The molecular biological data confirms the identity of T. ramosus and its abundance in Palk Bay, India. Important molecular markers such as 18S, 16S rRNA sequences of T. ramosus were analyzed and compared with similar species in NCBI. Using 18S sequence data, it is proven that T. ramosus is a distinct and valid species, however, interestingly the 16S rRNA forms clades with other species of the same genera (T. fruticosus and T. bedoti) rather than the same species. Moreover the mtCOI forms a different clade with other genera. Furthermore, these data may enhance the advancement of identification in non-monophyletic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present study, morphological variations in 14 species of two families, Tetraodontidae and Diodontidae, were examined for individuals collected from five different centres in Tamil Nadu in the southeastern coast of India. Twenty-seven morphological measurements and four meristic characters were taken and used for multivariate analyses such as discriminant function analysis (DFA) & MANOVA. DFA revealed that the first two functions accounted for more than 75% variation between the species. Negative allometric values were observed on head length (HL), orbital length (OL), pupil diameter (PD), interorbital length (IOL), pectoral-fin length (PEL), caudal peduncle depth (CPD), dorsal to pectoral fin distance (DPFD), caudal peduncle length (CPL) and post-pectoral-fin length (POPFL) measurements. Also, MANOVA supported the DFA results. Additions, allometric relationships, and meristic variations were observed for most of these species. Moreover, this is the first attempt to describe a greater number of morphological features of the species belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pseudomonas aeruginosa (JQ989348) was isolated from deep sea water sample and used for synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). AgNPs were confirmed by analyzing surface plasmon resonance using UV-visible spectrophotometer at 420 nm. Further scanning electron microscope analysis confirmed the range of particle size between 13 and 76 nm and XRD pattern authorizes the anisotropic crystalline nature of AgNPs. Fourier transform infrared spectrum endorsed the presence of high amount of proteins and other secondary metabolites in synthesized AgNPs influence the reduction process and stabilization of nanoparticles. The inhibitory activity of AgNPs was tested against human pathogens showed high activity against Eschericia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Aeromonas sp., and Cornebacterium sp. demonstrating its antimicrobial value against pathogenic diseases. Additionally, biologically synthesized AgNPs have notable anti-biofilm activity against primary biofilm forming bacteria P. aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus. The MTT assay method was evaluated using human cervical cancer cells exposed the AgNPs have excellent cytotoxic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]