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Kawakawa (Euthynnus affinis) is a widely distributed epipelagic tuna, considered among the most economically significant species in the subtropical and tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region. However, the lack of comprehensive information on the stock structure, management, and conservation of E. affinis populations in Malaysia raises concerns of potential overfishing and depletion of this marine fish. To ensure effective and successful species management, it is imperative to conduct a molecular- based assessment of the stock structure. In the present study, the genetic diversity and population structure of E. affinis in Malaysia and its surrounding waters were investigated using mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) and cytochrome b (Cyt b) genes. A total of 390 (COI) and 414 (Cyt b) individuals of E. affinis were sampled from 20 distinct locations situated within five geographic regions: the Straits of Malacca, South China Sea, Sulu Sea, Celebes Sea, and the Arabian Sea. The results revealed that the genetic divergence among 20 populations of E. affinis varied from low to high. The average haplotype diversity (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (π) for COI were calculated to be 0.5131 and 0.0043, respectively. On the other hand, the average haplotype diversity (Hd) and nucleotide diversity (π) for Cyt b were found to be 0.7450 and 0.0162, respectively. The analysis of haplotype distribution revealed that a total of 20 distinct haplotypes were identified for both the COI and Cyt b genes across 20 populations of E. affinis. The analysis of the Neighbor-Joining (NJ) tree and the Minimum Spanning Network (MSN) revealed the formation of three distinct clades among the samples. AMOVA analysis showed a significant genetic structure among the 20 populations of E. affinis , as indicated by the COI: FST = 0.5364 (P < 0.05) and Cyt b: FST = 0.9521 (P < 0.05). The neutrality test and mismatch distribution analysis indicated that the E. affinis specimens underwent a period of population expansion. This study marks a significant milestone as the first comprehensive documentation of genetic diversity and population structure of E. affinis across various locations in Malaysia, with an additional pioneering investigation conducted in the waters of Yemen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widespread surveys of avian haemosporidia (Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon) in wild birds have substantially advanced information on the haemosporidian fauna of Japan. However, many areas and bird species remain insufficiently investigated. Bird carcasses collected for personal specimen collection seldom reach academic audience particularly in the veterinary field. The presence of avian haemosporidia was investigated in these personally collected bird carcasses, in order to better understand the avian haemosporidian fauna in Japan. Bird carcasses were donated through personal contact upon approval of the study. Tissue samples were collected from the birds and examined for haemosporidian parasites using nested-PCR targeting the cytochrome b gene. One hundred and forty-three birds of 85 species were donated, including 34 species and two subspecies that were molecularly or collectively investigated for the first time in Japan. Avian haemosporidian DNA was detected from 37 of the 134 tested birds (27.61%). In 8 bird species, avian haemosporidia was detected for the first time. Twenty-nine lineages were detected, including 8 novel and 9 known lineages detected in Japan for the first time. Furthermore, 16 lineages were detected from novel host species. While information that could be drawn was limited and risk management of zoonotic diseases needs re-consideration, these findings expanded information on the host range and distribution of several lineages. Collectively, this method of investigation using personally collected bird samples can provide important additions to more fully understand the avian haemosporidian fauna of Japan, as well as other areas with limited investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We studied the genetic diversity of endangered L. unicolor populations in Korea. • Populations are highly isolated considering the data from both mtDNA and SSR. • L. unicolor revealed very low genetic diversity based on mtDNA. • Nevertheless, no evidence of inbreeding was detected in all populations. • Thus, reasonable conservation practice would be necessary. The silver stripped skipper, Leptalina unicolor , is listed as an endangered species with a paucity of leftover populations in Korea. Prior population genetic analysis is essential for the establishment of effective conservation strategies. In the present study, we investigated the genetic diversity and the relationships of L. unicolor populations in Korea using 12 newly developed L. unicolor -specific microsatellite markers and two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences (a total of 1283 bp from COI and CytB). Due to the endangered status and rarity, a total of 33 individuals from two localities in Gangwon-do Province (Seohwa and Girin) and one in Gyeongsangnam-do Province (Danjang) were sampled. The concatenated mtDNA sequences revealed very low genetic diversity in each population, with only one to three independent haplotypes per population. F ST , principal coordinate analysis, and independent structural analysis of the concatenated mtDNA sequences and the 12 microsatellite loci developed in this study showed that each L. unicolor population in Korea is nearly completely isolated, although inbreeding has not yet occurred. Long-term conservation habitat recovery that increases the available population appears to be important in the prevention of genetic drift and inbreeding, which occur in small isolated populations and reduce the viability of populations under fluctuating environmental conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The crested loaches of the genus Paracobitis from the Sistan basin (Iran) are reviewed based on morphological and mitochondrial cytb and COI sequences characters to check the status of taxa in phylogenetic trees. Paracobitis rhadinaea (Regan, 1906) and P. vignai Nalbant & Bianco, 1998 were known only based on minor morphological differences (presence or absence of scales, caudal fin shape, colour pattern and fish size). We failed to find any diagnostic molecular and morphological characters between them. Therefore, we regard P. vignai as a junior synonym of P. rhadinaea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Avian haemosporidian infections are widespread and can result in the decline of wild bird populations or in some cases contribute to extinction of species. We determined the prevalence and genetic diversity of avian haemosporidia in 93 samples from 22 landbird species from South Africa (N = 76) and West Africa (N = 17), of which six are intra-African migrants and one is a Palearctic migrant. The samples were analysed for the presence of avian haemosporidian DNA using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) and nested PCR assays targeting specific mitochondrial genes of these parasites. The cytochrome b (cyt b) gene was sequenced for all samples that tested positive and phylogenetic analysis was conducted in order to determine the relationship of the new sequences with previously published sequences from the MalAvi database. The overall prevalence of avian haemosporidiosis was 68.82% (95% CI: 56.4%–78.87%) and 82.80% (95% CI: 65.68%–86.11%) as determined by qPCR and nested PCR respectively. Eighteen (19.36%; 95% CI; 10.78%–29.97%) samples had mixed infections. Infection prevalence of all haemosporidian spp. were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in samples from West Africa. Forty-six mitochondrial sequences obtained from 14 avian species grouped into three distinct clusters of Haemoproteus (36), Leucocytozoon (8) and Plasmodium (2). These represent eight published and nine new cyt b lineages. The most common lineage was Haemoproteus sp. (VIMWE1) which was identified in two bird species from West Africa and seven bird species from South Africa. This study adds to our knowledge of host-parasite relationships of avian haemosporidia of Afrotropical birds. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • Avian haemosporidian infections in free ranging birds are common and diverse. • The prevalence was 68.82% and 82.80% by qPCR and nested PCR assays respectively. • Eighteen (19.36%) samples had mixed infections. • Seventeen cytochrome b lineages were identified from 14 avian species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the study on the taxonomic position of the Bobrinski serotine bats in Moscow, Russia. It states that the relationship between the eptesicus bobrinskoi and other palaearctic serotines were examined using the morphometric and molecular evidence while mitochondrial and nuclear sequence data shows that eptesicus bobrinskoi is related to Gobi serotine. It cites that the results of the morphometric analysis proposes that morphology between E. gobiensis and E. bobrinskoi is to large extent accounted by the difference of size. It also mentions that the status of Bobrinksi's serotine as a species is doubtful.

We examined pelage color variation in wild populations of black rats (the Rattus rattus species complex) in the Yambaru forest area, northern Okinawa Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan. Our field study revealed that 8.7% (38/438) and 0.2% (4/2500) of rats exhibited two types of coat color: white spotting and melanism, respectively. Using 34 representative animals, the phylogeography of the population was inferred using a nuclear gene marker, i.e., sequences (954 bp) of the melanocortin-1 receptor (Mc1r) gene responsible for the melanistic form in black rats. Four sequences from Okinawa were characterized as R. tanezumi, the Asian strain of black rat. Notably, neither of the phenotypic characters of white spotting or melanism was associated with the Mc1r haplotypes. Analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome b (Cytb) sequences (1140 bp) revealed that four haplotypes recovered from Okinawa clustered with the clade of R. tanezumi and differed by one or more bases from haplotypes at other localities in Japan and Asian countries. Thus, both variants may have arisen in the native rat population of Okinawa without interaction with the lineage of R. rattus, which exhibits a worldwide distribution and displays such coat color variants. The Yambaru population of black rats has thus experienced its own evolutionary history in allopatry for a substantial period of time (e.g., 10,000 years), which has preserved valuable genetic polymorphisms and will be useful for assessing the ecological consequences of genetic variation in natural populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The only algae which are able to inflict disease on humans and other mammals through active invasion and spread within the host tissues belong to either of two genera: Chlorella and Prototheca. Whereas Chlorella infections are extremely rare, with only two human cases reported in the literature, protothecosis is an emerging disease of humans and domestic animals, especially dairy cows. The genus Prototheca , erected by Krüger in 1894, has undergone several significant revisions, as more phenotypic, chemotaxonomic, and molecular data have become available. Due to this, a large number of Prototheca strains have been accumulated in public culture collections, over the years, where they still exist under outdated or invalid infraspecific or species names. In this study, the partial cytb gene was used as a marker to revise the taxonomy and nomenclature of a set of Prototheca strains, preserved in major algae culture repositories worldwide. Within the genus, two main lineages were observed, with a dominance of typically dairy cattle-associated (i.e. P. ciferrii , formerly P. zopfii gen. 1, the here validated P. blaschkeae , and one newly erected species, namely P. bovis , formerly P. zopfii gen. 2) and human-associated (i.e. P. wickerhamii , P. cutis , P. miyajii) species, respectively. In the former lineage, three newly described species were allocated, namely P. cookei sp. nov., P. cerasi sp. nov., and P. pringsheimii sp. nov., and the lecto- and epitypified P. zopfii species. The second, or so-called P. wickerhamii lineage, incorporated a newly proposed species of P. xanthoriae sp. nov. These protothecans were shown as the closest relatives of the photosynthetic genera, Chlorella and Auxenochlorella. The environmental species P. ulmea was synonymized with the lecto- and epitypified P. moriformis species. For circumscription and differentiation of Prototheca spp., the use of phenotypic characters, and morphology in particular, is of limited value and should rather be auxiliary to molecular marker-based approaches. As demonstrated in our previous study and corroborated in the present one, the cytb gene provides higher resolution than the conventional rDNA markers, and currently represents the most efficient barcode for the Prototheca algae. Unlabelled Image • The taxonomy of the Prototheca algae was re-assessed using the cytb gene marker • Six new Prototheca species were proposed and their detailed descriptions provided • Four species descriptions were emended with help of well documented material • Lectotypes and epitypes for P. zopfii and P. moriformis were proposed, with P. ulmea synonymized with the latter • The cytb gene-based PCR-RFLP method was refined allowing for fast and reliable identification of all Prototheca species [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Accurate identification of insect specimens is an essential step in forensic entomology. Cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) is the most used locus for insects molecular identification. However, other studies were done using other genetic markers, as mitochondrial cytochrome b (CytB) and ribossomal second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2). Also, it was shown that COI has some limitations in this field. In this work these three markers (COI, CytB and ITS2) were used, with the aim to infer about its suitability for insects with forensic relevance identification. DNA was extracted from insects found in carcasses of mammals with high homology with humans. COI, CytB and ITS2 regions were PCR amplified. Obtained sequences were matched in BLAST and BOLD-IDS online tools. Sequence divergences and phylogenetic analyses were performed for COI and CytB, using PAUP* v4.0b10 software. However, ITS2 analyses were not performed due to alignment problems. Maximum Parsimony and sequence divergences data for COI and CytB allowed the distinction of insect lineages, with good support. Despite analysis problems, ITS2 proved to be suitable for insects identification. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]