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The heritability and the phenotypic and genetic correlations of down weight (DW), down fibre diameter (DFD), and coefficient of variation of the down fibre diameter (CVDFD) of Chinese Alashan Left Banner White Cashmere goat were estimated on 1375 one-year-old animals, born in 2009, 2011 and 2013 and bred at the Station for Livestock Improvement of Alashan (Left Banner, Inner Mongolia, P.R. China). For all traits, significant effects were for sex, cohort and sex–cohort interaction (p

Two new Euplotes species have been isolated from cold shallow sandy sediments of the extreme Southern Chilean coasts: Euplotes foissneri sp. nov., from a low-salinity site at Puerto Natales on the Pacific coast, and Euplotes warreni sp. nov., from a marine site at Punta Arenas on the Atlantic coast. Euplotes foissneri has a medium body size (53×36 µm in vivo), a dorsal surface marked by six prominent ridges, a double dargyrome, six dorsal and two ventrolateral kineties, a buccal field extending to about 3/4 of the body length, an adoral zone composed of 28–32 membranelles, and nine fronto-ventral, five transverse and two or three caudal cirri. The bulky, hook-, horseshoe- or 3-shaped macronucleus is associated with one sub-spherical micronucleus. The central body region hosts taxonomically unidentified endosymbiotic eubacteria. Euplotes warreni has a small body size (39×27 µm in vivo), a smooth dorsal surface marked by three deep grooves, a double dargyrome, four dorsal and two ventrolateral kineties, a buccal field extending to about 2/3 of the body length, an adoral zone composed of 23–25 adoral membranelles, and nine fronto-ventral, five transverse and three caudal cirri. The macronucleus is hook- or C-shaped and associated with one spherical micronucleus. Endosymbiotic bacteria belonging to the genus Francisella reside preferentially in the anterior cell region. Both species lack the fronto-ventral cirrus numbered ‘V/2’, whereby their cirrotype-9 conforms to the so-called ‘pattern I’, which is the basic distinctive trait of the genus Euplotopsis Borror and Hill, 1995. Phylogenetic analyses of small subunit rRNA gene sequences, however, classify E. warreni into its own early branching clade and E. foissneri into a late branching clade. This indicates a polyphyletic nature and taxonomic inconsistency of the genus Euplotopsis, which was erected to include Euplotes species with cirrotype-9 pattern I.

The most precious textile fibre produced by the Chinese Alashan Left Banner White Cashmere goat is known as Baby Cashmere which is the hair produced during their first 6 months of life. This fleece is 1 μm finer than regular cashmere and nowadays is harvested by shearing the kids at 6 months of age. Seasonal variation in follicle activity was studied in the skin of eleven female goat kids born on January 2010 in the Station for Livestock Improvement of Alashan, Left Banner, Inner Mongolia (P.R. China) (latitude 38° 24′ N and longitude 104° 42′ E). Nine consecutive monthly skin biopsies (from March until November) were used to monitoring the number of active primary and secondary follicle and the number of inactive secondary follicles. The recorded data were used to calculate the percentage of inactive secondary follicles and the ratio of secondary to primary follicles. The number of active primary follicles showed low variability across the sampling period. On the contrary, the number of active secondary follicles decreased from March until June and then sharp increased until its maximum value in August when the kids were 7 months old. The percentage of inactive secondary follicles progressively increased from April to its maximum values in June when the goats were 5–6 months old. Then, the percentage was strongly reduced from July until October and finally has risen in the last observation in November. The ratio of secondary to primary follicle started to decrease from March and remained to its lower values until July when the kids were 6 months old. From July the ratio dramatically increased and gained its maximum values in August when the goats are 7 months old and finally slowly decreased until the last observation in November. The study suggests that goats born in January could shed the baby fiber between July and August, however, trials of combing are needed to assess whether or not the fleeces are actually shed.

The Chinese Alashan Left Banner White Cashmere goat is a subpopulation of the Inner Mongolian Cashmere goat which produced a very fine cashmere. In the last years, textile industry addressed particular attention in the cashmere produced by the youngest cashmere goats especially on changes in fleece characteristics during the first year of life. This study described the coat development in Chinese Alashan Left Banner White Cashmere goat kids in the first year of life, from three months of age until the first combing season. Twelve does born on January 2009 were selected at random from the herd located in the Station for Livestock Improvement of Alashan. Fleece sampling started at April 2009 and was repeated monthly till February 2010. The analysis of variance showed that the length of down hair and guard hair, the cashmere diameter and coefficient of variation of diameter were significantly influenced by the age. Furthermore, the study revealed that the kids bear the down hair from birth. The length of the down hair increased for the first five months of life until the first moult in June-July at around 5–6 months of age. On the contrary, no shedding of the guard hair was observed. In fact, the guard hair of the kids continued to increase in length until the goats were 13 months old. These results suggest an asynchronous pattern of moulting of the birth double-coat. Moreover, the baby down hair shedded during the first moult was finest (on average

The objective of this trial was to determine if an anticipated first shearing at 10 months of age affects skin characteristics and fibre quality in alpacas in order to assess the possibility of practice two different shearings over a period of 16 months in the animals destined for slaughter. Twenty alpaca Huacaya (10 females and 10 males) were randomly assigned to two groups named Group S and Group NS. Group S alpacas were sheared in December at the age of 10 months, when fibre had reached the length of 12.78 cm. Group NS alpacas were not sheared and their fibre length in December at the age of 10 months was of 13.11 cm. Skin biopsies and fleece were sampled from each animals at 10, 11, 12, and 16 months of age. The recorded data were used to calculate the fibre diameter, the fibre length, the percentage of active secondary follicles and the ratio of secondary to primary follicles. Data were analysed as a split-plot design with the shearing effect as whole-plot, the age effect as subplot and the animals as replication term in testing the shearing effect. Fibre diameter, percentage of active secondary follicles and S/P ratio showed no statistically significant differences between treatment groups and age. Significant different (P < 0.05) between treatment groups and age were observed only for the fibre length. At the end of the trial the fibre length was of 7.71 cm and 17.4 cm for the sheared and non-sheared animals respectively. This implies that during the six months following the shearing of 10 months old alpacas from the Group S (from January to June), the fleece length had increased by 7.71 cm and 4.29 cm in sheared and non-sheared animals respectively. In other words, the fibre length in sheared alpacas showed an increase compared to the fibre from non-sheared one of 3.42 cm (+79.7 %). This result showed that shearing increased fibre growth in yearling alpacas. Based on our trial, breeders could practice two different shearings, first at 10 months of age and later at 16 months of age right before slaughtering, in order to harvesting two batches of fine kid fleece with an average length of 12.78 cm and 7.71 cm.

Fourteen female Alashan white cashmere goats were investigated for fibre finesses (diameter) and coefficient of variation of fineness (CV). The investigation focused on the same animals combed at 1, 3 and 4 years of age and fibres were collected from 10 different body areas. A statistically significant effect was observed for both year of collection and body areas. The present paper suggests that the fibres of one-year old animals should be kept distinct from older ones, likewise fibres from upper part of the body should be separated from the others. © 2016 Published by Elsevier B.V.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of four non-genetic factors (sex, coat colour, competition judges, type of trial) on the five hunting traits (search, approach, tracking of prey, standstill barking and physical skills) used to estimate the aptitude for wild boar hunt in Italian Maremma Scent Hound. A total of 1147 dogs (734 males, 399 females, and 14 not sexed dogs) were evaluated in competitions held in North-Central Italy, from 2010 to 2011. Dogs were tested as individuals, pairs and packs. Coat colour had no effect on the five tested traits. A significant difference (p

The amount of melanin pigments was investigated in 95 Peruvian alpaca, representative of six different fleece colours, by means of spectrophotometric assays: SpEM (Spectrophoto­metric Eumelanin), SpPM (Spectrophotometric Pheomelanin), SpASM (Spectrophotometric Alkali Soluble Melanin), and SpTM (Spectro­photometric Total Melanin). It was found that these melanin pigments were suitable for identifying three homogeneous groups, each consisting of two closely related colours. A low, an intermediate, and a high amount of SpASM, SpTM, and SpPM characterize pinkish grey and light reddish brown, brown and reddish brown, dark reddish brown and black fleeces, respectively. SpEM and SpTM provide a further split within this latter group; higher concentrations of these pigments distinguish black fleece from dark reddish brown.

Forty alpaca kids, comprising 20 huacaya and 20 suri, and 20 llama “chaku” (or woolly type), were chosen for a comparative investigation of the fiber and cuticular attributes based on fiber diameter, number of cuticular scales per 100 µm of fiber length, and scale height. Out of the three parameters investigated, the number of cuticular scales proved to be a valid diagnostic trait in distinguishing suri fleece from both huacaya and llama fleeces. A further characterization of the suri fleece was obtained by considering the frequency distribution of both fiber diameter and number of cuticular scale classes. The suri fleece was clearly different from both the huacaya and llama in that it possessed the highest percentage of fibers with less than eight scales, the lowest percentage of fibers with more than nine scales, along with the lowest percentage of fibers with a diameter of more than 35 µm. The validity of these classification criteria was fully supported by a classification discriminant analysis based on the jointed investigation of the data related to scale and diameter frequency classes, whose output was a 100% correct classification of the suri specimens along with an 85.7% and 71.4% of cases correctly classified in huacaya and llama, respectively.

Coat colour heredity patterns, from crosses and paternal backcrosses involving black and brown spotted Merino rams and full white Merino ewes, were investigated through segregation analyses. Statistical tests validate the hypothesis of a dominance with complete penetrance of: (i) full white over pigmented, (ii) black over brown, and (iii) uniform over spotted pattern, as well as, of a dominant epistasis of white/pigmented over both black/brown and uniform/spotted. Besides, the pigmented pattern segregations are independent of the sex of the individuals. These results largely agree with those already reported in literature, yet they are in contrast with the hypothesis of a full white obtainable only on a pheomelanic background coupled with a modifying effect due to the spotted gene. Moreover, epistatic effects of white have been never described.

Fifteen alpaca kids, comprising 10 huacaya and 5 suri, and 10 llama kids of chaku type, born on January 1998 at the “Alpaquero” Developing Centre of Toccra, located in the Arequipa Plateau, Caylloma Province (Peru), were chosen for determining the age at which all the secondary follicles reach the maturity, as well as for comparing the skin follicular structure and activity among these different types of Peruvian camelids. Skin biopsies were taken at 2, 4, 6, and 10 months of age in order to monitor four follicular parameters: i) follicular density (FD), ii) ratio of secondary to primary follicles (S/P), iii) percentage of medullated secondary fibres (PMS); and iv) percentage of active secondary follicles (PAS). As a general trend, three parameters, i.e., FD, PMS, and PAS, reached maximum values at the 2nd month, minimum values at the 6th month (i.e., during the winter season) and increased again until observations stopped at month 10. A slightly different trend was shown by the S/P parameter which, after having gained its maximum value at month 4, progressively decreased until the end of the observations. It is concluded that the South American camelids here investigated, gained a complete and mature skin follicle apparatus at an early age and, hence, producers should practice an anticipated first shearing.

Summary The structural organization of the dorsal cell surface was studied in parallel with the pattern of the dorsal argyrome in Euplotes bisulcatus and other related species of Euplotes . Evidence is provided for the involvement of cortical alveoli of similar width in the construction of double argyromes. Argyromes usually described as double- patella are shown to result from the presence of longitudinal ridges of varying shapes on the dorsal cell surface, which strongly affect the appearance of the argyrome under light microscopy. On a completely different experimental basis, this work supports the suggestion by Gates and Curds [5] that the typology of the dorsal argyrome of Euplotes should be restricted only to the basic types single, double, and multiple. In addition, it reiterates the diagnostic value of cortical sculpturing in Euplotes taxonomy.

Four different tubulin genes were identified in the somatic nucleus (macronucleus) of Euplotes focardii, a strictly cold-adapted, Antarctic ciliate: one of 1,800 bp for alpha-tubulin and three of 2,150, 1,900, and 1,600 bp, respectively, for beta-tubulin. Preliminarily analysed for restriction fragment length polymorphisms, these genes showed remarkable differences in organisation from tubulin genes of other ciliates which live in temperate areas and were analysed in parallel with E. focardii. The complete coding sequence of the 1,600 bp beta-tubulin gene was then determined and shown to contain unique structural features of potential importance for E. focardii microtubule organization and activity. Of eight unique substitutions detected, seven were concentrated in the large amino terminal domain of the molecule that directly interacts with the carboxy terminal region of alpha-tubulin for heterodimer formation. Sequence analysis of the cloned gene revealed, in addition, a potential new exception in the use of the genetic code by ciliates. A TAG codon was aligned in correspondence with Trp-21 which is strictly conserved in every tubulin sequence so far determined.

Background Genetic improvement of fibre-producing animal species has often induced transition from double coated to single coated fleece, accompanied by dramatic changes in skin follicles and hair composition, likely implying variation at multiple loci. Huacaya, the more common fleece phenotype in alpaca (Vicugna pacos), is characterized by a thick dense coat growing perpendicularly from the body, whereas the alternative rare and more prized single-coated Suri phenotype is distinguished by long silky fibre that grows parallel to the body and hangs in separate, distinctive pencil locks. A single-locus genetic model has been proposed for the Suri-Huacaya phenotype, where Huacaya is recessive. Results Two reciprocal experimental test-crosses (Suri × Huacaya) were carried out, involving a total of 17 unrelated males and 149 unrelated females. An additional dataset of 587 offspring of Suri × Suri crosses was analyzed. Segregation ratios, population genotype frequencies, and/or recombination fraction under different genetic models were estimated by maximum likelihood. The single locus model for the Suri/Huacaya phenotype was rejected. In addition, we present two unexpected observations: 1) a large proportion (about 3/4) of the Suri animals are segregating (with at least one Huacaya offspring), even in breeding conditions where the Huacaya trait would have been almost eliminated; 2) a model with two different values of the segregation ratio fit the data significantly better than a model with a single parameter. Conclusions The data support a genetic model in which two linked loci must simultaneously be homozygous for recessive alleles in order to produce the Huacaya phenotype. The estimated recombination rate between these loci was 0.099 (95% C.L. = 0.029-0.204). Our genetic analysis may be useful for other species whose breeding system produces mainly half-sib families.