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The article presents a study on the Hipposideros from Myanmar and a revaluation of the taxon Hipposideros nicobarulae from the Nicobar Islands, India. The study provides description of the Hipposideros nicobarulae and elevates the taxon to a distinct specie. It notes that the taxon is differentiated by size and external, cranial and dental morphology from Hipposideros ater from the subcontinent in India. It also includes information on the conservation status, distribution and ecology of the three species.

The article presents a study that reviews that taxonomy of Rhinolophus coelophyllus Peter 1867 and Rhinolophus shameli Tate 1943 in continental Southeast Asia. The study examines the acoustic characters, distribution and ecology of two often confused rhinolophid species. It notes that the species have essentially parapatric distribution in the continent. It reveals that Rhinolophus coelophyllus is widespread ranging from northern Myanmar to northern Malaysia and eastern Thailand. It also shows defined differences in the two taxa's skull morphology, size, and echolocation call frequency.

The article focuses on the taxonomy, morphometric and acoustic characters, distribution and ecology of the globally endangered species Hipposideros (H.) halophyllus based on field surveys in Thailand, Myanmar and northern peninsular Malaysia. The research was based on a thorough review of the existing literature and extensive field work in Thailand from 2006 to 2009 and some previous field work in Myanmar and northern Malaysia. A single specimen of H. ater was collected whilst flying around that bathroom of a wooden chalet next to a sandy beach in Gwa Township in Myanmar.

The article discusses a study which assessed echolocation call frequency of Rhinolophus stheno and Rhinolophus malayanus from continental Southeast Asia. Based on the study, Rhinolophus stheno and Rhinolophus malayanus are considered to be closely related species and are included in the group of Rhinolophidae. The study recorded echolocation call at 42 localities in Thailand and Cambodia and offered a comparison of the hand held frequency of males and females at ten localities. It is noted that the study offered conflicting views on the accuracy of using acoustic data in identyfying possible cryptic species.

The bumble-bee bat Craseonycteris thonglongyai of the monospecific family Craseonycteridae is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. First discovered in 1973, it was until recently only known from a small population of approximately 2,300 individuals restricted to the catchment area of the River Kwai, Thailand. However, in 2001 a single craseonycterid was discovered in Mon State, Myanmar, extending its geographical range by approximately 250 km. In October and November 2002 a survey was undertaken to examine the status of C. thonglongyai in Myanmar and assess its geographical distribution and population size. C. thonglongyai calls were recorded from bats emerging from nine of 19 caves surveyed; the population size was estimated to be 1,500. The phylogenetic relationships between the Thai and Myanmar populations were investigated using molecular, morphological and acoustic data. Morphologically, the two populations are indistinguishable. However, there is an 8–10 kHz echolocation call divergence between the populations. Cytochrome b data suggest that the two populations are similar and that the Myanmar population may be monophyletic. Annual surveys of the known bat roosts and in situ education programmes for local people are recommended together with the establishment of an integrated, transboundary Myanmar/Thai conservation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on clostridium stercorarium and its enzymatic components in Japan. The bacteria's modular enzyme is basically composed in 2 hypothetical families of a polysaccharide lyases, the catalytic modules 9-1 (CM9-1) and CM9-2. In the study, the modular enzymes respond to bonding of calcium ions and showed high activity to polygalacturonic acid but revealed lesser reaction towards pectin.

The sensory drive theory of speciation predicts that populations of the same species inhabiting different environments can differ in sensory traits, and that this sensory difference can ultimately drive speciation. However, even in the best-known examples of sensory ecology driven speciation, it is uncertain whether the variation in sensory traits is the cause or the consequence of a reduction in levels of gene flow. Here we show strong genetic differentiation, no gene flow and large echolocation differences between the allopatric Myanmar and Thai populations of the world's smallest mammal, Craseonycteris thonglongyai, and suggest that geographic isolation most likely preceded sensory divergence. Within the geographically continuous Thai population, we show that geographic distance has a primary role in limiting gene flow rather than echolocation divergence. In line with sensory-driven speciation models, we suggest that in C. thonglongyai, limited gene flow creates the suitable conditions that favour the evolution of sensory divergence via local adaptation.

The Clostridium stercorarium F-9 pel9A gene encodes a pectate lyase Pel9A consisting of 1,240 amino acids with a molecular weight of 135,171. The mature form of Pel9A is a modular enzyme composed of two family-9 catalytic modules of polysaccharide lyases, CM9-1 and CM9-2, in order from the N terminus. Pel9A showed an overall sequence similarity to the hypothetical pectate lyase PelX of Bacillus halodurans (sequence identity 53%), and CM9-2 showed moderate sequence similarities to some pectate lyases of family 9. Sequence identity between CM9-1 and CM9-2 was 21.3%. The full-length Pel9A lacking the N-terminal signal peptide was expressed, purified, and characterized. The enzyme required Ca(2+) ion for its enzyme activity and showed high activity toward polygalacturonic acid but lower activity toward pectin, indicating that Pel9A is a pectate lyase. Immunological analysis using an antiserum raised against the purified enzyme indicated that Pel9A is constitutively synthesized by C. stercorarium F-9.