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The article offers the authors comments on Robert Wynne Owen's collection of spirit specimens of parasites found in and on amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, which is housed at the University of Leeds, England, with particular reference to Yorkshire as of August 2014. The authors say that most of the collection comprises endoparasites but does not include some ectoparasitic arthropods. They also say that amphibian and reptilian hosts are well represented.

The article focuses on the work and parasitological collections of Robert Wynne Owen at the University of Leeds. His spirit collections and microscope slides, particularly, fish parasites, are described. The collections form a valuable reference of both biological and historical importance. However, workers on biodiversity studies and recording dataset networks in both freshwater and marine and coastal studies should find the records of value.

Penis size and morphology of an oviparous species of rough winkle Littorina arcana Hannaford Ellis (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) was studied at Robin Hoods Bay on the English east coast. Monthly collections were made over a two year period from August 1987 to August 1989 and again from May to December 1993. Number of penial glands was recorded and a six point scale was used to quantify penis maturity. Results indicate that male L. arcana shed their penes in summer and regenerate a new one during the following 12–20 weeks. Male L. arcana in captivity shed penes in July but not in November. The significance of penis shedding and the differences in reproductive seasonality between L. arcana and its ovoviviparous sibling species L. saxatilis is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Nineteen measurements were made on 136 skulls belonging to seven mustelid species: Meles meles (Eurasian badger), Mustela nivalis, (weasel), Mustela erminea (stoat), Mustela putorius (polecat), Lutra lutra (otter), Mustela furo (ferret), and Mustela vison (American mink), and polecat-ferret hybrids. To investigate shape, size-related effects were eliminated by dividing all measurements by their geometric means. Canonical variate analysis was used to reveal major interspecies distinctions. Excluding the ferrets and polecat-ferrets from the analysis, only 3.2% of the skulls misclassified (one mink, one weasel, and two stoats). Three groups separated on the first canonical axis: 1) badgers, 2) polecats, mink, and otters, and 3) stoats and weasels. The important variables were width of zygomatic arch and height of sagittal crest opposed to the postorbital distance, condylobasal length, and basilar length. Otters separated out on the second canonical axis; the most important variables were postorbital breadth and width of the postorbital constriction opposed to the basioccipital width. There was reasonable separation of polecats from mink on a combination of the second and third canonical axes. On the latter the most important variables were postorbital breadth opposed to postorbital distance. Addition of the ferret data showed that they lay closest to, and overlapped with, the polecats. The stoat and weasel data alone gave complete separation, with height of sagittal crest and width of zygomatic arch opposed to basioccipital width. However, using size-in data the best separation was the relationship between postorbital breadth and either basioccipital width or postorbital distance. Sexual dimorphism was demonstrated in the skulls of badgers but was shown to be relatively insignificant when compared to the interspecific differences., (Copyright 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.)

Primers for amplification of four novel, unlinked nuclear DNA loci, the first reported for the rough periwinkles of the genus Littorina, are described. Patterns of restriction site polymorphism for these loci are detailed within the rough periwinkles. RFLPs are not found to be diagnostic for any of the currently accepted species within this group, nor for any of the contentious subspecies, or forms, whose taxonomic status is uncertain. However, there are important differences in allele frequencies between these taxa and certain of these mirror differences detected in a previous study of the mitochondrial DNA. These allele frequency data are used to construct a phylogeny in which groupings of the three recognised species are obvious when either Nei's genetic distances or Reynold's distances are clustered. Contentious forms (L. neglecta, L. saxatilis 'b' and L. tenebrosa) do not cluster as distinct taxa, although populations of L. neglecta have important allele frequency differences from L. saxatilis. These four loci have confirmed the consensus view of Littorina phylogeny and provided important information on population structure-however four loci is insufficient for reaching definitive conclusions. Since analysis of nuclear DNA polymorphisms such as these is invaluable for analysis of phylogeny, population structure and phylogeography, identification of additional loci is considered imperative.