Animals that communicate using conspicuous body patterns face a trade-off between desired detection by intended receivers and undesired detection from eavesdropping predators, prey, rivals, or parasites. In some cases, this trade-off favors the evolution of signals that are both hidden from predators and visible to conspecifics. Animals may produce covert signals using a property of light that ...

The East Asian millipede genus Riukiupeltis Verhoeff, 1939 is revised, and is restricted to a single species, Riukiupeltis jamashinai Verhoeff, 1939. Examination of the type specimens and freshly collected material from the Ryukyu Archipelago and Vietnam show that both subsequently allocated species, Riukiupeltis uenoi Murakami, 1975, and Riukiupeltis falcatus (originally Haplogonosoma falcatum...

ABSTRACT Latch-mediated spring actuation (LaMSA) is used by small organisms to produce high acceleration movements. Mathematical models predict that increases as LaMSA systems decrease in size. Adult mantis shrimp use a mechanism their raptorial appendages extremely fast strikes. Until now, however, it was unclear whether at earlier life-history stages also strike using elastic recoil and latch...

Use of herbs as combinations is a common practice with many herbal practitioners. The main idea behind this usually is the synergistic action expected to take place by the traditional healer hence being able to give better results as compared to one herb and also treat more than one ailment, even those not mentioned by the patient. However, other interactions such as additive and antagonism too...

The present study was performed to investigate the infection status with helminth in a group of feral cats in Korea. More than 29 helminth species including adults or eggs were detected in visceral and fecal samples of the examined cats. Among these were a host of nematodes, including toxocarids, Ancylostoma sp. and the larva of Anisakis simplex; trematodes, including Clonorchis sinensis, Parag...

Assimilatory NAD(P)H-nitrate reductase (EC 1.6.6.2) from Ankistrodesmus braunii has been purified to homogeneity by affinity chromatography on blue Sepharose. The specific activity of the purified enzyme is in the range of 72 to 80 units/mg of protein. The electronic spectrum of the native enzyme shows absorption maxima at 278, 414 (Soret), 532 (beta), 562 (alpha), and 669 nm and shoulders at 4...

In the teleost fish Girardinus falcatus eye preferences for inspecting a potential predator is highly heritable and this consented to select lines with opposed laterality. In previous studies individuals from a RD line (rightward turning when facing a dummy predator) and those from a LD line (leftward turning) were subjected to several other laterality tests (most of which, possibly all, were v...

Storage of elastic energy is key to increasing the power output of many biological systems. Mantis shrimp (Stomatopoda) must store considerable elastic energy prior to their rapid raptorial strikes; however, little is known about the dynamics and location of elastic energy storage structures in this system. We used computed tomography (CT) to visualize the mineralization patterns in Gonodactyla...