Isotopic ratios and concentrations of the alkaline earth metals Mg and Sr in biogenic calcite are of great importance as proxies for environmental parameters. In particular, the Mg /Ca ratio as a temperature proxy has had considerable success. It is often hard to determine, however, which parameter ultimately controls the concentration of these elements in calcite. Here, multiple Mg /Ca and Sr ...

Abstract A free-swimming thornback ray Raja clavata specimen demonstrating significant morphological abnormality is reported, captured by beam trawl in the Irish Sea off north Wales, UK. The anterior sections of both pectoral fins were separated from head section for a length approximately 140 mm extending rostrum tip to point posterior spiracles, along with abnormal morphology gill slits. This...

A new monobasic genus of Nanophyidae, Indophyes, and a new species, I. yaromi, are described from southern India (type locality: Karnataka, Bilukoppa, 800 m, 40 km W Mudigere). The new genus is characterized by 5-segmented antennal funicle, strong sexual dimorphism of the rostrum, dentate femora, male tibiae unarmed, abdominal suture IV distinct in both sexes, male pygidium not foveate and 8 el...

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) fruit is a type of fleshy fruit that is harvested immaturely. Early fruit development directly determines the final fruit length and diameter, and consequently the fruit yield and quality. Different cucumber varieties display huge variations of fruit length, but how fruit length is determined at the molecular level remains poorly understood. To understand the genes...

AIM To assess the relationship between stereoscopic vision, visual perception, and microstructure of the corpus callosum (CC) and occipital white matter, 61 children born with a mean birth weight of 1024 g (SD 270 g) were subjected to detailed ophthalmologic evaluation, Developmental Test of Visual Perception (DTVP-3), and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) at the age of 4. RESULTS Abnormal stere...

Extreme sexually dimorphic phenotypes are frequently attributed to strong sexual selection but they can also arise as a consequence of different ecological demands. The evolutionary emergence of elongated rostra was a key event in the adaptive radiation of weevils. Exaggerated female rostra evolved in numerous weevil taxa, enabling females to bore long channels for egg deposition into various p...

Kroeyerina deetsorum n. sp. (Copepoda: Kroyeriidae) is described from female and male specimens collected from the olfactory sacs of Atlantic sharpnose sharks, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae (Richardson, 1836), captured in the Gulf of Mexico and northwestern Atlantic. Kroeyerina deetsorum is easily distinguished from known congeners by the extremely small size of its adults (i.e., females about 1.2...

Gender determination of Muscovy duck as early possible is essential for the efficiency and effectiveness production. This study aimed to determine morphometric differences in prepubertal male female (Cairina moschata) predictors gender. used a split-plot design, with observed variables cranium length, width height, mandibular rostrum length width. total 80 samples heads consisting 40 heads, ten...