Basic chromosome numbers and polyploid levels in some South African and Australian grasses (Poaceae)

Bothalia ◽  
1991 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Spies ◽  
E. Van der Merwe ◽  
H. Du Plessis ◽  
E. J. L. Saayman

Chromosome numbers of 46 specimens of grasses, involving 24 taxa from South Africa and Australia, have been determined during the present study. For the first time chromosome numbers are given for Eragrostis sarmentosa (Thunb.) Trin. (n = 20). Panicum aequinerve Nees (n = 18),  Digitaria argyrograpta (Nees) Stapf (n = 9) and D. maitlandii Stapf C.E. Hubb. (n = 9). Additional polyploid levels are described for Diplachne fusca (L.) Beauv. ex Roem. Schult. (n = 10) and Digitaria diagonalis (Nees) Stapf var.  diagonalis (n = 9).B-chromosomes were observed in several different specimens. The presence of B-chromosomes often results in abnormal chromosomal behaviour during meiosis.

Bothalia ◽  
1989 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 125-132 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Spies ◽  
E. J. L. Saayman ◽  
S. P. Voges ◽  
G. Davidse

Cytogenetic studies of 53 specimens of 14 species of the genus  Ehrharta Thunb. confirmed a basic chromosome number of 12 for the genus. Chromosome numbers for 13 species are described for the first time. The highest ploidy level yet observed in the genus (2n = lOx = 120) is reported for E. villosa var.  villosa. B chromosomes were observed in several specimens of four different species.


Bothalia ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 15 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 591-596 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Spies ◽  
H. Du Du Plessis

The geographical distribution of 14 of the Rubus species in South Africa is presented. Chromosome numbers of nine of the species were determined: six for the first time, one is confirmed and additional polyploid levels are described for the other two species. It is demonstrated that the South African species of the subgenus Idaeobatus contain less diploid specimens and more polyploid specimens than their extra-African counterparts. This phenomenon could be attributed to hybridization between the subgenera Eubatus and  Idaeobatus.


1983 ◽  
Vol 120 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-58 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Boucot ◽  
C. H. C. Brunton ◽  
J. N. Theron

SummaryThe Devonian brachiopod Tropidoleptus is recognized for the first time in South Africa. It is present in the lower part of the Witteberg Group at four widely separated localities. Data regarding the stratigraphical range of the genus elsewhere, combined with information on recently described fossil plants and vertebrates from underlying strata of the upper Bokkeveld Group, suggest that a Frasnian or even Givetian age is reasonable for the lower part of the Witteberg Group. The recognition of Tropidoleptus in a shallow water, near-shore, molluscan association, at the top of the South African marine Devonian sequence, is similar to its occurrence in Bolivia, and suggests a common Malvinokaffric Realm history of shallowing, prior to later Devonian or early Carboniferous non-marine sedimentation. It is noteworthy that Tropidoleptus is now known to occur in ecologically suitable environments around the Atlantic, but is absent from these same environments in Asia and Australia. Tropidoleptus is an excellent example of dispersal in geological time — first appearing in northern Europe and Nova Scotia, then elsewhere in eastern North America and North Africa, followed by South America and South Africa, while continuing in North America.


2017 ◽  
Vol 113 (7/8) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson A. F. Miranda ◽  
Nasreen Peer ◽  
Renzo Perissinotto ◽  
Nicola K. Carrasco ◽  
Salome Jones ◽  
...  

The thick-shelled clam Meretrix morphina, previously referred to as Meretrix meretrix, now occurs in the west Indian Ocean region, along the eastern seaboard of Africa, from the Red Sea to the Mlalazi Estuary, close to the Tugela River. Its presence in South Africa is only of recent recording. Meretrix morphina was detected for the first time in Lake St Lucia in 2000. The population declined and was not detected from 2005 until 2011, most likely as a result of a severe drought that resulted in widespread desiccation and hypersalinity in the lake. The system then experienced increased freshwater input resulting in lower salinities from 2011 until 2014, during which time M. morphina reappeared and their population gradually increased. In 2015, M. morphina became abundant in St Lucia, attaining unprecedented densities of 447 ind./m2. Biomass, expressed as a fresh weight, varied in the different basins of St Lucia, ranging from 195 g/m2 at Lister’s Point to 1909.8 g/m2 at Catalina Bay. However, in 2016, when drought conditions returned, M. morphina disappeared. This species appears to thrive under brackish salinities and high temperatures. It is able to establish large populations with high biomass and can become dominant. However, M. morphina is sensitive to desiccation and hypersaline conditions. This clam has substantial commercial value and is exploited along the African east coast, particularly in Mozambique. In future, it may feature more prominently in South African estuaries. However, the ecology of M. morphina is still largely unknown.


Bothalia ◽  
1971 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-416 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. F. O. Marasas ◽  
G. C. A. Van der Westhuizen

Four species of fungi recorded for the first time in South Africa, are described and illustrated. These are:  Acremoniella verrucosa  Togn. from roots of  Medicago sativa; Coniella pulchella Hohn. from roots of pine-apple;  Periconia igniaria  Mason Ellis from seed of  Medicago sativa;  and  Stachybotrys subsimplex  Cooke from the cocoon of  Parastizopus armaticeps.


Zootaxa ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 4577 (2) ◽  
pp. 361
Author(s):  
JIŘÍ JANÁK

A revision of the south African genus Neopimus Özdikmen, Demir & Türkeş, 2008 is presented. Based on revision of the type and additional material, three species are recognised. The genus Neopimus is redescribed and all species are described or redescribed and illustrated, two of them for the first time: Neopimus capensis Janák, sp. nov., from Eastern Cape Province, South Africa and N. zulu Janák, sp. nov., from KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. The distribution of the genus is mapped and a key of species is presented. 


Zootaxa ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 4820 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-104
Author(s):  
PRECIOUS TSHILILO

Euryphyminae is a Southern African endemic subfamily, which to date consists of 23 genera. We collected all available information from historic literature accounts, 626 positively identified museum specimens from 16 genera and 624 fresh field-collected specimens from eight genera to review the Euryphyminae genera of South Africa. Three genera are recorded for the first time to occur in South Africa; Rhodesiana Dirsh, 1959, Acrophymus Uvarov, 1922 and Plegmapteropsis Dirsh, 1956, while Aneuryphymus rhodesianus species is also recorded for the first time in South Africa. This brings the total number of genera occurring in South Africa from 14 to 16 genera of Euryphyminae. Finally, distribution maps for each genus are provided along with an updated key to genera.


Pathogens ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 391 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter N. Mwangi ◽  
Milton T. Mogotsi ◽  
Sebotsana P. Rasebotsa ◽  
Mapaseka L. Seheri ◽  
M. Jeffrey Mphahlele ◽  
...  

Emergence of DS-1-like G1P[8] group A rotavirus (RVA) strains during post-rotavirus vaccination period has recently been reported in several countries. This study demonstrates, for the first time, rare atypical DS-1-like G1P[8] RVA strains that circulated in 2008 during pre-vaccine era in South Africa. Rotavirus positive samples were subjected to whole-genome sequencing. Two G1P[8] strains (RVA/Human-wt/ZAF/UFS-NGS-MRC-DPRU1971/2008/G1P[8] and RVA/Human-wt/ZAF/UFS-NGS-MRC-DPRU1973/2008/G1P[8]) possessed a DS-1-like genome constellation background (I2-R2-C2-M2-A2-N2-T2-E2-H2). The outer VP4 and VP7 capsid genes of the two South African G1P[8] strains had the highest nucleotide (amino acid) nt (aa) identities of 99.6–99.9% (99.1–100%) with the VP4 and the VP7 genes of a locally circulating South African strain, RVA/Human-wt/ZAF/MRC-DPRU1039/2008/G1P[8]. All the internal backbone genes (VP1–VP3, VP6, and NSP1-NSP5) had the highest nt (aa) identities with cognate internal genes of another locally circulating South African strain, RVA/Human-wt/ZAF/MRC-DPRU2344/2008/G2P[6]. The two study strains emerged through reassortment mechanism involving locally circulating South African strains, as they were distinctly unrelated to other reported atypical G1P[8] strains. The identification of these G1P[8] double-gene reassortants during the pre-vaccination period strongly supports natural RVA evolutionary mechanisms of the RVA genome. There is a need to maintain long-term whole-genome surveillance to monitor such atypical strains.


Author(s):  
K. Nomikou ◽  
S. Maan ◽  
N. S. Maan ◽  
P. P.C. Mertens

Bluetongue virus (BTV) is the prototype species of the genus Orbivirus within the family Reoviridae. There are 24 (possibly 25) distinct serotypes of BTV, eleven of which have entered, or have been identified in Europe and the Mediterranean region since 1998 (types 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 24 and 25). The first BTV to arrive in Greece during 1998 was serotype 9 (iso­late GRE1998/01), followed by BTV-16 (GRE1999/13) during 1999. BTV-9 spread to mainland Greece, South-Eastern Bulgaria and European Turkey during 1999, to Italy during 2000, then to Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Croatia, mainland Italy and Sicily in 2001. In 2002, BTV-9 was again identified in Bosnia, Bulgaria, Montenegro, Yugoslavia and Albania, and was identified in Libya for the first time in 2008. The whole genome was sequenced for representative field and vaccine strains of BTV-9 and 16 from the Mediterranean region, identifying the levels of genetic heterogeneity in each genome segment. The early European isolates of BTV-9 (1998 onwards) were identified as ‘eastern’ strains related to those from India, Indonesia and Australia. BTV-16 isolates are also eastern strains that are most closely related to strains from Turkey and the South African reference strain of type 16 (originally from Pakistan). Analyses of the more conserved genome segments coding for structural and non-structural proteins of BTV-9 (from Bosnia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey) and BTV-16 (from Greece and Turkey) show that the Eastern European isolates of these two serotypes have the remaining eight genome segments (1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 and 10) with more than 99% similarity, in each case belonging to the same eastern lineage. These data show that the BTV-9 and 16 isolates that were circulating in the Mediterranean region are reassortants, with the majority of their genome seg­ments derived from a single parental lineage. However, the BTV-9 isolate from Libya (LIB2008/08) is more closely related to the western BTV-9 reference strain from South Africa than to the earlier BTV-9 isolates from Eastern Europe. Analysis of the more conserved segments of LIB2008/08 showed only 79.8–80.2% similarity with the eastern European BTV-9 isolates from the Eastern Mediterranean region, but 89–93.5% similarity with the BTV-9 reference and vaccine strains from South Africa. BTV-9 from Libya belongs to a distinct western lineage of viruses and represents both a new introduction to the Mediterranean region and a new threat to Europe.


Author(s):  
Martin P. Botha

INTRODUCTIONThe name, Manie van Rensburg, is virtually unknown in Europe and the United States of America. Recently, some of his work was screened at a South African film festival in Amsterdam at the Kriterion cinema and I had the honour to present a lecture there on 7 October 1995 regarding Van Rensburg and his presence in the cinema. His film work was also highlighted in a small retrospective during October 1996 at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel. IT WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME a Van Rensburg film was screened outside the borders of South Africa. During the 1980s Van Rensburg received an International Film Festival of New York award for his historical TV drama series, Heroes, and a Merit Award from the London Film Festival was given to him for his filmed play, The Native who Caused all the Trouble. His mammoth production, The Fourth...


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