Lasinus orientalis Yin & Bekchiev, new species, is described from the eastern Chinese provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangxi, with major diagnostic features illustrated. The new species is compared with, and distinguished from related congeners.

A mutant gene, Pale, (Pa) has been discovered in the discoglossid frog, Bombina orientalis. Breeding experiments indicate that the gene is recessive to the wild-type allele (P). Embryos, tadpoles and adults homozygous for the Pale gene are lighter in coloration than wild-type animals. Eggs produced by Pale females appear normally pigmented. Neural-retina defects were apparent in Pale tadpoles. ...

Most known species in the Physalacriaceae are saprotrophs that grow on decaying leaves and wood, and approximately 21 genera in the Physalacriaceae have been reported worldwide. During an ongoing survey of indigenous fungi in Korea, four specimens belonging to the Physalacriaceae were collected on Ulleung Island. These specimens were identified as three species based on morphological characteri...

Amiloride-sensitive Na+ absorption is a well-described feature of numerous transporting epithelia in vertebrates. Yet, very little is known about this important physiological process regarding invertebrates. In the present paper, we compare vertebrate Na+ absorption mediated by the amiloride-sensitive epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) and its invertebrate counterpart. We used the dorsal skin of the...

The saliva of medicinal leeches, e.g., Hirudo medicinalis and Hirudo verbana commonly used in hirudotherapy, contains more than 100 bioactive substances with various therapeutic effects, including anticoagulant, vasodilator, thrombolytic, anti-inflammatory and anaesthetic properties. Recently, leeches have been used very successfully in veterinary medicine to treat many diseases of animals, esp...

Lithobius yuchernovisp. n. is described, based on type material from the Ola Plateau, Magadan Region, Russia. The new species is widely distributed in northeastern Siberia, ranging from the Magadan Region, until the eastern Chukot Autonomous Region and the Kamchatka Peninsula in the southeast, whence non-type material is documented. This species belongs to the subgenus Chinobius Matic, 1973 bas...