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Seafood mislabeling is common in both domestic and international markets. Studies on seafood fraud often report high rates of mislabeling (e.g., > 70%), but these studies have been limited to a single sampling year, which means it is difficult to assess the impact of stricter governmental truth-in-labeling regulations. We used DNA barcoding to assess seafood labeling in 26 sushi restaurants in Los Angeles over 4 years. Seafood from 3 high-end grocery stores were also sampled (n — 16) in 2014. We ordered 9 common sushi fish from menus, preserved tissue samples in 95% ethanol, extracted the genomic DNA, amplified and sequenced a portion of the mtDNA COI gene, and identified the resulting sequence to known fish sequences from the National Center for Biotechnology Information nucleotide database. We compared DNA results with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) list of acceptable market names and retail names. We considered sushi-sample labels that were inconsistent with FDA names mislabeled. Sushi restaurants had a consistently high percentage of mislabeling (47%; 151 of 323) from 2012 to 2015, yet mislabeling was not homogenous across species. Halibut, red snapper, yellowfin tuna, and yellowtail had consistently high (< 77%) occurrences of mislabeling on menus, whereas mislabeling of salmon and mackerel were typically low (> 15%). All sampled sushi restaurants had at least one case of mislabeling. Mislabeling of sushi-grade fish from high-end grocery stores was also identified in red snapper, yellowfin tuna, and yellowtail, but at a slightly lower frequency (42%) than sushi restaurants. Despite increased regulatory measures and media attention, we found seafood mislabeling continues to be prevalent. La mala etiquetación de pescados es común tanto en los mercados domésticos como en los internacionales. Los estudios sobre el fraude de pescados generalmente reportan tasas altas de mala etiquetación (p. ej.: >70 %), pero estos estudios han sido limitados a un sólo muestreo al año, lo que significa que es complicado evaluar el impacto de regulaciones gubernamentales más estrictas sobre las etiquetas verídicas. Utilizamos el código de barras de ADN para evaluar el etiquetado de pescados en 26 restaurantes de sushi en Los Ángeles durante cuatro años. Los pescados de tres supermercados lujosos también fueron muestreados (n = 16) en el 2014. Ordenamos nueve pescados comunes en el sushi de los menús, preservamos las muestras de tejido en etanol al 95 %, extrajimos el ADN genómico, amplificamos y secuenciamos la porción del gen COIdelADNmt, e identificamos la secuencia resultante a partir de secuencias de peces de la base de datos de nucleótidos del Centro Nacional para la Información Biotecnológica. Comparamos los resultados de ADN con la lista de nombres aceptables para el mercado y de venta al menudeo de la Administración Estadunidense de Alimentos y Medicamentos (FDA, en inglés). Consideramos como mal etiquetadas a las muestras de sushi que no fueron consistentes con los nombres de la FDA. Los restaurantes de sushi tuvieron constantemente un porcentaje alto de mala etiquetación (47 %; 151 de 323) de 2012 a 2015, sin embargo, la mala etiquetación no fue homogénea entre las especies. El hipogloso, el huachinango, el atún de aleta amarilla y el jurel tuvieron ocurrencias altas (<77 %) de mala etiquetación en los menús, mientras que la mala etiquetación del salmón y la caballa fue típicamente baja (>15 %). Todos los restaurantes de sushi muestreados tuvieron por lo menos un caso de mala etiquetación. La mala etiquetación de pescado con calidad para sushi de los supermercados lujosos también fue identificada para el huachinango, el atún de aleta amarilla y el jurel, pero a una frecuencia un poco menor (42 %) que en los restaurantes de sushi. A pesar del incremento en las medidas regulatorias y en la atención de los medios, encontramos que la mala etiquetación de los pescados todavía es prevalente.

The main objective of this study was to document details of both individual and institutional financial conflicts of interest (FCOIs) reported by the authors of clinical trials. An additional objective was to assess the predictors of having at least one author reporting any FCOI. We used a sample of randomized controlled trials from a previous cross-sectional survey and included the trials, which reported at least one FCOI disclosure. We categorized the types of disclosed FCOI as grant, employment income, personal fees, nonmonetary support, drug or equipment supplies, patent, stocks, and other types. We collected data on the characteristics of the included RCTs, of the authors, and of the reported FCOI disclosures. We conducted descriptive analyses and a regression analysis to assess the predictors of having at least one author reporting any FCOI. All 108 included RCTs reported being funded, with 58% reporting funding by a private-for-profit source. Out of 1,687 authors, 814 (48%) reported at least one, and a median of 2, FCOI disclosures. Of the 814 reporting disclosures, far more reported individual FCOIs (99%) than institutional FCOIs (6%). The most commonly reported individual FCOI subtypes were grant (49%), personal fees (48%), and employment income (22%). Of the 99% of disclosures that included the source of FCOI, a private-for-profit entity provided the funds in 85%. Reporting about the relation of the FCOI source's to the product investigated in the trial, the timing of FCOI, and monetary value of FCOI was limited. Reporting of FCOIs proved most strongly associated with author affiliation being an academic institution (OR = 2.981; 95% CI: 2.415-3.680) and trial funding from entity other than a private-for-profit entity (OR = 2.809; 95% CI: 2.274-3.470). Approximately half of the trial authors report individual FCOIs, often three or more, but seldom provide details related to source's relation to the trial, or the timing and monetary value of the FCOI.

Three specimens (194.4–203.8 mm standard lengths) of the lizardfish Synodus nigrotaeniatus Allen, Erdmann & Peristiwady, 2017, collected from Jakarta Bay, western Indonesia, represent a significant range extension for the species, which was previously known from only six specimens collected in Lembeh Strait, North Sulawesi, eastern Indonesia. Morphological comparisons with available data from the type specimens and molecular data from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) gene are presented. The COI sequence data show a 4% genetic difference from the related Synodus sageneus Waite, 1905.

Abstract Sharks of the genus Sphyrna are under intense exploitation globally. In Brazil’s northern coast, this genus represents a high proportion of fisheries landings and comprises four species. However, due to difficulty of specific identification when specimens are landed, most of the records are limited to the genus level. Here we analyzed the effectiveness of ITS2 (Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 of rDNA) fragment length protocol (Abercrombie et al., 2005) for identifying hammerhead shark species, comparing with the analysis of COI (Cytochrome oxidase subunit I) and ITS2 sequences. We evaluated samples of muscle tissue acquired in the main fishing ports of Maranhão: Carutapera, Raposa e Tutóia. Sampling was conducted between March 2017 to March 2018 and complemented with material deposited in collection (2015). COI results indicated the occurrence of endangered species which are prohibited to be landed. These include Sphyrna mokarran (67%), S. lewini (15%), S. tudes (3%), and S. tiburo (15%). For the ITS2 marker, we investigated the optimization of the protocol developed by Abercrombie (2005) for to improve the use in this geographical area througout design of a new primers. Resumo Os tubarões do gênero Sphyrna estão sob intensa exploração em todo o mundo. No litoral norte do Brasil, esse gênero representa grande proporção dos desembarques pesqueiros e compreende quatro espécies. Porém, devido à dificuldade de identificação específica no momento do desembarque dos espécimes, a maioria dos registros limita-se ao nível do gênero. Aqui analisamos a eficácia do protocolo baseado no comprimento de fragmentos de ITS2 (Abercrombie et al., 2005) para identificar espécies de tubarão-martelo, comparando com a análise das sequências COI e ITS2. Foram avaliadas amostras de tecido muscular adquiridas nos principais portos pesqueiros do Maranhão: Carutapera, Raposa e Tutóia. A amostragem foi realizada entre março de 2017 a março de 2018 e complementada com material depositados em coleção (2015). Os resultados do COI indicaram a ocorrência de espécies ameaçadas cujo desembarque é proibido. Estes incluem Sphyrna mokarran (67%), S. lewini (15%), S. tudes (3%) e S. tiburo (15%). Para o marcador ITS2, investigamos a otimização do protocolo desenvolvido por Abercrombie (2005) para melhorar o uso nesta área geográfica através do desenho de novos primers.

Helobdella aff. robusta Shankland, Bissen & Weisblat, 1992 is recorded for the first time from Japan. The haplotype of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequence of a specimen from Japan is identical to that of one collected in California, USA. The dorsal pigmentation pattern of the Japanese specimens is different from that of H. robusta inhabiting North America, but nonetheless, most of their morphological characteristics are con-sistent with the diagnostic features of this species. This species is considered to be of New World origin, and the Japanese population was likely established from a recent introduction.

The genetic variation in the COI gene has had a great effect on the final results of species delimitation studies. However, little research has comprehensively investigated the genetic divergence in COI among Insecta. The fast-growing COI data in BOLD provide an opportunity for the comprehensive appraisal of the genetic variation in COI among Insecta. We calculated the K2P distance of 64,414 insect species downloaded from BOLD. The match ratios of the clustering analysis, based on different thresholds, were also compared among 4288 genera (35,068 species). The results indicate that approximately one-quarter of the species of Insecta showed high intraspecific genetic variation (>3%), and a conservative estimate of this proportion ranges from 12.05% to 22.58%. The application of empirical thresholds (e.g., 2% and 3%) in the clustering analysis may result in the overestimation of the species diversity. If the minimum interspecific genetic distance of the congeneric species is greater than or equal to 2%, it is possible to avoid overestimating the species diversity on the basis of the empirical thresholds. In comparison to the fixed thresholds, the “threshOpt” and “localMinima” algorithms are recommended for the provision of a reference threshold for threshold-based species delimitation studies.

DNA was extracted from tissue samples from specimens of newly-collected Bathynomus kensleyi from Queensland and subsequently the COI and 16S rRNA sequences were successfully cloned. The holotype of B. kensleyi was also sampled for COI only. Comparison of the sequences showed that, for the COI sequences, B. jamesi and B. kensleyi have more than 59 different DNA positions amongst 596 known reading sequences. The Kimura two parameter (K2P) distance analysis confirmed that B. jamesi and B. kensleyi are two species. Indian records of Bathynomus are reviewed and three of the four identified species from India are shown to be misidentifications. Bathynomus decemspinosus, B. doederlini and B. kensleyi are found to not occur in India and the only accepted record is that of Bathynomus keablei Lowry & Dempsey, 2006. We conclude that, based on molecular analysis and morphological comparisons, the correct species identity of Indian species other than Bathynomus keablei remains unknown.

This study presents the first molecular confirmation of Amitermes rhizophagus Belyaeva, 1974 (Blattodea: Termitidae) from Uzbekistan. Specimens collected in the Kashkadarya Region were identified through combined morphological and molecular analyses. Ribosomal DNA (ITS) and mitochondrial DNA (COI) fragments were amplified, sequenced, and compared with reference sequences from GenBank. Phylogenetic analyses using the Maximum Likelihood method placed A. rhizophagus within a well-supported Amitermes clade (bootstrap = 98-100%), closely related to A. deplanatus, A. conformis, and A. foreli. Genetic distances were low within Amitermes (0.017-0.034) but high between genera (0.13-0.19), confirming clear evolutionary separation from Drepanotermes and Microcerotermes. These findings validate the taxonomic identity of A. rhizophagus and provide the first molecular evidence for its occurrence in Uzbekistan, enriching knowledge of Central Asian termite diversity and phylogeny.

The enigmatic odd-scaled snake Achalinus zugorum Miller, Davis, Luong, Do, Pham, Ziegler, Lee, De Queiroz, Reynolds & Nguyen, 2020, was described, based on only one male specimen from Ha Giang Province, northern Vietnam. To date, no other specimen was reported, except for the holotype and this species was considered to be endemic to Vietnam.Based on one specimen collected from Malipo County, Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, we provide the first record of Achalinus zugorum from China. The specimen from China agrees well with the original morphological description of the species and has a minor genetic distance of 2.9% in the COI gene with the type specimen of this species. This study reports the second specimen and the first female specimen of this species. We also provide an updated diagnosis of this species combined with the morphological data of the newly-collected specimen.

The modern concept of DNA-based barcoding for cataloguing biodiversity was proposed in 2003 by first adopting an approximately 600 bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene to compare via nucleotide alignments with known sequences from specimens previously identified by taxonomists. Other standardized regions meeting barcoding criteria then are also evolving as DNA barcodes for fast, reliable and inexpensive assessment of species composition across all forms of life, including animals, plants, fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms. Consequently, global DNA barcoding campaigns have resulted in the formation of many online workbenches and databases, such as BOLD system, as barcode references, and facilitated the development of mini-barcodes and metabarcoding strategies as important extensions of barcode techniques. Here we intend to give an overview of the characteristics and features of these barcode markers and major reference libraries existing for barcoding the planet’s life, as well as to address the limitations and opportunities of DNA barcodes to an increasingly broader community of science and society.