Aaron Lipton | Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tamilnadu, India (original) (raw)

Papers by Aaron Lipton

Hydrobiologia, 2004

Methanol extract of Holothuria scabra was tested for antifouling activity using 'mollusc foot adh... more Methanol extract of Holothuria scabra was tested for antifouling activity using 'mollusc foot adherence bioassay'. It was found that the secondary metabolites of H. scabra effectively prevented foot adherence of P. vulgata at various concentrations. Based on the present findings it could be inferred that the bioassay guided purification and fractionation may give forth potent novel antifouling compounds.

Hydrobiologia, 2004

The secondary metabolites of three sponges collected as bycatch in the fishing nets were explored... more The secondary metabolites of three sponges collected as bycatch in the fishing nets were explored for biological potencies. The sponge Dendrilla nigra exhibited wider biological activity. It showed potent activity in antibacterial, brineshrimp cytotoxicity, larvicidal, antifouling and ichthyotoxic assays. One of the well-studied cytotoxic sponge Axinellu donnani was least active in brineshrimp cytotoxicity assay. The secondary metabolites of Clathria gorgonoides were highly cytotoxic albeit it showed least activity in other bioassays. Based on the present findings, it could be inferred that the bioassay-guided fractionation and purification of D. nigra may come up with potent bioactive drugs.

Acta Botanica Croatica, 2011

Biological activity of the red alga Laurencia brandenii The marine red alga Laurencia brandenii c... more Biological activity of the red alga Laurencia brandenii The marine red alga Laurencia brandenii collected from the southwest coast of India (Indian Ocean) was extracted and fractioned using column chromatography. The individual fractions were evaluated in vitro via antimicrobial activity against six species of Microbial Type Culture Collection and three species of clinical human pathogens, antipest activity on Sitophilus oryzae, maggoticidal activity against 2nd instar larvae of Sarcophaga sp. and termiticidal activity against Microtermes obesi. It was found that the fraction eluted using petroleum ether:chloroform (6:4) exhibited broader biological activities. The phyco-constituents of the active fraction were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The GC-MS profile of the active fraction revealed that the main constituent was octadecadienoic acid (49.75%) followed by n-hexadecanoic acid (14.24%), which might have a functional role in the biological ac...

Asian Fisheries Science, Mar 7, 2007

Breeding of laboratory-reared 21 pairs of broodstock Hippocampus kuda (Bleeker 1852) and rearing ... more Breeding of laboratory-reared 21 pairs of broodstock Hippocampus kuda (Bleeker 1852) and rearing of their young ones indicated that 262.00 ± 59.00 offsprings were released during each spawning. A newly born seahorse was (mean ± SE) 7.83 ± 0.11 mm in length with a weight of 1.17 ± 0.009 mg. It could attain a mean length of 31.14 ± 0.66 mm with a mean weight of 16.13 ± 0.60 mg in 30 days when fed ad libitum with Artemia nauplii. The mean survival per brood cycle was enhanced to 65.22 ± 1.87% from almost less than 1.0% by improving the rearing conditions.

Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 2015

ABSTRACT The present study on zooplankton species diversity, abundance and water quality paramete... more ABSTRACT The present study on zooplankton species diversity, abundance and water quality parameters with special emphasis on pelagic fish catches in three fishing grounds off Tiruchendur coast was conducted from January 2009 to December 2010. As zooplankton are playing important roles in transfer of energy to the pelagic food webs, an attempt was made to understand the role of zooplankton on pelagic fish catch in the potential fishing grounds. Stations 1–3 are located about 3.7 km, 14.1 km and 17.3 km from the Tiruchendur coast respectively. Sea surface temperature (SST) in three stations varied from 25.0 to 31.7 °C and minimum and maximum SST recorded unifromly in monsoon and summer seasons. Dissolved oxygen and salinity varied from 4.15 to 6.2 mg/l and from 33 to 36.3 PSU respectively. Total of 49 species of zooplankton have been documented during the study. Zooplankton diversity was significantly differed from seasons to seasons. Calanoid and larvae of crustacean's crabs were dominant group in three stations and significantly contributing to the pelagic fishery. High and low population density recorded during summer months and monsoon season respectively. The statistical analyses showed that, physical parameters significantly (positive) correlated with zooplankton abundance; however, chemical parameters exhibited significant negative correlation with zooplankton density in stations 1 and 2. Among the pelagic fishes, Sardinella longiceps and Scomberomorus commerson are the dominant species in the study. The high rate of zooplankton population density and maximum pelagic fish catch were inconsistent due to lacking period between spawning and fish catch.

Notulae Scientia Biologicae

Patterns of copepod-appendicularian distribution were studied along the Mangalore coastal waters ... more Patterns of copepod-appendicularian distribution were studied along the Mangalore coastal waters (12°50'49" N; 74°48'50" E) of the Arabian Sea to understand the food and feeding relationship existing among these groups. Sampling was conducted during premonsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon extending from January 2009 to December 2010. The copepod and appendicularian community was sampled with a 60 µm net to include the smallest species and their developmental stages. Copepod biomass, especially calanoids, was substantially high throughout the study. Seasonal mean results showed that the small-sized copepods (calanoids, harpacticoida and cyclopoids) dominated in terms of biomass and production. Calanoids found in abundance included Acartia, Centropages, Calanus, Eucalanus and Labidocera. Cyclopoid and Harpacticoid copepods genera dominated included Oithona, Oncaea and Microsetella, Macrosetella. Appendicularian species diversity was represented by Oikopleura fusiformis, O. dioica and its juveniles represented as Oikopleura sp. Total chlorophyll (chlorophyll a) ranging between 10 and 20 mg m-3 indicated the eutrophic state as well as productivity prevailing during the study period. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated the routine and opportunistic seasonal grazers and establishes a phytoplankton-appendicularia-copepod-fish food chain relationship along Mangalore coast.

Notulae Scientia Biologicae

The survey along the Tamilnadu and Kerala coats of India reveled that six species of seahors (Hip... more The survey along the Tamilnadu and Kerala coats of India reveled that six species of seahors (Hippocampus fuscus, H. kelloggi, H. kuda, H. histrix H. mohnikei and H. trimaculatus) were distributed with different density. Out of the six species, H. fuscus, H. kuda and H. trimaculatus, were the commonly available species in all the observed areas. In Palk Bay, H. kuda was the dominant species constituting 49.10% of the total seahorses encountered. Hippocampus trimaculatus was the second dominant species which accounting 39.28%. The Gulf of Mannar region also most abounded with H. kuda (68.98%) followed by H. trimaculatus (20.80%), H. fuscus (9.80%), H. kelloggi (2.23%) and H. histrix (0.37%). In Kerala coast, H. trimaculatus was the dominant species (79.68%) followed by H. kuda (9.89%), H. kelloggi (8.33%) and H. fuscus (2.08%). To infer the variation of six seahorse species the morphometric and meristic characters were analysed. The important morphometric and meristic characters are ...

Journal of Ocean University of China, 2015

ABSTRACT In phylum Echinodermata, the family Holothuridae is distinguished by its capacity of bio... more ABSTRACT In phylum Echinodermata, the family Holothuridae is distinguished by its capacity of bioactive compounds. Sea cucumber Holothuria atra is commonly known as the lollyfish. The antifungal activity was detected using agar well diffusion method against the various fungal strains such as Trichoderma viride, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavis, Candida albicans and Penicillium chrysogenum. Relatively high antifungal activity was seen against Candida albicans at 100 μL−1 concentration of extracts. Zone of inhibition was measured at 18 mm of diameter. The anti-tumor activities were detected against the Vero and Hep2 cell lines using MTT assay. The cells were treated with H. atra extract at concentrations 0.078–10mg mL−1. The extract showed high proliferative activity against the Hep2 cells. The body wall extracts of sea cucumber (H. atra) showed effective antifungal and antitumor activities. All these findings suggest that the extracts could be used for the development of drugs.

Microbial infections among captive reared tropical marine ornamental fishes and lobsters reared f... more Microbial infections among captive reared tropical marine ornamental fishes and lobsters reared for live transportation draw attention for effective prophylaxis and therapy. Antibiotics and related chemicals warrant restrictions due to the emergence of drug-resistant microbes, adverse impacts on ecosystem and possible entry to humans with the spreading of resistance genes. Considering these issues and to set a new concept of fish and shellfish disease prevention and disease management, marine natural products from the sponge - associated bacteria were prepared and their efficacy assessed with a view to avoid the dependence of bulk collection of bioactive source organisms. Methods: The susceptibility patterns of ornamental fishes reared in captive conditions were evaluated by computing their day to day mortality pattern along with the symptoms in marine aquaria. Microbial evaluations were ascertained in samples drawn from the infections of moribund fishes using the spread and pour pl...

ABSTRACT The possible immunosuppressant activity of extracts of Ulva fasciata, Hypnea valentiae a... more ABSTRACT The possible immunosuppressant activity of extracts of Ulva fasciata, Hypnea valentiae and Hypnea musciformis was evaluated by fish scale transplantation assay. The crude Hypnea extracts exhibited delayed acceptance of transplanted scale from 4th day onwards in the F2 progeny of Poecilia reticulata at 0.001% level compared to fractionated extract of Ulva fasciata. No rejection of transplanted scale was noticed at 0.01% of Ethanol-fresh extract of U. fasciata (EF) fraction up to 10th day of experiment. Rejection of transplanted scale was noticed in the case of acetone and ethanol - fresh extract among the F2 progeny from 3rd and 4th day respectively. Keywords: Ulva fasciata, Poecilia reticulata, Hypnea valentiae, Hypnea musciformis.

Indian Journal of Fisheries

The influence of methanol extract and its fractions of the marine macroalga, Hypnea musciformis o... more The influence of methanol extract and its fractions of the marine macroalga, Hypnea musciformis on aquaculturally important microalgae viz., Chlorella salina and Isochrysis galbana were investigated. Lower concentrations of the extract of H. musciformis resulted in marginal growth gain for C. salina and I. galbana. However, the fractionated extract inhibited the growth of both microalgae tested, suggesting toxicity. Results signify the importance of macroalgal extract in regulating the growth of aquaculturally important microalgae.

Indian Journal of Biotechnology

Journal of Applied Sciences Research

Two strains of Lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC B1746 and Lactococcus lactis MT... more Two strains of Lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC B1746 and Lactococcus lactis MTCC B440 which produce the bacteriocins, plantaricin 1746 and nisin 440 respectively were immobilized in calcium alginate beads. The free cells of them were optimized viz., temperature and pH for maximum bacteriocin production. The bacteriocin production was maximized at 48th h at 30° C and in pH 6.0 for L. plantarum; while it was at 96th h at 35° C and at a pH of 7.0 for L. lactis. Both the strains showed growth stability and maximum bacteriocin production at the stationary phase of growth. Free cells cultured at the optimum culture conditions were used to compare the effect of immobilization on bacteriocin production. Bacteriocin production peaked at 1800 AUml-1 and 1600 AUml-1 in free and immobilized fermentation broth of L. plantarum and L. lactis respectively. A decline in bacteriocin production occurred at the middle of the fermentation with the free cells in contrast to long term s...

Callyspongia subarmigera prevalent in the southeast coast of India was studied for evaluating the... more Callyspongia subarmigera prevalent in the southeast coast of India was studied for evaluating the bioactivity and phylogenetic resemblance with other drug-bearing species. Antibacterial screening of the methanol extract of C. subarmigera against clinical and fish pathogens displayed their broad spectrum against Gram positive and Gram negative pathogenic strains. Fish pathogenic bacteria Vibrio pelagius and Vibrio fischeri and the clinical pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa were highly susceptible to the methanol extract. Sponge extract had no antifungal property against the two fungal strains tested viz., Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Callyspongia subarmigera extract indicated cytotoxic activity with an LC 50 of 0.39% against Artermia nauplii in 24 h. PCR protocol was carried out using a 16S rRNA primer and an 18S rRNA primer and the annealing temperature was standardized at 55°C. BLAST analysis was conducted to detect the resemblance of different species of Callyspongia genera of sponges. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using neighbour joining method and the results revealed that C. subarmigera had the nearest homology to that of Haliclona cinerea, Haliclona oculata (88%) and Callyspongia spp (88%) possessing pharmacological relevance.

Notulae Scientia Biologicae, 2014

Morphology of the marine egg bearing cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis occurring along the southw... more Morphology of the marine egg bearing cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis occurring along the southwest coast of India [Vizhinjam (8º21'56"N; 76º59'39"E), Neendakara (8º57'29"N; 76º31'13"E), Cochin (9º56'16"N; 76º13'55"E) and Calicut (11º13'33"N; 75º46'30"E)] from January to December 2010 at different seasons (pre monsoon, monsoon and post monsoon) were studied. Detailed comparison of the structure of different appendages of O. similis with those already available for the species from Norway, Japan, China, Spain and Russia revealed minute differences in the armature of appendages, number and arrangement of spines, setae of swimming legs and anal laminae. The total length of the specimen collected from all the four stations in the study ranged from 615 to 650µ. The smallest specimens were obtained from Calicut.

Hydrobiologia, 2004

Methanol extract of Holothuria scabra was tested for antifouling activity using 'mollusc foot adh... more Methanol extract of Holothuria scabra was tested for antifouling activity using 'mollusc foot adherence bioassay'. It was found that the secondary metabolites of H. scabra effectively prevented foot adherence of P. vulgata at various concentrations. Based on the present findings it could be inferred that the bioassay guided purification and fractionation may give forth potent novel antifouling compounds.

Hydrobiologia, 2004

The secondary metabolites of three sponges collected as bycatch in the fishing nets were explored... more The secondary metabolites of three sponges collected as bycatch in the fishing nets were explored for biological potencies. The sponge Dendrilla nigra exhibited wider biological activity. It showed potent activity in antibacterial, brineshrimp cytotoxicity, larvicidal, antifouling and ichthyotoxic assays. One of the well-studied cytotoxic sponge Axinellu donnani was least active in brineshrimp cytotoxicity assay. The secondary metabolites of Clathria gorgonoides were highly cytotoxic albeit it showed least activity in other bioassays. Based on the present findings, it could be inferred that the bioassay-guided fractionation and purification of D. nigra may come up with potent bioactive drugs.

Acta Botanica Croatica, 2011

Biological activity of the red alga Laurencia brandenii The marine red alga Laurencia brandenii c... more Biological activity of the red alga Laurencia brandenii The marine red alga Laurencia brandenii collected from the southwest coast of India (Indian Ocean) was extracted and fractioned using column chromatography. The individual fractions were evaluated in vitro via antimicrobial activity against six species of Microbial Type Culture Collection and three species of clinical human pathogens, antipest activity on Sitophilus oryzae, maggoticidal activity against 2nd instar larvae of Sarcophaga sp. and termiticidal activity against Microtermes obesi. It was found that the fraction eluted using petroleum ether:chloroform (6:4) exhibited broader biological activities. The phyco-constituents of the active fraction were identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. The GC-MS profile of the active fraction revealed that the main constituent was octadecadienoic acid (49.75%) followed by n-hexadecanoic acid (14.24%), which might have a functional role in the biological ac...

Asian Fisheries Science, Mar 7, 2007

Breeding of laboratory-reared 21 pairs of broodstock Hippocampus kuda (Bleeker 1852) and rearing ... more Breeding of laboratory-reared 21 pairs of broodstock Hippocampus kuda (Bleeker 1852) and rearing of their young ones indicated that 262.00 ± 59.00 offsprings were released during each spawning. A newly born seahorse was (mean ± SE) 7.83 ± 0.11 mm in length with a weight of 1.17 ± 0.009 mg. It could attain a mean length of 31.14 ± 0.66 mm with a mean weight of 16.13 ± 0.60 mg in 30 days when fed ad libitum with Artemia nauplii. The mean survival per brood cycle was enhanced to 65.22 ± 1.87% from almost less than 1.0% by improving the rearing conditions.

Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology, 2015

ABSTRACT The present study on zooplankton species diversity, abundance and water quality paramete... more ABSTRACT The present study on zooplankton species diversity, abundance and water quality parameters with special emphasis on pelagic fish catches in three fishing grounds off Tiruchendur coast was conducted from January 2009 to December 2010. As zooplankton are playing important roles in transfer of energy to the pelagic food webs, an attempt was made to understand the role of zooplankton on pelagic fish catch in the potential fishing grounds. Stations 1–3 are located about 3.7 km, 14.1 km and 17.3 km from the Tiruchendur coast respectively. Sea surface temperature (SST) in three stations varied from 25.0 to 31.7 °C and minimum and maximum SST recorded unifromly in monsoon and summer seasons. Dissolved oxygen and salinity varied from 4.15 to 6.2 mg/l and from 33 to 36.3 PSU respectively. Total of 49 species of zooplankton have been documented during the study. Zooplankton diversity was significantly differed from seasons to seasons. Calanoid and larvae of crustacean's crabs were dominant group in three stations and significantly contributing to the pelagic fishery. High and low population density recorded during summer months and monsoon season respectively. The statistical analyses showed that, physical parameters significantly (positive) correlated with zooplankton abundance; however, chemical parameters exhibited significant negative correlation with zooplankton density in stations 1 and 2. Among the pelagic fishes, Sardinella longiceps and Scomberomorus commerson are the dominant species in the study. The high rate of zooplankton population density and maximum pelagic fish catch were inconsistent due to lacking period between spawning and fish catch.

Notulae Scientia Biologicae

Patterns of copepod-appendicularian distribution were studied along the Mangalore coastal waters ... more Patterns of copepod-appendicularian distribution were studied along the Mangalore coastal waters (12°50'49" N; 74°48'50" E) of the Arabian Sea to understand the food and feeding relationship existing among these groups. Sampling was conducted during premonsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon extending from January 2009 to December 2010. The copepod and appendicularian community was sampled with a 60 µm net to include the smallest species and their developmental stages. Copepod biomass, especially calanoids, was substantially high throughout the study. Seasonal mean results showed that the small-sized copepods (calanoids, harpacticoida and cyclopoids) dominated in terms of biomass and production. Calanoids found in abundance included Acartia, Centropages, Calanus, Eucalanus and Labidocera. Cyclopoid and Harpacticoid copepods genera dominated included Oithona, Oncaea and Microsetella, Macrosetella. Appendicularian species diversity was represented by Oikopleura fusiformis, O. dioica and its juveniles represented as Oikopleura sp. Total chlorophyll (chlorophyll a) ranging between 10 and 20 mg m-3 indicated the eutrophic state as well as productivity prevailing during the study period. Principal component analysis (PCA) indicated the routine and opportunistic seasonal grazers and establishes a phytoplankton-appendicularia-copepod-fish food chain relationship along Mangalore coast.

Notulae Scientia Biologicae

The survey along the Tamilnadu and Kerala coats of India reveled that six species of seahors (Hip... more The survey along the Tamilnadu and Kerala coats of India reveled that six species of seahors (Hippocampus fuscus, H. kelloggi, H. kuda, H. histrix H. mohnikei and H. trimaculatus) were distributed with different density. Out of the six species, H. fuscus, H. kuda and H. trimaculatus, were the commonly available species in all the observed areas. In Palk Bay, H. kuda was the dominant species constituting 49.10% of the total seahorses encountered. Hippocampus trimaculatus was the second dominant species which accounting 39.28%. The Gulf of Mannar region also most abounded with H. kuda (68.98%) followed by H. trimaculatus (20.80%), H. fuscus (9.80%), H. kelloggi (2.23%) and H. histrix (0.37%). In Kerala coast, H. trimaculatus was the dominant species (79.68%) followed by H. kuda (9.89%), H. kelloggi (8.33%) and H. fuscus (2.08%). To infer the variation of six seahorse species the morphometric and meristic characters were analysed. The important morphometric and meristic characters are ...

Journal of Ocean University of China, 2015

ABSTRACT In phylum Echinodermata, the family Holothuridae is distinguished by its capacity of bio... more ABSTRACT In phylum Echinodermata, the family Holothuridae is distinguished by its capacity of bioactive compounds. Sea cucumber Holothuria atra is commonly known as the lollyfish. The antifungal activity was detected using agar well diffusion method against the various fungal strains such as Trichoderma viride, Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus flavis, Candida albicans and Penicillium chrysogenum. Relatively high antifungal activity was seen against Candida albicans at 100 μL−1 concentration of extracts. Zone of inhibition was measured at 18 mm of diameter. The anti-tumor activities were detected against the Vero and Hep2 cell lines using MTT assay. The cells were treated with H. atra extract at concentrations 0.078–10mg mL−1. The extract showed high proliferative activity against the Hep2 cells. The body wall extracts of sea cucumber (H. atra) showed effective antifungal and antitumor activities. All these findings suggest that the extracts could be used for the development of drugs.

Microbial infections among captive reared tropical marine ornamental fishes and lobsters reared f... more Microbial infections among captive reared tropical marine ornamental fishes and lobsters reared for live transportation draw attention for effective prophylaxis and therapy. Antibiotics and related chemicals warrant restrictions due to the emergence of drug-resistant microbes, adverse impacts on ecosystem and possible entry to humans with the spreading of resistance genes. Considering these issues and to set a new concept of fish and shellfish disease prevention and disease management, marine natural products from the sponge - associated bacteria were prepared and their efficacy assessed with a view to avoid the dependence of bulk collection of bioactive source organisms. Methods: The susceptibility patterns of ornamental fishes reared in captive conditions were evaluated by computing their day to day mortality pattern along with the symptoms in marine aquaria. Microbial evaluations were ascertained in samples drawn from the infections of moribund fishes using the spread and pour pl...

ABSTRACT The possible immunosuppressant activity of extracts of Ulva fasciata, Hypnea valentiae a... more ABSTRACT The possible immunosuppressant activity of extracts of Ulva fasciata, Hypnea valentiae and Hypnea musciformis was evaluated by fish scale transplantation assay. The crude Hypnea extracts exhibited delayed acceptance of transplanted scale from 4th day onwards in the F2 progeny of Poecilia reticulata at 0.001% level compared to fractionated extract of Ulva fasciata. No rejection of transplanted scale was noticed at 0.01% of Ethanol-fresh extract of U. fasciata (EF) fraction up to 10th day of experiment. Rejection of transplanted scale was noticed in the case of acetone and ethanol - fresh extract among the F2 progeny from 3rd and 4th day respectively. Keywords: Ulva fasciata, Poecilia reticulata, Hypnea valentiae, Hypnea musciformis.

Indian Journal of Fisheries

The influence of methanol extract and its fractions of the marine macroalga, Hypnea musciformis o... more The influence of methanol extract and its fractions of the marine macroalga, Hypnea musciformis on aquaculturally important microalgae viz., Chlorella salina and Isochrysis galbana were investigated. Lower concentrations of the extract of H. musciformis resulted in marginal growth gain for C. salina and I. galbana. However, the fractionated extract inhibited the growth of both microalgae tested, suggesting toxicity. Results signify the importance of macroalgal extract in regulating the growth of aquaculturally important microalgae.

Indian Journal of Biotechnology

Journal of Applied Sciences Research

Two strains of Lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC B1746 and Lactococcus lactis MT... more Two strains of Lactic acid bacteria, Lactobacillus plantarum MTCC B1746 and Lactococcus lactis MTCC B440 which produce the bacteriocins, plantaricin 1746 and nisin 440 respectively were immobilized in calcium alginate beads. The free cells of them were optimized viz., temperature and pH for maximum bacteriocin production. The bacteriocin production was maximized at 48th h at 30° C and in pH 6.0 for L. plantarum; while it was at 96th h at 35° C and at a pH of 7.0 for L. lactis. Both the strains showed growth stability and maximum bacteriocin production at the stationary phase of growth. Free cells cultured at the optimum culture conditions were used to compare the effect of immobilization on bacteriocin production. Bacteriocin production peaked at 1800 AUml-1 and 1600 AUml-1 in free and immobilized fermentation broth of L. plantarum and L. lactis respectively. A decline in bacteriocin production occurred at the middle of the fermentation with the free cells in contrast to long term s...

Callyspongia subarmigera prevalent in the southeast coast of India was studied for evaluating the... more Callyspongia subarmigera prevalent in the southeast coast of India was studied for evaluating the bioactivity and phylogenetic resemblance with other drug-bearing species. Antibacterial screening of the methanol extract of C. subarmigera against clinical and fish pathogens displayed their broad spectrum against Gram positive and Gram negative pathogenic strains. Fish pathogenic bacteria Vibrio pelagius and Vibrio fischeri and the clinical pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa were highly susceptible to the methanol extract. Sponge extract had no antifungal property against the two fungal strains tested viz., Aspergillus niger and Candida albicans. Callyspongia subarmigera extract indicated cytotoxic activity with an LC 50 of 0.39% against Artermia nauplii in 24 h. PCR protocol was carried out using a 16S rRNA primer and an 18S rRNA primer and the annealing temperature was standardized at 55°C. BLAST analysis was conducted to detect the resemblance of different species of Callyspongia genera of sponges. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using neighbour joining method and the results revealed that C. subarmigera had the nearest homology to that of Haliclona cinerea, Haliclona oculata (88%) and Callyspongia spp (88%) possessing pharmacological relevance.

Notulae Scientia Biologicae, 2014

Morphology of the marine egg bearing cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis occurring along the southw... more Morphology of the marine egg bearing cyclopoid copepod Oithona similis occurring along the southwest coast of India [Vizhinjam (8º21'56"N; 76º59'39"E), Neendakara (8º57'29"N; 76º31'13"E), Cochin (9º56'16"N; 76º13'55"E) and Calicut (11º13'33"N; 75º46'30"E)] from January to December 2010 at different seasons (pre monsoon, monsoon and post monsoon) were studied. Detailed comparison of the structure of different appendages of O. similis with those already available for the species from Norway, Japan, China, Spain and Russia revealed minute differences in the armature of appendages, number and arrangement of spines, setae of swimming legs and anal laminae. The total length of the specimen collected from all the four stations in the study ranged from 615 to 650µ. The smallest specimens were obtained from Calicut.