Suckers (Family Catostomidae) are holarctic in distribution and include 76 recent species in 14 genera, with 13 genera and 75 species occurring in North and Central America and Siberia. Although this group constitutes a significant component of many aquatic ecosystems, most historic systematic effort has been either alpha- or limited beta-level studies focusing on the two largest tribes within the family, the Catostomini and the Moxostomatini. A recent phylogenetic study based on morphological, biochemical, and early life history characters has advanced current understanding of relationships among catostomid fishes. To further examine phylogenetic relationships among basal lineages of catostomids, we sequenced the entire mitochondrial (mt) SSU and LSU rRNA genes from genera representing all subfamilies and tribes within Catostomidae. Phylogenetic analysis of gene sequences yielded monophyletic Catostomidae, Ictiobinae, and Catostominae and para- or polyphyletic Cycleptinae, with Myxocyprinus as the basal-most taxon and Cycleptus as either the next most-basal taxon or the taxon basal to the Catostominae. Relationships within the Catostominae were generally consistent with those proposed in the above-noted recent phylogenetic study although Thoburnia and Hypentelium were either a clade sister to or a grade group relative to Moxostoma and Scartomyzon. In all trees, Scartomyzon was paraphyletic and embedded within Moxostoma. Phylogenetic affinities of Erimyzon and Minytrema varied depending on data set and character weighting scheme employed. To better reflect phylogenetic relationships resolved in this extensive analysis, we propose the following changes to the classification of catostomids: formation of the new subfamily Myxocyprininae, containing Myxocyprinus from China; restriction of the Cycleptinae to the two species of Cycleptus from North America; restriction of the tribe Moxostomatini to Moxostoma and Scartomyzon; Erimyzon and Minytrema are incertae sedis within Catostominae; and resurrection of the tribe Thoburniini, containing Thoburnia and expanded to include Hypentelium.

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The morphology of Alexandrium minutum Halim from Denmark was studied and compared to the morphology of material from Portugal, Spain, France and Ireland. Strains from Denmark and the French coast of the English Channel differed from the typical minutum morphotype by the absence of a ventral pore. Cells without a pore also dominated field material from Ireland but a small fraction (6%) did have a pore. Many cells had a heavily areolated theca. In the exponential growth phase, the PSP-toxin profile of the Danish strain of A. minutum was dominated by C1 and C2 (up to 70%), whereas GTX2 and 3 made up more than 17%, and STX almost 13%. Cells entering the stationary phase contained 30% STX with a concomitant decrease of the other toxins. Partial large subunit rDNA sequences (664 bp) confirmed that the Danish A. minutum strain clusters together with other European strains of this species, and a strain from Australia. However, sequencing of this part of the gene did not resolve intraspecific relationships and could not differentiate populations with or without pore and/ or different toxin signatures. A strain from New Zealand had a remarkably high sequence divergence (up to 6%) compared to the other strains of A. minutum and its identity should be further investigated. A distribution map of A. minutum has been compiled and it is suggested that A. minutum and A. angustitabulatum Taylor are conspecific.

Myxobolus nagaraensis is a myxozoan parasite first reported in freshwater gobies (Rhinogobius spp.) from the Nagara River, Gifu Prefecture, Japan. Myxospores of M. nagaraensis form plasmodia in the visceral cavities of gobies, commonly presenting as distended abdomens. Although Rhinogobius is a common fish genus in Japan, details of M. nagaraensis, including genetic information, remain unknown. We compared the nucleotide sequences of the ribosomal RNA gene (rDNA) of M. nagaraensis from three different host species (R. fluviatilis, R. nagoyae, and R. similis) caught in three different rivers in Japan (Sakai, Sagami, and Kaname). The ITS region (ITS-1, 5.8S rDNA, and ITS-2) and large subunit (LSU) rDNA exhibited 49 and 55 variable sites, respectively. The highest nucleotide diversity was observed in the ITS region (0.00962), whereas that of the LSU rDNA was 0.00187. Differences in host species, rather than rivers, were a significant factor for genetic variation in both the ITS region (62.58%; P