Unusual Color Research Articles

Copper localization, elemental content, and thallus colour in the copper hyperaccumulator lichenLecanora sierraefrom California

AbstractAn unusual dark blue-green lichen,Lecanora sierrae, was discovered over 30 years ago by Czehura near copper mines in the Lights Creek District, Plumas County, Northern California. Using atomic absorption spectroscopy, Czehura found that dark green lichen samples from Warren Canyon contained 4% Cu in ash and suggested that its colour was due to copper accumulation in the cortex. The present study addressed the hypothesis that the green colour in similar material we sampled from Warren Canyon in 2008, is caused by copper localization in the thallus. Optical microscopy and electron microprobe analysis of specimens ofL. sierraeconfirmed that copper localization took place in the cortex. Elemental analyses ofL. sierraeand three other species from the same localities showed high enrichments of copper and selenium, suggesting that copper selenates or selenites might occur in these lichens and be responsible for the unusual colour.

Lebiasina yepezi, a new Lebiasininae (Characiformes: Lebiasinidae) from the Serra Parima-Tapirapecó mountains

Lebiasina yepezi, a new Lebiasininae with a conspicuous color pattern, is described. The new species is endemic of the headwaters of the rio Negro, rio Branco, and rio Orinoco in the Serra Parima-Tapirapecó Mountains, at the border of Brazil and Venezuela. The new species is readily distinguished from all other Lebiasininae by the presence of four black longitudinal stripes on the trunk, and the triangular shaped dorsal surface of the mesethmoid, lacking lateral projections. The unusual color pattern is contrasted with those of other lebiasinin, as well as members of the pyrrhulinin genus Nannostomus. A close relationship between Lebiasina yepezi and the Gran Sabana (Venezuela) species is suggested based in color pattern features. The present contribution corresponds to a further refutation of the type locality of L. intermedia, as suggested on its description, since Lebiasinins, except L. bimaculata, L. boruca, and L. festae, do not occur in low land waters.

Growth Marks of titanian-andradite crystals from Colli Albani (Italy)

Periodico di Mineralogia (2011), 80, 1 (Special Issue), 89-104 - DOI: 10.2451/2011PM0007 Special Issue in memory of Sergio Lucchesi Growth Marks of titanian-andradite crystals from Colli Albani (Italy) Giovanna Agrosi * , Eugenio Scandale and Gioacchino Tempesta Dipartimento Geomineralogico - Universita degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro, Italy *Corresponding author: g.agrosi@geomin.uniba.it Abstract Growth defects and chemical zonings of Ti-rich andradite (melanite) crystals from Colli Albani were studied using X-ray Diffraction Topography and Electron Probe Microanalysis in order to determine the distinctive features, marks, characterising minerals grown directly from high temperature solution in an open system (volcanic chamber). The samples, cut in (110) and (001) slices, showed a number of primary and, above all, multiphasic melt inclusions, as well as, an unusual colour zoning consisting of a darker colour in the {211} growth sectors with the respect to the {110} sectors. The analysis of X-ray topographic contrasts of growth defects as growth bands, sector boundaries and bundles of dislocations developed parallel to the growth directions has enabled the reconstruction of the morphological evolution vs. time of the samples. The results also suggest that from their onset the crystals were faceted with {211} and predominant {110} faces. Moreover, the topographic images indicated that most of the examined dislocations were nucleated from inclusions. By using the extinction criterion, it was possible to determine that these defects are characterised by a strong edge component. The faceted morphology of garnets found in this paper and the fact that edge dislocations were only characterised suggest a layer spreading growth mechanism by two-dimensional nucleation. The reconstruction of morphology was also particularly useful in distinguishing two different types of chemical zoning: concentric and sector zoning. The results of chemical analyses confirmed that the optically observed colour zoning coincided with sector zoning because of a small but meaningful enrichment of TiO 2 and a decrease of Al 2 O 3 in correspondence with {211} growth sectors. Instead, concentration variations, chiefly of TiO 2 and SiO 2 , were recorded crossing successive growth stages. This event appeared to be associated with the physio-chemical evolution of the growth environment and was defined as concentric zoning. Comparing the results found in our study with those of previous studies on garnets from hydrothermal and metasomatic environments, the meaning of the growth marks in the Ti-rich andraditic garnets from Colli Albani could be assigned to primary multiphase melt inclusions, concentric and sector zoning, sector boundaries, growth bands and edge dislocations since these defects characterise and distinguish our samples from those grown in different genetic environments. Key words : X-ray Topography; Ti-rich andradite; structural defects; concentric zoning; sector zoning.

Unusual Color Change of Vinylpyranoanthocyanin−Phenolic Pigments

Anthocyanins are responsible for an interesting variety of colors in flowers, red fruits, and plant-derived foodstuffs. Experimental evidence is presented supporting an unusual color change from red to blue during storage. It has been investigated as a function of temperature at constant pH (pH <2). The color properties of the vinylpyranoanthocyanin pigments, usually designated portisins, have been studied in this work using both experimental and theoretical techniques. The visible spectra obtained from the two approaches were in good agreement. This behavior was explained by a reversible physical-chemical change due to electronic and vibrational properties.

Unusual Colour form of Siberian Pit Viper (Gloydius h. halys) from the Northern Edge of Its Area

In this report, I describe the unusual colour form of Siberian pit viper ( Gloydius h. halys ) from the marginal population in Novosibirsk region (West Siberia, Russia). This morph was named “bronze” and occurs of 16% of individuals. To the best of my knowledge, such colour pattern does not known from other parts of G. halys area.

Intestinal parasitic infections: prevalences in HIV/AIDS patients in a Thai AIDS-care centre

During 2005, the intestinal parasitic infections in the adult HIV/AIDS patients in a combined AIDS-care centre and hospice in Thailand were identified in a cross-sectional study. Overall, 41 (45.6%) of the 90 stool samples investigated, by microscopy and/or PCR, were found parasite-positive. Cryptosporidium was the genus most commonly encountered, with 27 (30.0%) of the patients positive for Cr. hominis and four (4.4%) positive for Cr. meleagridis. Enterocytozoon bieneusi, always of genotype D, was detected in five (5.6%) of the patients while two patients (2.2%) were found infected with Blastocystis, just one patient (1.1%) was found infected with Cyclospora cayetanensis and one more (1.1%) was found positive for Isospora belli. The only helminth infection detected was opisthorchiosis and that was only seen in two (2.2%) of the subjects. Patients with stools of unusual consistency (categorized as mucous, loose-watery or watery) were more likely to be found infected with one or more species of protozoan parasite than the patients with stools of normal consistency (P=0.022). In a multivariate analysis, compared with the other subjects, the patients with stools of unusual consistency were 4.9-fold more likely to have (opportunistic) intestinal infection with parasitic protozoa (with a 95% confidence interval for the adjusted odds ratio of 1.370-17.350; P=0.014). Although there was also a trend for stools of unusual colour (red-brown, red-orange, green, black or grey) to be positively associated with intestinal parasitic infection, this was not statistically significant (P=0.658). The observation of the consistency of stools of HIV/AIDS patients could help in the presumptive diagnosis of opportunistic protozoan infections and allow parasitological investigation to be targeted at the cases most likely to be found positive.

Atypical Aspergillus flavus Isolates Associated with Chronic Azole Therapy

A case of chronic sinus disease due to morphologically atypical Aspergillus flavus is described. Multiple fungal isolates sporulated poorly or not at all, displaying unusual color and microscopic morphology, including the absence of typical vesicles and phialides, which caused the isolates to resemble several other fungal genera superficially. The patient received multiple antifungal therapies over at least 10 years with various azole drugs, including voriconazole, itraconazole, and posaconazole. We speculate that this lengthy exposure to azole antifungal drugs may have caused or promoted the atypical morphology seen in these isolates.

Coronary left ventricular outflow tract fistula after resection of a subaortic valve membrane

A 34-yr-old woman was admitted to hospital for resection of a subaortic valve membrane and repair of an ascending aortic aneurysm (Figs. 1 and 2). At 8 months of age, the patient underwent resection of a subaortic valve membrane and closure of a patent ductus arteriosus. On this occasion, the patient underwent resection of the subaortic membrane, ventricular myomectomy, and replacement of the ascending aorta with an aortic valve-sparing technique. At the end of surgery, after unclamping the aorta, a small, central aortic insufficiency grade 1/4 was observed, with no ventricular septal defect. The mitral valve was normal, but an unusual subaortic color Doppler flow was discovered (Fig. 3), which had not been present preoperatively. This color flow was diastolic and appeared to originate from a branch of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery draining into the left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) just inferior to the aortic valve (Video 1, midesophageal inflow-outflow view). Pulsed-wave Doppler confirmed the typical diastolic flow pattern of the LAD coronary artery (Fig. 4). A fistula from a perforator septal branch of the interventricular septum was presumed to have been responsible for this unusual color flow (also known as a truncated septal perforator). This fistula was not present on the preoperative coronary angiogram. Weaning from bypass was easy and the left segmental ventricular function remained normal. The surgeon decided not to intervene on this new finding, and the patient had an uneventful recovery. Coronary artery fistulas may be congenital or acquired due to trauma or surgical interventions. These fistulas are quite rare in adults. In a series of 33,600 coronary angiograms in a general population, only 34 (0.1%) were observed, with a good prognosis. Surgical septal myomectomy may also result in a ventricular septal defect (perimembranous-like ventricular septal defect). In such case, the color flow pattern will be seen between the LVOT and the right ventricle in the mid-esophageal long-axis Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12630-009-9115-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Abstaining from Sex

Plant Science When a desirable plant appears, featuring an unusual flower color or a valuable nutritional trait, it would be handy to be able to propagate identical versions of that individual, but apomixis (asexual reproduction through seeds) is uncommon in crop plants. d'Erfurth et al. have identified a gene in the sexual plant Arabidopsis that causes an omission of the second meiotic division ( OSD1 ) during gametogenesis. Developing gametes that carry mutations in OSD1 generate two diploid rather than four haploid cells. These gametes are functional and give rise after fertilization to plants with increased ploidy. Although aspects of recombination during the first meiotic division generated progeny not identical to the parent, by combining the OSD1 mutation with two other mutations that alter the first meiotic division, the authors obtained gametes that carried the same genetic program as the parental plant, a promising start to engineering apomixis. PLoS Biol. 7 , e1000124 (2009).

Color variations of the blazar 3C 454.3 in 2004–2006

We present an analysis of multicolor (U BV RI JH K) observations of the blazar 3C 454.3 made in 2004–2006. We used the light curves compiled at the Turin Observatory from coordinated observations in the framework of the WEBT program. We consider color variations in two time intervals, when an unprecedented strong outburst occurred (2004–2005), and when the object was in a post-eruptive state and a low-amplitude brightness increase was observed (2006). The spectral energy distribution (SED) of the variable component remained the same within each of these intervals, but differed between them. In both cases, this SED followed a power law after correction for extinction, suggesting the variable component has a synchrotron nature. We conclude that the variations in the optical and IR were due to the same variable source. The object’s unusual color behavior (the brighter, the redder) was due to an increasing contribution from a variable component that was redder than the constant component (big blue bump).

Colour morph of a probable queen angelfish Holacanthus ciliaris from Dry Tortugas, Florida

An unusual colour morph of a probable Holacanthus ciliaris was observed in Dry Tortugas, Florida, which can possibly be explained by recessive homozygosity, however, further testing is necessary. This variation of H. ciliaris has previously only been described at St Paul's Rocks, Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

A 2-month-old Girl with an Enlarging Lesion of the Nasal Root

A 2-month-old Girl with an Enlarging Lesion of the Nasal Root

Martian dunite NWA 2737: Integrated spectroscopic analyses of brown olivine

A second Martian meteorite has been identified that is composed primarily of heavily shocked dunite, Northwest Africa (NWA) 2737. This meteorite has several similarities to the Chassigny dunite cumulate, but the olivine is more Mg rich and, most notably, is very dark and visually brown. Carefully coordinated analyses of NWA 2737 whole‐rock and olivine separates were undertaken using visible and near‐infrared reflectance, midinfrared emission and reflectance, and Mössbauer spectroscopic studies of the same samples along with detailed petrography, chemistry, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy analyses. Midinfrared spectra of this sample indicate that the olivine is fully crystalline and that its molecular structure remains intact. The unusual color and spectral properties that extend from the visible through the near‐infrared part of the spectrum are shown to be due to nanophase metallic iron particles dispersed throughout the olivine during a major shock event on Mars. Although a minor amount of Fe3+ is present, it cannot account for the well‐documented unusual optical properties of Martian meteorite NWA 2737. Perhaps unique to the Martian environment, this “brown” olivine exhibits spectral properties that can potentially be used to remotely explore the pressure‐temperature history of surface geology as well as assess surface composition.

Phylogeny of Laniarius: Molecular data reveal L. liberatus synonymous with L. erlangeri and “plumage coloration” as unreliable morphological characters for defining species and species groups

Laniarius is one of the larger genera within the avian bush-shrike radiation, the family Malaconotidae. Fairly homogenous by size and shape but highly variable by colours, these have been classified mainly on basis of plumage colours. In the present study, which is the first taxon-dense analysis of the genus Laniarius based on molecular sequence data (nuclear BRM15 intron-15, and mitochondrial ND2 and ATPase6 genes), we investigate interrelationships between 16 species and 34 subspecies of Laniarius. Altogether 2094 bp were aligned and subjected to maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses. Results strongly support the monophyly of Laniarius, and place it close to Chlorophoneus, but without outlining a precise sister-group. In a generally well-resolved phylogeny of Laniarius, L. leucorhynchus and L. atrococcineus constitute deep branches and the remaining species form five clades which are not concordant with previously defined superspecies. The black and white boubous belong to two different clades. L. aethiopicus appears polyphyletic and our results support the resurrection of Laniarius major, Laniarius erlangeri and Laniarius sublacteus. We also find that L. liberatus, described in 1991 based on the only known live individual, is identified as an unusual colour morph from L. erlangeri. The black boubous are not monophyletic; L. funebris and L. leucorhynchus appear as isolated species whereas L. poensis and L. fuelleborni are sister-taxa. We recovered the polyphyly of crimson boubous and new hypotheses on their relationships have been generated. Overall, the variation in pigments and patterns does not follow phylogenetic lineages. The plumage coloration could be thoroughly subject to modification and it could not reflect exactly colour plumages of the parents. From then on, the plumage coloration appears as an unreliable morphological character for defining species and species groups.

Analyses of a Green Copper Pigment Used in a Thirteenth-Century Wall Painting

A thirteenth-century sacred and profane wall painting has been rediscovered during renovation work in a city castle in Krems, Lower Austria. A frieze with alternating blue circles and green diamonds attracted attention to the unusual green colour. Several analyses by means of light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and laboratory and synchrotron X-ray diffraction show that the green colour stems mainly from clinoatacamite, a copper trihydroxychloride polymorph of Cu2(OH)3Cl which has probably been synthesized for this masterpiece. The pigment has been mixed in a lime matrix.

A new specieas of Namalycastis (Polychaeta: Nereididae: Namanereidinae) from the shores of South-east Asia

A new species of Namalycastis, N. rhodochorde sp. nov. (Polychaeta: Nereididae: Namanereidinae), is described from the shores of South-east Asia. At over one metre in length and bright pink in life, it is one of the largest and most spectacular species of Nereididae discovered. Apart from its extremely large size and unusual colour, the new species may be distinguished from other Namalycastis by having very short tentacular cirri, lacking spinigerous chaetae in both the reduced notopodia and the neuropodia (subacicular position) of the parapodia, and in having many falcigerous chaetae in anterior parapodia that are either completely smooth or basally serrated (i.e. lacking teeth). The new species is currently wild harvested in its native range and exported alive to various countries for the bait trade, and therefore may become invasive.

Iotrochota revisited: a new sponge and review of species from the western tropical Atlantic (Poecilosclerida:Iotrochotidae)

The systematics of tropical and subtropical western Atlantic species of Iotrochota is re-examined in light of the discovery of an undescribed species. Iotrochota birotulata (Higgin), the type species, is found to have more characters than previously recognised and is redefined with emphasis on a skeleton of spongin fibres containing stout, curved styles and strongyles (category I) and an interstitial spiculation consisting mainly of longer, slender and straight styles (II). Iotrochota bistylata Boury-Esnault is confirmed as a synonym of the above. The new species, named I. arenosa, sp. nov., differs in external morphology, strong mucus development, incorporation of sand and interstitial spicules that are mainly long, straight strongyles. Iotrochota atra (Whitfield), thought to be a synonym of I. birotulata, is recognised as a separate species occurring exclusively in the Bahamas and is found to be a senior synonym of I. imminuta Pulitzer-Finali; it is morphologically very similar to I. birotulata, but lacks birotulae and has a strongly reduced skeleton of megascleres (mostly one category of delicate strongyles). Iotrochota agglomerata Lehnert &amp; van Soest is recognised as the fourth distinct species for its unusual colour (orange), thinly encrusting habit and special spiculation (styles with tylostylote modifications).

Redescription of Cosberella conatoa Wray (Collembola: Hypogastruridae) and the description of C. lamaralexanderi

ABSTRACT Cosberella conatoa Wray, 1963, the type and only species of the genus, is redescribed from the type specimens. Mucrella Fjellberg, 1985 is synonymized with Cosberella as characters that delimit Mucrella (e.g., reduced and hidden maxilla lamella 4, presence of eversible antennal sac, minute to moderately developed anal horns) also apply to C. conatoa. The six previously described species of Mucrella are transferred to Cosberella. Cosberella lamaralexanderi is newly described from Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is differentiated from other species of Cosberella by its unusual body color and pattern (white to yellow-orange with a regular arrangement of dark violet spots), trilobed apical antennal bulb, and well-developed antennal sensory field.

New Dust Belts of Uranus: One Ring, Two Ring, Red Ring, Blue Ring

We compared near-infrared observations of the recently discovered outer rings of Uranus with Hubble Space Telescope results. We find that the inner ring, R/2003 U 2, is red, whereas the outer ring, R/2003 U 1, is very blue. Blue is an unusual color for rings; Saturn's enigmatic E ring is the only other known example. By analogy to the E ring, R/2003 U 1 is probably produced by impacts into the embedded moon Mab, which apparently orbits at a location where nongravitational perturbations favor the survival and spreading of submicron-sized dust. R/2003 U 2 more closely resembles Saturn's G ring, which is red, a typical color for dusty rings.

First Observation of Cavity Nesting by a Female Blue Grosbeak

On 21 May 2003, we discovered a completed Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) nest in an Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis) nest box. On 28 May, the nest contained four whitish-tan eggs with light-brown, streaky and spotty markings, an unusual color pattern for Blue Grosbeak eggs. Species' identification was confirmed by capturing the breeding female in the nest box, and confirmed again later with identification of the chicks as Blue Grosbeaks. To our knowledge, this is the first published account of cavity nesting, artificial or otherwise, for this species.