A cup half full: the first assessment on the distribution, ecology and need for conservation of the threatened Neptune's cup sponge, Cliona patera, in the Gulf of Thailand.

The Neptune's cup sponge is an iconic species found in marine soft sediment habitats in the Indo-West Pacific, with a history of overharvesting and extreme population declines. Access to SCUBA diving surveys has allowed for its rediscovery at Singapore, its type locality; however, with fewer than ten living individuals documented in the twenty-first century, the species is believed to be in need of conservation. Here, we share the results from surveys across the Gulf of Thailand, allowing for a documentation of 29 additional individuals, with information on their ecology and distribution.

Exploring Prokaryotic Communities in the Guts and Mucus of Nudibranchs, and Their Similarity to Sediment and Seawater Microbiomes.

In the present study, we compared mucus and gut-associated prokaryotic communities from seven nudibranch species with sediment and seawater from Thai coral reefs using high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The nudibranch species were identified as Doriprismatica atromarginata (family Chromodorididae), Jorunna funebris (family Discodorididae), Phyllidiella nigra, Phyllidiella pustulosa, Phyllidia carlsonhoffi, Phyllidia elegans, and Phyllidia picta (all family Phyllidiidae). The most abundant bacterial phyla in the dataset were Proteobacteria, Tenericutes, Chloroflexi, Thaumarchaeota, and Cyanobacteria.

Zika virus isolation, propagation, and quantification using multiple methods.

Zika virus (ZIKV) was isolated from the archival urine, serum, and autopsy specimens by intrathoracic inoculation of Toxorhynchitis splendens and followed by three blind sub-passaging in C6/36 mosquito cells. The virus isolates were identified using an immunofluorescence assay and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT-PCR). This study analyzed 11 ZIKV isolates.

Cultivable yeasts associated with marine sponges in the Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea.

Marine sponges harbor numerous microorganisms, among which sponge-associated yeasts are the least explored. To gain greater knowledge of sponge-associated yeasts, an investigation was therefore performed on marine sponges in Sattahip Bay, Gulf of Thailand, South China Sea. Seventy-one (71) marine sponge samples were collected at sites near Samae-san, Mu, and Khram islands, and were subsequently identified as 17 sponge species in 14 genera.

Quintaquinone, a Merosesquiterpene from the Yellow Sponge cf. Esper.

A chemical investigation of the sponge cf. led to the isolation of 13 merosesquiterpenes, among which quintaquinone (), 5--nakijiquinone L (), and 3-farnesyl-2-hydroxy-5-methoxyquinone () were isolated and reported here for the first time. Particularly, compound is the first member of merosesquiterpenes with a polyketide side chain substituted on C-19.