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The genetic distance and relationships of 149 accessions representing 46 species in the genus Phalaenopsis and four species in Paraphalaenopsis were studied using random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers. The genus Paraphalaenopsis was used as an outgroup. A total of 20 random primers were screened and out of these, six random primers provided 123 polymorphic bands and zero monomorphic bands. Pairwise genetic distances between accessions were estimated according to Nei and Li (1979). Cluster analysis of data using the UPGMA algorithm placed the species in seven groups that are mostly congruent with those based on morphological characters erected by previous workers. As observed from the banding patterns, Ph. doweryensis, which is suspected to be a hybrid of Ph. gigantea and Ph. kunstleri or Ph. cochlearis, is not. RAPD markers can thus be successfully applied in this economically important group of orchids for the study of relationships and to distinguish taxa up to the specific level.

Melanomas are aggressive cancers that present as cutaneous, mucosal and ocular lesions with the ability to metastasise widely. There are, however, occasions where lesions are found in distant sites such as lymph nodes, viscera and subcutaneous tissues without clinically apparent skin involvement. This is known as metastatic melanoma of unknown primary (MUP). Its presentation in skeletal muscle is rare, and the available literature is sparse. This article presents an 85-year-old woman with a MUP presenting in the right temporalis muscle, which was diagnosed with the aid of the ultrasound-guided core biopsy. The melanoma deposit was successfully excised, and no recurrence was identified. The patient is now under close follow-up.

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