Sample records for adoretus sinicus burmeister

  1. Sex Determination in the Chinese Rose Beetle, Adoretus sinicus, and overview of Adoretus species of biosecurity concern

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The Chinese rose beetle, Adoretus sinicus Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Adoretini), is a broadly polyphagous scarab beetle that is economically important and causes damage to a wide variety of host plants including agricultural crops and ornamentals in Southeast Asia, China, the ...

  2. Distinguishing Male and Female Chinese Rose Beetles, Adoretus sinicus, with an Overview of Adoretus Species of Biosecurity Concern

    PubMed Central

    McQuate, Grant T.; Jameson, Mary Liz

    2011-01-01

    The Chinese rose beetle, Adoretus sinicus Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Adoretini), is a broadly polyphagous scarab beetle that is economically important and causes damage to a wide variety of host plants including agricultural crops and ornamentals in Southeast Asia, China, the Hawaiian Islands and several other Pacific Islands. The species has become established in numerous regions and is of biosecurity concern because importation of this species to other regions poses a threat to agriculture due to its generalist herbivore feeding habits. Field and laboratory research directed towards control of the species is hampered by the lack of characteristics that allow accurate determination of the sexes on live beetles in the field. Here, three recognizable and reliable non-destructive morphological differences between the sexes of A. sinicus are documented: (1) the form of the terminal sternite; (2) the length to width ratio of protarsomere 1, and; 3) the ratio of the combined length of protarsomeres 2–4 to the length of protarsomere 1. Because many Adoretus species are of biosecurity concern, and because tools to identify Adoretus species are lacking, we review the natural history and research on control associated with A. sinicus as well as the genus as a whole. PMID:21864158

  3. Management of Chinese Rose Beetle (Adoretus sinicus) Adults Feeding on Cacao (Theobroma cacao) Using Insecticides

    PubMed Central

    Spafford, Helen; Ching, Alexander; Manley, Megan; Hardin, Chelsea; Bittenbender, Harry

    2016-01-01

    The Chinese rose beetle (Adoretus sinicus Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)) is an introduced, widely-established pest in Hawai’i. The adult beetles feed on the leaves of cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), which can lead to defoliation and even death of young trees. We evaluated the impact of five commercially available products with different active ingredients (imidacloprid, azadirachtin, Beauveria bassiana (Bals.-Criv.) Vuill., kaolin clay, and pyrethrin) and the presence or absence of weed mat cover in reducing adult beetle feeding on sapling cacao in the field. The use of weed mat cover reduced feeding damage compared to the untreated control, as did foliar application of imidacloprid, azadirachtin, and B. bassiana. In the laboratory, field-collected adult beetles were presented cacao leaf samples dipped in one of the five products and compared to a control. Beetles exposed to pyrethrin died rapidly. Among the other treatments, only exposure to imidacloprid significantly reduced survival relative to the control. Beetles fed very little on leaf samples with azadirachtin but their longevity was not significantly reduced. Imidacloprid, azadirachtin, and weed mat application had the most promise for reducing adult Chinese rose beetle feeding damage in young cacao and deserve further investigation for successful management of this significant pest. PMID:27348004

  4. Timing of onset of evening activity of adult chinese rose beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Adult Chinese rose beetles, Adoretus sinicus (Burmeister) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Adoretini), present in China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Marianas Islands, the Caroline Islands, and the Hawaiian Islands, are nighttime defoliators that feed on a wide vari...

  5. Control of Chinese rose beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) through the use of solar-powered nighttime illumination

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Chinese rose beetle, Adoretus sinicus (Burmeister), a scarab beetle found in Asia and the Pacific Islands, was first reported in Hawaii in 1891. Adults feed at night on leaves of a wide range of plant species, including many that are economically important. Aggregate feeding can stunt or even kill ...

  6. The identity of Hyla leucotaenia Burmeister, 1861 (Anura: Hylidae).

    PubMed

    Pinheiro, Paulo D P; Faivovich, Julián; Langone, José A; Kwet, Axel

    2014-11-13

    The German naturalist Carl Hermann Conrad Burmeister (1807-1892) had a prolific scientific career, spanning multiple taxa from diverse insect groups and trilobites to temnospondyls, birds, and extant and fossil mammals (see Berg, 1895). His contributions to anuran taxonomy are concentrated in two books, "Erläuterungen zur Fauna Brasiliensis…" (Burmeister, 1856) and "Reise durch die La Plata-Staaten…" (Burmeister, 1861). The latter is an account of his travels in Argentina and Uruguay from 1857-1860 and includes descriptions of three new species of frogs: Leiuperus nebulosus, Cystignathus mystacinus, and Hyla leucotaenia. While the first two names currently designate valid species, with the combinations Pleurodema nebulosum and Leptodactylus mystacinus respectively, the last name has had a more complex taxonomic history. It involves confusions involving a homonym, its consideration as a junior synonym of Hypsiboas pulchellus (Duméril & Bibron, 1841)-a widely distributed species in eastern Argentina, southeastern Brazil, and Uruguay (Frost, 2014)-and its actual identity corresponding to another widespread species in the same geographic area, with which it has never before been associated: Scinax squalirostris (A. Lutz, 1925). All these issues are discussed in this paper.

  7. Transcriptome sequencing and de novo analysis of the copepod Calanus sinicus using 454 GS FLX.

    PubMed

    Ning, Juan; Wang, Minxiao; Li, Chaolun; Sun, Song

    2013-01-01

    Despite their species abundance and primary economic importance, genomic information about copepods is still limited. In particular, genomic resources are lacking for the copepod Calanus sinicus, which is a dominant species in the coastal waters of East Asia. In this study, we performed de novo transcriptome sequencing to produce a large number of expressed sequence tags for the copepod C. sinicus. Copepodid larvae and adults were used as the basic material for transcriptome sequencing. Using 454 pyrosequencing, a total of 1,470,799 reads were obtained, which were assembled into 56,809 high quality expressed sequence tags. Based on their sequence similarity to known proteins, about 14,000 different genes were identified, including members of all major conserved signaling pathways. Transcripts that were putatively involved with growth, lipid metabolism, molting, and diapause were also identified among these genes. Differentially expressed genes related to several processes were found in C. sinicus copepodid larvae and adults. We detected 284,154 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that provide a resource for gene function studies. Our data provide the most comprehensive transcriptome resource available for C. sinicus. This resource allowed us to identify genes associated with primary physiological processes and SNPs in coding regions, which facilitated the quantitative analysis of differential gene expression. These data should provide foundation for future genetic and genomic studies of this and related species.

  8. Multi-Gene Analysis Reveals a Lack of Genetic Divergence between Calanus agulhensis and C. sinicus (Copepoda; Calanoida)

    PubMed Central

    Kozol, Robert; Blanco-Bercial, Leocadio; Bucklin, Ann

    2012-01-01

    The discrimination and taxonomic identification of marine species continues to pose a challenge despite the growing number of diagnostic metrics and approaches. This study examined the genetic relationship between two sibling species of the genus Calanus (Crustacea; Copepoda; Calanidae), C. agulhensis and C. sinicus, using a multi-gene analysis. DNA sequences were determined for portions of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase I (mtCOI); nuclear citrate synthase (CS), and large subunit (28S) rRNA genes for specimens collected from the Sea of Japan and North East (NE) Pacific Ocean for C. sinicus and from the Benguela Current and Agulhas Bank, off South Africa, for C. agulhensis. For mtCOI, C. sinicus and C. agulhensis showed similar levels of haplotype diversity (Hd = 0.695 and 0.660, respectively) and nucleotide diversity (π = 0.003 and 0.002, respectively). Pairwise FST distances for mtCOI were significant only between C. agulhensis collected from the Agulhas and two C. sinicus populations: the Sea of Japan (FST = 0.152, p<0.01) and NE Pacific (FST = 0.228, p<0.005). Between the species, FST distances were low for both mtCOI (FST = 0.083, p = 0.003) and CS (FST = 0.050, p = 0.021). Large subunit (28S) rRNA showed no variation between the species. Our results provide evidence of the lack of genetic distinction of C. sinicus and C. agulhensis, raise questions of whether C. agulhensis warrants status as a distinct species, and indicate the clear need for more intensive and extensive ecological and genetic analysis. PMID:23118849

  9. Functional centromeres in Astragalus sinicus include a compact centromere-specific histone H3 and a 20-bp tandem repeat.

    PubMed

    Tek, Ahmet L; Kashihara, Kazunari; Murata, Minoru; Nagaki, Kiyotaka

    2011-11-01

    The centromere plays an essential role for proper chromosome segregation during cell division and usually harbors long arrays of tandem repeated satellite DNA sequences. Although this function is conserved among eukaryotes, the sequences of centromeric DNA repeats are variable. Most of our understanding of functional centromeres, which are defined by localization of a centromere-specific histone H3 (CENH3) protein, comes from model organisms. The components of the functional centromere in legumes are poorly known. The genus Astragalus is a member of the legumes and bears the largest numbers of species among angiosperms. Therefore, we studied the components of centromeres in Astragalus sinicus. We identified the CenH3 homolog of A. sinicus, AsCenH3 that is the most compact in size among higher eukaryotes. A CENH3-based assay revealed the functional centromeric DNA sequences from A. sinicus, called CentAs. The CentAs repeat is localized in A. sinicus centromeres, and comprises an AT-rich tandem repeat with a monomer size of 20 nucleotides.

  10. Comprehensive Transcriptome Study to Develop Molecular Resources of the Copepod Calanus sinicus for Their Potential Ecological Applications

    PubMed Central

    Yang, Qing; Sun, Fanyue; Yang, Zhi; Li, Hongjun

    2014-01-01

    Calanus sinicus Brodsky (Copepoda, Crustacea) is a dominant zooplanktonic species widely distributed in the margin seas of the Northwest Pacific Ocean. In this study, we utilized an RNA-Seq-based approach to develop molecular resources for C. sinicus. Adult samples were sequenced using the Illumina HiSeq 2000 platform. The sequencing data generated 69,751 contigs from 58.9 million filtered reads. The assembled contigs had an average length of 928.8 bp. Gene annotation allowed the identification of 43,417 unigene hits against the NCBI database. Gene ontology (GO) and KEGG pathway mapping analysis revealed various functional genes related to diverse biological functions and processes. Transcripts potentially involved in stress response and lipid metabolism were identified among these genes. Furthermore, 4,871 microsatellites and 110,137 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified in the C. sinicus transcriptome sequences. SNP validation by the melting temperature (T m)-shift method suggested that 16 primer pairs amplified target products and showed biallelic polymorphism among 30 individuals. The present work demonstrates the power of Illumina-based RNA-Seq for the rapid development of molecular resources in nonmodel species. The validated SNP set from our study is currently being utilized in an ongoing ecological analysis to support a future study of C. sinicus population genetics. PMID:24982883

  11. Grazing Impact of the Copepod Calanus sinicus on Phytoplankton in the Northern East China Sea in Late Spring

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Garam; Kang, Hyung-Ku

    2018-03-01

    We investigated the feeding habits of Calanus sinicus during its four developmental stages as copepodite 4 (CIV), copepodite 5 (CV), adult males and females in early June 2015 at 12 sampling stations along the southern coast of Korea to the northern East China Sea, to better understand the role of C. sinicus in controlling phytoplankton stocks. Ingestion rate, daily ration as body carbon, population ingestion rate, and grazing impact were estimated using the gut pigment method. The mean biomass of CVs was the greatest (13.5 mg C m-3) and that of adult males was the lowest (0.7 mg C m-3). The ingestion rate per C. sinicus individual tended to increase with developmental stage, with the highest rate in adult females (519 ng chl ind-1 d-1) and the lowest rate in CIVs (305 ng chl ind-1 d-1). A significant correlation was found between ingestion rate and temperature, but not salinity or chlorophyll-a concentration. The daily ration of C. sinicus as body carbon significantly decreased with increased body weight, with the highest value found in CIVs (66.4%) and the lowest value in adult males (30%). Despite the high ingestion rate of the adults, the mean grazing impact of C. sinicus on phytoplankton biomass, in terms of chlorophyll-a concentration, was the highest in CVs (2.6%), followed by CIVs and adult females, and was the lowest in adult males (0.1%). The higher grazing impact of copepodites than adults underscores the importance of evaluating copepodite stages in the feeding studies of marine food webs.

  12. Transcriptome Sequencing and Analysis for Culm Elongation of the World's Largest Bamboo (Dendrocalamus sinicus).

    PubMed

    Cui, Kai; Wang, Haiying; Liao, Shengxi; Tang, Qi; Li, Li; Cui, Yongzhong; He, Yuan

    2016-01-01

    Dendrocalamus sinicus is the world's largest bamboo species with strong woody culms, and known for its fast-growing culms. As an economic bamboo species, it was popularized for multi-functional applications including furniture, construction, and industrial paper pulp. To comprehensively elucidate the molecular processes involved in its culm elongation, Illumina paired-end sequencing was conducted. About 65.08 million high-quality reads were produced, and assembled into 81,744 unigenes with an average length of 723 bp. A total of 64,338 (79%) unigenes were annotated for their functions, of which, 56,587 were annotated in the NCBI non-redundant protein database and 35,262 were annotated in the Swiss-Prot database. Also, 42,508 and 21,009 annotated unigenes were allocated to gene ontology (GO) categories and clusters of orthologous groups (COG), respectively. By searching against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database (KEGG), 33,920 unigenes were assigned to 128 KEGG pathways. Meanwhile, 8,553 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 81,534 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) were identified, respectively. Additionally, 388 transcripts encoding lignin biosynthesis were detected, among which, 27 transcripts encoding Shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT) specifically expressed in D. sinicus when compared to other bamboo species and rice. The phylogenetic relationship between D. sinicus and other plants was analyzed, suggesting functional diversity of HCT unigenes in D. sinicus. We conjectured that HCT might lead to the high lignin content and giant culm. Given that the leaves are not yet formed and culm is covered with sheaths during culm elongation, the existence of photosynthesis of bamboo culm is usually neglected. Surprisedly, 109 transcripts encoding photosynthesis were identified, including photosystem I and II, cytochrome b6/f complex, photosynthetic electron transport and F-type ATPase, and 24 transcripts were characterized as antenna

  13. Two new species of Cyphotes Burmeister, 1835 (Hemiptera: Membracidae: Darninae)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Two new species in the genus Cyphotes Burmeister, 1835 (Darninae: Darnini) are described, including Cyphotes colombiensis sp. nov. and Cyphotes sakakibarai sp. nov. A key is provided to distinguish the known species of Cyphotes. Colombia and Peru are new country records for the genus....

  14. Transcriptome Sequencing and Analysis for Culm Elongation of the World’s Largest Bamboo (Dendrocalamus sinicus)

    PubMed Central

    Cui, Kai; Wang, Haiying; Liao, Shengxi; Tang, Qi; Li, Li; Cui, Yongzhong; He, Yuan

    2016-01-01

    Dendrocalamus sinicus is the world’s largest bamboo species with strong woody culms, and known for its fast-growing culms. As an economic bamboo species, it was popularized for multi-functional applications including furniture, construction, and industrial paper pulp. To comprehensively elucidate the molecular processes involved in its culm elongation, Illumina paired-end sequencing was conducted. About 65.08 million high-quality reads were produced, and assembled into 81,744 unigenes with an average length of 723 bp. A total of 64,338 (79%) unigenes were annotated for their functions, of which, 56,587 were annotated in the NCBI non-redundant protein database and 35,262 were annotated in the Swiss-Prot database. Also, 42,508 and 21,009 annotated unigenes were allocated to gene ontology (GO) categories and clusters of orthologous groups (COG), respectively. By searching against the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes Pathway database (KEGG), 33,920 unigenes were assigned to 128 KEGG pathways. Meanwhile, 8,553 simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and 81,534 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) were identified, respectively. Additionally, 388 transcripts encoding lignin biosynthesis were detected, among which, 27 transcripts encoding Shikimate O-hydroxycinnamoyltransferase (HCT) specifically expressed in D. sinicus when compared to other bamboo species and rice. The phylogenetic relationship between D. sinicus and other plants was analyzed, suggesting functional diversity of HCT unigenes in D. sinicus. We conjectured that HCT might lead to the high lignin content and giant culm. Given that the leaves are not yet formed and culm is covered with sheaths during culm elongation, the existence of photosynthesis of bamboo culm is usually neglected. Surprisedly, 109 transcripts encoding photosynthesis were identified, including photosystem I and II, cytochrome b6/f complex, photosynthetic electron transport and F-type ATPase, and 24 transcripts were characterized as antenna

  15. Effect of diurnal temperature difference on lipid accumulation and development in Calanus sinicus (Copepoda: Calanoida)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhou, Konglin; Sun, Song

    2017-07-01

    Calanus sinicus, the dominant copepod in the Yellow Sea, develops a large oil sac in late spring to prepare for over-summering in the Yellow Sea Cold Water Mass (YSCWM). The lipid accumulation mechanism for the initiation of over-summering is unknown. Here, we cultured C3 copepodites at four constant temperatures (10, 13, 16, and 19°C) and at three temperature regimes that mimicked the temperature variations experienced during diurnal vertical migration (10-13°C, 10-16°C, and 10-19°C) for 18 days to explore the effects of temperature differences on copepod development and lipid accumulation. C. sinicus stored more lipid at low than at high temperatures. A diurnal temperature difference (10-16°C and 10-19°C) promoted greater lipid accumulation (1.9-2.1 times) than a constant temperature of either 16°C or 19°C, by reducing the energy cost at colder temperatures and lengthening copepodite development. Thereafter, the lipid reserve supported gonad development after final molting. Only one male developed in these experiments. This highly female-skewed sex ratio may have been the result of the monotonous microalgae diet fed to the copepodites. This study provides the first evidence that diurnal temperature differences may promote lipid accumulation in C. sinicus, and provides a foundation for future investigations into the mechanisms involved in over-summering in the YSCWM.

  16. Distinctive mitochondrial genome of Calanoid copepod Calanus sinicus with multiple large non-coding regions and reshuffled gene order: Useful molecular markers for phylogenetic and population studies

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Copepods are highly diverse and abundant, resulting in extensive ecological radiation in marine ecosystems. Calanus sinicus dominates continental shelf waters in the northwest Pacific Ocean and plays an important role in the local ecosystem by linking primary production to higher trophic levels. A lack of effective molecular markers has hindered phylogenetic and population genetic studies concerning copepods. As they are genome-level informative, mitochondrial DNA sequences can be used as markers for population genetic studies and phylogenetic studies. Results The mitochondrial genome of C. sinicus is distinct from other arthropods owing to the concurrence of multiple non-coding regions and a reshuffled gene arrangement. Further particularities in the mitogenome of C. sinicus include low A + T-content, symmetrical nucleotide composition between strands, abbreviated stop codons for several PCGs and extended lengths of the genes atp6 and atp8 relative to other copepods. The monophyletic Copepoda should be placed within the Vericrustacea. The close affinity between Cyclopoida and Poecilostomatoida suggests reassigning the latter as subordinate to the former. Monophyly of Maxillopoda is rejected. Within the alignment of 11 C. sinicus mitogenomes, there are 397 variable sites harbouring three 'hotspot' variable sites and three microsatellite loci. Conclusion The occurrence of the circular subgenomic fragment during laboratory assays suggests that special caution should be taken when sequencing mitogenomes using long PCR. Such a phenomenon may provide additional evidence of mitochondrial DNA recombination, which appears to have been a prerequisite for shaping the present mitochondrial profile of C. sinicus during its evolution. The lack of synapomorphic gene arrangements among copepods has cast doubt on the utility of gene order as a useful molecular marker for deep phylogenetic analysis. However, mitochondrial genomic sequences have been valuable markers for

  17. Climate-driven Shifting in Distribution Patterns of Calanus sinicus Brodsky in the Continental Shelf Waters of the Northwest Pacific Ocean

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yang, Q.; Liu, H.; Yan, Q. L.; Fan, J. F.

    2016-02-01

    Large-scale variations in zooplankton dynamics, including the poleward movements and earlier timing of life cycle events, have been widely observed over recent decades. The biogeographical shifts are often related to the increasing sea surface temperature or the long-term climatological change, such as the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), the El Niño Southern Oscillation (NESO) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). The Copepod Calanus sinicus Brodsky plays an important trophic role in the continental shelf waters of the Northwest Pacific Ocean as a grazer of phytoplankton and main food source for many ecologically and commercially important fish, such as sardine and anchovy. Because of its importance in marine ecosystem dynamics, C. sinicus was selected as one of the "keystone species" in the China-GLOBEC program. In this study, we examined the shifts in spatial patterns of the species within its distribution domain - the Yellow Sea and the northern East China Sea in the 1950s, 1980s and 2010s. We used contour mapping and a mathematical model to locate the geographical distribution center of the species. We found a significant relationship (r=0.594, P<0.05) between the monthly PDO index and the latitudes of the distribution center of C. sinicus, and a lag of two months for copepods to respond the PDO index. Our findings imply a northward shifting in the distribution center, and the northern Yellow Sea is becoming a new distribution center as another possible over-summering site of C. sinicus.

  18. Lipids and fatty acids in Calanus sinicus during oversummering in the southern Yellow Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wang, Yanqing; Li, Chaolun; Liu, Mengtan; Jin, Xin

    2017-07-01

    Over-summering is a crucial period for Calanus sinicus in the southern Yellow Sea, where it is a key member of the zooplankton community. Lipids play an important role in copepod diapause, which is part of their over-summering strategy. We investigated how different fatty acids and lipid classes, including wax esters, changed during over-summering of C. sinicus during three cruises in June and August 2011 and November 2010, corresponding to the pre-, during and post-diapause periods, respectively. Large amounts of lipids were accumulated, mainly wax esters as previously found in C. finmarchicus during its diapause, and most of the storage lipids were used during over-summering. Wax ester polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) showed the most variation of the fatty acids (FAs), while the percentage composition of FAs in polar lipids was relatively stable. Selective use of wax ester PUFAs has already been shown to play important roles in the winter diapause of Calanus species in other regions, and our FA results show that this is the case for the Yellow Sea Cold Bottom Water (YSCBW) population that diapauses in summer.

  19. Effects of the oxylipin-producing diatom Skeletonema marinoi on gene expression levels of the calanoid copepod Calanus sinicus.

    PubMed

    Lauritano, Chiara; Carotenuto, Ylenia; Vitiello, Valentina; Buttino, Isabella; Romano, Giovanna; Hwang, Jiang-Shiou; Ianora, Adrianna

    2015-12-01

    Diatoms are eukaryotic unicellular plants that constitute one of the major components of marine phytoplankton, comprising up to 40% of annual productivity at sea and representing 25% of global carbon-fixation. Diatoms have traditionally been considered a preferential food for zooplankton grazers such as copepods, but, in the last two decades, this beneficial role has been challenged after the discovery that many species of diatoms produce toxic metabolites, collectively termed oxylipins, that induce reproductive failure in zooplankton grazers. Diatoms are the dominant natural diet of Calanus sinicus, a cold-temperate calanoid copepod that supports secondary production of important fisheries in the shelf ecosystems of the Northwest Pacific Ocean, Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan and South China Sea. In this study, the effect of the oxylipin-producing diatom Skeletonema marinoi on C. sinicus has been evaluated by analyzing expression level changes of genes involved in defense and detoxification systems. Results show that C. sinicus is more resistant to a diet of this diatom species in terms of gene expression patterns, compared to the congeneric species Calanus helgolandicus which is an important constituent of the temperate waters of the Atlantic Ocean and northern Mediterranean Sea. These findings contribute to the better understanding of genetic and/or phenotypic flexibility of copepod species and their capabilities to cope with stress by identifying molecular markers (such as stress and detoxification genes) as biosensors for environmental perturbations (e.g. toxins and contaminants) affecting marine copepods. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. The type-material of Arctiinae (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) described by Burmeister and Berg in the collection of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia (Buenos Aires, Argentina).

    PubMed

    Beccacece, Hernán M; Vincent, Benoit; Navarro, Fernando R

    2014-01-01

    Carlos G. Burmeister and Carlos Berg were among the most important and influential naturalists and zoologists in Argentina and South America and described 241 species and 34 genera of Lepidoptera. The Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia (MACN) housed some of the Lepidoptera type specimens of these authors. In this study we present a catalogue with complete information and photographs of 11 Burmeister type specimens and 10 Berg type specimens of Phaegopterina, Arctiina and Pericopina (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini) housed in the MACN. Lectotypes or holotypes were designated where primary type specimens could be recognized; in some cases we were not able to recognize types. The catalogue also proposes nomenclatural changes and new synonymies: Opharus picturata (Burmeister, 1878), comb. n.; Opharus brunnea Gaede, 1923: 7, syn. n.; Hypocrisias jonesi (Schaus, 1894), syn. n.; Leucanopsis infucata (Berg, 1882), stat. rev.; Paracles argentina (Berg, 1877), sp. rev.; Paracles uruguayensis (Berg, 1886), sp. rev.

  1. The type-material of Arctiinae (Lepidoptera, Erebidae) described by Burmeister and Berg in the collection of the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

    PubMed Central

    Beccacece, Hernán M.; Vincent, Benoit; Navarro, Fernando R.

    2014-01-01

    Abstract Carlos G. Burmeister and Carlos Berg were among the most important and influential naturalists and zoologists in Argentina and South America and described 241 species and 34 genera of Lepidoptera. The Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales Bernardino Rivadavia (MACN) housed some of the Lepidoptera type specimens of these authors. In this study we present a catalogue with complete information and photographs of 11 Burmeister type specimens and 10 Berg type specimens of Phaegopterina, Arctiina and Pericopina (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini) housed in the MACN. Lectotypes or holotypes were designated where primary type specimens could be recognized; in some cases we were not able to recognize types. The catalogue also proposes nomenclatural changes and new synonymies: Opharus picturata (Burmeister, 1878), comb. n.; Opharus brunnea Gaede, 1923: 7, syn. n.; Hypocrisias jonesi (Schaus, 1894), syn. n.; Leucanopsis infucata (Berg, 1882), stat. rev.; Paracles argentina (Berg, 1877), sp. rev.; Paracles uruguayensis (Berg, 1886), sp. rev. PMID:25061380

  2. Taxonomic revision of Stagmatoptera Burmeister, 1838 (Mantodea: Mantidae, Stagmatopterinae).

    PubMed

    Rodrigues, Henrique Miranda; Cancello, Eliana Marques

    2016-11-01

    Stagmatoptera Burmeister, 1838 includes medium to large-sized (49.8-98.7mm) praying mantises distributed in the Neotropical region. They are characterized for having a central, circular spot on each forewing, and 2-4 carinae in the head's frontal shield. This study is an updated revision of the genus on the basis of type and non-type material deposited in various scientific collections from Europe and the Americas. The following nomenclatural procedures were conducted: Stagmatoptera nova is a new junior synonym of Stagmatoptera pia, Stagmatoptera ignota as the junior synonym of Stagmatoptera femoralis, and Stagmatoptera flavipennis is reinstated as the junior synonym of Stagmatoptera supplicaria. Two new species are described: Stagmatoptera diana Rodrigues sp. n. from Colombia and Venezuela, and Stagmatoptera cerdai Rodrigues sp. n. from Trinidad & Tobago and Venezuela. Stagmatoptera now includes 14 species, two of which (Stagmatoptera abdominalis and Stagmatoptera indicator) are considered as species inquirenda. We provide detailed morphological descriptions of all species, a species-level identification key, in addition to abundant visual material to assist identification. Female genitalia, a structure seldom used for taxonomic purposes, was a useful character system to distinguish among species of the genus. Distribution maps for all species are also provided.

  3. Description of Cyclocephala distincta Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) immatures and identification key for third instars of some Cyclocephala species.

    PubMed

    Souza, Thamyrys Bezerra De; Maia, Artur Campos Dália; Albuquerque, Cleide Maria Ribeiro De; Iannuzzi, Luciana

    2014-10-08

    The larval instars and pupa of Cyclocephala distincta Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) are described and compared to those of other known congenerics. Adult C. distincta, specialized flower visitors of Neotropical palms (Arecaceae), were collected in an area of native Atlantic Forest cover in the northeastern coast of Brazil and reared in captivity. The larvae of C. distincta diff---er from those of the other congenerics because of a distinctive pattern and arrangement of the setae on the raster.

  4. Choroid Plexus Cyst in a Neonatal Burmeister's Porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis).

    PubMed

    Díaz-Delgado, J; Groch, K R; Wiegand, M W; Secchi, E R; Réssio, R; Natália, F C C; Catão-Dias, J L

    2017-07-01

    Neuroectodermal developmental anomalies are reported rarely in cetaceans and central nervous system cysts are not described. We describe the gross, microscopical, histochemical and immunohistochemical features of a neuraxial myelencephalic cyst in a stranded neonatal Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoena spinipinnis). Grossly, a subdural, extra-axial, well-demarcated, yellow fluid-filled cystic structure (1.9 × 1.6 × 1 cm) expanded the left foramen of Luschka, the left caudolateral cerebellar recess and the left cranioventral myelencephalon. The cyst displaced the ipsilateral ventral paraflocculus and distended the underlying cranial nerves IX, X, XI and XII. Microscopically, the cystic structure was lined by a monolayer of low cuboidal to flattened epithelium supported by a thin fibrovascular matrix. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed strong and diffuse expression of AE1/AE3 and focal positivity for vimentin. IHC for epithelial membrane antigen, glial fibrillary acid protein, synaptophysin and S100 was negative. Based on these findings, an extra-axial cyst of the choroid plexus of the fourth ventricle (CCPFV) was diagnosed. The pathological relevance of the CCPFV in this case is uncertain. The cause of death involved severe perinatal interspecific (shark) trauma. The present case provides the first evidence of a neuroepithelial cyst in cetacean species. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Evaluating oxidation-reduction properties of dissolved organic matter from Chinese milk vetch (Astragalus sinicus L.): a comprehensive multi-parametric study.

    PubMed

    Liu, Yong; Lou, Jun; Li, Fang-Bai; Xu, Jian-Ming; Yu, Xiong-Sheng; Zhu, Li-An; Wang, Feng

    2014-08-01

    Green manuring is a common practice in replenishment of soil organic matter and nutrients in rice paddy field. Owing to the complex interplay of multiple factors, the oxidation--reduction (redox) properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) from green manure crops are presently not fully understood. In this study, a variety of surrogate parameters were used to evaluate the redox capacity and redox state of DOM derived from Chinese milk vetch (CMV, Astragalus sinicus L.) via microbial decomposition under continuously flooded (CF) and non-flooded (NF) conditions. Additionally, the correlation between the surrogate parameters of CMV-DOM and the kinetic parameters of relevant redox reactions was evaluated in a soil-water system containing CMV-DOM. Results showed that the redox properties of CMV-DOM were substantially different between the fresh and decomposed CMV-DOM treatments. Determination of the surrogate parameters via ultraviolet-visible/Fourier transform infrared absorption spectroscopy and gel permeation chromatography generally provided high-quality data for predicting the redox capacity of CMV-DOM, while the surrogate parameters determined by elemental analysis were suitable for predicting the redox state of CMV-DOM. Depending on the redox capacity and redox state of various moieties/components, NF-decomposed CMV-DOM could easily accelerate soil reduction by shuttling electrons to iron oxides, because it contained more reversible redox-active functional groups (e.g. quinone and hydroquinone pairs) than CF-decomposed CMV-DOM. This work demonstrates that a single index cannot interpret complex changes in multiple factors that jointly determine the redox reactivity of CMV-DOM. Thus, a multi-parametric study is needed for providing comprehensive information on the redox properties of green manure DOM.

  6. Breeding system and pollination of two closely related bamboo species.

    PubMed

    Chen, Ling-Na; Cui, Yong-Zhong; Wong, Khoon-Meng; Li, De-Zhu; Yang, Han-Qi

    2017-05-01

    An understanding of the breeding systems and pollination of agriculturally important plants is critical to germplasm improvement. Breeding system characteristics greatly influence the amount and spatial distribution of genetic variation within and amongst populations and influence the rarity and extinction vulnerability of plant species. Many woody bamboos have a long vegetative period (20-150 years) followed by gregarious monocarpy. Relatively, little is known about their pollination and breeding systems. We studied these characteristics in wild Dendrocalamus membranaceus populations and cultivated Dendrocalamus sinicus populations distributed in the Yunnan Province of China. Floral morphology, flower visitors and breeding system were studied from 2013 to 2015. Both bamboos were protogynous, but flowering periods of florets overlapped providing opportunities for self-pollination amongst florets, especially in D. membranaceus . There was no agamospermy in either species. Seed set of D. sinicus was low (0.42 ± 0.42 %) under natural pollination but higher (8.89 ± 2.55 %) after artificial xenogamy. Seed set of D. membranaceus was higher (7.49 ± 0.82 %) in mass flowering populations and 2.14 ± 0.25 % in sporadically flowering populations. The Asian honeybee Apis cerana could provide cross-pollination of D. membranaceus and D. sinicus , and flower visitation peaked at 1000-1200 h. Pollination limitation due to lack of pollinators or pollen was detected in the cultivated populations of D. sinicus and sporadically flowering populations of D. membranaceus . Pollination limitation was not obvious within mass flowering populations. Hand pollination could significantly increase seed set of these two bamboo species. Dendrocalamus membranaceus and D. sinicus were self-compatible and have a mixed-mating system with outcrossing being pre-dominant. Their seed production was limited by the quantity of pollen and pollinator activity. Honeybees were

  7. Parasites in stranded cetaceans of Patagonia.

    PubMed

    Berón-Vera, Bárbara; Crespo, Enrique A; Raga, Juan A

    2008-08-01

    There is an increasing interest in parasites of marine mammals of Argentina. Here, we examined several poorly known cetaceans, i.e., 2 spectacled porpoises and 1 Burmeister's porpoise (Phocoenidae), and 1 Gray's beaked whale and 1 Cuvier's beaked whale (Ziphidae); we also updated the parasite information for 1 sperm whale (Physeteridae). These hosts strand only occasionally. We found Anisakis simplex s.l. in 2 spectacled porpoises and the Burmeister's porpoise, and recorded its distribution among the stomach chambers. Anisakis physeteris infected the sperm whale; Corynosoma cetaceum occurred in the duodenal ampulla of the Burmeister's porpoise; Corynosoma australe was found in the posterior-most region of the intestine of 1 spectacled porpoise, while another one had Tetrabothrius sp. in the anal crypts; Corynosoma bullosum and Corynosoma sp. were found in the sperm whale. The only digenean found was Pholeter gastrophilus in the Burmeister's porpoise. Merocercoids of Phyllobothrium delphini were present in the blubber of 1 spectacled porpoise, the sperm whale, and the Gray's beaked whale, while Scolex pleuronectis infected the Gray's beaked whale and 1 spectacled porpoise. No parasites were recovered from the Cuvier's beaked whale. Poor parasite-species assemblages are consistent in marine mammals of Patagonia. Given the conservation status of these hosts, the limited parasitological information gathered is valuable for conservation or management of these hosts in Patagonia.

  8. A note on the new species of the genus Isopsera (Orthoptera: Phaneropteridae: Phaneropterinae) from India.

    PubMed

    Nagar, Rajendra; Mal, Jhabar; Swaminathan, R

    2015-05-29

    A new species of the genus, Isopsera: Isopsera arcuata Nagar, Mal, Swaminathan sp. nov. (Orthoptera:Phaneropteridae Burmeister, 1838; Phaneropterinae Burmeister, 1838) is described. The holotype (♂) was collected from South India: Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu). The geographical location had the following specifications: 12⁰58 N 77⁰35E 930MSL South India. The described species differs from the two closely related species, I. caligula Ingrisch and I. spinosa Ingrisch, based on the structure of the male sub-genital plate, cerci and stridulatory file on the left tegmen.

  9. Identification and interspecies transmission of a novel bocaparvovirus among different bat species in China.

    PubMed

    Lau, Susanna K P; Ahmed, Syed Shakeel; Yeung, Hazel C; Li, Kenneth S M; Fan, Rachel Y Y; Cheng, Toni Y C; Cai, Jian-Piao; Wang, Ming; Zheng, Bo-Jian; Wong, Samson S Y; Woo, Patrick C Y; Yuen, Kwok-Yung

    2016-12-01

    We report the discovery of a novel bocaparvovirus, bat bocaparvovirus (BtBoV), in one spleen, four respiratory and 61 alimentary samples from bats of six different species belonging to three families, Hipposideridae, Rhinolophidae and Vespertilionidae. BtBoV showed a higher detection rate in alimentary samples of Rhinolophus sinicus (5.7 %) than those of other bat species (0.43-1.59 %), supporting R. sinicus as the primary reservoir and virus spillover to accidental bat species. BtBoV peaked during the lactating season of R. sinicus, and it was more frequently detected among female than male adult bats (P<0.05), and among lactating than non-lactating female bats (P<0.0001). Positive BtBoV detection was associated with lower body weight in lactating bats (P<0.05). Ten nearly complete BtBoV genomes from three bat species revealed a unique large ORF1 spanning NS1 and NP1 in eight genomes and conserved splicing signals leading to multiple proteins, as well as a unique substitution in the conserved replication initiator motif within NS1. BtBoV was phylogenetically distantly related to known bocaparvoviruses with ≤57.3 % genome identities, supporting BtBoV as a novel species. Ms-BtBoV from Miniopterus schreibersii and Hp-BtBoV from Hipposideros pomona demonstrated 97.2-99.9 % genome identities with Rs-BtBoVs from R. sinicus, supporting infection of different bat species by a single BtBoV species. Rs-BtBoV_str15 represents the first bat parvovirus genome with non-coding regions sequenced, which suggested the presence of head-to-tail genomic concatamers or episomal forms of the genome. This study represents the first to describe interspecies transmission in BoVs. The high detection rates in lactating female and juvenile bats suggest possible vertical transmission of BtBoV.

  10. New genera and species of leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) from China and South Korea

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Two new genera from China (Taumaceroides Lopatin and Yunnaniata Lopatin) and 11 new species (Smaragdina quadrimaculata Lopatin, Smaragdina oblongum Lopatin, Hyphaenia volkovitshi Lopatin, Arthrotus daliensis Lopatin, Taumaceroides sinicus Lopatin, Yunnaniata konstantinovi Lopatin, Calomicrus yunnanu...

  11. Lethal and sub-lethal effect of Beauveria bassiana strain NI8 on Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera:Chrysopidae)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    A Mississippi Delta native strain (NI8 ARSEF8889) of Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Sordariomycetes: Hypocrales), isolated from Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois), was bioassayed on green lacewings, Chrysoperla rufilabris Burmeister (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) at four spray concentrations...

  12. Genetics Home Reference: centronuclear myopathy

    MedlinePlus

    ... W, Beggs AH, Li JZ, Burmeister M, Dowling JJ. Dominant mutation of CCDC78 in a unique congenital ... E, Boennemann C, Straub V, Quinlivan R, Dowling JJ, Al-Sarraj S, Treves S, Abbs S, Manzur AY, Sewry CA, ...

  13. Synonymy of two recently described taxa of Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae).

    PubMed

    Massa, Bruno

    2018-03-14

    Specimens of the two taxa Terpnistriella bredoi Massa, 2017 and Pseudogoetia constanti Massa, 2017 from Democratic Republic of Congo were certainly erroneously labeled, because they resulted synonymous with neotropical taxa Vellea cruenta (Burmeister, 1838) and Philophyllia guttulata Stål, 1873.

  14. Lethality of the entomogenous fungus Beauveria bassiana strain NI8 on Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae) and its possible impact on beneficial arthropods

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bioassays were conducted to examine the pathogenicity of the fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Ascomycota: Hypocreales) strain NI8 against Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) and its impact on natural enemies including Apis mellifera L., Crysoperla rufrilabris Burmeister, Orius insid...

  15. Susceptibility of Bagrada hilaris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) to insecticides in laboratory and greenhouse bioassays

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Field-collected populations of Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) from Coachella Valley, CA, Imperial Valley, CA, Riverside, CA and Yuma Valley, AZ, were evaluated for susceptibility to several active ingredients representing ten classes of insecticide chemistry. Both leaf-spray and leaf-dip bioassays wer...

  16. Lessons from a Lifetime as a Music Educator. Grand Masters Series.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burmeister, Clifton A.

    2001-01-01

    Focuses on Clifton Burmeister's experiences in music education, addressing his career and educational experiences. Highlights the trends he witnessed within music education. Believes that each generation of teachers must fight for music education and lists the problems that must be solved. (CMK)

  17. ESTs from developed embryos, Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae)

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), a green lacewing, is a generalist predator commercially sold as a biological control product. Very few molecular genetic analyses of this or similar organisms have been performed. To establish a baseline of expressed sequence data for th...

  18. Prevalence and Mental Health Correlates of Sleep Disruption Among Military Members Serving in a Combat Zone

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-07-01

    likely yielded higher operational tempo, greater security concerns, more hazardous environ­ mental exposures, exaggerated daily operational stressors,43...Burmeister M: PER3 polymorphism and insomnia severity in alcohol dependence. Sleep 2012; 35(4): 571-7. 10. Pigeon WR. Pinquart M, Conner K: Meta

  19. A new species of mole cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae: Gryllotalpinae) from Bukit Fraser, Malay Peninsula, with taxa notes on another similar mole cricket.

    PubMed

    Tan, Ming Kai; Kamaruddin, Khairul Nizam

    2013-01-01

    One new species of Gryllotalpa from Bukit Fraser, Pahang of Malay Peninsula is described: Gryllotalpafraser sp. n. Pho tographs of Gryllotalpa hirsuta Burmeister, 1838 were examined and some remarks are made here, including a compari son with Gryllotalpafraser sp. n. and Gyllotalpa nymphicus Tan, 2012.

  20. Some taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in American Mantodea (Insecta, Dictyoptera)--Part I.

    PubMed

    Agudelo, Antonio A; Rivera, Julio

    2015-03-20

    Multiple nomenclatural problems persist in mantodean taxonomy. This constitutes an important challenge for praying mantis systematics, its forthcoming development and future consolidation. In this first contribution, we attempt solving a number of issues involving mostly Neotropical praying mantis species described by Brazilian entomologists Paulo S. Terra, Cândido F. de Mello-Leitão, Salvador de Toledo Piza Junior and Lauro J. Jantsch. We provide evidence to justify the following nomenclatural changes. In Acanthopidae, Acontiothespis travassosi Jantsch, 1986 is a new synonym of Raptrix perspicua (F. 1787). Changes in Thespidae are: Emboicy Terra, 1982 is a new synonym of Chloromiopteryx Giglio-Tos, 1915, E. mirim Terra, 1982 is transferred to Chloromiopteryx as C. mirim (Terra, 1982) (new combination); Musoniola plurilobata Mello-Leitão, 1937 is transferred to Chloromiopteryx as C. plurilobata (Mello-Leitão, 1937) (new combination); Metathespis modesta Piza, 1968 is removed from synonymy with Chloromiopteryx thalassina (Burmeister, 1838) and considered valid as C. modesta (Piza, 1968) (new combination and status revalidated); Metathespis precaria Piza, 1968 is removed from synonymy with Chloromiopteryx thalassina (Burmeister, 1838) and considered a new synonym of Miobantia rustica (Fabricius, 1781); Eumiopteryx magna Jantsch, 1991 is transferred to Anamiopteryx as A. magna (Jantsch, 1991) (new combination). For Mantidae/Amelinae, Tithrone corseuli Jantsch, 1986 and T. clauseni Jantsch, 1995 are new synonyms of Litaneutria minor (Scudder, 1872); in Mantidae/Photininae Coptopteryx gigliotosi Piza, 1960 (non Werner, 1925), its replacement name Coptopteryx ermannoi Jantsch & Corseuil, 1988 and Paraphotina precaria Piza, 1966 (the latter currently placed within Coptopteryx) are all new synonyms of Coptopteryx argentina (Burmeister, 1838), whereas Brachypteromantis bonariensis Piza 1960 (currently placed among Coptopteryx) is a new synonym of Coptopteryx gayi

  1. Five new species and a new country record in American Cerambycidae Coleoptera).

    PubMed

    Galileo, Maria Helena M; Santos-Silva, Antonio

    2016-11-20

    Five new species are described from American fauna: Stizocera boliviensis and Sphaerion lingafelteri from Bolivia (Elaphidiini); Ectenessa wappesi from Panama (Ectenessini); Mecometopus martinsi from Peru and Ecuador (Clytini); Recchia volcanensis from Bolivia (Aerenicini). The new species are included in previous keys. Sphaerion rusticum Burmeister, 1865 is recorded from Bolivia for the first time.

  2. The Acoustic Repertoire of Odontecetes as a Basis for Developing Automatic Detectors and Classifiers

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2004-05-01

    8 3.4 Vaquita ...Phocoenoides dalli Spectacled Porpoise Australophocaena dioptrica Harbour Porpoise Phocoena phocoena Vaquita Phocoena sinus Burmeister’s Porpoise... Vaquita Type Bandwidth ∆f [Hz] Dominant f [Hz] Duration/Repet. SL [dB re 1µPa @1m] Location Reference s clicks 147k-122k 128k-139k 79-193µs

  3. First case of Trichodectes pinguis (Phthiraptera: Ischnocera: Trichodectidae) on a Bear (Ursus arctos) in Turkey.

    PubMed

    Dik, Bilal; Orunç Kılınç, Özlem

    2015-12-01

    This study was conducted to provide morphological characters of Trichodectes pinguis Burmeister, 1838 that was found on a European brown bear (Ursus arctos Linnaeus) that was found injured in the Van province, eastern Turkey. Three lice specimens were collected from the bear, and they were identified as T. pinguis. The morphological characteristics of this species were provided in this study. T. pinguis was reported for the first time in Turkey.

  4. Molecular Phylogeny and Revision of Copepod Orders (Crustacea: Copepoda).

    PubMed

    Khodami, Sahar; McArthur, J Vaun; Blanco-Bercial, Leocadio; Martinez Arbizu, Pedro

    2017-08-22

    For the first time, the phylogenetic relationships between representatives of all 10 copepod orders have been investigated using 28S and 18S rRNA, Histone H3 protein and COI mtDNA. The monophyly of Copepoda (including Platycopioida Fosshagen, 1985) is demonstrated for the first time using molecular data. Maxillopoda is rejected, as it is a polyphyletic group. The monophyly of the major subgroups of Copepoda, including Progymnoplea Lang, 1948 (=Platycopioida); Neocopepoda Huys and Boxshall, 1991; Gymnoplea Giesbrecht, 1892 (=Calanoida Sars, 1903); and Podoplea Giesbrecht, 1892, are supported in this study. Seven copepod orders are monophyletic, including Platycopioida, Calanoida, Misophrioida Gurney, 1933; Monstrilloida Sars, 1901; Siphonostomatoida Burmeister, 1834; Gelyelloida Huys, 1988; and Mormonilloida Boxshall, 1979. Misophrioida (=Propodoplea Lang, 1948) is the most basal Podoplean order. The order Cyclopoida Burmeister, 1835, is paraphyletic and now encompasses Poecilostomatoida Thorell, 1859, as a sister to the family Schminkepinellidae Martinez Arbizu, 2006. Within Harpacticoida Sars, 1903, both sections, Polyarthra Lang, 1948, and Oligoarthra Lang, 1948, are monophyletic, but not sister groups. The order Canuelloida is proposed while maintaining the order Harpacticoida s. str. (Oligoarthra). Cyclopoida, Harpacticoida and Cyclopinidae are redefined, while Canuelloida ordo. nov., Smirnovipinidae fam. nov. and Cyclopicinidae fam. nov are proposed as new taxa.

  5. First report of Potorolepis spassky, 1994 (Eucestoda: Hymenolepididae) from China, with description of a new species in bats (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae).

    PubMed

    Makarikova, Tatiana A; Makarikov, Arseny A

    2012-12-01

    Potorolepis gulyaevi sp. n. (Cestoda: Hymenolepididae) is described from the Chinese horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus sinicus Andersen (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae), from southern China. The new species differs from known species of the genus by the shape, number and size of rostellar hooks, the relative position and length of the cirrus-sac and the morphology of gravid uterus. This is the first report of a member of the genus from non-marsupial mammals and the first record of a Potorolepis Spassky, 1994 from eastern Asia. The generic diagnosis of Potorolepis is amended.

  6. Karyology of eight species of bats (Mammalia: Chiroptera) from Hainan Island, China

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Yi; Motokawa, Masaharu; Li, Yu-Chun; Harada, Masashi; Chen, Zhong; Lin, Liang-Kong

    2009-01-01

    Karyotypes and chromosomal data are presented for eight bat species representing two families (Rhinolophidae and Vespertilionidae) from Hainan Island, China. The species investigated were Rhinolophus lepidus (2n = 62, FN = 60), R. pusillus (2n = 62, FN = 60), R. affinis (2n = 62, FN = 60), R. sinicus (2n = 36, FN = 60), Myotis horsfieldi (2n = 44, FN = 52), Pipistrellus abramus (2n = 26, FN = 44), Miniopterus australis (2n = 46, FN = 50) and M. schreibersii (2n = 46, FN = 50). The karyotype of Rhinolophus lepidus is reported for the first time. PMID:19847322

  7. Allantoin crystal formation in Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister)(Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) females

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bagrada hilaris is a polyphagous herbivore recently reported as an invasive pest in the U.S. During the course of dissecting B. hilaris to understand ovarian morphology in relation to egg production and to determine sperm viability, unique crystals were observed in both the midgut and oviducts. Cry...

  8. Allantoin crystal formation in Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) females

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bagrada hilaris is a polyphagous herbivore recently reported as an invasive pest in the U.S. During the course of dissecting B. hilaris to understand ovarian morphology in relation to egg production and to determine sperm viability, unique crystals were observed in both the midgut and oviducts. Crys...

  9. [Diet composition and seasonal variation in feeding habits of Collichthy lucidus in Yangtze Estuary, China].

    PubMed

    Wang, Jian-feng; Zhao, Feng; Song, Chao; Yang, Gang; Hou, Jun-li; Zhuang, Ping

    2016-01-01

    Spiny head croaker (Collichthy lucidus) is an important bottom fish distributing from the East China Sea to the Yellow Sea. In order to investigate the seasonal variation in diet composition and feeding habits, a total of 270 specimens were collected in the Yangtze Estuary from November, 2013 to August, 2014, and analyzed by using the stomach contents analysis method. The importance of different prey items was evaluated by the frequency of occurrence, abundance and mass followed by using these data to calculate the index of relative importance (IRI) and the index of preponderance (Ip) for each taxonomic category. The results showed that the diet of C. lucidus consisted of 30 species belonging to 8 orders, in which shrimps, with 38.5 IRI% and 79.1 Ip values, was the most important prey species. The followings were Mysidacea and Amphipoda. The dominant species in the diet of C. lucidus were Palaemon gravieri, Exopalaemon annandalei, E. carinicauda, Acanthomysis longirostris, A. brevirostris, Synidotea laevidorsalis and Calanus sinicus. The dominant species in the diet varied in different seasons. P. gravieri, E. annandalei and A. brevirostris were dominant species in spring and summer, A. longirostris, A. brevirostris and E. carinicauda in autumn, and P. gravieri, C. sinicus and Pesudeuphausia sinica in winter. There was 10.4% of total samples with empty stomachs, and the highest percent appeared in winter, and the lowest in autumn. The mean stomach fullness index of the whole samples was 0.6%, with the highest found in spring, the lowest in winter, indicating the feeding activity of C. lucidus varied significantly among seasons.

  10. Leader/Follower Behaviour Using the SIFT Algorithm for Object Recognition

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-06-01

    opérations de convoiement plus complexes qui utiliseraient une vision artificielle basée sur la détection d’un chef. Les travaux futurs : Étant donné la...Systems: A Virtual Trailer Link Model, In Proceedings of IEEE/RSJ Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. [4] Hong, P., Sahli, H., Colon, E., and... Intelligent Robots and Systems. [6] Nguyen, H., Kogut, G., Barua, R., and Burmeister, A. (2004), A Segway RMP-based Robotic Transport System, In In

  11. Larval and pupal descriptions of Anomalini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) species from Ecuador.

    PubMed

    Filippini, Valentina; Onore, Giovanni; Guidolin, Laura

    2017-02-02

    The third instars are described and illustrated for five Anomalini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) species from Ecuador: Anomala balzapambae Ohaus, 1897, A. popayana Ohaus, 1897, A. valida Burmeister, 1844, Callistethus buchwaldianus (Ohaus, 1908), and C. levii (Blanchard, 1851). The pupae of three Ecuadorian species are also described and illustrated: A. discoidalis Bates, 1888, A. popayana, and C. levii. Diagnostic characters of the species are provided. A key to the known larvae of Anomalini from the New World is provided, which now includes five genera and 31 species.

  12. The first sexual associations in the genus Darditilla Casal, 1965 (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae)

    PubMed Central

    Luz, David R.; Williams, Kevin A.

    2014-01-01

    Abstract New sex associations are proposed for four species of Darditilla: Darditilla amabilis (Gerstaecker, 1874); Darditilla bejaranoi Casal, 1968; Darditilla debilis (Gerstaecker, 1874); and Darditilla felina (Burmeister, 1854). Darditilla botija Casal, 1965, syn. n. is the male of Darditilla amabilis; the other three males were previously unknown. Mutilla decorosa Kohl, 1882, syn. n. is conspecific with Darditilla felina. Descriptions and extended diagnoses are provided for previously unknown males and for females that were not adequately described. These represent the first sex associations for the genus Darditilla. PMID:25493066

  13. Bats host diverse parvoviruses as possible origin of mammalian dependoparvoviruses and source for bat-swine interspecies transmission.

    PubMed

    Lau, Susanna K P; Ahmed, Syed Shakeel; Tsoi, Hoi-Wah; Yeung, Hazel C; Li, Kenneth S M; Fan, Rachel Y Y; Zhao, Pyrear S H; Lau, Candy C C; Lam, Carol S F; Choi, Kelvin K F; Chan, Ben C H; Cai, Jian-Piao; Wong, Samson S Y; Chen, Honglin; Zhang, Hai-Lin; Zhang, Libiao; Wang, Ming; Woo, Patrick C Y; Yuen, Kwok-Yung

    2017-11-06

    Compared to the enormous species diversity of bats, relatively few parvoviruses have been reported. We detected diverse and potentially novel parvoviruses from bats in Hong Kong and mainland China. Parvoviruses belonging to Amdoparvovirus, Bocaparvovirus and Dependoparvovirus were detected in alimentary, liver and spleen samples from 16 different chiropteran species of five families by PCR. Phylogenetic analysis of partial helicase sequences showed that they potentially belonged to 25 bocaparvovirus, three dependoparvovirus and one amdoparvovirus species. Nearly complete genome sequencing confirmed the existence of at least four novel bat bocaparvovirus species (Rp-BtBoV1 and Rp-BtBoV2 from Rhinolophus pusillus, Rs-BtBoV2 from Rhinolophus sinicus and Rol-BtBoV1 from Rousettus leschenaultii) and two novel bat dependoparvovirus species (Rp-BtAAV1 from Rhinolophus pusillus and Rs-BtAAV1 from Rhinolophus sinicus). Rs-BtBoV2 was closely related to Ungulate bocaparvovirus 5 with 93, 72.1 and 78.7 % amino acid identities in the NS1, NP1 and VP1/VP2 genes, respectively. The detection of bat bocaparvoviruses, including Rs-BtBoV2, closely related to porcine bocaparvoviruses, suggests recent interspecies transmission of bocaparvoviruses between bats and swine. Moreover, Rp-BtAAV1 and Rs-BtAAV1 were most closely related to human AAV1 with 48.7 and 57.5 % amino acid identities in the rep gene. The phylogenetic relationship between BtAAVs and other mammalian AAVs suggests bats as the ancestral origin of mammalian AAVs. Furthermore, parvoviruses of the same species were detected from multiple bat species or families, supporting the ability of bat parvoviruses to cross species barriers. The results extend our knowledge on the diversity of bat parvoviruses and the role of bats in parvovirus evolution and emergence in humans and animals.

  14. Structure and spatial patterns of macrobenthic community in Tai Lake, a large shallow lake, China

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Di Li,; Erickson, Richard A.; Song Tang,; Xuwen Li,; Niu, Zhichun; Xia Wang,; Hongling Liu,; Hongxia Yu,

    2016-01-01

    Tai Lake (Chinese: Taihu), the third-largest freshwater lake in China, suffers from harmful cyanobacteria blooms that are caused by economic development and population growth near the lake. Several studies have focused on phytoplankton in Tai Lake after a drinking water crisis in 2007; however, these studies primarily focused on microcystin bioaccumulation and toxicity to individual species without examining the effects of microcystin on macrobenthic community diversity. In this study, we conducted a survey of the lake to examine the effects of microcystine and other pollutants on marcobenthic community diversity. A totally of forty-nine species of macroinvertebrates were found in Tai Lake. Limnodrilus hoffmeisteri and Corbicula fluminea were the most abundant species. Cluster-analysis and one-way analysis of similarity (ANOSIM) identified three significantly different macrobenthic communities among the sample sites. More specifically, sites in the eastern bays, where aquatic macrophytes were abundant, had the highest diversity of macrobenthic communities, which were dominated by Bellamya aeruginosa, Bellamya purificata, L. hoffmeisteri, and Alocinma longicornis. Sites in Zhushan Bay contained relatively diverse communities, mainly composed of L. hoffmeisteri, C. fluminea, L. claparederanus, R. sinicus, and Cythura sp. Sites in the western region, Meiliang Bay and Wuli Bay had the lowest diversity, mainly composed ofL. hoffmeisteri, C. fluminea, Branchiura sowerbyi, and Rhyacodrilus sinicus. In addition, the relationships between macrobenthic metrics (Shannon–Wiener, Margalef, and Pielou) and environmental variables showed that community structure and spatial patterns of macrobenthos in Tai Lake were significantly influenced by chemical oxygen demand (CODCr), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), lead (Pb), and microcystin-LR (L for leucine and R for arginine). Our findings provide critical information that could help managers and policymakers

  15. Resistance to Arrenurus spp. Parasitism in Odonates: Patterns Across Species and Comparisons Between a Resistant and Susceptible Host

    PubMed Central

    Worthen, Wade B.

    2016-01-01

    Some adult odonates resist parasitism by larval water mites (Arrenurus spp.) with melanotic encapsulation, in which the mite’s stylestome is clogged and the mite starves. In summer 2014, we counted the engorged and resisted mites on 2,729 adult odonates sampled by aerial net at 11 water bodies in Greenville Co. and Pickens Co., SC, and tested the hypothesis that the frequency and intensity of resistance correlates with parasite prevalence (the percentage of parasitized hosts). Resistance prevalence (the percentage of parasitized hosts that resisted at least one mite) varied significantly among host species, exceeding 60% for Argia fumipennis (Burmeister) and Celithemis fasciata Kirby but less than 20% for other species. However, neither resistance prevalence nor mean resistance intensity (mean percentage of resisted mites on resisting hosts) correlated with parasite prevalence. We described potential effects of parasitism on host development of A. fumipennis and Pachydiplax longipennis (Burmeister) by comparing the percent asymmetry of forewing lengths between parasitized and unparasitized individuals. There was no significant difference in asymmetry for either males or females of A. fumipennis, or males of Pa. longipennis (females were not sampled). We also evaluated differences in melanotic encapsulation between A. fumipennis, which readily encapsulates mites in nature, and Pa. longipennis. We inserted a 2.0-mm piece of sterile monofilament line into the thorax of captured individuals for 24 h and compared mean gray value scores of inserted and emergent ends using Image-J software. There was no difference in melanotic encapsulation between species. PMID:27067302

  16. Resistance to Arrenurus spp. Parasitism in Odonates: Patterns Across Species and Comparisons Between a Resistant and Susceptible Host.

    PubMed

    Worthen, Wade B; Hart, Thomas M

    2016-01-01

    Some adult odonates resist parasitism by larval water mites (Arrenurus spp.) with melanotic encapsulation, in which the mite's stylestome is clogged and the mite starves. In summer 2014, we counted the engorged and resisted mites on 2,729 adult odonates sampled by aerial net at 11 water bodies in Greenville Co. and Pickens Co., SC, and tested the hypothesis that the frequency and intensity of resistance correlates with parasite prevalence (the percentage of parasitized hosts). Resistance prevalence (the percentage of parasitized hosts that resisted at least one mite) varied significantly among host species, exceeding 60% for Argia fumipennis(Burmeister) and Celithemis fasciata Kirby but less than 20% for other species. However, neither resistance prevalence nor mean resistance intensity (mean percentage of resisted mites on resisting hosts) correlated with parasite prevalence. We described potential effects of parasitism on host development ofA. fumipennis and Pachydiplax longipennis(Burmeister) by comparing the percent asymmetry of forewing lengths between parasitized and unparasitized individuals. There was no significant difference in asymmetry for either males or females of A. fumipennis, or males of Pa. longipennis(females were not sampled). We also evaluated differences in melanotic encapsulation between A. fumipennis, which readily encapsulates mites in nature, and Pa. longipennis We inserted a 2.0-mm piece of sterile monofilament line into the thorax of captured individuals for 24 h and compared mean gray value scores of inserted and emergent ends using Image-J software. There was no difference in melanotic encapsulation between species. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

  17. Two-stroke diesels meet Macau electric power needs

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Cordeiro, V.; Jensen, J.B.

    1996-07-01

    In February 1996, the second and last section of the third low-speed diesel extension to the Coloane Power Station was handed over to Companhia de Electricidade de Macau (CEM) by an international consortium. Lead by Burmeister & Wain Scandinavian Contractor A/S (BWSC), The consortium also includes Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding Co. Ltd.(MES), and MAN B&W Diesel A/S. The two new Mitsui MAN B&W model 12K90MC-S units, each having a capacity of more than 50MW, are said to be the largest stationary two-stroke low-speed diesels built to date.

  18. On the relationships of 'Marmosa' formosa Shamel, 1930 (Marsupialia: Didelphidae), a phylogenetic puzzle from the Chaco of northern Argentina

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Voss, Robert S.; Gardner, Afred L.; Jansa, Sharon A.

    2004-01-01

    The holotype and only known specimen of Marmosa formosa Shamel, a nominal species currently synonymized with Gracilinanus agilis Burmeister, is strikingly unlike any other known didelphid marsupial. Phylogenetic analyses based on nonmolecular characters and IRBP sequences suggest that formosa is either the sister-taxon of Thylamys (including Lestodelphys) or Monodelphis. Because neither alternative is strongly supported by the data at hand, and because including formosa in Thylamys or in Monodelphis would compromise the diagnosability of those taxa, a new genus?Chacodelphys?is proposed to contain it. Currently known only from northern Argentina, Chacodelphys formosa may be widely distributed in the Chaco and other adjacent Neotropical biomes.

  19. [Transportation networks and means in the development of scientific expeditions in Argentina (1850-1910)].

    PubMed

    Farro, Máximo E

    2008-01-01

    The article explores the relation between the advance of transportation technology and the development of scientific expeditions between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in Argentina. Expansion of the railway network on a national scale impacted the development of the earth sciences by facilitating access to distant places by scientific institutions located in Córdoba, Buenos Aires, and La Plata and also by simplifying the movement of equipment, scientific collections, and personnel. Hermann Burmeister's expedition (1857-60), expeditions by scientists from the Academia Nacional de Ciencias de Córdoba, and archeological digs in the northwestern provinces, organized by scientific institutions headquartered in Buenos Aires and La Plata, serve as examples.

  20. Three spider species of the genus Mimetus Hentz, 1832 (Araneae, Mimetidae) from China

    PubMed Central

    Zeng, Chen; Wang, Cheng; Peng, Xian-Jin

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The present paper deals with three species of the genus Mimetus from China, including Mimetus echinatus Wang, 1990, Mimetus lamelliformis sp. n. (male), and Mimetus wangi sp. n. (female and male). Mimetus lamelliformis differs from the related species Mimetus echinatus Wang, 1990 by: cymbial tip with several slender long macrosetae; cymbium boat-shaped, length/width ratio about 3/1 in retrolateral view; vexillum about 1/2 length of cymbium in retrolateral view. Mimetus wangi sp. n. differs from the related species Mimetus sinicus Song & Zhu, 1993 by: the opisthosoma with a pair of distinct outgrowths in the dorsum; sperm duct nearly horizontal; spermathecae kidney shaped and contiguous. Photos of body and copulatory organs, line drawings of copulatory organs, as well as the locality map are provided. PMID:27833436

  1. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus ORF8 Protein Is Acquired from SARS-Related Coronavirus from Greater Horseshoe Bats through Recombination

    PubMed Central

    Lau, Susanna K. P.; Feng, Yun; Chen, Honglin; Luk, Hayes K. H.; Yang, Wei-Hong; Li, Kenneth S. M.; Zhang, Yu-Zhen; Huang, Yi; Song, Zhi-Zhong; Chow, Wang-Ngai; Fan, Rachel Y. Y.; Ahmed, Syed Shakeel; Yeung, Hazel C.; Lam, Carol S. F.; Cai, Jian-Piao; Wong, Samson S. Y.; Chan, Jasper F. W.; Yuen, Kwok-Yung

    2015-01-01

    ABSTRACT Despite the identification of horseshoe bats as the reservoir of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs), the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8, which contains the 29-nucleotide signature deletion among human strains, remains obscure. Although two SARS-related Rhinolophus sinicus bat CoVs (SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs) previously detected in Chinese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus) in Yunnan, RsSHC014 and Rs3367, possessed 95% genome identities to human and civet SARSr-CoVs, their ORF8 protein exhibited only 32.2 to 33% amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs. To elucidate the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8, we sampled 348 bats of various species in Yunnan, among which diverse alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses, including potentially novel CoVs, were identified, with some showing potential interspecies transmission. The genomes of two betacoronaviruses, SARSr-Rf-BatCoV YNLF_31C and YNLF_34C, from greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), possessed 93% nucleotide identities to human/civet SARSr-CoV genomes. Although these two betacoronaviruses displayed lower similarities than SARSr-Rs-BatCoV RsSHC014 and Rs3367 in S protein to civet SARSr-CoVs, their ORF8 proteins demonstrated exceptionally high (80.4 to 81.3%) amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs, compared to SARSr-BatCoVs from other horseshoe bats (23.2 to 37.3%). Potential recombination events were identified around ORF8 between SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs and SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs, leading to the generation of civet SARSr-CoVs. The expression of ORF8 subgenomic mRNA suggested that the ORF8 protein may be functional in SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs. The high Ka/Ks ratio among human SARS-CoVs compared to that among SARSr-BatCoVs supported that ORF8 is under strong positive selection during animal-to-human transmission. Molecular clock analysis using ORF1ab showed that SARSr-Rf-BatCoV YNLF_31C and YNLF_34C diverged from civet/human SARSr-CoVs in approximately 1990. SARS

  2. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) Coronavirus ORF8 Protein Is Acquired from SARS-Related Coronavirus from Greater Horseshoe Bats through Recombination.

    PubMed

    Lau, Susanna K P; Feng, Yun; Chen, Honglin; Luk, Hayes K H; Yang, Wei-Hong; Li, Kenneth S M; Zhang, Yu-Zhen; Huang, Yi; Song, Zhi-Zhong; Chow, Wang-Ngai; Fan, Rachel Y Y; Ahmed, Syed Shakeel; Yeung, Hazel C; Lam, Carol S F; Cai, Jian-Piao; Wong, Samson S Y; Chan, Jasper F W; Yuen, Kwok-Yung; Zhang, Hai-Lin; Woo, Patrick C Y

    2015-10-01

    Despite the identification of horseshoe bats as the reservoir of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-related coronaviruses (SARSr-CoVs), the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8, which contains the 29-nucleotide signature deletion among human strains, remains obscure. Although two SARS-related Rhinolophus sinicus bat CoVs (SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs) previously detected in Chinese horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus sinicus) in Yunnan, RsSHC014 and Rs3367, possessed 95% genome identities to human and civet SARSr-CoVs, their ORF8 protein exhibited only 32.2 to 33% amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs. To elucidate the origin of SARS-CoV ORF8, we sampled 348 bats of various species in Yunnan, among which diverse alphacoronaviruses and betacoronaviruses, including potentially novel CoVs, were identified, with some showing potential interspecies transmission. The genomes of two betacoronaviruses, SARSr-Rf-BatCoV YNLF_31C and YNLF_34C, from greater horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), possessed 93% nucleotide identities to human/civet SARSr-CoV genomes. Although these two betacoronaviruses displayed lower similarities than SARSr-Rs-BatCoV RsSHC014 and Rs3367 in S protein to civet SARSr-CoVs, their ORF8 proteins demonstrated exceptionally high (80.4 to 81.3%) amino acid identities to that of human/civet SARSr-CoVs, compared to SARSr-BatCoVs from other horseshoe bats (23.2 to 37.3%). Potential recombination events were identified around ORF8 between SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs and SARSr-Rs-BatCoVs, leading to the generation of civet SARSr-CoVs. The expression of ORF8 subgenomic mRNA suggested that the ORF8 protein may be functional in SARSr-Rf-BatCoVs. The high Ka/Ks ratio among human SARS-CoVs compared to that among SARSr-BatCoVs supported that ORF8 is under strong positive selection during animal-to-human transmission. Molecular clock analysis using ORF1ab showed that SARSr-Rf-BatCoV YNLF_31C and YNLF_34C diverged from civet/human SARSr-CoVs in approximately 1990. SARS-CoV ORF8

  3. First record of spongillaflies (Neuroptera: Sisyridae) from Colombia.

    PubMed

    Ardila-Camacho, Adrian; Martins, Caleb C

    2017-06-09

    The family Sisyridae (spongillaflies) is a small group of neuropterans distributed in all Biogeographic realms (Cover & Resh 2008). As in Nevrorthidae, Sisyridae is distinguished among other Neuroptera families by their strictly aquatic larvae (Wichard et al. 2002). The phylogenetic relationships of Sisyridae have been controversial i.e. the family was recovered at different positions within the Neuropterida phylogeny as a basal group among members of Neuroptera or whitin the suborder Hemerobiiformia with a very variable placement (Randolf et al. 2013). Currently the species richness of this group reaches 70 representatives in four genera, namely Climacia McLachlan, 1869 (New World), Sisyra Burmeister, 1839 (cosmopolitan), Sisyrina Banks, 1939 (Africa, Asia and Australia), and Sisyborina Monserrat, 1981 (endemic to Africa) (Parfin & Gurney 1956; Cover & Resh 2008).

  4. A Deep Insight Into the Sialotranscriptome of the Chagas Disease Vector, Panstrongylus megistus (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

    PubMed Central

    Ribeiro, José M. C.; Schwarz, Alexandra; Francischetti, Ivo M. B.

    2015-01-01

    Saliva of blood-sucking arthropods contains a complex cocktail of pharmacologically active compounds that assists feeding by counteracting their hosts’ hemostatic and inflammatory reactions. Panstrongylus megistus (Burmeister) is an important vector of Chagas disease in South America, but despite its importance there is only one salivary protein sequence publicly deposited in GenBank. In the present work, we used Illumina technology to disclose and publicly deposit 3,703 coding sequences obtained from the assembly of >70 million reads. These sequences should assist proteomic experiments aimed at identifying pharmacologically active proteins and immunological markers of vector exposure. A supplemental file of the transcriptome and deducted protein sequences can be obtained from http://exon.niaid.nih.gov/transcriptome/P_megistus/Pmeg-web.xlsx. PMID:26334808

  5. Detection and genome characterization of four novel bat hepadnaviruses and a hepevirus in China.

    PubMed

    Wang, Bo; Yang, Xing-Lou; Li, Wen; Zhu, Yan; Ge, Xing-Yi; Zhang, Li-Biao; Zhang, Yun-Zhi; Bock, Claus-Thomas; Shi, Zheng-Li

    2017-02-22

    In recent years, novel hepadnaviruses, hepeviruses, hepatoviruses, and hepaciviruses have been discovered in various species of bat around the world, indicating that bats may act as natural reservoirs for these hepatitis viruses. In order to further assess the distribution of hepatitis viruses in bat populations in China, we tested the presence of these hepatitis viruses in our archived bat liver samples that originated from several bat species and various geographical regions in China. A total of 78 bat liver samples (involving two families, five genera, and 17 species of bat) were examined using nested or heminested reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) with degenerate primers. Full-length genomic sequences of two virus strains were sequenced followed by phylogenetic analyses. Four samples were positive for hepadnavirus, only one was positive for hepevirus, and none of the samples were positive for hepatovirus or hepacivirus. The hepadnaviruses were discovered in the horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus sinicus and Rhinolophus affinis, and the hepevirus was found in the whiskered bat Myotis davidii. The full-length genomic sequences were determined for one of the two hepadnaviruses identified in R. sinicus (designated BtHBVRs3364) and the hepevirus (designated BtHEVMd2350). A sequence identity analysis indicated that BtHBVRs3364 had the highest degree of identity with a previously reported hepadnavirus from the roundleaf bat, Hipposideros pomona, from China, and BtHEVMd2350 had the highest degree of identity with a hepevirus found in the serotine bat, Eptesicus serotinus, from Germany, but it exhibited high levels of divergence at both the nucleotide and the amino acid levels. This is the first study to report that the Chinese horseshoe bat and the Chinese whiskered bat have been found to carry novel hepadnaviruses and a novel hepevirus, respectively. The discovery of BtHBVRs3364 further supports the significance of host switches evolution while opposing the co

  6. [Effects of temperature increase on zooplankton size spectra in thermal discharge seawaters near a power plant, China].

    PubMed

    Yu, Jing; Zhu, Yi Feng; Dai, Mei Xia; Lin, Xia; Mao, Shuo Qian

    2017-05-18

    Utilizing the plankton 1 (505 Μm), 2 (160 Μm), 3 (77 Μm) nets to seasonally collect zooplankton samples at 10 stations and the corresponding abundance data was obtained. Based on individual zooplankton biovolume, size groups were classified to test the changes in spatiotemporal characteristics of both Sheldon and normalized biovolume size spectra in thermal discharge seawaters near the Guohua Power Plant, so as to explore the effects of temperature increase on zooplankton size spectra in the seawaters. The results showed that the individual biovolume of zooplankton ranged from 0.00012 to 127.0 mm 3 ·ind -1 , which could be divided into 21 size groups, and corresponding logarithmic ranges were from -13.06 to 6.99. According to Sheldon size spectra, the predominant species to form main peaks of the size spectrum in different months were Copepodite larvae, Centropages mcmurrichi, Calanus sinicus, fish larvae, Sagitta bedoti, Sagitta nagae and Pleurobrachia globosa, and minor peaks mostly consisted of individuals with smaller larvae, Cyclops and Paracalanus aculeatus. In different warming sections, Copepodite larvae, fish eggs and Cyclops were mostly unaffected by the temperature increase, while the macrozooplankton such as S. bedoti, S. nagae, P. globosa, C. sinicus and Beroe cucumis had an obvious tendency to avoid the outfall of the power plant. Based on the results of normalized size spectra, the intercepts from low to high occurred in November, February, May and August, respectively. At the same time, the minimum slope was found in February, and similarly bigger slopes were observed in May and August. These results indicated that the proportion of small zooplankton was highest in February, while the proportions of the meso- and macro-zooplankton were relatively high in May and August. Among different sections, the slope in the 0.2 km section was minimum, which increased with the increase of section distance to the outfall. The result obviously demonstrated

  7. A revision of the genus Pseudoechthistatus Pic (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Lamiini)

    PubMed Central

    Bi, Wen-Xuan; Lin, Mei-Ying

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The genus Pseudoechthistatus Pic, 1917 is redefined and revised. Five species of the genus are described as new, Pseudoechthistatus sinicus sp. n. and Pseudoechthistatus chiangshunani sp. n. from central Yunnan, China, Pseudoechthistatus pufujiae sp. n. from western Yunnan, China, and Pseudoechthistatus holzschuhi sp. n. and Pseudoechthistatus glabripennis sp. n. from southern Yunnan and northern Vietnam. Pseudoechthistatus birmanicus Breuning, 1942 is excluded from the fauna of China. Three poorly known species, Pseudoechthistatus obliquefasciatus Pic, 1917, Pseudoechthistatus granulatus Breuning, 1942, and Pseudoechthistatus acutipennis Chiang, 1981 are redescribed, and the type localities of the former two species are discussed. Endophallic structure of seven species in inflated and everted condition are studied and compared with their relatives. Illustrations of habitus and major diagnostic features of all species are provided. Some biological notes are reported. An identification key as well as a distributional map are presented. PMID:27551207

  8. An illustrated key to the genera and subgenera of the Alysiini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae), with three genera new for China

    PubMed Central

    Zhu, Jia-Chen; van Achterberg, Cornelis; Chen, Xue-Xin

    2017-01-01

    Abstract An illustrated key to the genera and subgenera of the Alysiini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae) from China is presented. Three genera new for China are reported: Adelurola Strand, 1924, Anisocyrta Foerster, 1863, and Pentapleura Foerster, 1863. The total for China is 26 genera of Alysiini and an additional seven subgenera (excluding the nominal subgenera, which are included in the total of genera). The known Chinese species are listed under each genus and the biology is summarised. Separatatus sinicus (Zheng, Chen & Yang, 2012) and Grammospila eurys (Chen & Wu, 1994) are new combinations. Regetus Papp, 1999, and Adelphenaldis Fischer, 2003, are new synonyms of Eusynaldis Zaykov & Fischer, 1982. In addition, Eusynaldis Zaykov & Fischer and Synaldis Foerster, 1863, are treated as subgenera of Aspilota Foerster, 1863, and Dinotrema Foerster, 1863, respectively. An aberrant species of Separatatus Chen & Wu, 1994, S. parallelus sp. n., is described from Yunnan and Hainan. PMID:29308029

  9. Damselflies (Zygoptera: Odonata) of Pakistan: Part 1

    PubMed Central

    Zia, Ahmed; Naeem, Muhammad; Rafi, Muhammad Ather; Naz, Falak; Afsheen, Sumera; Ilyas, Muhammad

    2011-01-01

    The present study is an effort to document bio-geographical distribution for Zygoptera of Pakistan. Damselflies were collected throughout the country and territory of Azad Jammu and Kashmir during 2004–2009. A total of 2692 specimens were collected yielding 9 families, 21 genera, and 48 species and subspecies. Three of these species, Libellago lineata lineata (Burmeister), Elattoneura atkinsoni (Selys), and Elattoneura souteri (Fraser), are recorded for the first time from Pakistan. Distribution, habitats, previous records, and Zoogeographic affiliation for all collected taxa are discussed. Help was also taken from published literature on Zygoptera of Pakistan, and specimens housed at National Insect Museum were also studied. In total, 53 species are accounted for providing an updated record for all modern taxa of damselfly fauna of Pakistan. PMID:22221175

  10. Some common and less known Phaneropterinae (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae; Phaneropterinae) with the description of a new species from India.

    PubMed

    Nagar, Rajendra; Swaminathan, R; Mal, Jhabar

    2015-10-05

    The present paper deals with the description of eleven katydids of the tettigonid subfamily Phaneropterinae (Tettigoniidae). The katydids of more common occurrence in different parts of India include: Phaneroptera gracilis Burmeister, Ducetia japonica (Thunberg), Himertula pallisignata Ingrisch and Shishodia, Isopsera peducnulata Brunner von Wattenwyl, and Trigonocorypha unicolor Stal; while those lesser known are Phaneroptera myllocerca Ragge, Himertula kinneari (Uvarov), Elimaea melanocantha (Walker), Elimaea carispina (Ingrisch and Shishodia), and Trigonocorypha angustata Uvarov. Record of a new species of the genus Ducetia, named as Ducetia serratus sp. nov., is mentioned. The key diagnostic morphological characters have been supported with photographs and illustrations of the body parts: head, pronotum, stridulatory file and the genitalia (supra-anal plate and sub-genital plate). A key to identify the species of the reported katydids has been provided.

  11. Males of Hylamorpha elegans burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are attracted to odors released from conspecific females.

    PubMed

    Quiroz, Andrés; Palma, Ruben; Etcheverría, Paulina; Navarro, Vicente; Rebolledo, Ramón

    2007-04-01

    The behavioral responses of Hylamorpha elegans L. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae) to the semiochemicals released from conspecific individual adults were studied, with particular attention paid to female attraction of males. Odors released from virgin females significantly attracted male conspecifics in both the field and laboratory olfactometer and wind tunnel bioassays. However, females did not attract other females, and males attracted no one. The response of male H. elegans to (1) compounds (1,4-hydroquinone and 1,4-benzoquinone) released only by unmated females; (2) the essential oil of the secondary host (Nothofagus obliqua); and (3) the blend of 1,4-hydroquinone and 1,4-benzoquinone with N. obliqua essential oil was studied. The blend of 1,4-benzoquinone mixed with essential oil at the trial concentration was attractive with males. The same response was found with 1,4-hydroquinone alone. The essential oil did not have the expected attractant effect on conspecific males. These results suggest that, when combined with essential oil, 1,4-benzoquinone may function in the sexual behavior of males and females. These findings are discussed in terms of the ecological role of this putative sexual pheromone and its potential use in a strategy of control of this pest.

  12. Parasitic copepods from Egyptian Red Sea fishes: Bomolochidae Claus, 1875.

    PubMed

    El-Rashidy, Hoda Hassan; Boxshall, Geoffrey Allan

    2016-02-01

    Two species of parasitic copepods from the genus Bomolochus von Nordmann, 1832 (Cyclopoida: Bomolochidae) are redescribed in detail, based on material collected from the gills of Red Sea fishes. Host material was caught at El-tor, near Sharm El-Sheikh, and in the Gulf of Suez, Egypt. Both sexes of Bomolochus bellones Burmeister, 1835 were collected from the gills of a needlefish Tylosurus choram (Rüppell) caught in the Gulf of Suez. This is a new host record. The female is well characterised so only the male is described. Adult females of Bomolochus minus Lin & Ho, 2005 were obtained from the branchial cavities and gills of mojarra Gerres oyena (Forsskål). This species was known only from its original description in Taiwan, and this report constitutes a new host record and a significant range extension. Both parasite species are new records for Egyptian Red Sea waters.

  13. Community composition, abundance and biomass of zooplankton in Zhangzi Island waters, Northern Yellow Sea

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yin, Jiehui; Zhang, Guangtao; Li, Chaolun; Wang, Shiwei; Zhao, Zengxia; Wan, Aiyong

    2017-09-01

    Samples were collected monthly from the sea area around Zhangzi Island, northern Yellow Sea, from July 2009 to June 2010. Vertical net towing was used to examine spatial and temporal variability in zooplankton abundance and biomass. Overall, Calanus sinicus and Saggita crassa were the dominant species found during the study period, while the amphipod Themisto gracilipes was dominant in winter and spring. Vast numbers of the ctenophore species of the genus Beroe were found in October and November. It was not possible to count them, but they constituted a large portion of the total zooplankton biomass. Zooplankton species diversity was highest in October, and species evenness was highest in April. Zooplankton abundance (non-jellyfish) and biomass were highest in June and lowest in August, with annual averages of 131.3 ind./m³ and 217.5 mg/m³, respectively. Water temperature may be responsible for the variations in zooplankton abundance and biomass. Beroe biomass was negatively correlated with other zooplankton abundance. Longterm investigations will be carried out to learn more about the influence of the environment on zooplankton assemblages.

  14. Synopsis of the pelidnotine scarabs (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae, Rutelini) and annotated catalog of the species and subspecies

    PubMed Central

    Moore, Matthew R.; Jameson, Mary L.; Garner, Beulah H.; Audibert, Cédric; Smith, Andrew B. T.; Seidel, Matthias

    2017-01-01

    Pelidnota punctata (Linnaeus, 1758); Pelidnota (Strigidia) zikani (Ohaus, 1922) is a revised synonym of Pelidnota tibialis tibialis Burmeister, 1844; Pelidnota ludovici Ohaus, 1905 is a syn. n. of Pelidnota burmeisteri tricolor Nonfried, 1894; Rutela fulvipennis Germar, 1824 is syn. n. of Pelidnota cuprea (Germar, 1824); Pelidnota pulchella blanda Burmeister, 1844 is a syn. n. of Pelidnota pulchella pulchella (Kirby, 1819); Pelidnota pulchella scapularis Burmeister, 1844 is a syn. n. of Pelidnota pulchella pulchella (Kirby, 1819); Pelidnota xanthogramma Perty, 1830 is a syn. n. of Pelidnota pulchella pulchella (Kirby, 1819). New or revised statuses: Pelidnota fabricelavalettei Soula, 2009, revised status, is considered a species; Pelidnota rioensis Soula, 2009, stat. n., is considered a species; Pelidnota semiaurata semiaurata Burmeister, 1844, stat. rev., is considered a subspecies. New or comb. rev. and revised status: Plusiotis guaymi Curoe, 2001 is formally transferred to the genus Chrysina (C. guaymi (Curoe, 2001), comb. n.); Plusiotis transvolcanica Morón & Nogueira, 2016 is transferred to the genus Chrysina (C. transvolcanica (Morón & Nogueira, 2016), comb. n.). Heteropelidnota kuhnti Ohaus, 1912 is transferred to the genus Pelidnota (P. kuhnti (Ohaus, 1912), comb. n.); Odontognathus riedeli Ohaus, 1905 is considered a subspecies of Pelidnota rubripennis Burmeister, 1844 (Pelidnota rubripennis riedeli (Ohaus, 1905), revised status and comb. rev.); Pelidnota (Strigidia) acutipennis (F. Bates, 1904) is transferred to the genus Sorocha (Sorocha acutipennis (F. Bates, 1904), comb. rev.); Pelidnota (Odontognathus) nadiae Martínez, 1978 is transferred to the genus Sorocha (Sorocha nadiae (Martínez, 1978), comb. rev.); Pelidnota (Ganonota) plicipennis Ohaus, 1934 is transferred to the genus Sorocha (Sorocha plicipennis (Ohaus, 1934), comb. rev.); Pelidnota similis Ohaus, 1908 is transferred to the genus Sorocha (Sorocha similis (Ohaus, 1908), comb. rev.); Pelidnota

  15. A taxonomy review of Oreoderus Burmeister, 1842 from China with a geometric morphometric evaluation (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Valgini)

    PubMed Central

    Li, Sha; Ricchiardi, Enrico; Bai, Ming; Yang, Xingke

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The species of the genus Oreoderus are morphologically similar, and can be challenging to distinguish without dissecting the male genitalia. In this study, the Oreoderus species from China are reviewed. Three new species of Oreoderus are described: Oreoderus dasystibialis Li & Yang, sp. n., Oreoderus brevitarsus Li & Yang, sp. n. and Oreoderus oblongus Li & Yang, sp. n. A key of the male Oreoderus and a distribution map are provided. Oreoderus coomani Paulian, 1961 was found as a new record in China. The first description of the female of Oreoderus arrowi Ricchiardi, 2001 is provided. Oreoderus humeralis Gestro, 1891, Oreoderus quadricarinatus Arrow, 1944, Oreoderus crassipes Arrow, 1944, and Oreoderus momeitensis Arrow, 1910 are excluded from the Chinese fauna. Furthermore, we utilize geometric morphometric approaches (GM) to analyze the shape variation of four characters (pronotum, elytra, protibia and aedeagus) in Oreoderus. The morphological variations of Oreoderus and the taxonomic value of each character are discussed. The combined analysis of geometric morphometrics and comparative morphology support recognition of the three new species. PMID:26865816

  16. Sex-specific interactions of microbial symbioses on cricket dietary selection.

    PubMed

    Schmid, Ryan B; Lehman, R Michael; Lundgren, Jonathan G

    2014-08-01

    The nutrients found in prey and nonprey foods, and relative digestibility of these foods, has a major influence on diet selection by omnivorous insects. Many insects have developed symbiotic relationships with gut bacteria to help with extracting nutrition from nonprey diets. Gryllus pennsylvanicus (Burmeister) (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) was assigned to one of two treatment groups, antibiotic-treated and nonantibiotic-treated, and consumption of seeds (nonprey) and eggs (prey) were measured. Male crickets administered antibiotics consumed more seeds and greater seed weight, while antibiotic-fed female crickets consumed fewer seeds and less seed weight, relative to the untreated male and female crickets, respectively. Both male and female antibiotic-treated crickets consumed similar weight of eggs as nonantibiotic-treated male and female crickets, respectively. These results provide evidence that gut symbionts influence diet selection of male and female G. pennsylvanicus differently. This sex-specific dietary selection may be because of the fact that male and female crickets have different nutritional requirements.

  17. Bucrates lanista Rehn 1918 (Tettigoniidae: Conocephalinae): The First Record from the Brazilian Pantanal, the First Description of the Male, the First Karyotypic Report for the Genus, and the First Telomeric Hybridization of the Subfamily.

    PubMed

    Chamorro-Rengifo, Juliana; Olivier, Renan da Silva; Araujo, Douglas

    2016-10-01

    Bucrates lanista, the most southerly distributed species in the genus Bucrates Burmeister, was originally described from Brazil based on a female collected in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, but the species has not been recorded since 1918. In this work, we report that B. lanista inhabits the Pantanal Wetland in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul and, for the first time, describe the male. Individuals of B. lanista are gregarious and present a brown/green color dimorphism; this behavior and color variation are also observed in species of closely related genera. Individuals from the Pantanal vary slightly from those of Rio Grande do Sul. The karyotype was determined to be 2n♂ = 21 = 20 + X0 and 2n♀ = 22 = 20 + XX. The X chromosome is metacentric and the largest of the complement, and all of the autosomes are submetacentrics. All chromosomes solely present telomeric (TTAGG)n repeats at their ends, and some chromosomes present positive and negative DAPI bands.

  18. Taxonomic changes of some neotropical species of Arctiini Leach (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae).

    PubMed

    Beccacece, Hernán Mario; Zapata, Adriana Inés

    2017-05-30

    Arctiini (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae) is the most speciose tribe of tiger moths. In this study, the taxonomy of some Neotropical species of this tribe is reviewed based on habitus and, in some cases, genitalia of type specimens. Lectotypes are designated for two names. Four new combinations are proposed: Agaraea sericeum (Zerny, 1931) comb. n., Biturix nigrostriata (Rothschild, 1909) comb. n., Carales fasciatus (Rothschild, 1909) comb. n. and Opharus pallida (Dognin, 1910) comb. n. Six new synonymies are proposed: Agaraea nigrotuberculata Bryk, 1953 (=Agaraea klagesi (Rothschild, 1909)), Opharus ochracea Joicey & Talbot, 1918 and Pelochyta fergusoni Watson & Goodger, 1986 (=Opharus pallida (Dognin, 1910)), Melese flavescens Joicey & Talbot, 1918 (=Melese paranensis Dognin, 1911), Leucanopsis infucata (Berg, 1882) (=Pareuchaetes aurata aurata (Butler, 1875)) and Tessellota pura Breyer, 1957 (=Tessellota cancellata (Burmeister, 1878)). Moreover, Opharus ochracea Joicey & Talbot, 1918 comb. rev. is returned to the original genus. For each rearrangement, both remarks and information about type specimens are provided.

  19. Checklist and identification key of Anomalini (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae) of Costa Rica

    PubMed Central

    Filippini, Valentina; Micó, Estefanía; Galante, Eduardo

    2016-01-01

    Abstract A checklist and identification key for the species of the tribe Anomalini in Costa Rica are presented. The Anomalini species are important economically, as they have larvae that are or can become agricultural pests, as well as ecologically, having potential as bioindicators. In spite of their importance and richness, identification tools for the group in the Neotropics remain scarce. The Costa Rican fauna comprises six genera (Anomala, Anomalorhina, Callistethus, Epectinaspis, Moroniella, and Strigoderma) and a total of 120 species. Anomala contusa Filippini, Micó, Galante, 2015 is proposed as a synonym of Anomala inbio (Ramírez-Ponce, Bitar, Curoe 2014); Anomala limon nom. n. is proposed as a new name for Anomala inbio Filippini, Galante, Micó, 2015, a homonym of Anomala inbio (Ramírez-Ponce, Bitar, Curoe, 2014); Anomala cinaedias nom. n. is proposed as a new name for Anomala chloropyga Ohaus, 1897, a homonym of Anomala chloropyga Burmeister, 1844; and Anomala chrysomelina is moved to the genus Callistethus. PMID:27833420

  20. From Agricultural to Household Pest: The Case of the Painted Bug Bagrada hilaris (Burmeister) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) in Chile.

    PubMed

    Faúndez, Eduardo I

    2018-06-20

    Bagrada hilaris is an invasive stink bug present in Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, and recently found in Chile, South America. Painted bug is well known as an agricultural pest, attacking mostly Brassicaceae. First records of the painted bug B. hilaris invading homes are given from Chile, from the Metropolitan, and Valparaiso Regions, including mild and heavily infested homes. In addition, the first case ever of an adventitious bite in a human being by this species is provided and described. Additionally, first alleged cases of occupational allergy are also mentioned. The possible reasons of the occurrence of these invasions are commented and discussed. It is concluded that the invasions may be due because of the lack of food plant sources in nearby wild and agroecosystems; forcing the bugs to migrate to closely located cities. As a result, it is recommended to extend education and control programs from agricultural to urban residential areas.

  1. [Thermal tolerance of some marine copepods].

    PubMed

    Liao, Yi-Bo; Chen, Quan-Zhen; Zeng, Jiang-Ning; Xu, Xiao-Qun; Shou, Lu; Liu, Jing-Jing; Jiang, Zhi-Bing; Zheng, Ping

    2008-02-01

    By using experimental ecological methods, the 24 hours semi-lethal temperature (24 h LT50) of typical copepods living in the coastal area of East China Sea was determined to elucidate the effects of thermal discharge from power station on the coastal ecosystem. The results indicated that different copepods at same natural acclimated temperature and specific copepod at different initial acclimated temperature had different thermal tolerance capability. The 24h LT50 of Calanus sinicus and Sinocalanus tenellus at natural acclimated temperature 13.5 degrees C was 26.9 degrees C and 25.4 degrees C, of Acartiella sinensis and Corycaeus affinis at natural acclimated temperature 14.2 degrees C was 26.7 degrees C and 30.5 degrees C, and of Centropages dorsispinatus, Paracalanus crassirostris, Acartia spinicauda and Euterpina acutifrons at natural acclimated temperature 28.0 degrees C was 34.0 degrees C, 34.3 degrees C, 35.7 degrees C and 36.0 degrees C, respectively. The 24h LT50 of S. tenellus at natural acclimated temperature 13.5 degrees C and 23.5 degrees C was 25.4 degrees C and 33.0 degrees C, respectively.

  2. Niche Partitioning in Three Sympatric Congeneric Species of Dragonfly, Orthetrum chrysostigma, O. coerulescens anceps, and O. nitidinerve: The Importance of Microhabitat

    PubMed Central

    Khelifa, Rassim; Zebsa, Rabah; Moussaoui, Abdelkrim; Kahalerras, Amin; Bensouilah, Soufyane; Mahdjoub, Hayat

    2013-01-01

    Habitat heterogeneity has been shown to promote co-existence of closely related species. Based on this concept, a field study was conducted on the niche partitioning of three territorial congeneric species of skimmers (Anisoptera: Libellulidae) in Northeast Algeria during the breeding season of 2011. According to their size, there is a descending hierarchy between Orthetrum nitidinerve Sélys, O. chrysostigma (Burmeister), and O. coerulescens anceps (Schneider). After being marked and surveyed, the two latter species had the same breeding behavior sequence. Knowing that they had almost the same size, such species could not co-occur in the same habitat according to the competitive exclusion principle. The spatial distribution of the three species was investigated at two different microhabitats, and it was found that these two species were actually isolated at this scale. O. chrysostigma and O. nitidinerve preferred open areas, while O. c. anceps occurred in highly vegetated waters. This study highlights the role of microhabitat in community structure as an important niche axis that maintains closely related species in the same habitat. PMID:24219357

  3. Descriptions of two new species of Rhizorhina Hansen, 1892 (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida: Nicothoidae) parasitic on tanaidacean crustaceans, with a note on their phylogenetic position.

    PubMed

    Kakui, Keiichi

    2016-01-01

    Two new species of nicothoid copepod are described. Rhizorhina ohtsukai n. sp. found on a leptocheliid (Leptochelia sp.) collected at depths of 151-136 m in the North Pacific Ocean is most similar to Rhizorhina aesthetes Boxshall & Harrison, 1988 but can be distinguished by the possession of a narrower body with a rounded anterior end, and in the position of the gonopores. Rhizorhina soyoae n. sp. found on an apseudid (Fageapseudes sp.) collected at depths of 1,595-1,557 m in East China Sea most closely resembles Rhizorhina tanaidaceae Gotto, 1984 but differs in having a narrower body with a rounded anterior end. Partial nucleotide sequences of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene were obtained from the two copepods in order to enable future barcoding. A phylogenetic reconstruction based on the 18S rRNA gene placed the copepods within the Siphonostomatoida Burmeister, 1835, with the nicothoid Choniosphaera maenadis (Bloch & Gallien, 1933), and separate from the Rhizorhina spp. clade, suggesting that the family Nicothoidae Dana, 1849 is not monophyletic. This is the third report of copepods parasitic on tanaidacean crustaceans.

  4. Molecular survey of hard ticks in endemic areas of tick-borne diseases in China.

    PubMed

    Lu, Xin; Lin, Xian-Dan; Wang, Jian-Bo; Qin, Xin-Cheng; Tian, Jun-Hua; Guo, Wen-Ping; Fan, Fei-Neng; Shao, Renfu; Xu, Jianguo; Zhang, Yong-Zhen

    2013-06-01

    Over the past several years, there was a substantial increase in the number of cases of known and novel tick-borne infections in humans in China. To better understand the ticks associated with these infections, we collected hard ticks from animals or around livestock shelters in 29 localities in 5 provinces (Beijing, Henan, Hubei, Inner Mongolia, and Zhejiang) where cases of tick-borne illness were reported. We collected 2950 hard ticks representing 7 species of 4 genera (Dermacentor sinicus, Haemaphysalis flava, Haemaphysalis longicornis, Ixodes granulatus, Ixodes persulcatus, Rhipicephalus microplus, and Rhipicephalus sanguineus). These ticks were identified to species using morphological characters initially. We then sequenced the mitochondrial small subunit rRNA (12S rRNA) gene, cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI) gene, and the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS2) gene of these ticks, and conducted phylogenetic analyses. Our analyses showed that the molecular and morphological data are consistent in the identification of the 7 tick species. Furthermore, all these 7 tick species from China were genetically closely related to the same species or related species found outside China. Rapid and accurate identification and long-term monitoring of these ticks will be of significance to the prevention and control of tick-borne diseases in China. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  5. The single evolutionary origin of chlorinated auxin provides a phylogenetically informative trait in the Fabaceae.

    PubMed

    Lam, Hong Kiat; Ross, John J; McAdam, Erin L; McAdam, Scott A M

    2016-07-02

    Chlorinated auxin (4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid, 4-Cl-IAA), a highly potent plant hormone, was once thought to be restricted to species of the tribe Fabeae within the Fabaceae, until we recently detected this hormone in the seeds of Medicago, Melilotus and Trifolium species. The absence of 4-Cl-IAA in the seeds of the cultivated species Cicer aeritinum from the Cicerae tribe, immediately basal to the Fabeae and Trifolieae tribes, suggested a single evolutionary origin of 4-Cl-IAA. Here, we provide a more robust phylogenetic placement of the ability to produce chlorinated auxin by screening key species spanning this evolutionary transition. We report no detectable level of 4-Cl-IAA in Cicer echinospermum (a wild relative of C. aeritinum) and 4 species (Galega officinalis, Parochetus communis, Astragalus propinquus and A. sinicus) from tribes or clades more basal or sister to the Cicerae tribe. We did detect 4-Cl-IAA in the dry seeds of 4 species from the genus Ononis that are either basal to the genera Medicago, Melilotus and Trigonella or basal to, but still within, the Fabeae and Trifolieae (ex. Parochetus) clades. We conclude that the single evolutionary origin of this hormone in seeds can be used as a phylogenetically informative trait within the Fabaceae.

  6. The single evolutionary origin of chlorinated auxin provides a phylogenetically informative trait in the Fabaceae

    PubMed Central

    Lam, Hong Kiat; Ross, John J.; McAdam, Erin L.; McAdam, Scott A. M.

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Chlorinated auxin (4-chloroindole-3-acetic acid, 4-Cl-IAA), a highly potent plant hormone, was once thought to be restricted to species of the tribe Fabeae within the Fabaceae, until we recently detected this hormone in the seeds of Medicago, Melilotus and Trifolium species. The absence of 4-Cl-IAA in the seeds of the cultivated species Cicer aeritinum from the Cicerae tribe, immediately basal to the Fabeae and Trifolieae tribes, suggested a single evolutionary origin of 4-Cl-IAA. Here, we provide a more robust phylogenetic placement of the ability to produce chlorinated auxin by screening key species spanning this evolutionary transition. We report no detectable level of 4-Cl-IAA in Cicer echinospermum (a wild relative of C. aeritinum) and 4 species (Galega officinalis, Parochetus communis, Astragalus propinquus and A. sinicus) from tribes or clades more basal or sister to the Cicerae tribe. We did detect 4-Cl-IAA in the dry seeds of 4 species from the genus Ononis that are either basal to the genera Medicago, Melilotus and Trigonella or basal to, but still within, the Fabeae and Trifolieae (ex. Parochetus) clades. We conclude that the single evolutionary origin of this hormone in seeds can be used as a phylogenetically informative trait within the Fabaceae. PMID:27302610

  7. From coprophagy to predation: a dung beetle that kills millipedes.

    PubMed

    Larsen, Trond H; Lopera, Alejandro; Forsyth, Adrian; Génier, François

    2009-04-23

    The dung beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae is a cosmopolitan group of insects that feed primarily on dung. We describe the first case of an obligate predatory dung beetle and contrast its behaviour and morphology with those of its coprophagous sympatric congeners. Deltochilum valgum Burmeister killed and consumed millipedes in lowland rainforest in Peru. Ancestral ball-rolling behaviour shared by other canthonine species is abandoned, and the head, hind tibiae and pygidium of D. valgum are modified for novel functions during millipede predation. Millipedes were killed by disarticulation, often through decapitation, using the clypeus as a lever. Beetles killed millipedes much larger than themselves. In pitfall traps, D. valgum was attracted exclusively to millipedes, and preferred injured over uninjured millipedes. Morphological similarities placing D. valgum in the same subgenus with non-predatory dung-feeding species suggest a major and potentially rapid behavioural shift from coprophagy to predation. Ecological transitions enabling the exploitation of dramatically atypical niches, which may be more likely to occur when competition is intense, may help explain the evolution of novel ecological guilds and the diversification of exceptionally species-rich groups such as insects.

  8. Effects of the chitin synthesis inhibitor buprofezin on survival and development of immatures of Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae).

    PubMed

    Liu, T X; Chen, T Y

    2000-04-01

    Effects of buprofezin (Applaud), a chitin synthesis inhibitor, on survival and development of eggs, three instars, and pupae of Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) were determined in the laboratory. Buprofezin at three tested concentrations (100, 500, and 1,000 mg [AI]/liter) did not affect the viability and development of eggs when the eggs were treated, or third instars and pupae when those stages were treated. Although the degree of effects by buprofezin on larvae varied with instar, buprofezin at the higher concentrations (500 and 1,000 mg [AI]/liter) reduced survival rates 17-47% and prolonged the overall development from first instars to adult emergence by 2 or 3 d when first instars were treated, indicating that the first instar is the most vulnerable stage. When second instars were treated, the survival of C. rufilabris from second instars to pupae was not significantly affected. However, the developmental time from second instar to adult emergence was longer in the treatments with the highest concentration (1,000 mg [AI]/liter) than that with the lowest concentration (100 mg [AI]/liter). The compatibility of buprofezin with natural enemies in integrated pest management programs is discussed.

  9. [Cloning, mutagenesis and symbiotic phenotype of three lipid transfer protein encoding genes from Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R].

    PubMed

    Li, Yanan; Zeng, Xiaobo; Zhou, Xuejuan; Li, Youguo

    2016-12-04

    Lipid transfer protein superfamily is involved in lipid transport and metabolism. This study aimed to construct mutants of three lipid transfer protein encoding genes in Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R, and to study the phenotypes and function of mutations during symbiosis with Astragalus sinicus. We used bioinformatics to predict structure characteristics and biological functions of lipid transfer proteins, and conducted semi-quantitative and fluorescent quantitative real-time PCR to analyze the expression levels of target genes in free-living and symbiotic conditions. Using pK19mob insertion mutagenesis to construct mutants, we carried out pot plant experiments to observe symbiotic phenotypes. MCHK-5577, MCHK-2172 and MCHK-2779 genes encoding proteins belonged to START/RHO alpha_C/PITP/Bet_v1/CoxG/CalC (SRPBCC) superfamily, involved in lipid transport or metabolism, and were identical to M. loti at 95% level. Gene relative transcription level of the three genes all increased compared to free-living condition. We obtained three mutants. Compared with wild-type 7653R, above-ground biomass of plants and nodulenitrogenase activity induced by the three mutants significantly decreased. Results indicated that lipid transfer protein encoding genes of Mesorhizobium huakuii 7653R may play important roles in symbiotic nitrogen fixation, and the mutations significantly affected the symbiotic phenotypes. The present work provided a basis to study further symbiotic function mechanism associated with lipid transfer proteins from rhizobia.

  10. Phylogeny and origins of hantaviruses harbored by bats, insectivores, and rodents.

    PubMed

    Guo, Wen-Ping; Lin, Xian-Dan; Wang, Wen; Tian, Jun-Hua; Cong, Mei-Li; Zhang, Hai-Lin; Wang, Miao-Ruo; Zhou, Run-Hong; Wang, Jian-Bo; Li, Ming-Hui; Xu, Jianguo; Holmes, Edward C; Zhang, Yong-Zhen

    2013-02-01

    Hantaviruses are among the most important zoonotic pathogens of humans and the subject of heightened global attention. Despite the importance of hantaviruses for public health, there is no consensus on their evolutionary history and especially the frequency of virus-host co-divergence versus cross-species virus transmission. Documenting the extent of hantavirus biodiversity, and particularly their range of mammalian hosts, is critical to resolving this issue. Here, we describe four novel hantaviruses (Huangpi virus, Lianghe virus, Longquan virus, and Yakeshi virus) sampled from bats and shrews in China, and which are distinct from other known hantaviruses. Huangpi virus was found in Pipistrellus abramus, Lianghe virus in Anourosorex squamipes, Longquan virus in Rhinolophus affinis, Rhinolophus sinicus, and Rhinolophus monoceros, and Yakeshi virus in Sorex isodon, respectively. A phylogenetic analysis of the available diversity of hantaviruses reveals the existence of four phylogroups that infect a range of mammalian hosts, as well as the occurrence of ancient reassortment events between the phylogroups. Notably, the phylogenetic histories of the viruses are not always congruent with those of their hosts, suggesting that cross-species transmission has played a major role during hantavirus evolution and at all taxonomic levels, although we also noted some evidence for virus-host co-divergence. Our phylogenetic analysis also suggests that hantaviruses might have first appeared in Chiroptera (bats) or Soricomorpha (moles and shrews), before emerging in rodent species. Overall, these data indicate that bats are likely to be important natural reservoir hosts of hantaviruses.

  11. Relative toxicity and residual activity of insecticides used in blueberry pest management: mortality of natural enemies.

    PubMed

    Roubos, Craig R; Rodriguez-Saona, Cesar; Holdcraft, Robert; Mason, Keith S; Isaacs, Rufus

    2014-02-01

    A series of bioassays were conducted to determine the relative toxicities and residual activities of insecticides labeled for use in blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) on natural enemies, to identify products with low toxicity or short duration effects on biological control agents. In total, 14 insecticides were evaluated using treated petri dishes and four commercially available natural enemies (Aphidius colemani Viereck, Orius insidiosus [Say], Chrysoperla rufilabris [Burmeister], and Hippodamia convergens [Guérin-Menéville]). Dishes were aged under greenhouse conditions for 0, 3, 7, or 14 d before introducing insects to test residual activity. Acute effects (combined mortality and knockdown) varied by insecticide, residue age, and natural enemy species. Broad-spectrum insecticides caused high mortality to all biocontrol agents, whereas products approved for use in organic agriculture had little effect. The reduced-risk insecticide acetamiprid consistently caused significant acute effects, even after aging for 14 d. Methoxyfenozide, novaluron, and chlorantraniliprole, which also are classified as reduced-risk insecticides, had low toxicity, and along with the organic products could be compatible with biological control. This study provides information to guide blueberry growers in their selection of insecticides. Further research will be needed to determine whether adoption of a pest management program based on the use of more selective insecticides will result in higher levels of biological control in blueberry.

  12. Spatial variations in zooplankton community structure along the Japanese coastline in the Japan Sea: influence of the coastal current

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kodama, Taketoshi; Wagawa, Taku; Iguchi, Naoki; Takada, Yoshitake; Takahashi, Takashi; Fukudome, Ken-Ichi; Morimoto, Haruyuki; Goto, Tsuneo

    2018-06-01

    This study evaluates spatial variations in zooplankton community structure and potential controlling factors along the Japanese coast under the influence of the coastal branch of the Tsushima Warm Current (CBTWC). Variations in the density of morphologically identified zooplankton in the surface layer in May were investigated for a 15-year period. The density of zooplankton (individuals per cubic meter) varied between sampling stations, but there was no consistent west-east trend. Instead, there were different zooplankton community structures in the west and east, with that in Toyama Bay particularly distinct: Corycaeus affinis and Calanus sinicus were dominant in the west and Oithona atlantica was dominant in Toyama Bay. Distance-based redundancy analysis (db-RDA) was used to characterize the variation in zooplankton community structure, and four axes (RD1-4) provided significant explanation. RD2-4 only explained < 4.8 % of variation in the zooplankton community and did not show significant spatial difference; however, RD1, which explained 89.9 % of variation, did vary spatially. Positive and negative species scores on RD1 represent warm- and cold-water species, respectively, and their variation was mainly explained by water column mean temperature, and it is considered to vary spatially with the CBTWC. The CBTWC intrusion to the cold Toyama Bay is weak and occasional due to the submarine canyon structure of the bay. Therefore, the varying bathymetric characteristics along the Japanese coast of the Japan Sea generate the spatial variation in zooplankton community structure, and dominance of warm-water species can be considered an indicator of the CBTWC.

  13. Comparison of Free Total Amino Acid Compositions and Their Functional Classifications in 13 Wild Edible Mushrooms.

    PubMed

    Sun, Liping; Liu, Qiuming; Bao, Changjun; Fan, Jian

    2017-02-24

    Thirteen popular wild edible mushroom species in Yunnan Province, Boletus bicolor , Boletus speciosus , Boletus sinicus , Boletus craspedius , Boletus griseus , Boletus ornatipes , Xerocomus , Suillus placidus , Boletinus pinetorus , Tricholoma terreum , Tricholomopsis lividipileata , Termitomyces microcarpus , and Amanita hemibapha , were analyzed for their free amino acid compositions by online pre-column derivazation reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) analysis. Twenty free amino acids, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, glycine, alanine, praline, cysteine, valine, methionine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, histidine, threonine, asparagines, glutamine, arginine, tyrosine, and tryptophan, were determined. The total free amino acid (TAA) contents ranged from 1462.6 mg/100 g in B. craspedius to 13,106.2 mg/100 g in T. microcarpus . The different species showed distinct free amino acid profiles. The ratio of total essential amino acids (EAA) to TAA was 0.13-0.41. All of the analyzed species showed high contents of hydrophobic amino acids, at 33%-54% of TAA. Alanine, cysteine, glutamine, and glutamic acid were among the most abundant amino acids present in all species. The results showed that the analyzed mushrooms possessed significant free amino acid contents, which may be important compounds contributing to the typical mushroom taste, nutritional value, and potent antioxidant properties of these wild edible mushrooms. Furthermore, the principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the accumulative variance contribution rate of the first four principal components reached 94.39%. Cluster analysis revealed EAA composition and content might be an important parameter to separate the mushroom species, and T. microcarpus and A. hemibapha showed remarkable EAA content among the 13 species.

  14. Comparison of copepod collection efficiencies by three commonly used plankton nets: A case study in Bohai Sea, China

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Hongju; Yu, Hao; Liu, Guangxing

    2016-12-01

    Selection of net with a suitable mesh size is a key concern in the quantitative assessment of zooplankton, which is crucial to understand pelagic ecosystem processes. This study compared the copepod collecting efficiency of three commonly used plankton nets, namely, the China standard coarse net (505 μm mesh), the China standard fine net (77 μm), and the WP-2 net (200 μm). The experiment was performed at six stations in the Bohai Sea during the autumn of 2012. The coarse net substantially under-sampled small individuals (body widths < 672 μm) and led to the lowest species number in each tow, whereas the fine net collected all small copepod species but failed to collect rare species. The WP-2 net appeared to be a compromise of the two other nets, collecting both small copepods and rare species. The abundance of copepods collected by the coarse net (126.4 ± 86.5 ind m-3) was one to two orders of magnitude lower than that by the WP-2 net (5802.4 ± 2595.4 ind m-3), and the value of the fine net (11117.0 ± 4563.41 ind m-3) was nearly twice that of the WP-2 net. The abundance of large copepods ( i.e., adult Calanus sinicus) in the three nets showed no significant differences, but the abundance of small copepods declined with decreasing mesh size. The difference in abundance resulted from the under-sampling of small copepods with body widths < 672 μm and < 266 μm by the coarse and WP-2 nets, respectively.

  15. Seasonal and interannual variation in mesozooplankton community structure off Tongyeong, southeastern coast of Korea, from 2011 to 2014

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kim, Garam; Kang, Hyung-Ku; Myoung, Jung-Goo

    2017-03-01

    Mesozooplankton community structure and environmental factors were monitored monthly at a fixed station off Tongyeong, southeastern coast of Korea, from 2011 to 2014 to better understand the variability of the mesozooplankton community in relation to changes in the marine environment. Total mesozooplankton density varied from 747 to 8,945 inds. m-3 with peaks in summer. The surface water temperature ( r = 0.338, p < 0.05) and chlorophyll- a (Chl- a) concentration ( r = 0.505, p < 0.001) were parts of the factors that may have induced the mesozooplankton peaks in summer. Copepods accounted for 71% of total mesozooplankton. Total copepod density, particularly cyclopoid copepods, increased during the study period. Cumulative sum plots and anomalies of the cyclopoid copepod density revealed a change of the cyclopoid density from negative to positive in June 2013. A positive relationship between cyclopoid copepods and the Chl- a concentration ( r = 0.327, p < 0.05) appeared to be one of the reasons for the increase in cyclopoids. Dominant mesozooplankton species such as Paracalanus parvus s.l., Oikopleura spp., Evadne tergestina, Cirripedia larvae, Corycaeus affinis, Calanus sinicus, and Oithona similis accounted for 60% of total mesozooplankton density. Based on cluster analysis of the mesozooplankton community by year, the seasonal distinction among groups was different in 2014 compared to other years. P. parvus s.l. and its copepodites contributed most in all groups in all four years. Our results suggest that the high Chl- a concentration since 2013 may have caused the changes in mesozooplankton community structure in the study area.

  16. Predicting temporal shifts in the spring occurrence of overwintered Scotinophara lurida (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and rice phenology in Korea with climate change.

    PubMed

    Lee, Hyoseok; Kang, Wee Soo; Ahn, Mun Il; Cho, Kijong; Lee, Joon-Ho

    2016-01-01

    Climate change could shift the phenology of insects and plants and alter their linkage in space and time. We examined the synchrony of rice and its insect pest, Scotinophara lurida (Burmeister), under the representative concentration pathways (RCP) 8.5 climate change scenario by comparing the mean spring immigration time of overwintered S. lurida with the mean rice transplanting times in Korea. The immigration time of S. lurida was estimated using an overwintered adult flight model. The rice transplanting time of three cultivars (early, medium, and medium-late maturing) was estimated by forecasting the optimal cultivation period using leaf appearance and final leaf number models. A temperature increase significantly advanced the 99% immigration time of S. lurida from Julian day 192.1 in the 2000s to 178.4 in the 2050s and 163.1 in the 2090s. In contrast, rice transplanting time was significantly delayed in the early-maturing cultivar from day 141.2 in the 2000s to 166.7 in the 2050s and 190.6 in the 2090s, in the medium-maturing cultivar from day 130.6 in the 2000s to 156.6 in the 2050s and 184.7 in the 2090s, and in the medium-late maturing cultivar from day 128.5 in 2000s to 152.9 in the 2050s and 182.3 in the 2090s. These simulation results predict a significant future phenological asynchrony between S. lurida and rice in Korea.

  17. Pupation Behavior and Predation on Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) Pupae in Maine Wild Blueberry Fields.

    PubMed

    Ballman, Elissa S; Collins, Judith A; Drummond, Francis A

    2017-12-05

    Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura; Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive vinegar fly and pest of soft fruits in North America, including wild blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium Aiton) in Maine. Despite its presence in the continental United States for 9 yr, little is known about its natural enemy complex. Here we report the results of a 3-yr study designed to identify naturally-occurring predators in Maine's wild blueberry fields. Experiments were conducted to determine pupation site and pupation depth to understand D. suzukii's predation vulnerability. Predation rates in the field of fully-exposed, caged, and buried pupae were measured. Pitfall traps were deployed to identify the potential predator assemblage, and laboratory experiments were conducted to determine how many pupae were consumed by commonly occurring ground beetle species (Carabidae) and field crickets (Gryllus pennsylvanicus Burmeister). The most commonly collected predators were ants, ground beetles, harvestmen, and field crickets. Significantly more pupae were found to occur in the soil compared to blueberry fruit, with most pupae in the top 0.5 cm layer of soil. Pupal predation rates in the field were high, with higher rates of predation on exposed pupae compared to buried pupae. Laboratory studies revealed that ground beetles and field crickets are likely predators of D. suzukii pupae. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  18. Mitogenomic Phylogenetics of Fin Whales (Balaenoptera physalus spp.): Genetic Evidence for Revision of Subspecies

    PubMed Central

    Archer, Frederick I.; Morin, Phillip A.; Hancock-Hanser, Brittany L.; Robertson, Kelly M.; Leslie, Matthew S.; Bérubé, Martine; Panigada, Simone; Taylor, Barbara L.

    2013-01-01

    There are three described subspecies of fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus): B. p. physalus Linnaeus, 1758 in the Northern Hemisphere, B. p. quoyi Fischer, 1829 in the Southern Hemisphere, and a recently described pygmy form, B. p. patachonica Burmeister, 1865. The discrete distribution in the North Pacific and North Atlantic raises the question of whether a single Northern Hemisphere subspecies is valid. We assess phylogenetic patterns using ∼16 K base pairs of the complete mitogenome for 154 fin whales from the North Pacific, North Atlantic - including the Mediterranean Sea - and Southern Hemisphere. A Bayesian tree of the resulting 136 haplotypes revealed several well-supported clades representing each ocean basin, with no haplotypes shared among ocean basins. The North Atlantic haplotypes (n = 12) form a sister clade to those from the Southern Hemisphere (n = 42). The estimated time to most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) for this Atlantic/Southern Hemisphere clade and 81 of the 97 samples from the North Pacific was approximately 2 Ma. 14 of the remaining North Pacific samples formed a well-supported clade within the Southern Hemisphere. The TMRCA for this node suggests that at least one female from the Southern Hemisphere immigrated to the North Pacific approximately 0.37 Ma. These results provide strong evidence that North Pacific and North Atlantic fin whales should not be considered the same subspecies, and suggest the need for revision of the global taxonomy of the species. PMID:23691042

  19. Comparative Toxicities of Newer and Conventional Insecticides: Against Four Generalist Predator Species.

    PubMed

    Prabhaker, Nilima; Naranjo, Steven; Perring, Thomas; Castle, Steven

    2017-12-05

    Generalist insect predators play an essential role in regulating the populations of Bemisia tabaci and other pests in agricultural systems, but may be affected negatively by insecticides applied for pest management. Evaluation of insecticide compatibility with specific predator species can provide a basis for making treatment decisions with the aim of conserving natural enemies. Eleven insecticides representing six modes of action groups were evaluated for toxicity against four predator species and at different developmental stages. Full-concentration series bioassays were conducted on laboratory-reared or insectary-supplied predators using Petri dish and systemic uptake bioassay techniques. Highest toxicities were observed with imidacloprid and clothianidin against first and second instar nymphs of Geocoris punctipes (Say) (Hemiptera: Geocoridae). Later instar nymphs were less susceptible to neonicotinoid treatments based on higher LC50s observed with imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and dinotefuran against third or fourth instar nymphs. The pyrethroid insecticide bifenthrin was highly toxic against adults of G. punctipes and Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). Standard concentration/mortality evaluation of nonacute toxicity insecticides, including buprofezin, pyriproxyfen, spirotetramat, and spiromesifen, was inconclusive in terms of generating probit statistics. However, low mortality levels of insects exposed for up to 120 h suggested minimal lethality with the exception of pyriproxyfen that was mildly toxic to Chrysoperla rufilabris (Burmeister) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

  20. Descriptive Study of Damage Caused by the Rhinoceros Beetle, Oryctes agamemnon, and Its Influence on Date Palm Oases of Rjim Maatoug, Tunisia

    PubMed Central

    Soltani, Rasmi; lkbel, Chaieb; Habib Ben Hamouda, Med

    2008-01-01

    Oryctes agamemnon (Burmeister 1847) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) was accidentally introduced in the southwestern oases of Tunisia (Tozeur) around 1980 and spread to the Rjim Maatoug region. In these areas O. agamemnon was specific to date palm trees causing severe damage that can result in potential danger due to collapse of the tree. This study was conducted from April 2004 to March 2006 in 4 sites in the region of Rjim Maatoug. Different levels of palm tree attack were determined, ovioposition sites were identified, and pest damage was described in detail to specify their relative importance and to indicate factors governing palm tree attack. Eggs were individually oviposited in the attacked parts. Dead parts of palm trees were the main target of O. agamemnon including the respiratory roots, tough, trunk bark, dry petiole and the periphery of the crown. The crown itself was not attacked. Feeding by larvae caused significant damage. The biggest danger occurred when heavy attacks of larvae invaded the respiratory roots at the level of the soil, and secondarily on the periphery of the crown, which can result in fungal diseases. Several cases of Deglet Nour date palm tree collapse were caused by this pest in Rjim Maatoug. Attacks on other parts of the tree were without danger for the palm tree. In the absence of pest management, application of a quarantine program combined with field cultivation techniques could help farmers significantly decrease attack of O. agamemnon on palm trees. PMID:20302545

  1. Descriptive study of damage caused by the rhinoceros beetle, Oryctes agamemnon, and its influence on date palm oases of Rjim Maatoug, Tunisia.

    PubMed

    Soltani, Rasmi; Lkbel, Chaieb; Habib Ben Hamouda, Med

    2008-01-01

    Oryctes agamemnon (Burmeister 1847) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) was accidentally introduced in the southwestern oases of Tunisia (Tozeur) around 1980 and spread to the Rjim Maatoug region. In these areas O. agamemnon was specific to date palm trees causing severe damage that can result in potential danger due to collapse of the tree. This study was conducted from April 2004 to March 2006 in 4 sites in the region of Rjim Maatoug. Different levels of palm tree attack were determined, ovioposition sites were identified, and pest damage was described in detail to specify their relative importance and to indicate factors governing palm tree attack. Eggs were individually oviposited in the attacked parts. Dead parts of palm trees were the main target of O. agamemnon including the respiratory roots, tough, trunk bark, dry petiole and the periphery of the crown. The crown itself was not attacked. Feeding by larvae caused significant damage. The biggest danger occurred when heavy attacks of larvae invaded the respiratory roots at the level of the soil, and secondarily on the periphery of the crown, which can result in fungal diseases. Several cases of Deglet Nour date palm tree collapse were caused by this pest in Rjim Maatoug. Attacks on other parts of the tree were without danger for the palm tree. In the absence of pest management, application of a quarantine program combined with field cultivation techniques could help farmers significantly decrease attack of O. agamemnon on palm trees.

  2. Seasonal and Nocturnal Activities of the Rhinoceros Borer (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the North Saharan Oases Ecosystems

    PubMed Central

    Ehsine, M’hammed; Belkadhi, Mohamed Sadok; Chaieb, Mohammed

    2014-01-01

    Abstract The rhinoceros borer Oryctes agamemnon Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a date palm insect pest that causes damage to trunk and roots of palm trees in several countries, including Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to monitor the seasonal and nocturnal activities of this beetle. Experiments were performed on a date palm of Rjim Maatoug during a 6-yr period (2004–2007, 2009–2010). Field survey using light traps shows that O. agamemnon is a univoltine, with a single population peak. Adults appear in the field around late May–early June and the population continued to build until maximum numbers are reached between the end of July and the beginning of August in the same year. No adults were found after first 10 d of November. This peak was characterized by female dominance in number. The monitoring of nocturnal activity showed that it starts its activities roughly 40 min after the sundown and continues until approximately 1 h before sunrise. The highest number of trapped beetles was remarked in the two first hours of flight activity, with a dominance of female in the first hour and a dominance of male in the second hour. We remarked that the sex ratio (female:male) of the cumulated number of trapped adults in the different years and nights of survey was in favor of females. PMID:25527574

  3. Predicting temporal shifts in the spring occurrence of overwintered Scotinophara lurida (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) and rice phenology in Korea with climate change

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Lee, Hyoseok; Kang, Wee Soo; Ahn, Mun Il; Cho, Kijong; Lee, Joon-Ho

    2016-01-01

    Climate change could shift the phenology of insects and plants and alter their linkage in space and time. We examined the synchrony of rice and its insect pest, Scotinophara lurida (Burmeister), under the representative concentration pathways (RCP) 8.5 climate change scenario by comparing the mean spring immigration time of overwintered S. lurida with the mean rice transplanting times in Korea. The immigration time of S. lurida was estimated using an overwintered adult flight model. The rice transplanting time of three cultivars (early, medium, and medium-late maturing) was estimated by forecasting the optimal cultivation period using leaf appearance and final leaf number models. A temperature increase significantly advanced the 99 % immigration time of S. lurida from Julian day 192.1 in the 2000s to 178.4 in the 2050s and 163.1 in the 2090s. In contrast, rice transplanting time was significantly delayed in the early-maturing cultivar from day 141.2 in the 2000s to 166.7 in the 2050s and 190.6 in the 2090s, in the medium-maturing cultivar from day 130.6 in the 2000s to 156.6 in the 2050s and 184.7 in the 2090s, and in the medium-late maturing cultivar from day 128.5 in 2000s to 152.9 in the 2050s and 182.3 in the 2090s. These simulation results predict a significant future phenological asynchrony between S. lurida and rice in Korea.

  4. [An outbreak of gastroenteritis caused by poisonous Boletus mushroom in Sichuan, China, 2012].

    PubMed

    Sun, Ya-jun; Yuan, Wei; Liu, Lun-guang; Zhang, Li-jie; Shi, Guo-qing; Wang, Qi-xing

    2012-12-01

    To identify the source of infection and risk factors and to provide control measures regarding an outbreak of gastroenteritis involving 30 villagers. Who attended the same wedding party held on March 5(th), 2012, a survey was carried out. Case was defined as having onset of vomiting, nausea, stomachache or diarrhea among the attendees of a wedding party. We randomly selected and interviewed 140 from 470 attendees on their symptoms and food exposures at the wedding. We compared food-specific attack rates (AR) for gastroenteritis in a retrospective cohort study. The leftover foods were tested for Salmonella, Shigella, and Staphylococcus aureus. The leftover Boletus mushrooms were examined and species determined by the Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Of the 140 attendees 61% (85) developed gastroenteritis. Case-attendees had vomiting (94%), nausea (89%), stomachache (53%), and diarrhea (51%). The AR among attendees who ate Boletus mushroom was 69% (81/118), compared to 18% (4/22) of those who did not (RR = 3.8, 95%CI: 1.5 - 9.2). When comparing the ARs between the attendees on consumption of other foods, data did not show statistically significant differences. Among the 7 species of Boletus identified from the leftover mushrooms, 3 (B. venenatus, B. sinicus and B. magnificus) were toxic. Store keepers bought dried or fresh mushrooms from local villagers who had picked up them from the mountains. Salmonella, Shigella, and Staphylococcus aureus tests on those leftover food showed negative results. Poisonous Boletus mushroom contributed to this outbreak. We recommended that education should be targeted on mushroom-pickers regarding how to recognize the poisonous mushrooms. Regulations and laws should also be developed to facilitate the necessary process.

  5. Phylogeny of the genus Yumtaax Boucher (Coleoptera, Passalidae, Proculini): Taxonomic and evolutionary implications with descriptions of three new species

    PubMed Central

    Beza-Beza, Cristian Fernando; Beck, James; Reyes-Castillo, Pedro; Jameson, Mary Liz

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Yumtaax Boucher (Coleoptera: Passalidae) is an endemic genus from the temperate sierras of Mexico and includes six narrowly distributed species. Yumtaax species have been assigned to several genera of Passalidae throughout history, and a phylogenetic approach is necessary to understand species delimitation and interspecific relationships. This study reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of six Yumtaax morphotypes using parsimony and Bayesian analysis of DNA sequence data from the ribosomal nuclear gene region 28S and the mitochondrial gene regions 12S and cytochrome oxidase I (COI) in addition to morphological characters. Analyses recovered two well-supported Yumtaax clades (the Yumtaax laticornis and Yumtaax imbellis clades) that are possible sister lineages. One synapomorphic morphological character state and the geographic isolation of the group provide corroborative evidence for monophyly. Molecular phylogenetic analyses and traditional morphological examinations also resulted in the discovery of two undescribed Yumtaax species and the discovery of two separate evolutionary lineages (cryptic species) within Yumtaax recticornis. As a result we describe three new species (Yumtaax veracrucensis Beza-Beza, Reyes-Castillo & Jameson, sp. n., Yumtaax cameliae Beza-Beza, Reyes-Castillo & Jameson, sp. n., and Yumtaax jimenezi Beza-Beza, Reyes-Castillo & Jameson, sp. n.), redescribe two species (Yumtaax recticornis [Burmeister 1847] and Yumtaax laticornis [Truqui 1857]), and provide a key to all nine Yumtaax species. This study is one of two studies to use molecular data to evaluate the evolutionary relationships of a genus of Bess Beetles (Passalidae), an ecologically important insect group exhibiting low morphological variability and heretofore lacking molecular phylogenetic study. PMID:28769637

  6. Seasonal and nocturnal activities of the rhinoceros borer (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the north Saharan oases ecosystems.

    PubMed

    Ehsine, M'hammed; Belkadhi, Mohamed Sadok; Chaieb, Mohammed

    2014-01-01

    The rhinoceros borer Oryctes agamemnon Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) is a date palm insect pest that causes damage to trunk and roots of palm trees in several countries, including Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Oman, and Saudi Arabia. The aim of this study was to monitor the seasonal and nocturnal activities of this beetle. Experiments were performed on a date palm of Rjim Maatoug during a 6-yr period (2004-2007, 2009-2010). Field survey using light traps shows that O. agamemnon is a univoltine, with a single population peak. Adults appear in the field around late May-early June and the population continued to build until maximum numbers are reached between the end of July and the beginning of August in the same year. No adults were found after first 10 d of November. This peak was characterized by female dominance in number. The monitoring of nocturnal activity showed that it starts its activities roughly 40 min after the sundown and continues until approximately 1 h before sunrise. The highest number of trapped beetles was remarked in the two first hours of flight activity, with a dominance of female in the first hour and a dominance of male in the second hour. We remarked that the sex ratio (female:male) of the cumulated number of trapped adults in the different years and nights of survey was in favor of females. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Entomological Society of America.

  7. Adhesion of living cells revealed by variable-angle total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (Conference Presentation)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Cardoso Dos Santos, Marcelina; Vézy, Cyrille; Jaffiol, Rodolphe

    2016-02-01

    Total Internal Reflection Fluorescence Microscopy (TIRFM) is a widespread technique to study cellular process occurring near the contact region with the glass substrate. In this field, determination of the accurate distance from the surface to the plasma membrane constitutes a crucial issue to investigate the physical basis of cellular adhesion process. However, quantitative interpretation of TIRF pictures regarding the distance z between a labeled membrane and the substrate is not trivial. Indeed, the contrast of TIRF images depends on several parameters more and less well known (local concentration of dyes, absorption cross section, angular emission pattern…). The strategy to get around this problem is to exploit a series of TIRF pictures recorded at different incident angles in evanescent regime. This technique called variable-angle TIRF microscopy (vaTIRFM), allowing to map the membrane-substrate separation distance with a nanometric resolution (10-20 nm). vaTIRFM was developed by Burmeister, Truskey and Reichert in the early 1990s with a prism-based TIRF setup [Journal of Microscopy 173, 39-51 (1994)]. We propose a more convenient prismless setup, which uses only a rotatable mirror to adjust precisely the laser beam on the back focal plane of the oil immersion objective (no azimuthal scanning is needed). The series of TIRF images permit us to calculate accurately membrane-surface distances in each pixel. We demonstrate that vaTIRFM are useful to quantify the adhesion of living cells for specific and unspecific membrane-surface interactions, achieved on various functionalized substrates with polymers (BSA, poly-L-lysin) or extracellular matrix proteins (collagen and fibronectin).

  8. The Genomes of Two Bat Species with Long Constant Frequency Echolocation Calls.

    PubMed

    Dong, Dong; Lei, Ming; Hua, Panyu; Pan, Yi-Hsuan; Mu, Shuo; Zheng, Guantao; Pang, Erli; Lin, Kui; Zhang, Shuyi

    2017-01-01

    Bats can perceive the world by using a wide range of sensory systems, and some of the systems have become highly specialized, such as auditory sensory perception. Among bat species, the Old World leaf-nosed bats and horseshoe bats (rhinolophoid bats) possess the most sophisticated echolocation systems. Here, we reported the whole-genome sequencing and de novo assembles of two rhinolophoid bats-the great leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros armiger) and the Chinese rufous horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus sinicus). Comparative genomic analyses revealed the adaptation of auditory sensory perception in the rhinolophoid bat lineages, probably resulting from the extreme selectivity used in the auditory processing by these bats. Pseudogenization of some vision-related genes in rhinolophoid bats was observed, suggesting that these genes have undergone relaxed natural selection. An extensive contraction of olfactory receptor gene repertoires was observed in the lineage leading to the common ancestor of bats. Further extensive gene contractions can be observed in the branch leading to the rhinolophoid bats. Such concordance suggested that molecular changes at one sensory gene might have direct consequences for genes controlling for other sensory modalities. To characterize the population genetic structure and patterns of evolution, we re-sequenced the genome of 20 great leaf-nosed bats from four different geographical locations of China. The result showed similar sequence diversity values and little differentiation among populations. Moreover, evidence of genetic adaptations to high altitudes in the great leaf-nosed bats was observed. Taken together, our work provided a useful resource for future research on the evolution of bats. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  9. Divergent Egg Physiologies in Two Closely Related Grasshopper Species: Taeniopoda eques versus Romalea microptera (Orthoptera: Romaleidae)

    PubMed Central

    STAUFFER, TIMOTHY W.; HATLE, JOHN D.; WHITMAN, DOUGLAS W.

    2013-01-01

    We compared egg survivorship and egg development time at different soil moistures for two closely related grasshopper species from divergent habitats: marsh-inhabiting Romalea microptera (Beauvois) versus desert-inhabiting Taeniopoda eques (Burmeister). These two species can interbreed and produce viable offspring. In nature, both species have a similar 8–9 mo subterranean egg stage, but their soil environments differ dramatically in water content. We predicted that the eggs of the two species would exhibit differential survivorship and development times under different moisture levels. Our laboratory results show that the eggs of both species survived a wide range of soil moistures (≈ 0.5 to 90%), maintained for 3 mo. However, the eggs of the marsh grasshopper, R. microptera, better tolerated the highest soil moistures (95 and 100%), whereas the eggs of the desert species, T. eques, better tolerated the lowest soil moistures (0.0 and 0.1%). Sixty-five percent of marsh-inhabiting R. microptera eggs, but no desert T. eques eggs, survived 3 mo submersion under water. In contrast, 49% of desert T. eques eggs, but only 3.5% of R. microptera eggs, survived after being laid into oven-dried sand and then maintained with no additional water until hatch. In the laboratory at 26°C, the two species differed significantly in the mean length of the oviposition-to-hatch interval: 176 d for R. microptera versus 237 d for T. eques. These divergent traits presumably benefit these insects in their divergent habitats. Our results suggest the evolution of physiological divergence that is consistent with adaptations to local environments. PMID:22182625

  10. A Comparison of Trap Types for Assessing Diversity of Scarabaeoidea on South Carolina Golf Courses.

    PubMed

    Chong, Juang-Horng; Hinson, Kevin R

    2015-10-01

    A 2-yr survey was conducted on golf courses in South Carolina to 1) document the species richness and seasonal activity of Scarabaeoidea; 2) assess any species compositional differences among three trap types (ultraviolet light, unbaited flight-intercept, and unbaited pitfall); and 3) identify any dominant taxa in each trap type. A total of 74,326 scarabaeoid beetles were captured, of which 77.4% were Aphodiinae (not identified to species). The remaining specimens belong to 104 species in 47 genera and 6 families. The most abundant species were Cyclocephala lurida Bland, Dyscinetus morator (F.), Euetheola humilis (Burmeister), Hybosorus illigeri Reiche, and Maladera castanea (Arrow). In all trap types, >90% of all specimens and taxa were collected between April and August. Ultraviolet light traps collected ∼94% of total specimens consisting of 83 taxa (of which 51 were unique to this trap type), whereas flight-intercept traps captured ∼2% of all specimens representing 53 taxa (18 of which were unique), and pitfall traps captured ∼4% of all specimens representing 15 taxa (no unique species; all species also captured by ultraviolet light traps). Indicator species analysis identified 2-3 and 10-13 taxa that were most frequently collected by flight-intercept and ultraviolet light traps, respectively. Flight-intercept traps complemented ultraviolet light traps by capturing more species of dung and carrion beetles and diurnal phytophagous scarab beetles. Results suggested that a similar survey for domestic or exotic scarabaeoid beetles in turfgrass systems should be conducted between April and August using ultraviolet light and flight-intercept traps at 13-58 sites. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  11. The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) binds independently to both sites of the IgG homodimer with identical affinity.

    PubMed

    Abdiche, Yasmina Noubia; Yeung, Yik Andy; Chaparro-Riggers, Javier; Barman, Ishita; Strop, Pavel; Chin, Sherman Michael; Pham, Amber; Bolton, Gary; McDonough, Dan; Lindquist, Kevin; Pons, Jaume; Rajpal, Arvind

    2015-01-01

    The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) is expressed by cells of epithelial, endothelial and myeloid lineages and performs multiple roles in adaptive immunity. Characterizing the FcRn/IgG interaction is fundamental to designing therapeutic antibodies because IgGs with moderately increased binding affinities for FcRn exhibit superior serum half-lives and efficacy. It has been hypothesized that 2 FcRn molecules bind an IgG homodimer with disparate affinities, yet their affinity constants are inconsistent across the literature. Using surface plasmon resonance biosensor assays that eliminated confounding experimental artifacts, we present data supporting an alternate hypothesis: 2 FcRn molecules saturate an IgG homodimer with identical affinities at independent sites, consistent with the symmetrical arrangement of the FcRn/Fc complex observed in the crystal structure published by Burmeister et al. in 1994. We find that human FcRn binds human IgG1 with an equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) of 760 ± 60 nM (N = 14) at 25°C and pH 5.8, and shows less than 25% variation across the other human subtypes. Human IgG1 binds cynomolgus monkey FcRn with a 2-fold higher affinity than human FcRn, and binds both mouse and rat FcRn with a 10-fold higher affinity than human FcRn. FcRn/IgG interactions from multiple species show less than a 2-fold weaker affinity at 37°C than at 25°C and appear independent of an IgG's variable region. Our in vivo data in mouse and rat models demonstrate that both affinity and avidity influence an IgG's serum half-life, which should be considered when choosing animals, especially transgenic systems, as surrogates.

  12. Conjugation-Mediated Transfer of Antibiotic-Resistance Plasmids Between Enterobacteriaceae in the Digestive Tract of Blaberus craniifer (Blattodea: Blaberidae).

    PubMed

    Anacarso, I; Iseppi, R; Sabia, C; Messi, P; Condò, C; Bondi, M; de Niederhäusern, S

    2016-05-01

    Cockroaches, insects of the order Blattodea, seem to play a crucial role in the possible conjugation-mediated genetic exchanges that occur among bacteria that harbor in the cockroach intestinal tract. The gut of these insects can be thought of as an effective in vivo model for the natural transfer of antimicrobial resistance plasmids among bacteria. In our study, we evaluated the conjugation-mediated horizontal transfer of resistance genes between Escherichia coli and other microorganisms of the same Enterobacteriaceae family within the intestinal tract of Blaberus craniifer Burmeister, 1838 (Blattodea: Blaberidae). Different in vivo mating experiments were performed using E. coli RP4 harboring the RP4 plasmid carrying ampicillin, kanamycin, and tetracycline resistance genes as the donor and E. coli K12 resistant to nalidixic acid or Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis IMM39 resistant to streptomycin as the recipients. The RP4 plasmid was successfully transferred to both recipients, producing E. coli K12-RP4 and S. Enteritidis IMM39-RP4 transconjugants. Conjugation frequencies in vivo were similar to those previously observed in vitro. The transfer of the RP4 plasmid in all transconjugants was confirmed by small-scale plasmid isolation and agar gel electrophoresis, suggesting that the intestinal tract of cockroaches is an effective in vivo model for natural gene transfer. Our results confirm that cockroaches allow for the exchange of antimicrobial resistance plasmids among bacteria and may represent a potential reservoir for the dissemination of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in different environments. These findings are particularly significant to human health in the context of health care settings such as hospitals. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  13. Suitability of Microtheca ochroloma (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) for the Development of the Predator Chrysoperla rufilabris (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae).

    PubMed

    Niño, Angie A; Cave, Ronald D

    2015-08-01

    Microtheca ochroloma Stål, the yellowmargined leaf beetle, is one of the most destructive pests of crucifer vegetables on organic farms. Larvae of the green lacewing Chrysoperla rufilabris Burmeister have been observed preying on M. ochroloma, but no studies have evaluated the suitability of M. ochroloma as prey for C. rufilabris or the efficacy of this predator as a biological control agent of the pest. This study quantified the killing rate, developmental time, and survivorship of C. rufilabris when offered eggs and larvae of M. ochroloma at 10, 15, 20, or 25°C. Mean number of prey killed daily increased from 8.4 eggs and 4.0 larvae at 15°C to 18.6 eggs and 10.2 larvae at 25°C. However, predator larvae killed 78% fewer total eggs at 25°C than at 15°C; total number of first-instar prey killed did not vary significantly with temperature. Mean developmental time of predator larvae decreased from 75.5 d at 15°C to 26.6 d at 25°C when they were fed eggs, whereas it decreased from 54.0 d at 15°C to 21.4 d at 25°C when they were fed larvae. Predator survivorship was reduced by 80% at 15°C and no larvae survived at 10°C. We conclude that C. rufilabris can complete development on a diet of eggs of M. ochroloma, but its effectiveness to control M. ochroloma populations will be lessened during cool months, from November to April, when crucifers are produced in Florida and the beetle is actively developing, reproducing, and causing crop damage. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  14. Variability in copepod trophic levels and feeding selectivity based on stable isotope analysis in Gwangyang Bay of the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chen, Mianrun; Kim, Dongyoung; Liu, Hongbin; Kang, Chang-Keun

    2018-04-01

    Trophic preference (i.e., food resources and trophic levels) of different copepod groups was assessed along a salinity gradient in the temperate estuarine Gwangyang Bay of Korea, based on seasonal investigation of taxonomic results in 2015 and stable isotope analysis incorporating multiple linear regression models. The δ13C and δ15N values of copepods in the bay displayed significant spatial heterogeneity as well as seasonal variations, which were indicated by their significant relationships with salinity and temperature, respectively. Both spatial and temporal variations reflected those in isotopic values of food sources. The major calanoid groups (marine calanoids and brackish water calanoids) had a mean trophic level of 2.2 relative to nanoplankton as the basal food source, similar to the bulk copepod assemblage; however, they had dissimilar food sources based on the different δ13C values. Calanoid isotopic values indicated a mixture of different genera including species with high δ15N values (e.g., Labidocera, Sinocalanus, and Tortanus), moderate values (Calanus sinicus, Centropages, Paracalanus, and Acartia), and relatively low δ15N values (Eurytemora pacifica and Pseudodiaptomus). Feeding preferences of different copepods probably explain these seasonal and spatial patterns of the community trophic niche. Bayesian mixing model calculations based on source materials of two size fractions of particulate organic matter (nanoplankton at < 20 µm vs. microplankton at 20-200 µm) indicated that Acartia and Centropages preferred large particles; Paracalanus, Calanus, Eurytemora, and Pseudodiaptomus apparently preferred small particles. Tortanus was typically carnivorous with low selectivity on different copepods. Labidocera preferred marine calanoids Acartia, Centropages, and harpacticoids; on the other hand, Sinocalanus and Corycaeus preferred brackish calanoids Paracalanus and Pseudodiaptomus. Overall, our results depict a simple energy flow of the planktonic

  15. Taxonomic analysis of Paraguayan samples of Homonota fasciata Duméril & Bibron (1836) with the revalidation of Homonota horrida Burmeister (1861) (Reptilia: Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) and the description of a new species.

    PubMed

    Cacciali, Pier; Morando, Mariana; Medina, Cintia D; Köhler, Gunther; Motte, Martha; Avila, Luciano J

    2017-01-01

    Homonota is a Neotropical genus of nocturnal lizards characterized by the following combination of characters: absence of femoral pores, infradigital lamellae not dilated, claws without sheath, inferior lamellae laterally not denticulate, and presence of a ceratobranchial groove. Currently the genus is composed of 10 species assembled in three groups: two groups with four species, and the fasciata group with only two species. Here, we analyzed genetic and morphologic data of samples of Homonota fasciata from Paraguay; according to Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses, the Paraguay population represents an undescribed species. Additionally, morphological analysis of the holotype of H. fasciata (MNHN 6756) shows that it is morphologically different from the banded, large-scaled Homonota commonly referred to as " H. fasciata ". Given the inconsistency between morphological characters of the name-bearing type of H. fasciata and the species commonly referred to as H. fasciata , we consider them as different taxa. Thus, H. fasciata is a species inquirenda which needs further studies, and we resurrect the name H. horrida for the banded, large-scaled Homonota . The undescribed species from Paraguay is similar to H. horrida , but can be differentiated by the high position of the auditory meatus relative to the mouth commissure (vs. low position in H. horrida ); and less developed tubercles on the sides of the head, including a narrow area between the orbit and the auditory meatus covered with small granular scales with or without few tubercles (vs. several big tubercles on the sides of the head even in the area between the orbit and the auditory meatus). The new species is distributed in the Dry Chaco in South America. With the formal description of this species, the actual diversity of the genus Homonota is increased to 12 species. Furthermore, we infer phylogenetic relationships for 11 of the 12 described species of the genus, based on 11 molecular markers (two mitochondrial and nine nuclear genes), with concatenated and species tree approaches.

  16. Taxonomic analysis of Paraguayan samples of Homonota fasciata Duméril & Bibron (1836) with the revalidation of Homonota horrida Burmeister (1861) (Reptilia: Squamata: Phyllodactylidae) and the description of a new species

    PubMed Central

    Morando, Mariana; Medina, Cintia D.; Köhler, Gunther; Motte, Martha; Avila, Luciano J.

    2017-01-01

    Homonota is a Neotropical genus of nocturnal lizards characterized by the following combination of characters: absence of femoral pores, infradigital lamellae not dilated, claws without sheath, inferior lamellae laterally not denticulate, and presence of a ceratobranchial groove. Currently the genus is composed of 10 species assembled in three groups: two groups with four species, and the fasciata group with only two species. Here, we analyzed genetic and morphologic data of samples of Homonota fasciata from Paraguay; according to Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian inference analyses, the Paraguay population represents an undescribed species. Additionally, morphological analysis of the holotype of H. fasciata (MNHN 6756) shows that it is morphologically different from the banded, large-scaled Homonota commonly referred to as “H. fasciata”. Given the inconsistency between morphological characters of the name-bearing type of H. fasciata and the species commonly referred to as H. fasciata, we consider them as different taxa. Thus, H. fasciata is a species inquirenda which needs further studies, and we resurrect the name H. horrida for the banded, large-scaled Homonota. The undescribed species from Paraguay is similar to H. horrida, but can be differentiated by the high position of the auditory meatus relative to the mouth commissure (vs. low position in H. horrida); and less developed tubercles on the sides of the head, including a narrow area between the orbit and the auditory meatus covered with small granular scales with or without few tubercles (vs. several big tubercles on the sides of the head even in the area between the orbit and the auditory meatus). The new species is distributed in the Dry Chaco in South America. With the formal description of this species, the actual diversity of the genus Homonota is increased to 12 species. Furthermore, we infer phylogenetic relationships for 11 of the 12 described species of the genus, based on 11 molecular markers (two mitochondrial and nine nuclear genes), with concatenated and species tree approaches. PMID:28828231

  17. A review of the research on Canary Islands praying mantises (Mantodea).

    PubMed

    Wieland, Frank; Schütte, Kai; Goldberg, Julia

    2014-05-21

    For many years researchers studying the fauna of the Canary Islands have only sparsely treated the charismatic insect order of praying mantises (Mantodea). By studying the known literature it becomes obvious that there are several inconsistencies regarding mantodean taxonomy as well as the number of actual species and their distribution within the archipelago. In the present contribution, the literature treating the Canary Island Mantodea fauna is thoroughly reviewed, and the distribution of the ten known Mantodea species is presented with additional comments on the taxonomic problems. The taxonomy and distribution of the Canary Island Amelinae has been causing some confusion in the literature and is therefore discussed for a better understanding of the composition of this group. So far, seven species of Amelinae (two species of Ameles Burmeister and five species of Pseudoyersinia Kirby) are recognized for the Canary Islands. A careful survey of the taxonomic literature indicates that there is a substantial degree of variability in this group, which may have led to frequent misidentifications. This is reflected by the inconsistent literature data on the distribution of several Pseudoyersinia species within the archipelago. A crucial amendment and clarification is provided regarding the date of description (1838) of Ameles gracilis (Brullé) and Ameles limbata (Brullé) as it varies in the literature. Nomenclatural changes regarding the homonymy of Mantis limbata Brullé and Mantis limbata Hahn, previously proposed by Koçak & Kemal (2008), are rejected and discussed in detail. One of the Mantodea species, Empusa pennata (Thunberg), is frequently mentioned in the literature to be present on the Canary Islands, but after carefully reviewing the literature data it is evident that this species has never actually been found on any of the islands. The aim of this publication is to lay a basis for future research on the Mantodea fauna of the Canary Islands, their

  18. Evaluation of Mercury Contamination in Fungi Boletus Species from Latosols, Lateritic Red Earths, and Red and Yellow Earths in the Circum-Pacific Mercuriferous Belt of Southwestern China.

    PubMed

    Falandysz, Jerzy; Zhang, Ji; Wang, Yuan-Zhong; Saba, Martyna; Krasińska, Grażyna; Wiejak, Anna; Li, Tao

    2015-01-01

    For the first time, highly elevated levels of mercury (Hg) have been documented for several species of the edible Fungi genus Boletus growing in latosols, lateritic red earths, and red and yellow earths from the Yunnan province of China. Analysis of Hg concentrations in the genus suggests that geogenic Hg is the dominant source of Hg in the fungi, whereas anthropogenic sources accumulate largely in the organic layer of the forest soil horizon. Among the 21 species studied from 32 locations across Yunnan and 2 places in Sichuan Province, the Hg was found at elevated level in all samples from Yunnan but not in the samples from Sichuan, which is located outside the mercuriferous belt. Particularly abundant in Hg were the caps of fruiting bodies of Boletus aereus (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus bicolor (up to 5.5 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus edulis (up to 22 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus luridus (up to 11 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus magnificus (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus obscureumbrinus (up to 9.4 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus purpureus (up to 16 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus sinicus (up to 6.8 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus speciosus (up to 4.9mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus tomentipes (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), and Boletus umbriniporus (up to 4.9 mg kg-1 dry matter). Soil samples of the 0-10 cm topsoil layer from the widely distributed locations had mercury levels ranging between 0.034 to 3.4 mg kg-1 dry matter. In Yunnan, both the soil parent rock and fruiting bodies of Boletus spp. were enriched in Hg, whereas the same species from Sichuan, located outside the mercuriferous belt, had low Hg concentrations, suggesting that the Hg in the Yunnan samples is mainly from geogenic sources rather than anthropogenic sources. However, the contribution of anthropogenically-derived Hg sequestered within soils of Yunnan has not been quantified, so more future research is required. Our results suggest that high rates of consumption of Boletus spp. from Yunnan can

  19. Evaluation of Mercury Contamination in Fungi Boletus Species from Latosols, Lateritic Red Earths, and Red and Yellow Earths in the Circum-Pacific Mercuriferous Belt of Southwestern China

    PubMed Central

    Falandysz, Jerzy; Zhang, Ji; Wang, Yuan-Zhong; Saba, Martyna; Krasińska, Grażyna; Wiejak, Anna; Li, Tao

    2015-01-01

    For the first time, highly elevated levels of mercury (Hg) have been documented for several species of the edible Fungi genus Boletus growing in latosols, lateritic red earths, and red and yellow earths from the Yunnan province of China. Analysis of Hg concentrations in the genus suggests that geogenic Hg is the dominant source of Hg in the fungi, whereas anthropogenic sources accumulate largely in the organic layer of the forest soil horizon. Among the 21 species studied from 32 locations across Yunnan and 2 places in Sichuan Province, the Hg was found at elevated level in all samples from Yunnan but not in the samples from Sichuan, which is located outside the mercuriferous belt. Particularly abundant in Hg were the caps of fruiting bodies of Boletus aereus (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus bicolor (up to 5.5 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus edulis (up to 22 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus luridus (up to 11 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus magnificus (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus obscureumbrinus (up to 9.4 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus purpureus (up to 16 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus sinicus (up to 6.8 mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus speciosus (up to 4.9mg kg-1 dry matter), Boletus tomentipes (up to 13 mg kg-1 dry matter), and Boletus umbriniporus (up to 4.9 mg kg-1 dry matter). Soil samples of the 0–10 cm topsoil layer from the widely distributed locations had mercury levels ranging between 0.034 to 3.4 mg kg-1 dry matter. In Yunnan, both the soil parent rock and fruiting bodies of Boletus spp. were enriched in Hg, whereas the same species from Sichuan, located outside the mercuriferous belt, had low Hg concentrations, suggesting that the Hg in the Yunnan samples is mainly from geogenic sources rather than anthropogenic sources. However, the contribution of anthropogenically-derived Hg sequestered within soils of Yunnan has not been quantified, so more future research is required. Our results suggest that high rates of consumption of Boletus spp. from Yunnan

  20. SU-A-BRA-05: Panel Discussion

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Montemayor, V.

    Vic Montemayor - No one has been more passionate about improving the quality and effectiveness of the teaching of Medical Physics than Bill Hendee. It was in August of 2008 that the first AAPM Workshop on Becoming a Better Teacher of Medical Physics was held, organized and run by Bill Hendee. This was followed up in July of 2010 with a summer school on the same topic, again organized by Bill. There has been continued interest in alternate approaches to teaching medical physics since those initial gatherings. The momentum established by these workshops is made clear each year in themore » annual Innovation in Medical Physics Education session, which highlights work being done in all forms of medical physics education, from one-on-one residencies or classroom presentations to large-scale program revisions and on-line resources for international audiences. This symposium, presented on behalf of the Education Council, highlights the work of three finalists from past Innovation in Education sessions. Each will be presenting their approaches to and innovations in teaching medical physics. It is hoped that audience members interested in trying something new in their teaching of medical physics will find some of these ideas and approaches readily applicable to their own classrooms. Rebecca Howell - The presentation will discuss ways to maximize classroom learning, i.e., increasing the amount of material covered while also enhancing students’ understanding of the broader implications of the course topics. Specifically, the presentation will focus on two teaching methodologies, project based learning and flip learning. These teaching methods will be illustrated using an example of graduate medical physics course where both are used in conjunction with traditional lectures. Additionally, the presentation will focus on our experience implementing these methods including challenges that were overcome. Jay Burmeister - My presentation will discuss the incorporation of active

  1. SU-A-BRA-02: Making the Most of a One Hour Lecture with Alternative Teaching Methodologies: Implementing Project-Based and Flipped Learning

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Howell, R.

    Vic Montemayor - No one has been more passionate about improving the quality and effectiveness of the teaching of Medical Physics than Bill Hendee. It was in August of 2008 that the first AAPM Workshop on Becoming a Better Teacher of Medical Physics was held, organized and run by Bill Hendee. This was followed up in July of 2010 with a summer school on the same topic, again organized by Bill. There has been continued interest in alternate approaches to teaching medical physics since those initial gatherings. The momentum established by these workshops is made clear each year in themore » annual Innovation in Medical Physics Education session, which highlights work being done in all forms of medical physics education, from one-on-one residencies or classroom presentations to large-scale program revisions and on-line resources for international audiences. This symposium, presented on behalf of the Education Council, highlights the work of three finalists from past Innovation in Education sessions. Each will be presenting their approaches to and innovations in teaching medical physics. It is hoped that audience members interested in trying something new in their teaching of medical physics will find some of these ideas and approaches readily applicable to their own classrooms. Rebecca Howell - The presentation will discuss ways to maximize classroom learning, i.e., increasing the amount of material covered while also enhancing students’ understanding of the broader implications of the course topics. Specifically, the presentation will focus on two teaching methodologies, project based learning and flip learning. These teaching methods will be illustrated using an example of graduate medical physics course where both are used in conjunction with traditional lectures. Additionally, the presentation will focus on our experience implementing these methods including challenges that were overcome. Jay Burmeister - My presentation will discuss the incorporation of active

  2. SU-A-BRA-01: Introduction

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Montemayor, V.

    Vic Montemayor - No one has been more passionate about improving the quality and effectiveness of the teaching of Medical Physics than Bill Hendee. It was in August of 2008 that the first AAPM Workshop on Becoming a Better Teacher of Medical Physics was held, organized and run by Bill Hendee. This was followed up in July of 2010 with a summer school on the same topic, again organized by Bill. There has been continued interest in alternate approaches to teaching medical physics since those initial gatherings. The momentum established by these workshops is made clear each year in themore » annual Innovation in Medical Physics Education session, which highlights work being done in all forms of medical physics education, from one-on-one residencies or classroom presentations to large-scale program revisions and on-line resources for international audiences. This symposium, presented on behalf of the Education Council, highlights the work of three finalists from past Innovation in Education sessions. Each will be presenting their approaches to and innovations in teaching medical physics. It is hoped that audience members interested in trying something new in their teaching of medical physics will find some of these ideas and approaches readily applicable to their own classrooms. Rebecca Howell - The presentation will discuss ways to maximize classroom learning, i.e., increasing the amount of material covered while also enhancing students’ understanding of the broader implications of the course topics. Specifically, the presentation will focus on two teaching methodologies, project based learning and flip learning. These teaching methods will be illustrated using an example of graduate medical physics course where both are used in conjunction with traditional lectures. Additionally, the presentation will focus on our experience implementing these methods including challenges that were overcome. Jay Burmeister - My presentation will discuss the incorporation of active

  3. SU-A-BRA-03: Creative Stimulation: A Flexible Hands-On Approach to Building a Deeper Understanding of Critical Concepts in Radiation Physics

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Naqvi, S.

    Vic Montemayor - No one has been more passionate about improving the quality and effectiveness of the teaching of Medical Physics than Bill Hendee. It was in August of 2008 that the first AAPM Workshop on Becoming a Better Teacher of Medical Physics was held, organized and run by Bill Hendee. This was followed up in July of 2010 with a summer school on the same topic, again organized by Bill. There has been continued interest in alternate approaches to teaching medical physics since those initial gatherings. The momentum established by these workshops is made clear each year in themore » annual Innovation in Medical Physics Education session, which highlights work being done in all forms of medical physics education, from one-on-one residencies or classroom presentations to large-scale program revisions and on-line resources for international audiences. This symposium, presented on behalf of the Education Council, highlights the work of three finalists from past Innovation in Education sessions. Each will be presenting their approaches to and innovations in teaching medical physics. It is hoped that audience members interested in trying something new in their teaching of medical physics will find some of these ideas and approaches readily applicable to their own classrooms. Rebecca Howell - The presentation will discuss ways to maximize classroom learning, i.e., increasing the amount of material covered while also enhancing students’ understanding of the broader implications of the course topics. Specifically, the presentation will focus on two teaching methodologies, project based learning and flip learning. These teaching methods will be illustrated using an example of graduate medical physics course where both are used in conjunction with traditional lectures. Additionally, the presentation will focus on our experience implementing these methods including challenges that were overcome. Jay Burmeister - My presentation will discuss the incorporation of active

  4. SU-A-BRA-00: Education Council Symposium: Revitalizing Your Medical Physics Classroom: Some Examples and Thoughts from the Trenches

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    NONE

    Vic Montemayor - No one has been more passionate about improving the quality and effectiveness of the teaching of Medical Physics than Bill Hendee. It was in August of 2008 that the first AAPM Workshop on Becoming a Better Teacher of Medical Physics was held, organized and run by Bill Hendee. This was followed up in July of 2010 with a summer school on the same topic, again organized by Bill. There has been continued interest in alternate approaches to teaching medical physics since those initial gatherings. The momentum established by these workshops is made clear each year in themore » annual Innovation in Medical Physics Education session, which highlights work being done in all forms of medical physics education, from one-on-one residencies or classroom presentations to large-scale program revisions and on-line resources for international audiences. This symposium, presented on behalf of the Education Council, highlights the work of three finalists from past Innovation in Education sessions. Each will be presenting their approaches to and innovations in teaching medical physics. It is hoped that audience members interested in trying something new in their teaching of medical physics will find some of these ideas and approaches readily applicable to their own classrooms. Rebecca Howell - The presentation will discuss ways to maximize classroom learning, i.e., increasing the amount of material covered while also enhancing students’ understanding of the broader implications of the course topics. Specifically, the presentation will focus on two teaching methodologies, project based learning and flip learning. These teaching methods will be illustrated using an example of graduate medical physics course where both are used in conjunction with traditional lectures. Additionally, the presentation will focus on our experience implementing these methods including challenges that were overcome. Jay Burmeister - My presentation will discuss the incorporation of active

  5. SU-A-BRA-04: Incorporating Active Learning Into Medical Physics Education

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Burmeister, J.

    Vic Montemayor - No one has been more passionate about improving the quality and effectiveness of the teaching of Medical Physics than Bill Hendee. It was in August of 2008 that the first AAPM Workshop on Becoming a Better Teacher of Medical Physics was held, organized and run by Bill Hendee. This was followed up in July of 2010 with a summer school on the same topic, again organized by Bill. There has been continued interest in alternate approaches to teaching medical physics since those initial gatherings. The momentum established by these workshops is made clear each year in themore » annual Innovation in Medical Physics Education session, which highlights work being done in all forms of medical physics education, from one-on-one residencies or classroom presentations to large-scale program revisions and on-line resources for international audiences. This symposium, presented on behalf of the Education Council, highlights the work of three finalists from past Innovation in Education sessions. Each will be presenting their approaches to and innovations in teaching medical physics. It is hoped that audience members interested in trying something new in their teaching of medical physics will find some of these ideas and approaches readily applicable to their own classrooms. Rebecca Howell - The presentation will discuss ways to maximize classroom learning, i.e., increasing the amount of material covered while also enhancing students’ understanding of the broader implications of the course topics. Specifically, the presentation will focus on two teaching methodologies, project based learning and flip learning. These teaching methods will be illustrated using an example of graduate medical physics course where both are used in conjunction with traditional lectures. Additionally, the presentation will focus on our experience implementing these methods including challenges that were overcome. Jay Burmeister - My presentation will discuss the incorporation of active

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