The growth parameters of the green lacewing, Chrysoperla nipponensis-B (Okamoto), were studied under laboratory conditions. The highest mortality was recorded in the immature stages (instars 1st, 2nd, 3rd and pupae) of C. nipponensis fed on the eggs of Corcyra cephalonica (37.26%). The sex ratios (proportion of female to male) when reared on the eggs of C. cephalonica and an artificial diet with ginger were 0.93 : 1.00 and 0.87 : 1.00, respectively. The maximum life spans of females reared on the eggs of C. cephalonica and an artificial diet with ginger were 63 and 64 days, respectively. The females reared on the eggs of C. cephalonica produced the highest number of eggs (10.4) on the fifth day of oviposition, whereas on the artificial diet with ginger it was 9.26 on the eighth day of oviposition. The net reproductive rate (Ro) and maximum gross reproductive rate (GRR) of C. nipponensis fed on the eggs of C. cephalonica were 69.50 and 223.10 females per female per generation, respectively, whereas for the artificial diet with ginger they were 117.24 and 236.89 females per female per generation, respectively. Mean generation time (T) was 37.06 and 48.16 for the eggs of C. cephalonica and artificial diet with ginger, respectively. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r) was 0.11 and 0.09 females per female per day for the eggs of C. cephalonica and artificial diet with ginger, respectively. The finite rate of increase (λ) was 1.12 and 1.11 females per female per day for the eggs of C. cephalonica and artificial diet with ginger, respectively. The population doubling time (DT) was 6.05 days on the diet of eggs of C. cephalonica and 7.00 on the artificial diet with ginger., Shafique A. Memon, Dzolkhifli Omar, Rita Muhamad, Ahamd S. Sajap, Norhayu Asib, Arfan A. Gibal., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Two new microleafhopper genera of Empoascini within the subfamily Typhlocybinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), Condensella Xu, Dietrich & Qin gen. n., based on the type species C. filamenta Xu, Dietrich & Qin sp. n., and Endogena Xu, Dietrich & Qin gen. n., based on the type species E. flava Xu, Dietrich & Qin sp. n., are described from southern China and Thailand. Male habitus photos and illustrations of male genitalia of the two new species are provided. Comparative notes on related genera are provided. Phylogenetic relationships and the status of genus groups within the tribe are also discussed., Ye Xu, Christopher H. Dietrich, Wenhui Zhao, Daozheng Qin., and Obsahuje bibliografii
As part of a modern review of all Australian Collembola families, a key is provided to the nine genera of Brachystomellidae currently known from Australia, their morphology is compared, their distribution within and outside Australia is noted and the high diversity of genera in southern regions emphasised. Three Australian genera are endemic, five are also found in South America, South Africa and/or New Zealand and one has a cosmopolitan distribution. The distribution, ecology and habitat preferences of Australian genera are compared. Two genera, Cassagnella Najt & Massoud and Rapoportella Ellis & Bellinger, are newly diagnosed and additions to the description of C. anomala Womersley are given. Australian Cassagnella species appear restricted to southern, humid regions and C. anomala possesses some characters that indicate it is adapted to living in habitats that are periodically flooded. A new species, Rapoportella edwardi sp. n. is described in the rarer genus from drier eucalypt forests. The effect of agricultural practices on an introduced species of Brachystomella is noted and its indicator value emphasised. Possible threats to the endemic genera and species are noted., Penelope Greenslade., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Growth and development rates in many insects are affected by photoperiod, which enables insects to synchronize their life histories with seasonal events, but this aspect of insect photoperiodism remains understudied. Here we use several experimental combinations of constant day length and temperature to determine whether there are quantitative developmental responses to photoperiod in the bug Scantius aegyptius and leaf beetle Timarcha tenebricosa. The thermal ecology of these two species is strikingly different: the former is thermophilic and active throughout summer and the latter is spring-active and avoids the hottest time of the year. In accordance with their contrasting natural thermal environments, S. aegyptius survives better and achieves a larger final body mass at the high experimental temperatures, while T. tenebricosa survives better and is heavier at the low experimental temperatures. Despite this polarity, long-day conditions accelerate larval development relative to a short-day photoperiod in both species, and this developmental response is stronger at low temperatures. Our re-visitation of previous literature in light of the new findings indicates that this similarity in photoperiodic response is superficial and that relatively faster development in midsummer is likely to have a different ecological role in summer- and spring-active species. In the former, it may allow completion of an additional generation during the favourable season, whereas in the latter, this acceleration likely ensures that the larval stage, which is vulnerable to heat, is completed before the onset of hot weather., Dmitry Kutcherov, Elena B. Lopatina, Sergei Balashov., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Myxobolus pseudodispar Gorbunova, 1936 (Myxozoa) is capable of infecting and developing mature myxospores in several cyprinid species. However, M. pseudodispar isolates from different fish show up to 5% differences in the SSU rDNA sequences. This is an unusually large intraspecific difference for myxozoans and only some of the muscle-dwelling myxozoan species possess such a high genetic variability. We intended to study the correlation between the host specificity and the phylogenetic relationship of the parasite isolates, and to find experimental proof for the putatively wide host range of M. pseudodispar with cross-infection experiments and phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA. The experimental findings distinguished 'primary' and less-susceptible 'secondary' hosts. With some exceptions, M. pseudodispar isolates showed a tendency to cluster according to the fish host on the phylogenetic tree. Experimental and phylogenetic findings suggest the cryptic nature of the species. It is likely that host-shift occurred for M. pseudodispar and the parasite speciation in progress might explain the high genetic diversity among isolates which are morphologically indistinguishable., Barbara Forró, Edit Eszterbauer., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Strong tolerance of freezing is an important strategy for insects living in extremely cold regions. They produce highly effective cryoprotectant systems consisting of ice-nucleating proteins and polyols, which enables tolerable freezing of the body fluid. Therefore, the measurement of the concentrations of polyols and the activity of ice nucleators in the haemolymph is an essential tool for describing tolerance to ice formation in insects occurring in particularly cold places. This study evaluates three parameters: insect body supercooling point (SCP), haemolymph glycerol content and the profile of haemolymph ice nucleating activity that characterize the strategies of cold adaptation and cold hardiness in two previously unstudied beetles, Chrysolina graminis graminis L. and Galerucella nymphaea L., inhabiting Yakutia (Russian Far East, latitude 62°N). The high SCP values, ice nucleating activity and survival of the chrysomelids after freezing indicate that both species are tolerant of freezing. According to the profiles of ice-nucleating activity, the haemolymph from C. graminis graminis is characterized by a higher nucleating potential than that from G. nymphaea. The glycerol level is also higher in C. graminis graminis. The results indicate that both species develop tolerance to low temperatures, but the cold hardiness potential of C. graminis graminis is greater than that of G. nymphaea. This was revealed by the survival test, in which beetles were frozen to a temperature of -22°C for 30 min; 86% of C. graminis graminis and 72% of G. nymphaea survived the test. Thus, the freeze-tolerance of these beetles seems to be based on the production of an integrated cryoprotectant system, the quality of which apparently influences the range of their cold resistance., Natalia G. Li., and Obsahuje bibliografii
A total of 345 faecal samples were collected from domestic, captive and wild birds in rural areas, urban areas and a Zoo in Algeria. Samples were screened for the presence of parasites belonging to the genus Cryptosporidium Tyzzer, 1910 by microscopy and PCR analysis of the small-subunit rRNA (SSU), actin and 60-kDa glycoprotein (gp60) genes. Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in 31 samples. Sequence analysis of SSU and actin genes revealed the presence of C. baileyi Current, Upton et Haynes, 1986 in domestic chicken broilers (n = 12), captive ostriches (n = 4) and a wild mallard (n = 1), and C. meleagridis Slavin, 1955 in a graylag goose (n = 1), chickens (n = 11) and turkeys (n = 2). Twenty-three chicken and two turkey broilers from five farms were positive for cryptosporidia, with an overall prevalence of 2% and 6%, respectively. Both C. meleagridis and C. baileyi were detected in farmed chicken broilers, with a prevalence ranging from 9% to 69%. Farmed turkeys broilers were positive only for C. meleagridis, with a 13% prevalence at the animal level. Subtyping of C. meleagridis isolates at the gp60 locus showed the presence of subtype IIIgA22G3R1 in graylag goose and chicken broilers and IIIgA23G2R1 in chicken and turkey broilers. Infection with cryptosporidia was not associated with any clinical diseases. The results of the present study, which provides the first data on the prevalence of Cryptosporidium spp. in wild birds in Africa, demonstrate the presence of human pathogenic C. meleagridis in both domestic and wild birds in Algeria., Abd Elkarim Laatamna, Nikola Holubová, Bohumil Sak, Martin Kváč., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_Understanding of the diversity of species of Cryptosporidium Tyzzer, 1910 in tortoises remains incomplete due to the limited number of studies on these hosts. The aim of the present study was to characterise the genetic diversity and biology of cryptosporidia in tortoises of the family Testudinidae Batsch. Faecal samples were individually collected immediately after defecation and were screened for presence of cryptosporidia by microscopy using aniline-carbol-methyl violet staining, and by PCR amplification and sequence analysis targeting the small subunit rRNA (SSU), Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) and actin genes. Out of 387 faecal samples from 16 tortoise species belonging to 11 genera, 10 and 46 were positive for cryptosporidia by microscopy and PCR, respectively. All samples positive by microscopy were also PCR positive. Sequence analysis of amplified genes revealed the presence of the Cryptosporidium tortoise genotype I (n = 22), C. ducismarci Traversa, 2010 (n = 23) and tortoise genotype III (n = 1). Phylogenetic analyses of SSU, COWP and actin gene sequences revealed that Cryptosporidium tortoise genotype I and C. ducismarci are genetically distinct from previously described species of Cryptosporidium. Oocysts of Cryptosporidium tortoise genotype I, measuring 5.8-6.9 µm × 5.3-6.5 µm, are morphologically distinguishable from C. ducismarci, measuring 4.4-5.4 µm × 4.3-5.3 µm. Oocysts of Cryptosporidium tortoise genotype I and C. ducismarci obtained from naturally infected Russian tortoises (Testudo horsfieldii Gray) were infectious for the same tortoise but not for Reeve's turtles (Mauremys reevesii [Gray]), common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis [Linnaeus]), zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata [Vieillot]) and SCID mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus)., a2_The prepatent period was 11 and 6 days post infection (DPI) for Cryptosporidium tortoise genotype I and C. ducismarci, respectively; the patent period was longer than 200 days for both cryptosporidia. Naturally or experimentally infected tortoises showed no clinical signs of disease. Our morphological, genetic, and biological data support the establishment of Cryptosporidium tortoise genotype I as a new species, Cryptosporidium testudinis sp. n., and confirm the validity of C. ducismarci as a separate species of the genus Cryptosporidium., Jana Ježková, Michaela Horčičková, Lenka Hlásková, Bohumil Sak, Dana Květoňová, Jan Novák, Lada Hofmannová, John McEvoy, Martin Kváč., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The mite family Ascouracaridae Gaud et Atyeo, 1976 contains large-sized mites (mostly > 1 mm) which live inside the quills of birds of several orders. To date, no representative of this family has been found associated with the order Strigiformes (owls). In this paper, a new species of this family, Cystoidosoma hermaphroditus sp. n., is described from the tropical screech owl, Megascops choliba (Vieillot) (Aves: Strigiformes) from Brazil. This species is unique in having an external spermaduct, a primary duct and a rudimentary bursa copulatrix present in males. This is the first astigmatan feather mite described from the order Strigiformes in this country. A key to adults of the genus Cystoidosoma Gaud et Atyeo, 1976 of the world is presented., Fabio Akashi Hernandes, Barry M. OConnor., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Studies of insect population under field conditions to establish survival rates, longevity and dispersal rates are rare in the literature. These types of studies are important and can be used to inform studies of the effects of landscape composition and configuration on levels of biodiversity. Here the Cantharidae beetle, Rhagonycha fulva is studied under field conditions to derive estimates of daily survival rates for both males and females as well as local dispersal rates. Survival was studied at two sites, one in Wales and another in England, whilst dispersal was examined only at the Welsh site. Beetles were marked using different coloured enamel paints at the mid-point of a 200 m linear transect. The beetles were almost exclusively found (and marked) on common hogweed, Heracleum sphondylium. No difference in survival was found between males and females at both of the sites. The survival rates found at the two sites also did not differ. The overall daily survival rate was 0.771 equating with a median longevity of 4.37 days. Casual observations yielded a small number of marked individuals in excess of 400 m away from the point of marking. Movement of males along the transect differed from females. Marked females were never found far from the point of marking whilst males moved further away with time. This difference in behaviour is discussed in terms of hypothesized insect dispersal behaviour following emergence as mobile adults., Laura E. Rodwell, Jennifer J. Day, Christopher W. Foster, Graham J. Holloway., and Obsahuje bibliografii