The mitochondrial genome of Saccharosydne procerus (Matsumura) is the first sequenced in the tribe Saccharosydnini (Hemiptera: Delphacidae: Delphacinae). In addition, the mitogenome sequence of Sogatella vibix (Haupt) (in Delphacini) is also sequenced. The Sa. procerus mitochondrial genome is 16,031 bp (GenBank accession no. MG515237) in length, and So. vibix is 16,554 bp (GenBank accession no. MG515238). The existence of purifying selection was indicated by the rate of nonsynonymous and synonymous substitutions. Three species of Delphacini, Laodelphax striatellus (Fallén), Sogatella furcifera (Horváth) and Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), are important pests of rice. The phylogeny of these three rice planthoppers based on the mitochondrial genome sequence was (L. striatellus + (So. vibix + So. furcifera)) + (N. muiri + N. lugens)., Yi-Xin Huang, Dao-Zheng Qin., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_The first molecular assessment of phylogenetic relationships of cladorchiid digeneans (superfamily Paramphistomoidea Fischoeder, 1901) from freshwater fishes based on 28S rDNA, ITS2 and cox1 sequences reveals the subfamilies Dadayiinae Fukui, 1929 and Kalitrematinae Travassos, 1933 as non-monophyletic, whereas Dadaytrema Travassos, 1931 represented by three species is monophyletic. Fourteen species of cladorchiids were found in characiform, perciform and siluriform fishes in the Neotropical Region (Brazil and Peru), with numerous new host and geographical records. The first scanning electron micrographs of seven species are presented. Two new species of dadayiine and one new species of kalitrematine paramphistomes are described. Microrchis macrovarium sp. n. from Pimelodella cristata (Müller et Troschel) (type host), Tetranematichthys quadrifilis (Kner) and Pterodoras granulosus (Valenciennes) in Brazil and Peru differs from all three congeners in that the testes are directly tandem, not oblique, and that the ovary, between the caecal ends, is widely separated from the testes. Pronamphistoma philippei sp. n. from Heros sp. in Brazil is distinguished from the type and only species, Pronamphistoma cichlasomae Thatcher, 1992, by the absence of the anterior collar-like expansion present in the type species, the presence of extramural rather than intramural pharyngeal sacs, and the unusual development of the dorsal and ventral exterior circular muscle fibre series in the acetabulum., a2_Pseudocladorchis romani sp. n. from P. granulosus (type host), Brachyplatystoma vaillantii (Valenciennes), Calophysus macropterus (Lichtenstein), Megalodoras uranoscopus (Eigenmann et Eigenmann) and Oxydoras niger (Valenciennes) in Brazil and Peru, is most similar to Pseudocladorchis nephrodorchis Daday, 1907 but differs in the shape of the testes (irregular, versus reniform in the latter species) and the size of the ovary (as large as, or larger than, the testes in the new species). The generic diagnosis of Pronamphistoma Thatcher, 1992 is amended. Dadaytremoides parauchenipteri Lunaschi, 1989 is transferred to Doradamphistoma Thatcher, 1979 as D. parauchenipteri (Lunaschi, 1989) comb. n. based on morphological and molecular evidence., Camila Pantoja, Tomáš Scholz, José Luis Luque, Arlene Jones., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Nutrition is one of the most important environmental factors that influence the development and growth in Drosophila. The food composition strongly affects their reproduction, welfare and survival, so it is necessary for flies to search for a mixture of macronutrients that maximizes their fitness. We have five D. melanogaster strains, which were reared for 13 years on five different substrates: standard cornmeal-agar-sugar-yeast medium and four substrates modified by adding tomato, banana, carrot and apple. This study was aimed at determining how such long-term rearing of flies on substrates with different protein content affects fitness traits (dynamics of eclosion, developmental time and egg-to-adult survival). Further, we determined how transferring flies reared on fruit/vegetable substrates to a standard laboratory diet affected their fitness. Results indicate that strains reared on the diet with the lowest content of protein and the highest C/N ratio had the slowest eclosion and developmental time, and lowest egg-to-adult survival (apple diet). The flies reared on the diet with the highest protein content and the lowest C/N ratio had the highest survival (tomato diet). Flies reared on the carrot diet, which is quite similar in protein content and C/N ratio to the standard cornmeal diet, had the fastest development. Transferring flies to the standard cornmeal diet accelerate eclosion and developmental time, but did not affect survival., Jelena Trajković, Vukica Vujić, Dragana Miličić, Gordana Gojgić-Cvijović, Sofija Pavković-Lučić, Tatjana Savić., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Coccinellids are effective predators and a key component of the predator guild in rice ecosystems. In order to enhance their efficacy, a study was undertaken to assess the seasonal movement of coccinellids into rice fields and the role of the surrounding flora on their colonization. The seasonal abundance of coccinellids and their prey was recorded on the rice crop and the surrounding flora at fortnightly intervals from 2012 to 2015. Coccinellid prey range was assessed using PAGE electrophoresis. The herbivorous insects associated with weeds were Aphis gossypii Glover, Aphis craccivora (Koch), Cicadulina bipunctata (Melichar), Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), Sitobion sp., Thaia oryzivora Ghauri and Zygina maculifrons Matsumura. Of the species of coccinellids recorded in rice fields, Harmonia octomaculata (Fabricius), Micraspis discolor (F.), Propylea dissecta (Mulsant), Coccinella transversalis Fabricius, Cheilomenes sexmaculata (Fabricius), Scymnus nubilus Mulsant and Brumoides suturalis (Fabricius) were also recorded on weeds. The esterase profiles indicated that the leafhoppers and aphids on the weeds were the prey of the coccinellids before they colonized the rice fields. The coccinellids recorded on the weeds showed bands corresponding to the insects present on the weeds. Beetles collected from rice fields had different bands, some of which corresponded to the green leafhopper (GLH) Nephotettix virescens Distant, the brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens Stal and white backed planthopper (WBPH) Sogatella furcifera Hovarth infesting rice. In addition, some bands corresponded to hoppers and aphids that were present on the surrounding flora. The results indicate the importance of surrounding flora in the conservation and colonization of rice fields by coccinellids., Chitra Shanker, Lydia Chintagunta, Sampathkumar Muthusamy, Sunil Vailla, Amudhan Srinivasan, Gururaj Katti., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Functional responses at each developmental stage of predators and intraspecific competition associated with direct interactions among them provide insights into developing biological control strategies for pests. The functional responses of Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) at each developmental stage of Melanaphis sacchari (Zehntner) and intraspecific competition among predators were evaluated under laboratory conditions. The results showed that all stages of H. axyridis displayed a type II functional response to M. sacchari. Based on Holling's disc equation, the instantaneous searching rates were highest (a) and handling time was shortest (Th) of fourth instar larvae (a = 0.8818; Th = 3.9 min) and female adults (a = 0.9881; Th = 3.0 min) at larval and adult stages, respectively. The coefficients of mutual interference (m) assessed by the intraspecific competition equation were higher for fourth instar larvae (m = 0.4764) and female adults (m = 0.4183). The present study indicates that fourth instar and female adult were more effective stages of H. axyridis in the context of biological control but suitable predator densities need to be considered before natural enemy release., Pengxiang Wu, Jing Zhang, Muhammad Haseeb, Shuo Yan, Lambert Kanga, Runzhi Zhang., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Conifer bark beetles are well known to be associated with fungal complexes, which consist of pathogenic ophiostomatoid fungi as well as obligate saprotroph species. However, there is little information on fungi associated with Ips acuminatus in central and eastern Europe. The aim of the study was to investigate the composition of the fungal communities associated with the pine engraver beetle, I. acuminatus, in the forest-steppe zone in Ukraine and to evaluate the pathogenicity of six associated ophiostomatoid species by inoculating three-year-old Scots pine seedlings with these fungi. In total, 384 adult beetles were collected from under the bark of declining and dead Scots pine trees at two different sites. Fungal culturing from 192 beetles resulted in 447 cultures and direct sequencing of ITS rRNA from 192 beetles in 496 high-quality sequences. Identification of the above revealed that the overall fungal community was composed of 60 species. Among these, the most common were Entomocorticium sp. (24.5%), Diplodia pinea (24.0%), Ophiostoma ips (16.7%), Sydowia polyspora (15.1%), Graphilbum cf rectangulosporium (15.1%), Ophiostoma minus (13.8%) and Cladosporium pini-ponderosae (13.0%). Pathogenicity tests were done using six species of ophiostomatoid fungi, which were inoculated into Scots pine seedlings. All ophiostomatoid fungi tested successfully infected seedlings of Scots pine with varying degrees of virulence. Ophiostoma minus was the only fungus that caused dieback in inoculated seedlings. It is concluded that I. acuminatus vectors a species-rich fungal community including pathogens such as D. pinea and O. minus. The fungal community reported in the present study is different from that reported in other regions of Europe. Pathogenicity tests showed that O. minus was the most virulent causing dieback in seedlings of Scots pine, while other fungi tested appeared to be only slightly pathogenic or completely non-pathogenic., Kateryna Davydenko, Rimvydas Vasaitis, Audrius Menkis., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by protists (apicomplexans) of the genus Eimeria Schneider, 1875 and is considered to be the most important disease faced by rabbit breeders due to its high morbidity. In the present study, the antioxidant status and changes in apoptosis and in the expression of some genes were quantified in rabbits' ilea following infection with Eimeria intestinalis Cheissin, 1948. Rabbits, orally infected with 1 × 105 sporulated oocysts of E. intestinalis, started to shed oocysts in their faeces on 8 days post infection (dpi) and reached maximum excretion on 10 dpi, with approximately 5 million oocysts. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in the live body weight of infected rabbits. Also, malondialdehyde and nitric oxide were significantly increased while catalase and glutathione were significantly decreased in the ileum tissues of the infected rabbits. In addition, a significant increase was observed in the percentages of apoptotic cells in the ilea of the infected rabbits. Furthermore, interleukin-1β and interleukin-2 mRNA levels were significantly down-regulated and mRNA levels of interleukin-6, interferon gamma and inducible nitric oxide synthase were significantly up-regulated, while those of C-reactive protein remained unchanged. We conclude that infection with E. intestinalis induces oxidative stress, a significant increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells and a diverse and robust Th1 and Th1-related cytokine response in the ileum tissues., Heba M. Abdel-Haleem, Shawky M. Aboelhadid, Thabet Sakran, Gamal El-Shahawy, Huda El-Fayoumi, Saleh Al-Quraishy, Abdel-Azeem S. Abdel-Baki., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The aim of the present study was to estimate the genetic diversity of the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863 in Poland based on sequence analysis of the mitochondrial genes of worms isolated from red foxes, Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus). Overall, 83 adults of E. multilocularis from the same number of foxes in different parts of Poland were used for analysis. Sequences of the three mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b (cob), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (nad2) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), were analysed. Seventy-four individual biological samples were successfully sequenced. Combined sequence analysis of these three genes exhibited fifteen Polish haplotypes (EmPL1-EmPL15). Most isolates (n = 29; 39%) were classified to the EmPL1 haplotype, which occurred mainly in the east, north and centre of Poland. Haplotype EmPL4 (n = 14; 19%) and other haplotypes appeared predominantly in the south and west area. Fourteen haplotypes were grouped in the European clade. One Polish haplotype (EmPL9) (n = 7, 10%) was assigned to the Asian clade with haplotypes from Japan and Kazakhstan. This haplotype was found only in northeast Poland and this is the westernmost report of haplotype of E. multilocularis belonging to the Asian clade in Europe. The investigation demonstrated that populations of E. multilocularis in Poland (and probably also in eastern Europe) included not only different European haplotypes but also those of the Asian origin., Jacek Karamon, Krzysztof Stojecki, Małgorzata Samorek-Pieróg, Ewa Bilska-Zajac, Mirosław Rózycki, Ewa Chmurzyńska, Jacek Sroka, Jolanta Zdybel, Tomasz Cencek., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Two species of the genus Gryllus occur in Europe: G. campestris and G. bimaculatus. The first is widely distributed in the north-western Palaearctic, while the second, G. bimaculatus, occurs predominantly in the Mediterranean area. There is a visible pattern in the distribution of G. campestris, the insect being rare and threatened in the western part of its range, whereas it is still abundant in the east. Despite the fact that this species is commonly used in laboratory experiments, its natural populations are poorly characterised. In the present study, we analysed cricket populations from the lower Oder and Vistula River valleys in Poland. Based on the phylogeny of the mtDNA cytochrome b fragment, we found that 17% of the individuals studied had a G. bimaculatus-like mtDNA haplotype. Analyses of 11 autosomal microsatellite loci failed to reveal any clear genetic differentiation between individuals assigned to these two clades. This suggests, along with the spatial distribution of G. bimaculatus-like haplotypes, successful interbreeding of G. bimaculatus with native populations of G. campestris. However, both the nuclear data and additional analyses of two X-chromosome-linked microsatellite loci revealed incomplete introgression. Human-mediated introgression seems to be the most plausible explanation of the observed genotypic pattern such that caution needs to be taken in conservation efforts carried out in the western part of the species' range., Hanna Panagiotopoulou, Mateusz Baca, Katarzyna Baca, Paweł Sienkiewicz, Piotr Ślipiński, Michał Żmihorski., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Brazilian native meliponines are currently threatened by increased human impacts. The assessment of their genetic variation by microsatellite DNA markers can assist in the conservation of populations and help in the planning and establishment of efficient management strategies. The purpose of this study was to develop the first set of microsatellite markers for Melipona fasciculata, selected from partial genome assembly of Illumina paired-end reads. Primer pairs were designed for each detected locus at their flanking regions. Bee samples were genotyped from two different populations of Northeastern Brazil for marker characterization and validation. A total of 17 microsatellite loci displayed polymorphism. Mean HE and HO heterozygosities were 0.453 and 0.536, respectively. PIC across all loci ranged from 0.108 to 0.714. A genetic diversity analysis revealed high values for population differentiation estimates (FST = 0.194, RST = 0.230, and Dest = 0.162) within the investigated region. PCoA and Bayesian clustering showed a separation of the species into two distinct clusters. These microsatellite markers have demonstrated strong potential for population-level genetic studies. Moreover, the preliminary analysis of the genetic diversity in M. fasciculata provides provisional evidence of significant population differentiation between the two studied populations., Geice Ribeiro Da Silva, Isis Gomes De Brito Souza, Fabia De Mello Pereira, Bruno De Almeida Souza, Maria Teresa Do Rego Lopes, Paul Bentzen, Fabio Mendonça Diniz., and Obsahuje bibliografii