Preferences of young caterpillars of three species of Pieris (P. rapae crucivora Boisduval, P. melete Ménétriès, and P. napi japonica Shirôzu) (Lepidoptera: Pieridae) for the upper and lower surfaces of the leaves of their host plants (Brassicaceae) were investigated in the laboratory. On horseradish Armoracia rusticana Gaertn. Mey. et Scherb., which was provided as a common food for three species, second and third instar larvae of the respective species preferred the lower to the upper surface of horizontally placed leaves, irrespective of whether they hatched on the upper or lower surface. First instar larvae seemed to remain on the surface on which they hatched. However, first instar larvae of P. melete on Rorippa indica (L.), a natural food of P. melete in the field, and first instar larvae of P. napi japonica on Arabis flagellosa Miq., a natural food of P. napi japonica, preferred the lower to the upper surface, just as second and third instar larvae did. To elucidate the effects of leaf-surface preference, the percentage parasitism of P. rapae crucivora on Arm. rusticana and Ara. flagellosa by the parasitoid Cotesia glomerata (L.) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was investigated. On Arm. rusticana, the percentage parasitism of the larvae on the upper surface was higher than that of larvae on the lower surface. On Ara. flagellosa, however, percentages parasitism were nearly equal on both surfaces. Leaf-surface preference by the larvae of Pieris is discussed in terms of avoidance of parasitism by the parasitoid C. glomerata.
Experimental infection of the pulmonate snails Arianta arbustorum L. and Helix pomatia L. with first-stage larvae of protostrongylid nematode Elaphostrongylus cervi Cameron, 1931 was performed in order to determine modes of larval entry into the body of the snail intermediate host. Groups by four individuals of both snail species were examined histologically 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes after the beginning of exposure and 1, 2, 4, and 7 days post infection. All 64 snails examined were found to be successfully infected. The superficial furrows of the sole were recognized as the most important site of larval entry into the snail organism. Larval penetration was observed to be accompanied by destruction of the superficial epithelium. The number of larvae found in the subepithelial connective tissue of the headfoot was significantly higher than that found in other tissues and organs. Larval counts in individual parts of the body of snails examined from 0 to 7 days p.i. did not fluctuate significantly. The present results indicate that only those protostrongylid larvae which actively penetrated the superficial epithelium of the snail sole play an important role in the life cycle.
Entamoeba moshkovskii Tshalaia, 1941 is prevalent in developing countries and it is considered to be primarily a free-living amoeba, which is morphologically indistinguishable, but biochemically and genetically different from the human infecting, pathogenic Entamoeba histolytica Schaudinn, 1903. The pathogenic potential of this organism is still under discussion. Entamoeba moshkovskii in human stool samples has been reported in different countries such as the United States, Italy, Australia, Iran, Turkey, Bangladesh, India (Pondicherry), Indonesia, Colombia, Malaysia, Tunisia, Tanzania and Brazil, but no data are available about the occurrence of E. moshkovskii in farm animals. This study provides data on the occurrence of E. moshkovskii in pigs in a total of 294 fresh faecal samples collected from five different regions in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. Stool samples were tested by nested PCR using primers targeting SSU rDNA of E. moshkovskii. The amplified PCR products were further confirmed by RFLP technique. Purified nested PCR products were also sequenced and identified via BLAST program run on the NCBI website to confirm species along with their genetic characteristics of the E. moshkovskii isolates. Overall 5.4 % samples were identified as E. moshkovskii positive. Results of this study demonstrate that swine can host E. moshkovskii and should be considered as a potential natural reservoir for E. moshkovskii. However, the occurrence of E. moshkovskii infection in pigs was not statistically associated with their faecal consistency, sex and developmental stage.
The endemic Costa Rican genus Zurquilla Gauld, 1997, is transferred from the ichneumonid subfamily Tryphoninae (tribe Oedemopsini) to the Cryptinae (tribe Phygadeuontini) and synonymised with Nipponaetes Uchida, 1933. This decision is justified using morphological and molecular (28S D2-3 ribosomal DNA sequence) evidence. We briefly discuss the phylogenetic utility of characters that led to the type species of Zurquilla being described as a tryphonine and provide a host record that indicates that Nipponaetes is a parasitoid of spider egg sacs.