First Report on the Acrobat Ant Crematogaster scutellaris Storing Live Aphids in Its Oak-Gall Nests

This study provides new data about the role of ants in mutualistic interactions with aphids mediated by galls. We focused our investigation on galls induced by the cynipid Andricus kollari by conducting a survey and a subsequent experiment in an Italian oak forest. The ants Crematogaster scutellaris, Colobopsis truncata and Temnothorax italicus frequently used the galls as nests: Crematogaster scutellaris occupied galls which were located higher on the oak trees, while C. truncata and T. italicus were located at lower positions. In addition, galls occupied by C. scutellaris showed varied internal architecture in relation to the colony composition. Importantly, field surveys revealed for the first time that C. scutellaris nest galls also contained live individuals of the non-galligenous aphid Panaphis juglandis. Field experiments suggested that the ants actively seek, collect and stock live aphids. No signs of predation and injuries were detected on the stored aphids, which were probably kept for safe overwintering, though we cannot exclude a possible occasional use as food. This report reveals a possible novel relationship which could have important consequences on the phenology and presence of aphids on the host plant.

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Contribution to the knowledge of the Prioninae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from the Mizoram State (India), with the first report of the genus Megobaralipton Lepesme & Breuning and new records from the country

Zootaxa ◽

10.11646/zootaxa.4963.2.8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4963 (2) ◽

pp. 375-383

Author(s):

AMITAVA MAJUMDER ◽

ALAIN DRUMONT ◽

STANISLAV JÁKL ◽

GÉRARD TAVAKILIAN ◽

HASAHOLALU BOREGOWDA MANJUNATHA ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Host Plant ◽

New Records ◽

Taxonomic Position ◽

First Report ◽

Indian State ◽

First Time

Five species of Prioninae from the Indian state of Mizoram were studied: Megobaralipton kalimantanum (Komiya & Makihara, 2001); Nepiodes bowringi (Gahan, 1894); Anomophysis hainana (Gressitt, 1940); Eurypoda (Eurypoda) nigrita Thomson, 1865 and Eurypoda (Neoprion) batesi Gahan, 1894. New country records are provided to: Megobaralipton kalimantanum (Komiya & Makihara, 2001); Anomophysis hainana (Gressitt, 1940); Eurypoda (Eurypoda) nigrita Thomson, 1865; Eurypoda (Neoprion) batesi Gahan, 1894. Nepiodes bowringi (Gahan, 1894) is record for the first time from the Indian state of Mizoram. Detailed taxonomic position of all species, their host plant, and images of dorsal habitus are provided.

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Cytokinin Sensing in Bacteria

Biomolecules ◽

10.3390/biom10020186 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 186

Author(s):

Samar Kabbara ◽

Baptiste Bidon ◽

Jaafar Kilani ◽

Marwan Osman ◽

Monzer Hamze ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cell Signaling ◽

Host Plant ◽

Plant Hormones ◽

Cellular Signaling ◽

Phytopathogenic Bacteria ◽

Signaling Mechanisms ◽

Plant Chemicals ◽

First Time ◽

Broad Role

Although it has long been known that bacteria detect and react to plant chemicals to establish an interaction, the cellular signaling mechanisms involved in these perception processes have hitherto remained obscure. Some exciting recent advances in the field have described, for the first time, how some phytopathogenic bacteria sense the host plant hormones, cytokinins. These discoveries not only advance the understanding of cell signaling circuitries engaged in cytokinin sensing in non-plant organisms, but also increase our knowledge of the broad role of these ancient molecules in regulating intra- and interspecific communications.

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Unusual Steroid Constituents from the Tropical Starfish Leiaster sp

Natural Product Communications ◽

10.1177/1934578x1601100914 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 1934578X1601100

Author(s):

Timofey V. Malyarenko ◽

Alla A. Kicha ◽

Natalia V. Ivanchina ◽

Anatoly I. Kalinovsky ◽

Pavel S. Dmitrenok ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bile Acid ◽

Sodium Salt ◽

Parallel Evolution ◽

Steroid Glycoside ◽

First Report ◽

Acid Sodium Salt ◽

Steroid Glycosides ◽

First Time ◽

Primary Bile Acid

Two polar steroid compounds, taurochenodeoxycholic acid sodium salt (1) and a rare cyclic steroid glycoside luzonicoside A (2), were isolated from the tropical starfish Leiaster sp. and identified by extensive NMR and ESIMS techniques. The isolation of primary bile acid 1 is the first report from a representative of the class Asteroidea and on the whole in invertebrates. Its presence confirms the hypothesis about the digestive role of some polar steroids in starfish and possibly demonstrates the parallel evolution of fat emulsifying agents in vertebrates and some starfish. Compound 2 was also obtained from starfish belonging to this genus for the first time. This finding indicates that cyclic steroid glycosides are more widely distributed in starfish than the two species of the genus Echinaster from which they were isolated earlier.

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Morphodynamics of a wave dominated embayed beach on an irregular rocky coastline

Brazilian Journal of Oceanography ◽

10.1590/s1679-87592018005006602 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 172-188 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Mario Luiz Mascagni ◽

Eduardo Siegle ◽

Moysés Gonsalez Tessler ◽

Samara Cazzoli y Goya

Keyword(s):

Numerical Models ◽

High Energy ◽

Hydrodynamic Characteristics ◽

Rip Currents ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Serra Do Mar ◽

Hydrodynamic Processes ◽

Tourism Potential ◽

First Time

Abstract Wave-dominated embayed beaches on irregular rocky coastlines are highly appreciated for their landscapes and tourism potential. Yet our understanding about the interaction of the oceanographic processes with the geological inheritance in this type of beaches still needs further investigation to better understand their natural balance. In this study, we apply the classical approach of morphodynamics to describe for the first time the variations in the Boiçucanga beach morphology, an embayed beach located in São Sebastião City on an irregular rocky coastline that is well known for its beautiful beaches embedded in the valleys of Serra do Mar. Field surveys were performed over 15 months, between April 2008 and September 2009, seeking to evaluate the interactions among the morphology, sediments and hydrodynamic characteristics at Boiçucanga. All data generated during the field surveys have supported the application of the following morphodynamic models: Classification of morphological beach stages [O]; Number of nearshore sandbars [B*]; Relative tide range [RTR]; Beach exposure on embayed coasts [Ro/a and ß]; and Embayment beach scaling parameter [d] to determine the geomorphological behavior of the beach on monthly and annual time scales. From these models, Boiçucanga is classified as a deep embayed beach exposed to high-energy waves, with a predominant reflective profile, which favors the development of beach cusps and topographically controlled rip currents. The combined results of the field observations and applied models allowed us to better understand the role of geological heritage in the two morphodynamic signatures found at the same beach arch. For future studies, we will focus on numerical models to increase the understanding of the hydrodynamic processes that govern the sediment transport in Boiçucanga.

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Empirical tests of the role of disruptive coloration in reducing detectability

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2007.0153 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 274 (1615) ◽

pp. 1325-1331 ◽

Cited By ~ 64

Author(s):

Stewart Fraser ◽

Alison Callahan ◽

Dana Klassen ◽

Thomas N Sherratt

Keyword(s):

Field Experiments ◽

Human Subjects ◽

Common Features ◽

Background Matching ◽

Disruptive Coloration ◽

Oak Trees ◽

Empirical Tests ◽

Body Shapes ◽

Better Than

Disruptive patterning is a potentially universal camouflage technique that is thought to enhance concealment by rendering the detection of body shapes more difficult. In a recent series of field experiments, artificial moths with markings that extended to the edges of their ‘wings’ survived at higher rates than moths with the same edge patterns inwardly displaced. While this result seemingly indicates a benefit to obscuring edges, it is possible that the higher density markings of the inwardly displaced patterns concomitantly reduced their extent of background matching. Likewise, it has been suggested that the mealworm baits placed on the artificial moths could have created differential contrasts with different moth patterns. To address these concerns, we conducted controlled trials in which human subjects searched for computer-generated moth images presented against images of oak trees. Moths with edge-extended disruptive markings survived at higher rates, and took longer to find, than all other moth types, whether presented sequentially or simultaneously. However, moths with no edge markings and reduced interior pattern density survived better than their high-density counterparts, indicating that background matching may have played a so-far unrecognized role in the earlier experiments. Our disruptively patterned non-background-matching moths also had the lowest overall survivorship, indicating that disruptive coloration alone may not provide significant protection from predators. Collectively, our results provide independent support for the survival value of disruptive markings and demonstrate that there are common features in human and avian perception of camouflage.

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Hunting customs, beliefs and prohibitons (based on field materials from Zhytomyr Polissia)

V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University Bulletin "History of Ukraine. Ukrainian Studies: Historical and Philosophical Sciences" ◽

10.26565/2227-6505-2020-31-03 ◽

2020 ◽

Keyword(s):

Customary Law ◽

Cluster Method ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Folk Knowledge ◽

Production Experience ◽

Analysis And Synthesis ◽

Changing Role ◽

First Time ◽

Livelihood System

Customary norms, taboos, folk knowledge iand worldviews related to the hunting industry are considered on the basis of expedition materials from Luhyny, Novohrad-Volynskyi, Yemilchynskyi and Korostenskyi districts of Zhytomyr region. Field materials that illustrate the main provisions of the article are given. The goal of the study is to study the traditional hunting customs, beliefs and prohibitions that have formed in Zhytomyr Polissia. The methodological basis of the study are the methods of historical sciences, the principles of objectivity, complexity, historicity, systematics; methods of analysis and synthesis, typological, comparative-historical. The ethnological method of field surveys on the author's questionnaires was applied; information was collected by the cluster method. The scientific novelty of the article is that for the first time in the Ukrainian ethnological literature it covers the customs, rituals and prohibitions concerning firearms, success in the craft of Zhytomyr Polissya. The beliefs associated with the first shot from a new rifle, the causes of its “damage” and the main ways of “correction” are analyzed. The degree of preservation in the region of ancient beliefs about the prohibition of a woman's contact with hunting equipment and the customs of ritual purity of the hunter has been clarified. The attitude of modern hunters to ancient rituals is shown. The degree of preservation of beliefs in the old woman, a woman with a “bad eye”, empty buckets, as well as a cat and a hare. Preservation of some signs of successful hunting is noted, among which - not to wash and not to shave, prophetic dreams. Prohibition of seeking God’s help in the craft and observance of customary hunting norms is substantiated. The customs connected with the ritual shooting of hunters on certain days of the folk calendar are analyzed. Conclusions. Hunting, as one of the oldest forms of economic activity, has accumulated numerous customs, rituals, worldviews, folk knowledge and norms of customary law. They have changed with the development of society and the changing role of craft in the livelihood system. While preserving ancient beliefs and customary norms in the people's memory, it has been found that modern hunters consider the acquired production experience and knowledge to be the main guarantee of the success of hunting. It has been found that modern hunters consider the acquired production experience and knowledge to be the main guarantee of the success of hunting preserving ancient beliefs and customary norms in the people's memory.

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First report on the anuran fauna of Hai Ha forest, Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam

Check List ◽

10.15560/16.4.1025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 1025-1041

Author(s):

Cuong The Pham ◽

Quyen Hanh Do ◽

Hai Ngoc Ngo ◽

Tung Thanh Tran ◽

Thomas Ziegler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Iucn Red List ◽

Red List ◽

Field Surveys ◽

First Report ◽

Red Data Book ◽

Anuran Species ◽

Data Book ◽

First Time ◽

Quang Ninh

Two field surveys were conducted in the Hai Ha forest, Quang Ninh Province, northeastern Vietnam in 2015 and 2016. Based on mophological examinations, we provide the first list of 27 anuran species from this area. Ten species are recorded for the first time from Quang Ninh Province. The anuran fauna of Hai Ha District also contains one species listed in the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable, two species listed in the Red Data Book of Vietnam as Endangered, and two other species endemic to Vietnam (Limnonectes quangninhensis and Quasipaa acanthophora).

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Diapause and its regulation in the whitefly Trialeurodes lauri

Bulletin of Entomological Research ◽

10.1017/s0007485310000520 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 101 (6) ◽

pp. 741-747 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

D. Gerling ◽

M. Guershon ◽

E. Erel ◽

M. Inbar

Keyword(s):

Life Cycle ◽

Host Plant ◽

Fourth Instar ◽

Host Tree ◽

First Report ◽

Laboratory Conditions

AbstractThis study focuses on the regulation of synchronization between the life cycle of the oligophagous whitefly, Trialeurodes lauri (Signoret), and its evergreen host tree Arbutus andrachne in Mediterranean chaparral. Whitefly infestations vary considerably among trees. The adults of the univoltine (one generation per year) whitefly emerge en masse during April and May and oviposit on the new spring foliage. Following approximately one month of development to the early fourth instar, the nymphs enter nine-month diapauses, terminating in February. This diapause is induced and maintained by the plant and can be experimentally avoided (in the case of developing young nymphs) or terminated (in the case of diapausing fourth instars), if whitefly-bearing branches are severed from the tree and placed in water under laboratory conditions. This study is the first report of a whitefly diapausing through both summer and winter seasons. The role of the host plant in the process is discussed.

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Dalbergia ecastaphyllum (L.) Taub. and Symphonia globulifera L.f.: The Botanical Sources of Isoflavonoids and Benzophenones in Brazilian Red Propolis

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules25092060 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 25 (9) ◽

pp. 2060 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Gari Vidal Ccana-Ccapatinta ◽

Jennyfer Andrea Aldana Mejía ◽

Matheus Hikaru Tanimoto ◽

Milton Groppo ◽

Jean Carlos Andrade Sarmento de Carvalho ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Field Surveys ◽

Economic Significance ◽

Symphonia Globulifera ◽

First Time

The Brazilian red propolis (BRP) constitutes an important commercial asset for northeast Brazilian beekeepers. The role of Dalbergia ecastaphyllum (L.) Taub. (Fabaceae) as the main botanical source of this propolis has been previously confirmed. However, in addition to isoflavonoids and other phenolics, which are present in the resin of D. ecastaphyllum, samples of BRP are reported to contain substantial amounts of polyprenylated benzophenones, whose botanical source was unknown. Therefore, field surveys, phytochemical and chromatographic analyses were undertaken to confirm the botanical sources of the red propolis produced in apiaries located in Canavieiras, Bahia, Brazil. The results confirmed D. ecastaphyllum as the botanical source of liquiritigenin (1), isoliquiritigenin (2), formononetin (3), vestitol (4), neovestitol (5), medicarpin (6), and 7-O-neovestitol (7), while Symphonia globulifera L.f. (Clusiaceae) is herein reported for the first time as the botanical source of polyprenylated benzophenones, mainly guttiferone E (8) and oblongifolin B (9), as well as the triterpenoids β-amyrin (10) and glutinol (11). The chemotaxonomic and economic significance of the occurrence of polyprenylated benzophenones in red propolis is discussed.

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Phomopsis Dieback: A Grapevine Trunk Disease Caused by Phomopsis viticola in California

Plant Disease ◽

10.1094/pdis-11-12-1072-re ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 97 (12) ◽

pp. 1571-1579 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

J. R. Úrbez-Torres ◽

F. Peduto ◽

R. J. Smith ◽

W. D. Gubler

Keyword(s):

The United States ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Phomopsis Viticola ◽

Eutypa Lata ◽

Morphological Studies ◽

Trunk Disease ◽

Grapevine Trunk Disease ◽

Gene Sequence Analysis ◽

First Time

Field surveys recently conducted in California and in other grape-growing regions in the United States showed Phomopsis viticola to be one of the most prevalent fungi isolated from grapevine perennial cankers in declining vines. The current study has not only confirmed the presence of P. viticola from grapevine cankers in California but also has for the first time revealed the occurrence of Diaporthe ambigua, D. eres, and D. neotheicola in symptomatic grapevine wood in California by means of morphological studies and multi-gene sequence analysis. Pathogenicity trials conducted on mature cordons of Vitis vinifera ‘Syrah’ and ‘Red Globe’, as well as on lignified Syrah dormant canes, showed P. viticola isolates from California to be capable of causing perennial cankers. Lengths of vascular discoloration caused by P. viticola were similar to those caused by Eutypa lata and several Botryosphaeriaceae spp., which are well-known grapevine trunk disease pathogens. Additionally, a lack of spring growth was commonly observed in dormant canes inoculated with P. viticola spore suspensions in two pathogenicity trials. As part of this study, V. vinifera ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’ and ‘Zinfandel’ wood was shown to be more susceptible to infection by P. viticola than ‘Barbera’, ‘Chardonnay’, ‘Merlot’, and ‘Thompson Seedless’ wood. After more than 40 years overlooking P. viticola as a grapevine wood pathogen, this study provides strong evidence of the role of P. viticola as a canker-causing organism, and suggests its addition to the fungi involved in the grapevine trunk disease complex. Results from this study suggest D. ambigua and D. neotheicola to be saprophytes or weak pathogens on grapevine wood.

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