Wing interference patterns are consistent and sexually dimorphic in the four families of crane flies (Diptera, Tipuloidea)

Wing interference patterns (WIP) are stable structural colors in insect wings caused by thin-film interference. This study seeks to establish WIP as a stable, sexually dimorphic, species-level character across the four families of Tipuloidea and investigate generic level WIP. Thirteen species of Tipuloidea were selected from museum specimens in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University collection. One wing from a male and female of each representative species was excised and mounted to a slide with coverslip, placed against a black background, and imaged using an integrated microscope camera. Images were minimally retouched but otherwise unchanged. Descriptions of the WIP for each sex of each species are provided. Twelve of thirteen species imaged had WIP, which were stable and species specific while eight of those twelve had sexually dimorphic WIP. Comparisons of three species of Nephrotoma were inconclusive regarding a generic level WIP. Gnophomyia tristissima had higher intraspecific variation than other species examined. This study confirms stable, species specific WIP in all four families of crane flies for the first time. More research must be done regarding generic-level stability of WIP in crane flies as well as the role sexual and natural selection play in the evolution of wing interference patterns in insects.

Biodiversity of orb-web spiders (family: araneidae) of buner valley, Pakistan

The present research was carried out to explore the spider fauna of Buner valley with taxonomic study from February 2018 to January 2019. For this purpose samples were collected, four times at each month from 4 tehsils: Daggar, Gagra, Mandan and Totalai. Two methods were used, hand picking and sweep net for collection of samples. During day and night, three habitats, arid area, agriculture land and building area were search for collection. A total of 534 samples of spider were collected from four sampling sites, in which 379 were belonging to family Araniedae. After confirmation, the identified species were belonging to 8 genera (Neoscona, Argiope, Cyclosa, Araneus, Cyrtophora, Larinia, Erivoxia and Poltys) and 19 species. 18 of them were identified to specie level while a single specie to its generic level. The genus Neoscona was the dominant genus 26.31% having 5 species while the genus Argiope 21.05% is the second dominant having 4 species followed by Cyclosa 15.78% having 3 species followed by Cyrtophora and Araneus 10.52% having two species both. The Poltys and Larinia 5.26% are the rarest genera represent single-single specie both. Statistical analysis show that specie richness (D) = 5.77, Simpson index (1-D) = 0.87, Shannon index (H) = 2.33. Diversity of spiders was evenly distributed and calculated Evenness value was H/InS = 0.5408. There is also few atypical species and Fisher alpha estimate high value (Fisher α) = 4.42. Chao-1 estimated we have reported 22 species.

La Force du désir de Krysinska comme roman à clef

Krysinska’s La Force du Désir as a roman à clef In Krysinska’s novel, La Force du Désir, which I consider a roman à clef, rich referentiality is a guarantee of authenticity. Spatial and cultural references build a world familiar to the reader who can easily decipher the prototypes of the presented characters. Moreover, Krysinska’s novel contains the philosophy of the mask, both explicitly and implicitly, within the characters’ behavior. This, however, does not exhaust the issue of the mask, because a roman à clef, on the generic level, is a mask of an esoteric novel.

Phylogenetic Reassessment, Taxonomy, and Biogeography of Codinaea and Similar Fungi

The genus Codinaea is a phialidic, dematiaceous hyphomycete known for its intriguing morphology and turbulent taxonomic history. This polyphasic study represents a new, comprehensive view on the taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography of Codinaea and its relatives. Phylogenetic analyses of three nuclear loci confirmed that Codinaea is polyphyletic. The generic concept was emended; it includes four morphotypes that contribute to its morphological complexity. Ancestral inference showed that the evolution of some traits is correlated and that these traits previously used to delimit taxa at the generic level occur in species that were shown to be congeneric. Five lineages of Codinaea-like fungi were recognized and introduced as new genera: Codinaeella, Nimesporella, Stilbochaeta, Tainosphaeriella, and Xyladelphia. Dual DNA barcoding facilitated identification at the species level. Codinaea and its segregates thrive on decaying plants, rarely occurring as endophytes or plant pathogens. Environmental ITS sequences indicate that they are common in bulk soil. The geographic distribution found using GlobalFungi database was consistent with known data. Most species are distributed in either the Holarctic realm or tropical geographic regions. The ancestral climatic zone was temperate, followed by transitions to the tropics; these fungi evolved primarily in Eurasia and Americas, with subsequent transitions to Africa and Australasia.

Corrieopone nouragues gen. nov., sp. nov., a new Ponerinae from French Guiana (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

This study describes the worker and queen castes of the Neotropical ponerine Corrieopone nouraguesgen. nov., sp. nov., an ant from the tropical rainforest in French Guiana. Worker morphology of the taxon is compared with those of other Ponerinae and the similarities between them are discussed, refining the definition of character states for some diagnostic characters at the generic level, providing an identification key to the Neotropical genera, and making some adjustments to the taxonomic framework within the subfamily. Descriptions, diagnosis, character discussion, identification key, and glossary are illustrated with more than 300 images and line drawings. Open science is supported by providing access to measurement data for specimens of the new genus, a matrix of character states for all ponerine taxa evaluated in this study, and specimen data for all examined material. The new or revived combinations presented here are Pachycondyla procidua Emery, comb. rev., Neoponera curiosa (Mackay and Mackay), comb. nov., Leptogenys butteli (Forel), comb. nov., and Bothroponera escherichi (Forel), comb. nov. In addition, Leptogenys butteli is synonymized with Leptogenys myops (Emery), syn. nov.

Correlator correspondences for Gaiotto-Rapčák dualities and first order formulation of coset models

We derive correspondences of correlation functions among dual conformal field theories in two dimensions by developing a “first order formulation” of coset models. We examine several examples, and the most fundamental one may be a conjectural equivalence between a coset (SL(n)k ⊗SL(n)−1)/SL(n)k−1 and $$ \mathfrak{sl}(n) $$ sl n Toda field theory with generic level k. Among others, we also complete the derivation of higher rank FZZ-duality involving a coset SL(n + 1)k /(SL(n)k ⊗ U(1)), which could be done only for n = 2, 3 in our previous paper. One obstacle in the previous work was our poor understanding of a first order formulation of coset models. In this paper, we establish such a formulation using the BRST formalism. With our better understanding, we successfully derive correlator correspondences of dual models including the examples mentioned above. The dualities may be regarded as conformal field theory realizations of some of the Gaiotto-Rapčák dualities of corner vertex operator algebras.

Novel Mitochondrial DNA Markers for Scleractinian Corals and Generic-Level Environmental DNA Metabarcoding

Coral reefs, the most biodiverse habitats in the ocean, are formed by anthozoan cnidarians, the scleractinian corals. Recently, however, ongoing climate change has imperiled scleractinian corals and coral reef environments are changing drastically. Thus, convenient, high-density monitoring of scleractinian corals is essential to understand changes in coral reef communities. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding is potentially one of the most effective means of achieving it. Using publicly available scleractinian mitochondrial genomes, we developed high-specificity primers to amplify mitochondrial 12S ribosomal RNA (12S) and cytochrome oxidase-1 (CO1) genes of diverse scleractinian corals, which could be used for genus-level metabarcoding analyses, using next-generation sequencing technologies. To confirm the effectiveness of these primers, PCR amplicon sequencing was performed using eDNA isolated along the seashore of Okinawa, Japan. We successfully amplified all eDNA samples using PCR. Approximately 93 and 72% of PCR amplicon sequences of 12S and CO1 primers originated from scleractinian 12S and CO1 genes, respectively, confirming higher specificities for coral mitochondrial genes than primers previously used for coral eDNA metabarcoding. We also found that hierarchical clustering, based on the percentage of mapped reads to each scleractinian genus, discriminates between sampling locations, suggesting that eDNA surveys are sufficiently powerful to reveal differences between coral communities separated by <1 km. We conclude that the method reported here is a powerful tool for conducting efficient eDNA surveys targeting scleractinian corals.

Global Studies of the Host-Parasite Relationships between Ectoparasitic Mites of the Family Syringophilidae and Birds of the Order Columbiformes

The quill mites belonging to the family Syringophilidae (Acari: Prostigmata: Cheyletoidea) are obligate ectoparasites of birds. They inhabit different types of the quills, where they spend their whole life cycle. In this paper, we conducted a global study of syringophilid mites associated with columbiform birds. We examined 772 pigeon and dove individuals belonging to 112 species (35% world fauna) from all zoogeographical regions (except Madagascan) where Columbiformes occur. We measured the prevalence (IP) and the confidence interval (CI) for all infested host species. IP ranges between 4.2 and 66.7 (CI 0.2–100). We applied a bipartite analysis to determine host–parasite interaction, network indices, and host specificity on species and whole network levels. The Syringophilidae–Columbiformes network was composed of 25 mite species and 65 host species. The bipartite network was characterized by a high network level specialization H2′ = 0.93, high nestedness N = 0.908, connectance C = 0.90, and high modularity Q = 0.83, with 20 modules. Moreover, we reconstructed the phylogeny of the quill mites associated with columbiform birds on the generic level. Analysis shows two distinct clades: Meitingsunes + Psittaciphilus, and Peristerophila + Terratosyringophilus.

Effects of application of copper-based fungicides in cocoa plantations on the abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrates in adjacent rivers in Southwestern Nigeria

This study investigated the relationship between the levels of fungicide pollution and the abundance and diversity of macroinvertebrate fauna in three river systems: Aponmu, Oruwo, and Owena in south-western Nigeria, which are in close proximity to cocoa plantations. For each river, three sites were selected for the collection of water and sediment samples from April to July, 2018. Prior to sample collection, the physicochemical parameters (electrical conductivity, total dissolved solutes, pH, temperature, and dissolved oxygen) were determined. Also, aquatic macroinvertebrates were collected, and were identified to generic level, where possible. The levels of copper and sulphate in the samples were determined following standard procedures. The range of mean values for the physicochemical parameters were: 0.07-0.20 mS/cm, 60.00 – 154.00 ppm, 24.60 – 28.13 °C, 6.97 – 7.43, and 0.87 – 2.87 mg/L for electrical conductivity, total dissolved solutes, temperature, pH, and dissolved oxygen respectively. The range of mean values for copper and sulphate in sediment samples were 30.58 – 56.63 mg/Kg and 787.12 – 978.33 mg/Kg respectively while those for the water samples were 2.86 – 6.93 mg/L and 476.6 – 685.58 mg/L respectively. A total of nineteen (19) macroinvertebrate genera comprising Insecta (14), Gastropoda (3), Crustacea (1), and Bivalvia (1) were recorded. Taxa richness and species diversity were higher in river Owena in comparison to rivers Aponmu and Oruwo. The high abundance of the taxa: Potamididae, Gerridae, Notonectidae, Libellulidae, and Platycnemididae in the sampled rivers notwithstanding the pollution levels is an indication that these taxa are capable of thriving in polluted aquatic systems. Keywords: Aquatic pollution; Copper-based fungicides; Black pod disease; Macroinvertebrates; Diversityindices

Hidden in the bushes: uncovering the diversity of the genus Neometrypus Desutter, 1988 n. status (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Paroecanthini: Tafaliscina) in Neotropical forests

Neometrypus Desutter, 1988 n. status is elevated to the generic level. Ten new species of this genus are described (N. azevedoi n. sp., N. carvalhoi n. sp., N. catiae n. sp., N. couriae n. sp., N. lopesae n. sp., N. maiae n. sp., N. marcelae n. sp., N. mejdalanii n. sp., N. mendoncae n. sp., N. monnei n. sp.). All the species are from Brazil, nine from the Atlantic Forest, and one from Amazonia. We also provide a distribution map of all type localities of Neometrypus n. status, an identification key for all 13 known species of the genus, the first record of the mating behavior, and a short discussion about paedomorphic characters and communication between these crickets.