Protohemiphlebiidae fam. nov., a stem hemiphlebioid damselfly from Cretaceous amber in Kachin

Hemiphlebiidae are the most basal lestomorphan family following the latest phylogenetic analysis of the Zygoptera: this unique damselfly family today contains one relict species found in the wetlands of Australia. It was, however, very diverse and widespread during the Mesozoic. Nevertheless, very few species were known obscuring the origination and early evolution of the family. Here we propose a new stem hemiphlebioid taxon (Protohemiphlebiidae Zheng, Jarzembowski & Nel, fam. nov.) based on a new genus and two species: Protohemiphlebia zhangi Zheng, Jarzembowski & Nel, sp. nov. and Protohemiphlebia meiyingae Zheng, Jarzembowski & Nel, sp. nov. The new family shares the characters of both Hemiphlebiidae and Coenagrionoidea, but it is more closely related to Hemiphlebiidae in having the pterostigma with a ‘star-shaped’ microsculpture, and AA originating from the wing base slightly distal of Ax0. Protohemiphlebia Zheng, Jarzembowski & Nel, gen. nov. is further considered to belong to the stem group of Hemiphlebioidea, instead of belonging to the Hemiphlebiidae, in possessing pretibial combs and a weakly kinked RP1 below the Pt-brace. The new damselflies will help to calibrate the origin of Hemiphlebiidae, which could be earlier than their current oldest records in the Kimmeridgean (Late Jurassic).

Low-Speed Aerodynamic Analysis Using Four Different Turbulent Models of Solver of a Wind Turbine Shroud

This study presents the effect of four different turbulent models of solver on the aerodynamic analysis of a shroud at wind speed below 6 m/s. The converting shroud uses a combination of a cylindrical case and an inverted circular wing base which captures the wind from a 360° direction. The CFD models used are: the SST (Menter) k-ω model, the Reynolds Stress Transport (RST) model, the Improved Delay Detached Eddies Simulation model (IDDES) SST k-ω model and the Large Eddies Simulation Wall Adaptive model. It was found that all models have predicted a convergent surface pressure. The RST, the IDDES and the WALE LES are the only models which have well described regions of pressure gradient. They have all predicted a pressure difference between the planes (1–5) which shows a movement of the air from the lower plane 1 (inlet) to the higher plane 5 (outlet). The RST and IDDES have predicted better vorticities on the plane 1 (inlet). It was also found that the model RST, IDDES, and WALE LES have captured properly the area of turbulences across the internal region of the case. All models have predicted the point of flow separation. They have also revealed that the IDDES and the WALE LES can capture and model the wake eddies at different planes. Thus, they are the most appropriate for such simulation although demanding in computational power. The movement of air predicted by almost all models could be used to drive a turbine.

Design of bionic foldable wing mimicking the hind wings of the C. buqueti bamboo weevil

The bamboo weevil, Cyrtotrachelus buqueti, has excellent flight ability and strong environmental adaptability. When it flies, its fore wings and hind wings are unfolded, whereas when it crawls, its fore wings are closed, and its flexible hind wings are regularly folded under the fore wings. In this paper, the hind wing folding/unfolding pattern of C. buqueti is analyzed and a new bionic foldable wing with rigid–flexible coupling consisting of a link mechanism and a wing membrane is constructed. The movement of the link at the wing base mimics the contraction of a muscle in the thorax that triggers scissor-like motion and the deployment of the veins. Elastic hinges are used to mimic the rotational motion of the wing base and the vein joints. The static/dynamic characteristics of bionic foldable wings are further analyzed, and the LS-DYNA software is used to investigate rigid–flexible coupling dynamics. The elastic deformation of the wing membrane, kinematic characteristics of the linkage mechanism, and modes of the whole system are calculated. Static analysis of the structure reveals that the foldable wing has excellent stiffness characteristics and load-bearing capacity. The bionic foldable wing is constructed using 3D printing technology, and its folding and unfolding performance is tested. Evaluation of its performance shows that the bionic wing has a large fold ratio and can achieve stable folding and unfolding motions. A slightly tighter assembly between the pin and the hinge hole ensures that the wing does not fold back during flapping.

A new genus and species of the family Dinglidae (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha) in Burmese amber

A new genus and species of the family Dinglidae Szwedo & Drohojowska , 2020 (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha), Alloeopterus anomeotarsus, is described from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. The new genus is characterized by a simplified forewing venation with thick veins of R and M+Cu emerging separately from the wing base, a diffuse pterostigma close to termination of RA vein, reduced vein A1, veins M and Cu unbranched, a reduced clavus, a small hindwing with a costal margin and terminal R vein weakened in apical portion; a long first flagellomere, approximately 1.5 times as long as the second flagellomere and rhinaria with sensory pits on the apex of the pedicel and flagellomeres 5 and 6. The fossil increases our knowledge of the morphological variation that occurred during the evolution of Cretaceous Sternorrhynchia.

A record of gynandromorphism in the libellulid dragonfly Crocothemis servilia (Insecta: Odonata) from India

Here we report a case of gynandromorphism in the dragonfly Crocothemis servilia (Drury, 1773), (Insecta: Odonata: Anisoptera: Libellulidae) from the Puzhakkal region of Kole wetlands, Thrissur, Kerala, southern India from a single photograph recorded during a survey conducted on 14 July 2019. The individual exhibits bilateral gynandromorphism only in the thoracic region, half of which showed blood red colouration as in males and the other half pale yellow characteristic of females. The base of the wing of the red half was marked with rich amber, in contrast with the other wing base which was paler. The head, legs, and abdomen showed typical female morphology.

Revision of the Melanogaster jaroslavensis group (Diptera: Syrphidae), with description of a new species from Afghanistan

Within the genus Melanogaster Rondani, 1857, the group of species characterized by their yellow wing base was named as M. jaroslavensis group and revised for the first time. Redescriptions of M. jaroslavensis (Stackelberg, 1922), M. kirgisorum (Stackelberg, 1952), and M. tadzhikorum (Stackelberg, 1952) are provided. A new species of the M. jaroslavensis group, Melanogaster raccoon sp. nov., from Afghanistan, is described. The male of this new species differs from those of other known Melanogaster species by the following combination of characters: yellowish wing base, pale body pile, without dark pile, almost flat face, and surstyli short and emarginated apically in ventral view. Females of M. raccoon sp. nov. differ from those of any other Melanogaster species by a combination of yellowish wing base and frons without transverse furrows. An identification key to the species of the M. jaroslavensis group is presented.

“‘Nixon is With Us on China’: Raging Against the Dying of the Lobby”

In the decade following its founding in 1955, the men who led the foreign policy lobby the Committee of One Million Against the Admission of Communist China to the United Nations faced little concerted opposition to their attempts at preventing even the most minor alterations in the U.S. policy of both isolating and containing Communist China. But beginning with the Fulbright Hearings on China in March 1966, the trend of informed opinion moved sharply against them, as liberal Democrats became newly emboldened and moderates in both parties switched sides, inverting the bipartisan consensus against change the Committee relied upon. The 1968 election of former Vice President Richard M. Nixon, who had served alongside Committee hero John Foster Dulles, seemed to offer them newfound hope. But when the “New Nixon” proved unreceptive to the entreaties of his one-time allies, the Committee mounted a furious public relations campaign to rally belatedly the right-wing base and influence public opinion. Its failure illustrated both the limits of power of American conservatives over U.S. foreign policy while détente was ascendant, and the discontinuity in priorities between the Old Right from which the Committee emerged and the New Right that left it behind.

Molecular and morphometric identification of pistachio psyllids with niche modeling of Agonoscena pistaciae (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae)

Species of Agonoscena (Hemiptera: Aphalaridae) are key pests of pistachio in all of the most important pistachio producing countries in the Old World. The efficiency and accuracy of DNA barcoding for the identification of Agonoscena species were tested using mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (mtCO1) and cytochrome b (cytb) gene sequences. Moreover, morphometric sexual dimorphism was studied. Finally, the potential geographical distribution of Agonoscena pistaciae, the most important pistachio pest, was calculated using the MaxEnt model. Similar relationships of clustering were found in the morphometric analysis and the molecular analyses with mtCO1 and cytb genes, with A. bimaculata and A. pistaciae being closely related, and A. pegani constituting their sister group. Although the results showed that the cytb gene is a better marker for barcoding in this group, the mtCO1 gene clearly separates the three psyllid species making mtCO1 suitable for diagnostic purposes. A geometric morphometric analysis showed that the distance between landmark number 7 (bifurcation of vein M) to the fore margin of the forewing, and the distance between landmarks number 6 (apex of vein Cu1b) and 11 (wing base), are the most important geometric characters for diagnosing the studied species. Moreover, the forewing shape of males vs females is similar in A. pistaciae and A. bimaculata but differs significantly in A. pegani. In the ecological niche modeling of the distribution of A. pistaciae, the most important contribution was made by the variable ‘minimum temperature of coldest period’. The most suitable areas for A. pistaciae are restricted to Eastern, Southern and some parts of Central Iran.

A new species of the genus Zographetus Watson, 1893 from China (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae)

Zographetus rienki sp. nov. is described from southern China based upon two males and one female which are associated by COI barcode. The male of this new species is distinguishable by the following combination of external characters: on the ventral side of the forewing, there is a black hair tuft at basal dorsum, cubitus and basal Cu2 are swollen, and the origin of vein Cu2 is much nearer to wing base than to vein Cu1; both sides of the hindwing are unmarked. The structure of male genitalia also differs from those of all the known congeneric species. Adults and genitalia of the type specimens are illustrated. A key to species of the genus is provided based upon previous works.