Trends in Taxonomy of Chagas Disease Vectors (Hemiptera, Reduviidae, Triatominae): From Linnaean to Integrative Taxonomy

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted mainly by members of the subfamily Triatominae. There are currently 157 species, grouped into 18 genera and five tribes. Most descriptions of triatomine species are based on classical taxonomy. Facing evolutionary (cryptic speciation and phenotypic plasticity) and taxonomic (more than 190 synonymizations) problems, it is evident that integrative taxonomy studies are an important and necessary trend for this group of vectors. Almost two-and-a-half centuries after the description of the first species, we present for the first time the state-of-the-art taxonomy of the whole subfamily, covering from the initial classic studies to the use of integrative taxonomy.

Penggunaan Tindak Tutur Direktif Mahasiswa Multikultural dalam Konteks Kesantunan

This study aims to reveal the use of directive speech acts of multicultural students studying in Malang City in the context of politeness. Qualitative descriptive is the method used in this study. Five tribes are the subject of this research, namely Java, Sumba, Flores, Dayak, and Madura. Data were collected using questionnaires, interviews, and observations. The data obtained were analyzed based on how they used directive demand speech act in different situations in the realm of family, friendship, and school and how they minimized the FTA that might occur when facing different speech partners. The results of this study indicate that from the four aspects that become the parameters of this study, multicultural students in using directive speech acts have the following pattern. In the aspect of direct/indirect speech acts, in three different domains, all multicultural students use direct speech acts and the honorific aspect. The use of hedge aspects is more widely used in the campus domain. Meanwhile, in the aspect of speech level, only Javanese and Madurese students use it.

Seed Geometry in the Vitaceae

The Vitaceae Juss., in the basal lineages of Rosids, contains sixteen genera and 950 species, mainly of tropical lianas. The family has been divided in five tribes: Ampelopsideae, Cisseae, Cayratieae, Parthenocisseae and Viteae. Seed shape is variable in this family. Based on new models derived from equations representing heart and water drop curves, we describe seed shape in species of the Vitaceae. According to their similarity to geometric models, the seeds of the Vitaceae have been classified in ten groups. Three of them correspond to models before described and shared with the Arecaceae (lenses, superellipses and elongated water drops), while in the seven groups remaining, four correspond to general models (waterdrops, heart curves, elongated heart curves and other elongated models) and three adjust to the silhouettes of seeds in particular genera (heart curves of Cayratia and Pseudocayratia, heart curves of the Squared Heart Curve (SqHC) type of Ampelocissus and Ampelopsis and Elongated Superellipse-Heart Curves (ESHCs), frequent in Tetrastigma species and observed also in Cissus species and Rhoicissus rhomboidea). The utilities of the application of geometric models for seed description and shape quantification in this family are discussed.

Historical Biogeography and the Evolution of Hematophagy in Rhodniini (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae)

The Rhodniini tribe is one of the five tribes in the subfamily Triatominae and is notorious for its domestic blood-sucking pests and vectors of Trypanosoma cruzi across Latin America. The human and economic costs of the Chagas disease in the American tropics are considerable, and these insects are of unquestionable importance to humans. We used mitochondrial rDNA (16S), nuclear ribosomal RNA (28S) and wingless (Wg) sequences to perform phylogenetic analysis to derive trees based on parsimony and maximum likelihood. Nucleotide sequences were used in molecular-clock analyses to estimate time divergence between species of Rhodniini. The potential distribution of each species was modeled and compared with Kappa statistic. Multivariate niches with bioclimatic variables were used to describe differences between the species using discriminant analysis. The results of this study indicate that the Rhodniini originated 17.91 Mya ago. Rhodnius domesticus is the oldest species having its origin at 9.13 Mya. Rhodniini are closely related to Salyavatinae that are specialist termite predators and diverged from this subfamily 30.43 Mya. Most species are clearly allopatric and have distinct bioclimatic niches. The colonization of bromeliads, palms trees and bird nests represent important events for the speciation of these taxa. The hematophagous habit can be described as a scenario where Rhodniini’s ancestor could be pre-adapted for the invasion of bromeliads, palm trees, and bird nests where they would find significant water availability and thermal damping. These environments are widely used by vertebrate inquilines that would be the source of food for the species of Rhodniini. Lastly, our results show an alternative position of Psammolestes in the phylogenetic tree.

On the spore ornamentation of the microsoroid ferns (microsoroideae, polypodiaceae)

Microsoroideae is the third largest of the six subfamilies of Polypodiaceae, containing over 180 species. These ferns are widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World and Oceania. We documented the spore ornamentation and integrated these data into the latest phylogenetic hypotheses, including a sampling of 100 taxa representing each of 17 major lineages of microsoroid ferns. This enabled us to reconstruct the ancestral states of the spore morphology. The results show verrucate ornamentation as an ancestral state for Goniophlebieae and Lecanoptereae, globular for Microsoreae, and rugulate surface for Lepisoreae. In addition, spore ornamentation can be used to distinguish certain clades of the microsoroid ferns. Among all five tribes, Lecanoptereae show most diversity in spore surface ornamentation.

Taxonomy, Evolution, and Biogeography of the Rhodniini Tribe (Hemiptera: Reduviidae)

The Triatominae subfamily includes 151 extant and three fossil species. Several species can transmit the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of Chagas disease, significantly impacting public health in Latin American countries. The Triatominae can be classified into five tribes, of which the Rhodniini is very important because of its large vector capacity and wide geographical distribution. The Rhodniini tribe comprises 23 (without R. taquarussuensis) species and although several studies have addressed their taxonomy using morphological, morphometric, cytogenetic, and molecular techniques, their evolutionary relationships remain unclear, resulting in inconsistencies at the classification level. Conflicting hypotheses have been proposed regarding the origin, diversification, and identification of these species in Latin America, muddying our understanding of their dispersion and current geographic distribution. Clarifying these factors can help for the design of vector control strategies. The aim of this review is to depict the different approaches used for taxonomy of the Rhodniini and to shed light on their evolution and biogeography.

The Cassidinae beetles of Longnan County (Jiangxi, China): overview and community composition

There are few reports on the community composition and diversity pattern of the Cassidinae species of China. Compared to the neighbouring provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang, the Cassidinae richness in Jiangxi Province is under-reported. Longnan City, a biodiversity hotspot in Jiangxi Province, was chosen to obtain the first overview of the Cassidinae beetles. The sample coverage curves for the three sample sites reached an asymptote which indicated sampling was sufficient for data analysis. A total of eight tribes, 16 genera, 59 species and 1590 individuals of Cassidinae beetles were collected. Most belonged to the tribe Hispini (1121 individuals; 70.5%), followed by the tribe Cassidini (161 individuals; 10.13%) and the tribe Oncocephalini (159 individuals; 10.0%). The remainder (149 individuals) belonged to five tribes (Gonophorini, Basiprionotini, Callispini, Notosacanthini and Aspidimorphini). The tribes Notosacanthini, Aspidimorphini and Oncocephalini were newly recorded for Jiangxi Province. There were 14 families, 27 genera and 39 species of host plants of Cassidinae beetles in Longnan County. Cassidinae larvae mainly feed on the plant families Poaceae, Rosaceae, Lamiaceae and Rubiaceae. Most host-plant associations are new reords for the beetle species. This research, together with our planned future work in China, may help to explain the geographical distribution, diversity patterns and host plant associations of these beetles.

FLOUTING MAXIM AND HEDGING MAXIM IN MULTICULTURAL STUDENTS INTERACTION

IKIP Budi Utomo as a private campus in the city of Malang has a composition of students from various tribes and cultures, making it a campus with a multi-cultural society. On this campus there are five tribes that dominate, they are: Javanese, Madurese, Dayaks, Sumba Flores, and Ambon. In multicultural societies, there are often obstacles, which in turn cause conflicts, in communication. A convention is needed between the speaker and the hearers so that communication becomes effective and efficient, and is able to minimize misunderstandings. In this case the concept called the principle of cooperation (Cooperative Principles) which is intended as a rule of communication in order to run effectively and efficiently becomes relevant to be studied. The design of this study is descriptive qualitative in which data sources obtained from dialogs that arise in daily interactions both between multicultural students and students and lecturers inside and outside the class at IKIP Budi Utomo Malang. In line with the results of the research analysis, it can be concluded that, of the 476 utterances recorded as raw data from this study, there were 45 cases of maxims flouts and 12 cases of maxims hedges, which formed a certain pattern in each multicultural students.

Genomes reveal drastic and recurrent phenotypic divergence in firetip skipper butterflies (Hesperiidae: Pyrrhopyginae)

Biologists marvel at the powers of adaptive convergence, when distantly related animals look alike. While mimetic wing patterns of butterflies have fooled predators for millennia, entomologists inferred that mimics were distant relatives despite similar appearance. However, the obverse question has not been frequently asked. Who are the close relatives of mimetic butterflies and what are their features? As opposed to close convergence, divergence from a non-mimetic relative would also be extreme. When closely related animals look unalike, it is challenging to pair them. Genomic analysis promises to elucidate evolutionary relationships and shed light on molecular mechanisms of divergence. We chose the firetip skipper butterfly as a model due to its phenotypic diversity and abundance of mimicry. We sequenced and analysed whole genomes of nearly 120 representative species. Genomes partitioned this subfamily Pyrrhopyginae into five tribes (1 new), 23 genera and, additionally, 22 subgenera (10 new). The largest tribe Pyrrhopygini is divided into four subtribes (three new). Surprisingly, we found five cases where a uniquely patterned butterfly was formerly placed in a genus of its own and separately from its close relatives. In several cases, extreme and rapid phenotypic divergence involved not only wing patterns but also the structure of the male genitalia. The visually striking wing pattern difference between close relatives frequently involves disappearance or suffusion of spots and colour exchange between orange and blue. These differences (in particular, a transition between unspotted black and striped wings) happen recurrently on a short evolutionary time scale, and are therefore probably achieved by a small number of mutations.