Energy Consumption of Beverage-Bottling Machines

Sustainability is a megatrend influencing the beverage industry. Knowledge of the consumption behavior and suitable metrics are required for energy optimization strategies. Machine efficiency and energy consumption are intermixed in common parameters, e.g., customary specifications refer to the energy consumption for a specific number of products (e.g., kWh/1000 fillings). This does not reflect the influence that inevitable breakdown times have on the energy consumption (e.g., malfunction, lack, and tailback situations within the material flow). While specific energy performance indicators are useful as a benchmark, it does not provide reliable information to verify plant specifications, or to have a source-related cost allocation as a basis for a weak point analysis. In this work, energy and operational data were analyzed, in order to find a generic description of the operational-state related consumption behavior. Therefore, empirical data on the effective electrical energy and operational state data were collected on machine level of two representative bottling plants and for additional single machines. In the frequency distributions of the discrete values of the measured electrical energy data, three main peaks were found. These can be correlated to operational states such as state-related energy demand level. The change from one demand level to another was found to be reproducible.

New Glomeromycotan Taxa, Dominikia glomerocarpica sp. nov. and Epigeocarpum crypticum gen. nov. et sp. nov. From Brazil, and Silvaspora gen. nov. From New Caledonia

Examination of fungal specimens collected in the Atlantic rain forest ecosystems of Northeast Brazil revealed many potentially new epigeous and semihypogeous glomerocarp-producing species of the phylum Glomeromycota. Among them were two fungi that formed unorganized epigeous glomerocarps with glomoid spores of almost identical morphology. The sole structure that distinguished the two fungi was the laminate layer 2 of their three-layered spore wall, which in spores of the second fungus crushed in PVLG-based mountants contracted and, consequently, transferred into a crown-like structure. Surprisingly, phylogenetic analyses of sequences of the 18S-ITS-28S nuc rDNA and the rpb1 gene indicated that these glomerocarps represent two strongly divergent undescribed species in the family Glomeraceae. The analyses placed the first in the genus Dominikia, and the second in a sister clade to the monospecific generic clade Kamienskia with Kamienskia bistrata. The first species was described here as Dominikia glomerocarpica sp. nov. Because D. glomerocarpica is the first glomerocarp-forming species in Dominikia, the generic description of this genus was emended. The very large phylogenetic distance and the fundamental morphological differences between the second species and K. bistrata suggested us to introduce a new genus, here named as Epigeocarpum gen. nov., and name the new species Epigeocarpum crypticum sp. nov. In addition, our analyses also focused on an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus originally described as Rhizophagus neocaledonicus, later transferred to the genus Rhizoglomus. The analyses indicated that this species does not belong to any of these two genera but represents a new clade at the rank of genus in the Glomeraceae, here described as Silvaspora gen. nov.

Penthetria Meigen (Diptera: Bibionidae): Revision of the New World species and world catalog

The New World species of Penthetria Meigen are revised. Eight species are recognized: P. appendicula Hardy, P. arizonensis Fitzgerald n. sp., P. distincta Hardy, P. dolichopeza Fitzgerald n. sp., P. heteroptera (Say), P. mexicana (Hardy), P. neonigrita Fitzgerald n. sp., and P. yakima Fitzgerald n. sp.. Penthetria heros Say and P. nigerrima (Bellardi) are considered unrecognized (nomen dubium) and P. nigrita Perty is transferred to the genus Plecia Wiedemann, where it is a junior synonym of Plecia plagiata Wiedemann. The fossil species Penthetria dubia Geinitz is removed from family Bibionidae. Additionally, a summary of current knowledge about the genus, a generic description and diagnosis, and a catalog of the 36 (extant) world species are provided.

Antheroporum puudjaae (Millettieae: Fabaceae), a new species from Thailand

Antheroporum puudjaae, a new species discovered in Northern Thailand, is described and illustrated. It differs from other described species of Antheroporum by its drooping inflorescences and oblong fruits with 2–4 seeds. The generic description is expanded based on these new characters. An emended key to the species for the Flora of Thailand is also provided.

The nymph of Hermanellopsis arsia Savage & Peters, 1983 (Ephemeroptera: Leptophlebiidae) from Brazilian Northeastern Region

Hermanellopsis Demoulin, 1955 is a genus of Leptophlebiidae known from adults of both sexes and is represented solely by two species, both from South America: Hermanellopsis arsia Savage & Peters, 1983, described only from male subimago; and H. incertans (Spieth, 1943) described from male imago and female subimago. Edmunds et al. (1976) provided the generic description for the supposed nymph of Hermanellopsis. However, Savage & Peters (1983) revised the genus, and study of related genera raised doubt about the identity of the proposed nymph. Thus, the nymph of Hermanellopsis has remained unknown until now.

Larval morphology of Nicrophorus (Nicrophorus) nepalensis Hope (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Nicrophorinae)

Larval morphology of all three instars of Nicrophorus (Nicrophorus) nepalensis Hope, 1831 (Coleoptera: Silphidae: Nicrophorinae) is described and illustrated, based on reared larvae. The eastern Palaearctic and Oriental N. (N.) nepalensis is similar to the western Palaearctic N. (N.) humator (Gleditsch, 1767) in a number of larval characters. This is congruent with recent classification of the genus Nicrophorus Fabricius, 1775 by Sikes, who suggested a close phylogenetic affinity of the N. nepalensis species group (with 16 species) with the N. humator species group (2 species). The generic description of larvae of Nicrophorus Fabricius, 1775 is expanded, based on detailed SEM observation.

Proterosceliopsidae: A new family of Platygastroidea from Cretaceous amber

Proterosceliopsis was erected by Ortega-Blanco et al. (2014) in their treatment of scelionid genera in Cretaceous amber from Álava, Spain. The generic description appears to have been based on specimens in which only the dorsal aspects of the mesosoma and metasoma were visible, as characters of the mesopleuron, metapleuron, lateral pronotum, and ventral metasoma were not mentioned. We here provide a comprehensive description of the genus that includes characters from throughout the body and we reinterpret some of the characters presented by Ortega-Blanco et al. (2014). Our analysis of Proterosceliopsis in the context of extant and fossil platygastroids places this group as a lineage well outside of the current families. We here designate Proterosceliopsis as the type genus of a new family, Proterosceliopsidae Talamas, Johnson, Shih & Ren, fam. nov., and describe five new species: Proterosceliopsis ambulata Talamas, Shih & Ren, sp. nov., P. nigon Talamas, Shih & Ren, sp. nov., P. plurima Talamas, Shih & Ren, sp. nov., P. torquata Talamas, Shih & Ren, sp. nov., and P. wingerathi Talamas, Shih & Ren, sp. nov. We provide a key to all presently known species in the genus. The oldest known specimen of Platygastridae s.s., in Burmese amber, is presented and compared to Proterosceliopsidaefam. nov.

Neotype designation and generic re-definition of the monotypic genus Dialeurotrachelus Takahashi (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), and first record of its occurrence in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Takahashi (1942) described Dialeurotrachelus cambodiensis, the type species of the monotypic whitefly genus, Dialeurotrachelus Takahashi from three syntype specimens collected on an unidentified tree in Cambodia, which were subsequently lost or destroyed. It was rediscovered after eight decades in the Indian territories of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. A neotype is designated for D. cambodiensis Takahashi, from specimens collected on Diospyros kurzii Hiern (Ebenaceae) from Andaman Island, India. It is recorded for the first time from the Indian territories, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Pupal morphology is assessed for redefining the generic description with differential diagnoses from related genera, and anomalies involved with structure of the vasiform orifice and associated structures are discussed. Illustrations are provided of the puparia in life, camera lucida drawings, slide mounts, and scanning electron photomicrographs.

Anderemaeus (Acari, Oribatida)—overview, three new species from South America and reassessment of Anderemaeidae supported by ontogeny

Anderemaeus is a genus of Gondwanan soil-dwelling oribatid mites with seven of the eight previously known species being South American. We propose two new species from Chile— A. sidorchukae sp. nov. and A. dentatus sp. nov.—and a third from Ecuador, A. mataderoensis sp. nov. Juveniles of the former two species are described, comprising the first such data for Anderemaeidae: nymphs notably lack both exuvial scalps and centrodorsal gastronotic setae, and the opisthonotal gland opens on a distinct stalk. The generic description is revised and expanded and a key to known species of Anderemaeus is presented, including A. tridactylus comb. nov. We reject the inclusion of Anderemaeus in a broad concept of Caleremaeidae and the implied subsumption of Anderemaeidae, as there are no synapomorphies linking the taxa. Anderemaeus species possess derived traits—e.g. adult with circumpedal carina and nymphs with smooth cuticle and no scalp retention—that are absent from Caleremaeus but are shared with more derived brachypyline taxa. The higher classification of Anderemaeus is reviewed: an analysis of known traits is inconclusive regarding both the generic composition of Anderemaeidae and its superfamilial relationships. However, on the strength of juvenile morphology, we propose the transfer of Anderemaeidae to Gustavioidea.