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Zootaxa Sep 2020In order to investigate the Chinese representatives from two genera of the tribe Oodini LaFerté-Sénectère, 1851, twenty-three Palaearctic and Oriental species of the...
In order to investigate the Chinese representatives from two genera of the tribe Oodini LaFerté-Sénectère, 1851, twenty-three Palaearctic and Oriental species of the genera Lachnocrepis LeConte, 1853 and Oodes Bonelli, 1810 are taxonomically reviewed. Because the species in question share a high degree of morphological similarity they are grouped in the "Oodes generic group". The character-analysis showed that seven species belong to Oodes, including five species to Oodes s.str. and two species to Lachnocrepis (downgraded to subgenus). The remaining sixteen species are classified in three genera: ten species in Pseudoodes gen. n. (type species: Oodes cribristernis Bates, 1892), two species in Sundaoodes gen. n. (type species: Sundaoodes hainanensis sp. n.), and four species in Nothoodes gen. n. (type species: Oodes angustatus Lorenz, 2005). The taxa of Oodes s.str. and Pseudoodes gen. n. are arranged in two and four species groups, respectively. Eleven species from three genera, including six new to science, are found in China: Oodes (Oodes) echigonus Habu Baba, 1960, Oodes (Lachnocrepis) desertus Motschulsky, 1858, Oodes (Lachnocrepis) japonicus (Bates, 1873), Pseudoodes cribristernis (Bates, 1892) (first record for China), Pseudoodes rambouseki (Jedlička, 1931), Pseudoodes ampliusculus, sp. n. (type locality: Mingfenggu Valley, Jiangfengling Mountains, Hainan), Pseudoodes emeishanicus, sp. n. (type locality: Xixinsuo Temple, Emei Shan, Leshan City, Sichuan), Pseudoodes hunanensis, sp. n. (type locality: Xiaozhuangping, Tianping Shan, Sangzhi County, Hunan), Pseudoodes leigongshanicus, sp. n. (type locality: Xijiang Town, Leigong Shan, Leishan County, Guizhou), Pseudoodes tianlinensis, sp. n. (type locality: Cenwanglao Shan, Tianlin County, Guangxi), and Sundaoodes hainanensis, sp. n. (type locality: Nada Town, Danzhou City, Hainan). Two further new species, Sundaoodes kalimantanensis, sp. n. (type locality: Bukit Liang Mount, West Kalimantan Province, Indonesia) and Nothoodes bharat, sp. n. (type locality: Dwarakapuram Village, Naidupet Mandal, Nellore District, Andhra Pradesh, India), are also described. The following new synonymies are proposed: Oodes parallelus Motschulsky, 1858, syn. n. of Oodes helopioides (Fabricius, 1792); Oodes parallelogrammus Motschulsky, 1858, syn. n. of Oodes helopioides (Fabricius, 1792); Oodes prolixus Bates, 1873, syn. n. of Oodes desertus Motschulsky, 1858; Simous viridissimus Louwerens, 1951, syn. n. of Pseudoodes coelestinus (Chaudoir, 1882). The synonymy of Oodes hahni Reitter, 1908 with Oodes desertus Motschulsky, 1858 is confirmed. Also, the following new combinations are introduced: Oodes japonicus (Bates, 1873), comb. n. of Lachnocrepis japonica Bates, 1873; Pseudoodes vicarius (Bates, 1873), comb. n. of Oödes vicarius Bates, 1873; Pseudoodes coelestinus (Chaudoir, 1882), comb. n. of Oodes coelestinus Chaudoir, 1882; Pseudoodes subcoriaceus (Chaudoir, 1882), comb. n. of Oodes subcoriaceus Chaudoir, 1882; Pseudoodes cribristernis (Bates, 1892), comb. n. of Oodes cribristernis Bates, 1892; Pseudoodes rambouseki (Jedlička, 1931), comb. n. of Holosoma rambouseki Jedlička, 1931; Nothoodes taprobanae (Andrewes, 1923), comb. n. of Oodes taprobanae Andrewes, 1923; Nothoodes longus (Andrewes, 1940), comb. n. of Oodes longus Andrewes, 1940; Nothoodes angustatus (Lorenz, 1998), comb. n. of Oodes angustatus Lorenz, 1998. Lectotypes are designated for Oodes parallelus Motschulsky, 1858, Oodes parallelogrammus Motschulsky, 1858, Oodes desertus Motschulsky, 1858, Oodes cribristernis Bates, 1892, Oodes hahni Reitter, 1908, Oodes thessalonicensis Schatzmayr, 1909, Oodes helopioides var. fiorii Porta, 1923, and Holosoma rambouseki Jedlička, 1931. A key to the species, diagnoses, descriptions, notes on type specimens, relationships, distribution, bionomics when available, and figures of body, genitalia and other characters useful for taxonomy are provided. Numerous new records, including first country records for Romania, Israel, Nepal, China, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, and Indonesia, are registered.
Topics: Animals; China; Coleoptera
PubMed: 33056747
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4850.1.1 -
Zootaxa Apr 2021A new genus and three new species of the subfamily Lamiinae are described and illustrated: Osckayia oaxacae gen. nov., sp. nov. from Mexico (Oaxaca); Pseudastylopsis...
A new genus and three new species of the subfamily Lamiinae are described and illustrated: Osckayia oaxacae gen. nov., sp. nov. from Mexico (Oaxaca); Pseudastylopsis albus sp. nov. from Mexico (Oaxaca) and Honduras (Cortés); and Urgleptes albomaculatus sp. nov. from Mexico (Oaxaca). New country record for Acanthoderes (Acanthoderes) giesberti Chemsak Hovore, 2002 is provided.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Honduras; Mexico; Species Specificity
PubMed: 33903501
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4965.1.9 -
Journal of Insect Science (Online) May 2023In order to improve the rearing of Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), nutrients such as shrimp, pollen, honey, and lard were added to the basic...
In order to improve the rearing of Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), nutrients such as shrimp, pollen, honey, and lard were added to the basic artificial diet, and the effects of the artificial diet on biological parameters and digestive enzymes were evaluated. The results show that beetles feeding on the supplemented diet exhibited pupation, emergence, fecundity, and hatching rates that were 102.69%, 125.02%, 162.33%, and 119.90% of those supplied with the basic diet, respectively. The addition of shrimp and pollen to the basal diet improved protease, trypsin, chymotrypsin, and aminopeptidase activity in larvae and female adults. The addition of lard improved lipase activity in female adults, and the addition of honey improved invertase activity in adults of both sexes. This study provides guidance for improving the nutritional benefits of ladybug artificial diets.
Topics: Male; Female; Animals; Coleoptera; Larva; Fertility; Diet
PubMed: 37279520
DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iead022 -
PloS One 2017The coexistence of ecologically similar species (i.e. species utilizing the same resource) is a major topic in ecology. Communities are assembled either through the...
The coexistence of ecologically similar species (i.e. species utilizing the same resource) is a major topic in ecology. Communities are assembled either through the biotic interactions of ecologically similar species, e.g. competition, or by the abiotic separation of species along gradients of environmental conditions. Here, we investigated the temporal segregation, succession and seasonality of dung-inhabiting Coleoptera and Diptera that utilize an identical resource in exactly the same way. The data were collected from two temperate pastures, one in the United Kingdom and the second in the Czech Republic. There was no evident temporal separation between ecologically similar coleopterous or dipterous taxa during succession. In contrast, these two orders were almost perfectly separated seasonally in both combined and site-specific datasets. Flies were most abundant in the summer, and beetles were more abundant in the spring and autumn. Ecologically similar beetles and flies also displayed seasonal separation in both combined and site-specific data. Analyses within site-specific data sets revealed such a separation at both the order and species level. Season is therefore the main temporal axis separating ecologically similar species of dung-inhabiting insects in temperate habitats, while succession aggregates species that may have similar environmental tolerances (to e.g. dung moisture). This separation between ecologically similar taxa of beetles and flies may be attributable to either competition-based niche separation or to temperature tolerance-based habitat filtering, since flies have peak activity in warmer months while beetles have peak activity in cooler months.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Diptera; Seasons; Species Specificity
PubMed: 28107542
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0170426 -
Biochemistry Jun 2016Firefly luciferin is a specialized metabolite restricted to fireflies (family Lampyridae) and other select families of beetles (order Coleoptera). Firefly luciferin...
Firefly luciferin is a specialized metabolite restricted to fireflies (family Lampyridae) and other select families of beetles (order Coleoptera). Firefly luciferin undergoes luciferase-catalyzed oxidation to produce light, thereby enabling the luminous mating signals essential for reproductive success in most bioluminescent beetles. Although firefly luciferin and luciferase have become widely used biotechnological tools, questions remain regarding the physiology and biochemistry of firefly bioluminescence. Here we report sulfoluciferin to be an in vivo derivative of firefly luciferin in fireflies and report the cloning of luciferin sulfotransferase (LST) from the North American firefly Photinus pyralis. LST catalyzes the production of sulfoluciferin from firefly luciferin and the sulfo-donor PAPS. Sulfoluciferin is abundant in several surveyed firefly genera as well as in the bioluminescent elaterid beetle Pyrophorus luminosus at a low level. We propose that sulfoluciferin could serve as a luciferin storage molecule in fireflies and that LST may find use as a new tool to modulate existing biotechnological applications of the firefly bioluminescent system.
Topics: Animals; Catalysis; Fireflies; Firefly Luciferin; Light; Luminescent Agents; Luminescent Measurements; Oxidation-Reduction; Phylogeny; Sulfotransferases; Sulfur Compounds
PubMed: 27227579
DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.6b00402 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Feb 2017Recently, various insect secretions have been tested as possible antimicrobial agents. In beetles, these secretions are essentially products of various exocrine glands,... (Review)
Review
Recently, various insect secretions have been tested as possible antimicrobial agents. In beetles, these secretions are essentially products of various exocrine glands, of which particular emphasis is on pygidial glands that are common for the suborder Adephaga. The antimicrobial potential of the pygidial gland secretion isolated from the adults of Calosoma sycophanta against human pathogens has been tested and compared with the potential of other carabid species, particularly within the tribe Carabini. The antimicrobial assay includes a microdilution method which was applied in order to determine the minimal inhibitory, minimal fungicidal and minimal bactericidal concentrations. It has been tested the effect of the secretion against eight strains of fungal and eight strains of bacterial species. The secretion sample of the tested carabid species has shown statistically significant antifungal effect against all strains of treated micromycetes, the highest in comparison with previously tested carabids (Carabus spp., Laemostenus punctatus and Abax parallelepipedus). Aspergillus versicolor proved to be the most sensitive micromycete, while the remaining seven fungal strains have shown the same level of sensibility. In comparison with commercial mycotics ketoconazole and bifonazole, applied as positive controls, the tested secretion showed much higher antifungal activity for all fungal strains. Antibacterial effect has been manifested only against one bacterial strain (Escherichia coli), contrary to other previously studied carabid species. These observations might have a significant impact on the ecological domain and possible purpose in biomedical studies and applications in the future. Additionally, morpho-histology of the pygidial glands of C. sycophanta is investigated and discussed.
Topics: Animals; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Antifungal Agents; Aspergillus; Bacteria; Coleoptera; Escherichia coli; Exocrine Glands; Fungi; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests
PubMed: 28070663
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-016-8082-7 -
Current Biology : CB Nov 2019The manipulation of animal behavior by parasitic organisms is one of the most complex adaptations to have arisen via natural selection. Among the most impressive...
The manipulation of animal behavior by parasitic organisms is one of the most complex adaptations to have arisen via natural selection. Among the most impressive examples of behavioral manipulation are the zombie-ant fungi [1]. In this association, ants are controlled to leave the colony and perform a stereotyped death grip behavior, where they bite onto vegetation over foraging trails, before being killed for the post mortem fungal growth. Manipulation functions to provide a platform outside the nest, from which fungal parasites actively shoot out spores, targeting foraging ants because within colony transmission is prevented by strong social immunity exhibited by social insect societies [2, 3]. It is not clear how such complex examples of host manipulation arose. To address this, we performed a broad-scale phylogenetic reconstruction of the order Hypocreales, to which the zombie-ant fungi, Ophiocordyceps, belong. In order to understand the patterns of host association and host switching along the evolution of Ophiocordyceps, we performed ancestral character state reconstruction analysis. We found that zombie-ant fungi likely arose from an ancestor that infected beetle larvae residing in soil or decaying wood, similar to extant beetle-infecting Ophiocordyceps species. Surprisingly, the jump led to an extensive species radiation observed after the development of behavioral manipulation. We suggest that the jump from solitary beetle larva to ants within a colony exposed the fungus to the robust social immunity of ant societies.
Topics: Animals; Ants; Biological Evolution; Coleoptera; Host-Parasite Interactions; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Hypocreales; Phylogeny; Species Specificity
PubMed: 31668622
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.004 -
Small (Weinheim An Der Bergstrasse,... May 2022The brilliant appearance of Easter Egg weevils, genus Pachyrhynchus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), originates from complex dielectric nanostructures within their elytral...
The brilliant appearance of Easter Egg weevils, genus Pachyrhynchus (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), originates from complex dielectric nanostructures within their elytral scales and elytra. Previous work, investigating singular members of the Pachyrhynchus showed the presence of either quasi-ordered or ordered 3D photonic crystals based on the single diamond ( ) symmetry in their scales. However, little is known about the diversity of the structural coloration mechanisms within the family. Here, the optical properties within Pachyrhynchus are investigated by systematically identifying their spectral and structural characteristics. Four principal traits that vary their appearance are identified and the evolutionary history of these traits to identify ecological trends are reconstructed. The results indicate that the coloration mechanisms across the Easter Egg weevils are diverse and highly plastic across closely related species with features appearing at multiple independent times across their phylogeny. This work lays a foundation for a better understanding of the various forms of quasi-ordered and ordered diamond photonic crystal within arthropods.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Diamond; Nanostructures; Photons; Weevils
PubMed: 35426236
DOI: 10.1002/smll.202200592 -
Current Biology : CB Aug 2021The Triassic was a crucial period for the early evolution and diversification of insects, including Coleoptera-the most diverse order of organisms on Earth. The study of...
The Triassic was a crucial period for the early evolution and diversification of insects, including Coleoptera-the most diverse order of organisms on Earth. The study of Triassic beetles, however, relies almost exclusively on flattened fossils with limited character preservation. Using synchrotron microtomography, we investigated a fragmentary Upper Triassic coprolite, which contains a rich record of 3D-preserved minute beetle remains of Triamyxa coprolithica gen. et sp. nov. Some specimens are nearly complete, preserving delicate structures of the legs and antennae. Most of them are congruent morphologically, implying that they are conspecific. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that T. coprolithica is a member of Myxophaga, a small suborder of beetles with a sparse fossil record, and that it represents the only member of the extinct family Triamyxidae fam. nov. Our findings highlight that coprolites can contain insect remains, which are almost as well preserved as in amber. They are thus an important source of information for exploring insect evolution before the Cretaceous-Neogene "amber time window." Treated as food residues, insect remains preserved in coprolites also have important implications for the paleoecology of insectivores, in this case, likely the dinosauriform Silesaurus opolensis.
Topics: Amber; Animals; Coleoptera; Fossils; Phylogeny
PubMed: 34197727
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.05.015 -
Genomics Jan 2021Dermestid beetles (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) are important pests of various stored products, posing potential threats to international trade. Their detailed...
Dermestid beetles (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) are important pests of various stored products, posing potential threats to international trade. Their detailed characterization on molecular basis is a pre-requisite for proper identification and for understanding of their phylogenetic relationships. In this work, the whole mitochondrial genomes (mitogenomes) of Trogoderma granarium, Dermestes lardarius, D. ater, Attagenus augustatus augustatus and Attagenus unicolor japonicus were firstly sequenced to update the database using the next-generation sequencing technique. Based on the selected model species, a comparative analysis of four Dermestidae genera was performed. The mitochondrial genomes of these five species above showed high similarity in nucleotide composition, base composition and gene order, including 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNAs (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNAs (rRNAs) and a non-coding control region, which was similar to most of Coleoptera species. The phylogenetic analysis based on the PCGs and two rRNAs indicated that the relationships within Dermestidae were reconstructed as (((Trogoderma + Anthrenus) + Attagenus) + Dermestes) using both Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian Inference (BI) analysis. However, more mitogenomes should be sequenced to obtain a more holistic view of the whole family. This study not only showed the mitogenomes of five Dermestidae species and their high conservativeness, but also discussed its implications for reconstructing a more comprehensive phylogeny of dermestids.
Topics: Animals; Coleoptera; Genes, Insect; Genome, Mitochondrial; Molecular Sequence Annotation; Open Reading Frames; Phylogeny; RNA, Ribosomal; RNA, Transfer
PubMed: 33131762
DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2020.10.026