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PloS One 2018The bluebottle blow fly Calliphora vicina is a common species distributed throughout Europe that can play an important role as forensic evidence in crime investigations.... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
The bluebottle blow fly Calliphora vicina is a common species distributed throughout Europe that can play an important role as forensic evidence in crime investigations. Developmental rates of C. vicina from distinct populations from Germany and England were compared under different temperature regimes to explore the use of growth data from different geographical regions for local case work. Wing morphometrics and molecular analysis between these populations were also studied as indicators for biological differences. One colony each of German and English C. vicina were cultured at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Frankfurt, Germany. Three different temperature regimes were applied, two constant (16°C & 25°C) and one variable (17-26°C, room temperature = RT). At seven time points (600, 850, 1200, 1450, 1800, 2050, and 2400 accumulated degree hours), larval lengths were measured; additionally, the durations of the post feeding stage and intrapuparial metamorphosis were recorded. For the morphometric and molecular study, 184 females and 133 males from each C. vicina population (Germany n = 3, England n = 4) were sampled. Right wings were measured based on 19 landmarks and analyzed using canonical variates analysis and discriminant function analysis. DNA was isolated from three legs per specimen (n = 61) using 5% chelex. A 784 bp long fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene was sequenced; sequences were aligned and phylogenetically analyzed. Similar larval growth rates of C. vicina were found from different geographic populations at different temperatures during the major part of development. Nevertheless, because minor differences were found a wider range of temperatures and sampling more time points should be analyzed to obtain more information relevant for forensic case work. Wing shape variation showed a difference between the German and English populations (P<0.0001). However, separation between the seven German and English populations at the smaller geographic scale remained ambiguous. Molecular phylogenetic analysis by maximum likelihood method could not unambiguously separate the different geographic populations at a national (Germany vs England) or local level.
Topics: Animals; Diptera; England; Germany; Organ Size; Phylogeny; Wings, Animal
PubMed: 30507944
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0207188 -
Parasites & Vectors Aug 2021Tabanids are a neglected group of haematophagous dipterans despite containing 4434 species, regrouped in > 144 genera. They are mechanical vectors of important...
BACKGROUND
Tabanids are a neglected group of haematophagous dipterans despite containing 4434 species, regrouped in > 144 genera. They are mechanical vectors of important pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and protozoa of humans and domesticated and wild animals. As it is > 50 years since the publication of a preliminary nationwide record of the tabanids of Cameroon identified 84 species, updated information is needed. The aim of this study was to provide current data on the species composition, abundance and distribution of tabanids in the five main agro-ecological zones (AEZs) of Cameroon.
METHODS
From 2015 to 2017, a systematic entomological study using Nzi, Vavoua, Biconical and Sevi traps (n = 106) was conducted in 604 trapping points over 11,448 trap-days in the five main AEZs of Cameroon.
RESULTS
A total of 25,280 tabanids belonging to 25 species were collected, including eight species not previously documented in Cameroon, namely Tabanus latipes (1 female), Tabanus ricardae (1 female), Tabanus fasciatus (32 females and 6 males), Haematopota pluvialis (18 females), Haematopota decora (19 females and 3 males), Haematopota nigripennis (18 females), Chrysops distinctipennis (47 females and 5 males) and Ancala fasciata (34 females and 7 males). The distribution maps of the newly identified tabanids differed between AEZs, with most tabanids collected from the Guinean savanna. The highest apparent density of tabanids was recorded in the Sudan Savanna region, and the mean apparent densities of species with sites was statistically significantly different (Student t-test: 2.519, df = 24, P = 0.019). The highest species diversity was found in the rainforest.
CONCLUSIONS
This study increased the list of tabanids recorded in Cameroon from 84 species in the preliminary record to 92 species, with most of the newly identified species occurring in the Guinea Savanna AEZ. The high diversity and abundance of tabanids in the livestock/wildlife interface areas of the rain forests and Sudan Savanna AEZs, respectively, suggest risk of mechanical transmission of pathogens. Investigations of the microbiota of tabanids in the different AEZs to define their role as disease vectors are proposed.
Topics: Animal Distribution; Animals; Cameroon; Diptera; Entomology; Female; Humans; Male; Rainforest; Seasons
PubMed: 34372901
DOI: 10.1186/s13071-021-04894-0 -
Current Biology : CB Jun 2010
Topics: Animals; Diptera; Female; Forensic Sciences; Genome, Insect; Insect Vectors; Male; Motor Activity; Myiasis
PubMed: 20541488
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2010.03.043 -
Journal of Visualized Experiments : JoVE Aug 2018Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans, are serious pests of livestock, humans, companion animals and wildlife worldwide. During the last 20+ years, changes in agronomic...
Stable flies, Stomoxys calcitrans, are serious pests of livestock, humans, companion animals and wildlife worldwide. During the last 20+ years, changes in agronomic practices resulted in serious outbreaks of stable flies in several countries. These outbreaks disrupted livestock production and human recreation resulting in public demands for increasing research and management efforts for this pest. A simple and inexpensive procedure for rearing stable flies for laboratory studies is presented. The procedure uses locally available diet components, equipment and supplies. The procedure can be adapted for rearing other muscoid flies including face fly (Musca autumnalis), horn fly (Haematobia irritans), and house fly (Musca domestica). The procedure produces stable fly puparia averaging 12.5 mg and ~35% egg to adult survival. Approximately 3000 flies are produced in each pan.
Topics: Animals; Diptera; Houseflies; Laboratories
PubMed: 30124666
DOI: 10.3791/57341 -
Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases... Mar 2021For effective control of vector-borne diseases and control of nuisance-biting insects, it is important to know which species are present and their relative abundance. In...
For effective control of vector-borne diseases and control of nuisance-biting insects, it is important to know which species are present and their relative abundance. In this study, we report data from a State-supported mosquito surveillance program in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital city. The surveillance identified 29 different species: 24 Culicines and 5 Anopheline species. Culicine mosquitoes included 17 in the genus , 3 , 3 , and 1 species. The relative abundance of each genera was consistent in years 2014, 2015, and 2016; namely >>. In 2017, and mosquitoes were approximately the same, predominating over . A declining trend in the numbers of mosquitoes collected from 2013 to 2017 has not only several potential explanations, including increased urbanization and more effective control, but also may reflect changes in surveillance efforts.
Topics: Aedes; Animals; Anopheles; Culex; Culicidae; Mosquito Vectors; Ukraine
PubMed: 33434100
DOI: 10.1089/vbz.2020.2666 -
Current Biology : CB Jul 2005
Review
Topics: Animals; Behavior, Animal; Biological Evolution; Diptera; Eye; Female; Male; Selection, Genetic; Sex Characteristics; Sex Factors; Species Specificity
PubMed: 16051154
DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2005.07.015 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... Jan 2008Drosophila neuroblasts are similar to mammalian neural stem cells in their ability to self-renew and to produce many different types of neurons and glial cells. In the... (Review)
Review
Drosophila neuroblasts are similar to mammalian neural stem cells in their ability to self-renew and to produce many different types of neurons and glial cells. In the past two decades, great advances have been made in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying embryonic neuroblast formation, the establishment of cell polarity and the temporal regulation of cell fate. It is now a challenge to connect, at the molecular level, the different cell biological events underlying the transition from neural stem cell maintenance to differentiation. Progress has also been made in understanding the later stages of development, when neuroblasts become mitotically inactive, or quiescent, and are then reactivated postembryonically to generate the neurons that make up the adult nervous system. The ability to manipulate the steps leading from quiescence to proliferation and from proliferation to differentiation will have a major impact on the treatment of neurological injury and neurodegenerative disease.
Topics: Animals; Diptera; Neurons; Stem Cells
PubMed: 17309865
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2006.2011 -
BMC Biology Jan 2023Insects live in almost every habitat on earth. To adapt to their diverse environments, insects have developed a myriad of different strategies for reproduction reflected...
BACKGROUND
Insects live in almost every habitat on earth. To adapt to their diverse environments, insects have developed a myriad of different strategies for reproduction reflected in diverse anatomical and behavioral features that the reproductive systems of females exhibit. Yet, ovarian development remains largely uncharacterized in most species except Drosophila melanogaster (D. melanogaster), a high Diptera model. In this study, we investigated the detailed developmental process of the ovary in Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti), a major vector of various disease-causing pathogens that inhabits tropical and subtropical regions.
RESULTS
Compared with Drosophila melanogaster, a model of higher Diptera, the processes of pole cell formation and gonad establishment during embryonic stage are highly conserved in Ae. aegypti. However, Ae. aegypti utilizes a distinct strategy to form functional ovaries during larval/pupal development. First, during larval stage, Ae. aegypti primordial germ cells (PGCs) undergo a cyst-like proliferation with synchronized divisions and incomplete cytokinesis, leading to the formation of one tightly packed "PGC mass" containing several interconnected cysts, different from D. melanogaster PGCs that divide individually. This cyst-like proliferation is regulated by the target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway upon nutritional status. Second, ecdysone-triggered ovariole formation during metamorphosis exhibits distinct events, including "PGC mass" breakdown, terminal filament cell degeneration, and pre-ovariole migration. These unique developmental features might explain the structural and behavioral differences between Aedes and Drosophila ovaries. Importantly, both cyst-like proliferation and distinct ovariole formation are also observed in Culex quinquefasciatus and Anopheles sinensis, suggesting a conserved mode of ovarian development among mosquito species. In comparison with Drosophila, the ovarian development in Aedes and other mosquitoes might represent a primitive mode in the lower Diptera.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study reveals a new mode of ovarian development in mosquitoes, providing insights into a better understanding of the reproductive system and evolutionary relationship among insects.
Topics: Animals; Female; Aedes; Drosophila melanogaster; Mosquito Vectors; Culex; Larva; Drosophila
PubMed: 36690984
DOI: 10.1186/s12915-023-01511-7 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2022New representatives of the Cretaceous cranefly genus Antodicranomyia (Diptera: Limoniidae) are reported from Albian-Cenomanian Charentese (French) amber. The newly...
New representatives of the Cretaceous cranefly genus Antodicranomyia (Diptera: Limoniidae) are reported from Albian-Cenomanian Charentese (French) amber. The newly reported specimens allow for an emended diagnosis of the type species A. azari, as well as the description of a new species, Antodicranomyia rubra sp. nov., which is mostly distinguished from the type species by features of its wing venation, antennae, and genitalia. As a rare, extinct genus known only from French amber, Antodicranomyia is compared with its closest relative genera Antocha, Dicranomyia and Antohelia. The evolutionary implications and paleohabitat of Antodicranomyia are discussed. The new discovery adds to the knowledge of the crane flies' diversity and evolution in the mid-Cretaceous.
Topics: Amber; Animals; Diptera; Fossils; Genitalia; Nematocera; Wings, Animal
PubMed: 35715511
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-14182-1 -
Scientific Reports Jun 2021Trap-building predators, such as web-building spiders and pit-building antlions, construct traps to capture their prey. These predators compete over sites that either...
Trap-building predators, such as web-building spiders and pit-building antlions, construct traps to capture their prey. These predators compete over sites that either enable the construction of suitable traps, are prey rich, or simply satisfy their abiotic requirements. We examined the effect of intraspecific competition over suitable space in pit-building wormlions. As expected, the ability of wormlions to select their favorable microhabitats-shaded or deep sand over lit or shallow sand-decreased with increasing density. Favorable microhabitats were populated more frequently by large than by small individuals and the density of individuals in the favorable microhabitat decreased with their increase in body mass. The advantage of large individuals in populating favorable microhabitats is nevertheless not absolute: both size categories constructed smaller pits when competing over a limited space compared to those constructed in isolation. The outcome of competition also depends on the type of habitat: deep sand is more important for large wormlions than small ones, while shade is similarly important for both size classes. Finally, in contrast to previous reports, cannibalism is shown here to be possible in wormlions. Its prevalence however is much lower compared to that documented in other trap-building predators. Our findings show that the advantage of large individuals over small ones should not be taken for granted, as it can depend on the environmental context. We present suggestions for the relative lack of competitive advantage of large wormlion individuals compared to other trap-building predators, which may stem from the absence of obvious weaponry, such as sharp mandibles.
Topics: Animals; Cannibalism; Diptera; Ecosystem; Larva; Predatory Behavior; Sand
PubMed: 34140585
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-92154-7