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Acta Med Port 2018 Nov 30;31(11):618-623. Epub 2018 Nov 30.

Serviço de Imunoalergologia. Centro Hospitalar de São João. Porto. Portugal.

Introduction: Hymenoptera venom allergy is associated with significant morbidity and deterioration in health-related quality of life, and risk of fatal systemic reactions. Although venom immunotherapy is safe and the only effective treatment in allergic individuals, some patients prefer not to pursue this treatment. Since 2011, when the 50% reimbursement was stopped, patients must fully support the cost of immunotherapy. Read More

Ecol Evol 2018 Nov 24;8(22):11031-11070. Epub 2018 Oct 24.

Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) Klosterneuburg Austria.

Social insects have evolved enormous capacities to collectively build nests and defend their colonies against both predators and pathogens. The latter is achieved by a combination of individual immune responses and sophisticated collective behavioral and organizational disease defenses, that is, social immunity. We investigated how the presence or absence of these social defense lines affects individual-level immunity in ant queens after bacterial infection. Read More

Environ Entomol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Federal University of Bahia (UFBA), Salvador, BA, Brazil.

Although the importance of bees as the pollinators responsible for maintaining gene flow for many native and cultivated plants in ecosystems around the world is recognized, much of their biodiversity and behavior remains to be discovered. Stingless bees are considered key pollinators for several plant species in tropical and subtropical ecosystems and they also provide pollination services for economically important agricultural crops. Many countries are using the honey bee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758, Hymenoptera: Apidae) as a surrogate to evaluate the risk of pesticides to all species of bees. Read More

Environ Entomol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Centre for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications, CREAF, Edifici C, Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Spain.

Current pesticide risk assessment for bees relies on a single (social) species, the western honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae). However, most of the >20,000 bee species worldwide are solitary. Read More

Environ Entomol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Syngenta, Jealott's Hill International Research Station, Bracknell, Berkshire, United Kingdom.

To date, regulatory pesticide risk assessments have relied on the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) (Hymenoptera: Apidae) as a surrogate test species for estimating the risk of pesticide exposure to all bee species. However, honey bees and non-Apis bees may differ in their susceptibility and exposure to pesticides. Read More

Genet Mol Biol 2018 Nov 29. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, Brazil.

The genus Melipona is subdivided into four subgenera based on morphological characteristics, and two groups based on cytogenetic patterns. The cytogenetic information on this genus is still scarce, therefore, the goal of this study was to characterize Melipona paraensis, Melipona puncticollis, and Melipona seminigra pernigra using the following techniques: C-banding, DAPI/CMA3 fluorochromes, and FISH with an 18S rDNA probe. Melipona paraensis (2n=18) and M. Read More

J Insect Sci 2018 Nov 1;18(6). Epub 2018 Nov 1.

Departamento de Botánica y Zoología, CUCBA, Universidad de Guadalajara, Las Agujas, Zapopan, Jalisco, México.

Little is known about Dalbulus maidis (DeLong) egg parasitoids within maize fields, in the edge zones that surround these fields, and the parasitism on D. maidis eggs oviposited on different maize varieties. The objectives of the present study were first to understand which egg parasitoid species attack D. Read More

Bull Entomol Res 2018 Dec 5:1-9. Epub 2018 Dec 5.

Fuzhou Entry-Exit Inspection & Quarantine Bureau of P.R.C,Fuzhou 350002,China.

Although parasites and microbial pathogens are both detrimental to insects, little information is currently available on the mechanism involved in how parasitized hosts balance their immune responses to defend against microbial infections. We addressed this in the present study by comparing the immune response between unparasitized and parasitized pupae of the chrysomelid beetle, Octodonta nipae (Maulik), to Escherichia coli invasion. In an in vivo survival assay, a markedly reduced number of E. Read More

Zookeys 2018 21(798):23-44. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

AfriBugs CC, 341 27th Avenue, Villieria, Pretoria, Gauteng Province, 0186, South Africa AfriBugs Pretoria South Africa.

During an environmental impact assessment survey of a proposed tailings storage facility for a platinum mine in Sekhukhuneland, South Africa, five adult and five larval specimens of a new species of were found while excavating soil to a depth of 10-15 cm at the base of a tree in riparian woodland. These specimens represent a 3400 km range extension and the first reported record of the genus since its description in 2006, which was based on a single specimen collected in the Central African Republic in 2001. A description of the worker and ergatoid queen of . Read More

J Immunol 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Key Laboratory for Insect Pollinator Biology of the Ministry of Agriculture, Institute of Apicultural Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100093, China

The peptidoglycan recognition protein SAs (PGRP-SAs) from (Bi-PGRP-SA), (Am-PGRP-SA), and PGRP-SA (Mr-PGRP-SA) exhibit an intrinsic ability to preferentially bind to Dap-type peptidoglycan (PGN) from rather than Lys-type PGN from This ability is more analogous to the binding exhibited by PGRP-LCx and PGRP-SD than to that exhibited by PGRP-SA in Moreover, Bi-PGRP-SA and Am-PGRP-SA share greater sequence identity with PGRP-LCx than with PGRP-SD and retain several conserved contact residues, including His/His, His/His, Trp/Trp, Ala/Ala, and Thr/Thr However, the corresponding contact residue Arg is not a major anchor residue in bees (e.g., bumblebees, honeybees, and leaf-cutting bees), and an in silico analysis indicated that the residues Thr/Thr and Ser/Ser of Bi-PGRP-SA and Am-PGRP-SA are deduced to be anchor residues. Read More

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018 Dec 3. Epub 2018 Dec 3.

Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada.

Climate-induced changes in spatial and temporal occurrence of species, as well as species traits such as body size, each have the potential to decouple symbiotic relationships. Past work has focused primarily on direct interactions, particularly those between predators and prey and between plants and pollinators, but studies have rarely demonstrated significant fitness costs to the interacting, coevolving organisms. Here, we demonstrate that changing phenological synchrony in the latter part of the 20th century has different fitness outcomes for the actors within a Batesian mimicry complex, where predators learn to differentiate harmful "model" organisms (stinging Hymenoptera) from harmless "mimics" (hoverflies, Diptera: Syrphidae). Read More

PeerJ 2018 21;6:e5918. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Department of Psychology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA.

We aimed to examine mechanistically the observed foraging differences across two honey bee, , subspecies using the proboscis extension response assay. Specifically, we compared differences in appetitive reversal learning ability between honey bee subspecies: (Pollman), and (Skorikov) in a "common garden" apiary. It was hypothesized that specific learning differences could explain previously observed foraging behavior differences of these subspecies: switches between different flower color morphs in response to reward variability, and does not switch. Read More

Forensic Sci Res 2018 22;3(1):65-73. Epub 2017 Sep 22.

Department of Sciences, IINFACTS - Institute of Research and Advanced Training in Health Sciences and Technologies, University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS), CESPU, CRL, Gandra, Portugal.

The value of the Formicidae (Insecta, Hymenoptera) community in forensic investigations is poorly studied in Portugal. In order to better understand the structure and dynamics of this group of insects in cadavers and their putative value in forensic investigations, studies were carried out in Lisbon area during one year. Piglet carcasses were used as a model of human decomposition. Read More

J Econ Entomol 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Department of Environmental Sciences, Emory University, Atlanta, GA.

Numerous papers have shown that propolis contributes favorably to worker honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) immune response and colony social immunity. Moreover, resin-foraging specialists are more sensitive than pollen foragers to tactile information in the nest interior, and they respond to these stimuli by collecting more resin. Read More

J Econ Entomol 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Laboratory of Insect Biodiversity and Ecosystem Science, Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Nada, Kobe, Japan.

Habrobracon hebetor (Say 1836) is an important biological control agent around the world. Many hundreds of papers have been published about its biology. Due to the global distribution of H. Read More

J Econ Entomol 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Horticultural Crops Research Unit, USDA ARS, Corvallis, OR.

Previous studies have demonstrated various combinations of non-nutritive erythritol and sucrose having detrimental effects on Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura). Fly mortality is likely caused by 1) starvation from feeding on non-metabolizable erythritol; and 2) physiological imbalance with abnormally high osmotic pressure in the hemolymph. While erythritol kills D. Read More

Bull Entomol Res 2018 Nov 29:1-8. Epub 2018 Nov 29.

Department of Environmental Conservation,University of Amherst Massachusetts,160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, MA 01003,USA.

Populations of the recently described black oak gall wasp, Zapatella davisae Buffington (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), have been identified as the cause of extensive tree damage and mortality to black oaks, Quercus velutina Lamarck (Fagales: Fagaceae), in the northeastern United States. Relatively little is known, however, about the distribution, phylogenetic placement, and lifecycle of this important tree pest. Therefore, we conducted next-generation sequencing using the Ion Torrent™ PGM (ThermoFisher Scientific, Inc. Read More

Neotrop Entomol 2018 Nov 28. Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Depto de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Univ de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, 14040-901, Brasil.

Social insects face strong selection from parasites because the conditions of group living often favor the transmission of infection among nestmates. However, there is little detailed information on the effects of parasite infection in the host species. Workers of Polybia species, neotropical swarm-founding wasps, are commonly infected by gregarines, protozoans that are exclusively parasitic on invertebrates. Read More

Biodivers Data J 2018 14(6):e27722. Epub 2018 Nov 14.

Department of Invertebrates, Natural History Museum Bern, Bern, Switzerland Department of Invertebrates, Natural History Museum Bern Bern Switzerland.

Background: Parasitoid wasps of the genus play an important role in biological pest control, however, the genus includes a large number of cryptic species, which makes reliable identification difficult. The latest identification key dates back to Graham (1969) and since then many new species have been described and nomenclatural changes proposed.

New Information: Here we present an interactive and fully illustrated identification key in Xper3 for 27 species of the species group as well as for 18 similar species. Read More

Biol Lett 2018 Nov 28;14(11). Epub 2018 Nov 28.

Behaviour and Genetics of Social Insects Laboratory, Ecology and Evolution, University of Sydney, Macleay Building A12, New South Wales 2006, Australia.

Hymenoptera are haplodiploid: females arise from fertilized, diploid eggs, while males arise from unfertilized, haploid eggs. The cytogenetic mechanisms underlying haplodiploidy enable remarkable phenomena including female cloning, male cloning and gynandromorphy (sex mosaics). We collected 11 newly emerged putative gynandromorph honeybees from a single colony, assessed the sex of various tissues morphologically and determined the genetic origin (maternal or paternal) of each tissue by genotyping. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 5;4511(1):1-193. Epub 2018 Nov 5.

Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, P.R. China Biology Department, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, 84322, USA. USDA-ARS Pollinating Insects Research Unit, Logan, Utah, 84322, USA..

Anthophora (Micranthophora) comprises the largest subgenus of Anthophora in the Western Hemisphere, with 26 species. Though previously synonymized with the Anthophora (Heliophila), A. (Micranthophora) is here confirmed as a subgenus, morphological and multi-gene molecular phylogenetic evidence refute this and the synonymy of A. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 5;4512(1):1-73. Epub 2018 Nov 5.

Department of Animal Evolution and Systematics, Faculty of Biology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Karl-von-Frisch-Straße 8, 35032 Marburg, Germany Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013, USA.

Since its conceptualization in 1854, 29 species of the colubrid genus Stegonotus have been recognized or described, of which 15 (admiraltiensis, batjanensis, borneensis, cucullatus, derooijae, diehli, florensis, guentheri, iridis, heterurus, melanolabiatus, modestus, muelleri, parvus, poechi) are still considered valid today. Original species descriptions for the members of this genus were published in Dutch, English, French, German, and Italian and, perhaps as a consequence of these polyglot origins, there has been a considerable amount of confusion over which species names should be applied to which populations of Stegonotus throughout its range across Borneo, the Philippines, Wallacea, New Guinea, Australia, and associated archipelagos. In addition, the terminology used to notate characteristics in the descriptions of these forms was not uniform and may have added to the taxonomic confusion. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 5;4513(1):1-90. Epub 2018 Nov 5.

The State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering of China, Centre for Behavioural Ecology and Evolution, College of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, Hubei, China.

The genus Neriene Blackwall, 1833 from China is reviewed. Two new species are described: Neriene lushanensis n. sp. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 7;4514(2):230-242. Epub 2018 Nov 7.

Sai Kung, Hong Kong..

A list of 12 species in nine genera occurring in Hong Kong is given. The hitherto unknown male of Bischoffitilla lamellata (Mickel, 1933) is described and illustrated. Six species are newly recorded from Hong Kong. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 7;4514(2):215-229. Epub 2018 Nov 7.

HYMN Laboratório de Hymenoptera, Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Laboratorio de Ecología de Abejas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Bási-cas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Avenida San Miguel, 3605. Talca, Chile.

A taxonomic review of Lepidura Townes is presented, with three new species described. The following species are recognized: L. abbreviata Dasch, L. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 8;4514(3):383-410. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Via dei Tarquini 22, I-01100 Viterbo, Italy..

New additions to the subfamily Stenogastrinae in the Philippine Islands are provided. Nine new species are described: Liostenogaster maculiceps Selis, sp. nov. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 8;4514(3):332-340. Epub 2018 Nov 8.

Borissiak Paleontological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Profsoyuznaya 123, Moscow, 117647 Russia. Cherepovets State University, Lunacharskogo 5, Cherepovets, Vologda Region, 162600 Russia..

Three new species of Anaxyelidae from the Middle-Upper Jurassic of Karatau (Kazakhstan) are described: Brachysyntexis tenebrosa sp. nov., B. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 9;4514(4):593-600. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

Insect Ecology and Ethology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Kerala, Pin: 673635, India.

The extremely rare, monobasic Afrotropical braconine genus, Carinibracon van Achterberg, is recorded for the first time from the Oriental region through the description of a new species, C. orientalis Ranjith sp. nov. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 9;4514(4):473-486. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

Insect Biodiversity Lab, South Dakota State University, Brookings, South Dakota 57007, U.S.A.

Aprostocetus chilophagae Yefremova and Yegorenkova, new species (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) is described from eastern South Dakota, U.S.A. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 12;4517(1):1-91. Epub 2018 Nov 12.

Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Eberswalder Str. 90, 15374 Müncheberg, Germany..

All presently available information about bees of the genus Hylaeus F. in Central Asia is summarized. Seventy species are currently known from this area. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 13;4521(2):258-264. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh 202 002, India.

A new species of Ooencyrtus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae), O. xenasteiae Hayat Gupta, sp. nov. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 13;4521(1):52-60. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

HYMN Laboratório de Hymenoptera, Departamento de Entomologia, Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Quinta da Boa Vista, São Cristóvão 20940-040 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Laboratorio de Ecología de Abejas, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Químicas, Facultad de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Católica del Maule, Avenida San Miguel, 3605, Talca, Chile.

Mesochorinae is a relatively small but widely distributed subfamily of Ichneumonidae, with most species occurring in the Neotropical Region. Currently, there are two classifications in use regarding mesochorine genera, causing numerous taxonomic conflicts. To resolve nomenclature conflicts, seven new replacement names and twelve new combinations are proposed for species now recognized as members of Mesochorus Gravenhorst. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 13;4521(1):1-51. Epub 2018 Nov 13.

Division of Ecology & Evolution, Research School of Biology, College of Science, The Australian National University, Acton, Canberra, A.C.T. 2601, Australia..

The Southeast Asian soft scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) associated with ants of the Crematogaster borneensis-group (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and living in the hollow stems of Macaranga plants (Euphorbiaceae) are revised taxonomically. Ten species of the genus Coccus L. are recognised: seven were described previously and three new species are described herein. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 15;4521(4):593-596. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

European Invertebrate Survey-the Netherlands, P.O. Box 9517, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands..

Thick-headed flies of the genus Myopa Fabricius are a common sight in early spring in Europe. Several species can be found flying among Salix catkins together with their supposed Andrena Fabricius hosts (Hymenoptera: Apidae) (John Smit observations). Despite the fact that some of these Myopa species are very common, little is known about their actual host-parasitoid associations. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 15;4521(4):563-572. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

16 Briantspuddle, Dorchester, Dorset, DT2 7HS. United Kingdom.

Flavipanurgus is a small genus of panurgine bees known only from the Iberian Peninsula. Despite its status as one of the few bee genera endemic to Europe, Flavipanurgus are poorly represented in collections and until recently, their ecology had been almost unknown. Flavipanurgus ibericus (Warncke, 1972) was described from southern Iberia, with a northern subspecies F. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 15;4521(4):451-498. Epub 2018 Nov 15.

School of Zoology, the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel.

Oak-galling wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae, Cynipini) have been studied in Israel only superficially so far, despite interest in the Israeli fauna given its location at the southern edge of distribution range of the wasps and their oak hosts. We provide the first comprehensive review of the Israeli fauna of oak cynipids based on an extensive survey of the five naturally occurring oak species in Israel. We report 53 cynipid species, 37 of which are reported from Israel for the first time, 10 are currently known only from this country, and 9 are undescribed. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 20;4524(1):87-96. Epub 2018 Nov 20.

Systematic Entomology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan..

We discovered Dentilabus Heinrich (Icneumoninae: Platylabini) for the first time from the Eastern Palearctic region. Two new species, D. nigripodus sp. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 21;4524(2):200-212. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Insect Ecology; Biological Control Research Institute, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.

Three new species of Zaischnopsis Ashmead from southern China, Z. candetibia Peng sp. nov. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 22;4524(3):251-307. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

School of Zoology, The Steinhardt Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel..

The subgenus Pseudomegachile Friese of the large genus Megachile Latreille is revised for the Western Palaearctic region, Iran, and the Arabian Peninsula. Twenty species are recognized, of which five are new: Megachile blepharis Dorchin Praz from Israel, M. plumigera Dorchin Praz from Oman and the United Arab Emirates, M. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 23;4524(4):453-472. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, 1 Universitetskaya Emb., St Petersburg 199034, Russia..

A review of the eight Palaearctic species of the genus Paramesius Westwood is provided, four of which are described and illustrated: P. primorus Chemyreva et Kolyada, sp. nov. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Oct 15;4500(1):1-42. Epub 2018 Oct 15.

State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.

Six new species of Alysia Latreille are described and illustrated from China, i.e., Alysia hebeiensis sp. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Oct 25;4504(3):345-358. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

State Key Laboratory of Rice Biology and Ministry of Agriculture Key Lab of Agricultural Entomology, Institute of Insect Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.

The Chinese species of Earinus Wesmael, 1837 (Braconidae, Agathidinae) are revised and eight species are recognized. Three new species, namely, E. longigena sp. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Oct 25;4504(3):301-344. Epub 2018 Oct 25.

Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazônia, Coordenação de Biodiversidade, Av. André Araújo, 2936, 69067-375, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil..

The male genitalia of 58 species of the New World Polistes are described: 29 of Polistes (Aphanilopterus), 12 of Polistes (Epicnemius), 13 of Polistes (Fuscopolistes), one of Polistes (Onerarius) and three of Polistes (Palisotius). Comments and remarks are also provided. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Oct 26;4504(4):501-523. Epub 2018 Oct 26.

Faculty of Biology and CERNESIM, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University, Bd Carol I nr. 11, 700506, Iasi, Romania..

The European species of Calymmochilus Masi (Hymenoptera, Eupelmidae) are revised. Calymmochilus atratus Masi stat. rev. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Oct 31;4508(3):435-438. Epub 2018 Oct 31.

Via dei Tarquini, 22-01100 Viterbo, Italy..

A new species of Polistes Latreille, 1802 from Sulawesi, namely Polistes (Polistella) celebensis Selis, sp. nov., is described and figured. Read More

Zootaxa 2018 Nov 5;4514(1):1-22. Epub 2018 Nov 5.

Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan..

The systematics of the subgenus Stigmatodipogon Ishikawa of the genus Dipogon Fox is revised. Six species are listed. Two new species, Dipogon (Stigmatodipogon) kurokawai Shimizu, sp. Read More

Braz J Biol 2018 Nov 23. Epub 2018 Nov 23.

Departamento de Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Federal de Viçosa - UFV, CEP 36570-900 Viçosa, MG, Brasil.

Brazil is a leading palm oil producer, but the defoliating caterpillars Opsiphanes invirae Hübner Brassolis sophorae L. (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) can reduce the productivity of this crop. The aim of this study was to evaluate the development and reproduction of the parasitoid Trichospilus diatraeae Cherian & Margabandhu (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in pupae of these oil palm defoliators. Read More

Comp Cytogenet 2018 9;12(4):471-482. Epub 2018 Nov 9.

Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, Viçosa, MG, 36570-000, Brazil Universidade Federal de Viçosa Viçosa Brazil.

Stingless bees are distributed widely in the tropics, where they are major pollinators of several plant species. In this study, the karyotype of Lepeletier, 1836 was analysed, with emphasis on the presence of B chromosomes. Post-defecating larvae were analysed using Giemsa staining, the C-banding technique, sequential staining with fluorochromes, and FISH. Read More

Biodivers Data J 2018 7(6):e29278. Epub 2018 Nov 7.

Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas SINCHI, Leticia, Colombia Instituto Amazónico de Investigaciones Científicas SINCHI Leticia Colombia.

Background: This paper presents an updated list of soil ants of the Colombian Amazon collected in three different river basins: the Amazon, the Caquetá and the Putumayo. The list includes 10 subfamilies, 60 genera and 218 species collected from TSBF monoliths at four different depths (Litter, 0 - 10 cm, 10 - 20 cm and 20 - 30 cm). This updated list increases considerably the knowledge of edaphic macrofauna of the region, due to the limited published information about soil ant diversity in the Colombian Amazon region. Read More

J Insect Physiol 2018 Nov 22;112:9-14. Epub 2018 Nov 22.

Graduate School of Agriculture, Tamagawa University, Machida, Tokyo 194-8610, Japan. Electronic address:

Dopamine is a potential integrator between the central nervous system and reproductive system in insects. To test for a possible action of dopamine on the male reproductive organ via hemolymph in honey bees, relative expression levels of dopamine receptor genes and second messenger levels responding to dopamine in the reproductive organ were quantified. Protein content of the three parts of the reproductive organ (testes, seminal vesicles, and mucus glands) differed depending on the age of bees: the protein content of the testes decreased, whereas that of the seminal vesicles and mucus glands increased as males aged. Read More