Molecular data and species distribution models reveal the Pleistocene history of the mayfly Ameletus inopinatus (Ephemeroptera: Siphlonuridae)1

1. We investigated the Pleistocene and Holocene history of the rare mayfly Ameletus inopinatus EATON 1887 (Ephemeroptera: Siphlonuridae) in Europe. We used A. inopinatus as a model species to explore the phylogeography of montane, cold‐tolerant aquatic insects with arctic–alpine distributions. 2. Using species distribution models, we developed hypotheses about the species demographic history in Central Europe and the recolonisation history of Fennoscandia. We tested these hypotheses using mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) sequence data and compared our genetic results with previously generated microsatellite data to explore genetic diversity distributions of A. inopinatus. 3. We observed old lineages, deep splits and almost complete lineage sorting of mtCOI sequences among mountain ranges. These results support a periglacial survival, i.e. persistence at the periphery of Pleistocene glaciers in Central Europe. 4. There was strong differentiation between the Fennoscandian and all other populations, indicating that Fennoscandia was recolonised from a refugium not accounted for in our sampling. High degrees of population genetic structure within the northern samples suggest that Fennoscandia was recolonised by more than one lineage. However, this structure was not apparent in previously published microsatellite data, consistent with secondary contact without sexual incompatibility or with sex‐biased dispersal. 5. Our demographic analyses indicate that (i) the separation of northern and Central European lineages occurred during the early Pleistocene; (ii) Central European populations have persisted independently throughout the Pleistocene and (iii) the species extended its range about 150 000 years ago.     

Nicotinic Acid Adenine Dinucleotide Phosphate (NAADP) and Ca2+ Mobilization

Many physiological processes are controlled by a great diversity of Ca^{2 +} signals that depend on Ca^{2 +} entry into the cell and/or Ca^{2 +} release from internal Ca^{2 +} stores. Ca^{2 +} mobilization from intracellular stores is gated by a family of messengers including inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (InsP₃), cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR), and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP). There is increasing evidence for a novel intracellular Ca^{2 +} release channel that may be targeted by NAADP and that displays properties distinctly different from the well-characterized InsP₃ and ryanodine receptors. These channels appear to localize on a wider range of intracellular organelles, including the acidic Ca^{2 +} stores. Activation of the NAADP-sensitive Ca^{2 +} channels evokes complex changes in cytoplasmic Ca^{2 +} levels by means of channel chatter with other intracellular Ca^{2 +} channels. The recent demonstration of changes in intracellular NAADP levels in response to physiologically relevant extracellular stimuli highlights the significance of NAADP as an important regulator of intracellular Ca^{2 +} signaling.     

Systematic re‐appraisal of the gall‐usurping wasp genus Synophrus Hartig, 1843 (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini)

Several unanswered questions remain regarding the taxonomy and phylogeny of inquiline gallwasps (Cynipidae: Synergini), obligate inhabitants of plant galls induced primarily by other gallwasps (Cynipidae: Cynipini and Diplolepidini). Here we use morphological and molecular data to revise the inquiline genus Synophrus, members of which are notable for extensively modifying the structure of galls induced by oak gallwasp hosts on oaks in the section Cerris of Quercus subgenus Quercus in the Western Palaearctic. Previous taxonomic treatments have recognized three Western Palaearctic species of Synophrus: S. pilulae, S. politus and S. olivieri. Our results support the establishment of four additional Western Palaearctic species: Synophrus hungaricus sp.n. , S. libani sp.n. , S. syriacus sp.n. and S. hispanicus sp.n. We describe and diagnose these new taxa, analyse their phylogenetic relationships, and show that Synophrus inquilines are able to impose their own gall phenotypes on those of their hosts. We provide an updated key to Synophrus.     

Field catches of Oxythyrea cinctella using visual and olfactory cues

Diurnal flower‐visiting scarabs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae) use visual and olfactory stimuli when locating possible feeding sites. In field trapping experiments in Turkey, testing different colours and floral volatile compounds, a combination of fluorescent yellow colour and a blend of 2‐phenylethanol and (±)‐lavandulol leads to the highest number of Oxythyrea cinctella (Schaum) being caught. Trap catches of O. cinctella with respect to the individually presented visual or olfactory cues are significantly lower than to a combination of the two. The closely‐related O. funesta, a sibling species in the Oxythyrea genus, is also known to be caught by the same colour‐volatile combination. When applied together in a high capture‐capacity trap, the fluorescent yellow colour and the binary floral odour blend may provide a suitable means of monitoring population changes of O. cinctella, which indicates their potential use in agriculture.