Foraging and leaf-cutting of the desert gardening ant Acromyrmex versicolor versicolor (Pergande) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Summary Four colonies of the desert leaf-cutter ant Acromyrmex versicolor versicolor (Pergande) located 30 miles N.E. of Tempe, Arizona were observed over a 7 month period. The ants utilized trails in foraging, a characteristic of higher attines, as well as foraging singly, a typical pattern among the more primitive gardeners. The ants cut and collected both dry and green vegetation with dry grasses comprising the bulk of the forage. The ants increased their cutting of green vegetation after significant rainfall but collected dry grasses almost exclusively during dry periods. Detailed macro-motion picture analysis of leaf-cutting revealed that the desert gardener utilized a unique technique for cutting compound desert leaves.     

A study of pityriasis versicolor in Bangkok (Thailand)

A total of 410 cases of pityriasis versicolor were studied in the Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, during January to December 1987. These comprised 1% of all skin disorders, while infection caused by fungus comprised 17%. Most persons infected with pityriasis versicolor were 12–21 years old (mean age 20 years) and 47% were male and 53% were female. The common sites of infection were back, arms, face and trunk. The colors of lesions found were white (83%), brown (7%), pink (6%) and ashy (4%). Both forms of M. furfur were isolated, the ovale form in 97% and the orbiculare form in 3% of cases. The colors of the lesions did not depend on the form of the organism. Mycological and immunological studies confirmed that the two forms were different stages in the complex developmental cycle of a single species.     

Studies on the Metabolites of Aspergillus versicolor (Vuillemin) Tiraboschi

Three new pigments, named versicolorins A, Band C, as metabolites from the mycelium of Aspergillus versicolor have been isolated. Versicolorin A, C₁₈H₁₀O₇, is fine orange yellow needles, m.p. 289°C (decomp.), [α]_D^-354°. It is an anthraquinoid pigment having three hydroxyl groups and a vinyl ether system contained in a five-membered ring. Versicolorin A trimethyl ether was hydrogenated to a dihydro-derivative, and by oxidation gave 3,5-dimethoxyphthalic acid and a hydroxy acid which may be 1,6,8-trirnethoxy-3-hydroxy anthraquinone-2-carboxylic acid. These chemical behavior and NMR data show that versicolorin A probably has the structure of (I). Versicolorin B, C₁₈H₁₂O₇, is fine orange yellow needles, m.p., 298°C (decomp.), [α]_D^-223° Its trimethyl ether is identical with that of dihydroversicolorin A. Therefore, the structure (II) could be assigned to versicolorin B. Versicolorin C, C₁₈H₁₂O₇, is orange red needles, m.p.>310°C, [α]_D O° Comparison of optical properties, IR and NMR spectra of versicolorin B and its methyl ether with those of versicolorin C and its methyl ether indicates that versicolorin C is very probably a racemate of versicolorin B.     

Energetics of vocalization by an anuran amphibian (Hyla versicolor)

Summary The metabolic demands of vocalization byHyla versicolor were determined by measuring oxygen consumption and whole body lactate content of calling animals. A stepwise multiple regression analysis identified both calling rate (calls/h) and call duration (s/call) as significant determinants of oxygen consumption during calling. These two variables accounted for 84% of the total variation in oxygen consumption observed in calling frogs. Aerobic metabolism increased linearly with calling rate and call duration, reaching a peak value of 1.7 ml O₂/(g·h) at the highest vocalization effort. For comparison, metabolic rates of the same individuals were also measured during short bouts of vigorous locomotor exercise induced by mechanical stimulation. The mean value of was only 62% of the peak , and 5 of 13 frogs had rates of oxygen consumption during calling that exceeded their . Whole body lactate levels were measured in two samples of calling frogs, one collected early in the evening (2100–2115 h) and the other 1.5 h later (2230–2245 h). The frogs in the second sample had significantly lower lactate levels (0.10 mg/g) than the frogs collected early in the evening (0.22 mg/g). Hence, vocalization does not entail the use of anaerobic metabolism, although lactate levels may be slightly elevated at the onset of an evening of calling. Calling rates of unrestrained frogs in a large chorus were measured at regular intervals during an evening. During the first half hour of calling, rates increased gradually from an initial mean value of 600 calls/h at 2030 h to nearly 1400 calls/h at 2100 h. These data indicate that acoustic advertisement byHyla versicolor is among the most energetically expensive activities regularly undertaken by any anuran, and indeed, is the most demanding yet measured in an ectothermic vertebrate.Abbreviations resting rate of oxygen consumption - maximum rate of oxygen consumption - rate of oxygen consumption during forced exercise - rate of oxygen consumption during calling     

Prey captured and used in Polistes versicolor (Olivier) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) nourishment

The social wasps are predators of many insect species and the study of their preys can reveal the potential of these natural enemies in biological control programs. A total of 240h of collections of preys in 32 nests of Polistes versicolor (Olivier) was carried on in Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, from March 2000 to February 2001. The preys captured by P. versicolor were mainly those from the orders Lepidoptera (95.4%) and Coleoptera (1.1%) while 3.4% of them were not identified. Chlosyne lacinia saundersii Doubleday & Hewitson (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) was the most collected prey (13.5%). The total of 4,015 preys was estimated to be captured per colony of P. versicolor during one year. The species can be used in integrated pest management of herbivorous insects, especially defoliating caterpillars.     

Success of intracoelomic radiotransmitter implantation in the treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

Concern about the effects of habitat modification on the natural movements and behavior of amphibians has led researchers to devise several methods to follow individual animals as they migrate among seasonal resources; one such method is the surgical insertion of radiotransmitters. Intracoelomic implantation has come into general use despite the relative lack of specific procedural guidelines and information about the effects of transmitter insertion and removal. The author outlines the surgical implantation procedures used on a small amphibian (gray treefrog) and provides insight into the effects of multiple major surgical invasions on the long-term survival of amphibians. Multiple survival surgeries were successful in this study and may be an alternative to euthanasia in some instances.     

Schnallenanomalien bei Polystictus versicolor (L.)

Zusammenfassung Es werden Lebendbeobachtungen an morphologisch anomalen Schnallen bei Polystictus versicolor beschrieben.Dem kernhaltigen Schnallenauswuchs wächst ein Fusionshöcker der Haupthyphe entgegen und preßt sich an einer beliebigen Stelle dem Schnallenauswuchs an. An dieser Stelle erfolgt die Perforation der Membranen und der Kernübertritt.Der Fusionshöcker wird normal von der subterminalen Zelle gebildet, er kann aber auch an der terminalen Zelle entstehen, wenn diese vorübergehend einkernig geworden ist.Die Bedeutung des Fusionshöckers scheint darin zu liegen, daß die Membranen zwischen Schnallenauswuchs und subterminaler Zelle druckfrei gemacht werden, damit die Membranperforation stattfinden kann.Eine vorübergehende Einkernigkeit der Spitzenzelle ist ohne Einfluß auf ihre Wachstumsgeschwindigkeit.Die Kerne können unter bestimmten Bedingungen längere Zeit mit der 10–12 fachen Normalgeschwindigkeit wandern. Dabei scheint die Wanderungsgeschwindigkeit der Kerne wesentlich vom Zustand des Plasmas, in dem sie wandern, abhängig zu sein.     

Corneal morphogenesis in the Indian garden lizard,Calotes versicolor (agamidae)

The present study traces corneal morphogenesis in a reptile, the lizard Calotes versicolor, from the lens placode stage (stage 24) until hatching (stage 42), and in the adult. The corneal epithelium separates from the lens placode as a double layer of peridermal and basal cells and remains bilayered throughout development and in the adult. Between stages 32– and 33+, the corneal epithelium is apposed to the lens, and limbic mesodermal cells migrate between the basement membrane of the epithelium and the lens capsule to form a monolayered corneal endothelium. Soon thereafter a matrix of amorphous ground substance and fine collagen fibrils, the presumptive stroma, is seen between the epithelium and the endothelium. Just before stage 34 a new set of limbic mesodermal cells, the keratocytes, migrate into the presumptive stroma. Migrating limbic mesodermal cells, both endothelial cells and keratocytes, use the basement membrane of the epithelium as substratum. Keratocytes may form up to six cell layers at stage 37, but in the adult stroma they form only one or two cell layers. The keratocytes sysnthesize collagen, which aggregates as fibrils and fibers organized in lamellae. The lamellae become condensed as dense collagen layers subepithelially or become compactly organized into a feltwork structure in the rest of the stroma. The basement membrane of the endothelium is always thin. Thickness of the entire cornea increases up to stage 38 and decreases thereafter until stage 41. In the adult the cornea is again nearly as thick as at stage 38.     

Sociogenetic structure of Polistes (Aphanilopterus) versicolor Olivier, 1791 colonies (Hymenoptera, Vespidae, Polistini)

The observation of two distinct, well-defined oviposition areas in nests of the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes versicolor suggests the presence of multiple egg-layers and territorial behaviors. Electrophoretic analysis of enzyme loci in pupae from 35 colonies revealed an average observed heterozygosity of 0.10 and the existence of private polymorphisms, thereby indicating a low dispersion in this species. No evidence of diploid males was found. Phenotypic segregation analysis revealed the presence of more than one egg-laying female in 15 out of 35 colonies, as well as spatially preferential oviposition in 2 out of 13 nests, with distinct oviposition areas. Genetic relatedness estimates for brood were lower than expected for haplodiploid species under monogynous conditions (r = 0.75 for female broods and r = 0.5 for male) in 4 of those 13 nests, thereby inferring complex sociogenetic structuring in Polistes versicolor colonies.     

A new species of Rhabdias (Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) in Calotes versicolor (Squamata: Agamidae) from Singapore

Rhabdias singaporensis n. sp. (Rhabditida: Rhabdiasidae) from the lungs of Calotes versicolor (Squamata: Agamidae) from Singapore is described and illustrated. Rhabdias singaporensis n. sp. represents the 77th species assigned to the genus, the eighth of the Asian region, and the second from Singapore. The distinguishing characteristic of the new species is the location of the excretory pore. In all species of Rhabdias for which excretory pore location data are available, the excretory pore is situated just posterior to the level of the nerve ring; in R. singaporensis , it lies near the esophageointestinal junction.     

Hormonal modulation of phonotaxis and advertisement-call preferences in the gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor)

Hormonal levels fluctuate during the breeding season in many anurans, but the identity of the hormones that modulate breeding behavior and their effects remain unclear. We tested the influence of a combined treatment of progesterone and prostaglandin on phonotaxis, the key proceptive reproductive behavior of female anurans. First, we found that female gray treefrogs (Hyla versicolor) treated with progesterone and prostaglandin exhibited phonotaxis to synthetic male advertisement signals significantly more often than animals treated with ringers vehicle or uninjected controls. Responsive females had greater levels of plasma progesterone and estradiol compared to both control groups, suggesting that these steroids may be promoting phonotaxis. Second, we found that the selectivity of hormonally-induced phonotaxis in H.versicolor was similar to that observed in freshly captured breeding animals. Females made the same choices between acoustic signals after hormone treatments in tests of frequency, call rate and pulse rate, compared to their responses without treatment immediately after collection from the breeding chorus. The preference for a longer call was, however, significantly weaker after hormonal induction of phonotaxis. Hormonally primed females were also less likely to respond in any test and took longer to respond than did freshly collected females. Consequently, our study shows how progesterone-prostaglandin induced phonotaxis in female treefrogs influences both the quality and quantity of phonotaxis, relative to that exhibited by naturally breeding females.     

First report of Elasmus polistis Burks (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) recovered from Polistes versicolor (Olivier) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) nests in Brazil

The first record of Elasmus polistis Burks in Polistes versicolor (Olivier) nests in the Rio Grande do Sul state and in Brazil is provided. A total of 173 specimens of P. versicolor and 790 specimens of E. polistis were collected from two nests from Gramado and Santa Cruz do Sul, RS, Brazil.     

Licht- und elektronenoptische Untersuchungen anPolystictus versicolor (L.)

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit 14 TextabbildungenHerrn Prof. Dr.Theodor Herzog zum 80. Geburtstag in Verehrung gewidmet.