Record of the second species of the East Asian seed-beetle genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Megabruchidius</Emphasis> Borowiec (Coleoptera,Bruchidae) in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gleditsia</Emphasis> seeds in Krasnodar and Stavropol territories,Russia

Megabruchidius dorsalis (Fåhraeus), an introduced Eastern Asian seed beetle, was reared from Gleditsia triacanthos pods collected in Krasnodar and Stavropol territories in October 2013. The species has become established in several European countries since 1989 and is for the first time recorded from Russia.     

Genetic differentiation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Puccinia triticina</Emphasis> Erikss. in Russia

A collection of Puccinia triticina isolates was characterized for polymorphism of microsatellite loci and estimated for their differentiation by geographic origin. The collection included 20 isolates from the Ural region, 31 from West Siberia, 53 from Central Europe, 32 from the Northwest region, 32 from the Volga region, and 40 from the North Caucasus (24 from Dagestan and 16 from Krasnodar and Stavropol). The studied isolates were represented by 65 virulence phenotypes. In the polymorphism analysis of 18 microsatellite loci, 69 genotypes were determined. The index values of genetic distances (F _st, R _st, KB _c) between populations for microsatellite loci indicated differentiation of P. triticina isolates according to geographical origin, and they were clustered into three groups: (1) Asian, (2) European, and (3) North Caucasian. The North Caucasian isolates from Krasnodar and Stavropol regions were closer in similarity to European isolates than the Dagestan ones. Current analysis confirmed the assumption made earlier on the basis of the virulence analysis about the existence of several geographic fungi populations in Russia.     

New and little known species of the dance-fly subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthempis</Emphasis> Bezzi,genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Empis</Emphasis> L. (Diptera,Empididae), from the Caucasus

Five new species of the subgenus Xanthempis Bezzi are described from the Caucasus: Empis (Xanthempis) annae sp. n. (Russia: Krasnodar Territory), E. (X.) grichanovi sp. n. (Russia: Krasnodar Territory; Georgia), E. (X.) pseudoconcolor sp. n. (Russia: Krasnodar and Stavropol territories; Georgia: Abkhazia), E. (X.) teberdaensis sp. n. (Russia: Karachay-Cherkessia), and E. (X.) zamotajlovi sp. n. (Russia: Krasnodar Territory and Adygea). The females of E. (X.) alanica Shamshev and E. (X.) kovalevi Shamshev are described for the first time. New data on the distribution of some previously described species are reported. The geographical distribution of Xanthempis is discussed. A key to Xanthempis species from the Caucasus is compiled.     

Gene typing of infectious tularemia strains isolated from the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories

The typing of F. tularensis strains by four variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) loci has been carried out. Among the strains isolated in the Stavropol and Krasnodar Territories seven genotypes have been detected and their spread in different natural foci has been analyzed. The data thus obtained suggest that the VNTR analysis may become an important instrument for studying the structure of the natural foci of tularemia and evolutionary relationships between individual areas of these foci.     

On the fauna of the bristletail family Machilidae (Thysanura) of the Caucasus and southern Kazakhstan

Four new species, Trigoniophthalmus dombayi sp. n. from Stavropol Province, T. vorontzovi sp. n. and T. montanus sp. n. from Krasnodar Province, Allopsontus varvarae sp. n. from southeastern Kazakhstan, and the new subgenus Allopsontus (Aridopsontinus) subgen. n., are described. Keys to all the known species of the genus Trigoniophthalmus Verh. from the Caucasus and to subgenera of the genus Allopsontus Silv. of the world fauna are given.     

Host plant population density and distribution pattern as factors limiting geographic distribution of the ragweed leaf beetle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zygogramma suturalis</Emphasis> F. (Coleoptera,Chrysomelidae)

Field sampling conducted in 2005–2007 in Voronezh and Rostov provinces and in Stavropol and Krasnodar territories (south-west of European Russia) suggested that the climatic effect on geographic distribution of the ragweed leaf beetle, Zygogramma suturalis is mediated by the abundance of its host plant, Ambrosia artemisiifolia. At the periphery of the common ragweed invasion area Z. suturalis was absent or its population density was below the detection threshold. A pivotal role was played by the sufficient percentage of small but relatively stable plots with high ragweed population density, rather than by the mean rate of the ragweed infestation. Inside the geographic range of the ragweed leaf beetle all relatively stable habitats were infested by A. artemisiifolia and in more than half of plots inspected, common ragweed percent cover was higher than 5%. In regions where such infestation was recorded on less than 20% of the plots studied, Z. suturalis was absent, most likely due to its low ability for long-range search for a host plant.     

Polymorphism of Y-chromosomal microsatellites in Russian population from Southern Federal district of the Russian Federation

Haplotype frequencies and allele distributions at 11 STR loci of the Y chromosome were evaluated in 180 unrelated individuals from Russian population of Southern Federal district of the Russian Federation (Rostov oblast, Krasnodar krai, and Stavropol krai). Among 153 Y-chromosomal haplotypes discovered, 62 were unique. In the sample of Russian population, the most frequent haplotype (frequency of 5.56%) was 16-11,14-13-30-25-11-11-13-14-11-10 (for the loci DYS19, DYS385a,b, DYS389I, DYS389II, DYS390, DYS391, DYS392, DYS393, DYS437, DYS438, and DYS439, respectively). Despite the high diversity of Y-chromosomal haplotypes in the Russian populations from the south of Russia (the h value was 0.997, 0.995, and 0.994 in Rostov, Krasnodar, and Stavropol samples, respectively), analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed the absence of differentiation between the populations (Φ_ST = 0.1%, P = 0.36). Comparative differentiation analysis performed for 13 Russian populations from the European part of Russia pointed to low among-population differentiation in Y-chromosomal lineages (Φ_ST = 0.52%, P = 0.03).     

Chromosomal and molecular studies of cryptic species of the subgenus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Terricola</Emphasis> (Rodentia,Arvicolinae, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Microtus</Emphasis>) in the Caucasian region: Analysis of new records

Using chromosomal and molecular (cytb) markers, the specific identity of 78 individuals of cryptic species of voles of the subgenus Terricola was ascertained. The animal samples were obtained at 13 localities of the Caucasian region, from Krasnodar krai to North Ossetia in the Greater Caucasus and in the Stavropol Upland (forest island in the steppe) in Ciscaucasia, which had not been covered earlier in genetic studies. In the total sample, two chromosomal forms (cryptic species), namely, Microtus (Terricola) majori (2n = 54, NF = 60) and M. (T.) daghestanicus (2n = 54, NF = 58), were identified. The specific identity of most animals tested was confirmed by karyological means, and for individuals from two localities on the south slopes of the Greater Caucasus (Adlerskii district of Krasnodar krai), it was confirmed exclusively by means of molecular (cytb) markers. The last two records were used for evaluation of the differential role of sibling-species of the subgenus Terricola in circulation of the pathogen in mountain loci of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) in the Western Caucasus. For the first time, using the example of M. (T.) majori from the Ciscaucasia, which was compared with those of the mountain part of the species’ natural habitat, the role of isolation factors in morphogenesis of the subgenus Terricola was studied. As a whole, the results obtained specify the character of the geographical distribution and biotope attachment of cryptic species of the subgenus Terricola in the Caucasian region.     

On invasion of an east asian seed beetle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Megabruchidius tonkineus</Emphasis> (Pic) (Coleoptera,Bruchidae), developing in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Gleditsia</Emphasis> seeds,in the northwest Caucasus

An East Asian bruchid, Megabruchidius tonkineus (Pic, 1914), which recently settled on Gleditsia triacanthos in Hungary, was recorded for the first time in Krasnodar in 2005 and was found in two examined localities in and near Krasnodar in November 2010. The species is likely to have become established in the Northwest Caucasus.     

Toxorhina (Ceratocheilus) caucasiensis,a new species from the Middle Miocene of Stavropol (northern Caucasus,USSR) (Diptera,Limoniidae)

Middle Miocene limnic deposits from Stavropol contain wings of the limomidToxorhina (Ceratocheilus) caucasiensis n. sp. Recent species of this genus are distributed in tropic regions around the world.     

A New Species of the Eulophid-Wasp Genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kolopterna</Emphasis> Graham, 1987 (Hymenoptera,Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) from Stavropol Territory

Kolopterna trjapitzinisp. n. is described from Stavropol Territory. A key to the known species of the genus Kolopterna is provided.     

HIV infection in children perinatally infected

During the period from 1987 to the middle of 1996 only 20 children were born of HIV-infected women, while during the following 1.5 years the number of such children were 59, the maximum number of seropositive children being registered in Kaliningrad and the Kaliningrad region, in the Krasnodar Territory, Stavropol and Nizhny Novgorod (altogether 46 children). Out of 79 children born of HIV-infected mothers during the whole period of the epidemic, 8 children died. Out of the children born before 1995 who remained alive, 9 children were struck off the register after 3 years of observation due to the absence of HIV infection. By the end of 1997 63 children were registered, the majority of them born in 1996-1997.     

The fauna of spiders (Arachnida,Araneae) in agricultural landscapes of the Moscow area and the Kuban Plain

Six years of collecting in agricultural landscapes of the Moscow area and the Kuban Plain (Krasnodar Territory) revealed 286 species of spiders from 146 genera of 20 families. Two species, Clubiona pseudoneglecta Wund. and Palliduphantes insignis O.P.-C. are recorded for the Russian fauna for the first time, and 20 species are new to Moscow Province. Linyphiidae is the most species-rich family comprising about half of the species found in Moscow Province and about a quarter of those found in Krasnodar Territory. The species are classified into 13 arealogical groups. The bulk of the fauna is formed by the widespread, mostly Eurasian and Holarctic species. The spider fauna of Krasnodar Territory has smaller fractions of the Holarctic and Euro-Siberian species and larger fractions of the Palaearctic and Euro-Mediterranean species, as compared to the Moscow fauna. In general, the faunas of both the regions studied may be classified as European. The spider fauna of agrocenoses of Moscow Province is more similar to the faunas of European regions situated at the same latitude than to the fauna of Krasnodar Territory (the Kuban Plain).     

New Data on the Distribution of the Flea-Weevil <Emphasis Type="Italic">Orchestes steppensis</Emphasis> Kor. (Coleoptera,Curculionidae: Rhamphini) in European Russia

An elm flea-weevil Orchestes steppensis Korotyaev, 2016 was found on Ulmus pumila L. in the southeastern corner of Voronezh Province; formerly the westernmost records of this species in European Russia were those in Saratov Province and at the western boundary of Stavropol Territory. New data on the distribution of this and allied species in European Russia are reported.     

Deer of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Megaloceros</Emphasis> (Mammalia,Cervidae) from the Early Pleistocene of Ciscaucasia

A new deer species, Megaloceros stavropolensis sp. nov., from the pre-Apsheronian sandy–clayey deltaic deposits of the Georgievsk sand pit (village of Podgornoe, Stavropol Region) is described. The fauna of large and small mammals from the bone beds of this locality is dated terminal Villanian, end of the MNQ 17 Zone, beginning of the Late Villafranchian, and assigned to the beginning of the Psekups Mammalian Assemblage. This is the earliest known member of the genus, which possesses antlers with well-developed palmation. The middle tine is absent and the posterior tine is a part of the antler palmation. Other specimens of Early Pleistocene Megaloceros are represented by fragments.     

Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) from the Middle Miocene of the Stavropol Region,Russia

Paleontological Journal - A caddisfly fauna from the Middle Miocene of the Stavropol Region (Vishnevaya Balka and Temnolesskaya localities) is described. The formal species Limnephilus kaspievi...     

VI Symposium on "Chemistry of Proteolytic Enzymes"

The VI Symposium on the Chemistry of Proteolytic Enzymes took place in Moscow on April 23-25, 2007. It was dedicated to the memory of Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Konstantinovich Antonov. At the symposium, 40 reports were delivered and 103 posters were presented in the following sections: (1) expression of genes, isolation and general characterization of proteases; (2) structure-function studies of proteases; (3) regulation of the activity of proteolytic enzymes; (4) regulatory functions of proteolytic enzymes; (5) proteases in biotechnology, protein engineering, and peptide synthesis; and (6) proteolysis and medicine. In addition to Russian scientists, researchers from the United States, the Netherlands, France, Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan took part in the work of the symposium. Note that, in the five years since the V Symposium, the geography of Russian scientific centers working in the area of proteolysis has been considerably extended. Participating in the forum were researchers from, Novosibirsk, Tomsk, Penza, and Stavropol in addition to scientists from Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Petrozavodsk, Kazan, Nizhni Novgorod, and Krasnodar.     

Reproductive Biology of the Rock Lizard (Darevskia saxicola,Reptilia, Lacertidae)

Biology Bulletin - Data on the reproduction of the rock lizard (Darevskia saxicola (Eversmann 1834)) in the gorges of Bol’shaya Laba (Karachay-Cherkessia) and Malaya Laba (Krasnodar...     

Effect of virulence genes complementary to the effective resistance genes in sorghum on fitness of the greenbug, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Schizaphis graminum</Emphasis> Rondani (Homoptera,Aphididae)

Analysis of the greenbug (Schizaphis graminum Rond.) — sorghum interaction system confirmed the hypothesis that rare insect virulence was related to reduced fitness. Greenbug clones from the Krasnodar population virulent to resistance genes Sgr5 and Sgr6 revealed lower fecundity in comparison with avirulent ones and were replaced in model populations during reproduction on a susceptible sorghum line. The main role of aphid fecundity was shown to provide higher fitness, reducing the frequency of virulent clones in natural populations.     

The Tick <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ixodes kaiseri</Emphasis> (Acari,Ixodidae) in the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia According to the Material from the Collection of Stavropol Anti-Plague Institute

To date, the North Caucasus, particularly the territory of Stavropol Territory, is traditionally indicated as the habitat of the tick Ixodes crenulatus Koch, 1844. I. kaiseri Arthur, 1957 was previously known only from a single site in the Eastern Ciscaucasia. Re-examination of collections from the North Caucasus and Transcaucasia has shown that the overwhelming majority of the specimens from these regions belong to the species I. kaiseri, allowing the revision of common views on the range boundaries of both species.