Morphology of the adult and juvenile stages of Microtendipes rydalensis (Edw.) comb. nov. (Diptera,Chironomidae)

The adult male of Polypedilum rydalensis (Edw.) is described in greater detail than hitherto and the female, pupa and larva are all described for the first time. On the basis of the morphology of the adult and immature stages rydalensis is placed in the genus Microtendipes Kieffer.     

New members of the family flemingitidae (Ammonoidea) from the Lower Triassic of South Primorye

New species of flemingitid ammonoids (Flemingites trikamnyaensis sp. nov., F. alexanderi sp. nov., Rohillites? ambiguus sp. nov., Euflemingites extremus sp. nov.) from the Olenekian of South Primorye are described. The shell interior of flemingitid ammonoids is studied for the first time based on Ussuriflemingites abrekensis Shigeta et Zakharov. The usefulness of the early-ontogenetic morphological test (EMT) for substantiation of ammonoid taxa at the family level is discussed.     

华南下扬子区的裂齿鱼类化石——华南二叠系—三叠系界线上下鱼类序列研究之二

重新描述了江苏句容与安徽和县的裂齿鱼类化石 ,将华南下扬子区已记述的 2属 5种裂齿鱼类化石初步修订为 1属 2种———江苏张氏鱼 (Zhanginajiangsuensis)和扬子张氏鱼(Zhanginayangtzensis)。由于目前对裂齿鱼类的系统发育关系所知甚少 ,张氏鱼属的系统位置以及相关的动物地理分布问题仍有待深入的研究。     

Susceptibility of ten species of mosquito larvae to the parasitic nematode Romanomermis iyengari and its development

Ten species of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) from five genera were exposed to preparasites of the tropical mermithid nematode species Romanomermis iyengari (Welch) (Nematoda: Mermithidae), a strain isolated in 1978 from Pondicherry. By exposing mosquito larvae during the second instar, nematode infection was invariably lethal, the rate being highest in Culex sitiens Wiedemann (95%) followed by Cx. quinquefasciatus Say (90%), Aedes aegypti (L.) (79%), Anopheles subpictus Grassi (64%), Ae. albopictus (Skuse) and Armigeres subalbatus Coquillett (62%), Cx. tritaeniorhynchus Giles (57%), Mansonia annulifera (Theobald) (46%), An. stephensi Liston (40%) and An. culicifacies Giles (36%). When fourth-instar larvae were exposed, the infection was highest in Ar. subalbatus (66%), followed by An. stephensi (52%), Cx. quinquefasciatus (47%), Ae. aegypti and An. subpictus (42%), Ae. albopictus (30%), An. culicifacies (29%), Cx. sitiens (24%), Cx. tritaeniorhynchus (19%) and Ma. annulifera (8%), with 2-45% of infected culicines surviving to adulthood. The parasitic phase of the nematode lasted 5-7 days in all the host species, yielding 1.1-3.2 parasites per II instar and 1.1-2.5 parasites per IV instar. The overall output of parasites per 100 mosquito larvae (infected + uninfected) was highest for Ae. aegypti when mosquitoes were exposed during II instar (2.53 parasites/larva) and for Ar. subalbatus when mosquitoes were exposed during IV instar (1.65/larva), and lowest for Ma. annulifera exposed during IV instar (0.09/larva). For routine laboratory culture of R. iyengari it is convenient to employ Cx. quinquefasciatus as the host yielding 90-190 parasites/100 larva.     

Identification of the mutations in the prfB gene of Escherichia coli K12, which confer UGA suppressor activity

By DNA sequencing and gene dissection, it has been revealed that Su+UGA#11, the mutant prfB of E. coli (Chang et al., 1990) has a double mutation compared with the wild-type LS653: one is a base substitution from T to C at the codon 63 and the other is from G to A at the codon 79. Both mutations cause amino acid substitution, Leu63----Phe63 (L63F) and Asp79----Gly79 (D79G), and are necessary to confer the efficient UGA suppressor activity.     

New representatives of the family Melagathiceratidae (Ammonoidea) from the Lower Triassic of South Primorye

A new ammonoid genus, Ussurijuvenites (Melagathiceratidae), is described from the early Olenekian of South Primorye, represented by two new species (U. popovi sp. nov. and U. artyomensis sp. nov.); data on the inner shell structure of melagathiceratid ammonoids (based on U. artyomensis sp. nov.) are presented for the first time.     

First Record of the Tribe Kodaianellini (Hemiptera,Auchenorrhyncha: Issidae) from the Korean Peninsula

Entomological Review - —Dentatissus brachys Chen, Zhang et Chang, 2014 is recorded for the first time from the Korean Peninsula based on the specimens collected in South Gyeongsang Province...     

Susceptibility of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus larvae to Ascogregarina culicis and Ascogregarina taiwanensis (Apicomplexa: Lecudinidae) from Florida

The susceptibility of Aedes aegypti to Ascogregarina culicis and Aedes albopictus to Ascogregarina taiwanensis was examined with mosquito and parasite strains from Tampa, FL. When each host was bioassayed with its natural gregarine, the infection intensity indicated that Ae. aegypti was 59% more susceptible to A. culicis (87 gamonts/larva) than Ae. albopictus to A. taiwanensis (47 gamonts/larva). Infections in single and mixed host populations exposed to 100 oocysts/larva of one and both parasites demonstrated that Ae. aegypti harbors higher A. culicis gamont loads than Ae. albopictus of A. taiwanensis. In dual gregarine exposures of single host populations, the A. culicis infection intensity in Ae. aegypti was reduced by approximately 50%. A. taiwanensis exhibited the same capability of infecting Ae. albopictus in single and dual exposures. In mixed host populations there were no cross infections, but A. taiwanensis in Ae. albopictus produced an infection intensity of approximately 70% lower than that of A. culicis in Ae. aegypti.     

Analysis of 16S-23S intergenic spacer regions of the rRNA operons in Edwardsiella ictaluri and Edwardsiella tarda isolates from fish

AIMS: To analyse interspecies and intraspecies differences based on the 16S-23S rRNA intergenic spacer region (ISR) sequences of the fish pathogens Edwardsiella ictaluri and Edwardsiella tarda. METHODS AND RESULTS: The 16S-23S rRNA spacer regions of 19 Edw. ictaluri and four Edw. tarda isolates from four geographical regions were amplified by PCR with primers complementary to conserved sequences within the flanking 16S-23S rRNA coding sequences. Two products were generated from all isolates, without interspecies or intraspecific size polymorphisms. Sequence analysis of the amplified fragments revealed a smaller ISR of 350 bp, which contained a gene for tRNA(Glu), and a larger ISR of 441 bp, which contained genes for tRNA(Ile) and tRNA(Ala). The sequences of the smaller ISR of different Edw. ictaluri isolates were essentially identical to each other. Partial sequences of larger ISR from several Edw. ictaluri isolates also revealed no differences from the one complete Edw. ictaluri large ISR sequence obtained. The sequences of the smaller ISR of Edw. tarda were 97% identical to the Edw. ictaluri smaller ISR and the larger ISR were 96-98% identical to the Edw. ictaluri larger ISR sequence. The Edw. tarda isolates displayed limited ISR sequence heterogeneity, with > or =97% sequence identity among isolates for both small and large ISR. CONCLUSIONS: There is a high degree of size and sequence similarity of 16S-23S ISR both among isolates within Edw. ictaluri and Edw. tarda species and between the two species. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Our results confirm a close genetic relationship between Edw. ictaluri and Edw. tarda and the relative homogeneity of Edw. ictaluri isolates compared with Edw. tarda isolates. Because no differences were found in ISR sequences among Edw. ictaluri isolates, sequence analysis of the ISR will not be useful to distinguish isolates of Edw. ictaluri. However, we identified restriction sites that differ between ISR sequences of Edw. ictaluri and Edw. tarda, which will be useful in distinguishing the two species.     

Discovery and mapping of wheat Ph1 suppressors

Pairing between wheat (Triticum turgidum and T. aestivum) homeologous chromosomes is prevented by the expression of the Ph1 locus on the long arm of chromosome 5B. The genome of Aegilops speltoides suppresses Ph1 expression in wheat x Ae. speltoides hybrids. Suppressors with major effects were mapped as Mendelian loci on the long arms of Ae. speltoides chromosomes 3S and 7S. The chromosome 3S locus was designated Su1-Ph1 and the chromosome 7S locus was designated Su2-Ph1. A QTL with a minor effect was mapped on the short arm of chromosome 5S and was designated QPh.ucd-5S. The expression of Su1-Ph1 and Su2-Ph1 increased homeologous chromosome pairing in T. aestivum x Ae. speltoides hybrids by 8.4 and 5.8 chiasmata/cell, respectively. Su1-Ph1 was completely epistatic to Su2-Ph1, and the two genes acting together increased homeologous chromosome pairing in T. aestivum x Ae. speltoides hybrids to the same level as Su1-Ph1 acting alone. QPh.ucd-5S expression increased homeologous chromosome pairing by 1.6 chiasmata/cell in T. aestivum x Ae. speltoides hybrids and was additive to the expression of Su2-Ph1. It is hypothesized that the products of Su1-Ph1 and Su2-Ph1 affect pairing between homeologous chromosomes by regulating the expression of Ph1 but the product of QPh.ucd-5S may primarily regulate recombination between homologous chromosomes.     

Geographical Variability of Morphological and Acoustic Signs of the North Populations of the Long Tailed Tit <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aegithalos caudatus</Emphasis> (Passeriformes,Aegithalidae)

The geographic variability of the morphological and bioacoustic characteristics of the long-tailed bushtit, or long-tailed tit (Aegithalos caudatus), was studied, and the validity of the selection of the controversial subspecies Ae c. japonicus Prazak 1897 was evaluated., Ae. c. brachyurus Portenko 1954 and Ae. c. sibiricus (Seebohm 1890), distributed from Scandinavia and Eastern Europe to the Pacific coast. On the basis of a study of nine metric characters and three signs of coloration, we showed that in the space of the range of white-head long-tailed tits from Eastern Europe and Scandinavia to Primorye and Sakhalin, the majority of morphological characters slightly fluctuate or change in a clinal mode; i.e., they change gradually. The vocalization of the nominative subspecies of long-tailed tits is analyzed for the first time. When comparing samples from neighboring regions, no significant differences were revealed, either morphologically and acoustically, so the names Ae. c. sibiricus and Ae. c. brachyurus should be synonymous with the nominative subspecies Ae. c. caudatus. Only the populations of long-tailed tits of the southern Kuril Islands and Hokkaido Islands can be isolated as an independent subspecies Ae. c. japonicus.     

Structural and Expressional Variation Analyses of Mitochondrial Genomes Reveal Candidate Transcripts for the SV Cytoplasmic Male Sterility in Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Common wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most important crops,and intra-specific wheat hybrids have obvious heterosis in yield and protein quality.Therefore,utilization of hybrid wheat varieties offers an effective way to increase yield and nutrition.Cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) systems are a useful genetic tool for hybrid crop breeding,and are ideal models for studying the genetic interaction and cooperative function of mitochondrial and nuclear genomes in plants (Schnable and Wise,1998;Hanson and Bentolila,2004).The breeding of hybrid wheat using male sterility caused by the cytoplasm of T.timopheevii has been studied since the early 1960's.But it is unsuccessful because there are some deficiencies in the practical application of this cytoplasm,including limited restoration resources,thin seeds,pre-harvest sprouting and lower germination rate (Wilson and Ross,1962).The Sv type of cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS-Sv) in wheat is general accessions for four types of CMS lines that were derived from four Aegilops species:Ae.kotschyi,Ae.variabilis,Ae.ventricosa,and Ae.bicornis.Based on the observation of alloplasmic lines produced in all possible combinations between 12 wheat nuclear genotypes and 47 cytoplasms of two related genera,Triticum (wheat) and Aegilops,Ogihara and Tsunewaki (1988) concluded that the D2-cytoplasm of Ae.crassa and its relatives,N-cytoplasm of Ae.uniaristata,and SV-cytoplasm of Ae.kotschyi and its relatives might be used as the alternative male sterile cytoplasm to replace the T.timopheevii cytoplasm for hybrid wheat breeding.Ikeguchi et al.(1999) proposed that spring-type hybrid wheat may be bred by combination of the 1BL-1RS chromosome and Ae.kotschyi cytoplasm with a new fertility-restorer gene discovered in a wheat variety Kitamiharu 48.Zhang et al.(1996) also proposed the use of CMS-Sv lines as the most effective male sterile cytoplasm.     

Geographic range of the blood-sucking mosquito Aedes togoi

The distribution area of Aedes togoi (Theob.) stretches along the coast of the Pacific embracing the Indo-Malayan and Holarctic faunistic provinces. In the Indo-Chinese subregion Ae. togoi penetrates the Indo-Chinese province and in the Malayan subregion into the Soenda province. Northwards this species inhabits the coastal regions of Holarctic, namely, these of Chinese-Korean and Central-Japanese provinces in Chinese-Himalayan subregions. The habitat of Ae. togoi in western Canada is obviously cut off from the principal distribution area of the species and should be regarded as a secondary penetration of the species into a new territory due to casual delivery. In the USSR Ae. togoi is distributed in South Primorje, northwards along the coast to the settlement of Terney, occupies the southern half of Sakhalin and the southern Kuril Islands.     

Impact of Chikungunya virus on Aedes albopictus females and possibility of vertical transmission using the actors of the 2007 outbreak in Italy

We investigated the impact of CHIKV strains on some Aedes albopictus (Skuse) reproductive parameters and the possibility of vertical transmission. Two strains were collected in the area where the epidemic occurred in 2007, one isolated from mosquitoes, the other one isolated from a viraemic patient. Different types of blood meals, either infected or non-infected, were offered to Ae. albopictus females, that were then analyzed at increasing time post infection. The virus titre, measured by two RT-PCR methods in the blood meals, influenced the rate of infection and the rate of dissemination of CHIKV in Ae. albopictus body. We found individual variability with respect to the infection/dissemination rates and their latency both considering the female's body and appendages. The hatching rate was significantly lower for the eggs laid by the infected females than for the control eggs, while the mortality during the larval development (from first instar larva to adult emergence) was similar among the progeny of infected and non-infected female groups. Our findings seem to support the hypothesis that the vertical transmission is a rare event under our conditions, and that a certain time period is required in order to get the ovarioles infected. Field observations conducted during the Spring 2008 showed no evidence of the presence of infected overwintering progeny produced by Ae. albopictus females infected during the 2007 outbreak.     

云南沾益早泥盆世肺鱼类一新种

记述了云南沾益地区下泥盆统穿洞组肺鱼化石一新种——多脊混磨鱼(Tarachomylax multicostatus sp.nov.),归入标本包括一件左上齿板、一块B骨、一块可能是3骨的骨片和6个零散鳞片。主要特征:齿板内侧及后侧边缘被小齿(denticles)覆盖;齿脊11-12列,齿板中缘与最后一列齿脊夹角约135°;内翼骨侧凹不明显,后侧部窄小呈尖状;B骨和J骨上的前凹线沟相连;鳞片出露区与被覆压区之间有小齿瘤带。     

中国植物志资料（桑科）

描述了桑属Ｍｏｒｕｓａｕｓｌｔｒａｌｉｓ的２个新变种,报道５个新组合及归并２个异名。     

Pliocene wood of Larix from southern Primorye (Russian Far East)

A new fossil larch species, Laricioxylon blokhinae, showing the wood anatomy of modern Larix olgensis A. Henry and L. leptolepis (Siebold et Succ.) Gord. is described. The taxonomic and structural diversity of larch species is reviewed, based on fossil wood remains from the Pliocene of southern Primorye.     

Mosquito larval consumption of toxic arborescent leaf-litter,and its biocontrol potential

Previously we described the mosquito larvicidal properties of decomposed leaf-litter from deciduous trees, especially the alder Alnus glutinosa (L) Gaertn., due to toxic polyphenols and other secondary compounds. To further examine the biocontrol potential of toxic leaf-litter for mosquito control, feeding rates of third-instar mosquito larvae were assessed for examples of three genera: Anopheles stephensi Liston, Aedes aegypti (L) and Culex pipiens L. (Diptera: Culicidae). When immersed in a suspension of non-toxic leaf-litter particles (approximately 0.4 mm), pre-starved larvae of all three species ingested sufficient material in 30 min to fill the anterior gut lumen (thorax plus two to three abdominal segments). Gut filling peaked after 1-2 h ingestion time, filling the intestine up to six to seven abdominal segments for Ae. aegypti, but maxima of five abdominal segments for Cx. pipiens and An. stephensi. Using three methods to quantify consumption of three materials by third-instar larvae of Ae. aegypti, the average amount of leaf-litter (non-toxic 0.4 mm particles) ingested during 3 h was determined as approximately 20 microg/larva (by dry weight and by lignin spectrophotometric assay). Consumption of humine (approximately 100 microm particles extracted from leaf-litter) during 3 h was approximately 80 microg/larva for Ae. aegypti, but only approximately 30 microg/larva for Cx. pipiens and 15 microg/larva for An. stephensi, with good concordance of determinations by dry weight and by radiometric assay. Cellulose consumption by Ae. aegypti was intermediate: approximately 40 microg/larva determined by radiometric assay. Apparent differences between the amounts of these materials ingested by Ae. aegypti larvae (humine four-fold, cellulose two-fold more than leaf-litter) may be attributed to contrasts in palatability (perhaps related to particle size or form), rather than technical discrepancies, because there was good concordance between results of both methods used to determine the amounts of humine and leaf-litter ingested. Bioassays of toxic leaf-litter (decomposed 10 months) with 4-h exposure period (ingestion time) ranked the order of sensitivity: Ae. aegypti (LC50 < 0.03 g/L) > An. stephensi (LC50 = 0.35 g/L) > Cx. pipiens (LC20 > 0.4 g/L). When immersed in the high concentration of 0.5 g/L toxic leaf-litter (0.4 mm particles), as little as 15-30 min ingestion time (exposure period) was sufficient to kill the majority of larvae of all three species, as soon as the gut lumen was filled for only the first few abdominal segments. Possibilities for mosquito larval control with toxic leaf-litter products and the need for standardized ingestion bioassays of larvicidal particles are discussed.     

Identification and characterization of an intervening sequence within the 23S ribosomal RNA genes of Edwardsiella ictaluri

Comparison of the 23S rRNA gene sequences of Edwardsiella tarda and Edw. ictaluri confirmed a close phylogenetic relationship between these two fish pathogen species and a distant relation with the 'core' members of the Enterobacteriaceae family. Analysis of the rrl gene for 23S rRNA in Edw. ictaluri revealed the presence of an intervening sequence (IVS) in helix-45. This new 98bp IVS shared 97% nucleotide identity with Salmonella typhimurium helix-45 IVS. Edw. ictaluri helix-45 IVS was present in all Edw. ictaluri strains analyzed and in at least six rrl operons within each cell. Fragmentation of 23S rRNA due to IVS excision by RNase III was observed by methylene blue staining of ribosomal RNA extracted from Edw. ictaluri isolates. This is the first report of an IVS in the 23S rRNA gene of the genus Edwardsiella.