The effect of temperature and duration of exposure of potato tuber moth (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in infested tubers to the biofumigant fungus Muscodor albus

The endophytic fungus, Muscodor albus produces several volatile compounds (alcohols, esters, ketones, acids and lipids) that are biocidal for a range of organisms including plant pathogenic bacteria and fungi, nematodes and insects. We studied the effects of these volatiles on 3-day-old potato tuber moth larvae within infested tubers inside sealed chambers. The length of exposure to M. albus significantly affected mortality of larvae, calculated as percentage of larvae failing to survive to the adult stage. Exposure durations of 3, 7, or 14 days at 24 degrees C followed by incubation in fresh air at 27 degrees C until emergence resulted in mortalities of 84.2, 95.5 and 99.6%, respectively. However, the longer exposures also resulted in increased levels of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) that are unacceptable for tuber storage. Effects of M. albus on larval survival was also monitored at 10, 15 and 24 degrees C, using an exposure duration of 7 days followed by incubation in clean air at 27 degrees C until emergence. Mortality of larvae was sharply reduced at the lower temperatures resulting in 50.8, 76.8, and 95.4% mortality, respectively. Tuber storage conditions, especially cooling rates, are discussed with respect to using M. albus as a fumigant without simultaneously producing unacceptable (for tuber storage) levels of CO(2).     

The potential of the fungus, Muscodor albus, as a microbial control agent of potato tuber moth (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in stored potatoes

Potato tuber moth (PTM), Phthorimaea operculella, is a serious pest of stored potato in most countries where potatoes are grown. Entomopathogens offer promise as alternatives to broad spectrum insecticides for management of this pest. The fungus Muscodor albus, which produces a mixture of antimicrobial volatile organic chemicals, was tested for its insecticidal activity against PTM. Adults and neonate larvae were exposed to volatiles generated by 15 or 30 g of M. albus rye grain culture plus water for 72 h in hermetically sealed 28.3 L chambers at 24 degrees C. Mean percent mortalities in adult moths exposed to 0, 15, and 30 g of fungal formulation were 0.9, 84.6, and 90.6%, respectively. Development to the pupal stage of PTM that were exposed as neonate larvae to 15 or 30 of M. albus culture was reduced by 61.8 and 72.8%, respectively, relative to controls.     

Molluscicidal activity of various solvent extracts from Solanum nigrum var. villosum L. aerial parts against Galba truncatula

Molluscicidal activity of Solanum nigrum var. villosum (morelle velue) extracts and their fractions were tested against the mollusca gastropoda Galba truncatula intermediate host of Fasciola hepatica. The results indicated that the hydro-methanol (MeOH-H2O) immature fruit extract possess the highest molluscicidal activity (LC50 = 3.96 mg/L) against Galba truncatula compared with other tested compounds. After acido-basic treatment, the methanolic extract fraction isolated from the immature fruits and the richest in alkaloids was the most toxic (LC50 = 1.65 mg/L). The fractions richest in saponosides obtained from the hydromethanolic and methanolic extracts of immature fruits showed interesting molluscicidal activities (LC50 = 6.15 mg/L and LC50 = 7.91 mg/L, respectively). The observed molluscicide activity could be attributed to the presence of alkaloids or saponosides. So, the immature fruits of Solanum nigrum var. villosum could be substrates of choice for molluscicide activity. In addition, total alkaloids and saponosides present in this plant deserve further investigations in order to identify the active principles and demonstrate their activities on mollusks in their natural habitat. According to the World Health Organization's guidelines on screening for plant molluscicides, use of these fractions may add to the arsenal of methods to control snail transmitting fasciolosis in tropical and Third World countries where fasciolosis is a common disease.     

Larinus berti sp. n. (Coleoptera,Curculionidae, Lixinae) from North Africa

A new species, Larinus berti sp. n. is described from Morocco and assigned to subgenus Cryphopus Petri, 1907 (Curculionidae: Lixinae; Lixini). Diagnostic characters of the new species are large size, elongate-ovate body, bisulcate sub-quadrangular rostrum, triangularly raised dorsum of rostrum, flat subgena and submentum, Y-shaped apodeme of sternite VIII of female and thin nodulus of spermatheca.     

Hepatoprotective effects of Solanum nigrum Linn extract against CCl(4)-induced oxidative damage in rats

Solanum nigrum L. (SN) is an herbal plant that has been used as hepatoprotective and anti-inflammation agent in Chinese medicine. In this study, the protective effects of water extract of SN (SNE) against liver damage were evaluated in carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced chronic hepatotoxicity in rats. Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were orally fed with SNE (0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 g kg(-1) bw) along with administration of CCl4 (20% CCl4/corn oil; 0.5 mL kg(-1) bw) for 6 weeks. The results showed that the treatment of SNE significantly lowered the CCl4-induced serum levels of hepatic enzyme markers (GOT, GPT, ALP, and total bilirubin), superoxide and hydroxyl radical. The hepatic content of GSH, and activities and expressions of SOD, GST Al, and GST Mu that were reduced by CCl4 were brought back to control levels by the supplement of SNE. Liver histopathology showed that SNE reduced the incidence of liver lesions including hepatic cells cloudy swelling, lymphocytes infiltration, hepatic necrosis, and fibrous connective tissue proliferation induced by CCl4 in rats. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that SNE could protect liver against the CCl4-induced oxidative damage in rats, and this hepatoprotective effect might be contributed to its modulation on detoxification enzymes and its antioxidant and free radical scavenger effects.     

Spatial niche partitioning in dinosaurs from the latest cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of North America

We examine patterns of occurrence of associated dinosaur specimens (n = 343) from the North American Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation and equivalent beds, by comparing their relative abundance in sandstone and mudstone. Ceratopsians preferentially occur in mudstone, whereas hadrosaurs and the small ornithopod Thescelosaurus show a strong association with sandstone. By contrast, the giant carnivore Tyrannosaurus rex shows no preferred association with either lithology. These lithologies are used as an indicator of environment of deposition, with sandstone generally representing river environments, and finer grained sediments typically representing floodplain environments. Given these patterns of occurrence, we argue that spatial niche partitioning helped reduce competition for resources between the herbivorous dinosaurs. Within coastal lowlands ceratopsians preferred habitats farther away from rivers, whereas hadrosaurs and Thescelosaurus preferred habitats in close proximity to rivers, and T. rex, the ecosystem's sole large carnivore, inhabited both palaeoenvironments. Spatial partitioning of the environment helps explain how several species of large herbivorous dinosaurs coexisted. This study emphasizes that different lithologies can preserve dramatically dissimilar vertebrate assemblages, even when deposited in close proximity and within a narrow window of time. The lithology in which fossils are preserved should be recorded as these data can provide unique insights into the palaeoecology of the animals they preserve.     

Descriptions of Deladenus albizicus n. sp. and D. processus n. sp. (Nematoda: Hexatylina) from Haryana,India

Two different nematodes were isolated from the bark of Albizia lebbeck trees; one from insect infested and another from noninfested, healthy tree. Based on the biological, morphological, and molecular evidences, the nematodes are described as Deladenus albizicus n. sp. and D. processus n. sp. (Nematoda: Hexatylina). Deladenus albizicus n. sp., isolated from insect-infested tree, multiplied on the fungus Nigrospora oryzae. Myceliophagous females of this nematode reproduced by parthenogenesis and spermathecae were indistinct. Infective females, readily produced in the cultures, are dorsally curved. Only one type of males containing small-sized sperms in their genital tracts were produced in the culture. Myceliophagous females: L = 0.75 to 1.71 mm, a = 32.3 to 50.8, b = 9.3 to 11.2, b’ = 5.2 to 7.3, c = 27.2 to 35.6, V = 91.0 to 93.3, c’ = 2.0 to 2.9, stylet = 11 to 12 µm, excretory pore in the region of median pharyngeal bulb, 43 to 47 µm anterior to hemizonid. Deladenus processus n. sp., isolated from bark of healthy A. lebbeck tree, was cultured on Alternaria alternata. Myceliophagous females reproduced by amphimixis and their spermathecae contained rounded sperms. Infective females were never produced, even in old cultures. Myceliophagous females: L = 0.76 to 0.99 mm, a = 34 to 49, b = 13.3 to 17.7, b’ = 3.8 to 5.8, c = 19.6 to 22.8, V = 92.2 to 93.5, c’ = 2.7 to 3.5, stylet = 6 to 7 µm, excretory pore in the proximity of hemizonid, tail conoid, tapering from both sides to a long pointed central process. It is proposed to classify Deladenus species in three groups: durus, siricidicola, and laricis groups based on female and spermatogonia dimorphism, mode of reproduction, and insect parasitism.     

Six new species of Acomoptera from North America (Diptera, Mycetophilidae)

Six new species are described, raising the number of North American Acomoptera species to seven and the genus total to ten, and nearly doubling the number of species within the putative clade containing Acomoptera, Drepanocercus, and Paratinia. These novel species forms have implications for the concept of Acomoptera that in turn, may impact our understanding of its generic relationships and the evolution and composition of Gnoristinae and Sciophilinae. The new species, Acomoptera crispa, Acomoptera digitata, Acomoptera echinosa, Acomoptera forculata, Acomoptera nelsoni,and Acomoptera vockerothi, are compared with the type species of the genus, Acomoptera plexipus (Garrett), whose diagnostic features are imaged and illustrated for the first time. The European species, Acomoptera difficilis (Dziedzicki) is also illustrated and compared. Acomoptera spinistyla (Søli) comb. n. is transferred from Drepanocercus. A key to species is provided. Future work will seek to incorporate this knowledge into a systematic phylogenetic study of relationships between these species and their sister taxa.     

New taxa and revisionary systematics of alcyonacean octocorals from the Pacific coast of North America (Cnidaria,Anthozoa)

A taxonomic assessment of four species of octocorals from the northeastern Pacific Ocean (British Columbia to California) is provided. Included here are a new species of clavulariid stolonifieran Cryptophyton, a new species of the nephtheid soft coral Gersemia, an undetermined species of soft coral in the genus Alcyonium that has been referred in the literature by several other names, and a new genus is named for a plexaurid sea fan originally described in the Indo-Pacific genus Euplexaura. Discussions are included that compare the species to related taxa, or provide revisionary assessments.     

Taxonomic notes on Lasioglossum (Lasioglossum) subopacum (Smith) and L. (L.) okinawa Ebmer et Maeta (Hymenoptera, Halictidae) from Asia

Lasioglossum (Lasioglossum) subopacum (Smith) is recorded from the Korean Peninsula for the first time. Lasioglossum (Lasioglossum) okinawa Ebmer et Maeta from Japan is ranked to a subspecies of Lasioglossum (Lasioglossum) subopacum judging from the characteristics of the male. The male of Lasioglossum (Lasioglossum) subopacumokinawa is described for the first time. Some bionomical notes of both subspecies are presented.     

Ornithodoros sawaii (Ixodida: Argasidae) Larvae Collected from Hydrobates monorhis on Sogugul and Gaerin Islands,Jeollanam-do (Province), Republic of Korea

The 65th Medical Brigade and Public Health Command District-Korea, in collaboration with the Migratory Bird Research Center, National Park Research Institute, conducted migratory bird tick surveillance at Sogugul and Gaerin Islands (small rocky bird nesting sites), Jeollanam-do (Province), Republic of Korea (ROK), on 30 July and 1 August 2009. Breeding seabirds captured by hands in their nesting burrows were banded, identified to species, and carefully examined for ticks during the nesting season. A total of 9 Ornithodoros sawaii larvae were removed from 4 adult Hydrobates monorhis (Swinhoe’s storm petrel). The identification of the larvae of O. sawaii collected from migratory seabirds were molecularly confirmed using mitochondrial 16S rDNA primer sets.     

A new species of Herpetogramma (Lepidoptera, Crambidae, Spilomelinae) from eastern North America

Herpetogramma sphingealissp. n., a new species of Crambidae (Lepidoptera), is described from Québec, Canada. The species is included in the genus Herpetogramma Led., 1863, a genus in the subfamily Spilomelinae. Adults and genitalia of this species are described and illustrated, as well as those of Herpetogramma aeglealis (Walker, 1859) and Herpetogramma thestealis (Walker, 1859), and adults of the semi-melanic form of Herpetogramma aeglealis are illustrated.     

Description of a New and Two Known Species of the Free-living Nematode Paroigolaimella Paramonov, 1952 (Diplogastridae) from India

This paper describes a new and two known species of Paroigolaimella collected from India. Paroigolaimella helalii n. sp. is characterized by having conspicuous sexual dimorphism in the stoma and pharynx, ovaries with a sphincter separating the mature oocyte from developing ones, a vagina leading to a strong ovijector, a pore-like vulva with cuticular flap; males with slender strongly arcuate spicules with dilated capitula; the gubernaculum slender with expanded plate-like distal end and nine pairs of genital papillae, and four to five pairs of copulatory muscle bands. P. coprophila (Sudhaus and Rehfeld, 1990) Sudhaus and Fürst von Lieven, 2003 collected from leaf litter from a farmyard has been redescribed with reassessment of its distinguishing characters from P. bernensis. P. bodamica (Micoletzky, 1922) n. comb. has been described and its status has been discussed with context to P. bernensis.     

Characterization of New Entomopathogenic Nematodes from Thailand: Foraging Behavior and Virulence to the Greater Wax Moth, Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in the genera Steinernema and Heterorhabditis and their associated bacteria (Xenorhabdus spp. and Photorhabdus spp., respectively) are lethal parasites of soil dwelling insects. We collected 168 soil samples from five provinces, all located in southern Thailand. Eight strains of EPNs were isolated and identified to species using restriction profiles and sequence analysis. Five of the isolates were identified as Heterorhabditis indica, and one as Heterorhabditis baujardi. Two undescribed Steinernema spp. were also discovered which matched no published sequences and grouped separately from the other DNA restriction profiles. Behavioral tests showed that all Heterorhabditis spp. were cruise foragers, based on their attraction to volatile cues and lack of body-waving and standing behaviors, while the Steinernema isolates were more intermediate in foraging behavior. The infectivity of Thai EPN strains against Galleria mellonella larvae was investigated using sand column bioassays and the LC(50) was calculated based on exposures to nematodes in 24-well plates. The LC(50) results ranged from 1.99-6.95 IJs/insect. Nine centimeter columns of either sandy loam or sandy clay loam were used to determine the nematodes' ability to locate and infect subterranean insects in different soil types. The undescribed Steinernema sp. had the greatest infection rate in both soil types compared to the other Thai isolates and three commercial EPNs (Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, Steinernema glaseri and Steinernema riobrave).     

Balantidium honghuensis n. sp. (Ciliophora: Trichostomatidae) from the Rectum of Rana nigromaculata and R. limnocharis from Honghu Lake,China

A new trichostome ciliate, Balantidium honghuensis n. sp., was isolated from the recta of Rana nigromaculata and R. limnocharis during parasite surveys in Honghu Lake, Hubei Province, central China in summer of 2010 and 2011. Its detailed morphometric characters based on LM and SEM studies were described herein. The organism is oval in shape and thickly ciliated. The vestibulum is "V" shaped and occupies about 1/3 to 2/5 of the body length. The vestibular and nearby regions possess strong peripheral fibers which form a marked axial fiber about the cytopharynx. More than 10 contractile vacuoles are distributed along the periphery of the latter body. Comparisions were made between this new species and B. sinensis Nie, 1935. They were discriminated from each other in terms of general body forms, body size, and vestibulum shapes. Besides, special attention was paid to its high-speed daughter swarmers which we believed to be the infective stage of B. honghuensis. Possible infection routes of anura amphibian balantidia were discussed.     

Description of Tylenchorhynchus thermophilus n. sp. (Nematoda: Tylenchina) from Saltgrass in Death Valley,California

A stunt nematode, Tylenchorhynchus thermophilus n. sp., is described and illustrated from soil collected around roots of saltgrass (Distichlis spicata) in Death Valley, California. It is distinguished from the similar species, T. ewingi, T. mexicanus, and T. mashoodi, in having a longer female body, longer tail with more annules, and larger phasmids. Physical and chemical analysis of soil from saltgrass roots showed it to consist of 71% sand and possess high salinity (salt content of 0.51%) and a pH of 9.3.     

Plerocercoids of Nybelinia surmenicola (Cestoda: Tentacularidae) in Squids,Todarodes pacificus,from East Sea,the Republic of Korea

A visceral helminth of the squid, Todarodes pacificus, is reported from the East Sea, the Republic of Korea. Total 39 squid samples were purchased from a fish market in Jumunjin-eup, Gangneung-si (City) from August 2014 to July 2015 and were examined for helminth parasites with naked eyes and under a stereomicroscope after opening the abdominal cavity with a pair of scissors. Whitish larval worms were mainly found in the stomach and abdominal cavity of the squid. They were detected in 25 (64.1%) out of 39 squids examined, and the infection density was 7 larvae per infected squid. Spatula-shaped larvae were 8.2×2.0 mm in average size, round to slightly flattened anteriorly, with round hatching posteriorly, and had characteristic 4 tentacles with numerous hooklets in the scolex. The larvae were identified as the plerocercoid stage of Nybelinia surmenicola by their morphological features. This finding represents a new host record and the first report of N. surmenicola infection in T. pacificus squids from the east coast of Korea.