Revision of genus Repipta Stål 1859 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae) with new species and distribution data

A revision was made of Repipta Stål, mostly a Neotropical genus with some species in the Neotropics and the Nearctic.Thirteen known species are redescribed: R. annulipes Barber, R. antica Stål, R. coccinea (Herrich-Schaeffer), R. flavicans(Amyot & Serville), R. fuscospinosa Stål, R. fuscipes Stål, R. lepidula Stål, R. mucosa Champion, R. nigronotata Stål, R.obscuripes Stål, R. sexdens (Fabricius), R. spinosa (Fabricius), and R. taurus (Fabricius). Twelve new species are describedand illustrated, including data on male and female genitalia, new distributional records, and key to the species.Fil: Martin Park, Abdiel Agustin. Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan; MéxicoFil: Delfin Gonzalez, Hugo. Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan; MéxicoFil: Coscaron, Maria del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Departamento Científico de Entomología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin

New record of Aedes Albopictus in a suburban area of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico

Along with Aedes aegypti (L.), Aedes albopictus has been implicated as a secondary vector for dengue virus, chikungunya virus, and Zika virus in Latin America. The article covers an entomological survey in 2018, in a suburban area of Merida (the largest and capital city in Yucatan). This is the first report of Ae. albopictus in a suburban area of Merida City. A total of 259 specimens were collected. It is important to consider the ecology of Ae. albopictus alongside that of Ae. aegypti when developing vector/disease control programs

Assassin bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) of Uruguay: A synoptic catalogue as a contribution to the study of Austral biodiversity

The first synoptic catalogue of Reduviidae is given to Uruguay including nine subfamilies, Ectrichodiinae (4), Emesinae (1), Hammacerinae (1), Harpactorinae (11), Peiratinae (4), Phymatinae (3), Reduviinae (5), Stenopodainae (7), Triatominae (9), being Harpactorinae and Triatominae the best represented by eleven and nine species respectively. Criceptopareis tucumana (Berg) is mentioned for the first time for Uruguay and is confirmed the distribution for Atrachelus cinereus (Fabricius), Melanolestes argentinus Berg, Rasahus hamatus (Fabricius), Zelurus femoralis femoralis (Stål), Diaditus semicolon Stål, Triatoma infestans (Klug) and Triatoma rubrovaria (Blanchard) from the material belonging to the Museo de La Plata (Argentina). This information is of valuable for insect’s conservation biodiversity programs.Fil: Martin Park, Abdiel Agustin. Universidad Autonoma de Yucatan; MéxicoFil: Coscaron, Maria del Carmen. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Departamento Científico de Entomología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Beta diversity of four braconid subfamilies (Braconidae, Agathidinae, Braconinae, Doryctinae and Macrocentrinae) of the Ria Lagartos Biosphere reserve in Yucatan, Mexico, with some considerations on biological habits

The species diversity composition and phenological behaviour of four braconid subfamilies (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae, Braconinae, Doryctinae and Macrocentrinae) were monitored in three vegetation communities (dune vegetation, tropical deciduous forest and savannah) of the Ria Lagartos Biosphere Reserve (RLBR) in Yucatan, Mexico. Braconid wasps were collected with Malaise traps every 15 days over one year (June 2008 to June 2009). A total of 2,476 specimens were inventoried comprising 233 species and 63 genera. The composition of braconids and their lifestyles differed among the three vegetation communities studied. Doryctinae was the most diverse and abundant subfamily in RLBR (40 genera, 145 species, 990 specimens) and the tropical deciduous forest recorded the maximum abundance and diversity (H’= 4.1; alpha value= 1.059), with 61 exclusive species. Phenological sequence indicates an influence of the rainy season in braconid diversity, but its effects differed among braconid subfamilies and among the vegetation communities. Finally, the importance of the RBRL as a conservation site for this hymenopterous wasp is discussed

CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE ARACHNIDS IN THE YUCATAN PENINSULA, MEXICO (EXCLUDING ARANAE AND ACARI)

The Chelicerata are the second group of arthropods with the highest diversity after insects and they can inhabit almost all types of environments. The most current classification recognizes 11 orders and estimates in the number of species vary from 52,000 to 100,000. We have made an extensive literature review on the diversity of arachnids in the Yucatan Peninsula (YP) (excluding spiders and ticks). In Mexico there are 834 known species which represent 6% of the worldwide diversity. In the YP 63 records were found (58 species and 5 genera) of arachnids, which represent 6.8% of the Mexican species. According to our research, 28 of the 58 species (48%) in the YP were also record in other parts of Mexico, the continent and the world. Undoubtedly, the state of Yucatan is the best represented of the YP. In order to have a better understanding of the diversity of arachnid species is important to promote biological compendiums and sampling programs, which will improve the representation of this group and probably increasing the number of local species

Mosquito Excito-Repellency: Effects on Behavior and the Development of Insecticide Resistance

Mosquito’s resistance to avoiding insecticide-treated surfaces (“excito-repellency”) has two effects: irritation from direct contact with a treated area and repellency as an avoidance response to contact with treated surfaces. Nowadays, this behavior appears to reduce the success of mosquito control programs, particularly those based on insecticide-driven strategies. Different systems have been designed to assess the excito-repellency, evaluating numerous insecticides’ irritants, deterrents, and toxic properties at different concentrations. The information provides valuable insights regarding the patterns of mosquito behavior based on their physiological conditions, such as the age of the mosquitoes and the duration of the tests. However, the physiological processes resulting from chemical stimulus contact “chemoreception”) are still poorly explored and understood. This review provides an overview of insecticide effects on mosquito behavior and describes the mechanisms involved in chemical stimuli uptake, translation, and recognition

Community Engagement and Social Assessment for <em>Wolbachia</em>-Based Suppression of Natural Populations of <em>Aedes aegypti</em>: The Mexican Experience

The Wolbachia-based approach is under evaluation as a control strategy against Aedes aegypti in Mexico. From 2017 to 2019, we performed a pilot study to evaluate an open-field mass-release of wAlbB-infected Ae. aegypti male mosquitoes, as part of an integrated vector management (IVM) plan led by the Ministry of Health in Mexico to suppress natural populations of Ae. aegypti in southern Mexico. Community engagement and social evaluation were part of the key activities conducted. Overall, results showed the positive benefits of this Wolbachia-based method in the reduction of Aedes mosquitoes (90%). Mosquito’s nuisance at bedtime and the increasing circulation of mosquitoes during the releasing days were reported as the negative perceptions of this method. Importantly, participants understood the difference between wild mosquitoes and those released as part of the project, as well as the importance of the IVM. A significant number of the population accepted and supported the project, and feedback was given to improve future mosquito-releasing activities. The social license was a key factor in the success of the intervention and should be part of innovative paradigms for mosquito-vector control strategies involving community engagement. We outline the Mexican experience of community engagement and social assessment in implementing a Wolbachia-based strategy

Where Brain, Body and World Collide

The production cross section of electrons from semileptonic decays of beauty hadrons was measured at mid-rapidity (|y| &lt; 0.8) in the transverse momentum range 1 &lt; pt &lt; 8 Gev/c with the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC in pp collisions at a center of mass energy sqrt{s} = 7 TeV using an integrated luminosity of 2.2 nb^{-1}. Electrons from beauty hadron decays were selected based on the displacement of the decay vertex from the collision vertex. A perturbative QCD calculation agrees with the measurement within uncertainties. The data were extrapolated to the full phase space to determine the total cross section for the production of beauty quark-antiquark pairs