Sexual selection and mating system in Zorotypus gurneyi Choe (Insecta : Zoraptera)

Social behavior of a species in the little-known insect order Zoraptera is described for the first time. Zorotypus gurneyi Choe (Insecta: Zoraptera) is a wing-dimorphic species that lives colonially under the bark of rotting logs in central Panama. Males are larger than females in total body size and fight each other to gain access to females. Highly linear and stable dominance hierarchies exist among males. Higher-ranking males show such agonistic behavior as jerking, chasing, head-butting, hindleg-kicking, and grappling, whereas subordinates often try to avoid contacts. Higher-ranking males, the dominant males in particular, are well recognized by others and relatively free of injuries. Although the dominant males are often the largest, the correlation between body size and dominance rank is not always significant. The mating system of Z. gurneyi is an example of female defense polygyny in which the dominant males obtain the majority of matings (75% on average). Mating success among Z. gurneyi males is much more variable than that of some lekking species.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46900/1/265_2004_Article_BF00164179.pd

Sexual selection and mating system in Zorotypus gurneyi Choe (Insecta: Zoraptera)

Body size is clearly an important factor influencing the outcome of agonistic contests, but is often weakly correlated with dominance ranks in Zorotypus gurneyi Choe (Insecta: Zoraptera). The study of the development and dynamics of dominance relations using artificially constructed colonies show that age, or tenure within the colony, is the prime determinant of dominance among males. Dominance hierarchies become relatively stable within 2 or 3 days and males that emerge later normally begin at the bottom of the hierarchy regardless of size. Males interact much more frequently when they are simultaneously introduced to each other than when they are allowed to emerge at different times. In the latter case, males that emerge late appear to recognize relative dominance of older males and avoid direct contests. Considering the high correlation between dominance rank and mating success, there is a strong selective advantage to males that emerge earlier and such pressure of sexual selection may be responsible for the difference in life history strategies between Z. gurneyi and its sympatric congener, Z. barberi Gurney, in central Panama.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46901/1/265_2004_Article_BF00183473.pd

Can volatile organic metabolites be used to simultaneously assess microbial and mite contamination level in cereal grains and coffee beans?

A novel approach based on headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) combined with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC×GC-ToFMS) was developed for the simultaneous screening of microbial and mite contamination level in cereals and coffee beans. The proposed approach emerges as a powerful tool for the rapid assessment of the microbial contamination level (ca. 70 min versus ca. 72 to 120 h for bacteria and fungi, respectively, using conventional plate counts), and mite contamination (ca. 70 min versus ca. 24 h). A full-factorial design was performed for optimization of the SPME experimental parameters. The methodology was applied to three types of rice (rough, brown, and white rice), oat, wheat, and green and roasted coffee beans. Simultaneously, microbiological analysis of the samples (total aerobic microorganisms, moulds, and yeasts) was performed by conventional plate counts. A set of 54 volatile markers was selected among all the compounds detected by GC×GC-ToFMS. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was applied in order to establish a relationship between potential volatile markers and the level of microbial contamination. Methylbenzene, 3-octanone, 2-nonanone, 2-methyl-3-pentanol, 1-octen-3-ol, and 2-hexanone were associated to samples with higher microbial contamination level, especially in rough rice. Moreover, oat exhibited a high GC peak area of 2-hydroxy-6-methylbenzaldehyde, a sexual and alarm pheromone for adult mites, which in the other matrices appeared as a trace component. The number of mites detected in oat grains was correlated to the GC peak area of the pheromone. The HS-SPME/GC×GC-ToFMS methodology can be regarded as the basis for the development of a rapid and versatile method that can be applied in industry to the simultaneous assessment the level of microbiological contamination and for detection of mites in cereals grains and coffee beans

First report of acariasis by Caparinia tripilis in African hedgehogs, (Atelerix albiventris), in Costa Rica

The African hedgehog is one of the newly imported exotic pets which have been observed with increasing regularity in veterinary clinics in Costa Rica. Despite their popularity, information about their diseases is scarce. Within skin diseases of hedgehogs, mange caused by Caparinia spp. is a common diagnosis in other countries. Two adult African hedgehogs, one male and one female, were brought to a private clinic in Heredia, Costa Rica, with chronic pruritic dermatitis, scabs, nearly complete loss of spines, lethargy, dehydration, and weight loss. During physical exam, deposits of dry seborrhea were taken and processed for diagnosis. Microscopic examination revealed psoroptid mites identified as Caparinia tripilis. This is the first report of the presence of Caparinia tripilis in Costa Rica and, to the authors’ knowledge, the rest of Central America.O ouriço africano é um dos animais de estimação exótico, recém-importado que tem sido observado com maior regularidade nas clínicas veterinárias da Costa Rica. Apesar da sua popularidade, informações sobre suas doenças são escassas. Dentre as doenças de pele de ouriços, a sarna causada por Caparinia spp. é um diagnóstico comum nos outros países. Dois adultos ouriços africanos, um macho e uma fêmea, foram levados para uma clínica particular, em Heredia, Costa Rica, com a dermatite pruriginosa crônica, crostas, perda quase completa de espinhos, letargia, desidratação e perda de peso. Ao exame físico, os depósitos de seborreia seca foram retirados e processados para o diagnóstico. O exame microscópico revelou ácaros (psoroptidae) identificados como Caparinia tripilis. Esse é o primeiro relato da presença de Caparinia tripilis na Costa Rica e, para conhecimento dos autores, o resto da América Central.Universidad de Costa Rica/[ED-548]/UCR/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias de la Salud::Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Tropicales (CIET