First record of Caprella mutica from the Iberian Peninsula: expansion southwards in European waters

The caprellid amphipod, Caprella mutica, is a well-known invasive species, originating in the Sea of Japan, which has been rapidly expanding along the coasts of North America, Europe and Oceania for the last forty years. Caprella mutica is frequently associated with man-made structures, especially those dedicated to aquaculture activities, where it can reach high densities of up to 300,000 ind./m2. A well-established population of C. mutica was recently found by SCUBA-divers in Galician waters (north-west Spain) at 6 different man-made floating structures along Ría de Arousa. The record of this species in this location implies a new southernmost limit of distribution, extending the known distribution range in Atlantic European waters and confirming the continuity of the colonization southwards

Micromorphology of egg and larva of Eristalis fratercula, with an updated key of Eristalis species with known third instar larvae (Diptera: Syrphidae)

The flower- or hoverflies (Syrphidae) and particularly the subfamily Eristalinae, are known by their importance as pollinators in both natural and agro-ecosystems. Similar to other saprophagous eristalines, the larvae of Eristalis Latreille, 1804 are characterized by an elongated anal segment and a telescopic breathing tube. These features have given them the common name of rat-tailed maggots and allow them to develop in liquid or semi-liquid media loaded with decaying organic material. This paper presents the first description of the egg and the third-instar larva of the boreal species Eristalis fratercula (Zetterstedt, 1838). Morphological studies are presented based on cryo-scanning electron microscopy (cryo-SEM). After comparison with all other known species of the genus Eristalis with described preimaginal morphology, we conclude that main diagnostic character of E. fratercula is the presence of long branched spicules located in the upper margin on the lateral lips. Finally, we provide an updated key that includes the 15 Eristalis species whose third larval stages have already been described

Preimaginal morphology and notes on the natural history of some Afrotropical flower flies of genus Eumerus Meigen 1822 (Diptera Syrphidae) including description of a new species

The main study objective was to build knowledge on the genus Eumerus in the Afrotropical region. The new species Eumerus rufotibialis Radenkovic et Vujic sp. nov. of the E. obliquus group is thus reported. Also presented are the preimaginal stages of the mentioned species and Eumerus compactus van Doesburg 1966 as well as Eumerus astropilops Hull 1964. The descriptions were elaborated using scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy imaging; supporting images, diagnostical features and comparisons with available descriptions have been included, both for imago and preimaginal descriptions. The known host plant of the three species is indicated together with some biological notes that support their saprophagous feeding habits.The present study was funded by the European Union project Horizon 2020, Marie Skłodowska-Curie action, Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) Programme: FlyHigh - “Insect-plant relationships: insights into biodiversity and new applications” and the H2020 European-funded Integrated Infrastructure Initiative grant SYNTHESYS Plus (www.synthesys.info) (we wish to thank the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Ter-vuren, Belgium, for our visit). The study was partly supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia: Grant No. 451-03-68/2022e14/200125 and Grant No. 451-03-68/2022e14/200358. Moreover, partial financial support was received from the research department of the University of Alicante within the framework of a predoctoral grant (UAFPU2019-03)

Deux nouvelles espèces du genre Merodon Meigen 1803 (Diptera : Syrphidae) de l’île de Lesbos (Grèce), dans la Méditerranée Orientale

Descriptions are given of two new species of Merodon Meigen (Diptera: Syrphidae) from the island of Lesvos (Greece): Merodon papillus Vujić, Radenkovic & Pérez-Bañón n. sp. from the ruficornis group species and Merodon sapphous Vujic, Pérez-Bañón & Radenkovic n. sp. from the aureus group. In addition to classical morphological characters, partial sequences of the mitochondrial COI gene are generated for each taxon as DNA ‘barcodes’. Main characteristics of the species habitats are reported. The zoogeographical significance of these endemic taxa to the biodiversity of the island is discussed.European Commission Framework 6 Integrated project ALARM (Assessing LArge scale environmental Risks for biodiversity with tested Methods) (GOCE-CT-2003-506675) & Ministry of Science, Technology and Development of Republic Serbia (project number 143037)

Where Is My Food? Brazilian Flower Fly Steals Prey from Carnivorous Sundews in a Newly Discovered Plant-Animal Interaction

A new interaction between insects and carnivorous plants is reported from Brazil. Larvae of the predatory flower fly Toxomerus basalis (Diptera: Syrphidae: Syrphinae) have been found scavenging on the sticky leaves of several carnivorous sundew species (Drosera, Droseraceae) in Minas Gerais and São Paulo states, SE Brazil. This syrphid apparently spends its whole larval stage feeding on prey trapped by Drosera leaves. The nature of this plant-animal relationship is discussed, as well as the Drosera species involved, and locations where T. basalis was observed. 180 years after the discovery of this flower fly species, its biology now has been revealed. This is (1) the first record of kleptoparasitism in the Syrphidae, (2) a new larval feeding mode for this family, and (3) the first report of a dipteran that shows a kleptoparasitic relationship with a carnivorous plant with adhesive flypaper traps. The first descriptions of the third instar larva and puparium of T. basalis based on Scanning Electron Microscope analysis are provided

The influence of risk perception and scrambling on students performance

[SPA] En este trabajo se analiza si existe una variación en las calificaciones de los estudiantes como consecuencia del orden de las preguntas y de las penalizaciones de las respuestas incorrectas. Se han creado dos escenarios que incluyen diferentes exámenes según diferente ordenación de contenidos y riesgo percibido. Utilizando una muestra de 764 exámenes de primer grado de Relaciones Laborales y Gestión de Recursos Humanos de la Universidad de Murcia, los resultados indican que hay diferencias en el procedimiento de respuesta que afecta a la nota final, cuando las percepciones de riesgo de los estudiantes son diferentes. Por otra parte, el efecto de orden también influye en el procedimiento de respuesta, influyendo asimismo en las calificaciones finales de los alumnos en función del escenario de riesgo al que los estudiantes se enfrentan. [ENG] This paper analyzes if there is a variation in students’ marks due to the type of multiple choice exam in relation to the order of the questions and the penalty of the incorrect answers. We create two scenarios including exams sorted both by different order content and by different level of risk borne. Using a sample of 764 multiple choice exams of Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management Grades of University of Murcia (Spain), results lead us to affirm that there are differences in the answer’s procedure, affecting the final marks when risk perceptions of the students are different. Moreover, the order effect also influences the response procedure and its effects on the final marks of the students depending on the risk scenario the students are facing

DNA barcoding applied: identifying the larva of Merodon avidus (Diptera: Syrphidae)

The immature stages of phytophagous hoverflies and their plant hosts are mostly unknown. This paper describes the larva of Merodon avidus Rossi, 1790 (Diptera: Syrphidae), based on material collected from Đerdap National Park in Serbia. Larvae were found in the bulbs of Ornithogalum L. (Hyacinthaceae) and in the surrounding soil. DNA barcoding was used to identify the species and scanning electron microscopy was used to describe the morphological characteristics of Merodon avidus. Reared material previously identified as Merodon constans (Rossi, 1794) is shown to belong to M. hurkmansi Marcos-García, Vujić & Mengual, 2007.This study was supported by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Republic of Serbia, Grant No. 173002 and Grant No. 43002, the Provincial Secretariat for Science and Technological Development, Grant No. 114-457-2173/2011-01 and by the project Status and Trends of European Pollinators, FP7-ENV-2009-1-244090 (STEP)

Comparison of GOME-2/MetOp total ozone data with Brewer spectroradiometer data over the Iberian Peninsula

The main objective of this article is to compare the total ozone data from the new Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment instrument (GOME-2/MetOp) with reliable ground-based measurement recorded by five Brewer spectroradiometers in the Iberian Peninsula. In addition, a similar comparison for the predecessor instrument GOME/ERS-2 is described. The period of study is a whole year from May 2007 to April 2008. The results show that GOME-2/MetOp ozone data already has a very good quality, total ozone columns are on average 3.05% lower than Brewer measurements. This underestimation is higher than that obtained for GOME/ERS-2 (1.46%). However, the relative differences between GOME-2/MetOp and Brewer measurements show significantly lower variability than the differences between GOME/ERS-2 and Brewer data. Dependencies of these relative differences with respect to the satellite solar zenith angle (SZA), the satellite scan angle, the satellite cloud cover fraction (CF), and the ground-based total ozone measurements are analyzed. For both GOME instruments, differences show no significant dependence on SZA. However, GOME-2/MetOp data show a significant dependence on the satellite scan angle (+1.5%). In addition, GOME/ERS-2 differences present a clear dependence with respect to the CF and ground-based total ozone; such differences are minimized for GOME-2/MetOp. The comparison between the daily total ozone values provided by both GOME instruments shows that GOME-2/MetOp ozone data are on average 1.46% lower than GOME/ERS-2 data without any seasonal dependence. Finally, deviations of a priori climatological ozone profile used by the satellite retrieval algorithm from the true ozone profile are analyzed. Although excellent agreement between a priori climatological and measured partial ozone values is found for the middle and high stratosphere, relative differences greater than 15% are common for the troposphere and lower stratosphere.This work was partially supported by Ministerio de Educacion y Ciencia under project CGL2005-05693-C03-03/CLI and by Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion under project CGL2008-05939-C03-02/CLI

Biological aspects of Pseudodoros clavatus (Fabricius) (Diptera: Syrphidae) fed with the black legume aphid Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

Se estudió en condiciones de laboratorio el ciclo de vida, la proporción sexual y la longevidad del sírfido depredador Pseudodoros clavatus (Fabricius). El áfido de las leguminosas Aphis craccivora Koch fue utilizado como presa. P. clavatus y A. craccivora fueron recolectados en las parcelas experimentales Miguel Luna Lugo, ubicadas en Tarabana (10º 01’10,52” N; 69º 16’59,48”O, 515 m), estado Lara, Venezuela. Ambos, el depredador y la presa, fueron mantenidos en salas de cría a 25 ± 1ºC, 68 ± 10% HR y 12:12 (D:N) h de fotoperiodo. Los resultados mostraron que el ciclo de vida de P. clavatus tuvo una duración promedio de 13,6 ± 0,1 días, con un ámbito de variación de entre 12 y 16 días (huevo 2,0 ± 0,0 días; larvas 6,0 ± 0,1 y pupa de 5,6 ± 0,1 días). La relación de sexo de la progenie (macho: hembra) fue 1:1. Este índice reproductivo se considera importante para obtener un alto rendimiento en la cría del depredador. La longevidad promedio de los machos y hembras de P. clavatus fue 12,8 ± 1,1 días y 14,0 ± 0,6 días, respectivamente. Esta información puede ser útil en el desarrollo de programas de control biológico del áfido de las leguminosas.The life cycle, sex ratio and longevity of the predatory syrphid fly Pseudodoros clavatus (Fabricius) were studied under laboratory conditions. The black legume aphid, Aphis craccivora Koch, was used as prey. P. clavatus and A. craccivora were collected in the experimental plots “Miguel Luna Lugo”, located in Tarabana (10º 01’10.52”N; 69º 16’59.48”W, 515 m), Lara State, Venezuela. Both the predator and the prey were kept in breeding rooms at 25 ± 1 ° C, 68 ± 10% RH and 12:12 (D:N) h of photoperiod. The results showed that the life cycle of P. clavatus had an average duration of 13.6 ± 0.1 days, with a range of variation between 12 and 16 days (egg 2.0 ± 0.0 days; larvae 6.0 ± 0.1 and pupa of 5.6 ± 0.1 days). The average longevity of males and females of P. clavatus was 12.8 ± 1.1 days and 14.0 ± 0.6 days, respectively. The sex ratio of the progeny (male:female) was 1:1. This reproductive index is considered important in order to obtain a high performance in the breeding of the predator. This information may be useful in the development of biological control programs for legume aphids.Consejo de Desarrollo Científico, Humanístico y Tecnológico (CDCHT-UCLA), proyecto 003-DAG-2007