The mature larva of Gonioctena variabilis (Olivier, 1790) Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Chrysomelinae) and key to the larvae of the subgenus Spartoxena

Mature larva of Gonioctena (Spartoxena) variabilis (Olivier, 1790) is described and illustrated for the fi rst time, based on specimens collected on Genista scorpius (L.) DC. [Fabaceae] in central Spain. A key to known larvae of the subgenus Spartoxena is provided, and the diagnostic characters are illustrated. Diagnostic characters for the identifi cation of species within the subgenus Spartoxena Motschulsky, 1860 are number of dorsal tubercles of abdominal segments, shape of tarsal claw, shape of labrum and disposition of microtrichia of epipharynx. Notes on the distribution and host plant of G. variabilis are included.S

The Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid) Iberian collection of Cryptocephalus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) of the species groups of C. sericeus (Linné, 1758), C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) and C. violaceus Laicharting, 1781

[EN] The collection of Cryptocephalus belonging to the C. sericeus (Linné, 1758), C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) and C. violaceus Laicharting, 1781 species groups deposited at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid) is studied. All material examined is reported, new faunistic data are commented and the distributions are discussed taking the new records into account. Cryptocephalus convergens Sassi, 2001 is recorded for the second time for the Iberian peninsula, and the range of C. cantabricus Franz, 1958 is substantially extended, whereas C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) ssp. cristula Dufour, 1843 and C. asturiensis Heyden, 1870 seem to have more restricted distributions than previously considered.[ES] Se estudia la colección ibérica de Cryptocephalus de los grupos de C. sericeus (Linné, 1758), C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) y C. violaceus Laicharting, 1781 depositados en el Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid). Se realiza un inventario del material estudiado, se comentan las novedades faunísticas y se discuten las distribuciones de las especies teniendo en cuenta los nuevos datos. Cryptocephalus convergens Sassi, 2001 se cita por segunda vez de la Península Ibérica y se amplía considerablemente la distribución de C. cantabricus Franz, 1958, mientras que C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) ssp. cristula Dufour, 1843 y C. asturiensis Heyden, 1870 parecen tener una distribución más restringida que la que se consideraba previamente.Peer reviewe

Diversity of Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera) at a mountain range in the limit of the Eurosiberian region, northwest Spain: species richness and beta diversity

Chrysomelidae from the Sierra de Queixa mountains (Galicia, northwest Spain) were sampled, reporting 93 species. The estimated local species richness using several non-parametric estimators and accumulation models varies between 104 and 142 species. To compare the Chrysomelidae fauna from Sierra de Queixa with other Galician assemblages we have assessed beta diversity among inventories and we have tested the differences on the zoogeographic compositions among areas. Sierra de Queixa is grouped with other Galician mountain ranges located in the transition zone between Eurosiberian and Mediterranean regions, and it is characterised by a high proportion of Iberian endemic species, significantly higher than expected. Therefore, Chrysomelidae fauna from Sierra de Queixa represents a unique assemblage of Eurosiberian elements that reached the area due to the climatic conditions and Iberian endemic species that are present in the Iberian mountains due to its historic role as southern refugia during glaciations

Spatial and environmental correlates of species richness and turnover patterns in European cryptocephaline and chrysomeline beetles

Despite some general concordant patterns (i.e. the latitudinal richness gradient), species richness and composition of different European beetle taxa varies in different ways according to their dispersal and ecological traits. Here, the patterns of variation in species richness, composition and spatial turnover are analysed in European cryptocephaline and chrysomeline leaf beetles, assessing their environmental and spatial correlates. The underlying rationale to use environmental and spatial variables of diversity patterns is to assess the relative support for niche- and dispersal-driven hypotheses. Our results show that despite a broad congruence in the factors correlated with cryptocephaline and chrysomeline richness, environmental variables (particularly temperature) were more relevant in cryptocephalines, whereas spatial variables were more relevant in chrysomelines (that showed a significant longitudinal gradient besides the latitudinal one), in line with the higher proportion of flightless species within chrysomelines. The variation in species composition was also related to environmental and spatial factors, but this pattern was better predicted by spatial variables in both groups, suggesting that species composition is more linked to dispersal and historical contingencies than species richness, which would be more controlled by environmental limitations. Among historical factors, Pleistocene glaciations appear as the most plausible explanation for the steeper decay in assemblage similarity with spatial distance, both in cryptocephalines and chrysomelinesThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and the European Regional Development Fund (2007–2013) through grant CGL2013-43350-PS

Assessing the equilibrium between assemblage composition and climate: A directional distance-decay approach

1. The variation of assemblage composition in space is characterised by the decrease in assemblage similarity with spatial distance. Climatic constraint and dispersal limitation are major drivers of distance-decay of similarity. Distance-decay of similarity is usually conceptualised and modelled as an isotropic pattern, that is, assuming that similarity decays with the same rate in all directions. 2. Because climatic gradients are markedly anisotropic, that is, they have different strength in different directions, if species distributions were in equilibrium with climate, the decay of assemblage similarity should be anisotropic in the same direction as the climatic gradient, that is, faster turnover in the direction that maximises the climatic gradient. Thus, deviations from equilibrium between assemblage composition and climatic conditions would result in differences in anisotropy between distance-decay of similarity and climatic gradients. 3. We assessed anisotropy in distance-decay patterns in marine plankton assemblages, terrestrial vertebrates and European beetles, using two procedures: (a) measuring the correlation between the residuals of a distance-decay model and the angle in which pairs of sites are separated and (b) computing two separate distance-decay models for each dataset, one using only pairwise cases that are separated on North-South direction and another one using pairwise cases separated on East-West direction. We also analysed whether the degree of anisotropy in distance-decay is related to dispersal ability (proportion of wingless species and body size) and ecological niche characteristics (main habitat and trophic position) by assessing these relationships among beetle taxonomic groups (n = 21). 4. Anisotropy varied markedly across realms and biological groups. Despite climatic gradients being steeper in North-South direction than in East-West direction in all datasets, North-South distance-decays tended to be steeper than East-West distance-decays in plankton and most vertebrate assemblages, but flatter in European amphibians and most beetle groups. 5. Anisotropy also markedly varied across beetle groups depending on their dispersal ability, as the proportion of wingless species explained 60% of the variance in the difference between North-South and East-West distance-decay slopesThis research was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through grant CGL2016-76637-PS

Distribution of Verodes aequalis (Coleoptera: Zopheridae), a Poorly Known Species from Cloud Forests of Mexico

Verodes aequalis (Champion) was previously known only from its type locality (“Parada, Mexico”, likely close to Cerro San Felipe, Oaxaca, Mexico). We provide several new localities from the mountains of northern Oaxaca and neighboring Veracruz representing a major range extension. All specimens were captured in pine and pine-oak forests in the cloud zone above 2130 m asl.Peer reviewe

La colección ibérica del Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid) de Cryptocephalus Geoffroy, 1762 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) de los grupos de C. sericeus (Linné, 1758), C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) y C. violaceus Laicharting, 1781

The collection of Cryptocephalus belonging to the C. sericeus (Linné, 1758), C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) and C. violaceus Laicharting, 1781 species groups deposited at the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid) is studied. All material examined is reported, new faunistic data are commented and the distributions are discussed taking the new records into account. Cryptocephalus convergens Sassi, 2001 is recorded for the second time for the Iberian peninsula, and the range of C. cantabricus Franz, 1958 is substantially extended, whereas C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) ssp. cristula Dufour, 1843 and C. asturiensis Heyden, 1870 seem to have more restricted distributions than previously considered.Se estudia la colección ibérica de Cryptocephalus de los grupos de C. sericeus (Linné, 1758), C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) y C. violaceus Laicharting, 1781 depositados en el Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (Madrid). Se realiza un inventario del material estudiado, se comentan las novedades faunísticas y se discuten las distribuciones de las especies teniendo en cuenta los nuevos datos. Cryptocephalus convergens Sassi, 2001 se cita por segunda vez de la Península Ibérica y se amplía considerablemente la distribución de C. cantabricus Franz, 1958, mientras que C. hypochaeridis (Linné, 1758) ssp. cristula Dufour, 1843 y C. asturiensis Heyden, 1870 parecen tener una distribución más restringida que la que se consideraba previamente

Magneto-mechanical surfaces design

Magneto-mechanically active surfaces (MMAS) represent a new family of nano/micro-structured surfaces in which motion is induced by an external magnetic field. Under the name of artificial cilia, biomimetic cilia, magnetic actuated patterns, nanopillars, etc., published works in this area continue their quick growth in number. Notwithstanding their potential application in microfluidic, chemical sensors, catalytic processes and microelectronics to increase device perfomances, there is still a lot to do in the development of these materials. Improvement and optimization of the performance of these structures are essential tasks in order to fulfil their complete development. Along this article, a critical review involving the main aspects in the design of the patterned nanocomposites will be presented.Authors wish to thank Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad for finantial support under grant MAT2014-57557-R

Ámbito de aplicación actual de los indicadores de salud ambiental

Se analizan las políticas tanto de la Unión Europea como de la Organización Mundial de la Salud con el objetivo de establecer indicadores de corrección de contaminación. La salud ambiental basa sus directrices en la prevención de las enfermedades y en la creación de entornos saludables, tomando como referencia los riesgos y efectos sobre la salud humana. Estos factores representan, el medio que habita, donde trabaja, los cambios naturales o artificiales que ese lugar manifiesta y la contaminación producida por el mismo ser humano a ese medio. Con el objetivo de reducir ese impacto, se han desarrollado políticas ambientales, que permitan incrementar la inversión para el desarrollo de la salud, consolidar y expandir las políticas de colaboración entre países, para consolidar una infraestructura que permita mejorar la salud y establecer responsabilidades públicas.The policies are analyzed both of the European Union and of the World Health Organization by the aim to establish indicators for correction of pollution. Environmental Health bases its guidelines on preventing disease and creating health-supportive environments. It concerned with the risks and effects on human health represent the means living and where you work, natural or artificial changes to the site represents and pollution caused by human beings themselves to that medium. In order to reduce this impact, environmental policies have been developed, which increase investment for health development, consolidating and expanding cooperation policies between countries to build an infrastructure to improve public health and establish public responsibilities

Rare failures of DNA bar codes to separate morphologically distinct species in a biodiversity survey of Iberian leaf beetles

During a survey of genetic and species diversity patterns of leaf beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) assemblages across the Iberian Peninsula we found a broad congruence between morphologically delimited species and variation in the cytochrome oxidase (cox1) gene. However, one species pair each in the genera Longitarsus Berthold and Pachybrachis Chevrolat was inseparable using molecular methods, whereas diagnostic morphological characters (including male or female genitalia) unequivocally separated the named species. Parsimony haplotype networks and maximum likelihood trees built from cox1 showed high genetic structure within each species pair, but no correlation with the morphological types and neither with geographic distributions. This contrasted with all analysed congeneric species, which were recovered as monophyletic. A limited number of specimens were sequenced for the nuclear 18S rRNA gene, which showed no or very limited variation within the species pair and no separation of morphological types. These results suggest that processes of lineage sorting for either group are lagging behind the clear morphological and presumably reproductive separation. In the Iberian chrysomelids, incongruence between DNA-based and morphological delimitations is a rare exception, but the discovery of these species pairs may be useful as an evolutionary model for studying the process of speciation in this ecological and geographical setting. In addition, the study of biodiversity patterns based on DNA requires an evolutionary understanding of these incongruences and their potential causes.AB was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant CGL2009-10111). CGR is funded by the Xunta de Galicia(postdoctoral fellowship POS-A/2012/052)S