A green method to prepare nanosilica modified graphene oxide to inhibit nanoparticles re-aggregation during melt processing

A graphene oxide-silica nanohybrid (GOS), self-assembled into a lasagna-like structure, was prepared in water and used as a filler for the melt preparation of polyamide 6 (PA6)-based nanocomposites. For sake of comparison, PA6-based materials were prepared under the same processing conditions by adding GO only or a physical mixture of GO and silica (GO+S). All the materials were characterized from a morphological, spectroscopic, thermal, dynamic-mechanical (DMA) and mechanical point of view. For all the nanocomposites, the interphase was studied either by analyzing loss factor plots coming from DMA measurements and by implementing a novel approach, i.e. combining solvent extraction, SEM and EDX measurements. While GO and GO+S showed an almost negligible effect on the macroscopic features of PA6, due to lack of dispersion, PA6-GOS ternary nanocomposites displayed an outstanding enhancement of mechanical and thermo-mechanical performance. This feature is likely due to the formation of an extended and strong interphase. In fact, the silica layers intercalated between GO lamellae played as an exfoliating agent, thus proving to be particularly efficient in avoiding self-aggregation of GO sheets, while those covalently attached to basal planes of GO acted as a rivet, capable to interlock the surrounding polymer chains. Finally, with respect to other techniques commonly adopted for the fabrication of polymer-graphene nanocomposites, the green route herein proposed does not involve any toxic solvent nor time-consuming protocols, and allows achieving remarkable improvements in stiffening (up to +180%), strengthening (up to +210%) and toughening (up to +210%) at extremely low filler contents (0.25% or 0.5%)

Morphological notes on Gazoryctra sciophanes (Ferguson) and G. confusus (Edwards) (Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea: Hepialidae)

Grehan, John R., Mielke, Carlos G.C. (2020): Morphological notes on Gazoryctra sciophanes (Ferguson) and G. confusus (Edwards) (Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea: Hepialidae). Zootaxa 4896 (4): 586-590, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4896.4.1

FIGS 1–4 in Morphological notes on Gazoryctra sciophanes (Ferguson) and G. confusus (Edwards) (Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea: Hepialidae)

FIGS 1–4. Gazoryctra species, adults (dorsal view) and distribution map: 1, G. sciophanes female, Mount Mitchell State Park, North Carolina (Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Pittsburgh); 2, G. confusus female holotype (Illinois Natural History Survey); 3, distribution of G. sciophanes (data from Grehan 1998; Rawlins et al. 1998) and G. confusus.Published as part of Grehan, John R. & Mielke, Carlos G.C., 2020, Morphological notes on Gazoryctra sciophanes (Ferguson) and G. confusus (Edwards) (Lepidoptera: Hepialoidea: Hepialidae), pp. 586-590 in Zootaxa 4896 (4) on page 587, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4896.4.10, http://zenodo.org/record/438745

Evolutionary biogeography and tectonic history of the ghost moth families Hepialidae, Mnesarchaeidae, and Palaeosetidae in the Southwest Pacific (Lepidoptera: Exoporia)

Grehan, John R., Mielke, Carlos G.C. (2018): Evolutionary biogeography and tectonic history of the ghost moth families Hepialidae, Mnesarchaeidae, and Palaeosetidae in the Southwest Pacific (Lepidoptera: Exoporia). Zootaxa 4415 (2): 243-275, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4415.2.

Taxonomic revision of Schausiana Viette with two new species from Guatemala and notes on biogeography and correlated tectonics (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae)

Mielke, Carlos G.C., Grehan, John R., Monzón-Sierra, José (2020): Taxonomic revision of Schausiana Viette with two new species from Guatemala and notes on biogeography and correlated tectonics (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae). Zootaxa 4860 (1): 67-91, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4860.1.

Descriptions of two new genera and six new species of ghost-moths (Lepidoptera Hepialoidea: Hepialidae) from south-eastern and southern Brazil

Mielke, Carlos G.C., Grehan, John R., Koike, Ricardo M. (2021): Descriptions of two new genera and six new species of ghost-moths (Lepidoptera Hepialoidea: Hepialidae) from south-eastern and southern Brazil. Zootaxa 5020 (3): 561-580, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5020.3.

Ghost-moths of Trinidad and Tobago with description of a new genus and a new species (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae)

Mielke, Carlos G.C., Grehan, John R., Cock, Matthew J.W. (2020): Ghost-moths of Trinidad and Tobago with description of a new genus and a new species (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae). Zootaxa 4758 (1): 181-190, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4758.1.

Abdominal macrochaetae of female Hylesia oratex Dyar, 1913 (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Saturniidae): external morphology and medical significance

The representatives of the genus Hylesia Hübner, [1820] are significant among the medically important Lepidoptera. Adult females use abdominal setae to wrap and protect the eggs that remain for months in nature. These setae, in contact with human skin, may cause allergic reactions including swelling, itching and local erythema, known as lepidopterism. The morphology of the abdominal scales and setae from the female H. oratex Dyar, 1913 is herein described and aspects related to their medical significance are discussed. Portions of each abdominal segment were examined through a scanning electron microscope. Two types of scales without medical importance, and two types of setae with medical importance, classified as "true setae" and "modified setae" were found. The true setae, which are slightly fusiform and have radially arranged lateral projections, are responsible for the allergic reactions caused by skin penetration. The modified setae, which are larger, curved, with the median enlarged and serrated margins, can be responsible for the release of chemical substances. This information provides a better understanding of the structure of the urticating setae, which are responsible for lepidopterism outbreaks in humans, and contributes towards the identification of the moth species involved