Using Species Distribution Models (SDMs) to Estimate the Suitability of European Mediterranean Non-Native Area for the Establishment of Toumeyella Parvicornis (Hemiptera: Coccidae)

The pine tortoise scale, Toumeyella parvicornis, is an insect native to the Nearctic region that is able to infest several Pinus species. It can cause weakening, defoliation and, at high infestation levels, tree death. After its first report in Italy in 2015, the pest spread rapidly over the surrounding areas and was reported in France in 2021. Due to the threat that this pest poses to pine trees, the suitability of European Mediterranean basin areas for T. parvicornis at different spatial scales was estimated by constructing species distribution models (SDMs) using bioclimatic variables. Our results showed that several coastal areas of the Mediterranean basin area could be suitable for T. parvicornis. Based on performance assessment, all the SDMs tested provided a good representation of the suitability of European Mediterranean non-native area for T. parvicornis at different spatial scales. In particular, most of the areas with a medium or high level of suitability corresponded to the geographical range of distribution of different Pinus spp. in Europe. Predicting the suitability of European Mediterranean areas for T. parvicornis provides a fundamental tool for early detection and management of the spread of this pest in Europe.N.D.S. is funded by the Lazio Region (Agriculture Department) and the Università degli Studi della Tuscia (Italy). The research was carried out in the frame of the Italian MIUR (Ministry for Education, University and Research) initiative ‘Department of Excellence’ (Law 232/2016). L.R. and R.M. are funded by MUR (Italian Ministry of University and Research) in the framework of the European Social Funding REACT-EU—National Program for Research and Innovation 2014–2020

Evaluation of Doru lineare (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) effectiveness against Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and its potential protection of maize seedlings

El “gusano cogollero”, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), es una plaga importante de muchos cultivos, particularmente del maíz. Para su control, las plantas modificadas genéticamente y los plaguicidas sintéticos son las principales estrategias empleadas, lo que ha provocado la aparición de poblaciones resistentes a ambos métodos. La tijereta Doru lineare (Eschscholtz) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) ha sido observada en Argentina consumiendo tanto huevos como larvas de los primeros estadios de S. frugiperda. Para contribuir a la implementación de un sistema de manejo racional de plagas, se realizaron pruebas en jaulas de campo para evaluar la eficiencia de D. lineare como depredador contra S. frugiperda y su potencial protección de las plántulas de maíz de la plaga. Los resultados de las pruebas mostraron que la tasa de supervivencia de las larvas de S. frugiperda se vio significativamente afectada por la presencia de tijeretas. Cuando se liberaron dos tijeretas en una jaula que contenía diez plántulas de maíz infestadas con veinte larvas de S. frugiperda, después de diez días, el peso seco de las plantas fue significativamente mayor y el nivel de daño fue significativamente menor en comparación con aquellas sin liberación de tijeretas. Estos resultados confirman el efecto protector de D. lineare contra S. frugiperda, lo que sugiere que las tijeretas deben considerarse depredadores prometedores en las estrategias de control por conservación para cultivos de maíz.The “fall armyworm”, Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is asignificant pest of many crops, particularly maize. To control it, genetically modified plants and synthetic pesticides are the main strategies employed, which has led to the emergence of resistant populations to both methods. The earwig Doru lineare (Eschscholtz) (Dermaptera: Forficulidae) has been observed in Argentina consuming both eggs and early instars S. frugiperda larvae. To contribute to the implementation of a rational pest management system, field cage tests were conducted to assess the efficiency of D. lineare as a predator against S. frugiperda and its potential protection of maize seedlings from the pest. The results of the tests showed that the survival rate of S. frugiperda larvae was significantly affected by the presence of earwigs. When two earwigs were released into a cage containing ten maize seedlings infested with twenty S. frugiperda larvae, after ten days, the dry weight of the plants was significantly higher and the level of damage was significantly lower compared to those without earwig release. These results confirm the protective effect of D. lineare against S. frugiperda, suggesting that earwigs should be considered as promising predators in conservation control strategies for maize crops.Fil: Romero Sueldo, Gladys Mabel. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Virla, Eduardo Gabriel. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Entomología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Contarini, Mario. Università degli Studi della Tuscia; ItaliaFil: Van Nieuwenhove, Guido Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentina. Fundación Miguel Lillo. Dirección de Zoología. Instituto de Entomología; ArgentinaFil: Speranza, Stefano. Università degli Studi della Tuscia; Itali

Potential impact of Entomophaga maimaiga Humber, Shimazu, and Soper (Entomophthorales Entomophthoraceae) on the lepidopteran fauna inhabiting cork forests in Sardinia (Italy).

Periodic outbreaks of forest defoliators like the gypsy moth cause severe impact to the forest ecosystem, which is normally counterbalanced by the action of their natural enemies, including predators, parasitoids, and entomopathogens. Among the latter, the host-specific fungus Entomophaga maimaiga can be very effective under favourable conditions. Whilst its close evolutionary relationship with gypsy moth, this entomopathogen has never been detected in certain forest areas where L. dispar is a common pest. The results of three years laboratory assays with two different strains of E. maimaiga from Bulgaria and Croatia against Lepidopteran species inhabiting cork oak forests in Sardinia are reported. Significant toxicity and virulence against gypsy moth larvae exposed to soil contaminated with resting spores of the fungus was detected for both strains, even if the strain from Bulgaria was significantly more effective. Significant lethal effects were observed also on M. neustria larvae, but a successful development and reproduction of the fungus within insect cadavers was detected only in the gypsy moth. No significant effects were observed on other Lepidopteran species.  Given a proper choice of candidate strains, the introduction of E. maimaiga in Sardinia, to manage the disruptive action of the gypsy moth would be desirable

MILK FATTY ACIDS FROM DIFFERENT HORSE BREEDS COMPARED WITH COW, GOAT AND HUMAN MILK

n/

Worldwide tests of generic attractants, a promising tool for early detection of non-native cerambycid species

A large proportion of the insects which have invaded new regions and countries are emerging species, being found for the first time outside their native range. Being able to detect such species upon arrival at ports of entry before they establish in non-native countries is an urgent challenge. The deployment of traps baited with broad-spectrum semiochemical lures at ports-of-entry and other high-risk sites could be one such early detection tool. Rapid progress in the identification of semiochemicals for cerambycid beetles during the last 15 years has revealed that aggregation-sex pheromones and sex pheromones are often conserved at global levels for genera, tribes or subfamilies of the Cerambycidae. This possibly allows the development of generic attractants which attract multiple species simultaneously, especially when such pheromones are combined into blends. Here, we present the results of a worldwide field trial programme conducted during 2018-2021, using traps baited with a standardised 8-pheromone blend, usually com-plemented with plant volatiles. A total of 1308 traps were deployed at 302 sites covering simultaneously or sequentially 13 European countries, 10 Chinese provinces and some regions of the USA, Canada, Australia, Russia (Siberia) and the Caribbean (Martinique). We intended to test the following hypotheses: 1) if a species is regularly trapped in significant numbers by the blend on a continent, it increases the prob-ability that it can be detected when it arrives in other countries/continents and 2) if the blend exerts an effective, generic attraction to multiple species, it is likely that previously unknown and unexpected spe-cies can be captured due to the high degree of conservation of pheromone structures within related taxa. A total of 78,321 longhorned beetles were trapped, representing 376 species from eight subfamilies, with 84 species captured in numbers greater than 50 individuals. Captures comprised 60 tribes, with 10 tribes including more than nine species trapped on different continents. Some invasive species were captured in both the native and invaded continents. This demonstrates the potential of multipheromone lures as ef-fective tools for the detection of 'unexpected' cerambycid invaders, accidentally translocated outside their native ranges. Adding new pheromones with analogous well-conserved motifs is discussed, as well as the limitations of using such blends, especially for some cerambycid taxa which may be more attracted by the trap colour or other characteristics rather than to the chemical blend

The role of immune suppression in COVID-19 hospitalization: clinical and epidemiological trends over three years of SARS-CoV-2 epidemic

Specific immune suppression types have been associated with a greater risk of severe COVID-19 disease and death. We analyzed data from patients >17 years that were hospitalized for COVID-19 at the “Fondazione IRCCS Ca′ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico” in Milan (Lombardy, Northern Italy). The study included 1727 SARS-CoV-2-positive patients (1,131 males, median age of 65 years) hospitalized between February 2020 and November 2022. Of these, 321 (18.6%, CI: 16.8–20.4%) had at least one condition defining immune suppression. Immune suppressed subjects were more likely to have other co-morbidities (80.4% vs. 69.8%, p < 0.001) and be vaccinated (37% vs. 12.7%, p < 0.001). We evaluated the contribution of immune suppression to hospitalization during the various stages of the epidemic and investigated whether immune suppression contributed to severe outcomes and death, also considering the vaccination status of the patients. The proportion of immune suppressed patients among all hospitalizations (initially stable at <20%) started to increase around December 2021, and remained high (30–50%). This change coincided with an increase in the proportions of older patients and patients with co-morbidities and with a decrease in the proportion of patients with severe outcomes. Vaccinated patients showed a lower proportion of severe outcomes; among non-vaccinated patients, severe outcomes were more common in immune suppressed individuals. Immune suppression was a significant predictor of severe outcomes, after adjusting for age, sex, co-morbidities, period of hospitalization, and vaccination status (OR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.23–2.19), while vaccination was a protective factor (OR: 0.31; 95% IC: 0.20–0.47). However, after November 2021, differences in disease outcomes between vaccinated and non-vaccinated groups (for both immune suppressed and immune competent subjects) disappeared. Since December 2021, the spread of the less virulent Omicron variant and an overall higher level of induced and/or natural immunity likely contributed to the observed shift in hospitalized patient characteristics. Nonetheless, vaccination against SARS-CoV-2, likely in combination with naturally acquired immunity, effectively reduced severe outcomes in both immune competent (73.9% vs. 48.2%, p < 0.001) and immune suppressed (66.4% vs. 35.2%, p < 0.001) patients, confirming previous observations about the value of the vaccine in preventing serious disease

Gonatopus jaliscanus sp. n., a new Pincer wasp from Jalisco, Mexico (Hymenoptera, Dryinidae)

A new species of Gonatopus Ljungh, 1810, G. jaliscanus sp. n., from Jalisco, Mexico, is described and illustrated. In the Neotropical region, G. jaliscanus is similar to G. forestalis Olmi, 1998, but it is distinguished by the black mesosoma (except prothorax, mesoscutum, and mesoscutellum that are yellow), and the metapostnotum being granulated and not rugose; in G. forestalis the mesosoma is completely black and the metapostnotum is granulated and strongly rugose. In the Nearctic region, the new species is morphologically similar to G. curriei Krombein, 1962, but it is distinguished by the dull and granulated metapostonotum; in G. curriei the metapostnotum is shiny and unsculptured. The new species belongs to Gonatopus group 7. The keys to the females of the Nearctic and Neotropical species of this group are modified to include the new taxon