FIGURE 1 in A new species of Oiovelia (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae) from Mesoamerica, with an identification key to the genus

FIGURE 1. Oiovelia johnpolhemi sp. nov. (A) Male paratype, dorsal view; (B) male paratype, ventral view (abdominal segment VIII and genital capsule removed); (C) male holotype, dorsal view of head; (D) male holotype, lateral view; (E) female paratype, dorsal view; (F) female paratype, ventral view

Revision of the American genus Steinovelia Polhemus & Polhemus, 1993 (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae)

Moreira, Felipe Ferraz Figueiredo, Floriano, Carla Fernanda Burguez, Rodrigues, Higor D. D., Sites, Robert W. (2020): Revision of the American genus Steinovelia Polhemus & Polhemus, 1993 (Heteroptera: Gerromorpha: Veliidae). Zootaxa 4729 (1): 77-91, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4729.1.

Static Balance in Hereditary Spastic Paraplegias: a Cross-sectional Study

Motor and somatosensory pathway dysfunction due to degeneration of long tracts in hereditary spastic paraplegias (HSP) indicates that postural abnormalities may be a relevant disease feature. However, balance assessments have been underutilized to study these conditions. How does the static balance of individuals with HSP with eyes open and closed differ from healthy controls, and how does it relate to disease severity? This cross-sectional case–control study assessed the static balance of 17 subjects with genetically confirmed HSP and 17 healthy individuals, evaluating the center of pressure (COP) variables captured by a force platform. The root-mean-square of velocities and mean of displacements amplitudes in mediolateral and anteroposterior axes were correlated with disease severity. All COP parameters’ performances were significantly impaired in HSP subjects compared to controls (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). COP with eyes open and closed differed for all variables within the HSP group, whereas in the control group, differences were observed only for anteroposterior velocity and amplitude. Spastic Paraplegia Rating Scale presented moderate direct correlations with the most COP variables (Rho = − 0.520 to − 0.736). HSP individuals presented significant postural instability with eyes open and to a greater extent with eyes closed, corroborating the clinical findings of somatosensorial and proprioceptive pathways dysfunction. The degrees of proprioceptive and motor impairments are mutually correlated, suggesting that similar pathophysiological mechanisms operate for the degeneration of these long tracts. COP parameters can be seen as disease severity biomarkers of HSP, and they should be assessed in future clinical trials

Stress levels of dominants reflect underlying conflicts with subordinates in a cooperatively breeding species.

16 pagesInternational audienceMaintaining dominance status had long been considered to be less stressful than subordination. However, no consistency in stress levels of dominant and subordinate individuals has been demonstrated. Tactics used to achieve and maintain dominance could be determinant. In cooperatively breeding species, conflicts between dominants and subordinates are expected since dominant individuals tend to monopolize reproduction while subordinates seldom reproduce. Reproductive skew models predict that subordinates’ reproductive opportunities are either allotted or subject to competition with dominants. In the former case, no policing of subordinates by dominants is expected. In the latter, dominant should exert a control over the subordinates possibly leading to higher stress levels in dominants than in subordinates, which could be further elevated as the number of potential competitors in the group increases. In the present study, we aimed to test these hypotheses by assessing individual’s stress level using the neutrophils to lymphocytes ratio (N:L) in a wild cooperatively breeding rodent, the Alpine marmot (Marmota marmota). We found that dominants exhibit higher N:L ratio than subordinates and that dominants’ N:L ratio increases with the number of unrelated same-sex subordinates in the group. We conclude that controlling unrelated subordinates is stressful for dominants, as expected under tug-of-war models. These stress patterns reveal conflicting relationships between dominants and subordinates over the reproduction and social status acquisition. This study highlights the influence of the nature, strength, and direction of conflicts on stress levels