Biology of Discocoris drakei (Hemiptera: Thaumastocoridae) on Oenocarpus mapora (Palmae).

The life cycle of the bug Discocoris drakei Slater & Ashlock (Thaumastocoridae: Xylastodorinae) on the inflorescence of the palm Oenocarpus mapora Karsten is described. When the bractea open, hundreds of adults of D. drakei are attracted by the inflorescence (the staminate flowers in anthesis) and lay their eggs on the rachillae. The adults of the second generation leave the inflorescence after the fertilization of pistillate flowers (dry stigmas). These new data confirm the close relationship between the bug subfamily Xylastodorinae and the palm genus complex Oenocarpus/Jessenia, and illustrate further an interesting example of the relation between insects and palms. Egg morphology conforms to data reported for the whole family. The first-instar is described for the first time in the family

Synthesis of giant globular multivalent glycofullerenes as potent inhibitors in a model of Ebola virus infection

The use of multivalent carbohydrate compounds to block cell-surface lectin receptors is a promising strategy to inhibit the entry of pathogens into cells and could lead to the discovery of novel antiviral agents. One of the main problems with this approach, however, is that it is difficult to make compounds of an adequate size and multivalency to mimic natural systems such as viruses. Hexakis adducts of [60]fullerene are useful building blocks in this regard because they maintain a globular shape at the same time as allowing control over the size and multivalency. Here we report water-soluble tridecafullerenes decorated with 120 peripheral carbohydrate subunits, so-called ‘superballs’, that can be synthesized efficiently from hexakis adducts of [60]fullerene in one step by using copper-catalysed azide–alkyne cycloaddition click chemistry. Infection assays show that these superballs are potent inhibitors of cell infection by an artificial Ebola virus with half-maximum inhibitory concentrations in the subnanomolar range

Natural history of G ynaikothrips uzeli (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae) in galls of Ficus benjamina (Rosales, Moraceae)

ABSTRACT Galls induced by thrips are simple structures when compared to those of other groups of arthropods, and little is known regarding many of their aspects. This study aimed to investigate aspects of the natural history of Gynaikothrips uzeli Zimmermann, 1900 in galls of Ficus benjamina L., 1753 using seasonal sampling (summer and winter). Twenty trees were sampled and divided into quadrants. From each of them, five galls were collected, forming a total of 400 galls per collection. Thrips showed greater abundance at higher temperatures (25.7°C) and no precipitation. Sex ratio was biased towards females (0.022 males per female), pointing to an inbred mating structure. Arthropod fauna associated with galls was more abundant (N=798) in winter, and it included representatives of the orders Hemiptera, Hymenoptera, Araneae, Coleoptera, Neuroptera, Psocoptera, Thysanoptera, Diptera and Blattodea

Multivalent Tryptophan‐ and Tyrosine‐Containing [60]Fullerene Hexa‐Adducts as Dual HIV and Enterovirus A71 Entry Inhibitors

Unprecedented 3D hexa-adducts of [60]fullerene peripherally decorated with twelve tryptophan (Trp) or tyrosine (Tyr) residues have been synthesized. Studies on the antiviral activity of these novel compounds against HIV and EV71 reveal that they are much more potent against HIV and equally active against EV71 than the previously described dendrimer prototypes AL-385 and AL-463, which possess the same number of Trp/Tyr residues on the periphery but attached to a smaller and more flexible pentaerythritol core. These results demonstrate the relevance of the globular 3D presentation of the peripheral groups (Trp/Tyr) as well as the length of the spacer connecting them to the central core to interact with the viral envelopes, particularly in the case of HIV, and support the hypothesis that [60]fullerene can be an alternative and attractive biocompatible carbon-based scaffold for this type of highly symmetrical dendrimers. In addition, the functionalized fullerenes here described, which display twelve peripheral negatively charged indole moieties on their globular surface, define a new and versatile class of compounds with a promising potential in biomedical applications

Hexacladia linci, n. sp. (Hymenoptera : Encyrtidae) endoparasite de Lincus malevolus Rolston (Heteroptera : Pentatomidae) au Pérou

Des #Pentatomidae adultes de l'espèce #Lincus malevolus Rolston, récoltés sur #Astrocaryum (#Palmae) dans la forêt amazonienne du Pérou, nous ont livré un Hyménoptère parasite #Encyrtidae. L'adulte, mâle et femelle, est décrit comme #Hexacladia linci Rasplus, n. sp. Cette espèce est un endoparasite grégaire effectuant la totalité de son développement - larvaire et nymphal - dans l'hôte vivant ; les imagos quittent l'hôte adulte après avoir découpé des orifices de sortie dans la face dorsale de l'abdomen. Le nombre de parasites par hôte varie de 1 à 26 (moyenne : 10). Tous les parasites sont à peu près au même stade de développement dans leur hôte. Les hôtes adultes parasités possèdent des gonades atrophiées mais les autres organes ne sont pas lésés. Dans les échantillons d'hôtes examinés, le pourcentage d'individus parasités (larves de stade V et adultes) était de 42 %. (Résumé d'auteur