Bioecological notes on Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff) (Coleoptera Curculionidae Scolytinae), a species recently recorded into Italy

Intense trade flows favour the accidental diffusion of alien plant and animal species harmful to agricultural crops and forest ecosystems in many parts of the world. Particularly prone to such introductions are lignicolous species of woodboring beetles that attack living plants and can develop in lumber or crating wood, such as many species belonging to the subfamilies Scolytinae and Platypodinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae). Investigations of marked witherings of laurel twigs (Laurus nobilis L.) carried out from autumn 2010 in an area of the Versilia coast (Lucca) revealed that the Black twig borer, Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff), was involved in this pathological expression. This species was recently recorded for the first time in Italy on ornamental plants in some localities in the Naples’s province. Here we report its essential external morphological features, with useful characters for its distinction from X. germanus (Blandford), a morphologically similar species, as well as its essential bioecological features, with special reference to what has been observed in the abovementioned area of Tuscany. This should facilitate the rapid identification and verification of new outbreaks and, where possible, the timely implementation of control strategies

Fabrication And Development of innovative 3D platforms for cell biology by 2-photon lithography

The hard processing conditions of natural and nature-derived hydrogels, whose potential in cellular applications is well established, strongly limit their employment in the realization of advanced systems for guiding cells behavior. In the first part of the thesis an overview on the main 3D micro-fabrication techniques to produce instructive platforms for cell engineering application is provided with special emphasis on the principles and main uses of the direct laser writing two-photon polymerization (DLW 2PP) process. The application of this technique to the fabrication of synthetic, natural and natural derived hydrogel 3D structures is presented, highlighting its current potentialities and limits. Special attention is devoted to the versatility of a biomaterial like gelatin and its broad spectrum of applications, as this is the core subject of the thesis which aims to further expand gelatin use by proposing new approaches to develop innovative platforms for specific cell engineering applications. In Chapter 2 we defined the composition of a gelatin-based photoresist to fabricate complex and high resolute microstructures with our 3D lithography system (Nanoscribe Professional GT). We first synthetized and characterized an acrylate gelatin which was mixed with an azobenzene based crosslinker and with a photoinitiator compatible with our system specifications. Then, the fabrication process was optimized in terms of process parameters and writing strategy. Moreover we proved the fundamental role of the azobenzene in the fabrication of stable structures. Finally, we characterized the polymerized gelatin showing physical properties compatible with many cellular applications. In Chapter 3 we developed a gelatin-based platform for the mechanical stimulation of cells; to this end we studied a strategy in which cells were first positioned and then exposed to mechanical stresses. To control cell positioning we used the Nanoscribe to introduce a novel topographic signal that strongly affected the cell adhesion process. Cells were mechanically stimulated by the light induced microstructures deformation due to the azobenzene crosslinker isomerization. As light source we employed the laser of a confocal microscope to promote a significant material photo-deformation. To get an in-depth comprehension of the photo-deformation mechanical properties of the material were analysed after light exposure. Adopting this strategy we were then able to selectively deform living cells down to the single cell level. In Chapter 4 we exploited same gelatin as instructive building blocks designed to guide, with specific topographic patterns, the production of anisotropic oriented micro-tissue for tissue engineering applications. To this endwe used the Nanoscribe as a rapid prototyping technique to test the efficiency of the aforementioned topographic signal. Once demonstrated the importance of the topography in determining the micro-tissue orientation, we tried to build up a droplet microfluidic device for the massive production of tubular gelatin patterned emulsions. More specifically, to pattern the gelatin surface, we performed an in-chip 3D lithography process to insert specific 3D extrusion micro-heads strategically positioned into the device. The large scale production of the gelatin blocks by exploiting such microfluidic device is under development

An annotated checklist of aphids surveyed in the Italian regions of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna

This paper deals with the aphid fauna complex of the two administrative regions of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna (N.C. Italy) where a total of 442 taxa of specific and sub-specific rank are registered of which 385 taxa belong to Tuscany and 326 to Emilia Romagna. Furthermore, additional notes are provided on a few species which have not yet been recorded or are practically unheard of in Italy. A short chorological comment on the species complex is also added

Gamasid soil mites (Arachnida Acari) as indicators of the conservation status of forests

The Gamasida of 8 study areas in 5 different Sites of Community Interest (SCI of the Nature 2000 network) of Central Italy, characterized by beech forest and by mixed forests, were investigated to collect information for define the conservation status of the investigated sites. Samples were taken in autumn from the forest ground of the study sites (litter and soil till 7 cm in depth) during the three years of the study. Collected adult specimens were identified at species level and data were used to calculate the following indices: Shannon, Simpson, Eveness and Maturity index. On the whole, in the 8 study sites were recorded 63 species of Gamasida, belonging to 17 families, and some species seems to be a rare component of the fauna. Among study sites, diversity indices ranged from 2.20 to 2.57 for the Shannon index and from 0.82 to 0.90 for the Simpson, while the Maturity index ranged from 0.69 to 0.85; no substantial differences were observed among different study areas

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL OF ACLEES SP. CF. FOVEATUS AND FIRST RECOVERY OF AN ASSOCIATE BEAUVERIA BASSIANA STRAIN

Aclees sp. cf. foveatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is spreading in Central Italy, causing severe infestation on fig trees. There are very few information for this pest and no natural enemy is reported. Here, we report the first recovery of a natural enemy associated with this invasive weevil, a strain of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana. The potential use of entomopathogenic fungi and nematodes as biocontrol agents was tested against adults in laboratory trials. In agree with the detection in nature, only treatments with B. bassiana were able to control the insects. This result opens new frontiers for the environmental friendly control strategies against this weevil

Local photo-mechanical stiffness revealed in gold nanoparticles supracrystals by ultrafast small-angle electron diffraction

We demonstrate that highly-ordered two-dimensional crystals of ligand-capped gold nanoparticles display a local photo-mechanical stiffness as high as that of solids such as graphite. In out-of equilibrium electron diffraction experiments, a strong temperature jump is induced in a thin film with a femtosecond laser pulse. The initial electronic excitation transfers energy to the underlying structural degrees of freedom, with a rate generally proportional to the stiffness of the material. With femtosecond small-angle electron diffraction, we observe the temporal evolution of the diffraction feature associated to the nearest-neighbor nanoparticle distance. The Debye-Waller decay for the octanethiol-capped nanoparticles supracrystal, in particular, is found to be unexpectedly fast, almost as fast as the stiffest solid known and observed by the same technique, i.e. graphite. Our observations unravel that local stiffness in a dense supramolecular assembly can be created by Van der Waals interactions up to a level comparable to crystalline systems characterized by covalent bonding

Alien insects on Eucalytpus spp.: an australian biocenosis in Tuscany

Despite the diffusion of eucalypts in Italy, the community of insects hosted by these trees is scantily studied, while information about the presence of these pests is crucial for their potential threats to economic activities. This study aims at investigating and evaluating the status of Australian insects hosted by eucalypts in Tuscany (Central Italy). We found six established species and, among them, two species recently discovered in the study area were noteworthy for their potential impacts and diffusion: Gonipterus scutellatus complex and Glycaspis brimblecombei. We provided a distribution map on Tuscan coast for both these species and revised data on biology and presence of these and other alien insects Eucalyptus-linked species

FIRST INTERCEPTION OF TRICHOFERUS CAMPESTRIS (FALDERMANN, 1835) (COLEOPTERA CERAMBYCIDAE CERAMBYCINAE) IN ITALY

The Velvet Longhorned Beetle Trichoferus campestris (Faldermann, 1835) was intercepted for the first time in Italy, in the Naples harbour, during monitoring activities at entry points carried out in the context of the national project ASPROPI. T. campestris is widely polyphagous and able to colonize several woody species in both agricultural and forest environments. Moreover timber and solid wood items can be equally attractive to this pest. This additional report, in an area where other alien insect species had been identified in the past, emphasises how the national monitoring network represents a key element of the alert system designed to quickly counter the accidental introduction and spreading of exotic insect pests

The Rapid Identification of Anoplophora chinensis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) From Adult, Larval, and Frass Samples Using TaqMan Probe Assay

A molecular diagnostic method using TaqMan probe qPCR is presented for the identification of Anoplophora chinensis (Förster) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from whole body insects (adults and larvae) and frass samples stored under different conditions. The results showed a perfect amplification of DNA from all samples; the repeatability and reproducibility of the protocol were very good, with standard deviations of inter-run and intrarun variability less than or equal to 0.5. The assay allowed to discern all A. chinensis samples from those of the other non-target wood-borer species, with 100% correspondence to the homologous sequences. No amplification or cross reactions were observed with A. glabripennis (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), which is the most related species among those tested. The protocol was validated by an internal blind panel test which showed a good correspondence between the results obtained by different operators in the same lab. The analytical sensitivity for the lab frass with the Probe qPCR, namely the lowest amount of A. chinensis DNA that can be detected (LoD), was 0.64 pg/μl with a Cq of 34.87. The use of indirect evidence for the identification of a pest is an important feature of the method, which could be crucial to detect the presence of wood-boring insects. This diagnostic tool can help prevent the introduction of A. chinensis into new environments or delimit existing outbreak areas thanks to indirect frass diagnosis

A new additional record of Phloeosinus armatus Reitter from Italy (Coleoptera Curculionidae Scolytinae)

In the early 1990s, outbreaks of the Cypress bark beetle Phloeosinus armatus Reitter were reported on Cupressus sempervirens L. and C. arizonica Sarg. in north-western Italy (Liguria). About 10 years later, this bark beetle, whose distribution range is originally the eastern Mediterranean, was found again in the same region on rows and isolated plants of Mediterranean cypress. In this paper P. armatus is reported for the first time on C. sempervirens in central Italy (Tuscany), where this insect species is widespread both on ornamental trees and on woodland formations. A taxonomic key is presented for the identification of both the male and female adults of P. armatus among species of the genus Phloeosinus Chapuis living on Cupressaceae in south-western Europe. Due to its greater size, compared with the indigenous species P. aubei, and the behavioural similarities in the adult maturation phase among the two species, P. armatus could convey large quantities of inoculum of the fungus Seiridium cardinale (Wagener) Sutton et Gibson, causal agent of cypress canker. The need for extensive monitoring and specific research for the development of attractants and traps to capture the adult bark beetles is emphasized