A new phytophagous eulophid wasp (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) that feeds within leaf buds and cones of Pinus massoniana

Li, Xiangxiang, Xu, Zhihong, Zhu, Chaodong, Zhao, Jinnian, He, Yuyou (2014): A new phytophagous eulophid wasp (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) that feeds within leaf buds and cones of Pinus massoniana. Zootaxa 3753 (4): 391-397, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3753.4.

Aprostocetus Westwood 1833

Aprostocetus Westwood 1833 Aprostocetus Westwood, 1833: 444. Type species: Aprostocetus caudatus Westwood Asyntomosphyrum Girault, 1913: 71. Type species: Asyntomosphyrum pax Girault. Synonymized by Bouček, 1988: 676. Blattotetrastichus Girault, 1917: 257. Type species: Entedon hagenowii Ratzeburg. Synonymized by Graham, 1961: 36. Duotrastichus Girault, 1913: 257. Type species: Duotrastichus monticola Girault. Synonymized by Bouček, 1988: 677. Epentastichus Girault, 1913: 205, 229. Type species: Epitetrastichus speciosissimus Girault. Synonymized by Bouček, 1988: 676. Gyrolachnus Erdös, 1954: 365. Type species: Gyrolachnus longulus Erdös. Synonymized by Graham, 1961: 44. Hadrothrix Cameron, 1913: 175. Type species: Hadrothrix purpurea Cameron. Synonymized by Graham, 1987: 129. For more complete lists of synonymies see Graham (1961, 1987), Bouček (1988), LaSalle (1994) and Noyes (2012). Description. Body metallic or non-metallic, with or without pale markings. Head with malar sulcus present, usually straight or only slightly curved, occasionally foveate below eye. Eyes and ocelli fully developed. Mandible tridentate with outer tooth acute, middle and inner teeth progressively more obtuse. Female antenna with scape and pedicel having weakly engraved or obsolescent reticulation; anelli discoid to laminar, usually 4, rarely 3 or 2; funicle usually with 3, rarely 4, segments; clava most often with 3 segments but sometimes 2 owing to obsolescence of the second suture, very rarely solid. Male antenna with sculpture of scape and pedicel as in female; funicle with 4 segments, segments often with a whorl of elongate setae, clava with 3 segments. Mesosoma with pronotum usually short or very short (rarely moderately long), without a transverse carina. Mid lobe of mesoscutum nearly always with 1 row of adnotaular setae on each side (rarely with 2 or 3 rows), the anterior setae usually shorter than posterior setae. Setae of pronotum and mesoscutum not all equal in length. Scutellum nearly always at least slightly broader than long; normally with 2 pairs of setae which are almost always nearer to submedian than to sublateral lines; submedian lines usually distinct (occasionally weak, rarely absent); sublateral lines neither broad nor deep. Propodeum with reticulation varying from obsolescent to slightly raised, never very strong; median carina present; plicae and paraspiracular carinae absent; spiracles in most species moderate-sized and suboval, very close to metanotum (occasionally very small and subcircular or very rarely large), the outer part of their rim nearly always partly covered by a raised flap of the callus. Legs with hind coxa lacking dorsolateral longitudinal carina; first segment of mid and hind tarsi at least as long as second (sometimes very slightly shorter) in most species. Wings nearly always macropterous (rarely shortened or almost rudimentary); costal cell with a row of setae on lower surface; submarginal vein usually with 2 or more dorsal setae (rarely only 1 seta); parastigma hardly ever marked off from marginal vein by a decolourized area; postmarginal vein absent to at most half as long as stigmal vein. Gaster not strongly sclerotized, collapsing to a greater or lesser degree on air-drying; ovipositor sheaths usually projecting at least slightly (in rare cases even longer than the body), but occasionally not projecting; cercus most often with one seta slightly to very distinctly longer than the other and usually more or less sinuate or kinked near middle. Anterior margin of female hypopygium trilobed. Remarks. Species of Aprostocetus can be separated from other genera of Tetrastichinae by the characters given in keys by Graham (1987, 1991) and LaSalle (1994). The description given above illustrates the great deal of morphological variation that is found within Aprostocetus, but as a general rule species can be recognized by having the following combination of characters: submarginal vein with 3 or more dorsal setae, one of the cercal setae distinctly longer than the remaining setae and sinuate, propodeal spiracle partially covered by a raised lobe or flap on the callus, malar sulcus straight or only slightly curved, and mesosternum usually flat just anterior to trochantinal lobes. For notes on the Chinese species see Graham (1987), Sheng & Zhao (1995), Yang (1996), Wu et al. (2001), Zhu & Huang (2001, 2002), Yang et al. (2003), Xu & Huang (2004), Weng et al. (2007). At present there is no key to Chinese species of Aprostocetus. Biological notes. With a very wide host range, but most often inhabiting plant galls made by insects, such as Diptera (Cecidomyiidae) or sometimes Hymenoptera (Cynipoidea),occasionally Coleoptera or Coccoidea, and rarely gall-inhabiting Acari (Graham 1987). Only a single species of Aprostocetus has been definitely shown to be a gall inducer: A. colliguayae (Philippi) which induces galls on Colliguaja odorifera Molina (Euphorbiaceae) in Chile (Martinez et al. 1992; La Salle 2005). Distribution. Worldwide.Published as part of Li, Xiangxiang, Xu, Zhihong, Zhu, Chaodong, Zhao, Jinnian & He, Yuyou, 2014, A new phytophagous eulophid wasp (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) that feeds within leaf buds and cones of Pinus massoniana, pp. 391-397 in Zootaxa 3753 (4) on pages 392-393, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3753.4.8, http://zenodo.org/record/23020

FIGURES 1 – 8 in A new phytophagous eulophid wasp (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eulophidae) that feeds within leaf buds and cones of Pinus massoniana

FIGURES 1 – 8. Aprostocetus pinus sp. nov.: 1, ♀ head, front view; 2, ♀ head, dorsal view; 3, ♀ mesosoma; 4, ♂ mesosoma; 5, ♀ propodeum; 6, ♂ propodeum; 7, ♀ metasoma; 8, ♂ metasoma

Detection and coexistence of six categories of resistance genes in Escherichia coli strains from chickens in Anhui Province, China

The aim of this study was to characterise the prevalence of class 1 integrons and gene cassettes, tetracycline-resistance genes, phenicol-resistance genes, 16S rRNA methylase genes, extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes and plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance determinants in 184 Escherichia coli isolates from chickens in Anhui Province, China. Susceptibility to 15 antimicrobials was determined using broth micro-dilution. Polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing were used to characterise the molecular basis of the antibiotic resistance. High rates of antimicrobial resistance were observed; 131 out of the 184 (72.3%) isolates were resistant to at least six antimicrobial agents. The prevalences of class 1 integrons, tetracycline-resistance genes, phenicol-resistance genes, 16S rRNA methylase genes, extended-spectrum β-lactamase genes and plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance determinants were 49.5, 17.4, 15.8, 0.5, 57.6 and 46.2%, respectively. In 82 isolates, 48 different kinds of coexistence of the different genes were identified. Statistical (χ2) analysis showed that the resistance to amoxicillin, doxycycline, florfenicol, ofloxacin and gentamicin had significant differences (P<0.01 or 0.01<P<0.05) among the strains that carried and did not carry the resistance genes, which showed a certain correlation between antimicrobial resistance and the presence of resistance genes

Comparative Research of Chemical Profiling in Different Parts of Fissistigma oldhamii by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Hybrid Quadrupole-Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry

The roots of Fissistigma oldhamii (FO) are widely used as medicine with the effect of dispelling wind and dampness, promoting blood circulation and relieving pains, and its fruits are considered delicious. However, Hakka people always utilize its above-ground parts as a famous folk medicine, Xiangteng, with significant differences from literatures. Studies of chemical composition showed there were multiple aristolactams that possessed high nephrotoxicity, pending evaluation research about their distribution in FO. In this study, a sensitive, selective, rapid and reliable method was established to comparatively perform qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of the constituents in roots, stems, leaves, fruits and insect galls, using an Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography coupled with Hybrid Quadrupole Orbitrap Mass Spectrometry (UPLC-Q-Exactive Orbitrap MS, or Q-Exactive for short). To make more accurate identification and comparison of FO chemicals, all MS data were aligned and screened by XCMS, then their structures were elucidated according to MSn ion fragments between the detected and standards, published ones or these generated by MS fragmenter. A total of 79 compounds were identified, including 33 alkaloids, 29 flavonoids, 11 phenylpropanoids, etc. There were 54 common components in all five parts, while another 25 components were just detected in some parts. Six toxic aristolactams were detected in this experiment, including aristolactam AII, AIIIa, BII, BIII, FI and FII, of which the relative contents in above-ground stems were much higher than roots. Meanwhile, multivariate statistical analysis was performed and showed significant differences both in type and content of the ingredients within all FO parts. The results implied that above-ground FO parts should be carefully valued for oral administration and eating fruits. This study demonstrated that the high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled with multivariate statistical methods was a powerful tool in compound analysis of complicated herbal extracts, and the results provide the basis for its further application, scientific development of quality standard and utilization

Prevalence and characteristics of extended-spectrum β-lactamase and plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance genes in Escherichia coli isolated from chickens in Anhui province, China.

The aim of this study was to characterize the prevalence of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) genes and plasmid-mediated fluoroquinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants in 202 Escherichia coli isolates from chickens in Anhui Province, China, and to determine whether ESBL and PMQR genes co-localized in the isolates. Antimicrobial susceptibility for 12 antimicrobials was determined by broth microdilution. Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs), DNA sequencing, and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) were employed to characterize the molecular basis for β-lactam and fluoroquinolone resistance. High rates of antimicrobial resistance were observed, 147 out of the 202 (72.8%) isolates were resistant to at least 6 antimicrobial agents and 28 (13.9%) of the isolates were resistant to at least 10 antimicrobials. The prevalence of blaCTX-M, blaTEM-1 and blaTEM-206 genes was 19.8%, 24.3% and 11.9%, respectively. Seventy-five out of the 202 (37.1%) isolates possessed a plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance determinant in the form of qnrS (n = 21); this determinant occurred occasionally in combination with aac(6')-1b-cr (n = 65). Coexistence of ESBL and/or PMQR genes was identified in 31 of the isolates. Two E. coli isolates carried blaTEM-1, blaCTX-M and qnrS, while two others carried blaCTX-M, qnrS and aac(6')-1b-cr. In addition, blaTEM-1, qnrS and aac(6')-1b-cr were co-located in two other E. coli isolates. PFGE analysis showed that these isolates were not clonally related and were genetically diverse. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to describe detection of TEM-206-producing E. coli in farmed chickens, and the presence of blaTEM-206, qnrS and aac(6')-1b-cr in one of the isolates

Screening a Phage Display Library for Two Novel OmpU-Binding Peptides with Adhesion Antagonistic Activity against Vibrio mimicus.

Vibrio mimicus is a pathogen that causes ascites disease in fish. We have previously demonstrated that the outer membrane protein U (OmpU) is an important adhesin in V. mimicus. Here eight specific OmpU-binding phage clones, which presented three different OmpU-binding peptides (designated P1, P2, P3), were screened from a commercially available phage displayed 12-mer peptide library using rOmpU protein as target. Then, synthetic OmpU-binding peptides were measured for their adhesion antagonistic activity and binding affinity via adhesion inhibition test and non-competitive ELISA, respectively. The results showed that after co-incubated with the mixture of rOmpU and P3, visible green fluorescence could be observed on the epithelioma papulosum cyprinidi (EPC) cells surface; while the EPC cells co-incubated with the mixture of rOmpU and P1/P2 exhibited little green fluorescence. The average adhesion number of V. mimicus 04-14 isolate before and after treatment with peptide was 21.4 ± 1.5, 20.8 ± 0.8 (irrelevant peptide), 20.2 ± 0.5 (P3), 5.1 ± 0.7 (P1) and 3.4 ± 0.8 (P2), respectively. There was a significant decrease in the adhesive level of 04-14 isolate treated with P1/ P2 compared to the untreated isolate (p<0.01). The affinity constants of P1 and P2 were (6.17 ± 0.19) × 108 L/mol and (1.24 ± 0.56) × 109 L/mol, respectively. Furthermore, protective effects of P1 and P2 on grass carps challenged with V. mimicus were preliminary detected. It was found there was delayed death of fish in the groups treated with P1/P2, and the survival rate of challenged fish improved with the increase of the dose of adhesion antagonistic peptide. Taken together, two novel OmpU-binding peptides, which possessed adhesion antagonistic activity, high affinity and a certain degree of antibacterial activity against V. mimicus, were screened and identified

A combined object-based segmentation and support vector machines approach for classification of Tiangong-01 hyperspectral urban data

Traditional hyperspectral classification methods based on per-pixel spectral or texture features fail to take account of spatial structure and spatial correlation characteristics. In order to overcome this problem, a mixed classification method is proposed which incorporates spatial information by fusion of object-based segmentation with pixel-wise classifier. This paper tentatively assesses two mixed classification strategies: (1) Combine multi-resolution segmentation algorithm which based on Fractal Net Evolution Approach with the use of Support Vector Machine (MSVM); (2) Combine multi-scale watershed segmentation with Support Vector Machine (WSVM). The two methods were applied to Tiangong-01 hyperspectral urban data and the results showed that the proposed methods improve the classification accuracy effectively which not only avoid the spectral confusion to some extent but also mitigate the land fragmentation problem. ? 2014 IEEE.EI1777-178

Amino acid sequenc of linear B-cell epitope peptide of OmpU protein.

<p>Amino acid sequenc of linear B-cell epitope peptide of OmpU protein.</p

SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis of rOmpU expressed in <i>E</i>. <i>coli</i> BL21 (DE3).

<p>(<b>A</b>) M1, protein molecular weight standard; Lane 1, whole cell bacterial lysate after induction of pET-32a-OmpU/BL21 (DE3); Lane 2, soluble fraction part of the baterial lysate; Lane 3, purified rOmpU. (<b>B</b>) M2, protein molecular weight standard; Lane 1, Western blot of the purified rOmpU with OmpU-specific antibodies.</p