Simúlidos (Diptera: Simuliidae) de la Comunidad de Madrid (España): actualización y nuevas aportaciones

Simuliidae family in Spain has been studied irregularly: some enclaves have been widely investigated by both national and foreign experts, while others have been merely mentioned or addressed indirectly for various reasons. The Madrid Region in Spain has been recurrently investigated in this respect, yet many geographical areas remain to be studied regarding Simuliidae taxonomy, geographical distribution, and ecology. In this study, a thorough sampling was conducted based on searching for preimaginal stages of larva and pupa attached or fixed to any suitable support in different lotic water systems. The latter were chosen for their favourable conditions for hosting new and valuable information. The collected material was identified based on morphological characteristics. A total of 16 species were identified. The following is an update of the simuliid fauna and its altitudinal ranges from Spain’s central geographical area, including seven new records for the Madrid Region: Prosimulium rufipes (Meigen, 1830); Simulium (Nevermannia) naturale Davies, 1966; Simulium (Nevermannia) quasidecolletum Crosskey, 1988; Simulium (Nevermannia) urbanum Davies, 1966; Simulium (Simulium) trifasciatum Curtis, 1839; Simulium (Simulium) maximum (Knoz, 1961); Simulium (Simulium) variegatum Meigen, 1818. Following the update, the species with the narrowest altitudinal distribution were: S. (N.) naturale and S. (N.) urbanum: 1843-1844 meters (m), while Simulium (Nevermannia) cryophilum (Rubtsov, 1959) and Simulium (Simulium) intermedium Roubaud, 1906 presented the widest distribution: 870-2000 m. In this study, S. (N.) naturale and S. (N.) urbanum also displayed the narrowest altitudinal range, with 1 m, whereas S. (N.) cryophilum presented the broadest, with 603 m. The present study contributes to the knowledge of Spanish blackflies generally and from the Madrid Region in particular, providing new insights into the species composition and their altitudinal distribution. It thus lays the foundations for future works.La familia Simuliidae ha sido estudiada de manera irregular en España, habiendo sido algunos enclaves ampliamente investigados por expertos tanto nacionales como extranjeros, y otros meramente abordados o no considerados directamente hasta el momento por diversas causas. La Comunidad de Madrid ha sido una de estas zonas recurrentemente investigadas, pero todavía hoy hay muchas partes cuya taxonomía, distribución geográfica, y ecología necesitan ser estudiadas. En este estudio, se ha realizado un muestreo basado en la búsqueda minuciosa de ejemplares preimaginales de larva y pupa adheridos o fijados en cualquier soporte en diferentes cuerpos de agua lóticos elegidos por sus condiciones favorables para albergar nueva y valiosa información. El material recolectado ha sido identificado atendiendo a caracteres morfológicos. Se ha obtenido un total de 16 especies. Esto ha supuesto una actualización de la simulidofauna y de sus rangos altitudinales del área central de España, con siete citas nuevas para la Comunidad de Madrid: Prosimulium rufipes (Meigen, 1830); Simulium (Nevermannia) naturale Davies, 1966; Simulium (Nevermannia) quasidecolletum Crosskey, 1988; Simulium (Nevermannia) urbanum Davies, 1966; Simulium (Simulium) trifasciatum Curtis, 1839; Simulium (Simulium) maximum (Knoz, 1961); Simulium (Simulium) variegatum Meigen, 1818. Las especies con distribución altitudinal más restringida, tras la actualización, han sido S. (N.) naturale y S. (N.) urbanum: 1843-1844 metros (m), mientras que Simulium (Nevermannia) cryophilum (Rubtsov, 1959) y Simulium (Simulium) intermedium Roubaud, 1906 han revelado la más extensa: 870-2000 m. En este estudio, S. (N.) naturale y S. (N.) urbanum también mostraron el rango altitudinal más reducido con 1 m, mientras que S. (N.) cryophilum mostró el más amplio con 603 m. Esta investigación arroja luz sobre el conocimiento de los simúlidos de España en general y de la Comunidad de Madrid en particular, aportando conocimientos nuevos sobre la composición de las especies y su distribución altitudinal, y sentando las bases para futuros trabajos

FIGURE 2. Median joining network genes showing 95 in Taxonomic status of the black fly Prosimulium italicum Rivosecchi (Diptera: Simuliidae) based on genetic evidence

FIGURE 2. Median joining network genes showing 95% probability linkages among 28 haplotypes of COI and COII genes obtained from 29 individuals of P. hirtipes and P. italicum. Mutational changes are represented by ticks across network connections.The area of each circle is proportional to the number of individuals sharing the haplotype

FIGURE 3. Chromosome I in Taxonomic status of the black fly Prosimulium italicum Rivosecchi (Diptera: Simuliidae) based on genetic evidence

FIGURE 3. Chromosome I of Prosimulium italicum. A. Proximal sections 22–27 of IL of female larva (Italy, Campania), showing nucleolar organizer (N.O.), presence of heteroband IL 25hb (arrow) in heterozygous configuration. The distal breakpoint (arrow) isalso shown for perinucleolar inversion IL-15 ofP.hirtipes from Slovakia(Morava).B. IS (exceptsections 1–5) and base of IL with nucleolar organizer (N.O.) of male larva (Italy, Sicily), showing IS-8 sequence and Y-linked IS-25 (heterozygous) with heteroband IS 10hb (+). Breakpoints are indicated for X-linked IS-9 and IS-27 in P. italicum. Breakpoints are also indicated for X-linked IS-10, autosomal polymorphism IS-26, and IL-15 (proximal breakpoint, arrow) in P. hirtipes; IS-9 is fixed in P. hirtipes. C = centromere. C. End of IS of female larva (Italy, Campania), showing distal breakpoints of X- linked IS-9 and IS-10

Blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Croatia: species richness, distribution and relationship to surrounding countries

Ivković, Marija, Kúdela, Matuš, Kúdelová, Tatiana (2016): Blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Croatia: species richness, distribution and relationship to surrounding countries. Zootaxa 4109 (1), DOI: http://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4109.1.

New genus and species of cavernicolous cockroach (Blattaria, Nocticolidae) from Vietnam

The new, small cavernicolous species Helmablatta louisrothi gen. et sp. n. (Nocticolidae) from the Tan-Phu cave (Vietnam) is one of the most morphologically interesting cockroaches. The extremely modified upstanding tergal gland composite from three tergites and may serve for gripping the female head during copulation. This presumption is supported by the presence of a central big hook on tergite 8. Furthermore, both wing pairs are uncommonly adapted to help releasing sex pheromones without raising the wings. Histone 3 DNA-based maximum likelihood analyses indicate a recent origin and close phylogenetic relationship between Nocticola spp. and Helmablatta sp.—consistent with the Quaternary age of the source lava tubes

FIGURE 1 in Taxonomic status of the black fly Prosimulium italicum Rivosecchi (Diptera: Simuliidae) based on genetic evidence

FIGURE 1. Neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on 1,214 bp sequences of the COI and COII genes of P. hirtipes and P. italicum. Bootstrap values for ML, MP, and NJ analyses are shown above the branches

DNA Barcoding of Black Flies (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Slovakia and Its Utility for Species Identification

DNA barcoding based on the cytochrome oxidase I gene is increasingly used in black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae), but extensive data for larger areas are still rare. Slovakia, with well-explored black fly fauna, was chosen to verify the reliability of DNA barcoding for species identification. The DNA barcoding region of the COI gene of 235 individuals of 25 black fly species from Slovakia was sequenced. Among them, 30 sequence clusters with assigned Barcode Index Numbers (BINs) were identified, and 5 of them were recorded for the first time. The average intraspecific genetic divergence was 0–3.24%, whereas the average interspecific divergence was 12.3–17.8%. Based on the barcode sequence, 14 species could be identified unambiguously, and 3 of them (Prosimulium latimucro, Simulium costatum, S. degrangei) are split into two or more barcode clusters. In eleven species, some degree of barcode sharing occurred, often combined with barcode splitting. The results showed hidden diversity as well as cases of shared barcode sequences among the studied species. Further investigation using other molecular markers is necessary due to the overlap of intraspecific and interspecific variability

Cryptic Biodiversity and the Origins of Pest Status Revealed in the Macrogenome of Simulium colombaschense (Diptera: Simuliidae), History's Most Destructive Black Fly.

The European black fly Simulium (Simulium) colombaschense (Scopoli), once responsible for as many as 22,000 livestock deaths per year, is chromosomally mapped, permitting its evolutionary relationships and pest drivers to be inferred. The species is 12 fixed inversions removed from the standard sequence of the subgenus Simulium. Three of these fixed inversions, 38 autosomal polymorphisms, and a complex set of 12 X and 6 Y chromosomes in 29 zygotic combinations uniquely characterize S. colombaschense and reveal 5 cytoforms: 'A' in the Danube watershed, 'B' in Italy's Adige River, 'C' in the Aliakmonas River of Greece, 'D' in the Aoös drainage in Greece, and 'E' in the Belá River of Slovakia. 'C' and 'D' are reproductively isolated from one another, and 'B' is considered a cytotype of 'A,' the probable name bearer of colombaschense. The species status of 'E' cannot be determined without additional collections. Three derived polytene sequences, based on outgroup comparisons, place S. colombaschense in a clade of species composed of the S. jenningsi, S. malyschevi, and S. reptans species groups. Only cytoforms 'A' and 'B' are pests. Within the Simuliidae, pest status is reached through one of two principal pathways, both of which promote the production of large populations of blood-seeking flies: (1) colonization of the world's largest rivers (habitat specialization) or (2) colonization of multiple habitat types (habitat generalization). Evolutionary acquisition of the ability to colonize large rivers by an ancestor of the S. jenningsi-malyschevi-reptans clade set the scene for the pest status of S. colombaschense and other big-river members of the clade. In an ironic twist, the macrogenome of S. colombaschense reveals that the name associated with history's worst simuliid pest represents a complex of species, two or more of which are nonpests potentially vulnerable to loss of their limited habitat

Chromosome arm IIS of <i>Simulium colombaschense</i>.

<p>Sections 42–49 and 52–53: female larva; remainder: male larva. Relative to the <i>Simulium</i> subgeneric standard [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0147673#pone.0147673.ref025" target="_blank">25</a>], fixed inversion <i>IIS-1</i> is present. Autosomal inversions IIS-2 and IIS-3 are indicated by brackets. Bu = bulges, C = centromere, RB = ring of Balbiani, tr = trapezoidal, ‘4’ = 4 doublets.</p

Chromosome arm IIL of female larva of <i>Simulium colombaschense</i>.

<p>A, B. Relative to the <i>Simulium</i> subgeneric standard [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0147673#pone.0147673.ref024" target="_blank">24</a>], overlapping fixed inversions <i>IIL-1</i> and <i>IIL-2</i>, autosomal inversion IIL-14, heterobands 63hb (homozygous) and 71hb (heterozygous), and expressed band eb (homozygous) are present. Autosomal inversions IIL-12, IIL-13, and IIL-15 are indicated by brackets and the location of heteroband 64hb by an arrow. The 3 fragments of section 59 can be reassembled into the <i>Simulium</i> subgeneric standard sequence by alphabetically ordering the small letters ‘a’ through ‘f.’ C. Distal half of arm, showing the standard sequence (male larva from Sarantáporos River, Greece). C = centromere, DNA = DNA puff, gB = gray band, Pb = parabalbiani, pf = puffing band, po = polar, st = sawtooth, sy = symmetrical, ‘3’ = 3 sharp, ‘5’ = 5 sharp.</p