THE SECOND INSTAR OF BREVENNIA PULVERARIA (NEWSTEAD, 1892) (HEMIPTERA COCCOMORPHA PSEUDOCOCCIDAE) WITH NOTES ON THE TAXONOMIC AFFINITIES OF THE SPECIES

The second instar of Brevennia pulveraria is described and illustrated. The characteristic features common to both the adult female and second-instar nymph are presented. The characters of immature instars may be useful for identification to species level. Notes on the taxonomic affinity of B. pulveraria are presented

Volvicoccus stipae (BORCHSENIUS,1949)i in Poland (Hemiptera: Coccoidea)

Volvicoccus stipae (BORCHSENIUS, 1949) was recorded for the first time in Poland in 2008. Data on the new record of this species, distribution, host plants and morphology are given

Scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) of Upper Silesia

Faunistic research conducted in Poland for over 80 years has led to the discovery of 143 species of scale insects that live in the natural environment. The state of knowledge of the coccoid fauna of individual areas is uneven, however, 83 species of scale insects from 8 families were collected in Upper Silesia (Górny Śląsk). Upper Silesia is the region in Poland with the fourth-largest number of species; it is preceded by the Kraków-Wieluń Upland (94 species), Roztocze (88) and the Świętokrzyskie Mts. (86). Two of the species collected in this area – Trionymus hamberdi and Volvicoccus stipae – are known only from this region. The paper gives a list of scale insect species collected in Upper Silesia together with information on their localities

Bacterial associates of Orthezia urticae, Matsucoccus pini, and Steingelia gorodetskia - scale insects of archaeoccoid families Ortheziidae, Matsucoccidae, and Steingeliidae (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha)

The biological nature, ultrastructure, distribution, and mode of transmission between generations of the microorganisms associated with three species (Orthezia urticae, Matsucoccus pini, Steingelia gorodetskia) of primitive families (archaeococcoids = Orthezioidea) of scale insects were investigated by means of microscopic and molecular methods. In all the specimens of Orthezia urticae and Matsucoccus pini examined, bacteria Wolbachia were identified. In some examined specimens of O. urticae, apart from Wolbachia, bacteria Sodalis were detected. In Steingelia gorodetskia, the bacteria of the genus Sphingomonas were found. In contrast to most plant sap-sucking hemipterans, the bacterial associates of O. urticae, M. pini, and S. gorodetskia are not harbored in specialized bacteriocytes, but are dispersed in the cells of different organs. Ultrastructural observations have shown that bacteria Wolbachia in O. urticae and M. pini, Sodalis in O. urticae, and Sphingomonas in S. gorodetskia are transovarially transmitted from mother to progeny

Molecular characterization, ultrastructure, and transovarial transmission of Tremblaya phenacola in six mealybugs of the Phenacoccinae subfamily (Insecta, Hemiptera, Coccomorpha)

Mealybugs (Hemiptera, Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) are plant sap-sucking insects which require close association with nutritional microorganisms for their proper development and reproduction. Here, we present the results of histological, ultrastructural, and molecular analyses of symbiotic systems of six mealybugs belonging to the Phenacoccinae subfamily: Phenacoccus aceris, Rhodania porifera, Coccura comari, Mirococcus clarus, Peliococcus calluneti, and Ceroputo pilosellae.Molecular analyses based on bacterial 16S rRNA genes have revealed that all the investigated species of Phenacoccinae are host to only one type of symbiotic bacteria—a large pleomorphic betaproteobacteria—Tremblaya phenacola. In all the species examined, bacteria are localized in the specialized cells of the host-insect termed bacteriocytes and are transovarially transmitted between generations. The mode of transovarial transmission is similar in all of the species investigated. Infection takes place in the neck region of the ovariole, between the tropharium and vitellarium. The co-phylogeny between mealybugs and bacteria Tremblaya has been also analyzed

Polish cochineal scale Porphyrophora polonica (L.) (Hemiptera, Coccoidea, Margarodidae) in Upper Silesia

tekst w j. pol. i ang.Przystępując do badań przyjęto następujące cele: określenie częstości występowania czerwca polskiego w obrębie muraw Górnego Śląska oraz oszacowanie wpływu przekształceń siedlisk na jego występowanie na badanym obszarze

Fungal Associates of Soft Scale Insects (Coccomorpha: Coccidae)

Ophiocordyceps fungi are commonly known as virulent, specialized entomopathogens; however, recent studies indicate that fungi belonging to the Ophiocordycypitaceae family may also reside in symbiotic interaction with their host insect. In this paper, we demonstrate that Ophiocordyceps fungi may be obligatory symbionts of sap-sucking hemipterans. We investigated the symbiotic systems of eight Polish species of scale insects of Coccidae family: Parthenolecanium corni, Parthenolecanium fletcheri, Parthenolecanium pomeranicum, Psilococcus ruber, Sphaerolecanium prunasti, Eriopeltis festucae, Lecanopsis formicarum and Eulecanium tiliae. Our histological, ultrastructural and molecular analyses showed that all these species host fungal symbionts in the fat body cells. Analyses of ITS2 and Beta-tubulin gene sequences, as well as fluorescence in situ hybridization, confirmed that they should all be classified to the genus Ophiocordyceps. The essential role of the fungal symbionts observed in the biology of the soft scale insects examined was confirmed by their transovarial transmission between generations. In this paper, the consecutive stages of fungal symbiont transmission were analyzed under TEM for the first time

Symbiotic microorganisms in Puto superbus (Leonardi, 1907) (Insecta, Hemiptera, Coccomorpha : Putoidae)

The scale insect Puto superbus (Putoidae) lives in mutualistic symbiotic association with bacteria. Molecular phylogenetic analyses have revealed that symbionts of P. superbus belong to the gammaproteobacterial genus Sodalis. In the adult females, symbionts occur both in the bacteriocytes constituting compact bacteriomes and in individual bacteriocytes, which are dispersed among ovarioles. The bacteriocytes also house a few small, rod-shaped Wolbachia bacteria in addition to the numerous large, elongated Sodalis-allied bacteria. The symbiotic microorganisms are transovarially transmitted from generation to generation. In adult females which have choriogenic oocytes in the ovarioles, the bacteriocytes gather around the basal part of the tropharium. Next, the entire bacteriocytes pass through the follicular epithelium surrounding the neck region of the ovariole and enter the space between oocyte and follicular epithelium (perivitelline space). In the perivitelline space, the bacteriocytes assemble extracellularly in the deep depression of the oolemma at the anterior pole of the oocyte, forming a Bsymbiont ball

Stictocephala bisonia Kopp et Yonke, 1977 (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha, Membracidae) in Poland

The aim of this paper is to provide new data on a distribution of alien and invasive species Stictocephala bisonia Kopp et Yonke, 1977 in Poland. This species has rapidly spread across Europe and other parts of the world in the last 100 years and has colonized new territories. S. bisonia belongs to the group of leafhopper species of Nearctic origin

Kolekcje i dane przyrodnicze Instytutu Biologii, Biotechnologii i Ochrony Środowiska Uniwersytetu Śląskiego w Katowicach

The development of collections and databases in the field of animate nature at the University of Silesia is closely related to the over 50-years history of the development of biology at this university. Along with the development of the organizational structure, initially the Institute of Biology, and then the Faculty of Biology and Environmental Protection (from 2020, the Institute of Biology, Biotechnology and Environmental Protection - IBBiOŚ), botanical and zoological research teams were formed, which as part of the conducted research, as well as individual interests of researchers, have been collecting specimens and data that constitute research and documentation material. These collections come mainly from research conducted in the Upper Silesia region, but over time they were enriched with collections gathered in other regions of the country, Europe and the world. These collections are of great scientific and didactic value. According to the idea of modern scientific collections, the purpose of their activity is not only to collect and store collections, but to make this information available and disseminate to a wide group of interested recipients in Poland and around the world. As part of the IMBIO project, a total of 90,500 records will be made available from botanical and zoological collections, making it possible to use the resources of the IBBiOŚ UŚ collection at a distance