Sawflies from Gansu province, China (Hymenoptera: Symphyta: Tenthredinidae)

Four new species are described from Gansu province, China: Taxoblenus longispinosus spec. nov., Tenthredo hajeki spec. nov., T. sinokrali spec. nov. and T. ruzickai spec. nov. The specific and generic name of Poppia yunanensis Haris and Roller, 1999 is proposed to change to Rocalia sinoweii Haris and Roller, 2007

Sawflies from Meghalaya, India (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae)

A new sawfly species is described from Meghalaya, India: Anapeptamena khasiensis spec. nov. Key for the Oriental Anapeptamena and redescription of Beleses stigmaticalis (Cameron, 1876) are given

A new species of Mesoneura (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae) associated with a xerothermic oak forest in the Western Carpathians, Slovakia

A new species of tenthredinid sawfly, Mesoneura tematinensis Roller, sp. nov., was discovered in the Tematinske kopce Mountains in the Western Carpathians in Slovakia. Adults of both sexes and larvae of different stages are described and illustrated. Based on morphology and DNA barcoding, the new species is closely related to Mesoneura opaca (Fabricius), a widespread oak sawfly in Europe, with which it occurs in the same locality and shares a common host plant. Larvae of the new species are part of a rich assemblage of a total of 13 Symphyta species that feed on leaves of the pubescent oak Quercus pubescens in a thermophilic supra-Mediterranean forest. A key to the European species of Mesoneura Hartig is provided

Sawflies of the Carpathian Basin, History and Current Research

All published localities of sawflies in the Carpathian Basin are listed and completed with about 4,300 new faunistic records of 554 species. Pachynematus (Larinematus) tatricus spec. nov. is described and compared to Pachynematus imperfectus (Zaddach, 1876). Twelve species are first records fór the fauna of the Carpathian Basin, 35 species fór Transylvania, 12 species fór Subcarpathia, 16 species fór Slovakia and 16 species fór Hungary. Six species are deleted from the fauna of the Carpathian Basin, 4 írom the Hungárián fauna and 5 from the Slovak fauna. The history of the sawfly research in the Carpathian Basin is discussed and the natúré conservation status of the rarest species is evaluated. 782 species are listed from the Carpathian Basi

Sawflies from Laos (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae)

Eleven new species are described from Laos: Apeptamena abrahami spec. nov., Athlophorus anjouspec. nov., Beleses abrahami spec. nov., Blennocampa laosensis spec. nov., Macrophya hergovitsi spec. nov., Rocalia lanxangensis spec. nov., Tenthredo jendeki spec. nov., Tenthredo sausai spec. nov., Tenthredo saringeri spec. nov., Xenapatidea jendeki spec. nov. and Xenapatidea nigrissima spec. nov. Athlophorus piacidus (Konow, 1898), Brykella heinrichi Malaise, 1943, Caliroa cyanea Malaise, 1961, Caliroa siamana Togashi,1982, Canonias assamensis Rohwer, 1915, Canonias inopinus Konow, 1900, Monophadnus rivalis Konow, 1906, Neostromboceros coxalis (Smith, 1857), Nesoselandria albotegularissima Haris, 2006, Nesoselandria birmana Malaise, 1944, Nesoselandria devriesi Haris, 2006, Nesoselandria sulciceps Malaise, 1944, Tenthredo megacephala Cameron 1899 and Tenthredo margaretella Rohwer, 1916 are new records for Laos

Origin and K-Ar age of the phreatomagmatic breccia at the Trepča Pb-Zn-Ag skarn deposit, Kosovo: Implications for ore-forming processes

The Trepča Pb-Zn-Ag skarn deposit in Kosovo is spatially and temporarily related to the phreatomagmatic breccia of Oligocene age (~23 Ma). The deposit shows features typical for skarn deposits worldwide, including a stage of isochemical metamorphism, a prograde stage of an anhydrous, low oxygen and low sulfur fugacity character and a retrograde stage characterized by an increase in the water activity as well as by an increase in oxygen and sulfur fugacities. The mineralization is hosted by the recrystallized Upper Triassic limestone. The prograde mineralization consists mainly of Ca-Fe-Mn±Mg pyroxenes. The host recrystallized limestone at the contact with the prograde (skarn) mineralization have the increased content of Fe, Mn, Mo, As, Au, Cs, Ga, REE and Y suggesting their transport by infiltrating magmatic fluids. The decreased  d13C and  d18O values reflect a contribution of magmatic CO2. The retrograde mineral assemblage comprises ilvaite, magnetite, arsenopyrite, pyrrhotite, marcasite, pyrite, Ca-Fe-Mn±Mg carbonates and quartz. Hydrothermal ore minerals, mostly galena, sphalerite and pyrite, were deposited contemporaneously with the retrograde stage of the skarn development. Syn-ore and post-ore carbonates reflect a diminishing influence of magmatic CO2. Syn-ore carbonates are enriched in Fe, Mg, Mn, many chalcophile elements, including Ag, As, Bi, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn, as well as in Au, Y and REE. The post-ore stage accompanied the precipitation of significant amount of Ca-rich carbonates including the travertine deposits at the deposit surface. The phreatomagmatic breccia was developed along a NW dipping contact between the ore bearing recrystallized limestone and the overlying schist. It has an inverted cone shape with the vertical extension up to 800 m and diameter up to 150-m. The upper part of the diatreme (an underground segment of the phreatomagmatic breccia) is characterized by the presence of a hydrothermally altered rootless quartz-latite dike surrounded by an unsorted polymict breccia mantle. Despite the alteration processes, the dike has a preserved porphyritic texture. Partly preserved sanidine, accompanied with the mixture of muscovite and quartz, reflects a near-neutral to weakly acidic environment. The clasts of country rocks and skarn mineralization underwent intense milling and mixing due to repeated magmatic penetrations. Sericitization of the breccia matrix, locally accompanied with minor kaolinitization, point to an increased water activity under near-neutral to weakly acidic conditions. Large fragments originally composed of anhydrous skarn minerals (pyroxenes) are usually completely altered to a mixture of fibroradial magnetite, quartz and various amount of carbonates suggesting an increase in oxygen fugacity. Their pyrite rims reflect that the increase in oxygen fugacity was followed by an increase in sulfur fugacity. The clast predominantly composed of Fe-sulfides and minor Bi-sulfides point that the increase in sulfur fugacity was locally sufficient to complete sulfidation of hedenbergite to pyrrhotite and/or pyrite. Although the phreatomagmatic breccia at the Trepča Pb-Zn-Ag skarn deposit does not carry significant amounts of the ore mineralization, its formation was crucial for the ore deposition. Phreatomagmatic explosions and formation of the breccia turned the system from the lithostatic to hydrostatic regime and triggered the retrograde stage increasing the water activity and oxygen fugacity in the system. In addition, cooling and decompression of the system contributed to more effective degassing of magmatic sulfur increased the sulfur fugacity. </p

Orcokinin-like immunoreactivity in central neurons innervating the salivary glands and hindgut of ixodid ticks

Orcokinins are conserved neuropeptides within the Arthropoda but their cellular distribution and functions in ticks are unknown. We use an antibody against the highly conserved N-terminal (NFDEIDR) of mature orcokinin peptides to examine their distribution in six ixodid species: Amblyomma variegatum, Dermacentor reticulatus, Hyalomma anatolicum, Ixodes scapularis, Ixodes ricinus and Rhipicephalus appendiculatus. Numerous immunoreactive neurons (similar to 100) were detected in various regions of the synganglion (central nervous system) in all examined tick species. Immunoreactive projections of two prominent groups of efferent neurons in the post-oesophageal region were examined in detail: (1) neurons innervating the salivary glands; (2) neurons innervating the hindgut. Using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ ionisation-time-of-flight (MALDI-TOF), we detected orcokinin peaks in extracts of the synganglia and hindguts but not in the salivary glands of I. scapularis females. Our data provide further evidence of the presence of orcokinin in ixodid ticks and establish a morphological basis for functional studies of identified peptidergic neuronal networks

Allochthonous blue spruce in Central Europe serves as a host for many native species of sawflies (Hymenoptera, Symphyta)

In air-polluted mountain areas of the Czech Republic, including the Ore Mountains, pure forest stands of introduced blue spruce (Picea pungens) were established in the 1980’s. We studied the Symphyta (Hymenoptera) fauna in the canopies of these trees at four sites and in the canopies of adjacent Picea abies trees at one of these sites by beating tree branches. For the first time, Nearctic blue spruce is reported as a host for 17 European species of Symphyta (sawflies). Diprionids in the genus Gilpinia were the most abundant sawflies on P. pungens and were more abundant on P. pungens than on the native Picea abies. Spruce pamphiliids in the genus Cephalcia were also more abundant on P. pungens than on P. abies, while the abundances of representatives of the tenthredinid genera Pikonema, Pachynematus, and Pristiphora were similar on P. pungens and P. abies. Our results indicate that many species of European spruce Symphyta are able to use the allochthonous species P. pungens as a host

Ecdysis triggering hormone signaling in arthropods

Ecdysis triggering hormones (ETHs) from endocrine Inka cells initiate the ecdysis sequence through action on central neurons expressing ETH receptors (ETHR) in model moth and dipteran species. We used various biochemical, molecular and BLAST search techniques to detect these signaling molecules in representatives of diverse arthropods. Using peptide isolation from tracheal extracts, cDNA cloning or homology searches, we identified ETHs in a variety of hemimetabolous and holometabolous insects. Most insects produce two related ETHs, but only a single active peptide was isolated from the cricket and one peptide is encoded by the eth gene of the honeybee, parasitic wasp and aphid. Immunohistochemical staining with antiserum to Manduca PETH revealed Inka cells on tracheal surface of diverse insects. In spite of conserved ETH sequences, comparison of natural and the ETH-induced ecdysis sequence in the honeybee and beetle revealed considerable species-specific differences in pre-ecdysis and ecdysis behaviors. DNA sequences coding for putative ETHR were deduced from available genomes of several hemimetabolous and holometabolous insects. In all insects examined, the ethr gene encodes two subtypes of the receptor (ETHR-A and ETHR-B). Phylogenetic analysis showed that these receptors fall into a family of closely related GPCRs. We report for the first time the presence of putative ETHs and ETHRs in genomes of other arthropods, including the tick (Arachnida) and water flea (Crustacea). The possible source of ETH in ticks was detected in paired cells located in all pedal segments. Our results provide further evidence of structural and functional conservation of ETH-ETHR signaling