Review of the genus Cryptophagus Herbst, 1863 (Coleoptera Cryptophagidae) from Georgia.

Cryptophagus axillaris Reitter, 1875 from Savekuo Cave is recorded for the beetle fauna of the Caucasus for the first time, while C. lycoperdi (Scopoli, 1763) from Bichvinta (=Pitsunda) is a new record for Georgian beetle fauna. Twenty five species of the Cryptophagus beetles are recorded in Georgia. Sampling data and distribution map for the genus Cryptophagus species are given. Identification key to the genus Cryptophagus in Georgia is provided

Cryptophagidae (Coleoptera) from the Himalayas, with descriptions of new species, keys and remarks to some Languriidae

Volume: 598Start Page: 1End Page: 2

Unexpected Diversity of Xenoscelinae in Priabonian European Amber: The Third Xenosceline Species from Rovno Amber

Xenophagus simutniki sp. n. is described from a late Eocene Rovno amber specimen. The new species is similar to the fossil Xenophagus popovi Lyubarsky et Perkovsky, 2017 from the late Eocene Baltic amber (W Russia), differing in the medially notched anterior margin of the pronotum. The Rovno xenosceline fauna is the richest among both extant and extinct faunas. This fauna includes the extinct genera Xenophagus Lyubarsky & Perkovsky, 2017 and Xenohimatium Lyubarsky & Perkovsky, 2012, which are closest to the extant Mediterranean Xenoscelis Wollaston 1864 and the representative of the extant boreal genus Zavaljus Reitter, 1880. A key to extinct species of the subfamily Xenoscelinae is presented. The possible reasons of xenoscelines abundance in European amber forests are discussed

Reconstructing emergent biological phenomena through comparative functional architectonics

In biological knowledge, a central task over centuries has been determining how do organisms ‘appear’ from the structural elements they are composed of. Reformulated, this question is about the functional organization of organisms: what are they composed of, and what the roles of the different elements are in this organization. Traditionally, this question has been addressed through top-down reductionistic approaches addressing individual elements (‘molecular pathways’). However, whereas such approaches provide a rich insight about lower-level elements and their interactions, they do not offer clues about how the higher level of organization (‘the organism’) emerges from such interactions: the possible number of work hypotheses is extremely large. To overcome this difficulty, we present an oppositely directed bottom-up approach based on inductive reasoning. In this methodology: 1) realizations of the ‘molecular pathway’ of interest in different contexts are compared, 2) following a strategy similar to that presented by Georg Pólya in his volumes of Mathematics and plausible reasoning (Pólya, 1954; 1968), the archetype (the “general case”) of the ‘molecular pathway’ of interest is conceived. By analyzing the archetype, functional roles of the ‘molecular pathway’ of interest are further inferred back in the specific contexts. As a result of this back-and-forth approach, that we denominate comparative functional architectonics, a reduced set of plausible and experimentally testable hypotheses is obtained about relevant functional ties linking organism-level traits (‘the phenotype’) with corresponding lower-level elements. We present the rules to apply the proposed methodology, together with examples of returned results taken from our previous studies following the comparative functional architectonic approach (Pérez Koldenkova and Hatsugai, 2017; Pérez Koldenkova and Hatsugai, 2018; Panina et al., 2020). This work is primarily intended for the community of ‘pathway biologists’: biologists whose research interests are related to the physiological relevance of particular ‘molecular pathways’, either in vitro or in vivo

TwonewfossilspeciesofthegenusAtomariaStephens (Coleoptera:Cryptophagidae) from Eocene European amber with a key to species described from fossil resins

Lyubarsky, Georgy Yu., Bukejs, Andris (2022): TwonewfossilspeciesofthegenusAtomariaStephens (Coleoptera:Cryptophagidae) from Eocene European amber with a key to species described from fossil resins. Zootaxa 5188 (3): 283-289, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5188.3.

Atomaria (Anchicera) Thomson 1863

Subgenus <i>Anchicera</i> Thomson, 1863 <p> <b>Note.</b> The studied amber specimen shows the combination of characters unequivocally corresponding to the family Cryptophagidae: 11-segmented antennae with loose, 3-segmented club; tarsal formula 5-5-5; incomplete epipleura; elytra completely covering abdomen, with irregular punctation; procoxal cavities closed externally; and abdominal ventrite 1 longest. The studied amber specimen can be classified into the subfamily Atomariinae based on the following characters: antennal insertions situated under the lateral margin of forehead; and pronotum without callosities, teeth and submarginal lines. The new extinct species is assigned to the subgenus <i>Anchicera</i> within the genus <i>Atomaria</i> based on the combination of the following characters: distance between antennal insertions larger than distance between antennae and аnterior margin of eye; and lateral sides of elytra widely rounded, not parallel.</p>Published as part of <i>Lyubarsky, Georgy Yu., Alekseev, Vitalii & Bukejs, Andris, 2023, A new fossil species and new record of Atomaria Stephens (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) from Eocene Baltic amber, pp. 241-248 in Zootaxa 5375 (2)</i> on page 242, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5375.2.5, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10184340">http://zenodo.org/record/10184340</a&gt

Atomaria (Anchicera) alekseevi Lyubarsky et Bukejs, No 2022

<i>Atomaria (Anchicera) alekseevi</i> Lyubarsky et Bukejs, 2022 <p>(Figs 6–7)</p> <p> <b>Material examined.</b> One specimen AWI-143 [CVIA], Baltic amber; adult, sex unknown. Syninclusions: absent.</p> <p> <b>Note.</b> The beetle (total length 1.57 mm) has antennomere 3 elongated, about 2× longer than wide, slightly shorter than antennomere 2; antennomeres 9 and 10 strongly transverse; pronotum about 1.5× wider than long; pronotal disc convex; pronotum distinctly narrowed toward base; lateral side borders of pronotum visible from above only in basal half of its length; and pronotum maximum width nearly in middle of its length. The abovementioned characters allow us to assign this specimen to <i>A. alekseevi</i>.</p>Published as part of <i>Lyubarsky, Georgy Yu., Alekseev, Vitalii & Bukejs, Andris, 2023, A new fossil species and new record of Atomaria Stephens (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) from Eocene Baltic amber, pp. 241-248 in Zootaxa 5375 (2)</i> on page 247, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5375.2.5, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10184340">http://zenodo.org/record/10184340</a&gt

Atomaria (Anchicera) propinqua Lyubarsky & Alekseev & Bukejs 2023, sp. nov.

<i>Atomaria</i> (<i>Anchicera</i>) <i>propinqua</i> sp. nov. <p>(Figs 1–5)</p> <p> <b>Type material.</b> Holotype:No 062 [ACAB]; adult, sex unknown.A complete beetle is included in a transparent, yellow amber piece with dimensions of 15× 14 mm and a maximum thickness of 2 mm; preserved without supplementary fixation. Syninclusions: absent.</p> <p> <b>Type stratum.</b> Baltic amber; Middle–Late Eocene (Sadowski <i>et al</i>. 2017, 2020; Seyfullah <i>et al</i>. 2018; Bukejs <i>et al</i>. 2019; Kasiński <i>et al</i>. 2020).</p> <p> <b>Type locality.</b> Yantarny village (formerly Palmnicken), the Kaliningrad Region, Russia.</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> Measurements: body length (from anterior margin of head to elytral apex along midline) about 1.46 mm, body maximum width across both elytra 0.62 mm; head length 0.15 mm, head maximum width across eyes 0.33 mm; pronotum length 0.35 mm, pronotum maximum width 0.46 mm; elytra length 0.96 mm, elytra maximum width 0.62 mm. Body elongate, moderately convex; integument rufous (as preserved); pubescence simple, inconspicuous, semierect.</p> <p>Head partially retracted into thorax, transverse, about 2.1× wider (including eyes) than long, not constricted behind eyes; coarsely punctate, distance between punctures 0.3–1.2× diameter of one puncture, punctation distinctly denser posterolaterally. Frons convex, without tubercles. Forehead flat, slightly convex laterally. Compound eyes hemispherical, convex, rather large, with 10–11 large facets at outer margin (in dorsal view). Antennae inserted close to eyes, under lateral margin of forehead; antennal insertions widely separated, distance between antennal insertions larger than distance between antennae and аnterior margin of eye; antennal grooves absent. Antennae 11- segmented with loose, 3-segmented club, rather long, reaching slightly beyond pronotal base; antennal flagellum (antennomeres 3–8) stout, about 0.33× as wide as eye length; antennomere 1 subcylindrical, elongate, 1.5× longer than wide; antennomere 2 subconical, slightly dilated apically, elongate, 1.6× longer then wide; antennomere 3 conical, elongate, about 1.3× longer than wide, slightly narrower (about 0.9× as wide as antennomere 2) and slightly shorter than antennomere 2; antennomere 4 elongate, 1.25× longer than wide; antennomere 5 subtrapezoidal, elongate, 1.3× longer than wide, nearly as long as antennomere 3; antennomeres 6–8 trapezoidal, dilated apically, equal in length, as long as wide; antennal club slender, rather narrow, slightly wider than flagellum; antennomeres 9–10 trapezoidal, nearly as wide as long, antennomere 10 about 1.3× as wide as antennomere 8; antennomere 11 oval, with narrowly rounded apex, 1.7× longer than wide; relative length ratios of antennomeres 1–11 equal to 9:8:6:5:6:5:5:5:6:7:12. Terminal maxillary palpomere subconical.</p> <p>Pronotum weakly transverse, 1.3× wider than long, narrowed posteriad and anteriad, with maximum width slightly beyond middle; with convex disc; with finely margined posterior and lateral sides; lateral side borders visible from above only in basal half. Pronotal punctation coarse and rather dense, distance between punctures equal to 1.0–1.5× diameter of one puncture; pronotal punctation about as large as punctation of head. Posterior angles obtuse, pointed; anterior angles obtuse. Anterior edge weakly rounded, without excision; posterior edge bisinuate, lobed, with shallow depression and two basal pits; lateral edges widely rounded, without callosity and teeth, with fine crenulation. Prohypomera slightly impressed; with rather dense, coarse punctation. Prosternum with disc convex; sparsely covered with coarse punctation. Prostenal process convex, wide, about 0.7× as wide as procoxal width. Procoxal cavities closed externally.</p> <p>Scutellar shield small, oval, strongly transverse, 2.3× wider than long, covered with fine punctation. Elytra elongate-oval, moderately convex, with maximum width in middle, 1.55× longer than wide, 2.7× as long as pronotum length; completely covering abdomen; lateral sides slightly rounded; humeri rounded, slightly prominent. Elytral punctation irregular, coarse and rather dense; punctures in basal part about as large as punctures on pronotal disc; distance between punctures equal to 1.0–1.5× diameter of one puncture. Epipleura narrowed posteriorly, incomplete, extending about to abdominal ventrite 4. Metaventrite with disc convex; covered with coarse, rather dense punctation.</p> <p>Legs slender, long, relatively similar in shape, finely punctate. Procoxae large, widely suboval, slightly transverse; mesocoxae round; metacoxae narrowly oval, strongly transverse. Femora elongate-oval, flattened. Tibiae thin, almost straight, nearly as long as femora, apparently with apical spines. Tarsi long and thin; tarsomeres simple, not lobed; tarsal formula 5-5-5. Pretarsal claws simple.</p> <p>Abdomen with five visible, freely articulated ventrites; intercoxal process rather wide; ventrite 1 longest, covered with rather coarse punctation, ventrites 2–5 with fine and denser punctures; ventrite 5 truncate apically. Relative length ratios of ventrites 1–5 equal to?29:11:9:8:9 (measured medially).</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> <i>Atomaria propinqua</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> can be distinguished from related species by a combination of characters: antennal flagellum (antennomeres 3–8) stout, about 0.33× as wide as eye length; antennomeres 1 and 2 slightly wider than flagellum; antennomere 3 elongate, about 1.3× as long as wide, only slightly narrower and slightly shorter than antennomere 2; antennomere 5 about as long as antennomere 3; antennomeres 6–8 equal in length; antennomeres 9–10 trapezoidal, nearly as wide as long; antennal club slender, rather narrow, slightly wider than flagellum; pronotum and elytra with simple, semierect, inconspicuous pubescence; pronotum weakly transverse, narrowed toward base, with convex disc; lateral side borders of pronotum visible from above only in basal half of its length; pronotum maximum width nearly in middle of its length.</p> <p> The new species resembles the fossil species <i>A</i>. <i>alekseevi</i> Lyubarsky et Bukejs, 2022 (Baltic amber) but differs in stout antennal flagellum, about 0.33× as wide as eye length (about 0.2× as wide as eye length in <i>A</i>. <i>alekseevi</i>), comparatively shorter and wider antennomere 3 (about 1.3× longer than wide in the new species and about 2× longer than wide in <i>A</i>. <i>alekseevi</i>; and 0.9× as wide as antennomere 2 width in the new species and 0.6× as wide as antennomere 2 width in <i>A</i>. <i>alekseevi</i>); nearly as wide as long antennomeres 9–10 (strongly transverse in <i>A</i>. <i>alekseevi</i>); more elongate antennomere 11 (1.7× longer than wide in the new species and 1.2× longer than wide in <i>A</i>. <i>alekseevi</i>); and more narrowed posteriad and less transverse pronotum, 1.3× wider than long (pronotum less narrowed posteriad and more transverse, 1.5× wider than long and less in <i>A</i>. <i>alekseevi</i>).</p> <p> In the recently published paper (Lyubarsky <i>et al</i>. 2023), a key to Eocene <i>Atomaria</i> species is provided, including <i>A. propinqua</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> as “ <i>Atomaria</i> sp. Lyubarsky, Alekseev et Bukeis in prep. 2023”.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> The specific epithet of this new species stems from the Latin adjective <i>propinquus</i>, meaning “related, similar, resembling, near”.</p> <p> <b>Ecological note.</b> The present-day cosmopolitan distribution, morphological polymorphism and ecological plasticity of <i>Atomaria</i> (Leschen 1996; Lyubarsky 1998) do not allow us to speculate about the detailed paleohabitat peculiarities of the species in the Eocene amber forest. The fourth species of <i>Atomaria</i> described from Baltic amber testifies to the species richness of the genus in the European Eocene and rather wide spectrum of ecological niches for mycophagous beetles, connected with rotting vegetation of primeval forest.</p>Published as part of <i>Lyubarsky, Georgy Yu., Alekseev, Vitalii & Bukejs, Andris, 2023, A new fossil species and new record of Atomaria Stephens (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) from Eocene Baltic amber, pp. 241-248 in Zootaxa 5375 (2)</i> on pages 242-246, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5375.2.5, <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10184340">http://zenodo.org/record/10184340</a&gt

The two roles of Ca2+ signaling

Genes are the determinants and limiting constraints of all the possible features a living organism can display. Genes, however, are largely lineage-specific, and a strict focus on them can lead to an overlook of functional analogies existing between organisms belonging to non-related lineages. In the present concept work we propose that: 1) Ca2+ signaling is a general, cross-kingdom, regulatory pathway encompassing lineage-specific gene-defined morphogenesis in multicellular organisms, 2) to understand its way of action, Ca2+ signaling should be approached from the viewpoint of the functional blocks involved in the execution of migration, proliferation and other cellular-level processes. Two major roles are attributed to Ca2+ signaling within this framework: the “classical”, stimulus-transducing triggering role, and a second one, here termed orchestrating, reflecting the responsive regulation of Ca2+ signaling properties by Ca2+ signaling itself. Approaching Ca2+ signaling from this perspective reveals currently hard-to-formalize general structural features of living organisms, experimental validation of which would otherwise require an extremelly large number of “wet” analyses, and to which bioinformatics methods alone can be blind