Review: Insects in and out

Chapman, R.F. 1998: The Insects (Structure and Function). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Pp. 770

A note on some parasites of Merluccius capensis (Pisces) and their zoogeographical significance

During the Southeastern Atlantic Expedition of the German fishery research vessel "Walther Herwig" in 1967 the main emphasis lay on selective fishing of the South African hake Merluccius capensis (von BRANDT 1967). Some of the fish were found to be infested by ecto-and endoparasites both of which were collected whenever possible. Large plerocercoids of Dibothriorhynchus grossum whose adult stage lives in the South Atlantic Ocean in Lamna cornubica (L.SZIDAT, personal communication) were quite common as were cysticercoids of a Tetrarhynchus sp., which had also been reported in Cynoscion striatus off the Argentinian coast (MACDONAGH 1927, cited in Szidat, personal communication). Brownish nematodes were infesting the ovaries of several fish, but could not be identified. The most common ectoparasite to be observed was the parasitic isopod Livoneca raynaudii (fam. Cymothoidae) whose early larval stages were also found

Review: Chemical Methodology in Entomology and Ecology

Millar, J.G. and Haynes, K.F. 1998: Methods in Chemical Ecology. Chapman & Hall, New York. Pp.390

Review: What Makes Our Insects Sick?

Boucias, D.G. & J.C. Pendland 1998: Principles of Insect Pathology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston/Dordrecht/London. Pp. 537

Erratum

Entomologica Fennica. 28 December 200

Review: Warfare with odours

Insect-plant Interactions and Induced Plant Defence (Novartis Foundation Symposium 223). Editors: Derek J. Chadwick (organizer) and Jamie A. Goode (1999). John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester, England. 281 pp

Dimensional limits for arthropod eyes with superposition optics

AbstractAn essential feature of the superposition type of compound eye is the presence of a wide zone, which is transparent and devoid of pigment and interposed between the distal array of dioptric elements and the proximally placed photoreceptive layer. Parallel rays, collected by many lenses, must (through reflection or refraction) cross this transparent clear-zone in such a way that they become focused on one receptor. Superposition depends mostly on diameter and curvature of the cornea, size and shape of the crystalline cone, lens cylinder properties of cornea and cone, dimensions of the receptor cells, and width of the clear-zone. We examined the role of the latter by geometrical, geometric-optical, and anatomical measurements and concluded that a minimal size exists, below which effective superposition can no longer occur. For an eye of a given size, it is not possible to increase the width of the clear-zone cz=dcz/R1 and decrease R2 (i.e., the radius of curvature of the distal retinal surface) and/or c=dc/R1 without reaching a limit. In the equations `cz' is the width of the clear-zone dcz relative to the radius R1 of the eye and c is the length of the cornea-cone unit relative to R1. Our results provide one explanation as to why apposition eyes exist in very small scarabaeid beetles, when generally the taxon Scarabaeoidea is characterized by the presence of superposition eyes. The results may also provide the answer for the puzzle why juveniles or the young of species, in which the adults possess superposition (=clear-zone) eyes, frequently bear eyes that do not contain a clear zone, but resemble apposition eyes. The eyes of the young and immature specimens may simply be too small to permit superposition to occur

Reviews:

Howard, F. W., Moore, D., Giblin-Davis, R. M., & Abad, R. G. 2001: Palm Trees and their Insects. — CABI Publishing, Oxford. 400 pp. Price £58.50. Nilsson, A. N. 2001: Dytiscidae (Coleoptera). World Catalogue of Insects. 3. — Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark. 395 pp. ISBN 87-88757-62- 5. Price 690 DKK. Löbl, I. & Smetana, A. (eds.) 2003: Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. 1. Archostemata- Myxophaga-Adephaga. — Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark. 818 pp. ISBN 87-88757-73- 0. Price 900 DKK

Neka ekološka i etološka opažanja troglobita koji vidi, Hendea myersi cavernicola (Chelicerata: Arachnida: Opiliones)

Data on the visual behaviour of Hendea myersi cavernicola (Forster) are provided which demonstrate that this harvestman can see. Since no specimens could be trapped outside the cave and the integument of this species displays a reduction in pigmentation, we have to conclude that we are dealing with a troglobite which not only possesses eyes, but actually uses them.U radu se daju podaci o vizualnom ponašanju Hendea myersi cavernicola (Forster), a koji pokazuju da ovaj kosac vidi. Nije bilo moguće uloviti nijedan primjerak izvan špilje, a integument ove vrste pokazuje redukciju pigmentacije, pa moramo zaključiti da se radi o troglobitu koji ne samo da ima oči, nego ih i koristi

Vertebrates used for medicinal purposes by members of the Nyishi and Galo tribes in Arunachal Pradesh (North-East India)

Arunachal Pradesh, the easternmost part of India, is endowed with diverse natural resources and inhabited by a variety of ethnic groups that have developed skills to exploit the biotic resources of the region for food and medicines. Information on animals and animal parts as components of folk remedies used by local healers and village headmen of the Nyishi and Galo tribes in their respective West Siang and Subansiri districts were obtained through interviews and structured questionnaires. Of a total of 36 vertebrate species used in treatments of ailments and diseases, mammals comprised 50%; they were followed by birds (22%), fishes (17%), reptiles (8%) and amphibians (3%). Approximately 20 common complaints of humans as well as foot and mouth disease of cattle were targets of zootherapies. Most commonly treated were fevers, body aches and pains, tuberculosis, malaria, wounds and burns, typhoid, smallpox, dysentery and diarrhoea, jaundice, and early pregnancy pains. Very few domestic animal species (e.g., goat and cattle) were used zootherapeutically. More frequently it was wild animals, including endangered or protective species like hornbill, pangolin, clouded leopard, tiger, bear, and wolf, whose various parts were either used in folk remedies or as food. Some of the animal-based traditional medicines or animal parts were sold at local markets, where they had to compete with modern, western pharmaceuticals. To record, document, analyze and test the animal-derived local medicines before they become replaced by western products is one challenge; to protect the already dwindling populations of certain wild animal species used as a resource for the traditional animal-derived remedies, is another