An anatomical and ultrastructural study of the eye of the luminescent millipede Paraspirobolus lucifugus (Gervais 1836) (Diplopoda, Spirobolida, Spiroboleliidae)

Abstract The two forward-looking eyes and their ultrastructural organization of an 18 mm long adult bioluminescent female millipede (Paraspirobolus lucifugus) were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Each eye contained approximately 23 ommatidia with 50–60 μm wide and 80 um thick corneal lenses that contained calcium and silicon and proximally ended in truncated flat surfaces of around 20 μm in diameter. A maximally 28 μm thick and 25 μm long rhabdom, made up of at least 12–14 retinula cells and a 4 μm thick sleeve of screening pigment granules in a light-adapted position was present. Compared with the eyes of non-luminescent julid millipede species, those of P.lucifugus share their basic anatomy, but also exhibit features like the wide possible binocular frontal visual overlap, somewhat narrower interommatidial angles combined with relatively larger rhabdoms, which suggests that P.lucifugus has more efficient eyes and makes greater use of its photoreceptors. P.lucifugus is negatively phototactic and strictly nocturnal and its activity rhythm is apparently governed by a circadian clock

Could western attitudes towards edible insects possibly be influenced by idioms containing unfavourable references to insects, spiders and other invertebrates?

Abstract It is known that idioms, proverbs, and slogans can become integrated into feelings like irritation, contemptuous attitudes, and even anger and disgust. Idioms making reference to insects, spiders, and other invertebrates occur in all languages, but they convey mostly negative content in people of Western cultural orientation. By analyzing a subgroup of insect and spider idioms related to food, eating, and digestion, the authors suggest that mirror neurons are activated in people that are exposed to the largely unfavorable content of such idioms. This could then lead the listener of such idioms to adopt the kind of negative attitude towards insects that is expressed in the idioms and to project it towards edible species

Selection and validation of suitable reference genes for RT-qPCR analysis in the rare aquatic firefly Aquatica leii (Coleoptera: Lampyridae)

Abstract Aquatica leii Fu and Ballantyne is a species of rare aquatic firefly and endemic in China. It is considered good material to study the molecular mechanism of sexual flash communication systems. To improve conservation and behavioral research strategies, large-scale genetic studies involving gene-expression analysis are required and reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is the most commonly used method. However, there have been very few reports on appropriate reference genes in any species of firefly. Here, we evaluated eight widely utilized reference genes including 18S, Actin, Reep5, Odc1, Tub, Gapdh, Ef1a and S27Ae for their expression stabilities in A. leii under three different conditions, i.e., life stage, tissue and dsRNA injection. Based on the gene stability ranking calculated by RefFinder, which integrates four algorithms (geNorm, delta Ct method, NormFinder, and BestKeeper), we recommend S27Ae and Reep5 as the most appropriate reference genes for molecular studies in different life stages; Ef1a and Odc1 for different tissues; Tub and Odc1 for RNAi studies. The most appropriate reference genes in all treatments are S27Ae and Tub. The results of this study will help improve accuracy and reliability to normalize RT-qPCR data in A. leii for further molecular analysis

Regeneration in reptiles generally and the New Zealand tuatara in particular as a model to analyse organ regrowth in amniotes:a review

Abstract The ability to repair injuries among reptiles, i.e., ectothermic amniotes, is similar to that of mammals with some noteworthy exceptions. While large wounds in turtles and crocodilians are repaired through scarring, the reparative capacity involving the tail derives from a combined process of wound healing and somatic growth, the latter being continuous in reptiles. When the tail is injured in juvenile crocodilians, turtles and tortoises as well as the tuatara (Rhynchocephalia: Sphenodon punctatus, Gray 1842), the wound is repaired in these reptiles and some muscle and connective tissue and large amounts of cartilage are regenerated during normal growth. This process, here indicated as “regengrow”, can take years to produce tails with similar lengths of the originals and results in only apparently regenerated replacements. These new tails contain a cartilaginous axis and very small (turtle and crocodilians) to substantial (e.g., in tuatara) muscle mass, while most of the tail is formed by an irregular dense connective tissue containing numerous fat cells and sparse nerves. Tail regengrow in the tuatara is a long process that initially resembles that of lizards (the latter being part of the sister group Squamata within the Lepidosauria) with the formation of an axial ependymal tube isolated within a cartilaginous cylinder and surrounded by an irregular fat-rich connective tissue, some muscle bundles, and neogenic scales. Cell proliferation is active in the apical regenerative blastema, but much reduced cell proliferation continues in older regenerated tails, where it occurs mostly in the axial cartilage and scale epidermis of the new tail, but less commonly in the regenerated spinal cord, muscles, and connective tissues. The higher tissue regeneration of Sphenodon and other lepidosaurians provides useful information for attempts to improve organ regeneration in endothermic amniotes

Tangsa and Wancho of North-East India use animals not only as food and medicine but also as additional cultural attributes

Abstract Cultural and ritual uses of animals beyond those for food and medicine should not be dismissed if we wish to understand the pressure that wildlife is under. We documented such uses for the Tangsa and Wancho tribals of Eastern Arunachal Pradesh (India). Group discussions with assembled members of 10 accessible villages in each of the tribal areas were carried out in 2015 and 2016. Vernacular names of culturally important species were noted and details of hunting practices were recorded. The different uses of animals and their parts during rituals and festivals and their significance in decorations and adornments, in supernatural beliefs and in connection with tribal folklore (stories) are documented. Folklore helps us understand why some species are hunted and consumed while others for no apparent reason are killed or simply ignored. Similarities as well as differences between the two tribes were recorded and possible reasons for the differences are given. The roles that the government as well as the tribal leaders play to halt or slow down the erosion and gradual disappearance of traditions that define the two cultures without losing already rare and endangered species are highlighted

Zootherapeutic uses of animals and their parts:an important element of the traditional knowledge of the Tangsa and Wancho of eastern Arunachal Pradesh, North-East India

Abstract Using animals and their products to treat patients suffering from a range of health conditions has a long history and is still common in many parts of the world. We investigated such zootherapeutic uses among two tribes who inhabit different areas of North-East India: the Tangsa and the Wancho. Overexploitation of the animals they use, however, could endanger some species’ survival and create imbalances in the ecosystem that ultimately could affect humans and animals of the region. In order to find solutions how humans and animals can continue to coexist harmoniously, it is essential to know which species and their products are sought after by the local healers. We found that the Tangsa make greater use of animals than Wancho and use predominantly a variety of mammals (47%) followed by birds (16%) of the 55 species of animals considered therapeutic by them. The Wancho informed us of using 20 species, of which birds and their products account for 37%, while mammals and insects feature in 26% and 21%, respectively. In both tribes, the remainder are distributed across different animal taxa. To treat ailments and diseases like joint, bone and muscle pains, Tangsa prefer to use the body fats of tiger, civet, hornbill, eagle and python. Wancho do not use any animal fats very often and prefer animal parts and marrow to be given to a sick person in cooked or roasted form. The bile of bears is used by both Tangsa and Wancho in that it is supposed to ameliorate pain-causing conditions such as stomach, head and toothaches and to reduce labour pains. The use of leeches to remove blood clots and the consumption of earthworms to ward off malaria has been recorded only from the Wancho, while Tangsa treat malaria sufferers with tortoise carapace extracts. The use of the flesh of roasted bat wings fed to children older than 4 years of age to stop bed-wetting seems unique to the Tangsa. Being aware of such folk medicinal traditions is important not just with regard to safeguarding the animal resource, but also in connection with the introduction of possible alternative treatment methods not involving animal zootherapies

Farming the edible aquatic snail Pomacea canaliculata as a mini-livestock

Abstract In the present paper, we describe the farming system of Pomacea canaliculata, an edible freshwater snail, as it is practiced by a farmer as mini-livestock in the vicinity of Andong in Korea. We visited the snail farm several times in the summer and winter of the year and conducted interviews with the farm manager using a semi-structured questionnaire. The farm is housed in polythene tunnels and uses a tank pen of trench type made up of propylene and measuring 1 m × 2 m × 0.5 m (length × width × height) in size. A regulated inflow of fresh water and outflow of used water was installed, with water level not exceeding 5 to 7 cm. As feed of snails, commercial fish feed is generally provided. The life cycle of the P. canaliculata might differ in captivity under the controlled environmental conditions than that of an individual in the wild environment. The farming system of snails, particularly P. canaliculata, does not involve high labor-intensive, high capital investment and also does not require high through-put cutting edge technology. In addition to providing nutrient-dense snail meat, establishing a snailery could therefore augment the economic condition of farmers in the poorer regions of the world and encourage sustainability and biodiversity conservation

Honey bees and their brood:a potentially valuable resource of food, worthy of greater appreciation and scientific attention

Abstract Despite the consumption of bee brood in several parts of the world, particularly in the tropical areas, the practice has received comparatively little attention. We have reviewed all the available information on the nutrient composition and functional properties of different developmental stages of honey bee workers belonging to different species and subspecies. Noticing the competent nutrient composition of, in particular, honey bee brood, pupae, and prepupae, we suggest that they could be a potential source of human nutrition as well as animal feed. Moreover, drone brood is an ideal candidate for use as a food or as food ingredient. However, to analyze the functional properties of different honey bee species remains a task for further analysis

Farming of insects for food and feed in South Korea:tradition and innovation

Summary Edible silkworm pupae, known in Korea as “beondaegi” and seen as a valuable byproduct of the silk industry have been part of the local food spectrum for centuries. Edible crickets on the other hand, represented in Korea primarily by the species Gryllus bimaculatus and Teleogryllus emma as our research has shown, are relative newcomers and have been under cultivation in Korea for no longer than about 20 years. Silkworm pupae on account of their widely appreciated nutritional qualities can be obtained fresh at local vendors or in canned form from most supermarkets. Recently when Viagra-like effects of silkworm extracts were demonstrated in male rats, uses of silkworm pupae as material for the pharmaceutical industry have been added to their role as a human food item. Edible crickets, however, find their greatest acceptance as feed for domestic animals like pigs and poultry as well as increasingly farmed fish. The amount of cricket flour as a protein-rich additive to conventional flour types in the baking industry is expected to rise as is the number of farmed crickets and people employed in the cricket farm sector, generally. The total amount of crickets produced currently in Korea is dwarfed by the amount of 10 tons of silkworm pupae annually, of which 2 tons are specifically reared for the purpose of food and feed. To produce approximately 35,000 “beondaegi” 1 ton of mulberry leaf fodder is required, but 200,000 crickets can be reared on the equivalent of 100 kg wheat bran plus 80 kg of corn

Age determination in the icefish Pseudochaenichthys georgianus (Channichthyidae) based on multiple methods using otoliths

Abstract Aging Antarctic icefish is difficult because of their lack of scales and poorly calcified bones. Icefish ages must therefore be estimated from otoliths. We describe a method of reading daily micro-increments in connection with shape, size and mass analyses of the otoliths of the South Georgia icefish Pseudochaenichthys georgianus. Changes in otolith morphology and mass correlate with fish size and age group. The otolith micro-increment analysis is capable of establishing the age of an icefish by relating the daily micro-increment count to the life history of the fish. Micro-increment measurements and analyses are relatively simple to do by light and scanning electron microscopy and by using micro-densitometer and digitizing equipment. Drastic changes in the life history of an individual are reflected by measurable changes in its otolith micro-increment data as seen in our analyses of age groups 0-VI. The initial drastic change in daily micro-increment shapes and periodicities occur in connection with the hatching period of the icefish. The next drastic change in otolith shape and daily micro-increments occurs when ~7 cm long fish shift from pelagic to benthic habitats. As the fish age beyond group III, individual otolith variability lessens until they begin spawning. Our results indicate a single population of P. georgianus between the Antarctic Peninsula and South Georgia