Faunal diversity of Paederus Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in Iran

Beetles of the genus Paederus sensu stricto Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) are often noticed because of their potency in inducing a dermal lesion, so-called linear dermatitis. This genus, which is placed in the tribe Paederini and subfamily Paederinae of Staphylinidae, currently comprises 490 species worldwide. Our study presents a short review of the former records of Paederus spp. in Iran plus some unpublished data. Field collections were done during March-October yearly (1997-2007) in northern and southern Iran and April-June from central, eastern, western and north-western Iran (2008-2009). The present study adds four species to the Iranian fauna of the genus Paederus, which are P. brevipennis Lacordaire, 1835, P. basalis Bernhauer, 1914, P. pubescens Cameron, 1914 and P. schoenherri Czwalina, 1899. Paederus brevipennis and P. schoenherri are the first members of the subgenus Harpopaederus Scheerpeltz, 1957, ever reported from Iran. Considering previous reports, museum-deposited materials and our findings, 14 species and subspecies of the genus Paederus, which are grouped in five subgenera, occur in Iran. These subgenera are Eopaederus Scheerpeltz, Harpopaederus Scheerpeltz, Heteropaederus Scheerpeltz, Paederus Fabricius and Poederomorphus des Cottes; however P. duplex spectabilis Bernhauer, 1913 is not yet attributed to any of the 13 so-far defined subgenera

Die mögliche Rolle der antennalen Cuticularporen beim Sexualverhalten von Cyaneolytta sp. (Coleoptera: Meloidae)

Cantharidin, which is mainly found in blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae), is one of the most intensively studied natural products of insect (Dettner, 1997; McCormick & Carrel, 1987). The involvement of cantharidin in courtship behaviour has been already confirmed for certain canthariphilous insects (Eisner & al. 1996a,b; Frenzel & Dettner 1994; Frenzel & al. 1992; Schütz & Dettner, 1992; Hemp & al. 1999). The function and intrinsinc role of cantharidin in the courtship behaviour of Meloids has been never fully established. McCormick & Carrel (1987) only suggested that cantharidin might be used by female meloids when selecting a mate at close range. Pinto (1974, 1975) was, in fact, the first to consider male cuticular pores as being involved in the courtship behaviour of species from the genus Linsleya and Tegrodera (Meloidae). Based on morphology and chemical analyses of Cyaneolytta sp. (Coleoptera: Meloidae), we have hereby provided some further evidences that cantharidin may act as an infochemical in courtship behaviour of meloid beetles.Ölkäfer (Col: Meloidae) gehören zu den Insekten mit medizinischer Bedeutung. Cantharidin, das im gesamten Körper (v.a. in den Sexualorganen beider Geschlechter) der Käfer zu finden ist, verursacht Blasen auf der Haut. Die mögliche Rolle des Cantharidins im Sexualverhalten der Ölkäfer ist von besonderem wissenschaftlichem Interesse. Cyaneolytta sp. wurde in Karen, Kenia, gesammelt. Nach der Sektion wurden die Insektenkompartimente hydrolysiert und mittels quantitativer GC-MS chemisch analysiert. Um Poren der Kutikula und andere äußere Merkmale zu untersuchen, wurde ein Rasterelektronenmikroskop verwendet. Für Dünnschnitte der inneren Gewebe wurden Mikrotomschnitte angefertigt. Statistische Analysen wurden mit dem Softwarepaket Statistica durchgeführt. In den Antennen von Cyaneolytta sp. Péringuey, 1909 finden sich extrem hohe Cantharidinmengen. Die Daten zeigen eine deutliche Korrelation zwischen der Dichte der Kutikularporen und dem Cantharidingehalt der Antennenglieder Scapus und Pedicellus der Cyaneolytta-Männchen. Es existieren zahlreiche kanalartige Strukturen, die sich von der Hämolymphe der Antennen zur Oberfläche erstrecken, wo sich die Kutikularporen befinden. Betrachtet man den Cantharidingehalt der Antennensegmente, so enthalten die Glieder der Männchen viel größere Mengen als die der Weibchen. Auch besitzen die Kutikularporen der Weibchen eine deutlich geringere Dichte auf den Antennensegmenten. Die kanalartigen Strukturen auf den ersten beiden Antennensegmenten der Weibchen könnten uni- oder multizelluläre Tubuli sein, die das in der Hämolymphe zirkulierende Cantharidin an die Oberfläche bringen, aber die Poren auf den Antennen der Weibchen müssen eine andere Funktion haben. Während des Balzverhaltens berühren sich beide Geschlechter mit den Antennen, wobei die cantharidinhaltigen Poren in direkten Kontakt mit den weiblichen Antennen gelangen. Es wird vermutet, dass Cantharidin an die Oberfläche der Antennen der Männchen abgegeben wird. Demnach könnte der porenhaltige Bereich der männlichen Antennen eine Struktur sein, die Cantharidin abgibt, während der porenhaltige Bereich der weiblichen Antennen ein Rezeptorfeld darstellen könnte, dessen Chemorezeptoren einen bevorzugten Geschlechtspartner erkennen. Damit wurden weitere Hinweise für die Hypothese gesammelt, dass Cantharidin eine Rolle bei der sexuellen Selektion im Nahbereich spielt

Plant-mediated effects on mosquito capacity to transmit human malaria

The ecological context in which mosquitoes and malaria parasites interact has received little attention, compared to the genetic and molecular aspects of malaria transmission. Plant nectar and fruits are important for the nutritional ecology of malaria vectors, but how the natural diversity of plant-derived sugar sources affects mosquito competence for malaria parasites is unclear. To test this, we infected Anopheles coluzzi, an important African malaria vector, with sympatric field isolates of Plasmodium falciparum, using direct membrane feeding assays. Through a series of experiments, we then examined the effects of sugar meals from Thevetia neriifolia and Barleria lupilina cuttings that included flowers, and fruit from Lannea microcarpa and Mangifera indica on parasite and mosquito traits that are key for determining the intensity of malaria transmission. We found that the source of plant sugar meal differentially affected infection prevalence and intensity, the development duration of the parasites, as well as the survival and fecundity of the vector. These effects are likely the result of complex interactions between toxic secondary metabolites and the nutritional quality of the plant sugar source, as well as of host resource availability and parasite growth. Using an epidemiological model, we show that plant sugar source can be a significant driver of malaria transmission dynamics, with some plant species exhibiting either transmission-reducing or -enhancing activities

Faunal diversity of \u3ci\u3ePaederus\u3c/i\u3e Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) in Iran

Beetles of the genus Paederus sensu stricto Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) are often noticed because of their potency in inducing a dermal lesion, so-called linear dermatitis. This genus, which is placed in the tribe Paederini and subfamily Paederinae of Staphylinidae, currently comprises 490 species worldwide. Our study presents a short review of the former records of Paederus spp. in Iran plus some unpublished data. Field collections were done during March-October yearly (1997-2007) in northern and southern Iran and April-June from central, eastern, western and north-western Iran (2008-2009). The present study adds four species to the Iranian fauna of the genus Paederus, which are P. brevipennis Lacordaire, 1835, P. basalis Bernhauer, 1914, P. pubescens Cameron, 1914 and P. schoenherri Czwalina, 1899. Paederus brevipennis and P. schoenherri are the first members of the subgenus Harpopaederus Scheerpeltz, 1957, ever reported from Iran. Considering previous reports, museum-deposited materials and our findings, 14 species and subspecies of the genus Paederus, which are grouped in five subgenera, occur in Iran. These subgenera are Eopaederus Scheerpeltz, Harpopaederus Scheerpeltz, Heteropaederus Scheerpeltz, Paederus Fabricius and Poederomorphus des Cottes; however P. duplex spectabilis Bernhauer, 1913 is not yet attributed to any of the 13 so-far defined subgenera

Medically important beetles (insecta: coleoptera) of Iran

This study focused on coleopteran species that are responsible for the emergence of recent cases of dermatological manifestations in Iran. To the best of our knowledge, five species of the family Meloidae and nine species of the genus Paederus are by far the only beetles recognized as medically important in Iran. The staphylinids consists of Paederus ilsae, P. iliensis, P. fuscipes, P. kalalovae, P. balcanicus, P. lenkoranus, P. littoralis, P. carpathicus, P. nigricornis, while the meloids are Mylabris impressa, M. guerini, Muzimes iranicus, Alosimus smyrnensis and Epicauta sharpi. Most cases of linear dermatitis in this country occur in areas bordering the Caspian Sea. This problem is caused by beetles of the genus Paederus which are present as adults from mid-April to October with particularly high incidences from May to August. Fars (in southern Iran) ranks second in number of cases of insect-induced dermatitis. The third major region in which this type of dermatitis has been recorded is Hamedan Province, in the west of the country. Meloid dermatitis showed its highest severity in 2001, when a considerable number of patients sought medical help in Toyserkan and Nahavand counties. New cases of skin blistering were reported along the Persian Gulf coast and the agent was identified as Epicauta sharpi (Coleoptera: Meloidae). In all these regions, it was observed that recorded cases of lesions coincided precisely with the yearly peaks of the beetles. Paederus fuscipes and P. kalalovae are the predominant species along the Caspian Sea shore. It appears that P. fuscipes is homogeneously distributed throughout the Caspian Sea region while the distribution of the other species is more irregular. Paederus fuscipes is probably the major agent that causes linear dermatitis in northern Iran. Whereas this disease is a rural difficulty in the south, mainly in villages or small towns, it is an urban problem in northern provinces along the Caspian Sea shore. Meloid dermatitis has been registered only in western and southern Iran. It is not as widespread as linear dermatitis and remains a minor rural health problem