SpeS: A Novel Superantigen and Its Potential as a Vaccine Adjuvant against Strangles.

Bacterial superantigens (sAgs) are powerful activators of the immune response that trigger unspecific T cell responses accompanied by the release of proinflammatory cytokines. Streptococcus equi (S. equi) and Streptococcus zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) produce sAgs that play an important role in their ability to cause disease. Strangles, caused by S. equi, is one of the most common infectious diseases of horses worldwide. Here, we report the identification of a new sAg of S. zooepidemicus, SpeS, and show that mutation of the putative T cell receptor (TCR)-binding motif (YAY to IAY) abrogated TCR-binding, whilst maintaining interaction with major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II molecules. The fusion of SpeS and SpeSY39I to six S. equi surface proteins using two different peptide linkers was conducted to determine if MHC class II-binding properties were maintained. Proliferation assays, qPCR and flow cytometry analysis showed that SpeSY39I and its fusion proteins induced less mitogenic activity and interferon gamma expression when compared to SpeS, whilst retaining Antigen-Presenting Cell (APC)-binding properties. Our data suggest that SpeSY39I-surface protein fusions could be used to direct vaccine antigens towards antigen-presenting cells in vivo with the potential to enhance antigen presentation and improve immune responses

Photography-based taxonomy is inadequate, unnecessary, and potentially harmful for biological sciences

The question whether taxonomic descriptions naming new animal species without type specimen(s) deposited in collections should be accepted for publication by scientific journals and allowed by the Code has already been discussed in Zootaxa (Dubois & Nemésio 2007; Donegan 2008, 2009; Nemésio 2009a–b; Dubois 2009; Gentile & Snell 2009; Minelli 2009; Cianferoni & Bartolozzi 2016; Amorim et al. 2016). This question was again raised in a letter supported by 35 signatories published in the journal Nature (Pape et al. 2016) on 15 September 2016. On 25 September 2016, the following rebuttal (strictly limited to 300 words as per the editorial rules of Nature) was submitted to Nature, which on 18 October 2016 refused to publish it. As we think this problem is a very important one for zoological taxonomy, this text is published here exactly as submitted to Nature, followed by the list of the 493 taxonomists and collection-based researchers who signed it in the short time span from 20 September to 6 October 2016

Agnotecous petchekara Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp.

<i>Agnotecous petchekara</i> Desutter-Grandcolas n. sp. <p>(Fig.5)</p> <p> <b>Type material.</b> Holotype. New Caledonia. 11473, 21°34’S 166°07’E, Col de Petchekara, S. end, 13, 22.XI.2003 – 28.I.2004, G. Monteith, flight intercept. Trap (MNHN-ENSIF2681). Allotype: Same locality, collector and date as holotype, 1Ƥ, 11473 (MNHN-ENSIF2682). Paratypes (33, 3Ƥ). Same locality, collector and date as holotype: 13, 11473, (MNHN-ENSIF2683), 13, 2Ƥ, 11473 (QMF); 13, 11474 (QMF), 1Ƥ, 11474 (MNHN-ENSIF2684).</p> <p> <b>Type locality.</b> New Caledonia, col de Petchekara (21°34’S 166°07’E).</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> Named after the type locality.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> New Caledonia, Grande Terre, Province Sud, col de Petchekara.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> Stout and large species, close to <i>A. azurensis</i> Desutter-Grandcolas, 2006 by its male genitalia and FW venation. General colouration light brown, with legs I and II spotted yellow and brown. Cheeks light yellow along lower margin with a large black rounded spot behind the eye. Male FW dorsal field well shorter than lateral field; venation with few, large cells. Male genitalia twice as large as those of <i>A. azurensis</i>; distal margin of pseudepiphallic sclerite straight or slightly concave, and without dorsal lobes; pseudepiphallus almost flat in lateral view, the lophi only slightly raised dorsally; pseudepiphallic sclerite disto-lateral margins almost parallel, not strongly divergent as in <i>A. azurensis</i>. Female: FWs not overlapping, separated by a distance smaller than their own length, the dorsal field margin sinuated laterally; ovipositor longer than FIII.</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> Size big, body stout. Head dorsum light brown with variable yellow and dark brown lines, and many short golden setae; a short dark, transverse line between the fastigium basis and the eyes, extended along the inner margins of the eyes to the occiput; a short and thick yellow line behind each eye between this dark line and the cheek; 3 additional short and wide dark lines on the occiput; fastigium with a dark line behind median ocellus, yellow laterally between the median ocellus and each lateral ocellus. Median ocellus circled with dark brown. Face dark brown, shining, with sparse golden setae, except in a large area below each eye, covered with many short setae and not shining; a yellow spot or thin line under median ocellus; 4 additional yellowish spots, 2 above tentorium insertion points and 2 above the epistemal suture; a large yellow spot under the lower angle of each eye. Cheeks light yellow along their lower margins; with a wide black brown fleck along the distal margins of the eyes; a thin and concave yellow line within the dark fleck. Maxillary palpi largely yellow; joint 3 brown apically and distally; joint 4 yellow only laterally; joint 5 brown basally, ventrally and apically, only a dorsal fleck and the sides yellow. Scapes yellowish with brown spots on anterior and posterior sides. Antennae brown with small yellow rings made of 1 or 2 articles, their bases lighter. Pronotum dorsal disc light brown, including anterior and posterior margins, mottled with brown; a very faint medio-longitudinal light line. Lateral lobes dark brown, including the margins. Coxae I black brown with a large yellow spot. Coxae II yellow, the outer spine and 2 spots along the basal margin black. FI, FII yellow with brown spots, including a row of brown spots on the ventral margins; brown longitudinal lines on cephalic and caudal sides. TI, TII dark brown with two yellow rings, one distal and one at mid length, and a basal, dorsal yellow spot or ring. FIII with many regular oblique dark lines separated with yellow; ventral margins with brown spots. TIII brown, the spurs yellowish; spurs and spines with brown apex. TIII serrulation: 4–7 (m=5.7, n=8) inner and 9–14 (m=11.1, n=8) outer spines above spurs; 5–8 (m=6.6, n=8) inner and 7–9 (m=8.3, n=8) outer spines between spurs. Tarsomeres III-1: 3–7 (m=4.5, n=8) spines on dorsal outer edge; 1–2 (mean=1.3, n=8) spine on inner edge, in addition to apical spines; 1 outer lateral spine at one fourth of tarsomere length. Tarsi brown, the bases of tarsomeres 1 and 3 yellow. Tergites light brown, with a short medio-longitudinal yellow line in distal half. Cerci yellow mottled with brown.</p> <p> <b>Male:</b> FW proportion and venation as in <i>A. azurensis</i>, with the dorsal field well shorter than the lateral field (Desutter-Grandcolas & Robillard 2006: Fig. 2 B). FW venation (Fig. 5 A): CuA1 and CuA2 fused at base; mirror smaller than c2 cell; chords conspicuous; harp with only one transverse vein not reaching CuA; CuA very faint compared to media veins. Apical field restricted to few alignments and cells. Stridulatory file with 170 teeth (n=1). FW lateral field not reaching tergite 3 distal margin on body dorsum. Lateral field venation: R bifurcated most often once, rarely twice, over its whole length; 6–7 additional longitudinal, parallel veins (mean 6.1, n=4). FW yellowish brown, the veins brown, except yellowish file and part of anal veins between the file and the chords; a yellowish spot at the base of MP and CuA; lateral field light brown, the longitudinal veins ochre brown, the transverse veins brown. Subgenital plate long, low in lateral view and acuminate; glandular area on dorsal margin mid length highly protruding.</p> <p> Male genitalia: Large. Very similar to that of <i>A. brachypterus</i> (see Desutter-Grandcolas & Robillard 2006: Fig. 6 F–H) and <i>A. azurensis</i> (see Desutter-Grandcolas & Robillard 2006: Fig. 6 C), but the distal margin of pseudepiphallic sclerite only sightly concave with almost straight middle part (<i>contra A. azurensis</i>), not bisinuated (<i>contra A. brachypterus</i>) (Figs 5 C, D); anterior margin of the arc only slightly bisinuate (it is strongly bisinuate in both <i>A. azurensis</i> and <i>A. brachypterus</i>).</p> <p> <b>Female:</b> FWs short, separated by a distance smaller than their own length; venation made of strong longitudinal parallel veins: 5 – 7 veins in dorsal field, in addition to a fainter, irregularly bifurcated vein along the limit with lateral field, and 3 – 4 longitudinal parallel veins in the lateral field, in addition to the vein separating the dorsal and lateral fields (Fig. 5 B); very faint transverse veins on dorsal field; as in <i>A. brachypterus</i>, dorsal field sinuated close to lateral field, and lateral field slightly acuminate dorso-distally. FW colouration light brown, the veins brown or yellowish brown. Tergites abundantly covered with short brown and white setae; light brown mottled with brown, darker along distal margin. Subgenital plate light brown with a median brown fleck. Ovipositor longer than FIII, much longer than in <i>A. brachypterus</i> (see above).</p> <p>Female genitalia: Copulatory papilla having the shape of a low sclerotized half-ring and a more or less elongated and hardly sclerotized distal lobe where the spermathecal duct opens (Fig. 5 E–H).</p> <p> <b>Juvenile:</b> unkwown.</p> <p> <b>Measurements.</b> See Table 5.</p> <p> <b>Habitat and life history traits.</b> Specimens collected in interception traps in the lower layers of vegetation and near leaf litter in the forest (G. Monteith pers. comm.), so <i>Agnotecous petchekara</i> is likely to live in the leaf litter within forest.</p> <p> <b>Behaviour.</b> unknown.</p> <p> <b>Calling song.</b> unknown.</p> <p>PronL PronW FWL FWW FIIIL FIIIW TIIIL OL Male holotype 3.7 6 - 2.8 13 4.9 10.1 - Males (n=3) 3.6–4.1 5.6–6.3 4–4.7 3.1–3.2 12.4–14.2 4.6–5.3 9. 4 – 1 0. 9 - (Mean) (3.9) (6.1) (4.4) 3 (13.5) (5) (10.4) - Female allotype 4.2 6.5 1.7 - 14.3 5.6 11.4 17.2 Females (n=3) 3.9–4.4 5. 9 – 6. 6 1. 6 – 1. 9 - 1 3. 9 – 1 5 5. 1 – 5. 3 1 0. 7 – 1 2. 4 1 5. 9 – 1 8. 9 (Mean) (4.1) (6.3) (1.7) - (14.3) (5.2) (11.3) (17.1)</p>Published as part of <i>Robillard, Tony, Nattier, Romain & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2010, New species of the New Caledonian endemic genus Agnotecous (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae, Lebinthini), pp. 17-35 in Zootaxa 2559</i> on pages 29-31, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/196996">10.5281/zenodo.196996</a&gt

FIGURE 1. Agnotecous humboldti n in New species of the New Caledonian endemic genus Agnotecous (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae, Lebinthini)

FIGURE 1. Agnotecous humboldti n. sp. (A,C,D,E) and Agnotecous nekando n. sp. (B,F,G,H). Male FW venation (A– B) and male genitalia in dorsal (C–F), lateral (D–G) and ventral (E–H) views. Abbreviations and symbols, see Material and methods. Scale bars: 1 mm.Published as part of Robillard, Tony, Nattier, Romain & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2010, New species of the New Caledonian endemic genus Agnotecous (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae, Lebinthini), pp. 17-35 in Zootaxa 2559 on page 21, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19699

Agnotecous Saussure 1878

Genus <i>Agnotecous</i> Saussure, 1878 <p> Type species: <i>Agnotecous tapinopus</i> Saussure, 1878</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> Among Lebinthini genera, <i>Agnotecous</i> species are characterised by stout global shape, and male and female FWs and genitalia. Size small to large for subfamily, generally larger than <i>Lebinthus</i> species. Colouration little contrasted, yellowish brown to dark brown, more or less mottled with brown, without distinctive marks. Head globular, dorsum flat; fastigium very wide. Eyes little prominent. Pronotum distinctively long and wide; dorsal disc slightly wider than long, trapezoidal, straight posteriorly. FWs short in males and females, covering less (males) or much less (females) than half abdomen, and tightly set on body; hindwings lacking in both sexes.</p> <p>Other general traits: TI, TII laterally compressed. TI with two small tympana, inner slit like, outer oval; membrane of outer tympanum transversally plicate in dorsal half; TI with three apical spurs; outer dorsal spur missing. TII with four apical spurs, inner longest. TIII with three inner and three outer apical spurs, median longest on each side; median outer spur as long as other outer spurs and obviously broader; four pairs of subapical spurs, inner spurs distinctively curved and longer; TIII serrulate over whole length and slightly furrowed dorsally. Tarsomeres III-1 with two rows of dorsal spines in addition to apical spines, inner row with one or few spines.</p>Published as part of <i>Robillard, Tony, Nattier, Romain & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2010, New species of the New Caledonian endemic genus Agnotecous (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae, Lebinthini), pp. 17-35 in Zootaxa 2559</i> on pages 19-20, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/196996">10.5281/zenodo.196996</a&gt

Agnotecous nekando Robillard, n. sp.

<i>Agnotecous nekando</i> Robillard n. sp. <p>(Figs 1 B, F–H)</p> <p> <b>Type material.</b> Holotype male: <b>New Caledonia</b>. Grande Terre, Mt. Nekando, 27.V.1914 (1918–87), P.D. Montague, New Caledonia Exped (BMNH).</p> <p> <b>Type locality.</b> New Caledonia, Grande Terre, Mount Nekando.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> Named after the type locality.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> New Caledonia, Grande Terre, Province Sud, Mont Nekando.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> Species small, close to <i>A. chopardi</i> and <i>A. humboldti</i> <b>n. sp.</b> from which it differs by the shape of the pseudepiphallus in male genitalia.</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> Size small for the genus. Colouration little contrasted, mostly light brown. Head dorsum with 6 brown longitudinal bands. Fastigium setose, brown with dark spots. Scapes light brown with dark brown patterns anteriorly, antennae dark brown with yellow rings. Cheeks black dorsally, dark brown ventrally. Face homogeneously brown, the dorsal limit with fastigium black. Mouthparts and palpi dark brown. Pronotum: Dorsal disk almost homogeneously brown. Lateral lobes black. Legs: FI, FII yellow brown with faint dark brown spots; TI, TII yellow brown with 2 dark brown rings; tarsomeres yellow brown, their distal part black. Legs III almost homogeneously brown; tarsomeres III-1 dark brown with a yellow brown ring. TIII serrulation: 6 inner and 10 outer spines above spurs; 7 inner and 9 outer spines between spurs. Tarsomeres III-1: 1 spine on dorsal inner edges; 3 spines on dorsal outer edges; 1 outer lateral spine. Abdomen and cerci almost homogeneously brown.</p> <p> <b>Male:</b> FW not reaching abdomen mid length. Dorsal field clearly shorter than lateral field. FW colouration: Cells and veins homogeneously brown, except MP, dark brown, and a yellowish sclerotized area around 1A and posterior to the plectrum; lateral field homogeneously brown. FW venation (Fig. 1 B): CuP absent; diagonal strong; harp triangular, flat, with 2 complete transverse veins, the anterior one faint; c1 cell wide, partly crossed by a transverse vein; D alignment and mirror (d1) little differentiated. Apical field restricted to one cell in E alignment (e1). Lateral field: Latero-dorsal angle made by MP; distal part of MP weak, fusion with MA not visible; R bifurcated once at mid length; ventral part of lateral field with 7 longitudinal veins.</p> <p> Male genitalia (Figs 1 F–H): Very similar to that of <i>A. chopardi</i>. Dorsal face of pseudepiphallic sclerite with lateral crests forming a dorsal furrow; median process wider than in <i>A. chopardi</i> and <i>A. humboldti</i> n sp., spoon-shaped, with 4 wide apical teeth. Pseudepiphallic apex with ventral crest very close together.</p> <p> <b>Female:</b> unkwown.</p> <p> <b>Juvenile:</b> unkwown.</p> <p> <b>Measurements.</b> See Table 2. <b>Habitat and life history traits.</b> unknown. <b>Behaviour.</b> unknown.</p> <p> <b>Calling song.</b> unknown.</p> <p> <b>TABLE 2.</b> Measurements of <i>Agnotecous nekando</i> <b>n. sp.</b></p> <p>PronL PronW FWL FWW FIIIL FIIIW TIIIL OL Male holotype 3.2 4.1 3.5 2.3 11.4 3.9 9.8 -</p>Published as part of <i>Robillard, Tony, Nattier, Romain & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2010, New species of the New Caledonian endemic genus Agnotecous (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae, Lebinthini), pp. 17-35 in Zootaxa 2559</i> on pages 22-23, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/196996">10.5281/zenodo.196996</a&gt

Agnotecous humboldti Robillard, n. sp.

<i>Agnotecous humboldti</i> Robillard n. sp. <p>(Figs 1 A, C–E)</p> <p> <b>Type material.</b> Holotype male: <b>New Caledonia</b>. Grande Terre, upper Ngoe riv. [Ngoye river] nr [near] Mts Nikando [Nekando] & Humboldt, 21–29.V.1914, P.D. Montague (BMNH-BM-1946-210).</p> <p> <b>Type locality.</b> New Caledonia, Grande Terre, upper Ngoe river.</p> <p> <b>Etymology.</b> Named after the type locality.</p> <p> <b>Distribution.</b> New Caledonia, Grande Terre, Province Sud, rivière Ngoye.</p> <p> <b>Diagnosis.</b> Species small, close to <i>A. nekando</i> <b>n. sp.</b> and <i>A. chopardi</i> Desutter-Grandcolas, 2006 from which it differs by the shape of the pseudepiphallus in male genitalia.</p> <p> <b>Description.</b> Size small for the genus, slender in shape. Colouration little contrasted, mostly dark brown. Head dorsum with 6 dark brown longitudinal bands separated by yellow lines. Fastigium brown. Scapes light brown with dark brown patterns anteriorly. Cheeks black, with 2 yellow spots ventrally. Face brown, with 4 yellowish spots and a median yellow stripe on front head. Mouthparts: mandibles black basally, then whitish; labrum whitish mottled with brown; palpi light brown with yellowish rings. Pronotum: Dorsal disk almost homogeneously dark brown. Lateral lobes black. Legs: FI, FII yellow brown with dark brown spots; TII brown with a yellow ring; tarsomeres brown. Legs III almost homogeneously yellow brown. TIII serrulation: 6 inner and 10 outer spines above spurs; 5 inner and 7 outer spines between spurs. Tarsomeres III-1: 1 spine on dorsal inner edges; 3 spines on dorsal outer edges; 1 outer lateral spine at one fourth of tarsomere length. Abdomen and cerci almost homogeneously brown.</p> <p> <b>Male:</b> FW not reaching abdomen mid length. Dorsal field clearly shorter than lateral field. FW colouration homogeneously brown. FW venation (Fig. 1 A): CuP absent; diagonal faint, barely visible anteriorly; harp triangular, raised posteriorly, with one complete transverse vein; c1 cell wide, crossed by a transverse vein; D alignment little differentiated, limited to mirror (d1) and d2. Apical field restricted to one cell in E alignment (e1). Lateral field: Latero-dorsal angle made by MP; distal part of MP weak, fusion with MA not visible; R bifurcated once before mid length; ventral part of lateral field with 5 longitudinal veins.</p> <p> Male genitalia (Figs 1 C–E): Very similar to that of <i>A. chopardi</i> and <i>A. nekando</i> <b>n. sp.</b> Dorsal face of pseudepiphallic sclerite with lateral crests more separated than in <i>A. nekando</i> <b>n. sp.</b>; median process shorter than in <i>A. nekando</i> <b>n. sp.</b>, with unclear apical teeth, maybe broken in the holotype. Pseudepiphallic apex with ventral crest oriented posteriorly and conspicuous on dorsal view.</p> <p> <b>Female:</b> unkwown.</p> <p> <b>Juvenile:</b> unkwown.</p> <p> <b>Measurements.</b> See Table 1.</p> <p> <b>Habitat and life history traits.</b> unknown.</p> <p> <b>Behaviour.</b> unknown.</p> <p> <b>Calling song.</b> unknown.</p> <p>PronL PronW FWL FWW FIIIL FIIIW TIIIL OL Male holotype 2.4 4 3.2 2.4 10.3 3.2 8.3 -</p>Published as part of <i>Robillard, Tony, Nattier, Romain & Desutter-Grandcolas, Laure, 2010, New species of the New Caledonian endemic genus Agnotecous (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae, Lebinthini), pp. 17-35 in Zootaxa 2559</i> on pages 20-22, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/196996">10.5281/zenodo.196996</a&gt

FIGURE 6. Agnotecous pinsula n in New species of the New Caledonian endemic genus Agnotecous (Orthoptera, Grylloidea, Eneopterinae, Lebinthini)

FIGURE 6. Agnotecous pinsula n. sp. Male FW venation (A); female FW venation (B); female copulatory papilla in ventral (C), dorsal (D) and lateral (E) views; male genitalia in dorsal (F), lateral (G) and ventral (H) views. Abbreviations and symbols, see Material and methods. Scale bars: 1 mm

Pseudolebinthus lunipterus sp. nov.: a striking deaf and mute new cricket from Malawi (Orthoptera, Gryllidae, Eneopterinae)

International audienceThis article presents an intriguing new cricket species of the tribe Xenogryllini discovered in Northern Malawi. This is the first case of mute and deaf species in the subfamily Eneopterinae; it shows no stridulatory apparatus on short male forewings and no tympana on either side of fore tibiae in both sexes. We introduce the new species and its complete mitogenome and assess phylogenetic relationships based on molecular data obtained from next-generation sequencing genome skimming method. Phylogenetic analyses place the new species within the genus Pseudolebinthus in Xenogryllini, as the sister species of Pseudolebinthus gorochovi Robillard. We describe Pseudolebinthus lunipterus sp. nov., provide illustrations of main morphology, male and female genitalia, photographs of living specimens and information about habitat and update the identification key for species of genus Pseudolebinthus. We discuss the differences between the new species and related taxa and the striking loss of acoustic communication in this cricket

In and out of the Neotropics: historical biogeography of Eneopterinae crickets

Aim Multiple biogeographical scenarios involving vicariance and different colonization routes can explain disjunct species distributions in the Southern Hemisphere. Here, we tested several alternative hypotheses in Eneopterinae crickets, a diverse subfamily presenting a disjunct worldwide distribution. We inferred a dated phylogeny of Eneopterinae and reconstructed their biogeographical history to unravel the origin of their present-day distribution, focusing on their multiple origins in the Neotropics.Location Worldwide.Methods We sampled 62 eneopterine species representing all extant genera. We inferred their phylogenetic relationships through Bayesian and maximum likelihood approaches based on four mitochondrial and three nuclear gene sequences. Divergence time estimates were inferred using Bayesian relaxed clock approaches and primary fossil calibrations. Biogeographical analyses were conducted with the default dispersal-extinction-cladogenesis (DEC) model and a variant model (DEC+J), which accounts for rare-jump dispersal events.Results Our dating analyses showed that the Eneopterinae is far older than expected and its diversification can be traced back to the Late Cretaceous (c. 76 Ma). In this context, the most supported biogeographical scenario (under DEC+J) suggests that the Neotropics were colonized twice independently: first during the break-up of Gondwana, when Antarctica, Australia and South America started separating (compatible with a vicariance event if relying on the result of the DEC model alone); later through a northern recolonization originating from Southeast Asia, likely related to a Holarctic Boreotropical distribution of an eneopterine lineage during the Eocene.Main conclusions We provided a dated worldwide biogeographical framework for the Eneopterinae crickets. Overall, the subfamily disjunct distribution pattern is better explained by both ancient and recent dispersal events. Whether this could reflect a widespread pattern in insect groups exhibiting a disjunct distribution remains to be investigated by studying other insect lineages. The information gathered here will also help foster new directions for future studies concerning the acoustic innovations of this clade