Pheidole symbiotica Wasmann, 1909, an enigmatic supposed social parasite, is a nematode-infested form of Pheidole pallidula (Nylander, 1849) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Myrmicinae)

Pheidole symbiotica Wasmann, 1909 hitherto known only from type series collected in Portugal is recorded from Italy for the first time. Dissection of abdomen of this supposed social parasite of Pheidole pallidula (Nylander, 1849) showed that it is infested by a large mermithid nematode. That allows us to conclude that Pheidole symbiotica is only a teratological form of Pheidole pallidula. In consequence, we propose synonymy of Pheidole symbiotica Wasmann, 1909 under Pheidole pallidula (Nylander, 1849). High quality photographs of this form are presented for the first time and an illustration of its parasite is also given

Taxonomic revision of the Pheidole sikorae species-group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Madagascar

On Madagascar, the ant genus Pheidole Westwood, 1839 is one of the dominant and most diverse ant genera. Modern studies on the diversity of Madagascan Pheidole has been initiated in 2019 and ended a 100 year-long break in studies on this genus from the island. Based on so far published data, there are 69 known Pheidole species on the island divided into sixteen species-groups. It is estimated that 97% of them are endemic. Here we present a revision of the sikorae species group, which appears to be the most species-rich on Madagascar. Forty-four members of this group are recognised and described, and an illustrated identification key to this group is also presented. At present, there are 109 valid species and subspecies of Pheidole known from Madagascar, but this number is expected to increase with upcoming taxonomic revisions of the species groups not revised in this study

New records of ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) from southern Portugal

Forty two species of ants have been collected in Algarve and Baixo Alentejo regions (southern Portugal). Goniomma baeticum, Myrmoxenus kraussei and Temnothorax luteus are new to the fauna of Portugal, 11 species are new to Algarve and three are new to Baixo Alentejo regions

Comments to distribution of several Greek Tetramorium Mayr, 1855 species (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Based on studied material three Tetramorium species are recorded from Greece for the first time: Tetramorium indocile Santschi, 1927, Tetramorium staerckei Kratochvíl, Novák & Snoflák, 1944 and Tetramorium sulcinode Santschi, 1927. Additionally, distribution records of recently revised members of the Tetramorium caespitum group are reexamined and assigned to proper taxa. Tetramorium rhodium Emery, 1922 is recorded from the East Aegean Islands for the first time

A new species of the ant genus Lasius Fabricius, 1804 from Crete (Hymenoptera, Formicidae)

Lasius tapinomoides sp. n. from Crete, Greece, is described and illustrated. It belongs to L. turcicus complex and is well characterized by very small body, extremely shallow metanotal groove and presence of suberect to erect setae on the apical part of scape. New records of Cretan members of the genus Lasius Fabricius, 1804 are provided, their checklist is updated, and the key to their determination is presented

One of the World’s Worst Invasive Alien Species Wasmannia auropunctata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Detected in Cyprus

Native to the Neotropics, Wasmannia auropunctata (Roger, 1863) has been unintentionally introduced around the world, heavily impacting native ant biodiversity, societies, and economies as well as human and animal health due to its potentially dangerous stings. Herein we report on the first record of W. auropunctata in Cyprus. Specimens were collected from plant nurseries and tourist facilities in Paphos and Limassol district. Wasmannia auropunctata is believed to spread via the horticultural pathway to locations with sufficient humidity. Further research is necessary to determine the distribution and assess possible negative impacts of W. auropunctata to native biodiversity, society, the economy and human health in Cyprus

Alien ants (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) on a quest to conquer Greece: a review including an updated species checklist and guidance for future research

Biological invasions represent one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss with adverse impacts on human societies, economies and public health. More than 500 ant species have been transported outside their native range with the help of humans, while the majority of them have managed to establish viable populations in the wild. Nevertheless, data from the Mediterranean region suggest that most alien ants occupy anthropogenic habitats with little spread in semi-natural and natural habitats. Research on biological invasions of ants in Greece had previously identified a total of 15 alien ant species. In this article, an extensive literature investigation and material examination provide a revised checklist of the alien myrmecofauna of Greece. Although the number of alien ant species remains the same, the checklist’s composition is largely altered to provide an up-to-date overview of the country’s alien myrmecofauna in order to enhance management decisions and future research. The presence and distribution of alien ants within Greek administrative divisions, NATURA 2000 sites and Corine Land Cover types are analysed and presented. In particular, the species richness of alien ants seems to be highest in the Aegean Archipelago (Crete and Southern Aegean Islands) probably due to uneven collecting efforts and increased climatic suitability. Alien ant species are mostly associated with anthropogenic habitats including urban and agricultural areas, although a significant percentage has managed to spread into forest and semi-natural areas, including protected NATURA 2000 sites. Future research directions enhancing the monitoring of alien ants and their impacts are indicated to safeguard native ant biodiversity and conservation efforts of rare and endemic taxa

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival