FIRST RECORD OF BATHYTHRIX FORMOSA (DESVIGNES) (ICHNEUMONIDAE: CRYPTINAE) IN SERBIA

Bathythrix formosa (Desvignes, 1860) is a new finding of the ichneumonid wasp for the Serbian fauna. It was recorded on the locality Bojanine vode, Suva mt. Serbia from the host species Agroeca sp (Aranea: Liocranidae)

Phylogenetic relationships among genera of subtribe Lysiphlebina and taxonomic status of Adialytus (Foerster) species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphindiinae)

Rod Adialytus predstavlja jedan od tri roda subtribusa Lysiphlebina. Pored ovog, ovde spadaju rodovi Lysiphlebus i Lysiphlebia. Ukupno je opisano sedam vrsta roda Adialytus, koje su rasprostranjene širom Palearktika. Adialytus je dugo bio razmatran kao podrod u okviru roda Lysiphlebus, sa kojim deli mnoge morfološke karaktere. Pored nerazjašnjenog statusa ovog roda, postoje velike poteškoće pri identifikaciji vrsta u okviru samog roda Adialytus. U ovom radu su analizirane tri najčešće evropske vrste: Adialytus ambiguus, A. salicaphis i A. thelaxis. Ukupno je analizirano 228 jedinki, pri čemu analiza obuhvata isključivo ženke. Korišćene su tri metode za morfološku i genetičku karakterizaciju vrsta roda Adialytus. Metodom „tradicionalne“ morfometrije su analizirani meristički i kontinuirani karakteri, pri čemu su kontinuirani karakteri predstavljeni kao dužinski odnosi. Metoda gemetrijske morfometrije je korišćena za ispitivanje obrasca varijabilnosti oblika prednjih krila. Molekularne analize su sprovedene korišćenjem mitohondrijalnog gena za citohrom oksidazu 1 (mtCOI) i gena za veliku ribozomalnu subjedinicu 28S (28S rRNK). Upotrebom „tradicionalne“ morfometrije utvrđena je statistički značajna varijabilnost između tri analizirane vrste roda Adialytus. Najveću varijabilnost su pokazali karakteri kao što je broj mirisnih brazdi na prvom, drugom i petom flagelarnom članku antena. Takođe, značajne razlike su uočene i u samim proporcijama analiziranih flagelarnih članaka. Geometrijskom morfometrijom detektovane su izvesne razlike u obliku prednjih krila. Distalni deo krila ima znatno veću varijabilnost u odnosu na proksimalni. Jedinke A. ambiguus imaju relativno uska krila i dugačak metakarpus, za razliku od A. salicaphis i A. thelaxis. Molekularnom analizom na osnovu mtCOI gena potvrđeno je da je A. thelaxis „dobra“ vrsta. Genetičke razlike između A. ambiguus i A. salicaphis su relativno male i na graničnim vrednostima za specijsko razdvajanje...The genus Adialytus is a member of the subtribe Lysiphlebina. Beside this genus the subtribe encompasses two more genera: Lysiphlebus and Lysiphlebia. So far, seven valid Adialytus species have been recognized which can be found throughout the Palaearctic. The genus Adialytus was previously considered as a subgenus within the genus Lysiphlebus, which it resembles to. Beside the unclear status of this genus, there are many difficulties concerning identification of Adialytus species. In this work, three most common European species were analyzed: Adialytus ambiguus, A. salicaphis and A. thelaxis. In total, 228 specimens were included into analysis, all being females. Three methods were involved into morphological and genetic characterization of the Adialytus species. Traditional morphometrics is used for the analysis of meristic and continuous characters. However, continuous characters were represented as a relation of lengths and widths. Geometric morphometrics is used in forewing shape analysis. For the molecular analysis on the species level, the mitochondrial gene for cytochrome oxidase 1 is used (mtCOI) , while for the relation among the genera of the subtribe Lysiphlebina, the ribosomal gene 28S (28SrRNK) is used. According to the traditional morphometrics a statistically significant variability is detected among the all three Adialytus species. The greatest variability is detected in the number of olfactory grooves (rhinaria) on the first, second and fifth flagellar segment of antenna. Furthermore, significant differences are detected in the proportions of the very segments. The differences in the forewing shape are detected by the geometric morphometrics method. The distal part of the forewing is much more variable than proximal. The species A. ambiguus has relatively narrow forewings and long metacarpus in contrast to A. salicaphis and A. thelaxis..

FIRST RECORD OF BATHYTHRIX FORMOSA (DESVIGNES) (ICHNEUMONIDAE: CRYPTINAE) IN SERBIA

Bathythrix formosa (Desvignes, 1860) is a new finding of the ichneumonid wasp for the Serbian fauna. It was recorded on the locality Bojanine vode, Suva mt. Serbia from the host species Agroeca sp (Aranea: Liocranidae)

NINE SPECIES OF APHIDS (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE) NEW TO THE FAUNA OF SERBIA

Nine aphid species (Hemiptera: Aphididae), mainly found in the southeastern part of the country, were determined as new records for Serbia. They belong to three subfamilies: Aphis passeriniana (Del Guercio, 1900); A. podagrariae Schrank, 1801; A. salviae Walker, 1852; Brachyunguis tamaricis (Lichtenstein, 1885); Smiela fusca Mordvilko, 1948; Staticobium limonii Contarini, 1847 and Uroleucon pseudobscurum (Hille Ris Lambers, 1967) from the subfamily Aphidinae; Drepanosiphum oregonensis Granovsky, 1939 from the subfamily Drepanosiphinae and Pterocomma jacksoni Theobald, 1921 from the subfamily Pterocommatinae. With the inclusion of these nine records, a total of 383 aphids have been found so far in Serbia. This represents about 70% of the species of the total aphid fauna expected to be found on plants in Serbia. All species are of Palearctic distribution and seem to be monoecious

DIVERSITY OF THE GENUS COTESIA CAMERON (BRACONIDAE: MICROGASTRINAE) IN SERBIA

The diversity of species of Cotesia Cameron, 1891 for the territory of Serbia is given as a faunistic survey. The paper presents the results of research in the period from 1902 to 2021. Literature, databases and new, unpublished records were combined for a comprehensive list of species, with notes on localities, dates, number and sexes of individuals. In total, 35 species are presented, of which 11 were registered in Serbia for the first time. The species most often collected were Cotesia ofella and C. tibialis

SECONDARY HOST PLANTS OF WATER LILY APHID, RHOPALOSIPHUM NYMPHAEAE (HEMIPTERA: APHIDIDAE) IN SERBIA

The water lily aphid is a cosmopolitan species that feeds on various plants. Its primary hosts are Prunus species from which they migrate to their secondary hosts – aquatic and semi-aquatic plants. So far, in Serbia, Rhopalosiphum nymphaeae is recorded to attack only three plant species as secondary hosts. In our study, conducted in September 2020, we have researched the association of water lily aphid with secondary hosts in wetland habitats. A total of 44 samples were collected from 16 localities. In addition to the plant species previously reported, in this study 11 secondary hosts are documented for the first time in Serbia. The most common trophic association of R. nymphaeae was with Salvinia natans which was registered in 13 localities. There is a high possibility of finding new records of secondary hosts, therefore, more research is needed to complete the information about the water lily aphid and its hosts in Serbia

AGRYPON POLYXENAE (SZÉPLIGETI, 1899) (HYMENOPTERA: ICHNEUMONIDAE: ANOMALONINAE); NEWLY RECORDED PARASITOID OF ZERYNTHIA POLYXENA (DENIS & SCHIFFERMÜLLER, 1775) (LEPIDOPTERA: PAPILIONIDAE: PARNASSIINAE) IN THE FAUNA OF SERBIA

Ichneumonid Agrypon polyxenae is a solitary larval-pupal endoparasitoid developing within the caterpillars of the genus Zerynthia and distributed in the western Palearctic. Z. polyxena is the most common host, with its caterpillars feeding on highly poisonous Aristolochia species. Here we report A. polyxenae parasitising Z. polyxena for the first time in Serbia and provide a short species description. This parasitoid has also been recorded on Z. rumina in Spain. We suggest some evidence for its presence  in the newly described Z. cassandra in Italy

In vitro degradacija diacetoksiscirpenola i T-2 toksina posredstvom izolata Mucor racemosus fresen. f. racemosus

Under controlled in vitro conditions the capacity of the Mucor racemosus f. racemosus 1215/09 isolate to degrade type A trichothecenes (diacetoxyscirpenol - DAS and T-2 toxin) was observed in the liquid nutritive medium. According to previously performed experiments it was proved that the selected isolate, originating from sunflower meal, had the ability to degrade these fusariotoxins when growing on the modified Vogel's agar supplemented with crude extracts of DAS and T-2 toxin. In order to determine biodegradation of fusariotoxins, the liquid nutritive medium - SPY (5% sucrose + 0.1% peptone + 0.1% yeast extract, pH 6.2) was simultaneously inoculated with the isolate M. racemosus f. racemosus 1215/09 and: a) Fusarium semitectum SL-B (DAS producer) or b) F. sporotrichioides R-2301 (T-2 toxin producer). The SPY media, inoculated with single fungal isolates, were used as a control of toxin biosynthesis. The cultures were incubated at room temperature (21-26ºC) on the rotary shaker (175 rpm). After the 3-5-day incubation, the filtration of liquid cultures and the extraction of fusariotoxins from filtrates with ethyl-acetate were performed. Determinations of DAS and T-2 toxin were done by thin layer chromatography using silica gel G. Depending on the incubation duration, M. racemosus f. racemosus in the mixed culture with F. semitectum degraded from 90.0 to 99.97% of DAS present in the medium (40,000- 120,000 µg l-1), while in the mixed culture with F. sporotrichioides it degraded from 95.0 to 96.7% of T-2 toxin present in the medium (240,000 µg l-1). Sterile filtrates of mixed cultures and single culture of M. racemosus f. racemosus, obtained by passing liquid cultures through the 0.45-µm membrane filter and added to the SPY medium, did not affect degradation of type A trichothecenes that had been biosynthesised by isolates F. semitectum SL-B and F. sporotrichioides R-2301 in the liquid medium.U kontrolisanim in vitro uslovima proučavana je sposobnost izolata Mucor racemosus f. racemosus 1215/09 da degraduje trihotecene tipa A (diacetoksiscirpenol - DAS i T-2 toksin) u tečnoj hranljivoj podlozi. Prethodnim eksperimentima je dokazano da odabrani izolat, poreklom sa suncokretove sačme, poseduje sposobnost razgradnje navedenih fuzariotoksina, koji su kao sirovi ekstrakti dodati u modifikovanu Vogelovu podlogu. U cilju utvrđivanja biodegradacije fuzariotoksina tečna hranljiva podloga SPK (5% saharoza + 0,1% pepton + 0,1% ekstrakt kvasca, pH 6,2) je zasejana u isto vreme izolatom M. racemosus f. racemosus 1215/09 i: a) Fusarium semitectum SL-B (proizvođač DAS-a) ili b) F. sporotrichioides R-2301 (proizvođač T-2 toksina). Kao kontrola biosinteze toksina korišćena je SPK podloga inokulisana pojedinačnim izolatima gljiva. Kulture su inkubirane na rotacionoj tresilici (175 o/min) tokom 3-5 dana na sobnoj temperaturi (21-26ºC). Nakon 3 do 5 dana inkubacije vršeno je filtriranje tečnih kultura i ekstrakcija fuzariotoksina iz filtrata etil-acetatom. Determinacija DAS-a i T-2 toksina je rađena tankoslojnom hromatografijom na silika gelu G. Zavisno od dužine inkubacije, M. racemosus f. racemosus je u združenoj kulturi sa F. semitectum degradovala 90,0-99,97% DAS-a prisutnog u podlozi (40.000-120.000 µg l-1), dok je u združenoj kulturi sa F. sporotrichioides razgradila 95,0-96,7% T-2 toksina prisutnog u podlozi (240.000 µg l-1). Sterilni filtrati mešanih kultura i pojedinačne kulture M. racemosus f. racemosus, dobijeni propuštanjem tečnih kultura kroz 0,45 µm membranski filter i dodati SPK podlozi, nisu uticali na razgradnju trihotecena tipa A koje su biosintetisali izolati F. semitectum SL-B i F. sporotrichioides R-2301 u tečnoj podlozi

A survey of parasitoids from Greece with new associations

We report 22 parasitoid species from Greece that have emerged from their hosts belonging to Blattodea, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Lepidoptera, including 12 Braconidae, one Eulophidae, one Evaniidae, seven Ichneumonidae, and one Tachinidae. Nine parasitoids are reported for the first time in Greece, i.e., three Ichneumonidae: Campoplex difformis (Gmelin, 1790), Gelis albipalpus (Thomson, 1884), and Lysibia tenax Townes, 1983; five Braconidae: Charmon cruentatus Haliday, 1833, Dendrosoter protuberans (Nees, 1834), Dolichogenidea longipalpis (Reinhard, 1880), Ecphylus silesiacus (Ratzeburg, 1848), and Spathius curvicaudis Ratzeburg, 1844; and one Eulophidae: Melittobia acasta (Walker, 1839). Nine of the 23 recorded parasitoid-host associations are new. These findings are discussed in relation to the overall related parasitoid-host associations in the target area, as well as the potential of parasitoid use in the biological control of pests

The pygidial gland secretion of Laemostenus punctatus (Coleoptera, Carabidae): a source of natural agents with antimicrobial, anti-adhesive, and anti-invasive activities

In the present study, we investigated in vitro the antimicrobial activity of the pygidial gland secretion of the guanophilic ground beetle Laemostenus (Pristonychus) punctatus (Dejean, 1828) and some of its chemicals against resistant and non-resistant bacteria and Candida species, the synergistic and additive potential of combinations of selected chemicals and antimicrobial drugs against resistant bacterial and fungal strains, anti-adhesive and anti-invasive potential of the secretion and formic acid alone and in selected combinations with antimicrobial drugs against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) toward spontaneously immortalized human keratinocyte cell line (HaCaT cells). In addition, we examined the antiproliferative activity of the secretion and formic acid in vitro. The tested secretion and the standards of formic and oleic acids possessed a significant level of antimicrobial potential against all tested strains (P < 0.05). The isolate from guano Pseudomonas monteilii showed the highest resistance to the secretion and formic acid, while MRSA achieved a significantly high level of susceptibility to all agents tested, particularly to the combinations of formic acid and antibiotics, but at the same time showed a certain level of resistance to the antibiotics tested individually. Candida albicans and C. tropicalis were found to be the most sensitive fungal strains to the secretion. Formic acid (MIC 0.0005 mg/mL) and gentamicin (MIC 0.0010 mg/mL) in the mixture achieved synergistic antibacterial activity against MRSA (FICI = 0.5, P < 0.05). The combination of formic acid, gentamicin and ampicillin accomplished an additive effect against this resistant bacterial strain (FICI = 1.5, P < 0.05). The secretion achieved a better inhibitory effect on the adhesion ability of MRSA toward HaCaT cells compared to formic acid alone, while formic acid showed better results regarding the invasion (P < 0.001). The combinations of gentamicin and ampicillin, as well as of formic acid and gentamicin and ampicillin achieved similar anti-adhesive and anti-invasive effects, with a slight advantage of formic acid and antibiotics in combination (P < 0.001). The secretion and formic acid were found to be non-toxic to HaCaT cells in vitro (IC50 ≥ 401 μg/mL)