A new species of Astreptolabis in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar, with the discovery of the first male of Astreptolabidinae (Dermaptera)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.A new species of one of the basal families among extant Dermaptera, Pygidicranidae, is described from mid-Cretaceous amber of Myanmar based on two females and a male. Astreptolabis laevissp. nov., belongs to the extinct subfamily Astreptolabidinae, sharing the diagnostic combination of features typical of this group, such as the well-developed compound eyes, large pronotum, and straight and tubular cerci. The discovery of a male with its genitalia partly exerted permits characterization of traits for the subfamily and provides further information on the uniqueness and affinities of the subfamily. In addition, the extended hind wing allows for a comparison between the folding mechanism between these fossils and their modern counterparts, demonstrating considerable conservatism in hind wing evolution among Dermaptera

New Transitional Fleas from China Highlighting Diversity of Early Cretaceous Ectoparasitic Insects

SummaryFleas are a group of highly specialized blood-feeding ectoparasites whose early evolutionary history is poorly known [1, 2]. Although several recent discoveries have shed new light on the origin of the group [3, 4], a considerable gap exists between stem fleas and crown fleas. Here we report a new transitional flea, Saurophthirus exquisitus sp. nov., assigned to a new family Saurophthiridae fam. nov., from the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of northeastern China. Saurophthirids are more similar to crown fleas than other stem fleas in having a relatively small body size, relatively short and slender piercing-sucking stylet mouthparts, comparably short and compact antennae, rows of short and stiff bristles on the thorax, and highly elongated legs. The new finding greatly improves our understanding of the morphological transition to the highly specialized body plan of extant fleas. However, saurophthirids also display several features unknown in other fleas, and some of these features are suggestive of a possible ectoparasitic relationship to contemporaneous pterosaurs, though other possibilities exist. The new fossils, in conjunction with previous discoveries, highlight a broad diversity of ectoparasitic insects in the mid-Mesozoic

Design of Efficient Exciplex Emitters by Decreasing the Energy Gap Between the Local Excited Triplet (3LE) State of the Acceptor and the Charge Transfer (CT) States of the Exciplex

A series of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) exciplex based on the TX-TerPy were constructed. The electronic coupling between the triplet local excited states (3LE) of the donors and acceptor and the charge transfer states had a great influence on the triplet exciton harvesting and ΦPL. Herein, based on this strategy, three donor molecules TAPC, TCTA, and m-MTDATA were selected. The local triplet excited state (3LE) of the three donors are 2.93, 2.72 and 2.52 eV in pure films. And the 3LE of TX-TerPy is 2.69 eV in polystyrene film. The energy gap between the singlet charge transfer (1CT) states of TAPC:TX-TerPy (7:1), TCTA:TX-TerPy (7:1) and the 3LE of TX-TerPy are 0.30 eV and 0.20 eV. Finally, the ΦPL of TAPC:TX-TerPy (7:1) and TCTA:TX-TerPy (7:1) are 65.2 and 69.6%. When we changed the doping concentration of the exciplex from 15% to 50%, the ratio of the triplet decreased, and ΦPL decreased by half, perhaps due to the increased energy gap between 1CT and 3LE. Therefore, optimizing the 1CT, 3CT, and 3LE facilitated the efficient exciplex TADF molecules

Ablation of the Sam68 RNA Binding Protein Protects Mice from Age-Related Bone Loss

The Src substrate associated in mitosis of 68 kDa (Sam68) is a KH-type RNA binding protein that has been shown to regulate several aspects of RNA metabolism; however, its physiologic role has remained elusive. Herein we report the generation of Sam68-null mice by homologous recombination. Aged Sam68(−/−) mice preserved their bone mass, in sharp contrast with 12-month-old wild-type littermates in which bone mass was decreased up to approximately 75%. In fact, the bone volume of the 12-month-old Sam68(−/−) mice was virtually indistinguishable from that of 4-month-old wild-type or Sam68(−/−) mice. Sam68(−/−) bone marrow stromal cells had a differentiation advantage for the osteogenic pathway. Moreover, the knockdown of Sam68 using short hairpin RNA in the embryonic mesenchymal multipotential progenitor C3H10T1/2 cells resulted in more pronounced expression of the mature osteoblast marker osteocalcin when differentiation was induced with bone morphogenetic protein-2. Cultures of mouse embryo fibroblasts generated from Sam68(+/+) and Sam68(−/−) littermates were induced to differentiate into adipocytes with culture medium containing pioglitazone and the Sam68(−/−) mouse embryo fibroblasts shown to have impaired adipocyte differentiation. Furthermore, in vivo it was shown that sections of bone from 12-month-old Sam68(−/−) mice had few marrow adipocytes compared with their age-matched wild-type littermate controls, which exhibited fatty bone marrow. Our findings identify endogenous Sam68 as a positive regulator of adipocyte differentiation and a negative regulator of osteoblast differentiation, which is consistent with Sam68 being a modulator of bone marrow mesenchymal cell differentiation, and hence bone metabolism, in aged mice

The mid-Miocene Zhangpu biota reveals an outstandingly rich rainforest biome in East Asia

During the Mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum [MMCO, ~14 to 17 million years (Ma) ago], global temperatures were similar to predicted temperatures for the coming century. Limited megathermal paleoclimatic and fossil data are known from this period, despite its potential as an analog for future climate conditions. Here, we report a rich middle Miocene rainforest biome, the Zhangpu biota (~14.7 Ma ago), based on material preserved in amber and associated sedimentary rocks from southeastern China. The record shows that the mid-Miocene rainforest reached at least 24.2°N and was more widespread than previously estimated. Our results not only highlight the role of tropical rainforests acting as evolutionary museums for biodiversity at the generic level but also suggest that the MMCO probably strongly shaped the East Asian biota via the northern expansion of the megathermal rainforest biome. The Zhangpu biota provides an ideal snapshot for biodiversity redistribution during global warming

Anthoxyela orientalis Gao & Ren, 2008, sp. nov

Anthoxyela orientalis sp. nov (Figs. 1–3) Diagnosis: This species can be diagnosed as follows: Forewing with basal section of Rs approximately equal to M; hind wing with Rs approximately vertical to R 1, and basal part of vein cu-a extraordinarily bend; pronotum in dorsal view shorter, posterior margin slightly concaves. Description: Color dark, particularly on head; metascutum and abdomen dark brownish, antenna and legs slightly light brownish. Head large and round, clypeus broad and margin round; mandible triangular with slightly elongate apex, intercrossing, eyes large, kidney-shaped, ocelli clear and display appreciably as an obtuse angle. Antennae, as preserved, about twice longer than the width of head, terminal part of flagellum at least thirteen segments, each with length slightly longer than width, the third segment thick and almost equal to rest flagellomeres, but thinner than the pedicel. Pronotum short, trapeziform. Mesonotum with median suture clear, anterior margin round. Abdomen with 8 segments visible; and genitalia partly absent, volsellaes digitiform, extending to the seventh abdominal segment. Forewing with pterostigma sclerotized basally only, costal area obviously widen at the base of Rs, Sc meeting R only a very short distance beyond origin of Rs, posterior branch of Sc(Sc 2) short and subvertical to R, first segment of Rs slightly longer than M; R curve at the origin of Rs, and greatly thickened before pterostigma; 1 r-rs connecting to R just at the base of the break adjacent to pterostigma; 1 r-rs and 2 r-rs approximately equal in length; the segment of M between 1 m-cu and 2 r-m approximately straight; crossvein 1 m-cu shorter than the segment of Cu toward it and slightly longer than 1 cu-a; cell R 1.5 times as long as 1 R 1; cell 1 M equal to 1 R 1, and 2.4 times longer than wide; cell 2 M equal to cell Rs in length; cell 1 Cu narrow and distinctly broad at the origin of vein M, 6 times longer than wide, and 2.5 times than cell 1 M in length. Right hind wing partly visible, preserved behind the forewing, the basal section of Rs longer and subvertical to R 1, and basal part of vein cu-a extraordinarily bend, R 1 thicker at basal part, hamuli visible, cell 1 Cu broad. Measurements (mm): Length of body without male genitalia 15.1mm, forewing 10.2mm as preserved, and antennae not shorter than 5.2mm, head 2.9mm in length and 2.8mm in width, thorax 3.8mm and abdomen preserved 10.0mm. Holotype: No. CNU-HYM-LB- 2008003, an impression of a nearly complete male sawfly in dorsal view. It is housed in the Key Lab of Insect Evolution and Environmental Changes, College of Life Science, Capital Normal University, Beijing, China. Etymology: From the Latin orientalis referring to the locality (China) of the fossil site. Locality and horizon: Yixian Formation, Huangbanjigou, Chaomidian Village, Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, Northeast China. Remark: The new species differs from A. baissensis, Rasnitsyn, 1977, in shorter basal segment of the Rs, and shorter Sc 2; differs from A. anthophaga Rasnitsyn, 1982, in its shorter pronotum and length of 1 m-cu against adjacent sections of M and Cu. In A. turgensis, Rasnitsyn, 1990, the base of Rs is shorter than the first segment of M, and the anteriorly branch of Sc is slightly longer, these characters can distinguish A. turgensis, Rasnitsyn, 1990 from the new species.Published as part of Gao, Taiping & Ren, Dong, 2008, Description of a new fossil Anthoxyela species (Hymenoptera, Xyelidae) from Yixian Formation of Northeast China, pp. 56-62 in Zootaxa 1842 on pages 58-60, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.18324

Anthoxyela Rasnitsyn 1977

Genus <i>Anthoxyela</i> Rasnitsyn, 1977 <p> <b>Type species:</b> <i>Anthoxyela baissensis</i> Rasnitsyn, 1977</p> <p> <b>Revised diagnosis:</b> Forewing with pterostigma sclerotized basally only; vein Sc connected to R only for a very short distance beyond origin of Rs, and the posterior branch of Sc (Sc2) short, subvertical or weakly oblique; crossvein 1m-cu slightly shorter than distally adjacent abscissa of Cu; hind wing with basal section of Rs longer, the cell 1Cu broad and basal part of vein cu-a extraordinarily bend. Antenna with third segment thicker and slightly longer than following segments, more than ten flagellomeres.</p> <p>We no longer consider the length ratio of Rs and M of forewing to be a diagnosis character, and some characters of hind wing added.</p> <p> <b>Species included:</b> <i>A. baissensis</i> Rasnitsyn, 1977, <i>A. anthophaga</i> Rasnitsyn, 1982, <i>A. turgensis</i> Rasnitsyn, 1990, and <i>A. orientalis</i> <b>sp. nov.</b></p> <p> Based on the above discussion, the key to identify species of the genus of <i>Anthoxyela</i> is listed as follows:</p>Published as part of <i>Gao, Taiping & Ren, Dong, 2008, Description of a new fossil Anthoxyela species (Hymenoptera, Xyelidae) from Yixian Formation of Northeast China, pp. 56-62 in Zootaxa 1842</i> on page 57, DOI: <a href="http://zenodo.org/record/183240">10.5281/zenodo.183240</a&gt