Review: What Makes Our Insects Sick?

Boucias, D.G. & J.C. Pendland 1998: Principles of Insect Pathology. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Boston/Dordrecht/London. Pp. 537

Erratum

Entomologica Fennica. 28 December 200

Review: Warfare with odours

Insect-plant Interactions and Induced Plant Defence (Novartis Foundation Symposium 223). Editors: Derek J. Chadwick (organizer) and Jamie A. Goode (1999). John Wiley & Sons Ltd, Chichester, England. 281 pp

Reviews:

Howard, F. W., Moore, D., Giblin-Davis, R. M., & Abad, R. G. 2001: Palm Trees and their Insects. — CABI Publishing, Oxford. 400 pp. Price £58.50. Nilsson, A. N. 2001: Dytiscidae (Coleoptera). World Catalogue of Insects. 3. — Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark. 395 pp. ISBN 87-88757-62- 5. Price 690 DKK. Löbl, I. & Smetana, A. (eds.) 2003: Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. 1. Archostemata- Myxophaga-Adephaga. — Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark. 818 pp. ISBN 87-88757-73- 0. Price 900 DKK

Vertebrates used for medicinal purposes by members of the Nyishi and Galo tribes in Arunachal Pradesh (North-East India)

Arunachal Pradesh, the easternmost part of India, is endowed with diverse natural resources and inhabited by a variety of ethnic groups that have developed skills to exploit the biotic resources of the region for food and medicines. Information on animals and animal parts as components of folk remedies used by local healers and village headmen of the Nyishi and Galo tribes in their respective West Siang and Subansiri districts were obtained through interviews and structured questionnaires. Of a total of 36 vertebrate species used in treatments of ailments and diseases, mammals comprised 50%; they were followed by birds (22%), fishes (17%), reptiles (8%) and amphibians (3%). Approximately 20 common complaints of humans as well as foot and mouth disease of cattle were targets of zootherapies. Most commonly treated were fevers, body aches and pains, tuberculosis, malaria, wounds and burns, typhoid, smallpox, dysentery and diarrhoea, jaundice, and early pregnancy pains. Very few domestic animal species (e.g., goat and cattle) were used zootherapeutically. More frequently it was wild animals, including endangered or protective species like hornbill, pangolin, clouded leopard, tiger, bear, and wolf, whose various parts were either used in folk remedies or as food. Some of the animal-based traditional medicines or animal parts were sold at local markets, where they had to compete with modern, western pharmaceuticals. To record, document, analyze and test the animal-derived local medicines before they become replaced by western products is one challenge; to protect the already dwindling populations of certain wild animal species used as a resource for the traditional animal-derived remedies, is another

UV-reflectivity of parafocal eyespot elements on butterfly wings in normal and abnormal specimens

An unusual specimen of Aglais urticae, lacking characteristic UV-reflecting parafocal eyespot elements along the margins of both fore and hind wings, is compared with normal, wild-type specimens. Wing scales, responsible for generating structural coloration, aremissing in the abnormal individual and have been replaced with a type that is typical of pigment-based colours. Other modifications seen in the abnormal specimen include firstly, a distal expansion of a uniformly brown region, that otherwise occupies a proximal position on the hind wings of the wild type, and secondly, the lack of a characteristic orange cross-vein band that runs proximal to the parafocal eyespot elements on the hindwing. The differences in coloration between abnormal and wild type are seen as evidence of a proximal-distal developmental axis (originally proposed by Nijhout 1991) and support a view recently aired by Beldade and Brakefield (2003). It is now clear that studies on butterfly eyespot development must consider not only pigmentcontaining scales, but also the structurallymodified scales responsible for physical colours, i.e. UV reflectivity

Post-embryonic development of the lateral eye of Cloeon sp. (Ephemeroptera: Baetidae) as revealed by scanning electron microscopy

Post-embryonic developmental patterns of the lateral eyes of both male and female Cloeon sp. are described and compared with each other morphometrically on the basis of scanning electron microscopy. In the larvae number of ommatidia, ommatidial size, and total corneal surface area of the eye increase towards the subimaginal moult. It is then that clear differences between males and females begin to occur: while further increases in the number of ommatidia are recorded from the lateral eye of subimago and imago females (accompanied by decreasing facet sizes and interommatidial angles), males show decreasing numbers of ommatidia and total corneal areas in their lateral eyes as they prepare to leave the water. Consequently, the lateral eyes of a female are larger than those of a male imago. It appears that the enormous development of the dorsal eyes of the males has occurred at the expense of the lateral eyes. In male as well as female lateral eyes two major facet shapes are encountered: squares with rounded corners which are predominantly found in the central and upward looking areas, and hexagons which are dominating the lateral and ventral-facing regions. The different roles of the lateral eyes in male and female baetid mayflies is discussed in relation to their flights and the intriguing idea is presented that females might choose males with the largest dorsal eyes

Cuticular microstructures of abdominal tergites and sternites of Cloeon sp. (Ephemeroptera; Baetidae) during post-embryonic development

The postembryonic changes of the external microstructure of the cuticle on the abdominal tergites and stemites of Cloeon sp. (Ephemeroptera:Baetidae) are described. An inventory of the structures as the aquatic nymph grows and becomes transformed into a terrestrial subimago and then an imago, is provided. It is found that sensillar diversity on nymphal tergites increases with development, but remains unchanged on the stemites. While nymphs and subimago possess various types of sensilla trichoidea, sensilla basiconica are apparent on the imaginal abdomen only. Furthermore, the scaled and spiny cuticle of the nymph becomes relatively smooth in the adult stages. The distinct changes which structure and distribution of the scales as well as marginal spines on the abdominal tergites and stemites of the nymphs undergo during development, must find a reflection in behavioural changes of the larvae. Finally, the taxonomic implications of the observed changes are discussed

Common sense: folk wisdom that ethnobiological and ethnomedical research cannot afford to ignore

Common sense [CS], especially that of the non-scientist, can have predictive power to identify promising research avenues, as humans anywhere on Earth have always looked for causal links to understand, shape and control the world around them. CS is based on the experience of many individuals and is thus believed to hold some truths. Outcomes predicted by CS are compatible with observations made by whole populations and have survived tests conducted by a plethora of non-scientists. To explore our claim, we provide 4 examples of empirical insights (relevant to probably all ethnic groups on Earth) into causal phenomena predicted by CS: (i) humans must have a sense of time, (ii) at extreme latitudes, more people have the winter blues, (iii) sleep is a cure for many ills and (iv) social networks affect health and disease. While CS is fallible, it should not be ignored by science - however improbable or self-evident the causal relationships predicted by CS may appear to be