Refine
Year of publication
Document Type
- Part of Periodical (10)
- Article (8)
Has Fulltext
- yes (18) (remove)
Is part of the Bibliography
- no (18) (remove)
Keywords
- Diptera (18) (remove)
Institute
Two new endemic genera of Therevinae are described from Madagascar. Rinhatiana gen. nov. contains three new species (R. arctifestuca gen. et sp. nov., R. cracentis gen. et sp. nov. and R. latifestuca gen. et sp. nov.) as well as R. distincta (Lyneborg, 1976) comb. nov., which is transferred from Stenopomyia Lyneborg, 1976. Tianarinha gen. nov. is described containing two new species, T. goodmani gen. et sp. nov. and T. micet gen. et sp. nov. All species are diagnosed and figured along with distribution data.
Container-breeding Aedes spp. (Diptera: Culicidae) mosquitoes can be surveilled at low cost using ovitraps. Hence, this method is a preferred monitoring approach of dengue vectors in low-resource settings. The ovitraps consist of a cup filled with water and an oviposition substrate for female mosquitoes. The attractiveness of the substrates for female mosquitoes can greatly differ due to differences in texture, color, and smell of the materials used. We compare four oviposition substrates, which are all low priced, easy to transport, and easy to purchase, to maximize the success of Aedes egg sampling. Sampled egg material is often reared to adulthood for further taxonomic identification and transported to (international) laboratories for specialized vector research. Here we introduce a transport technique for sampled eggs. In addition, we explored the impact of international transport by means of a bilateral hatching experiment in Nepal, the country of origin, and in Germany, in a laboratory specialized in ecophysiological research. The best low-cost oviposition substrate for the dengue vectors Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (L.) was found to be a white cotton sheet. The introduced transport technique of sampled eggs is easy to build from laboratory and household materials and ensures good transport conditions (i.e., temperature and relative humidity). Even under good temperature (17.4–31.0 °C) and humidity conditions (58.9–94.2%), hatching success of eggs was found to be reduced after international transport to Germany when compared to the hatching success of eggs in Nepal. We postulate that air pressure during international transport may have reduced the hatching success and strongly recommend pressure-regulated transport boxes for egg transport via airplane. As the proposed operation procedure is useful in assisting the monitoring of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti in low-resource settings, Aedes researchers are encouraged to follow it for the sampling and transport of Aedes eggs.
An inventory of Sciaridae (Diptera: Sciaroidea) from a eutrophic fen and a spring brook in Viidumäe Nature Reserve (Estonia, Saaremaa Island) recorded a total of 60 species, of which 57 are new records for Estonia, including two that are new to science and described herein as Cratyna (Diversicratyna) palustricola sp. nov. (Estonia) and Sciara bryophila sp. nov. (Estonia, Finland). This has raised the number of Sciaridae known from Estonia from 6 to 63.
Three species of the genus Cryptochetum Rondani, 1875 from China are described and figured as new to science: C. euthyiproboscise sp. nov., C. glochidiatusum sp. nov., and C. longilingum sp. nov. An identification key to the known species of Cryptochetum from China is presented. The type specimens of the new species are deposited in the Henan Agricultural University.
Several taxonomic groups within Empidoidea Latreille, 1809 have been subject to unclear phylogenetic assignments along with multiple parallel hypotheses causing difficulties in classification and morphological identification. This study reviews the internal classification of the Ragadidae and includes a diagnosis and description of all included subfamilies and genera based on the results of an analysis of morphological characters using maximum parsimony. Illustration of important characters and a key to all genera in the family is given. The genus Hormopeza Zetterstedt, 1838 is found to be most closely related to Anthepiscopus Becker, 1891 and Iteaphila Zetterstedt, 1838, and the subfamily Iteaphilinae Wahlberg & Johanson, 2018 is therefore expanded to also include that genus. Hormopeza is consequently excluded from Ragadinae Sinclair, 2016. This study provides diagnoses, descriptions and keys in a contribution to a thorough classification of the empidoid groups and increased ease in morphological recognition.
The Oriental species of the genus Sphegina Meigen, 1822 are revised. The following 43 new species are described: Sphegina (Sphegina) abbreviata sp. nov. (Nepal), S. (S.) angustata sp. nov. (Nepal), S. (Asiosphegina) albolobata sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (Asiosphegina) amplistylus sp. nov. (Philippines), S. (A.) atrimanus sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) bifida sp. nov. (Sabah, Malaysia), S. (A.) bracon sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) brevipilis sp. nov. (China), S. (A.) clavigera sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) collicola sp. nov. (Malaysia), S. (A.) crinita sp. nov. (Java, Indonesia; Malaysia), S. (A.) dentata sp. nov. (Taiwan), S. (A.) distincta sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) exilipes sp. nov. (Java, Indonesia), S. (A.) farinosa sp. nov. (Sabah, Malaysia), S. (A.) fimbriata sp. nov. (Thailand), S. (A.) furcillata sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) ghatsi sp. nov. (India), S. (A.) gigantea sp. nov. (China), S. (A.) granditarsis sp. nov. (China), S. (A.) hamulata sp. nov. (India), S. (A.) hauseri sp. nov. (Nepal), S. (A.) incretonigra sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) inflata sp. nov. (Philippines), S. (A.) inventum sp. nov. (Sabah, Malaysia), S. (A.) karnataka sp. nov. (India), S. (A.) licina sp. nov. (Thailand), S. (A.) lobulata sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) lucida sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) nigrotarsata sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) nubicola sp. nov. (Thailand), S. (A.) ornata sp. nov. (China), S. (A.) perlobata sp. nov. (Taiwan), S. (A.) plautus sp. nov. (China), S. (A.) prolixa sp. nov. (Malaysia, Thailand), S. (A.) setosa sp. nov. (Nepal, India), S. (A.) spathigera sp. nov. (Philippines), S. (A.) spenceri sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) strigillata sp. nov. (Vietnam), S. (A.) taiwanensis sp. nov. (Taiwan), S. (A.) umbrosa sp. nov. (China), S. (A.) verrucosa sp. nov. (Vietnam) and S. (A.) vietnamensis sp. nov. (Vietnam). Sphegina. (A.) tenuis Brunetti, 1915 is not a synonym of S. (A.) javana de Meijere, 1914. The males of S. (A.) apicalis Shiraki, 1930, S. (A.) tricoloripes Brunetti, 1915 and S. (A.) varidissima Shiraki, 1930 and the females of S. (A.) achaeta Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, S. (A.) index Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015, S. (A.) mirifica Hippa, van Steenis & Mutin, 2015 and S. (S.) quadriseta Huo & Ren, 2006 are described for the first time. Sphegina (S.) quadriseta is recorded for the first time in the Oriental region. A key to all the Oriental species of Sphegina is provided. The Oriental fauna of Sphegina now comprises 94 species.
Mutations are the ultimate basis of evolution, yet their occurrence rate is known only for few species. We directly estimated the spontaneous mutation rate and the mutational spectrum in the nonbiting midge C. riparius with a new approach. Individuals from ten mutation accumulation lines over five generations were deep genome sequenced to count de novo mutations that were not present in a pool of F1 individuals, representing parental genotypes. We identified 51 new single site mutations of which 25 were insertions or deletions and 26 single nucleotide mutations. This shift in the mutational spectrum compared to other organisms was explained by the high A/T content of the species. We estimated a haploid mutation rate of 2.1 × 10−9 (95% confidence interval: 1.4 × 10−9 – 3.1 × 10-9) that is in the range of recent estimates for other insects and supports the drift barrier hypothesis. We show that accurate mutation rate estimation from a high number of observed mutations is feasible with moderate effort even for nonmodel species.
Six new species of Platypalpus Macquart, 1827 are described from tropical forest at Yangambi (Democratic Republic of the Congo): Platypalpus bolikoi sp. nov., P. ikoso sp. nov., P. lokonda sp. nov., P. manjano sp. nov., P. saffradi sp. nov. and P. yangambensis sp. nov. All species are photographed and, except for P. saffradi sp. nov. known only from females, male terminalia are illustrated for all. A key is provided for the six species of DR Congo. COI barcodes are available for all species at GenBank.
We provide new records of biting and predaceous midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Guadeloupe in the subfamily Ceratopogoninae, including descriptions and illustrations of three new predaceous species in the genera, Parabezzia Malloch, Stilobezzia Kieffer and Palpomyia Meigen, respectively, and the first records of the New World predaceous genus, Amerohelea Grogan and Wirth, from the Caribbean region. We also provide the first Guadeloupe records of the biting midges, Culicoides (Anilomyia) decor (Williston), C. (Avaritia) pusillus Lutz, C. (Drymodesmyia) bredini Wirth and Blanton, C. (D.) poikilonotus Macfie, C. (Haematomyidium) hoffmani Fox, C. (Hoffmania) insignis Lutz, C. rangeli Ortiz and Mirsa and C. trilineatus Fox, and the predaceous midges, Brachypogon (Brachypogon) bifidus Spinelli and Grogan, B. (B.) telesfordi Spinelli and Grogan, B. (B.) woodruffi Spinelli and Grogan, Monohelea maya Felippe-Bauer, Huerta and Ibáñez-Bernal, Stilobezzia (Stilobezzia) diminuta Lane and Forattini, S. (S.) thomsenae Wirth, Amerohelea galindoi Grogan and Wirth, Bezzia (Bezzia) flinti Spinelli and Wirth, B. (Homobezzia) venustula (Williston) and Palpomyia insularis Spinelli and Grogan.
Reproduction of mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) in Santa Cruz, Santiago island, Cape Verde Islands
(2012)
Mosquitoes are dipterous insects with an important role in the transmission of diseases like malaria and dengue. During a dengue fever outbreak in the Cape Verde Islands in 2009, several studies were undertaken to support vector control. The present study was carried out in the district of Santa Cruz, Santiago island, to evaluate previous measures taken to control mosquito populations. Results show that mosquitoes use domestic water containers to breed. Barrels, drums and pots were all used. Of these, drums were most frequently found being infested with mosquito larvae or pupae. Morphological identification showed that Anopheles arabiensis and Aedes aegypti were present in the study area. Ae. aegypti was the commonest of the two and the only one found throughout the study area. Results show that socio-economic factors influence container positivity.