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Background: Correct species identification of blow flies is a crucial step for understanding their biology, which can be used not only for designing fly control programs, but also to determine the minimum time since death. Identification techniques are usually based on morphological and molecular characters. However, the use of classical morphology requires experienced entomologists for correct identification; while molecular techniques rely on a sound laboratory expertise and remain ambiguous for certain taxa. Landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis of insect wings has been extensively applied in species identification. However, few wing morphometric analyses of blow fly species have been published.
Methods: We applied a landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis of wings for species identification of 12 medically and forensically important blow fly species of Thailand. Nineteen landmarks of each right wing of 372 specimens were digitised. Variation in wing size and wing shape was analysed and evaluated for allometric effects. The latter confirmed the influence of size on the shape differences between species and sexes. Wing shape variation among genera and species were analysed using canonical variates analysis followed by a cross-validation test.
Results: Wing size was not suitable for species discrimination, whereas wing shape can be a useful tool to separate taxa on both, genus and species level depending on the analysed taxa. It appeared to be highly reliable, especially for classifying Chrysomya species, but less robust for a species discrimination in the genera Lucilia and Hemipyrellia. Allometry did not affect species separation but had an impact on sexual shape dimorphism.
Conclusions: A landmark-based geometric morphometric analysis of wings is a useful additional method for species discrimination. It is a simple, reliable and inexpensive method, but it can be time-consuming locating the landmarks for a large scale study and requires non-damaged wings for analysis.
"Ich gehöre nirgends hin. Im traditionellen thailändischen Theater bin ich nicht zu Haus, und mit dem westlichen Theater, das die gegenwärtige Theaterszene Thailands prägt, bin ich auch wenig vertraut. Wie komme ich weiter?" Das war die Äußerung eines jungen Schauspielers, der an der vom Humboldt-Club, Thailand, und vom Goethe-Institut, Bangkok, veranstalteten Rundtischdiskussion am 2. November 2007 teilnahm. Unter den Teilnehmern waren führende Regisseure, Schauspieler und Theaterwissenschaftler Thailands und Gäste aus Deutschland, Professor Gabriele Brandstetter vom Institut für Theaterwissenschaft der Freien Universität Berlin und Dr. Georg Schütte, Generalsekretär der Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung. Die Diskussion war auf Englisch und verlief aufs Beste, da eine gemeinsame Basis von Theatererfahrungen vorhanden war und ein höchst lebendiger und fruchtbarer deutschthailändischer Dialog entstand. Die Frage des jungen Schauspielers wurde keineswegs als ein disruptives Element in einem sonst harmonischen Gedankenaustausch empfunden, sondern eher als ein Ansporn zur wahrhaften Konfrontation mit einem gewichtigen zeitgenössischen Phänomen: Die Welt von heute ist so reich an Erlebnissen und Bildungschancen, daß ein Autodidakt sich, aus seiner Umwelt schöpfend, entwickeln kann, und zwar ohne Bindung an bestimmte Traditionen oder Institutionen. Der junge Mann hat Erfolg gehabt, und seine Befürchtung, daß das "Niemandsland", auf dem er gewachsen ist, bar sicherer Bildungsbasis sei, ist vielleicht "unzeitgemäß".
Two new subspecies of Hemicordulia tenera Lieftinck, 1930 (Corduliidae) from Cambodia and Thailand
(2015)
Hemicordulia tenera donnellyi ssp. nov. (holotype ♂: Chieng Mai Prov., Kunklang: highway 1009, Restaurant; 16°32.0’ N 98°31.3’ E, 1000 m, 22 v 1996, FSCA) and H. t. vikhrevi ssp. nov. (holotype ♂: Cambodia, Koh Kong Province, ~13 km ENE of Koh Kong, ‘Hemicordulia brook’, 11°39’55’’ N, 103°05’34’’ E, 315 m, 04 xii 2010, RMNH) are described from North Thailand and South-West Cambodia, respectively. The nominotypical H. tenera tenera Lieftinck, 1930 is distributed in the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Java and Sumatra. Although these three subspecies are genetically very close, they are distinguishable by the relative length and shape of the caudal appendages.
Two new species of Tetrastigma from Thailand, T. calcicola Kochaiph. & Trias-Blasi sp. nov. and T. jaichagunii C.L.Li ex Kochaiph. & Trias-Blasi sp. nov. are described and illustrated. Tetrastigma calcicola sp. nov. is a slender climber restricted to the open areas on limestone mountains at high elevation in the northern part of Thailand. The other species, T. jaichagunii sp. nov., is similar to T. harmandii Planch., but differs from it by having more densely verrucose young branches, broader leaflets, 4-lobed thick discs, bigger globose berries and oblongoid seeds. This species occurs along streams or in forest margins in evergreen forest and it is widely distributed in several parts of Thailand.
The Indochinese to southern Chinese millipede genus Tylopus currently comprises 62 species, including eight new ones: T. flavolineatus sp. nov., T. hongkhraiensis sp. nov. from central and northern Thailand, respectively, T. moniliformis sp. nov., T. retusus sp. nov., T. acuminatus sp. nov., T. dorsalis sp. nov., T. thunghaihin sp. nov., all from Laos, and T. punctus sp. nov. from northern Myanmar. A new record of T. baenzigeri Golovatch & Enghoff, 1993, from northern Thailand is given. All these species are richly illustrated, and a modified key to all known species of the genus is also provided.
First records of Elachistinae are given from Thailand. Ten species of Elachistinae are reported, eight of which are described as new: Urodeta longa Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., Elachista buszkoi Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., E. oryx Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., E. pellineni Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., E. capricornis Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., E. phichaiensis Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov., E. loeiensis Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov. and E. siamensis Sruoga & Kaila sp. nov. The new species are diagnosed and illustrated with photographs of the adults and genitalia. One species remains unidentified to species level.
The Caloptera damselflies of Thailand – Distribution maps by provinces (Odonata: Calopterygoidea)
(2017)
Distribution maps at province level accuracy are presented for the 44 species of the superfamily Calopterygoidea (in the old sense, excluding the ’megapodagrionid’ families) recorded in Thailand. Brief species accounts are presented with information on the distribution, phenology and the first discovery of the species. For eleven species the primary type was collected in Thailand. The history of the discovery and documentation of these insects in Thailand is discussed.
Part 1, Oleg E. Kosterin, page 1-11:
Taxonomical notes on Indolestes Fraser, 1922 (Lestidae, Zygoptera). 1. Indolestes gracilis expressior ssp. nov. from eastern Cambodia
Abstract: Indolestes gracilis expressior ssp. nov. is described by a male from Cambodia, Mondulkiri Province, the river upstream of Buu Sraa Waterfall 12°34’ N 107°25’ E. Another male presumably belonging to this subspecies was illustrated from southern Laos in literature. The new subspecies is characterised by more inflated apical part of the cercus than in earlier known subspecies and is thought to range in plateaux of eastern Cambodia ?and southern Laos, although very rare.
Part 2, Oleg E. Kosterin and Roberto Poggi, page 13-20:
Taxonomical notes on Indolestes Fraser, 1922 (Lestidae, Zygoptera). 2. Indolestes birmanus (Selys, 1891) is bona species
Abstract: The holotype of Lestes birmana Selys, 1891 (currently Indolestes birmanus (Selys, 1891)), housed in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, is examined and depicted
for the first time. Its cerci are not attenuated apically, hence this taxon cannot be a subspecies of Indolestes gracilis (Hagen in Selys, 1862).
Siamopsis gen. nov., described here, belongs to a group of genera with the right valve overlapping the left valve in the subfamily Cypridopsinae Kaufmann, 1900 of the family Cyprididae Baird, 1845. The distinguishing characters of the new genus are in the morphology of its valves and soft parts. The postero-dorsal margin of the internal left valve is plate-like protruded. The morphology of this plate varies in different species, e.g., some species bear a tooth-like tubercle on the plate. The posterior margin of the right valve is recurved inwardly at ca mid-height, resulting in the occurrence of a lobe-like expansion that can clearly be seen in the dorsal and caudal views of the carapace. In addition, the other diagnostic soft part features of the new genus are the cylindrical caudal ramus, the presence of two t-setae on the female A2 penultimate segment, the very elongated terminal segment of the Mx1 palp, the morphology of the two large bristles (tooth bristles) of the Mx1 third endite (one smooth, one serrated) and the absence of d-seta on T1. In the present paper, five new species are described under this new genus: Siamopsis renateae gen. et sp. nov., S. suttajiti gen. et sp. nov., S. conspecta gen. et sp. nov., S. khoratensis gen. et sp. nov. and Siamopsis planitia gen. et sp. nov. A key to the species of Siamopsis gen. nov. is also provided.
A collaborative survey of the scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) found on dracaena and fi cus plants in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam conducted in 2015 identifi ed 49 species of scale insects belonging to 36 genera in six families (25 species on dracaena, 42 species on fi cus). Of the species of scale insects that have been reported on dracaena and fi cus plants in southeastern Asia in the ScaleNet database (Ben-Dov et al. 2015), 32% and 17% were species collected in this survey, respectively. Twenty-three species (47%) of scale insects have been intercepted at Korean ports of entry on imported dracaena and fi cus plants from southeastern Asia from 1996 to 2014 (PIS 2015). Additionally, this list of species collected on these plants from exporting countries could be utilized as a basis for possible preventive measures in quarantine and inspection of traded products.
This paper contains nomenclatural acts concerning the genus Nigidius MacLeay in the stag beetle tribe Figulini Burmeister (Coleoptera: Lucanidae: Lucaninae). A revision of species in the obesus group results in the correction of multiple nomenclatural problems. A lectotype is designated for N. obesus Parry, and the identity of N. helleri Boileau is corrected. A new species, Nigidius gravelyi Paulsen, is described from Borneo. The synonymy of Nigidius larssoni de Lisle is transferred from N. obesus to N. dawnae Gravely.
Specimens of Burmagomphus asahinai Kosterin, Makbun and Dawwrueng, 2012 and Burmagomphus divaricatus Lieftinck, 1964 from SW and NE Cambodia show differences in the development of the light pattern. One male of the latter species has unusual posterior spinules on posterior hamuli. Two males of Orientogomphus minor(Laidlaw, 1931) from the same locality in NE Cambodia have substantial differences in the thoracic and abdominal pattern. NE Cambodian specimens of Gomphidia abbotti Williamson, 1907 and Lamelligomphus castor (Lieftinck, 1941) have minor differences from data on these species from literature. Caution is necessary when composing and using keys for identification of the mentioned genera of gomphids.
Blow flies are the first insect group to colonize on a dead body and thus correct species identification is a crucial step in forensic investigations for estimating the minimum postmortem interval, as developmental times are species-specific. Due to the difficulty of traditional morphology-based identification such as the morphological similarity of closely related species and uncovered taxonomic keys for all developmental stages, DNA-based identification has been increasing in interest, especially in high biodiversity areas such as Thailand. In this study, the effectiveness of long mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and II (COI and COII) sequences (1247 and 635 bp, respectively) in identifying 16 species of forensically relevant blow flies in Thailand (Chrysomya bezziana, Chrysomya chani, Chrysomya megacephala, Chrysomya nigripes, Chrysomya pinguis, Chrysomya rufifacies, Chrysomya thanomthini, Chrysomya villeneuvi, Lucilia cuprina, Lucilia papuensis, Lucilia porphyrina, Lucilia sinensis, Hemipyrellia ligurriens, Hemipyrellia pulchra, Hypopygiopsis infumata, and Hypopygiopsis tumrasvini) was assessed using distance-based (Kimura two-parameter distances based on Best Match, Best Close Match, and All Species Barcodes criteria) and tree-based (grouping taxa by sequence similarity in the neighbor-joining tree) methods. Analyses of the obtained sequence data demonstrated that COI and COII genes were effective markers for accurate species identification of the Thai blow flies. This study has not only demonstrated the genetic diversity of Thai blow flies, but also provided a reliable DNA reference database for further use in forensic entomology within the country and other regions where these species exist.
Flesh flies (Sarcophagidae) are necrophagous insects initially colonizing on a corpse. The species-specific developmental data of the flies collected from a death scene can be used to estimate the minimum postmortem interval (PMImin). Thus, the first crucial step is to correctly identify the fly species. Because of the high similarity among species of flesh flies, DNA-based identification is considered more favorable than morphology-based identification. In this study, we demonstrated the effectiveness of combined sequences (2216 to 2218 bp) of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and II genes (COI and COII) for identification of the following 14 forensically important flesh fly species in Thailand: Boettcherisca nathani Lopes, Fengia ostindicae (Senior-White), Harpagophalla kempi (Senior-White), Liopygia ruficornis (Fabricius), Lioproctia pattoni (Senior-White), Lioproctia saprianovae (Pape & Bänziger), Parasarcophaga albiceps (Meigen), Parasarcophaga brevicornis (Ho), Parasarcophaga dux (Thomson), Parasarcophaga misera (Walker), Sarcorohdendorfia antilope (Böttcher), Sarcorohdendorfia inextricata (Walker), Sarcorohdendorfia seniorwhitei (Ho) and Seniorwhitea princeps (Wiedemann). Nucleotide variations of Thai flesh flies were evenly distributed throughout the COI-COII genes. Mean intra- and interspecific variations ranged from 0.00 to 0.96% and 5.22% to 12.31%, respectively. Using Best Match (BM) and Best Close Match (BCM) criteria, identification success for the combined genes was 100%, while the All Species Barcodes (ASB) criterion showed 76.74% success. Maximum Likelihood (ML) and Bayesian Inference (BI) phylogenetic analyses yielded similar tree topologies of monophyletic clades between species with very strong support values. The achieved sequences covering 14 forensically important flesh fly species including newly submitted sequences for B. nathani, F. ostindicae and S. seniorwhitei, can serve as a reliable reference database for further forensic entomological research in Thailand and in other areas where those species occur.
A new species, Memecylon pseudomegacarpum (Melastomataceae), is described from southern Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore. This taxon was previously known under the misapplied name M. megacarpum, which is now considered endemic to Borneo. Memecylon pseudomegacarpum sp. nov. differs from M. megacarpum in having smaller leaves (8–)10.5–17(–22.5) cm rather than (10–)17–28(–35) cm long, with an elliptic lamina (not lanceolate) with a raised mid-rib (not sunken) and a marginal vein which is 2–4 mm from the margin (not 5–12 mm). Both species have similar flowers and share large (c. 15 mm diameter) globose fruits.
Es ist allgemein bekannt, dass Botschaften als Repräsentanten ihrer jeweiligen Länder nicht nur politische sondern auch handfeste ökonomische Interessen vertreten. Die US-Entertainment-Industrie zeichnete sich hierbei in der Vergangenheit durch besondere Aktivität auf internationaler Ebene aus (es sei hier nur auf ACTA verwiesen). WikiLeaks macht es nun möglich, den Umfang dieser Lobbyarbeit nachzuvollziehen.In Spanien wurde Ende 2011 nach langem Kampf ein Gesetz verabschiedet, dass es ermöglicht Seiten, auf denen Filme, Musik o.Ä. zum Download angeboten werden, zu sperren. Dieses Gesetz kam überhaupt nur zu Stande durch eine Kombination geschickter Lobbyarbeit der Entertainment-Industrie in Spanien und tatkräftiger Beihilfe durch die USA, vor allem koordiniert über die amerikanische Botschaft in Madrid. Ars Technica bietet dazu bereits einen hervorragenden Überblick...
Seit der Herausbildung des akademischen Faches Deutsch als Fremdsprache in den 1970er Jahren und im Anschluss an die Auseinandersetzung mit der Grundfrage nach Struktur und Konzeption des Faches in den 1990er Jahren des vorigen Jahrhunderts wird der Zusammenhang von Germanistik und Deutsch als Fremdsprache kontrovers diskutiert. Dabei stehen sich zwei Positionen gegenüber. Die erste Position deutet Germanistik und Deutsch als Fremdsprache in einer hyperonymischen Beziehung. Deutsch als Fremdsprache wird der Germanistik untergeordnet und dementsprechend als der Mediävistik, der germanistischen Linguistik und der germanistischen Literaturwissenschaft gleichberechtigt angesehen. In diesem Sinne erweist sich ein Studium des Deutschen als Fremdsprache als integraler Bestandteil einer Germanistikausbildung. Demgegenüber fasst die zweite Position Germanistik und Deutsch als Fremdsprache als zwei sich unterscheidende Fächer auf. Dabei wird Deutsch als Fremdsprache einer Fremdsprachenphilologie gleichgestellt, die im Unterschied zur Germanistik andere Erkenntnisinteressen verfolgt. Der Beitrag diskutiert im Lichte der in den 1990er Jahren geführten Strukturdebatte den komplexen Zusammenhang von Germanistik und Deutsch als Fremdsprache im Kontext des Lehrens und Lernens des Deutschen als Fremdsprache jenseits des deutschen Sprachraums. Dies wird exemplarisch am Beispiel des Studiums von Germanistik und Deutsch als Fremdsprache in Thailand gezeigt.
Five new species of the terrestrial snail genus Landouria Godwin-Austen, 1918 (Camaenidae) are described from northeastern Thailand, based on shell features, radular morphology, genital anatomy, and DNA sequence data: Landouria circinata sp. nov., L. tuberculata sp. nov., L. trochomorphoides sp. nov., L. chloritoides sp. nov., and L. elegans sp. nov. These species are phylogenetically well separated from each other by mtDNA phy-logeny and COI sequence divergences of 0.073–0.156. The record of Thaitropis Schileyko, 2004 (currently synonymized with Landouria) in Thailand is re-interpreted as referring to L. diplogramma (Möllendorff, 1902) comb. nov.
The Southeast Asian scarab beetle genus Peltonotus Burmeister (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) is associated with aroid flowers and possesses a unique, articulated maxillary tooth. We describe five new species of Peltonotus: P. animus and P. cybele from Sumatra, P. favonius from Vietnam, P. mushiyaus from Borneo, and P. tigerus from Thailand. The circumscription of P. karubei Muramoto is broadened to include new color variation, and the body size range for the genus is increased with Peltonotus mushiyaus, n. sp., now being the smallest member of the genus. We provide an amended key to species, distribution maps, diagnoses and accompanying comparative images, and discuss classification of the genus within the Scarabaeidae.