Entomology news in mass media

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05.12.2013 1:19, Atlantis

Russian scientists have discovered an unknown ancestor of wasps
December 4, 2013, 21: 36
Wasps belonging to the order of hymenopteran insects, descended from insects similar to representatives of the order of camels, Russian scientists from the laboratory of arthropods of the Borisyak Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, whose article was published in the scientific journal Zoo Keys
, scientists came to this conclusion. by discovering the fossilized remains of an insect that lived 250-270 million years ago.

In their opinion, the find represents an ancestor of wasps belonging to the golden-eyed family of Parasialidae.

Researchers claim that Parasialidae were quite large and fed on aphids, but later their descendants became more miniature.
Source: Gazeta.Ру»

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26.12.2013 19:26, CosMosk

Extremely elastic and strong, like steel, the web has long been considered one of the most amazing creations of nature. Now, scientists from the University of Oxford have identified another unique property of the web. Woven nets tend to meet their prey due to the electrically conductive glue distributed over their surface. Researchers have found that the electrostatic properties of the glue that covers the web cause it to capture all charged particles, from pollen and dirt to flying insects. As it turned out, a bizarre physical phenomenon causes the web to move in the direction of all passing objects, regardless of whether they carry a positive or negative charge. Here it is worth noting that everything that moves in the air carries a static charge, and spiders use this to catch prey.
http://ecoportal.su/news.php?id=75236

This post was edited by CosMosk - 12/26/2013 19: 34

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26.12.2013 19:28, CosMosk

Mimicry of CO2 and skin odor allows you to control behavior
repost from molbiol http://molbiol.ru/forums/index.php?showtopic=538795#1456568 / Redactor

Blood-sucking insects find their prey both in the dark and at a distance of hundreds of meters-thanks to their unique sensitivity to exhaled carbon dioxide and animal skin odors. The work of Genevieve Tox and her colleagues at the University of California, Riverside, investigating the principles of the insect sense of smell, allowed them to find molecules that mimic carbon dioxide and skin odors that can control the behavior of mosquitoes and other disease vectors.

By studying the diversity of olfactory neurons and CO2 receptors, a group of California scientists showed that the behavior of mosquitoes (Aedes aegupti and Anopheles gambiae) can be predicted by the activity of cpA neurons. Thanks to the Gr receptors (Gr1, Gr2, Gr3), these nerve cells located on the female's proboscis perceive CO2 in proportion to its concentration in the air, allowing insects to determine the source of the signal.

Scientists have used the structure of Gr proteins to find molecules that can control the behavior of insects. After selecting potential ligands for experimental tests in silico (out of half a million compounds), they found 17 agonists and 2 antagonists of olfactory receptors. The most active ones are the antagonist ethyl-pyruvate, which reduces the attraction to skin odors (after 3 seconds of exposure, mosquitoes do not respond to other odors for 5.5 minutes), and the agonist cyclopentanone, which mimics the smell of carbon dioxide, which can improve insect traps - small sticky chambers that mimic breathing animals. Interestingly, most agonists are already used in the food and perfume industries, have a pleasant smell and are described by the FDA as safe, which opens the way for their immediate use against insects. Given the fact that mosquito bites cause not only itching, but also carry infectious diseases, controlling the behavior of mosquitoes will reduce the relevance of malaria and other “winged” ailments.

Figure: The upper panel shows electrophysiological measurements of cpA neuronal activity in the presence of olfactory stimuli. On the middle one there is a makeshift camera in which the behavior and principle of catching mosquitoes were tested. On the bottom – the idea of applying the results.

Work: http://www.cell.com/retrieve/pii/S0092867413014268

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29.12.2013 12:24, gumenuk

http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=1172893&cid=2161
2013: amazing discoveries in the world of animals
27.12.2013 12: 55
By Daria Zagorskaya

Summing up the results of the outgoing year 2013, we decided to recall the animals that made a particularly strong impression on researchers around the world.

Several species were distinguished by unusual and sometimes traumatic methods of fertilization. Barnacles from the suborder of sea ducks, despite the fact that they have the longest penis (relative to the size of their own body), practice a unique method of fertilization for their group. Representatives of the species Pollicipes polymerus throw sperm directly into the water. Such, at first glance, an irrational expenditure of precious future life turned out to be predominant among the ducks of one cluster. It is used by almost all closely sitting individuals.

But sea slugs of the species Goniobranchus tinctorius have disposable penises. The copulatory organ of these nudibranchs is twisted into a tight spiral and divided into segments. The upper segment is used, which is simply discarded after mating. Individuals of another poorly studied sea slug species, "Siphopteron species 1", literally pierce each other during mating. The fact is that although these animals are hermaphrodites, but each individual prefers to play the role of a male and seeks to fertilize as many "females"as possible.

Two beetle species, Coridromius tahitiensis and Coridromius taravao, also demonstrated the so ‒ called "traumatic insemination". Males of these insects have a sharp sexual organ, resembling a needle from a syringe. It is not customary to ask females here. Males attack suddenly and pierce the belly of their chosen one, injecting sperm.

This year, some organisms have surprised biologists and unconventional use of their organs. American researchers have discovered that the anal opening of a giant sea cucumber (Parastichopus californicus) performs as many as three vital functions: excretory, respiratory and nutritional. Previously, only the first two were seen behind this organ. No less surprising discovery was presented to scientists by the Gardiner's frog (Sechellophryne gardineri). It became the first vertebrate known to science to hear with its mouth.

Here it is worth mentioning another amazing amphibian from the family of real worms. This group of animals was discovered only in 2012. Worms live in the soil or in the leaf litter that covers it. Unlike frogs and salamanders, these amphibians do not have legs, and the surface of their bodies is smooth. The animals can see almost nothing (if they have eyes, then they are under the skin), and their skulls are adapted for digging the ground. This year, biologists discovered a new species — Microcaecilia dermatophaga. Its representatives feed their offspring with their own skin.

Most people believe that our younger brothers can't remember the events of their lives. But in recent years, more and more studies have emerged that break down these baseless stereotypes. And if the memory of monkeys and dolphins can still be imagined, then the ability to remember cuttlefish is amazing. French researchers conducted a series of experiments in which experimental cephalopods demonstrated the ability to remember where, what and when they were fed delicious food.

But the champion in the field of memory among animals should be recognized as a planarian. These ciliated worms are not only able to remember what they were taught, but also recover their memories after cutting off and regrowing their heads. Biologists from the United States have taught a planarian to crawl directly to food, ignoring the light. After the worms learned not to be afraid of the beam, they were decapitated. It took only two weeks for the animals to regrow the lost body part, as well as to restore the skills acquired during training.

This year, scarab beetles were discovered to have incredible navigation abilities. They not only know how to check the position of the Sun and Moon, but also possess the skills of orientation by the stars. On a moonless night, these insects can roll their balloon along a completely straight route for a long time, using the Milky Way as a compass. (This discovery was recognized as outstanding in all respects and scientists were given a Shnobel.)

British biologists discovered the first known poisonous crustacean in 2013. Small remipedia crustaceans found in the sea caves of Central America have long attracted the interest of scientists because of their unusual physiological features. It turned out that they use sharp needles on their jaws to inject a mixture of neurotoxin and a special digestive enzyme into the victims ' bodies. As a result, the paralyzed prey is "digested" without being swallowed, after which the insidious crustaceans drink it like a thick milkshake.

"Hit parade" of amazing abilities this year completes the stereo smell, opened at moles. Blind denizens of underground burrows match olfactory signals from each nostril to accurately determine the direction and distance to the source of the smell.

Researchers will continue their work after the New Year holidays and, for sure, will find many more interesting animals that are very different from all other representatives of the fauna.

There are color photos in the primary source.

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04.03.2014 2:05, Atlantis

Society → Science
European geneticists have created tobacco that can "catch" moth
butterflies 25 February 2014, 20: 25
This was made possible thanks to the special bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which cause cancer in plants and feed on the waste products of tumor cells.
MOSCOW, February 25-RIA Novosti. European geneticists have developed a special tobacco variety that can synthesize a large number of pheromone molecules in its leaves, which moth butterflies use to attract the attention of individuals of the opposite sex, which will help create cheap and environmentally friendly insecticides, according to an article published in the journal Nature Communications.
Mankind has been widely using chemical insecticides since the second third of the last century. After the first results, the effectiveness of such drugs began to drop sharply, as pests adapted to them. In recent years, scientists have been trying to find new ways to control insects using bacteria or genetically modified pests.
Christer Lofstedt from Lund University (Sweden) and his colleagues opened the way to a completely different method of pest and parasite control by learning how to insert a special "package" of genes into the genome of cells in tobacco leaves, forcing them to synthesize mating pheromones of pests.
This was made possible by the special bacteria Agrobacterium tumefaciens, which cause cancer in plants and feed on the waste products of tumor cells. The authors of the article replaced its "warhead" with genes that the moth uses to synthesize organic acids - "billets" and assemble pheromone molecules.
Starting this process required a long "tuning" of genes, since the genome of tobacco and many other plants does not contain "instructions" for the production of animal carbohydrates and fats. In the end, Lofstedt and his colleagues were able to produce a tobacco variety that produced up to 600 micrograms of pheromones per gram of leaf mass.
Having obtained a sufficient amount of these molecules, the authors of the article tested their effect on several males of the ermine moth, which is a pest of many fruit crops. According to them, about half of the insects were trapped with the smell of a female, which allows using this tobacco to destroy more than 500 species of such butterflies.
Source: RIA Novosti

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04.03.2014 16:53, Atlantis

Biologist finds beetles" lost " by Darwin in Argentina 180 years ago
12 February 2014, 17: 19 1
Moscow, 12 Feb-RIA Novosti. An American biologist discovered several beetles in the Museum of London that were first described by Charles Darwin 180 years ago and remained a mystery to scientists after that, and published a detailed description of them in an article in Zookeys magazine
"The National Historical Museum of London gave me several different insects for a while, and to my surprise, I realized that one of them They were collected by Darwin himself. I've always enjoyed looking for and describing new species of insects, but this discovery really thrilled me," said Stylianos Chatzimanolis from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (USA).
Chatzimanolis named his find Darwinilus sedarisi, in honor of Charles Darwin and the American writer David Sedaris, and determined its species identity. According to him, this insect belongs to the number of predatory staphylinid beetles that appeared at the dawn of the dinosaur era, in the Triassic period, and whose total number exceeds 55 thousand species.
As the scientist himself notes, he found the remains of darwinilus back in 2008, and the next five years he spent searching for similar insects in other museums in Britain and other countries of the world. This attempt was unsuccessful, and today there are only two dried specimens of Darwinilus sedarisi, both of which were found by Chatzimanolis in the Museum of London.
According to his estimates, both insects were dried quite long ago, in 1935 or even earlier, which significantly reduces the chances that it will be possible to see live darwiniluses in the near future. Their disappearance is also supported by the fact that their usual habitats in Argentina were plowed up for grain crops.
Source: RIA Novosti

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20.03.2014 17:47, CosMosk

An article on a similar topic (causes of biodiversity), although not on the example of insects.

http://www.plosbiology.org/article/info%3A...al.pbio.1001569

stupidly translated

))
" Abstract

Worldwide, anthropogenic collapses of populations and species have caused the sixth mass extinction crisis, with rare species often being the first to disappear. Although the role of species diversity in maintaining ecosystem processes has been extensively studied, the role of rare species remains controversial. An important issue is whether common species are protected from losing features supported by rare species. This issue becomes even more critical in species-rich ecosystems, where high functional redundancy between species is likely and where it is thus often assumed that ecosystem functioning is a buffer against species extinction. Here, using extensive data sets of occurrence species and functional traits from three very diverse ecosystems (846 coral reef fish, 2,979 alpine plants, and 662 tropical trees), we show that the clearest combinations of traits are supported by predominantly rare species, both in terms of local abundance and regional placement. In addition, species that have low functional redundancy and are likely to support the most vulnerable functions, without other species bearing similar trait combinations, are less likely than expected to occur randomly in all three ecosystems. For example, 63% and 98% of the fish species that are most likely to support the most vulnerable functions in coral reef ecosystems are locally and regionally rare, respectively. For alpine plants, 32% and 89% of such species are locally and regionally rare, respectively. Notably, 47% of fish species and 55% of tropical tree species that can support extremely vulnerable functions have only one individual per count on average. Our results highlight the importance of preserving rare species, even in the most diverse ecosystems that are considered to have high functional redundancy. Rare species offer more aesthetic, cultural, or taxonomic diversity value; they disproportionately increase the potential breadth of functions provided by ecosystems across spatial scales. In this way, they are likely to hedge against future uncertainties arising from climate change and the ever-increasing anthropogenic pressure on ecosystems. Our results require a more detailed understanding of the role of rarity and functional vulnerability in ecosystem functioning.
Author Main Page

In ecological systems, most species are rare, that is, in the face of only a few individuals or restricted to a particular habitat and vulnerable to loss. However, the environmental consequences of such biodiversity loss are often overlooked and remain controversial. At best, the functions that these rare species provide to their ecosystems can be insured by the most common species that share combinations of functional traits with rare species, thereby helping to keep the ecosystem functioning despite the loss of rare species. In the worst-case scenario, rare species will have functional traits that differ from those of the occurring species, thus the functions they support will also be at risk of extinction. We looked at three very diverse ecosystems (coral reefs, alpine meadows, and rainforests) and whether common species would insure against the loss of functions performed on rare species. We show that many different combinations of traits are supported mainly by rare species. So it is not only the quantity but also the quality of biodiversity that matters. Thus, our data highlight that we need to change our understanding of biodiversity in general, and of conservation strategies in particular, by moving away from protecting biodiversity itself, and beyond focusing on iconic, charismatic, or phylogenetically diverse species, to protecting species that support irreplaceable functional roles and related ones. services. "

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28.03.2014 4:05, CosMosk

A little offtop is not from entomology.

Good people, colleagues!
I appreciate you and wish you health, and long years (*self-serving thinking about cooperation*))))
please watch this video. Since, I believe, you are scientists and educated people-you will be able to figure it out, without prejudice and unnecessary emotions.
If it doesn't inspire you,it may prolong your life and improve your parents ' health.

So, American cinema: #biochemistry #medicine #health #food

picture: 2014_03_28_022729.jpg

In advance, anticipating skepticism: In India, I was forced to spend 4.5 months without animal food, and I did not feel any lack of strength or anything like that... I've been eating 2 meals a day, and for the last month I've been eating almost one set of food-Chanachur (=dalmut, namkin - like noodles with nuts and spices), tomatoes, tea, watermelons. True, I blew a little for optimism) For the first time I was told that I arrived rested, and not lost weight.

Anyone who wants discussions, let's not be here, too-please...)
In the end, I promised to "change consciousness" in this topic - only non-trivial news.

This post was edited by CosMosk - 03/28/2014 04: 12

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28.03.2014 4:48, CosMosk

Dragonflies have long attracted the attention of biologists for their unusual body structure and abilities. They have six legs, but not all of them can walk. Their huge eyes, consisting of 30 thousand facets, see ultraviolet radiation. In their nervous system, there are no centers necessary for the perception of odors. But a new study shows that, despite this, dragonflies have a sense of smell.

Invertebrate specialist Manuela Rebora from the University of Perugia and her colleagues examined the dragonfly's antennae using a powerful electron microscope. Their attention was drawn to tiny bumps hidden in depressions, similar to olfactory receptors.

The researchers affected the antennae with various aromatic substances and registered nerve impulses coming from the found formations. But, as you know, a simple sensor response to smell is not enough to talk about a full sense of smell.

To test whether dragonflies can use these "receptors", scientists have built a special tunnel. At one end, fruit flies, a favorite delicacy for dragonflies, sat behind a silk screen. Winged predators were launched from the opposite end of the corridor, so that they could not see the flies, but they could smell them, spread by the flow of oncoming air. As a result, the dragonflies showed that they could accurately move to the area of the screen where the prey was currently located.

As reported in an article published in the Journal of Insect Physiology, this is the first work that proves the possibility of smell perception by dragonflies devoid of standard neural mechanisms.
Scientists suggest that the nervous system of dragonflies has learned to perceive odors simultaneously with the development of complex faceted vision. The results will help you better understand how simple olfactory systems work.

By content http://www.vesti.ru/

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