Syrphidae: can they be used as environmental bioindicators?

Syrphidae: can they be used as environmental bioindicators?

Simple SummaryThe Amazon biome encompasses the largest hydrographic basin in the world, high humidity, extensive forests, and remarkable biodiversity. However, it has been experiencing deforestation driven by human activity. These changes directly impact the region’s climate, influencing mosquitoes of the Culicidae family, which are vectors of major arthropod-borne diseases, such as Orthoflavivirus dengue, Alphavirus chikungunya, Orthobunyavirus oropoucheense, and Orthoflavivirus zikaense. This study aimed to investigate the fauna of Culicidae in the rural zone of the district of Mazagão Velho, within the municipality of Mazagão, in the state of Amapá, Brazil. Three excursions were carried out between 2023 and 2024. The collection methods used were human attraction and CDC traps, in the ground and using canopy modalities. A total of 3500 specimens were collected across the three seasonal periods: rainy with 1079 specimens, intermediary with 2172, and dry with 249. The genus Culex exhibited the highest abundance, followed by the genus Coquillettidia. The presence of epidemiologically relevant species involved in arbovirus transmission highlights the need for further entomofaunal studies in the state and underscores the potential risk to public health.The Amazon hosts one of the richest diversities of mosquitoes in the family Culicidae, which are key both as arbovirus vectors and as environmental bioindicators. However, the state of Amapá remains poorly studied regarding its mosquito fauna. This study aimed to characterize the diversity and seasonal composition of Culicidae in the municipality of Mazagão, Eastern Amazon, within a rural landscape influenced by human activity and extreme climatic events. Three sampling campaigns were conducted between 2023 and 2024, covering rainy, intermediary, and dry periods. Mosquitoes were collected using Protected Human Attraction (PHA) and CDC light traps at both ground and canopy strata. A total of 3500 specimens were obtained, representing 38 species across 15 genera. The intermediary period yielded the highest abundance and richness, whereas the dry season presented very low diversity, probably because of severe drought and forest fires. Dominant species included Coquillettidia (Rhy.) venezuelensis, Cq. albicosta, and Mansonia titillans. There were significant differences in community diversity between dry and wetter periods, underscoring the strong role of seasonality in shaping mosquito populations. These findings represent the entomofaunistic survey of the region, contributing to biodiversity knowledge and highlighting potential public health risks, thus reinforcing the need for continuous entomological monitoring.

Animals and Plants of the Ancient Maya is an impressive synthesis of ecological and anthropological information regarding some of the wild plants and animals of cultural significance to the ancient and contemporary Maya.Having myself conducted extensive ethnobiological research among the Maya, I find that the book is meticulously researched and accurate.Schlesinger presents a wealth of information in a format that is both easy to read and enjoyable.

| DET EC T ION | SymptomsAbove ground symptoms due to PCNs are not specific and often go undetected.General symptoms include patches of poor growth in the crop, with plants some times showing yellowing, wilting or death of foliage; tuber size is reduced and roots are extensively branched with soil stuck to them.However, there are many other causes of these symptoms.Plants should therefore be lifted for a visual check for the presence of cysts and young females on the roots, or a soil sample should be taken for testing.Young females and cysts are just visible 1 Use of brand names of chemicals or equipment in these EPPO Standards implies no approval of them to the exclusion of others that may also be suitable. 2http://www.eppo.int/QUARANTINE/ diag_activ ities/ EPPO_TD_1056_Gloss ary.pdf.

In recent years, the frequent outbreaks of cyanobacterial blooms have caused severe water pollution in many rivers and lakes at home and abroad, endangering drinking water safety and human health. How to remove cyanobacteria from water bodies safely, quickly, and economically has attracted the attention of many scientists. Currently, the typical treatment methods for algae in algae-bearing water bodies are physical, biological, and chemical methods. The physical method of algae removal is for both the symptoms and the root cause, but the workload is extensive, with high input costs, and should not be used on a large scale. The biological method is low-cost, but the removal efficiency is slow and unsuitable for the treatment of sudden water bloom. The chemical method can kill algae quickly, but it is easy to cause secondary pollution. These methods are relatively independent of each other, so the choice of a practical combination of technologies is essential for algal bloom removal and eutrophication management. This paper reviews the current application status and advantages and disadvantages of algae removal technologies at home and abroad; classifies them from physical, chemical, biological, and combined methods; and provides an outlook on the future development direction of algae removal technologies.

Amphibians are one of the key components of various ecosystems viz. freshwater, grassland as well as forest ecosystem. Present study for assessment of amphibian diversity was conducted in different agro ecosystem habitat types of Aurangabad district of Bihar province. Different habitat types selected for assessment of amphibian diversity of this area as: - (1) agricultural and non-agricultural land (2) pond (3) grassland. The data was collected by visual encounter survey and call count survey using line transect method. Species identification was confirmed with pictorial guide and various identification keys available. Collected data was analysed descriptively as well as statistically to find out different diversity indices. A total of 13 species of amphibians belonging to 4 families and 9genera were recorded. This study reveals that the Aurangabad district of Bihar province is rich in amphibian fauna. The district lies between 24°45’ and 24°75’ North Longitude and 84°22’ and 84°37’ East latitude. Further studies may explore the population structure, microhabitat, habitat, and use by amphibians for better understanding and also impose of several conservation strategies in Bihar state.

Application of the Australian river bioassessment system (AUSRIVAS) in the Brantas River, East Java, Indonesia

Coral reefs are complex ecosystems with high productivity. Various species of fish grow and develop in coral reef areas, making reef conditions influential on fish biodiversity. This study aims to identify and analyze the condition of coral reefs and fish biodiversity around Tidung Island, Thousand Islands. Data collection was conducted by dividing the study area into five zones, using the Point Intercept Transect (PIT) method for coral data collection and the Underwater Fish Visual Census (UVC) method for fish data collection. In-depth interviews were also conducted to gather data on preferences related to the aesthetic value of corals found in Tidung Island. The results showed that the average coral reef cover in Tidung Island was 45.78%, which is categorized as moderate. Area 3 had the highest coral cover at 89%. Corals with a thin plate lifeform and those from the Acropora genus were considered the most aesthetically pleasing. Reef fish in Tidung Island belonged to 12 families, with the highest biodiversity index found in Area 2 and the lowest in Area 5. The Pomacentridae family exhibited the highest abundance and a widespread distribution across Tidung Island. However, fish biodiversity in Tidung Island was found to be relatively unstable. Terumbu karang merupakan ekosistem yang kompleks dan memiliki produktifitas tinggi. Berbagai jenis ikan tumbuh dan berkembang di area terumbu karang sehingga kondisi terumbu karang akan mempengaruhi biodiversitas ikan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengidentifikasi serta menganalisis kondisi terumbu karang serta biodiversitas ikan di Pulau Tidung, Kepulauan Seribu. Pengambilan data dilakukan dengan membagi area penelitian menjadi 5 area dan menggunakan metode Point Intercept Transect (PIT) untuk pengambilan data karang dan metode Underwater fish Visual Census (UVC) untuk pengambilan data ikan. Metode wawancara mendalam digunakan untuk mengambil data preferensi terkait keindahan karang yang ada di Pulau Tidung. Hasil yang diperoleh adalah tutupan rata-rata terumbu karang di Pulau Tidung sebesar 45,78% dengan kondisi yang termasuk sedang. Area 3 memiliki tutupan paling tinggi sebesar 89%. Karang dengan lifeform thin plate dan genus acropora merupakan karang yang diniliai paling indah. Ikan karang di Pulau Tidung berasal dari 12 famili dengan indeks keanekaragaman tertinggi di area 2 dan yang terendah di area 5. Famili Pomacentridae memiliki nilai kelimpahan tertinggi dan distribusi yang menyebar di Pulau Tidung. Kondisi biodiversitas ikan di Pulau Tidung cenderung tidak stabil.

The ascaridoid nematodes of dogs and cats T. canis and T. cati are with widespread distribu-tion and causative agents of a disease in human and animals named Toxocariasis. Human dis-ease has several clinical forms with different clinical manifestation such as visceral, ocular, neurotoxocariasis and covert toxocariasis. The morphological methods used to differentiate the two species, especially to identify eggs or larvae, can lead to inaccurate diagnosis. This requires the use of more reliable methods, such as PCR, for identification of Toxocara species. The aim of our research is to develop in our conditions a PCR method for species identification of Toxocara and to determine its applicability on different stages of parasites. The method used by Khademvatan et al. (2013), we performed with some modifications in different forms of Toxocara - eggs, larvae and adult parasites. We used species-specific oligonucleotide primers from the ITS2 gene sequence of the ribosomal DNA - Tcan1/NC2 for T. canis and Tcat1/NC2 for T. cati. The presence of a band with a size of 380 bp, specific for T. canis, was found for all stages of the studied parasite. The described method will allow species differentiation of Toxocariasis causative agents and improve the diagnosis of the disease, as well as determine the actual spread and reservoirs of these parasites.

A chitosan-degrading fungus, BSF114, was isolated from soil. The culture preparation showed strong chitosanolytic enzyme activity at optimum pH 4.0 and optimum temperature of 60 degrees C after 36-40 h fermentation. The rapid decreased viscosity of chitosan solutions at early stage of reaction suggested an endo-type cleavage of the polymeric chitosan chains. To identify the isolated fungus, molecular biological and morphological methods were used. The fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region 1 was amplified, sequenced, and then compared with related sequences in the GenBank database using BLAST. The phylogenetic relationships were then analyzed, and the results showed that the fungus belongs to Aspergillus fumigatus. Morphological observations were also used to confirm the above conclusion. The chitooligosaccharides (COS) obtained through hydrolyzing the colloidal chitosan showed A. fumigatus BSF114 is suitable for degrading chitosan and producing chitooligosaccharides on a large scale. High concentrations of the COS (1000 and 500 microg/mL) significantly proliferated mice marrow cells.

PM 7/53 (2) <i>Liriomyza</i> spp.

Trichoderma fungi are significant saprophytic resources in nature, with only a minority of species documented as pathogenic fungi. Due to their widespread distribution, this genus of fungi has attracted considerable attention in recent years. During an investigation of fungal resources within the staple food bamboo species for giant pandas in China conducted from 2023 to 2024, a high diversity of Trichoderma species was observed. In this study, eight collected specimens were compared morphologically with known species, and DNA sequence analysis was performed using a multi-gene (ITS, tef1-α, and rpb2) dataset to establish phylogenetic relationships, ultimately leading to the identification of four Trichoderma species. The research uncovered four novel Trichoderma species: Trichoderma bashania, T. fargesia, T. mianyangensis and T. yaanensis. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that each of these new species forms a distinct lineage, with Trichoderma bashania, T. fargesia, T. mianyangensis and T. yaanensis all belonging to the Koningii section. All these newly identified species were isolated from the litter of the staple food bamboo species for giant pandas. This study provides morphological descriptions and illustrations of these four new species, along with DNA phylogenetic relationships based on the analysis of the multi-gene dataset. The findings indicate that Trichoderma fungi are widely present in the ecosystem of the staple food bamboo species for giant pandas and warrant close attention.

ABSTRACTThe Bulgarian raspberry germplasm collection contains both Bulgarian and foreign varieties with valuable agronomic characters of commercial value. At present, mainly Bulgarian raspberry varieties are grown in Bulgaria with qualities famous in other European countries (Romania, Hungary, Poland, Russia etc.). The study of genetic diversity in the Bulgarian raspberry germplasm collection is mainly based on morphological descriptions. Morphological characteristics are important tools but they are not enough for evaluation of the genetic diversity due to the influence of environmental factors and low number of loci studied. The application of molecular markers should give an enable breeders to expand genetic diversity in breeding material and allow selection of new perspective forms in future breeding programmes. In this article we present our initial study on the assessment of genetic diversity among Bulgarian and foreign raspberry accessions using Simple Sequence Repeat (SSRs) markers. Sixteen raspberry cultivars (six Bulgarian, eight foreign and two wild accessions) were screened for their polymorphism at four loci using polymorphic microsatellite markers. The value determined for genetic variation demonstrated a high genetic diversity in the Bulgarian raspberry germplasm collection. Genetic diversity (GD) calculated from SSR data ranged from 0,740 to 0,887 with a mean GD- 0.839.

Orthocladius (Mesorthocladius) nimidens was described by Saether (2005) from material collected in Ohio, and the species is reported also as O. (O.) sp. “Jacobsen” from North Carolina and Indiana (Epler 2001; Saether 2005). We collected specimens of O. nimidens larvae and pupae from 13 headwater streams in native tall-grass prairies in the Osage Plains Ecological Section of Missouri (Cleland et al., 1997; Nigh and Schroeder 2002) on 27 and 28 March 2008, and from 12 headwater streams in woodlands and grasslands in the Central Dissected Till Plains Ecological Section of Missouri (Cleland et al., 1997; Nigh and Schroeder 2002) on 7 March, 14 16 April, and 13 May, 2008 (Fig. 1). Our records of O. nimidens in Missouri represent the first for this species for the state and extend the known distribution of O. nimidens farther west in North America than documented previously in the literature. However, considering the recent description of this species and its apparent preference for headwater stream habitat, it probably has a widespread distribution. We sampled aquatic macroinvertebrate communities with 500 μm mesh bottom aquatic kick nets in riffles, pools, and submerged rootmats, and by using brushes with moderately stiff bristles to brush submerged woody debris into 500 μm mesh bags according to methods outlined by Sarver et al. (2002). Chironomid larvae and pupae were mounted on glass slides with CMCP-10 mounting medium, covered with cover slips, dried, ringed with clear nail polish, and were examined with a compound light microscope. Taxonomic keys and descriptive information provided in Coffman et al. (1986), Epler (2001), Saether (2005), and Ferrington et al. (2008) were used to identify specimens. Larvae of O. nimidens are characterized by a mentum with 7 or 8 lateral teeth, a broad median tooth, and secondary dissections of the bifid SI. Sometimes the SI dissections are strong and can be misleading when performing genus level identifications. It should be noted that the key provided by Epler (2001) is curVolume 121, Number 4, September and October 2010 329

eDNA metabarcoding has been used for the biomonitoring of benthic invertebrates, but the correct steps to achieve its effectiveness, the stability of the results, and comparisons with morphological methods are still understudied. In this study, morphology and eDNA were studied for benthic invertebrate samples collected at six sites in the Ulungu River Basin. A Mantel test and NMDS analyses were used to test the correlations of the communities obtained via the two methods, the Shannon index was calculated to evaluate the ecological status, and the correlation of the evaluation results was analyzed. The results revealed that eDNA metabarcoding did not detect a greater number of species than the morphological method, that the results from the two methods shared fewer taxa at the family level and below, and that only five taxa were shared at the genus level. The Mantel test and NMDS analyses revealed very significant differences between the communities monitored by the two methods (PERMANOVA, p = 0.0056), but eDNA metabarcoding provided richness and abundance data for species that are difficult to identify morphologically, and these findings can be used to supplement the morphological data. The cor.test revealed that there was no significant correlation between the diversity and ecological assessment results of the two methods, and the ecological assessment results of eDNA metabarcoding cannot represent accurate and true ecological conditions. The water sample eDNA-based method and morphological method exhibited low consistency and high complementarity in monitoring benthic invertebrate communities and diversity. More research is still needed on the key links of eDNA sampling, the control of the degradation rate, data utilization, and index development to provide more environmentally friendly and effective monitoring methods for ecological protection, more reliable support for ecological decision-making, and to more adequately respond to the challenges of global environmental change.