Female Wing Research Articles

Female-dependent factors affect sex allocation in Lesser Kestrels Falco naumanni

Abstract The sex ratio of nestlings is a crucial population determinant in rare and/or endangered species. We investigated the role of female body condition and female-related traits in Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni) nestling sex allocation at a nest-box colony in central Greece. We used the total clutch volume and size, female weight, hatching dates, body length, wing length, tail length, tarsometatarsus, and bill length as explanatory variables of the number of male nestlings (the response variable) using CART model analysis. This analysis showed that the reproduction output was biased towards male nestlings when female parents were shorter in body length and clutch size and volume were smaller. The skewed sex ratio favoring females, 1:2.35, suggests that when female parents are in good condition, they invest most in good-quality female nestlings, providing a reproductive advantage and increased long-term fitness.

A hypothesis for robust polarization vision: an example from the Australian imperial blue butterfly, Jalmenus evagoras.

The Australian lycaenid butterfly Jalmenus evagoras has iridescent wings that are sexually dimorphic, spectrally and in their degree of polarization, suggesting that these properties are likely to be important in mate recognition. We first describe the results of a field experiment showing that free-flying individuals of J. evagoras discriminate between visual stimuli that vary in polarization content in blue wavelengths but not in others. We then present detailed reflectance spectrophotometry measurements of the polarization content of male and female wings, showing that female wings exhibit blue-shifted reflectance, with a lower degree of polarization relative to male wings. Finally, we describe a novel method for measuring alignment of ommatidial arrays: by measuring variation of depolarized eyeshine intensity from patches of ommatidia as a function of eye rotation, we show that (a) individual rhabdoms contain mutually perpendicular microvilli; (b) many rhabdoms in the array have their microvilli misaligned with respect to neighboring rhabdoms by as much as 45deg; and (c) the misaligned ommatidia are useful for robust polarization detection. By mapping the distribution of the ommatidial misalignments in eye patches of J. evagoras, we show that males and females exhibit differences in the extent to which ommatidia are aligned. Both the number of misaligned ommatidia suitable for robust polarization detection and the number of aligned ommatidia suitable for edge detection vary with respect to both sex and eye patch elevation. Thus, J. evagoras exhibits finely tuned ommatidial arrays suitable for perception of polarized signals, likely to match sex-specific life history differences in the utility of polarized signals.

Australian imperial blue butterflies see polarised light, even on the move

While our world appears enveloped in colour, there is one palette that evades mammalian eyes: the effects of light polarisation. Although it is not possible to say how polarised light vision might affect our vision, the ability to see polarisation light plays a major role in the lives of butterflies – helping them to select mates and navigate by the sun. Knowing that tropical jumping spiders pay attention to the polarisation of their shiny colours, Matthew Lim, now at the National University of Singapore, contacted Naomi Pierce (Harvard University, USA) to suggest that they investigate whether Australian imperial blue butterflies (Jalmenus evagoras) are also members of the polarisation vision club. Together with Richard Rabideau Childers, also from Harvard University, Pierce travelled to New South Wales, Australia, home to the shimmering butterflies, to find out whether the butterflies view the world through polarised eyes.‘The challenge was that we had very little idea which, if any, of the mock wings, wing-beating robots or lights we took would actually work to attract and test the responses of these butterflies’, says Rabideau Childers, who arrived in Australia with suitcases packed full of robot and toy butterflies, colourful printed wings and polarisers to try out on imperial blues in the wild. Setting up pairs of identically coloured (blue, red or yellow) robot butterflies – one with polarised wings and the other without light polarisation – in trees for the wild butterflies to visit, the duo realised that the insects were most attracted to the blue unpolarised wings compared with the polarised wings, while the degree of light polarisation had no effect on the attractiveness of the red and yellow wings. So, the butterflies see blue polarised light well. And when Benedict Hogan at Princeton University, USA, analysed how the butterflies perceive each other's wing colours, he discovered that female wings would appear bluer – into the UV range – to male viewers, while male wings would appear greener to the females. In addition, Cheng-Chia Tsai, Heqing Huang and Nanfang Yu (Columbia University, USA) took a close look at the light reflected by the males’ and females’ wings, revealing that the females’ bluer wings reflected more polarised light than the males’ greenish wings and the light reflected from the females’ wings was most polarised when viewed head on during the morning and afternoon.However, creatures that see polarised light often have problems discerning the outline of an object, so Gary Bernard from the University of Washington, USA, wondered how the butterflies have resolved this issue. Bernard took detailed photographs of the mosaic-like retina of the butterflies’ eyes, looking for changes in the polarised light reflected by the individual photoreceptors, known as eyeshine, to find out how the individual photoreceptors are arranged relative to one another. Sure enough, pairs of the light-sensitive structures within each photoreceptor were arranged to see polarised light, confirming butterflies have polarised vision. Then, he scrutinised how the photoreceptors were arranged relative to each other and discovered that pairs of neighbouring photoreceptors were aligned with each other, helping the butterflies to see the outlines of objects more clearly. However, a substantial fraction of neighbouring photoreceptors were not aligned. Bernard realised that this misalignment could allow the constantly moving insects to see polarised light continually, as neurons within the retina sum the input from all of the misaligned photoreceptors so that the insects’ polarisation vision never drops out even when they are on the move.The team suspects that the females’ heightened sensitivity to polarised light might help them to be more choosy, selecting the most attractive male, as they mate only once, while serially unsuccessful males can keep an eye out for the next passing female.

Performance of parasitoid Bracon hebetor (Say.) (Hymenoptera

Harbobracon hebetor say (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a gregarious larval ectoparasitoid of several species of Lepidoptera that are associated with stored products. The present study addresses the effect of photoperiod of H.Hebetor reared on the host C. cephalonica. The results revealed that the effect of photoperiod of H. hebetor reared host in C. cepholonica was not significantly varied. The highest percentage of parasitism (98.553%) was recorded in 08L:16D followed by 91.110% in 24L:00D photoperiod. 86.667% in 00L:24D respectively. However the photoperiod 12L:12D showed the lowest percentage 82.223% of parasitism. The highest percent of pupae formed and adult emergence of parasitoid H. hebetor was achieved (98.045%) for 00L: 24D and (98.923%) for 08L:16D photoperiod when reared on C.cephalonica. The highest number of larval production (86.33) was recorded for 00L:24 photoperiod and lowest was 20.67 for 12L:12D photoperiod. The result showed the highest adult male and female body, head width and wing span length in 08L:16D photoperiod when reared on the host C. cepholonica.

Aphid male wing polymorphisms are transient and have evolved repeatedly.

Polymorphic phenotypes have long been used to examine the maintenance of genetic variation within and between species. Most studies have focused on persistent polymorphisms, which are retained across species boundaries, and their positive effects on speciation rates. Far less is known about the macroevolutionary impacts of more transient polymorphisms, which are also common. Here we investigated male wing polymorphisms in aphids. We estimated the phylogenetic history of wing states across species, along with several other traits that could affect wing evolution. We found that male wing polymorphisms are transient: they are found in only ~4% of extant species, but have likely evolved repeatedly across the phylogeny. We reason that the repeated evolution of transient polymorphisms might be facilitated by the existence of the asexual female wing plasticity, which is common across aphids, and would maintain the wing development program even in species with wingless males. We also discovered that male wingedness correlates positively with host plant alternation and host plant breadth, and that winged morphs and wing polymorphisms may be associated with higher speciation rates. Our results provide new evolutionary insights into this well-studied group and suggest that even transient polymorphisms may impact species diversification rates.

Egg shape variation across the distribution of the partially migratory fork‐tailed flycatcher Tyrannus savana

The evolution of egg shape across birds has been associated with breeding ecology, body shape constraints and nest microclimate, among other factors. We model the effects of migratory status, climate, clutch size and egg volume on egg shape variation over the distribution of fork‐tailed flycatchers Tyrannus savana. Although migratory status and climatic variables appear to be influencing intraspecific egg shape, these effects are not significant when accounting for nest identity as a random factor (i.e. eggs from the same clutch are more similar than to other clutches). Moreover, the differences that we observe in egg shape are not explained by variation in egg size. Finally, within a breeding population of migratory fork‐tailed flycatchers, egg shape does not vary with respect to egg‐laying order and/or female wing length (standardized by weight). Egg shape is highly variable within populations of fork‐tailed flycatchers but not within clutches, suggesting that female traits, apart from migratory status and wing morphology, constrain egg shape variation.

Using body size as an indicator for age structure in field populations of Aedesaegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

BackgroundThe Aedesaegypti mosquito is a vector of several viruses including dengue, chikungunya, zika, and yellow fever. Vector surveillance and control are the primary methods used for the control and prevention of disease transmission; however, public health institutions largely rely on measures of population abundance as a trigger for initiating control activities. Previous research found evidence that at the northern edge of Ae.aegypti’s geographic range, survival, rather than abundance, is likely to be the factor limiting disease transmission. In this study, we sought to test the utility of using body size as an entomological index to surveil changes in the age structure of field-collected female Aedesaegypti.MethodsWe collected female Ae.aegypti mosquitoes using BG sentinel traps in three cities at the northern edge of their geographic range. Collections took place during their active season over the course of 3 years. Female wing size was measured as an estimate of body size, and reproductive status was characterized by examining ovary tracheation. Chronological age was determined by measuring transcript abundance of an age-dependent gene. These data were then tested with female abundance at each site and weather data from the estimated larval development period and adulthood (1 week prior to capture). Two sources of weather data were tested to determine which was more appropriate for evaluating impacts on mosquito physiology. All variables were then used to parameterize structural equation models to predict age.ResultsIn comparing city-specific NOAA weather data and site-specific data from HOBO remote temperature and humidity loggers, we found that HOBO data were more tightly associated with body size. This information is useful for justifying the cost of more precise weather monitoring when studying intra-population heterogeneity of eco-physiological factors. We found that body size itself was not significantly associated with age. Of all the variables measured, we found that best fitting model for age included temperature during development, body size, female abundance, and relative humidity in the 1 week prior to capture . The strength of models improved drastically when testing one city at a time, with Hermosillo (the only study city with seasonal dengue transmission) having the best fitting model for age. Despite our finding that there was a bias in the body size of mosquitoes collected alive from the BG sentinel traps that favored large females, there was still sufficient variation in the size of females collected alive to show that inclusion of this entomological indicator improved the predictive capacity of our models.ConclusionsInclusion of body size data increased the strength of weather-based models for age. Importantly, we found that variation in age was greater within cities than between cities, suggesting that modeling of age must be made on a city-by-city basis. These results contribute to efforts to use weather forecasts to predict changes in the probability of disease transmission by mosquito vectors.Graphical abstract

Экспериментальная оценка эффектов ионизирующего излучения и инбридинга в изменчивости формы крыла дрозофил линии Сanton-S : геометрическая морфометрия

Differences in the size and shape variability of the female offspring wing obtained from irradiated parents of inbred and outbred groups of Canton-S strain of Drosophila melanogaster were estimated using geometric morphometry methods. The groups were kept under conditions of chronic irradiation at an exposure dose rate of 2,5 mGy/h. The absorbed dose in one generation (14 days) was 84 cGy. In the offspring of irradiated outbred parents, the wing dimensions are significantly reduced, and their variability is increased. In females obtained from irradiated inbred parents, on the contrary, the wing dimensions are significantly increased and their variance is reduced. Statistically significant changes in the shape of the wing in outbred and inbred females were revealed after irradiation of parents. Moreover, if outbred individuals show an increase in destabilization of development, then in inbred individuals, on the contrary, its stability increases. The parental exposure factor is established to affects the wing morphogenesis of D. melanogaster to a lesser extent than inbreeding. The results obtained suggest the compensatory epigenetic mechanisms activation for restoring normal morphogenesis disturbed by inbreeding when exposed to low-intensity irradiation.

Wings of fringed fruit-eating bats (Artibeus fimbriatus) are highly integrated biological aerofoils from perspectives of secondary sexual dimorphism, allometry and modularity

AbstractPhenotypic variability is ubiquitous. This is especially true in bats, where families such as Phyllostomidae encompass as much phenotypic variability as some entire orders of mammals. Typically, phenotypic variability is characterized based on cranial morphology, with studies of other functionally important aspects of the phenotype, such as legs, feet and wings, being less frequent. We examined patterns of secondary sexual dimorphism and allometry of wing elements of the fringed fruit-eating bat (Artibeus fimbriatus) and examined, for the first time, the modularity of bat wings. Patterns were based on 13 wing measurements taken from 21 females and 15 males from eastern Paraguay. From a multivariate perspective, A. fimbriatus exhibited significant secondary sexual dimorphism. Females were larger than males for all 13 wing characteristics, with significant differences involving the last phalanx of the fourth and fifth digits. Female wings were also relatively larger than male wings from a multivariate perspective, as was the last phalanx of the fourth and fifth digits, after adjusting for wing size based on forearm length. Wing elements were highly variable regarding allometric relationships, with some exhibiting no allometric patterns and others exhibiting isometry or hyperallometry, depending on the element. Wings exhibited significant modularity, with metacarpals, proximal phalanges and distal phalanges each representing a discrete module. The wings of A. fimbriatus exhibit substantive patterns of dimorphism, allometry and modularity. Although the big mother hypothesis is a strong theoretical construct to explain wing dimorphism, there is not yet any sound theoretical basis for the patterns of allometry and modularity of the wing. Further investigation is required to understand the determinants of variation in wing morphology.

Size does matter: intraspecific geometric morphometric analysis of wings of the blowfly Chrysomya albiceps (Diptera: Calliphoridae)

Blowflies have forensic, sanitary and veterinary importance, as well as being pollinators, parasitoids and ecological bioindicators. There is still little work with real data and from experiments assessing the relationship between blowflies’ morphologic features and environmental and demographic factors. The present work tests whether the variation, in the shape and size, of Chrysomya albiceps (Wiedemann, 1819) wings is influenced by the following factors: 1) time; 2) temperature; 3) sex and; 4) different types of carcasses (pig, dog/cat and whale). Male and female wings from four different sites collected in six different years were used to obtain wing size and shape of C. albiceps. Analyses between wing shape and the variables tested had low explanatory power, even though they had statistical support. However, it was possible to identify differences in wing shape between males and females, with good returns in sex identification. The comparison between wing size and the variables tested showed that wing size has a negative relationship with temperature, significant differences between sexes, slight variation over time and no influence by carcass types. Furthermore, wing size influenced wing shape. Understanding population-specific characteristics of C. albiceps provide important insights about how the species reacts under specific conditions.

New Complex of Cryptic Species Discovered in Genus Biblis (Papilionoidea: Nymphalidae: Biblidinae) in Mexico.

Our research focuses on demonstrating the existence of cryptic species named under Biblis aganisa Boisduval.We used COI sequences to delimit Biblis species for Mexico using species delimitation analyses and examined phylogenetic relationships with sequences from Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, USA, and Guana Island using a Bayesian inference tree. We performed a discriminant analysis with quantitative traits using female and male wing and genitalia, and a tree of maximum parsimony based on 39 qualitative characters of wings, head, and male genitalia. The results were congruent in the three analyses. Three groups were formed based on DNA, ECO 01 + DHJ02, ECO 02 + DHJ01, and ECO 03. The characters that contributed over 50% separation were for wings: wing length, anal margin length, and distance from the band to the outer margin; for male genitalia, angle of the integument, uncus, and the length of the hypandrium, while for females, it was the angle of the anteapophysis and the length of the abdomen. For the analysis of qualitative characters, a tree of maximum parsimony was obtained where 20 characters were informative. We confirmed the existence of three cryptic Biblis species in Mexico, two not yet described, and one corresponding to B. aganisa (ECO 02), which is sympatric in Oaxaca and Sinaloa (ECO 03) and in the Yucatan Peninsula (ECO 01).

Inverse size‐dependent phenology of female spruce budworms along reproductive and behavioral classes: an empirical study

AbstractThe incidence and causality of inverse size‐dependent phenology was investigated for spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), in part due to large sample size [>22000 feral females with known body size (wing area) and timing of emergence/occurrence]. Data collected in three Canadian provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec) between 1976 and 2019 included a wide array of sampling procedures grouped along gradients of reproductive classes. (1) For resident females of local origin (collected as pupae and allowed to emerge in the laboratory), body size declined over time at seven of seven sites, indicative of inverse size‐dependent timing of emergence. (2) Females foraging on trees (collected by fogging host trees or with sweep nets) exhibited declines in body size over time at five of five sites. (3) For behaviorally active females collected at traps (malaise, light, and canopy traps), inverse size‐dependent phenology of flight was observed at 20 of 23 combination of trap types/sites; partition of variance indicated limited variation in body size as a function of trap type, thus all inflight females were pooled in subsequent analyses. (4) In contrast to other sampling procedures, dead females collected on drop trays exhibited size‐dependent timing of mortality at only one of five sites. The article includes first body size measurements of migrant females captured in the troposphere with a kite balloon; as with other sampling procedures, body size decreased during the interval of sampling. Ongoing studies combining measurements of body size and dry weight of females (wing load) aim at inferring consequences of inverse size‐dependent phenology on reproduction and migration of budworms, including linkages with population dynamics.

MAPPER: An Open-Source, High-Dimensional Image Analysis Pipeline Unmasks Differential Regulation of Drosophila Wing Features.

Phenomics requires quantification of large volumes of image data, necessitating high throughput image processing approaches. Existing image processing pipelines for Drosophila wings, a powerful genetic model for studying the underlying genetics for a broad range of cellular and developmental processes, are limited in speed, precision, and functional versatility. To expand on the utility of the wing as a phenotypic screening system, we developed MAPPER, an automated machine learning-based pipeline that quantifies high-dimensional phenotypic signatures, with each dimension quantifying a unique morphological feature of the Drosophila wing. MAPPER magnifies the power of Drosophila phenomics by rapidly quantifying subtle phenotypic differences in sample populations. We benchmarked MAPPER’s accuracy and precision in replicating manual measurements to demonstrate its widespread utility. The morphological features extracted using MAPPER reveal variable sexual dimorphism across Drosophila species and unique underlying sex-specific differences in morphogen signaling in male and female wings. Moreover, the length of the proximal-distal axis across the species and sexes shows a conserved scaling relationship with respect to the wing size. In sum, MAPPER is an open-source tool for rapid, high-dimensional analysis of large imaging datasets. These high-content phenomic capabilities enable rigorous and systematic identification of genotype-to-phenotype relationships in a broad range of screening and drug testing applications and amplify the potential power of multimodal genomic approaches.

What you sample is what you get: ecomorphological variation in Trithemis (Odonata, Libellulidae) dragonfly wings reconsidered

BackgroundThe phylogenetic ecology of the Afro-Asian dragonfly genus Trithemis has been investigated previously by Damm et al. (in Mol Phylogenet Evol 54:870–882, 2010) and wing ecomorphology by Outomuro et al. (in J Evol Biol 26:1866–1874, 2013). However, the latter investigation employed a somewhat coarse sampling of forewing and hindwing outlines and reported results that were at odds in some ways with expectations given the mapping of landscape and water-body preference over the Trithemis cladogram produced by Damm et al. (in Mol Phylogenet Evol 54:870–882, 2010). To further explore the link between species-specific wing shape variation and habitat we studied a new sample of 27 Trithemis species employing a more robust statistical test for phylogenetic covariation, more comprehensive representations of Trithemis wing morphology and a wider range of morphometric data-analysis procedures.ResultsContrary to the Outomuro et al. (in J Evol Biol 26:1866–1874, 2013) report, our results indicate that no statistically significant pattern of phylogenetic covariation exists in our Trithemis forewing and hindwing data and that both male and female wing datasets exhibit substantial shape differences between species that inhabit open and forested landscapes and species that hunt over temporary/standing or running water bodies. Among the morphometric analyses performed, landmark data and geometric morphometric data-analysis methods yielded the worst performance in identifying ecomorphometric shape distinctions between Trithemis habitat guilds. Direct analysis of wing images using an embedded convolution (deep learning) neural network delivered the best performance. Bootstrap and jackknife tests of group separations and discriminant-function stability confirm that our results are not artifacts of overtrained discriminant systems or the “curse of dimensionality” despite the modest size of our sample.ConclusionOur results suggest that Trithemis wing morphology reflects the environment’s “push” to a much greater extent than phylogeny’s “pull”. In addition, they indicate that close attention should be paid to the manner in which morphologies are sampled for morphometric analysis and, if no prior information is available to guide sampling strategy, the sample that most comprehensively represents the morphologies of interest should be obtained. In many cases this will be digital images (2D) or scans (3D) of the entire morphology or morphological feature rather than sparse sets of landmark/semilandmark point locations.

Cloning and Expression Analysis of Glutathione S-transferase Genes from Agrilus zanthoxylumi (Coleoptera: Buprestidae)

Host adaptability and insecticide resistance of insects are closely related to detoxification metabolism-related proteins. In this study, the distribution and expression of glutathione s-transferase (GST) in Agrilus zanthoxylumi Hou (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) were studied. Based on the transcriptome data of A. zanthoxylumi, five GST genes were screened and cloned. The transcription levels of the five GST genes in male and female adult head, thorax, abdomen, legs and wings were determined by real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) in order to provide a theoretical basis for the functional study of the gene. The results showed that all five GST genes had highly conserved N-terminal domain or C-terminal domain, belonging to two subfamilies of Delta or Sigma. The phylogenetic tree results showed that the evolutionary relationship of GST genes between A. zanthoxylumi, Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), and Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) was the closest; RT-qPCR results showed that the five GST genes were differentially expressed in different tissues and sexes, and its expression level in each tissue of the male was higher than that of the female as a whole, especially in the head. The results of this study can provide basic data for analyzing the mechanism of detoxification resistance of A. zanthoxylumi and provide reference for its biological control and resistance research.

Polyethylene microplastics and substrate availability can affect emergence responses of the freshwater insect Chironomus sancticaroli.

Pollution caused by polyethylene microplastics (MP) has been reported for aquatic environments worldwide. However, despite recurrent research for several aquatic organisms, the effects of MP on the emergence stage of freshwater insects from tropical environments are little known. This study is the first to assess the emergence of the Brazilian native species Chironomus sancticaroli Strixino & Strixino, 1981 when exposed to primary polyethylene microplastics (size 40-48 µm). We performed two exposure scenarios, with a substrate (standard assays) and without substrate (as a stressful experience), and recorded emergence responses. The MP did not affect the species' emergence rate, but these rates were statistically different for the standard and stressful exposure scenarios. In bioassays without substrate, the high concentrations of MP caused anticipation of the insect's emergence (5-6 days). On the other hand, female emergence time was longer than males in standard bioassays. The substrate absence caused a slight increase in the left female wing's length and the potential female fecundity. These findings suggest that the polyethylene microplastics and substrate availability can affect the emergence dynamics of the tropical insect C. sancticaroli.

Notes on African Rock Pipit Anthus crenatus biometrics

African Rock Pipits Anthus crenatus occur in mountainous terrain with steep slopes, and as a result are not easily captured. This is borne out by the South African Bird Ringing Unit (SAFRING) data, which lists fewer than 20 individuals of this species ever having been caught and ringed. As a result of this, there are also limited biometric data available for this species. In this paper, I collated biometric data from ringed birds (n = 12) as well as museum study skins housed in the National Museum, Bloemfontein (n = 22), Durban Natural Science Museum (n = 2) and East London Museum (n = 17). Biometric data were taken from sexes and included culmen, tarsus, hind claw, wing and tail lengths and body mass. Male African Rock Pipits were significantly longer-winged and had longer tails than females (wing: t = 5.239; df = 50; P < 0.05; tail: t = 2.310; df = 50; P < 0.05). Mean wing lengths were 86.5 mm for males and 82.7 mm for females, while tail lengths were 67.0 mm for males and 64.3 mm for females. Hind claw lengths also differed significantly between the sexes (t = -2.227; df = 29; P < 0.05), although this metric is probably biased owing to the small female sample size. No significant differences were evident in culmen and tarsus lengths or body mass between the sexes. The only previous study that reported the morphometrics of this species used a much smaller sample size than the present study, and only reported details for culmen, wing and tail lengths and body mass. This study represents the first detailed biometric dataset for African Rock Pipits based on limited bird ringing data and supplementary biometric data obtained from museum study skins. The value of museum specimens to obtain biometric data is again highlighted.

The foraging Gene Is Involved in the Presence of Wings and Explorative Behaviours in Parthenogenetic Females of the Aphid Myzus persicae.

The foraging gene (for) encodes for a cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase involved in behavioural plasticity in aphids and in other insects. In this paper, we analysed the complete for sequence in eight clones of the peach potato aphid Myzus persicae, reporting the presence of nonsense and frameshift mutations in three studied clones characterized by a reduced number of winged females and by the absence of exploratory behaviours. Quantitative PCR experiments evidenced similar results in clones possessing for genes with a conserved coding sequence, but low expression levels. The comparison of the for transcriptional level in Myzus persicae persicae and Myzus persicae nicotianae showed very different expression in the two studied M. p. nicotianae clones so that our data did not support a previous hypothesis suggesting that a differential for expression was related to ecological specialization of M. p. nicotianae. In view of its role in both the dispersal of winged females and exploratory behaviours, the screening of the for sequences could be useful for predicting invasions of cultivated areas by peach potato aphids.

Kishenehna prima, a new genus and species of darner dragonfly (Odonata, Aeshnidae, Gomphaeschninae) from the early middle Eocene Kishenehn Formation of Montana, USA.

We describe the darner dragonfly Kishenehna prima n. gen. and sp. (Odonata, Aeshnidae, Gomphaeschninae) based on a well-preserved, nearly complete female hind wing from the Lutetian Coal Creek Member of the Kishenehn Formation, northwestern Montana, USA. Kishenehna is morphologically close to the late Paleocene genus Alloaeschna Wighton Wilson of Alberta, Canada. This is the first dragonfly (Anisoptera) described from the Kishenehn Formation and the first from the Lutetian of the Western Hemisphere.

Evolution of sexual conflict in scorpionflies.

Sexual conflict - opposite reproductive/genetic interests between sexes - can be a significant driver of insect evolution. Scorpionflies (Insecta: Mecoptera) are models in sexual conflict research due to their large variety of mating practices, including coercive behaviour and nuptial gift provisioning. However, the role of palaeontology in sexual conflict studies remains negligible, namely due to the paucity of well-preserved fossils. Here, we describe three male scorpionflies from Cretaceous and Eocene ambers. The structure of notal and postnotal organs is analysed in extant and extinct forms; a depression below the base of the notal organ in different panorpid species spatially matches the anterior fold of the female's wing. Based on disparate abdominal configurations and correlations in extant relatives, we posit that each new fossil taxon had a different mating approach along a nuptial gifting-coercive spectrum. The Eocene specimen possesses extreme female clamping abdominal armature, suggesting a degree of sexual coercion greater than in any other known scorpionfly, extinct or extant. The fossil record of abdominal modifications in male scorpionflies documents a relatively late evolution (Eocene) of long notal organs indicating oppressive behaviour toward a female during mating. Our findings reveal a wider array of mating-related morphological specialisations among extinct Panorpoidea, likely reflecting more diversified past mating strategies and behaviours in this group, and represent first steps towards gaining a deep-time perspective on the evolution of sexual conflict over mating among insects.