Search results for "INSECT"

A finely tuned strategy adopted by an egg parasitoid to exploit chemical traces from host adults.

2009

SUMMARY Scelionid egg parasitoids can obtain reliable information on the presence of host eggs by discriminating host gender on the basis of chemical footprints of their co-evolved hosts, with a strong preference for the footprint left by host females. Based on the concept of dietary specialization and infochemical use in natural enemies, it could be predicted that host gender discrimination in specialist species belonging to the genus Trissolcus is further tuned to specific cues from distinctive chemical traces left by host females as a consequence of copulation and/or oviposition. To test this hypothesis we used the system Murgantia histrionica – Trissolcus brochymenae. Our results showed…

Genetic control of male cuticular hydrocarbons in Drosophila melanogaster

1996

0016-6723 (Print) Comparative Study Journal Article; 7-tricosene (7-T) and 7-pentacosene (7-P) are the two main hydrocarbons on the cuticle of male Drosophila melanogaster. These two substances might play a pheromonal role during courtship behaviour. We investigated the genetic basis of the quantitative polymorphism observed in the production of 7-T and 7-P. Strains of different geographic origin, with males producing either predominantly 7-T or predominantly 7-P, were hybridized with strains carrying genetic markers. We found that chromosome II changes the balance between 7-T and 7-P while chromosome III regulates the overall quantity of both 7-monoenes. We have also characterized and roug…

Knowledge, stigma, health seeking behaviour and its determinants among patients with post kalaazar dermal leishmaniasis, Bihar, India

2018

Background Lesishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease endemic in Bihar, India. Inappropriate health seeking behaviour of post kala-azar dermal leishmaniasis (PKDL) patients may increase the disease duration, severity and transmissibility. Simultaneously, lack of knowledge and perceived stigma may also increase the length of delay in receiving treatment. This ultimately effects the kala-azar elimination program. Methods A cross sectional study was conducted in 120 confirmed PKDL patients, aged 18 years and older. Data related to knowledge and health seeking behaviour was collected by a pre-tested questionnaire. EMIC stigma scale was used for assessing the perceived stigma. Patients were …

Tumor-suppressor genes, hematopoietic malignancies and other hematopoietic disorders of Drosophila melanogaster.

1994

Immunocompetence, developmental stability and wingspot size in the damselflyCalopteryx splendensL.

2000

Calopteryx splendens males exhibit a remarkable variation in wing pigmentation both within and between populations. In this study, we examined whether the wingspots of male C. splendens are related to male quality. We measured the nylon implant encapsulation rate for 85 males and found that males with larger wingspots had a faster encapsulation rate, indicating a better immunocompetence. We also found that the encapsulation rate was positively correlated with the density of haemocytes in the haemolymph. Another measurement of male quality, fluctuating asymmetry of wingspots, correlated negatively with the size of the wingspots. Males with asymmetrical wingspots also had lower encapsulation …

Dense Bodies of a gH/gL/UL128/UL130/UL131 Pentamer-Repaired Towne Strain of Human Cytomegalovirus Induce an Enhanced Neutralizing Antibody Response

2019

The development of a vaccine against human cytomegalovirus infection (HCMV) is a high-priority medical goal. The viral pentameric protein complex consisting of glycoprotein H (gH)/gL/UL128-131A (PC) is considered to be an important vaccine component. Its relevance to the induction of a protective antibody response is, however, still a matter of debate. We addressed this issue by using subviral dense bodies (DBs) of HCMV. DBs are exceptionally immunogenic. Laboratory HCMV strain DBs harbor important neutralizing antibody targets, like the glycoproteins B, H, L, M, and N, but they are devoid of the PC. To be able to directly compare the impact of the PC on the levels of neutralizing antibody …

The role of cuticular pheromones in courtship conditioning of Drosophila males

2005

1072-0502 (Print) Comparative Study Journal Article Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.; Courtship conditioning is an associative learning paradigm in Drosophila melanogaster, wherein male courtship behavior is modified by experience with unreceptive, previously mated females. While the training experience with mated females involves multiple sensory and behavioral interactions, we hypothesized that female cuticular hydrocarbons function as a specific chemosensory conditioned stimulus in this learning paradigm. The effects of training with mated females were determined in courtship tests with either wild-type virgin females as courtship targets, or with…

Influence of landscape composition and diversity on contaminant flux in terrestrial food webs: a case study of trace metal transfer to European black…

2012

13 pages; International audience; Although understanding the influence of the spatial arrangement of habitats and interacting communities on the processes of pollutant flux and impacts is critical for exposure and risk assessment, to date few studies have been devoted to this emergent topic. We tested the hypothesis that landscape composition and diversity affect the transfer of trace metals to vertebrates. Bioaccumulation of Cd and Pb in blood and feathers of European blackbirds Turdus merula (n=138) was studied over a smelter-impacted area (Northern France). Landscape composition (type and occurrence of the different habitats) and diversity (number of different habitat types and the propo…

Revision of the Shore-fly Genera Parahyadina Tonnoir and Malloch and New Zealand Hyadina Haliday (Diptera: Ephydridae).

2019

Two genera of the shore-fly tribe Hyadinini, Hyadina Haliday and Parahyadina Tonnoir & Malloch, are revised, and all species treated, save P. lacustris Tonnoir & Malloch, are described for the first time. The phylogenetic position of both genera within Hyadinini is presented along with confirming, morphological evidence. The New Zealand fauna of Hyadina is now limited to the single new species H. breva, and Parahyadina is expanded from being a monotypic genus based on P. lacustris to also include the following 9 endemic new species: P. angusta, P. atra, P. bifurcata, P. bulla, P. debilis, P. edmistoni, P. hennigi, P. irwini, and P. latistylis. For both genera, emphasis is given to s…

The genus Tuponia Reuter, 1875 in Romania, with two new synonymies (Heteroptera: Miridae)

2021

Based on recently collected material and on type specimens deposited in the collections of Muzeul de Istorie Naturală “Grigore Antipa”, Bucharest, Romania, and of the Zoologische Museum, Universität Hamburg, Germany, the following new synonymies are proposed: Tuponia (Chlorotuponia) prasina (Fieber, 1864) = Tuponia (Chlorotuponia) linnavuorii Wagner, 1961, syn. n.; Tuponia (Tuponia) montandoni Reuter, 1899 = Tuponia (Tuponia) macedonica Wagner, 1957, syn. n. Lectotype and paralectotype are designated for Tuponia (Tuponia) montandoni Reuter, 1899. Tuponia (Chlorotuponia) hippophaes (Fieber, 1861), Tuponia (Tuponia) arcufera Reuter, 1879 and Tuponia (Tuponia) elegans (Jakovlev, 1867) are reco…