Systematic (Netherlands)

Two new species of the fungal-inhabiting plant bug genus Peritropis Uhler, 1891 are described from the Indochina Peninsula: P. andrzeji sp. nov. and P. cheroti sp. nov. In addition, P. thailandica is recorded from Vietnam for the first time. Morphological information, including a detailed description of male and female genitalia, is presented. The importance of structural examination in the genus Peritropis is discussed, and a key to the species of Peritropis occurring in the Indochina Peninsula is provided.

Over the course of evolution, hymenopteran parasitoids have developed a close relationship with heritable viruses, sometimes integrating viral genes into their chromosomes. For example, in Drosophila parasitoids belonging to the Leptopilina genus, 13 viral genes from the Filamentoviridae family have been domesticated to deliver immunosuppressive factors to host immune cells, thereby protecting parasitoid offspring from the host immune response. The present study aims to comprehensively characterize this domestication event in terms of the viral genes involved, the wasp diversity affected by this event and its chronology. Our genomic analysis of 41 Cynipoidea wasps from six subfamilies revealed 18 viral genes that were endogenized during the early radiation of the Eucoilini/Trichoplastini clade around 75 million years ago. Wasps from this highly diverse clade develop not only from Drosophila but also from a variety of Schizophora. This event coincides with the radiation of Schizophora, a highly speciose Diptera clade, suggesting that viral domestication facilitated wasp diversification in response to host diversification. Additionally, in one of the species, at least one viral gene was replaced by another gene derived from a related filamentovirus. This study highlights the impact of viral domestication on the diversification of parasitoid wasps.

The plant bug genus Izyacapsus Henry (Miridae: Orthotylinae: Ceratocapsini) is reviewed and three new species are described: I. argentinus new species from Mendoza Province, Argentina; I. boliviensis new species from Santa Cruz Department, Bolivia; and I. woodruffi new species from several provinces in the Dominican Republic. Digital images of the adults and male genitalia of each species are provided, I. kerzhneri Henry and I. rubrocuneatus Henry are diagnosed, and a revised key to the species of the genus is given to aid identification.

BackgroundThe demand for natural product-based treatment options for livestock is increasing by animals’ owners, veterinarians and policy makers. But at the same time, the traditional knowledge about it is at risk of falling into oblivion in Europe. The present study recorded this knowledge for the linguistically and geographically interesting Swiss canton of Valais.MethodOpen, semi-structured interviews were used to collect detailed information on formulations and applications, including plant species and natural substances, origin of material, extraction and preparation of herbal products, indication and type of application, dosage, sources of knowledge, frequency of usage and self-assessment of the treatment.Results and discussionIn the course of 43 interviews, 173 homemade single species herbal remedy report (HSHR) were recorded. They included 53 plant species from 30 botanical families. Plant species from the botanical families of Asteraceae, Rubiaceae and Cupressaceae were mentioned the most, while the most frequently documented plant species were Coffea arabica L., Juniperus sabina L., Arnica montana L. and Matricaria chamomilla L. For the 173 HSHR, a total of 215 uses were mentioned, most of which were for the treatment of gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders, followed by skin lesions and genito-urinary tract problems. Regional peculiarities emerged, such as the use of Leontopodium alpinum Cass. for diarrhea in the French-speaking Valais, while Matricaria chamomilla and Camellia sinensis L. were used in the German-speaking part instead. In comparison with other regions of Switzerland, 10 plants were reported for the first time, including Juniperus sabina with 18 use reports.ConclusionThe daily use on farms and the high satisfaction of farmers with homemade herbal remedies demonstrate their high practical relevance. In conclusion, the traditional regional knowledge about the use of medicinal plants is not only a cultural heritage worth protecting, but also an essential resource for the further development of European veterinary medicine.

Root exudates contain specialised metabolites that shape the plant’s root microbiome. How host-specific microbes cope with these bioactive compounds, and how this ability affects root microbiomes, remains largely unknown. We investigated how maize root bacteria metabolise benzoxazinoids, the main specialised metabolites of maize. Diverse and abundant bacteria metabolised the major compound in the maize rhizosphere MBOA (6-methoxybenzoxazolin-2(3H)-one) and formed AMPO (2-amino-7-methoxy-phenoxazin-3-one). AMPO forming bacteria were enriched in the rhizosphere of benzoxazinoid-producing maize and could use MBOA as carbon source. We identified a gene cluster associated with AMPO formation in microbacteria. The first gene in this cluster, bxdA encodes a lactonase that converts MBOA to AMPO in vitro. A deletion mutant of the homologous bxdA genes in the genus Sphingobium, did not form AMPO nor was it able to use MBOA as a carbon source. BxdA was identified in different genera of maize root bacteria. Here we show that plant-specialised metabolites select for metabolisation-competent root bacteria. BxdA represents a benzoxazinoid metabolisation gene whose carriers successfully colonize the maize rhizosphere and thereby shape the plant’s chemical environmental footprint.

The genus Ultratenuipalpus (Acariformes: Tenuipalpidae) is represented by 26 species worldwide. We describe and illustrate Ultratenuipalpus dicranopteris sp. nov. He, Jin & Yi, from Dicranopteris sp. (Gleicheniaceae) from Dicranopteris sp. (Gleicheniaceae). We also redescribe the female and supplement original description with that of the male, deutonymph and protonymph stage of Ultratenuipalpus hainanensis (Wang).

Two new species of Riethia Kieffer, 1917, R. chilensis sp. nov. (Chile) and R. ecuadoriensis sp. nov. (Ecuador) are described and figured as adult males. The two species differ from the presumable closest relative, R. truncatocaudata (Edwards, 1931), by uniformly coloured legs, without bands, and stout curved hypopygial superior volsellae; they can be separated from all other Riethia by the shape and setation pattern of the inferior volsella. The two new species differ from each other in body colouration, including abdomen, and in the presence/absence of microtrichia on superior volsellae.

Background Since fatigue is shared across many conditions, understanding and managing fatigue requires cross-condition collaboration. The current analysis, focusing on fatigue in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), aimed to take the first steps towards building such collaboration by identifying potential members, presenting a map of studied topics and remaining gaps, and highlighting potential funders. Methods This study used components of scientometrics, content analysis, systematic review, and gap analysis using four data sources. Results We identified research teams on IBD fatigue in six countries with 23 authors who have published on fatigue in more than one condition, with chronic fatigue syndrome as the dominant topic of interest among the researchers. Crohn’s & Colitis UK and AbbVie were the main funders of research on IBD fatigue. Most publications were observational studies and respectively focused on psychological problems, physical problems, and outcomes (quality of life followed by severity of illness index) associated with IBD fatigue. A triad with King’s College London + Crohn’s & Colitis UK + University College London was the main active research network. In co-authorship network analysis, the collaboration across countries was more visible in a wired or star-shaped network with multiple core points; however, the collaboration in the largest cluster showed a neuron- or loop-shaped collaboration across the most active institutes. Conclusions This research took a mixed methods approach to initiating a collaboration by identifying members and building a map of recent research and gaps in order to tackle fatigue as a complex, cross-condition, and multi-disciplinary problem. Interventional and qualitative studies, along with systematic reviews to fill the research gaps, are needed. An international collaboration among institutes could provide support for large initiatives such as the release of standards of best practice, clinical practice guidelines, and consensus-based definitions of fatigue.

Yin, Zi-Wei, Song, Xiao-Bin, Chen, Jia-Wei (2023): A second specimen of Colilodion tetramerus Löbl (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae). Zootaxa 5353 (4): 393-394, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5353.4.6, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5353.4.6