Hoverflies of the Timon-David collection (Diptera, Syrphidae).

Background: Hoverflies are among the most important insect pollinators and there is documented evidence of a recent decline in their populations. To trace the past distributions of hoverfly species, verified records of historical collections are essential. New information: Here, we provide data on 1071 specimens of hoverflies collected or received by Jean Timon-David and hosted at the Marseille Natural History Museum, France. Most of the specimens were collected by Timon-David himself and come from south-eastern France, mainly from the Departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Var and Hautes-Alpes. Most of these specimens were checked for the accuracy of their identification according to the latest identification keys. This resulted in 85 additions to the known fauna of the French Departments, mostly for Var and Bouches-du-Rhône. The taxonomy of all specimens was checked against the latest available checklists and updated names added whenever necessary. Specimens received from entomologists working in other continents may also be valuable, as these are historic testimonies of the fauna of their own respective regions of origin and may, therefore, also be used as reference material. One paratype specimen from Australia is present in the collection. The holotype of Cheilosia vangaveri Timon-David, 1937 is absent from the collection and should be considered as lost. All but two of the specimens with locality labels had their geographical coordinates of origin added in the dataset.

Apoidea of the collections of Lyon, Aix-en-Provence, Marseille and Toulon Museums of Natural History (France).

Background: Many insect species have shown dramatic declines over the last decades, as a result of man-related environmental changes. Many species which were formerly widespread are now rare. To document this trend with evidence, old records of collected specimens are vital. New information: We provide here the data on 9752 bee (Hymenoptera: Apoidea) specimens hosted in several museums of south-east France: Musée des Confluences in Lyon, Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle de Marseille, Muséum d'Aix-en-Provence and the Muséum Départemental du Var in Toulon. Most of the specimens (9256) come from France and include data on 552 named species. For most of these specimens, the geographical location, including geographical coordinates, is based on the locality (town or village) where they were collected. The specimens were captured from the beginning of the nineteenth century to 2018. The identifications of 1377 specimens, mainly belonging to the genus Bombus, are considered reliable, as these were performed or been checked since 2009. All the other reported identifications are the original ones given by the original collectors.

Eradications as scientific experiments: progress in simultaneous eradications of two major invasive taxa from a Mediterranean island.

BACKGROUND: Black rats, Rattus rattus, and mat-forming iceplants, Carpobrotus aff. acinaciformis and Carpobrotus edulis, are pervasive pests on Mediterranean islands. Their cumulative impacts on native biotas alter the functioning of island ecosystems and threaten biodiversity. A report is given here of the first attempt to eradicate both taxa from a protected nature reserve in south-eastern France (Bagaud Island). In order to minimise unwanted hazardous outcomes and produce scientific knowledge, the operations were embedded in a four-step strategy including initial site assessment, planning, restoration and monitoring. RESULTS: Trapping, which resulted in the removal of 1923 rats in 21 045 trap-nights, made it possible to eliminate a substantial proportion of the resident rat population and to reduce the amount of rodenticide delivered in the second stage of the operation. Forty tons of Carpobrotus spp. were manually uprooted from a total area of 18 000 m(2) ; yet careful monitoring over a decade is still required to prevent germinations from the seed bank. CONCLUSION: Two years after the beginning of the interventions, both eradication operations are still ongoing. Biosecurity measures have been implemented to reduce reinvasion risks of both taxa. With the long-term monitoring of various native plants and animals, Bagaud Island will become a reference study site for scientific purposes.

High malaria transmission intensity in a village close to Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon.

A 2-yr longitudinal malaria study was undertaken in a suburb of Yaounde, the capital city of Cameroon, in the village of Simbock, approximately 2 km from the city limits. This study allowed assessment of malaria transmission intensity and dynamics in this region before implementation of pyrethroid impregnated bed nets through the national vector control program. Anophelines were captured on human volunteers by pyrethrum spray collections and in resting sites outdoors. Malaria vectors were Anopheles funestus Giles, Anopheles gambiae s.s. Giles (M and S forms), Anopheles moucheti Evans, and Anopheles nili Theobald. An. moucheti was the most abundant mosquito captured during the study, accounting for >54% of total anophelines caught. The annual Plasmodium falciparum Welch entomological inoculation rates measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were 277 infected bites per human for the first year and 368 for the second year. An. gambiae s.s., An. funestus, An. moucheti, and An. nili were responsible for 23.8%, 26.8%, 39.2%, and 10.2% of malaria transmission, respectively. Malaria transmission is perennial throughout the year. All these vectors were highly anthropophagous because only two out of 566 mosquitoes blood-meal tested were not taken on humans.