Magnetic Response of Nematic Superconductors: Skyrmion Stripes and Their Signatures in Muon Spin Relaxation Experiments.

We investigate the magnetic response of nematic superconductors, presenting a new approach to find vortex and skyrmion structures beyond symmetry-constraining Ansätze. Using this approach we show that nematic superconductors form distinctive skyrmion stripes. Our approach lends itself to accurate determination of the field distribution for muon spin rotation probes. We use this to show that the skyrmion structure manifests as a double peak in the field distribution, markedly different from the signal of standard vortex lattices.

Distribution of fish in seagrass, mangroves and coral reefs: life-stage dependent habitat use in Honduras.

Many coral reef fish exhibit habitat partitioning throughout their lifetimes. Such patterns are evident in the Caribbean where research has been predominantly conducted in the Eastern region. This work addressed the paucity of data regarding Honduran reef fish distribution in three habitat types (seagrass, mangroves, and coral reefs), by surveying fish on the islands of Utila and Cayos Cochinos off the coast of Honduras (part of the Mesoamerican barrier reef). During July 2nd - Aug 27th 2007 and June 22nd - Aug 17th, 2008, visual surveys (SCUBA and snorkel) were performed in belt transects in different areas: eleven coral reef, six seagrass beds, and six mangroves sites. Juvenile densities and total habitat surface area were used to calculate nursery value of seagrass and mangroves. A total of 113 fish species from 32 families were found during underwater surveys. Multi-dimensional analyses revealed distinct clusters of fish communities in each habitat type by separating fish associated with seagrass beds, mangroves, and coral reefs. Coral reefs showed the highest mean fish species richness and were dominated by adult fish, while juvenile fish characterized seagrass beds and mangrove sites. Habitat use differed widely at the fish species level. Scarus iseri (Striped Parrotfish), the most abundant fish in this study, were found in all three habitat types, while Lutjanus apodus (Schoolmaster Snapper) juveniles were located primarily in mangroves before migrating to coral reefs. Many species used seagrass beds and mangroves as nurseries; however, the nursery value could not be generalized at the family level. Furthermore, for some fish species, nursery value varied between islands and sites. Our results suggest that connectivity of seagrass, mangrove, and coral reef sites at a species and site levels, should be taken into consideration when implementing policy and conservation practices.

Catalogue of the Diptera (Insecta) of Morocco- an annotated checklist, with distributions and a bibliography.

The faunistic knowledge of the Diptera of Morocco recorded from 1787 to 2021 is summarized and updated in this first catalogue of Moroccan Diptera species. A total of 3057 species, classified into 948 genera and 93 families (21 Nematocera and 72 Brachycera), are listed. Taxa (superfamily, family, genus and species) have been updated according to current interpretations, based on reviews in the literature, the expertise of authors and contributors, and recently conducted fieldwork. Data to compile this catalogue were primarily gathered from the literature. In total, 1225 references were consulted and some information was also obtained from online databases. Each family was reviewed and the checklist updated by the respective taxon expert(s), including the number of species that can be expected for that family in Morocco. For each valid species, synonyms known to have been used for published records from Morocco are listed under the currently accepted name. Where available, distribution within Morocco is also included. One new combination is proposed: Assuaniamelanoleuca (Séguy, 1941), comb. nov. (Chloropidae).

Type-1.5 superconducting state from an intrinsic proximity effect in two-band superconductors.

We show that in multiband superconductors, even an extremely small interband proximity effect can lead to a qualitative change in the interaction potential between superconducting vortices by producing long-range intervortex attraction. This type of vortex interaction results in an unusual response to low magnetic fields leading to phase separation into domains of two-component Meissner states and vortex droplets.

Magnetic field delocalization and flux inversion in fractional vortices in two-component superconductors.

We demonstrate that, in contrast with the single-component Abrikosov vortex, in two-component superconductors vortex solutions with an exponentially screened magnetic field exist only in exceptional cases: in the case of vortices carrying an integer number of flux quanta and in a special parameter limit for half-quantum vortices. For all other parameters, the vortex solutions have a delocalized magnetic field with a slowly decaying tail. Furthermore, we demonstrate a new effect which is generic in two-component systems but has no counterpart in single-component systems: on exactly half of the parameter space of the U(1) x U(1) Ginzburg-Landau model, the magnetic field of a generic fractional vortex inverts its direction at a certain distance from the vortex core.

Revision of the West-Palaearctic species of the tribe Cerioidini (Diptera, Syrphidae).

The West-Palaearctic cerioidines (Syrphidae: Cerioidini) are revised, including species of the genera Ceriana Rafinesque, Primocerioides Shannon, and Sphiximorpha Rondani. Three new species are described, Ceriana glaebosa van Steenis & Ricarte sp. n. (Cyprus), Ceriana media van Steenis & Ricarte sp. n. (Afghanistan and Iran) and Ceriana skevingtoni van Steenis & Ricarte sp. n. (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran). The following names are proposed as junior synonyms: Cerioides caucasicus Paramonov, 1927 [= Ceriana conopsoides (Linnaeus, 1758)], Ceria binominata Verrall, 1901 [= Sphiximorpha garibaldii (Rondani, 1860)], Ceriana worelli, Bradescu, 1972b [= Sphiximorpha garibaldii (Rondani, 1860)] and Sphiximorpha hiemalis Ricarte, Nedeljkovic & Hancock, 2012 [= Primocerioides regale Violovitsh, 1985]. Identification keys, biological data and distribution maps for the studied taxa are provided. Conops vaginicornis Schrank, 1803 is discarded as a synonym of Ceriana conopsoides and should be considered as nomen dubium.

Fauna europaea: Diptera - brachycera.

Fauna Europaea provides a public web-service with an index of scientific names (including important synonyms) of all extant multicellular European terrestrial and freshwater animals and their geographical distribution at the level of countries and major islands (east of the Urals and excluding the Caucasus region). The Fauna Europaea project comprises about 230,000 taxonomic names, including 130,000 accepted species and 14,000 accepted subspecies, which is much more than the originally projected number of 100,000 species. Fauna Europaea represents a huge effort by more than 400 contributing taxonomic specialists throughout Europe and is a unique (standard) reference suitable for many user communities in science, government, industry, nature conservation and education. The Diptera-Brachycera is one of the 58 Fauna Europaea major taxonomic groups, and data have been compiled by a network of 55 specialists. Within the two-winged insects (Diptera), the Brachycera constitute a monophyletic group, which is generally given rank of suborder. The Brachycera may be classified into the probably paraphyletic 'lower brachyceran grade' and the monophyletic Eremoneura. The latter contains the Empidoidea, the Apystomyioidea with a single Nearctic species, and the Cyclorrhapha, which in turn is divided into the paraphyletic 'aschizan grade' and the monophyletic Schizophora. The latter is traditionally divided into the paraphyletic 'acalyptrate grade' and the monophyletic Calyptratae. Our knowledge of the European fauna of Diptera-Brachycera varies tremendously among families, from the reasonably well known hoverflies (Syrphidae) to the extremely poorly known scuttle flies (Phoridae). There has been a steady growth in our knowledge of European Diptera for the last two centuries, with no apparent slow down, but there is a shift towards a larger fraction of the new species being found among the families of the nematoceran grade (lower Diptera), which due to a larger number of small-sized species may be considered as taxonomically more challenging. Most of Europe is highly industrialised and has a high human population density, and the more fertile habitats are extensively cultivated. This has undoubtedly increased the extinction risk for numerous species of brachyceran flies, yet with the recent re-discovery of Thyreophoracynophila (Panzer), there are no known cases of extinction at a European level. However, few national Red Lists have extensive information on Diptera. For the Diptera-Brachycera, data from 96 families containing 11,751 species are included in this paper.

Root damage and water stress: treatments affecting the exploitation of the buds of common ash Fraxinus excelsior L., by larvae of the ash bud moth Prays fraxinella Bjerk. (Lep., Yponomeutidae).

Damage to the buds of the common ash (Fraxinus excelsior L.) by larvae of the ash bud moth Prays fraxinella Bjerk. was investigated in trees growing in the presence, or absence, of an adjacent ditch. The presence of a ditch was correlated with increased damage levels due to bud moth. Saplings were used in an experiment to compare the effects of artificial drought and root damage with those of ditches. Both root damage and drought elicited analogous responses to those observed in trees growing near a ditch, being associated with elevated levels of bud moth exploitation and reduced growth of shoots. There exists a documented link between ditches, root disturbance, and the dieback of hedgerow ash trees in Great Britain; the response of P. fraxinella to environmental disturbances associated with dieback is hypothesised to be evidence of the possible role of moth damage as a causal factor in dieback.

Distribution of fish in seagrass, mangroves and coral reefs: life-stage dependent habitat use in Honduras

Many coral reef fish exhibit habitat partitioning throughout their lifetimes. Such patterns are evident in the Caribbean where research has been predominantly conducted in the Eastern region. This work addressed the paucity of data regarding Honduran reef fish distribution in three habitat types (seagrass, mangroves, and coral reefs), by surveying fish on the islands of Utila and Cayos Cochinos off the coast of Honduras (part of the Mesoamerican barrier reef). During July 2nd - Aug 27th 2007 and June 22nd - Aug 17th, 2008, visual surveys (SCUBA and snorkel) were performed in belt transects in different areas: eleven coral reef, six seagrass beds, and six mangroves sites. Juvenile densities and total habitat surface area were used to calculate nursery value of seagrass and mangroves. A total of 113 fish species from 32 families were found during underwater surveys. Multi-dimensional analyses revealed distinct clusters of fish communities in each habitat type by separating fish associated with seagrass beds, mangroves, and coral reefs. Coral reefs showed the highest mean fish species richness and were dominated by adult fish, while juvenile fish characterized seagrass beds and mangrove sites. Habitat use differed widely at the fish species level. Scarus iseri (Striped Parrotfish), the most abundant fish in this study, were found in all three habitat types, while Lutjanus apodus (Schoolmaster Snapper) juveniles were located primarily in mangroves before migrating to coral reefs. Many species used seagrass beds and mangroves as nurseries; however, the nursery value could not be generalized at the family level. Furthermore, for some fish species, nursery value varied between islands and sites. Our results suggest that connectivity of seagrass, mangrove, and coral reef sites at a species and site levels, should be taken into consideration when implementing policy and conservation practices. Rev. Biol. Trop. 60 (2): 683-698. Epub 2012 June 01.

Muchos peces de arrecifes de coral estan sometidos a la fragmentación del habitat a lo largo de su vida. Estos patrones son evidentes en el Caribe donde la investigación se llevó a cabo, principalmente en la región este. La motivación para la realización de este trabajo fue la escasez de datos sobre la distribución de peces de arrecife de Honduras en tres tipos de hábitat (pastos marinos, manglares y arrecifes de coral), por lo que se realizaron censos de peces en las islas de Utila y Cayos Cochinos en la costa de Honduras (parte del Sistema Arrecifal Mesoamericano). Del 2 de Julio al 27 de agosto 2007 y del 22 de junio al 17 agosto 2008, se realizaron censos visuales (buceo y snorkel) en transectos de diferente área: 11 en arrecifes de coral, 6 en praderas de pastos marinos y 6 en manglares. La densidad de jóvenes y el área total de la superficie del hábitat se utilizaron para calcular el valor de la zona de crianza de pastos marinos y manglares. Un total de 113 especies de peces de 32 familias fueron encontrados durante los censos. Análisis Multi-dimensionales reveló distintos grupos de comunidades de peces en cada tipo de hábitat por la separación de los peces asociados a los lechos de pastos marinos, manglares y arrecifes de coral. Los arrecifes de coral presentaron el mayor promedio de riqueza de especies de peces y fueron dominados por peces adultos, mientras que los jóvenes se caracterizaron por encontrarse en praderas de pastos marinos y zonas de manglares. El uso del hábitat difiere ampliamente a nivel de especies de peces. Scarus iseri (loro rayado), el pez más abundante en este estudio, se encontró en los tres tipos de hábitats, mientras que Lutjanus apodus, los jóvenes, se encontraron principalmente en los manglares antes de emigrar a los arrecifes de coral. Muchas especies utilizan las praderas marinas y los manglares como criaderos, sin embargo, el valor de criadero no puede ser generalizado a nivel familiar. Además, para algunas especies de peces, el valor de criadero varió entre las islas y los sitios. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la conectividad de los pastos marinos, manglares y arrecifes de coral a nivel de especies y sitios, debe ser tomado en cuenta para la aplicación de políticas y prácticas de conservación.

Differential crop damage by healthy and nucleopolyhedrovirus-infected Mamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae: a field examination.

Baculovirus infection in Lepidoptera can alter both larval mobility and feeding rates, which can in turn affect pathogen transmission and dispersal in the field. We compared the damage to cabbage plants in the field caused by healthy and nucleopolyhedrovirus-infected Mamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) larvae released as second and fourth instars. There was no significant difference in plant consumption by healthy and infected larvae for the first 4 days after release. From day 5 onwards, infected larvae caused significantly less defoliation. This pattern was similar for larvae at both larval instars. Defoliation was greater for fourth instars throughout the experiment.

Host Stage Structure and Baculovirus Transmission in Mamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae: a Laboratory Examination of Small Scale Epizootics / Estrutura Etária do Hospedeiro e Transmissão de Baculovírus em Larvas de Mamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): Uma Análise de Epizootias em Pequena Escala em Laboratório

Os efeitos da estrutura etária e da densidade do hospedeiro na transmissão horizontal de um baculovírus foram investigados em laboratório, utilizando-se populações de lagarta do repolho, Mamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Os insetos foram mantidos a três combinações de ínstares e três densidades populacionais em recipientes fechados contendo larvas infectadas. As larvas foram observadas diariamente e o número de mortes e o tempo letal foram registrados. Os níveis de mortalidade viral foram marginalmente superiores em recipientes contendo hospedeiros sob maior densidade populacional. As larvas apresentaram um risco de infecção aparentemente maior quando combinações de instares mais avançados foram usadas. Os níveis de mortalidade de larvas mais velhas foram maiores que as de larvas mais jovens. As médias de tempo letal das populaç ões larvais foram maiores para larvas mais jovens, observando-se um declínio mais acentuado na curva de sobrevivência das larvas em estágio mais adiantado de desenvolvimento.

The effects of stage structure and host density on baculovirus horizontal transmission were examined in the laboratory using larvae of the cabbage moth, Mamestra brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). Insects were reared at three instar combinations and three host densities in closed containers with infected larvae. Insects were observed daily and the number of deaths and time to death were recorded. Levels of virus mortality were marginally higher in the containers where a higher density of hosts was introduced. Larvae appeared to have a greater risk of infection when late instar combinations were used. Final levels of mortality of older larvae were significantly higher than those of younger larvae. Mean times to death of larval populations were longer for larvae at earlier instar combinations, with a faster decrease in survivorship of older larvae over time.