Identification and bioactivity evaluation of the first neuropeptide from the lesser-known insect order Embioptera (webspinner).

A species of the poorly studied order Embioptera, the webspinner Oligotoma saundersii, is investigated for its complement of neuropeptides of the adipokinetic hormone (AKH) family. A methanolic extract of its corpora cardiaca (CC) is able to effect carbohydrate mobilization in the cockroach, Periplaneta americana, and liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry clearly identified one decapeptide as a member of the AKH family in the CC of O. saundersii. The primary structure of this peptide, code-named Olisa-AKH, is elucidated as pEVNFSPNWGG amide. It is a novel member of the AKH family and in its synthetic form it has strong hypertrehalosemic activity in the American cockroach. This effect may be explained by its near-identical structure compared with one of the endogenous cockroach AKH peptides. An analog with the reversed order of the proline and asparagine residues, viz. N(6)P(7)-Olisa-AKH, had negligible activity thus, shedding light on the requirements of the cockroach AKH receptor. From reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography experiments, we can conclude that the CC from an individual webspinner contains less than one pmol of Olisa-AKH. Comparison of the AKH sequences from the major orders of the Polyneoptera does not point to a close phylogenetic relationship between webspinners and stick insects.

New Genus and Species of Webspinners (Insecta: Embioptera) from the Mid-Cretaceous of Myanmar with a Catalog of Fossil Members.

One new genus (Ocrognethoda gen. nov.) and three new species of webspinners (Ocrognethoda olivea gen. et sp. nov., Gnethoda lata sp. nov. and Parasorellembia hamata sp. nov.) are described from the Upper Cretaceous of Myanmar amber. Ocrognethoda olivea gen. et sp. nov. and Gnethoda lata sp. nov. are attributed to the family Clothodidae due to their simplified and symmetrical male terminalia, in which the tenth tergum is undivided. Parasorellembia hamata sp. nov. is classified in the family Scelembiidae by a specialized abdominal apex: fused cerci, a broad right hemitergite of the tenth abdominal tergite, and ocelli presence. Moreover, based on the discovery of new genus and species, the male terminalia of Clothodidae and Sorellembiinae are briefly discussed.

A world review of the bristle fly parasitoids of webspinners.

BACKGROUND: Dipteran parasitoids of Embioptera (webspinners) are few and extremely rare but known from all biogeographical regions except Australasia/Oceania. All belong to the fly family Tachinidae, a hyperdiverse and widespread clade of parasitoids attacking a variety of arthropod orders. RESULTS: The webspinner-parasitizing Diptera are reviewed based mostly on records from the collecting and rearing by Edward S. Ross. A new genus is erected to accommodate a new Afrotropical species, Embiophoneus rossi gen. et sp. nov. The genus Perumyia Arnaud is reviewed and a new species, Perumyia arnaudi sp. nov., is described from Central America while P. embiaphaga Arnaud is redescribed and new host records are given. A new species of Phytomyptera Rondani, P. woodi sp. nov., is described from Myanmar, representing the first report of a member of this genus obtained from webspinners. The genus Rossimyiops Mesnil is reviewed, R. longicornis (Kugler) is redescribed and R. aeratus sp. nov., R. fuscus sp. nov. and R. rutilans sp. nov. are newly described from the Oriental Region, and an updated key to species is given. CONCLUSIONS: Webspinners were probably colonized independently at least four times by tachinids shifting from other hosts, most likely Lepidoptera.

The first species of Embioptera (Insecta) from the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha (Pernambuco: Brazil).

Pararhagadochir is a South American genus of Archembiidae that can be identified by its anterior margin of submentum strongly concave, caudal process of the 10th left hemitergite forked, with internal tip seemingly a hook and the external tip a flat lobe, both tips always shorter than the width of 10th left hemitergite. Six species are recorded in Brazil, being distributed in all regions. In this work, Pararhagadochir noronhensis sp. nov. is described from the archipelago of Fernando de Noronha, Brazil.

New species of Pararhagadochir Davis, 1940 (Insecta: Embioptera: Scelembiidae) from Brazil.

A new species of Pararhagadochir Davis, 1940 is described from the State of Tocantins, Brazil. Pararhagadochir castaneus sp. nov. differs from its congeners by relatively smaller size, elongated forewings, body uniformly chestnut-brown, submentum inflexed and strongly sclerotized, outer tip of 10Lp with both sclerotized and membranous areas and Cu vein unforked. An identification key to all species of Pararhagadochir and a short identification key to the Brazilian species are provided.

A Multiscale Characterization of Two Tropical Embiopteran Species: Nano- and Microscale Features of Silk, Silk-Spinning Behavior, and Environmental Correlates of their Distributions.

Embioptera display the unique ability to spin silk with their front feet to create protective domiciles. Their body form is remarkably uniform throughout the order, perhaps because they all live within the tight confines of silken tubes. This study contributes to an understanding of the ecology of Embioptera, an order that is rarely studied in the field. We conducted a census to quantify the habitats of two species with overlapping distributions on the tropical island of Trinidad in a search for characteristics that might explain their distinct ecologies. One species, Antipaluria urichi (Saussure) (Embioptera: Clothodidae), lives in larger colonies with more expansive silk in habitats throughout the island, especially in the rainforest of the Northern Range Mountains. The other, Pararhagadochir trinitatis (Saussure) (Embioptera: Scelembiidae), was found only in lowland locations. We quantified silk-spinning behavior and productivity of the two species and found that A. urichi spins thicker silk sheets per individual and emphasizes spin-steps that function to create a domicile that is more expansive than that produced by P. trinitatis. Their silks also interact differently when exposed to water: the smaller-diameter silk fibers of P. trinitatis form more continuous films on the surface of the domicile after being wetted and dried than that seen in A. urichi silk. This tendency gives P. trinitatis silk a shiny appearance in the field compared to the more cloth-like silk of A. urichi. How these silks function in the field and if the differences are partially responsible for the distinct distributions of the two species remain to be determined.

Oligotomidae (Insecta: Embioptera) of Mt. Makiling, Los Baños, Philippines, with description of a new species.

The diversity of webspinners (Insecta: Embioptera) in Mt. Makiling, Los Baños was studied. Four species were recorded: Aposthonia borneensis (Hagen), A. merdelynae Lucañas Lit n. sp., Oligotoma humbertiana (Saussure) and O. saundersii (Westwood). Each was illustrated and described. The new species differs from its congeners by relatively smaller size, subcylindrical left basal cercus with an inner lobe, and enlarged membranous area of the 10RP. A dichotomous key was devised to aid in identification of each species.

Structural and wetting properties of nature's finest silks (order Embioptera).

Insects from the order Embioptera (webspinners) spin silk fibres which are less than 200 nm in diameter. In this work, we characterized and compared the diameters of single silk fibres from nine species-Antipaluria urichi, Pararhagadochir trinitatis, Saussurembia calypso, Diradius vandykei, Aposthonia ceylonica, Haploembia solieri, H. tarsalis, Oligotoma nigra and O. saundersii. Silk from seven of these species have not been previously quantified. Our studies cover five of the 10 named taxonomic families and represent about one third of the known taxonomic family-level diversity in the order Embioptera. Naturally spun silk varied in diameter from 43.6 ± 1.7 nm for D. vandykei to 122.4 ± 3.2 nm for An. urichi. Mean fibre diameter did not correlate with adult female body length. Fibre diameter is more similar in closely related species than in more distantly related species. Field observations indicated that silk appears shiny and smooth when exposed to rainwater. We therefore measured contact angles to learn more about interactions between silk and water. Higher contact angles were measured for silks with wider fibre diameter and higher quantity of hydrophobic amino acids. High static contact angles (ranging up to 122° ± 3° for An. urichi) indicated that silken sheets spun by four arboreal, webspinner species were hydrophobic. A second contact angle measurement made on a previously wetted patch of silk resulted in a lower contact angle (average difference was greater than 27°) for all four species. Our studies suggest that silk fibres which had been previously exposed to water exhibited irreversible changes in hydrophobicity and water adhesion properties. Our results are in alignment with the 'super-pinning' site hypothesis by Yarger and co-workers to describe the hydrophobic, yet water adhesive, properties exhibited by webspinner silk fibres. The physical and chemical insights gained here may inform the synthesis and development of smaller diameter silk fibres with unique water adhesion properties.

Resolving two Haploembia (Embioptera: Oligotomidae) cryptic species: molecular data confirms parthenogenetic females can be distinguished by their antisocial behavior.

The names of two cryptic species of Haploembia found in California are resolved and methods for identification are summarized. Molecular data of the Histone III subunit was used to evaluate color and behavior as species identifiers, confirming that antisocial behavior is a good identifier for the parthenogenetic species (Haploembia tarsalis), whereas the more variable coloration patterns were helpful, but less so. A genome size ratio of 1.44 between the parthenogenetic H. tarsalis and the sexually reproducing H. solieri was observed, along with higher genetic variation within the asexual lineage. This, and the identification of what appears to be a putative hybrid, contributes to current work examining mutation rates and selective pressures on genome size in parthenogenetic populations.

Hyboptera Chaudoir, 1872 of the Cryptobatida group of subtribe Agrina: A taxonomic revision with notes on their ways of life (Insecta, Coleoptera, Carabidae, Lebiini).

Hyboptera Chaudoir, 1872 of the Cryptobatida group of subtribe Agrina, Lebiini, living in the Neotropics and southernmost Nearctic realms are diagnosed, described, and illustrated, and new species are assigned to two inclusive species groups. Occurrences of species range from Texas, USA, to the state of Santa Caterina in Brazil. Seven new species of Hyboptera are described: Hyboptera biolat Erwin & Henry, sp. n.; Type locality - Perú, Madre de Dios, Manu Reserved Zone, Río Manu, BIOLAT Biological Station, Pakitza; Hyboptera vestiverdis Henry & Erwin, sp. n.; Type locality - Perú, Madre de Dios, Manu Reserved Zone, Río Manu, BIOLAT Biological Station, Pakitza; Hyboptera lucida Henry & Erwin, sp. n.; Type locality - French Guiana, Cayenne, Commune de Roura, Montagne des Chevaux; Hyboptera scheelea Erwin & Henry, sp. n.; Type locality - Perú, Loreto, Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, Río Samiria (South Branch), Camp Terry; Hyboptera shasta Erwin, sp. n.; Type locality - Brazil, Amazonas, north of Manaus on Amazonas 010 at Km 26, Reserva Ducke; Hyboptera tepui Erwin & Henry, sp. n.; Type locality - Venezuela, Amazonas, Cerro de la Neblina, Río Baria Basecamp; Hyboptera tiputini Erwin & Henry, sp. n.; Type locality - Ecuador, Orellana, Yasuni National Park (edge), 95.43 km E (heading 101.46°) Coca, Tiputini Biodiversity Station. A revised identification key is provided to the genera of the Cryptobatida group and another to the species of Hyboptera Chaudoir and distributional data are provided for all known species of the latter. Adults of these species often occur in the canopy of many tropical tree species and records are reported where known. In addition, adults are found under the webbing of Psocoptera and in fleshy anther rings of Bombacaceae (Pseudobombax septenatum (Jacq.) Dugand), on the rain forest floor in the dry season. Larval and pupal stages of one species from Panamá are known from under bark of living fence posts; however, these immature stages are not treated in the current paper.

Resumen Hyboptera Chaudoir, 1872, del grupo Cryptobatida, perteneciente a la subtribu , Lebiini, viviendo en los Neotrópicos y en las áreas meridionales del Neártico se diagnostican, describen e ilustran y nuevas especies se asignan a dos grupo-especies inclusivos. La distribución de las especies recorre desde Texas, EE.UU., hasta el estado de Santa Caterina en Brasil. Siete nuevas especies de Hyboptera se describen: Hyboptera biolat Erwin & Henry, sp. n.; Type locality ­ Perú, Madre de Dios, Manu Reserved Zone, Río Manu, BIOLAT Biological Station, Pakitza; Hyboptera vestiverdis Henry & Erwin, sp. n.; Type locality ­ Perú, Madre de Dios, Manu Reserved Zone, Río Manu, BIOLAT Biological Station, Pakitza; Hyboptera lucida Henry & Erwin, sp. n.; Type locality ­ French Guiana, Cayenne, Commune de Roura, Montagne des Chevaux; Hyboptera scheelea Erwin & Henry, sp. n.; Type locality ­ Perú, Loreto, Pacaya-Samiria National Reserve, Río Samiria (South Branch), Camp Terry; Hyboptera shasta Erwin, sp. n.; Type locality ­ Brazil, Amazonas, north of Manaus on Amazonas 010 at Km 26, Reserva Ducke; Hyboptera tepui Erwin & Henry, sp. n.; Type locality ­ Venezuela, Amazonas, Cerro de la Neblina, Río Baria Basecamp; Hyboptera tiputini Erwin & Henry, sp. n.; Type locality ­ Ecuador, Orellana, Yasuni National Park (edge), 95.43 km E (heading 101.46°) Coca, Tiputini Biodiversity Station. Se provee una clave revisada para los géneros dentro del grupo Cryptobatida y otra para las especies del género Hyboptera Chaudoir y se incluye información sobre la distribución de todas las especies conocidas de éste último. Los adultos de estos comúnmente se encuentran en el dosel de muchas especies de árboles tropicales y registros se reportan cuando se conocen. Además, los adultos pueden estar debajo de las telas de sócidos y en los anteridios carnosos de los Bombacaceae (Pseudobombax septenatum (Jacq.) Dugand) en el suelo del bosque lluvioso. Las etapas de larva y pupa de una de las especies de Panamá se conocen viviendo debajo de la corteza de postes vivos de cercas; sin embargo, estos so se tratan en este artículo.

First record of order Embioptera (Insecta) for the State of Tocantins, Brazil, with description of a new species of Clothoda Enderlein.

This paper provides the first record of order Embioptera for the State of Tocantins, Brazil, with the description of Clothoda tocantinensis sp. nov. This genus has just three previously described species; only C. nobilis (Gerstäcker) has been recorded from Brazil (Amazon basin). An identification key is provided for males of Clothoda.

Macro-invertebrate Biodiversity of a Coastal Prairie with Vernal Pool Habitat.

BACKGROUND: The California Coastal Prairie has the highest biodiversity of North America's grasslands, but also has the highest percentage of urbanization. The most urbanized part of the California Coastal Prairie is its southernmost area, in Los Angeles County. This southernmost region, known as the Los Angeles Coastal Prairie, was historically dotted with vernal pools, and has a unique biodiverse composition. More than 99.5% of its estimated original 95 km(2) (23,475 acres), as well as almost all its vernal pool complexes, have been lost to urbanization. The Madrona Marsh Preserve, in Torrance, California, safeguards approximately 18 hectares (44 acres) of Los Angeles Coastal Prairie and includes a complex of vernal pools. Its aquatic biodiversity had been studied, predominantly to genus level, but its terrestrial macro-invertebrates were virtually unknown, aside from butterfly, dragonfly, and damselfly observations. NEW INFORMATION: In order to better understand the biodiversity at the Madrona Marsh Preserve, a minimally-invasive macro-invertebrate inventory was conducted. The results of this inventory, with 689 invertebrate organisms recorded, covering eight phyla, 13 classes, 39 orders, and 222 families, are presented in this document.

Webspinners in Early Eocene amber from western India (Insecta, Embiodea).

The family Scelembiidae (Neoembiodea: Embiomorpha: Archembioidea) is recorded from Asia for the first time, based on two individuals preserved in Early Eocene amber from the Cambay Basin, western India. Kumarembia hurleyi Engel & Grimaldi, gen. n. et sp. n., is described, figured, and distinguished from other archembioid genera. The genus shares male genitalic features with scelembiids, otherwise known from South America and Africa.