Effect of Cricket Frass Fertilizer on growth and pod production of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.).

Cricket Frass Fertilizer (CFF) was tested for its efficiency and potential as a fertilizer on the growth of green beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in central Madagascar from April 2020 to October 2020. We grew green beans experimentally for 93 days with seven different fertilizer treatments: NPK 200 kg/ha (0.47 g of N/plant), GUANOMAD (guano from bat) 300 kg/ha (0.26 g of N/ plant), CFF 100 kg/ha (0.12 g of N/plant), CFF 200 kg/ha (0.24 g of N/plant), CFF 300 kg/ha (0.38 g of N/plant), CFF 400 kg/ha (0.52 g of N/plant), and no fertilizer (0 g of N/plant). Three plant traits were measured: survival proportion, vegetative biomass, and pod biomass. The survival proportion of plants treated with the highest dose of CFF (400 kg/ha, 88.1%), NPK (79.8%), and GUANOMAD (81.2%) were similar, but plants treated with the former yielded significantly higher vegetative (35.5 g/plant) and pod biomass (11 g/plant). These results suggest that fertilizing green beans with CFF at a 400 kg/ha dose is sufficient for plant survival and growth, and improves pod production. In Madagascar where soil quality is poor, dependence on imported chemical fertilizers (NPK) and other organic fertilizer (GUANOMAD) can be reduced. Cricket Frass Fertilizer can be used as an alternative sustainable fertilizer for beans.

Impact of temperature on the bionomics and geographical range margins of the two-spotted field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus in the world: Implications for its mass farming.

Gryllus bimaculatus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) is widely considered an excellent nutrient source for food and feed. Despite its economic importance, there is limited information on the impact of temperature on the bionomics of this cricket to guide its effective and sustainable mass production in its geographical range. The biological parameters of G. bimaculatus were investigated at eight different temperatures ranging from 20-40˚C. The Insect Life-Cycle Modelling (ILCYM) program was used to fit linear and non-linear functions to the data to describe the influence of temperature on life history parameters and its farmability under the current and projected climate for 2050. Our results revealed that G. bimaculatus was able to complete its lifecycle in the temperature range of 20°C to 37°C with a maximum finite rate of population increase (= 1.14) at 35°C. The developmental time of G. bimaculatus decreased with increasing temperature. The least developmental time and mortality were attained at 32°C. The highest wet length and mass of G. bimaculatus occurred at 32°C. The lowest temperature threshold for G. bimaculatus egg and nymph development was approximated using linear regression functions to be at 15.9°C and 16.2°C with a temperature constant of 108.7 and 555.6 degree days. The maximum fecundity (2301.98 eggs per female), net reproductive rate (988.42 daughters/ generation), and intrinsic rate of natural increase (0.134 days) were recorded at 32°C and the shortest doubling of 5.2 days was observed at 35°C. Based on our findings G. bimaculatus can be farmed in countries with temperatures ranging between 20 and 37°C around the globe. These findings will help the cricket farmers understand and project the cricket population dynamics around the world as influenced by temperature, and as such, will contribute to more efficient farming.

Dissecting the autism-associated 16p11.2 locus identifies multiple drivers in neuroanatomical phenotypes and unveils a male-specific role for the major vault protein.

BACKGROUND: Using mouse genetic studies and systematic assessments of brain neuroanatomical phenotypes, we set out to identify which of the 30 genes causes brain defects at the autism-associated 16p11.2 locus. RESULTS: We show that multiple genes mapping to this region interact to regulate brain anatomy, with female mice exhibiting far fewer brain neuroanatomical phenotypes. In male mice, among the 13 genes associated with neuroanatomical defects (Mvp, Ppp4c, Zg16, Taok2, Slx1b, Maz, Fam57b, Bola2, Tbx6, Qprt, Spn, Hirip3, and Doc2a), Mvp is the top driver implicated in phenotypes pertaining to brain, cortex, hippocampus, ventricles, and corpus callosum sizes. The major vault protein (MVP), the main component of the vault organelle, is a conserved protein found in eukaryotic cells, yet its function is not understood. Here, we find MVP expression highly specific to the limbic system and show that Mvp regulates neuronal morphology, postnatally and specifically in males. We also recapitulate a previously reported genetic interaction and show that Mvp+/-;Mapk3+/- mice exhibit behavioral deficits, notably decreased anxiety-like traits detected in the elevated plus maze and open field paradigms. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights multiple gene drivers in neuroanatomical phenotypes, interacting with each other through complex relationships. It also provides the first evidence for the involvement of the major vault protein in the regulation of brain size and neuroanatomy, specifically in male mice.

Short-term plasticity in the spinal nociceptive system.

ABSTRACT: Somatosensory information is delivered to neuronal networks of the dorsal horn (DH) of the spinal cord by the axons of primary afferent neurons that encode the intensity of peripheral sensory stimuli under the form of a code based on the frequency of action potential firing. The efficient processing of these messages within the DH involves frequency-tuned synapses, a phenomenon linked to their ability to display activity-dependent forms of short-term plasticity (STP). By affecting differently excitatory and inhibitory synaptic transmissions, these STP properties allow a powerful gain control in DH neuronal networks that may be critical for the integration of nociceptive messages before they are forwarded to the brain, where they may be ultimately interpreted as pain. Moreover, these STPs can be finely modulated by endogenous signaling molecules, such as neurosteroids, adenosine, or GABA. The STP properties of DH inhibitory synapses might also, at least in part, participate in the pain-relieving effect of nonpharmacological analgesic procedures, such as transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, electroacupuncture, or spinal cord stimulation. The properties of target-specific STP at inhibitory DH synapses and their possible contribution to electrical stimulation-induced reduction of hyperalgesic and allodynic states in chronic pain will be reviewed and discussed.

The basolateral amygdala-anterior cingulate pathway contributes to depression-like behaviors and comorbidity with chronic pain behaviors in male mice.

While depression and chronic pain are frequently comorbid, underlying neuronal circuits and their psychopathological relevance remain poorly defined. Here we show in mice that hyperactivity of the neuronal pathway linking the basolateral amygdala to the anterior cingulate cortex is essential for chronic pain-induced depression. Moreover, activation of this pathway in naive male mice, in the absence of on-going pain, is sufficient to trigger depressive-like behaviors, as well as transcriptomic alterations that recapitulate core molecular features of depression in the human brain. These alterations notably impact gene modules related to myelination and the oligodendrocyte lineage. Among these, we show that Sema4a, which was significantly upregulated in both male mice and humans in the context of altered mood, is necessary for the emergence of emotional dysfunction. Overall, these results place the amygdalo-cingulate pathway at the core of pain and depression comorbidity, and unravel the role of Sema4a and impaired myelination in mood control.

Modulation of GABAergic Synaptic Transmission by NMDA Receptors in the Dorsal Horn of the Spinal Cord.

The dorsal horn (DH) of the spinal cord is an important structure involved in the integration of nociceptive messages. Plastic changes in the properties of neuronal networks in the DH underlie the development of analgesia as well as of hyperalgesia and allodynia in acute and chronic pain states. Two key mechanisms are involved in these chronic pain states: increased electrical activities and glutamate release leading to the recruitment of NMDAr and plastic changes in the synaptic inhibition. Although: (1) the balance between excitation and inhibition is known to play a critical role in the spinal network; and (2) plastic changes in spinal excitation and inhibition have been studied separately, the relationship between these two mechanisms has not been investigated in detail. In the present work, we addressed the role of NMDA receptors in the modulation of GABAergic synaptic transmission in the DH network. Using tight-seal whole-cell recordings on adult mice DH neurons, we characterized the effect of NMDAr activation on inhibitory synaptic transmission and more especially on the GABAergic one. Our results show that, in a subset of neurons recorded in lamina II, NMDAr activation facilitates spontaneous and miniature GABAergic synaptic transmission with a target specificity on GABAergic interneurons. In contrast, NMDA reduced the mean amplitude of evoked GABAergic IPSCs. These results show that NMDAr modulate GABAergic transmission by a presynaptic mechanism of action. Using a pharmacological approach, we investigated the composition of NMDAr involved in this modulation of GABAergic synaptic transmission. We found that the NMDA-induced facilitation was mediated by the activation of NMDAr containing GluN2C/D subunits. Altogether, our results bring new insights on nociceptive information processing in the spinal cord network and plastic changes in synaptic inhibition that could underlie the development and maintenance of chronic pain.

Somatostatin analogue pasireotide (SOM230) inhibits catecholamine secretion in human pheochromocytoma cells.

Increasingly common, neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are regarded nowadays as neoplasms potentially causing debilitating symptoms and life-threatening medical conditions. Pheochromocytoma is a NET that develops from chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla, and is responsible for an excessive secretion of catecholamines. Consequently, patients have an increased risk for clinical symptoms such as hypertension, elevated stroke risk and various cardiovascular complications. Somatostatin analogues are among the main anti-secretory medical drugs used in current clinical practice in patients with NETs. However, their impact on pheochromocytoma-associated catecholamine hypersecretion remains incompletely explored. This study investigated the potential efficacy of octreotide and pasireotide (SOM230) on human tumor cells directly cultured from freshly resected pheochromocytomas using an implemented catecholamine secretion measurement by carbon fiber amperometry. SOM230 treatment efficiently inhibited nicotine-induced catecholamine secretion both in bovine chromaffin cells and in human tumor cells whereas octreotide had no effect. Moreover, SOM230 specifically decreased the number of exocytic events by impairing the stimulation-evoked calcium influx as well as the nicotinic receptor-activated inward current in human pheochromocytoma cells. Altogether, our findings indicate that SOM230 acts as an inhibitor of catecholamine secretion through a mechanism involving the nicotinic receptor and might be considered as a potential anti-secretory treatment for patients with pheochromocytoma.

Inhibitory interneurons with differential plasticities at their connections tune excitatory-inhibitory balance in the spinal nociceptive system.

ABSTRACT: Networks of the dorsal horn of the spinal cord process nociceptive information from the periphery. In these networks, the excitation-inhibition balance is critical to shape this nociceptive information and to gate it to the brain where it is interpreted as pain. Our aim was to define whether short-term plasticity of inhibitory connections could tune this inhibition-excitation balance by differentially controlling excitatory and inhibitory microcircuits. To this end, we used spinal cord slices from adult mice expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) under the GAD65 promoter and recorded from both eGFP+ (putative inhibitory) and eGFP- (putative excitatory) neurons of lamina II while stimulating single presynaptic GABAergic interneurons at various frequencies. Our results indicate that GABAergic neurons of lamina II simultaneously contact eGFP- and eGFP+ neurons, but these connections display very different frequency-dependent short-term plasticities. Connections onto eGFP- interneurons displayed limited frequency-dependent changes and strong time-dependent summation of inhibitory synaptic currents that was however subjected to a tonic activity-dependent inhibition involving A1 adenosine receptors. By contrast, GABAergic connections onto eGFP+ interneurons expressed pronounced frequency-dependent depression, thus favoring disinhibition at these synapses by a mechanism involving the activation of GABAB autoreceptors at low frequency. Interestingly, the balance favors inhibition at frequencies associated with intense pain, whereas it favors excitation at frequencies associated with low pain. Therefore, these target-specific and frequency-specific plasticities allow to tune the balance between inhibition and disinhibition while processing frequency-coded information from primary afferents. These short-term plasticities and their modulation by A1 and GABAB receptors might represent an interesting target in pain-alleviating strategies.

Antiallodynic action of phosphodiesterase inhibitors in a mouse model of peripheral nerve injury.

Neuropathic pain arises as a consequence of a lesion or disease affecting the somatosensory nervous system. It is accompanied by neuronal and non-neuronal alterations, including alterations in intracellular second messenger pathways. Cellular levels of 3',5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) are regulated by phosphodiesterase (PDE) enzymes. Here, we studied the impact of PDE inhibitors (PDEi) in a mouse model of peripheral nerve injury induced by placing a cuff around the main branch of the sciatic nerve. Mechanical hypersensitivity, evaluated using von Frey filaments, was relieved by sustained treatment with the non-selective PDEi theophylline and ibudilast (AV-411), with PDE4i rolipram, etazolate and YM-976, and with PDE5i sildenafil, zaprinast and MY-5445, but not by treatments with PDE1i vinpocetine, PDE2i EHNA or PDE3i milrinone. Using pharmacological and knock-out approaches, we show a preferential implication of delta opioid receptors in the action of the PDE4i rolipram and of both mu and delta opioid receptors in the action of the PDE5i sildenafil. Calcium imaging highlighted a preferential action of rolipram on dorsal root ganglia non-neuronal cells, through PDE4B and PDE4D inhibition. Rolipram had anti-neuroimmune action, as shown by its impact on levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) in the dorsal root ganglia of mice with peripheral nerve injury, as well as in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) stimulated with lipopolysaccharides. This study suggests that PDEs, especially PDE4 and 5, may be targets of interest in the treatment of neuropathic pain.

The Phalangopsidae crickets (Orthoptera, Grylloidea) of the Seychelles Archipelago: Taxonomy of an ecological radiation.

The Phalangopsidae crickets (Grylloidea) of the Seychelles are examined following extensive field sampling on several main islands of the archipelago (Mah, Silhouette, Praslin, La Digue). Despite the small area of these islands, six genera (12 species) are documented, including one new genus and five new species. The type species of the genus Seychellesia Bolivar, 1912 is transferred to the genus Paragryllodes Karny, 1909 as Paragryllodes nitidula (Bolivar, 1912) n. comb. The other species described in Seychellesia are transferred to the genus Seselia Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen., as Seselia longicercata (Bolivar, 1912) n. comb. and Seselia patellifera (Bolivar, 1912) n. comb. Two new species are also described in the genus Seselia Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen., Seselia coccofessei Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen., n. sp. (type species of the genus) and Seselia matyoti Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen., n. sp. The genera Phaeogryllus Bolivar, 1912 and Phalangacris Bolivar, 1895 are redescribed, including Phalangacris ferlegro Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. and Phalangacris sotsote Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. that are new to science. The genus Gryllapterus Bolivar, 1912 is redescribed and transferred from the Landrevinae (Gryllidae) to the Cachoplistinae (Phalangopsidae). New tribes are defined for the genus Paragryllodes (Paragryllodini Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. tribe) on the one hand, and for Seselia Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen., Phalangacris, Phaeogryllus and Gryllapterus (Seselini Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. tribe) on the other, using morphological characters and the results of molecular phylogenetic studies (Warren et al. 2019). Phaloria (Papuloria) insularis (Bolivar, 1912) (Phaloriinae) is redescribed and restricted to Mah, and its calling song is documented for the first time, while Phaloria (Papuloria) bolivari Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. sp. is newly described from Silhouette. Identification keys are proposed for the genera of Seselini Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. tribe, and for the species of Seselia Hugel Desutter-Grandcolas, n. gen. and Phalangacris. The confusion between the Mogoplistidae Ornebius succineus Bolivar, 1912 and the Phalangopsidae Heterotrypus succineus Bolivar, 1910 is discussed, and the name Subtiloria succineus (Bolivar, 1912) considered a nomen nudum.

New intertidal crickets from Comoros and Mascarene islands (Orthoptera: Trigonidiidae: Nemobiinae: Burcini).

Nemobiinae crickets of the tribe Burcini Gorochov, 1986 are described for the first time from the shores of South Western Indian Ocean islands. The new genus Makalapobius n. gen. is proposed to include M. aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. from Mauritius and M. masihu n. gen. n. sp. from Grande Comore, and the new genus Gabusibius n. gen. to include G. ndzilu n. gen. n. sp. from Anjouan, G. mosi n. gen. n. sp., from Mohéli, and G. dzindzanu n. gen. n. sp. from Mayotte. The species Speonemobius littoreus Vannini Chelazzi, 1978 from Somalia coast is tentatively placed in the genus Gabusibius n. gen. as G. ? litoreus (Vannini Chelazzi, 1978) n. gen. n. comb. The songs of G. mosi n. gen. n. sp. and M. aigrettensis n. gen. n. sp. are described. The threats to SWIO Burcini and endemism of Orthoptera from SWIO coastal areas are discussed.

[Nociception pain and autism]. / Nociception, douleur et autisme.

Autistic subjects frequently display sensory anomalies. Those regarding nociception and its potential outcome, pain, are of crucial interest. Indeed, because of numerous comorbidities, autistic subjects are more often exposed to painful situation. Despite being often considered as less sensitive, experimental studies evaluating this point are failing to reach consensus. Using animal model can help reduce variability and bring, regarding autism, an overview of potential alterations of the nociceptive system at the cellular and molecular level.

TITLE: Nociception, douleur et autisme. ABSTRACT: Les sujets autistes présentent fréquemment des anomalies sensorielles. Celles concernant la nociception ainsi que sa potentielle résultante, la douleur, sont d'un intérêt capital. En effet, du fait de nombreuses comorbidités, les sujets autistes sont plus souvent exposés à des situations douloureuses que la population générale. Alors qu'ils sont souvent considérés comme moins sensibles, les études expérimentales sur ce point sont loin de faire consensus. Utiliser des modèles animaux pourrait permettre de s'affranchir de certaines sources de variabilité et d'apporter, dans le cadre de l'autisme, une vue d'ensemble des altérations potentielles du système nociceptif aux niveaux cellulaire et moléculaire.

Involvement of the lateral habenula in fear memory.

Increasing evidence points to the engagement of the lateral habenula (LHb) in the selection of appropriate behavioral responses in aversive situations. However, very few data have been gathered with respect to its role in fear memory formation, especially in learning paradigms in which brain areas involved in cognitive processes like the hippocampus (HPC) and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) are required. A paradigm of this sort is trace fear conditioning, in which an aversive event is preceded by a discrete stimulus, generally a tone, but without the close temporal contiguity allowing for their association based on amygdala-dependent information processing. In a first experiment, we analyzed cellular activations (c-Fos expression) induced by trace fear conditioning in subregions of the habenular complex, HPC, mPFC and amygdala using a factorial analysis to unravel functional networks through correlational analysis of data. This analysis suggested that distinct LHb subregions engaged in different aspects of conditioning, e.g. associative processes and onset of fear responses. In a second experiment, we performed chemogenetic LHb inactivation during the conditioning phase of the trace fear conditioning paradigm and subsequently assessed contextual and tone fear memories. Whereas LHb inactivation did not modify rat's behavior during conditioning, it induced contextual memory deficits and enhanced fear to the tone. These results demonstrate the involvement of the LHb in fear memory. They further suggest that the LHb is engaged in learning about threatening environments through the selection of relevant information predictive of a danger.

Evidence for Common Horizontal Transmission of Wolbachia among Ants and Ant Crickets: Kleptoparasitism Added to the List.

While Wolbachia, an intracellular bacterial symbiont, is primarily transmitted maternally in arthropods, horizontal transmission between species has been commonly documented. We examined kleptoparasitism as a potential mechanism for Wolbachia horizontal transmission, using ant crickets and their host ants as the model system. We compared prevalence and diversity of Wolbachia across multiple ant cricket species with different degrees of host specificity/integration level. Our analyses revealed at least three cases of inter-ordinal Wolbachia transfer among ant and ant crickets, and also showed that ant cricket species with high host-integration and host-specificity tend to harbor a higher Wolbachia prevalence and diversity than other types of ant crickets. This study provides empirical evidence that distribution of Wolbachia across ant crickets is largely attributable to horizontal transmission, but also elucidates the role of intimate ecological association in successful Wolbachia horizontal transmission.

Edible Crickets (Orthoptera) Around the World: Distribution, Nutritional Value, and Other Benefits-A Review.

Edible crickets are among the praised insects that are gaining recognition as human food and livestock feed with a potential of contributing to food security and reduction of malnutrition. Globally, the sustainable use of crickets as food or feed is undermined by lack of information on the number of the edible crickets, the country where they are consumed, and the developmental stages consumed. Furthermore, lack of data on their nutritional content and the potential risks to potential consumers limits their consumption or inclusion into other food sources. We reviewed published literature on edible cricket species, countries where they are consumed, and the stage at which they are consumed. We further reviewed information on their nutritional content, the safety of cricket consumption, and the sensory qualities of the edible crickets. We also looked at other benefits derived from the crickets, which include ethnomedicine, livestock feed, pest management strategies, contribution to economic development, and livelihood improvement, particularly in terms of use as food preservatives and use within music, sports, and cultural entomology. Lastly, we reviewed information on the farming of edible crickets. In this review, we report over 60 cricket species that are consumed in 49 countries globally. Nutritionally, crickets are reported to be rich in proteins, ranging from 55 to 73%, and lipids, which range from 4.30 to 33.44% of dry matter. The reported amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is 58% of the total fatty acids. Edible crickets contain an appreciable amount of macro- and micro-mineral elements such as calcium, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, iron, zinc, manganese, and copper. Also, the crickets are rich in the required amount of vitamins such as B group vitamins and vitamins A, C, D, E, and K. Overall, the cricket species examined in this review are safe to be consumed, and they display high proximate content that can replace plant and livestock products. The crickets play valuable roles in contributing to the economies of many countries and livelihoods, and they have medicinal and social benefits. This review is expected to promote greater recognition of crickets as a source of food, feed, and other benefits in the world and encourage up-scaling by farming them for sustainable utilization.

Diversity and Use of Edible Grasshoppers, Locusts, Crickets, and Katydids (Orthoptera) in Madagascar.

Madagascar has a long history of using Orthoptera as food and feed. Our understanding of the biological diversity of this resource, its contemporary use, and its future potentials in Madagascar is extremely limited. The present study contributes basic knowledge of the biological diversity and local uses of edible Orthoptera in Malagasy food cultures. Data was collected with key informants in 47 localities covering most of the ecoregions of Madagascar and corresponding to 12 of the 19 ethnic groups. Orthoptera are consumed throughout Madagascar. We report 37 edible Orthoptera species, of which 28 are new species records of edible Orthoptera in Madagascar and 24 are new species records of edible Orthoptera in the world. Most species are endemic and occur in farming zones. Children are the primary collectors and consumers of edible Orthoptera. The insects are eaten both as snacks and main meals. Edible Orthoptera are primarily collected casually and marketing is rare, with the notable exceptions of the large cricket Brachytrupes membranaceus colosseus and during locust outbreaks (e.g., Locusta migratoria). The use of Orthoptera as feed seems rare. Further investigations of cultural and personal preferences are required to assess the future potential roles of Orthoptera in Malagasy food habits.

Performance of Newly Described Native Edible Cricket Scapsipedus icipe (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) on Various Diets of Relevance for Farming.

A new native edible cricket species, Scapsipedus icipe Hugel and Tanga, has been described in Kenya for the first time. However, there is lack of information on suitable diets and their effects on the developmental time, survival, weight gain, body length, growth index, preoviposition, oviposition, postoviposition, fecundity, egg eclosion period, adult emergence, and longevity of this species, which are prerequisite for large-scale production. In this study, six diets (wheat bran, soybean, fish offal, pumpkin leaf, carrot, and maize meals) selected to vary in protein, carbohydrate, and fat content were evaluated. The developmental time and survival rate of the different life stages varied considerably on the various diets, with the shortest development and highest survival rate recorded when fed wheat bran diet. Preoviposition duration was significantly longer on maize and carrot diets (>10 d) compared with that recorded on the other diets (<8 d). Body weight and body length were significantly influenced by the different diets tested. Females of S. icipe fed on protein-rich diets (fish offal, soybean, and wheat bran) had significantly higher lifetime fecundity and fertility. Female-biased sex ratio was recorded on wheat bran and soybean diets, whereas male-biased sex ratio was recorded on maize and carrot diets. Our findings reveal that the impact of diet quality on the biological fitness parameters of S. icipe and the implication of the results are discussed in light of effective mass rearing of this species.

First record of shield-backed katydids in Madagascar with the description of a new genus and three new species (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Tettigoniidae: Tettigoniinae: Arytropteridini).

Shield-backed katydids of tribe Arytropteridini Caudell, 1908 are recorded for the first time in Madagascar. The new genus Toliaridectes n. gen. is proposed to include three new species from the south west of the island: Toliaridectes meridionalis n. gen. n. sp., Toliaridectes wendenbaumi n. gen. n. sp. and Toliaridectes antsycurvis n. gen. n. sp.. Elements of biology of Toliaridectes n. gen. are given and the call of Toliaridectes antsycurvis n. gen. n. sp. is described. The taxonomic position of Arytropteridini is discussed.

A new genus and five new species of Anostostomatidae from the Lesser Antilles (Orthoptera: Ensifera).

Most high volcanic islands of Lesser Antilles harbor one single genus of Anostostomatidae: Rhumosa n. gen: Rhumosa bolognei n. gen. n. sp. in Guadeloupe, Rhumosa macoucheriei n. gen. n. sp. in Dominica, Rhumosa depazei n. gen. n. sp. in Martinique, Rhumosa admiralrodneyei n. gen. n. sp. in Saint Lucia, Rhumosa captainblighei n. gen. n. sp., in Saint Vincent. These species are restricted to well preserved rainforests; species from northern islands apparently occurring at higher elevation than species of southern islands. The distribution and generic position of Rhumosa n. gen. species is discussed, as well as the generic position of Lutosa cubaensis (Haan, 1843).

A new edible cricket species from Africa of the genus Scapsipedus.

A new cricket of the genus Scapsipedus is described from Kenya. The distribution, acoustic behavior, including call and courtship song, mitochondrial sequences, and data on the biology of that new species are given. This edible cricket is a very promising species for mass production for food and feed.