What is in your pantry? Entomologic anaphylaxis.

Background: The booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila, is a potent environmental allergen clinically associated with rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma. Despite its known infestation of grain products, anaphylaxis from ingestion of this organism has, to our knowledge, not been previously reported. We present the case of a 44-year-old woman who developed anaphylaxis to ingested oats and rice shown to be contaminated with L. bostrychophila. Objective: The objective was to isolate a distinct antigen from L. bostrychophila implicated in a case of unexplained anaphylaxis. Methods: In vitro studies were obtained for relevant ingested materials and aeroallergens. Skin-prick testing (SPT) was performed with standard extracts, contaminated oats, fresh oats, and crushed L. bostrychophila. Western blots were conducted using subject and control serum to detect specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) against the grains and L. bostrychophila extract. Competitive inhibition immunoblotting was used to assess specificity of IgE binding. Results: In vitro studies and SPT were notable for positive responses to dust mite and flour contaminated by L. bostrychophila, along with contaminated oats. Testing results for fresh oat and rice were negative. Immunoblots that used the subject's serum revealed a strongly positive band in the contaminated oat and rice extracts at 24 kD, whereas dust-mite extract yielded a single 14-kD band. Isolated L. bostrychophila extract also yielded a 24-kD band. Competitive inhibition experiments demonstrated that the 24-kD band in the contaminated oat extract was immunologically distinct from the 14-kD dust-mite band. Conclusion: Our case highlights the importance of considering L. bostrychophila as a potential culprit for unexplained anaphylaxis due to ingested grain products. Given the ubiquitous presence of this insect, we suspect that this may be a more common problem than previously recognized.

Genus Cyptophania Banks (Psocodea: 'Psocoptera': Lepidopsocidae): unique features, augmented description of the generotype, and descriptions of three new species.

We define the genus Cyptophania with characters that clearly separate it from other genera of the Family Lepidopsocidae in which wing reduction has occurred. We redescribe the generotype, C. hirsuta Banks (Hawaii, presumably introduced), and describe three new species, C. australica n.sp. (Queensland, Australia), C. costalis n.sp. (Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean), and C. pakaratii n.sp. (Rapa Nui = Easter Island, probably endemic). The latter species is described from both sexes and presents the first males known for the genus. One female of this species presents a large spermatophore protruding from the genital chamber, thus indicating the mode of sperm transfer in sexual members of this genus. A key to the known species is included. All of the species of Cyptophania are highly neotenic, but differences in the level of neoteny are noted among the species studied. We question the synonymy of the genus Ptenocorium Enderlein with Cyptophania on the basis of several characters illustrated in the original description of Ptenocorium. We note similarities of Cyptophania to the entirely macropterous genus Lepidopsocus Enderlein and suggest a possible close relationship between the two genera.

Elevated genetic diversity of mitochondrial genes in asexual populations of Bark Lice ('Psocoptera': Echmepteryx hageni).

Asexual reproduction is commonly thought to be associated with low genetic diversity in animals. Echmepteryx hageni (Insecta: 'Psocoptera') is one of several psocopteran species that are primarily parthenogenetic, but also exists in small, isolated sexual populations. We used mitochondrial DNA sequences to investigate the population history and genealogical relationships between the sexual and asexual forms of this species. The asexual population of E. hageni exhibits extremely high mitochondrial haplotype diversity (H=0.98), whereas the sexual forms had significantly lower haplotypic diversity (H=0.25, after correcting for sample size). This diversity in asexuals represents one the greatest genetic diversities reported for asexual animals in the literature. Nucleotide diversities were also higher in asexual compared to sexual populations (π=0.0071 vs. 0.00027). Compared to other reported estimates of π in insects, asexual nucleotide diversity is high, but not remarkably elevated. Three hypotheses might explain the elevated genetic diversity of asexual populations: (i) larger effective population size, (ii) greater mutation rate or (iii) possible recent origin of sexuals. In addition, phylogeographic analysis revealed little geographic structure among asexual E. hageni, although specimens from the upper Midwest form a single clade and are genetically differentiated. The mismatch distribution and neutrality tests indicate a historical population size increase, possibly associated with expansion from glacial refugia.

A new species of the Australian genus Clinopsocus New from coastal California (Psocodea: 'Psocoptera': Elipsocidae).

Clinopsocus nigrescens n. sp. is described from a series of adult females taken on boards stored in a garage in San Leandro, Alameda County, California. Clinopsocus is known from two other species, both Australian. The new species is highly neotenic and probably parthenogenetic.

Morphological and molecular characterization of a sexually reproducing colony of the booklouse Liposcelis bostrychophila (Psocodea: Liposcelididae) found in Arizona.

The booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila, is a worldwide pest of stored products. For decades, only thelytokous parthenogenetic reproduction was documented in L. bostrychophila. Male L. bostrychophila were first found in Hawaii in 2002. In 2009, a sexual strain was found in Arizona. We examined the morphology of both males and females of the Arizona strain and compared the Arizona sexual strain with the Hawaii sexual strain and the parthenogenetic strains of L. bostrychophila. The sexual and parthenogenetic strains show some differences in eye morphology. To examine the relationship between sexual and asexual lineages, we sequenced the mitochondrial 12S and 16S ribosomal RNA genes of males and females from the Arizona strain. Phylogenetic analyses of L. bostrychophila individuals revealed that: 1) the sexually reproducing colony found in Arizona contains two closely related mitochondrial DNA haplotypes--one present in only females and the other in both males and females; and 2) the Arizona sexual strain was most closely related to a parthenogenetic strain in Illinois. We detected Rickettsia in all of the parthenogenetic individuals we checked but not in any Arizona sexual individuals. Further evidence is required to establish whether the presence of Rickettsia is linked to asexual reproduction in Liposcelis.

A new genus and two new species, one extant and one fossil, in the family Troctopsocidae (Psocodea: 'Psocoptera': Troctomorpha: Amphientometae: Electrentomoidea).

We describe a new genus, Troctopsocoides, in the family Troctopsocidae with two new species, T. erwini n. sp. (Madre de Dios, Peru) and T. gracilis n. sp., a fossil in amber from the Dominican Republic. We include a diagnosis of the family Troctopsocidae following a recent important change in its status and a key to the known genera of the family.

Amazolachesilla, a new genus of Eolachesillinae (Insecta: Psocodea: "Psocoptera": Lachesillidae) from Amazonas, Brazil / Amazolachesilla, um gênero novo de Eolachesillinae (Insecta: Psocodea: 'Psocoptera': Lachesillidae) do Amazonas, Brasil

Amazolachesilla, a new genus in Graphocaeciliini (Lachesillidae: Eolachesillinae), from Amazonas, Brazil, is here described and illustrated. It presents an autapomorphic clunial shelf and clunial projections, as well as a peculiar male epiproct, and paraprocts with a s clerotized longitudinal rod that makes it unique in the tribe.

O gênero novo Amazolachesilla, do estado do Amazonas, Brasil, é descrito e ilustrado. Pertence à Graphocaeciliini (Lachesillidae: Eolachesillinae). Possui uma projeção clunial média e projeções laterais autapomórficas, bem como machos com um epiprocto peculiar e paraprocto com uma haste longitudinal esclerosada, únicos dentro da tribo.