1,720,977 research outputs found
New record of Ellipsocoris kalashiani Carapezza 2009 in Europe, found in Apulia, Italy (Heteroptera: Scutelleridae)
Full text linkEllipsocoris kalashiani is recorded for the first time in Apulia (Southern Italy). The specie was described by Carapezza (2009) from Eastern Turkey and Western Armenia, but no records have ever been reported for Europe. Recently, few individuals of this species were found in Alta Murgia National Park (Apulia, Italy), a Special Protection Area (SPA) and Site of Community Importance (SCI), characterized by natural forests and dry grassland habitats, with Mediterranean-steppe vegetation. The specimens were collected in two different localities, about 40 km apart from each other, suggesting a long-standing presence in that area. This study provides the first report of the species for the Italian Heteroptera fauna and several hypotheses about its presence there. However, further investigations are needed in order to clarify some ecologi- cal aspects, such as its unknown host plant
Semi-natural habitats support populations of stink bug pests in agricultural landscapes
Full text linkSemi-natural habitats are considered fundamental for biodiversity conservation and the provision of biological control services in agroecosystems. However, crop pests that exploit different types of habitats during their life cycle might thrive in complex landscapes. Understanding how crop pests use a range of resources across the agroecosystem is fundamental to plan sustainable crop protection strategies. Here we explored the effects of local habitat type (i.e., annual crop, perennial crop, dry grassland and forest) and landscape composition (increasing cover of forest and dry grassland) on stink bug pests in Mediterranean agroecosystems. Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomoidea) are polyphagous and highly mobile organisms considered a serious threat for numerous crops worldwide. To better understand how stink bugs used different habitats, we sampled active adults and juveniles in spring and summer, and overwintering individuals in autumn and winter. Our results showed that semi -natural habitats supported more abundant stink bug populations, potentially providing alternative feeding, reproduction, and overwintering sites. Specifically, we found more active adults and juveniles in dry grasslands, while forests hosted greater numbers of overwintering individuals. Moreover, forest cover in the landscape was positively related to active stink bug abundance in all sampled habitats. Finally, we found complex landscapes rich in overall semi-natural habitats to support higher abundance of overwintering individuals in both forests and dry grasslands, while perennial crop might provide suitable overwintering sites in highly simplified landscape. These results have important implications for pest management as crop fields situated in complex landscapes might be more susceptible to pest infestation. Effective control strategies may require a landscape-based approach
Zelus renardii (Kolenati, 1856), a newly established alien species in Italy (Hemiptera: Reduviidae, Harpactorinae)
Full text linkThis note adds new occurrence records of the hemipteran alien species Zelus renardii (Kolenati, 1856) in Italy by citizens, entomologists and photographers. This species was recorded for first time in Rome in 2013
L’invasione della nuova specie aliena Halyomorpha halys (Heteroptera, Pentatomidae): diversità genetica e possibili aree d’originedelle popolazioni individuate in Italia e Canton Ticino
No full textLa cimice bruna marmorizzata Halyomorpha halys è un pentatomide originario dell’Estremo Oriente. Negli ultimi anni si è diffusa nell’America Settentrionale (Canada e U.S.A.), causando ingenti danni economici alle colture. A partire dal 2007 H. halys è stata rilevata in Europa centrale (Svizzera, Francia e Germania) e, dal 2012, è stata segnalata anche in Italia. Da indagini effettuate nel 2013 è emerso che è presente con numeri anche consistenti di individui in Emilia (area modenese e province confinanti), Lombardia, Canton Ticino e Piemonte. Non essendo note le modalità di introduzione della cimice, per determinare il centro di origine degli esemplari rinvenuti in questo territorio, il presente studio ha analizzato una porzione del gene mitocondriale codificante per la citocromo c ossidasi sub unità I (cox1), di solito impiegata come codice a barre genetico per l’identificazione di specie (DNA barcoding) e l’ha impiegata quale marcatore molecolare per l’identificazione e studio della diversità genetica di H. halys. L’analisi di oltre 35 esemplari provenienti dall’Italia (Lombardia e Emilia-Romagna) e Svizzera (Canton Ticino) ha portato all’identificazione di due soli aplotipi, distinti tra loro per una sostituzione. Tutti gli esemplari lombardi e svizzeri presentavano il medesimo aplotipo, già ritrovato in letteratura anche in individui cinesi e svizzeri provenienti da altri cantoni elvetici. Il secondo aplotipo, finora mai ritrovato in Europa, è invece risultato comune per tutti gli esemplari provenienti dall’Emilia ed è condiviso con altri esemplari descritti in letteratura, originari sia dalla Cina che dal Nord America (Canada e U.S.A.).
I dati attuali mostrano perciò come gli esemplari di H. halys presenti in Italia costituiscano almeno due diverse popolazioni che si sono originate da due distinti eventi di invasione. Probabilmente tali eventi sono stati causati dalla movimentazione di merci e persone. La popolazione lombarda potrebbe essersi originata a causa del trasporto passivo di esemplari dalla Svizzera o a causa della diffusione progressiva della popolazione svizzera attraverso la valle del Ticino. La popolazione emiliana invece potrebbe essersi originata a seguito del trasporto accidentale di individui attraverso scambi commerciali con il continente americano oppure con quello asiatico, dalla stessa regione da cui si è originata la popolazione nordamericana
The species identification problem in mirids (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) highlighted by DNA barcoding and species delimitation studies
Full text linkDue to the difficulties associated with detecting and correctly identifying mirids, developing an accurate species identification approach is crucial, especially for potential harmful species. Accurate identification is often hampered by inadequate morphological key characters, invalid and/or outdated systematics, and biases in the molecular data available in public databases. This study aimed to verify whether molecular characterization (i.e. DNA barcoding) is able to identify mirid species of economic relevance and if species delimitation approaches are reliable tools for species discrimination. Cytochrome c oxydase 1 (cox1) data from public genetic databases were compared with new data obtained from mirids sampled in different Italian localities, including an old specimen from private collection, showing contrasting results. Based on the DNA barcoding approach, for the genus Orthops, all sequences were unambiguously assigned to the same species, while in Adelphocoris, Lygus and Trigonotylus there were over-descriptions and/or misidentifications of species. On the other hand, in Polymerus and Deraeocoris there was an underestimation of the taxonomic diversity. The present study highlighted an important methodological problem: DNA barcoding can be a good tool for pest identification and discrimination, but the taxonomic unreliability of public DNA databases can make this method useless or even misleading
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The invasion of the new alien species Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae): genetic diversity and possible areas of origin of the populations identified in Italy and Canton Ticino.
No full textThe invasion of the new alien species Halyomorpha halys (Hemiptera, Pentatomidae): genetic diversity and possible areas of origin of the populations identified in Italy and Canton Ticino
- …
