Formica polyctena belongs to the red wood ant species group. Its nests provide a stable, food rich, and temperature and humidity controlled environment, utilized by a wide range of species, called myrmecophiles. Here, we used the high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene on the Illumina platform for identification of the microbiome profiles of six selected myrmecophilous beetles (Dendrophilus pygmaeus, Leptacinus formicetorum, Monotoma angusticollis, Myrmechixenus subterraneus, Ptenidium formicetorum and Thiasophila angulata) and their host F. polyctena. Analyzed bacterial communities consisted of a total of 23 phyla, among which Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes were the most abundant. Two known endosymbionts—Wolbachia and Rickettsia—were found in the analyzed microbiome profiles and Wolbachia was dominant in bacterial communities associated with F. polyctena, M. subterraneus, L. formicetorum and P. formicetorum (>90% of reads). In turn, M. angusticollis was co-infected with both Wolbachia and Rickettsia, while in the microbiome of T. angulata, the dominance of Rickettsia has been observed. The relationships among the microbiome profiles were complex, and no relative abundance pattern common to all myrmecophilous beetles tested was observed. However, some subtle, species-specific patterns have been observed for bacterial communities associated with D. pygmaeus, M. angusticollis, and T. angulata.
The mature larva and pupa of Neomida haemorrhoidalis are described and illustrated for the first time. The mature larva of Bolitophagus reticulatus is completely redescribed and illustrated, and its pupa is described for the first time. The differential diagnosis of the two species is presented. Information about their biology and life history is also given.
Saproxylic beetles play a crucial role in key processes occurring in forest ecosystems, and together with fungi contribute to the decomposition and mineralization of wood. Among this group are mycetophilic beetles which associate with wood-decaying fungi and use the fruiting body for nourishment and development. Therefore, their feeding strategy (especially in the case of fungivorous species) requires special digestive capabilities to take advantage of the nutritional value of fungal tissue. Although polypore-beetle associations have been investigated in numerous studies, detailed studies focusing on the microbiome associated with species feeding on fruiting bodies of polypores remain limited. Here we investigated the bacterial communities associated with larvae and adults ofBolitophagus reticulatuscollected fromFomes fomentariusgrowing on two different host tree: beech (Fagussp.) and birch (Betulasp.), respectively. Among 24 identified bacterial phyla, three were the most relatively abundant (Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes). Moreover, we tried to find unique patterns of bacteria abundances which could be correlated with the long-term field observation showing that the fruiting bodies ofF. fomentarius,growing on birch are more inhabited by beetles than fruiting bodies of the same fungus species growing on beech. Biochemical analyses showed that the level of protease inhibitors and secondary metabolites inF. fomentariusis higher in healthy fruiting bodies than in the inhabited ones. However, tested microbiome samples primarily clustered by developmental stage ofB. reticulatusand host tree did not appear to impact the taxonomic distribution of the communities. This observation was supported by statistical analyses.
This is the first morphological description of the mature larva (L2) of the genus Pseudomedon, belonging to the tribe Lathrobiini and subtribe Medonina. Detailed illustrations of its structural features are provided. Based on earlier published and new data, 10 and 18 diagnostic larval morphological characters for Paederinae and Pseudomedon, respectively, are proposed. In the light of the new tribal system established for the subfamily Paederinae and based on the current knowledge (including Pseudomedon) concerning the larval morphology of these staphylinids, a comparative analysis of the traits at different taxonomic levels was carried out: intertribal—between Lathrobiini and Paederini sensu nov., intersubtribal (Lathrobiini)—between Medonina and Lathrobiina, and intrasubtribal for Medonina. As a consequence, 12 intertribal, 2 intersubtribal and 3 intrasubtribal distinguishing features were selected. These features, appearing on the head, antennae and mouthparts of the larvae, confirm the validity of the recent proposals to alter the systematics of these staphylinids at higher taxonomic levels. Our proposed practical identification key to Paederinae larvae at the generic level is a synthesis of the current knowledge of Paederinae larvae, including new data. The work also gives a thorough review of the literature and the state of knowledge of the morphology of Paederinae larvae.
Recent years have witnessed a fall in the numbers of bee colonies worldwide. To a large extent, this is due to diseases affecting honeybees. One such disease is nosemosis, which is caused by fungi from the genus Nosema. The antibiotic fumagallin used to be administered to treat nosemosis, but as it was found capable of being transferred to bee products, this practice has ceased. We therefore focused on natural substances for treating this disease, among them, aqueous extracts of the nest carton produced by the jet-black ant (Lasius fuliginosus). We tested the influence of 0.1% and 1% concentrations of such extracts on the incidence of nosemosis in honeybees. The "birch carton 2" extract turned out to be the most effective inhibitor of this disease. The incidence of nosemosis following the administration of this extract, as manifested by the number of spores, fell ca 18-fold in comparison with the control. Moreover, the "birch carton 2" extract was not found to be toxic towards bees.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.