{"title":"An interesting case of polystyrene consumption by Reticulitermes lucifugus (Blattodea: Neoisoptera, Rhinotermitidae)","authors":"E. Rolli","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.463","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.463","url":null,"abstract":"A colony of Reticulitermes lucifugus from Apulia (SE Italian Peninsula) was recently observed to have partially consumed some polystyrene panels applied on a wall, and used like seat for termite nest. Further observations could allow to better understand if this colony is just able to physically consume and chew this plastic material, releasing it chemically intact after the passage throughout the termites’ digestive system, or if their microbiome could allow the insects to at least partially metabolize and degrade the ingested polystyrene fragments, as recently observed in a few other insects.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43270656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
S. Sabatelli, P. Audisio, J. Jelínek, Meike Liu, Min Huang
{"title":"Description of the unknown males of three Chinese Meligethes (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae, Meligethinae)","authors":"S. Sabatelli, P. Audisio, J. Jelínek, Meike Liu, Min Huang","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.464","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.464","url":null,"abstract":"In this paper we present the description of male genitalia and additional information on taxonomy of three recently described and poorly known Chinese endemic members of the genus Meligethes Stephens, 1830, Meligethes (Odonthogethes) brassicogethoides Audisio, Sabatelli & Jelínek, 2015, M. (O.) inexpectatus Liu, Huang, Cline, Sabatelli & Audisio, 2017, and M. (O.) tricuspidatus Liu, Huang, Cline & Audisio, 2018.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47230181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Non-native insect pests from the Madeira Archipelago (Portugal): new records and further data (Insecta: Orthoptera; Thysanoptera; Hemiptera; Coleoptera; Diptera; Lepidoptera; Hymenoptera)","authors":"S. Bella, A. Aguiar","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.469","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.469","url":null,"abstract":"In this study, the results of recent surveys on non-native insect pests from the Madeira Archipelago are reported. Overall, 13 non-native species were recorded: Tessellana tessellata (Charpentier) (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae), Gynaikothrips ficorum (Marchal) (Thysanoptera, Phlaeothripidae), Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Hemiptera, Coreidae), Macrohomotoma gladiata Kuwayama (Hemiptera, Homotomidae), Platycorypha nigrivirga Burckhardt and Cacopsylla fulguralis (Kuwayama) (Hemiptera, Psyllidae), Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera, Aphididae), Aloephagus myersi Essig (Hemiptera, Pemphigidae), Protopulvinaria pyriformis (Cockerell) (Hemiptera, Coccidae), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera, Dryophthoridae), Phytoliriomyza jacarandae Steyskal & Spencer (Diptera, Agromyzidae), Lantanophaga pusillidactylus (Walker) (Lepidoptera, Pterophoridae), and Josephiella microcarpae Beardsley & Rasplus (Hymenoptera, Agaonidae). Particularly, T. tessellata, L. occidentalis, M. gladiata, P. jacarandae, and J. microcarpae are reported for the first time from the island of Madeira. L. occidentalis is also reported for the first time from the island of Porto Santo. For P. jacarandae this is the first record from Macaronesia, while for M. gladiata this is the first record also for Portugal. Most of these species are associated with allochthonous plants. Details on current distributions, host plants, biological remarks, and natural enemies are given for each species.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43103316","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Systematics and biology of the Ichnestomina, including new genera and species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae)","authors":"R. Perissinotto","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.473","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.473","url":null,"abstract":"The subtribe Ichnestomina, endemic to southern Africa, exhibits a suite of plesiomorphic features that reflects a particularly old evolutionary age among the Goliathini. Sexual dimorphism is extreme and females are generally brachypterous and unable to fly. Also, adult stages do not feed, and therefore remain active for only a few days after emerging from the soil, devoting all their energy reserves to reproduction. Consequently, populations are range-bound to small areas, often completely isolated on high mountain peaks or ridges, leading to rapid speciation. Results of recent investigations and historical data are hereby combined to provide an updated and revised structure of the systematics of this subtribe. As a result, four genera are now recognised in place of the perceived uniformity earlier expressed with much reservation by Holm (1992). This involves the rehabilitation of the original name of Gariep Gory & Percheron, 1833, to accommodate species with fully winged and flying females as well as elongate and incision-free dorsal lobes of parameres (Gariep patera and G. perstriata. It is further proposed that the genus Ichnestoma Gory & Percheron, 1833 be restricted to species with moderate female brachyptery and males with cretaceous markings on their body surface. Consequently, two new genera are erected (Karooida gen. nov., Mzansica gen. nov.) and four species-complexes (Ichnestoma cuspidata, I. albomaculata, Mzansica nasula and M. luridipennis), are added in order to account for key differences among species, including degree of female brachyptery (wing:elytron length ratio), presence/absence of cretaceous markings, aedeagal structure and biogeographic distribution. Eleven new species (Ichnestoma carbonaria sp. nov., I. dealbata sp. nov., I. furcata sp. nov., I. karoominoris sp. nov., I. spatulata sp. nov., Karooida balli sp. nov., K. sagittata sp. nov., Mzansica botswanica sp. nov., M. clarki sp. nov., M. denticulata sp. nov., M. falcipata sp. nov.) are added to the 13 species and three subspecies currently recognised in this subtribe. The three subspecies are elevated to species status (Ichnestoma cochleata stat. nov., I. fuscipennis stat. nov., Karooida kikvorsti comb. et stat. nov.). The diagnostic characters of each taxon are described along with all available knowledge on the habitat characteristics and general biology of each species.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48178302","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Serendipity versus proactive search of elusive species - the Encounter Predictability Scorecard (EPS), a new customizable tool for field researchers","authors":"Cesare Brizio, N. Tormen, E. Ruzzier","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.458","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.458","url":null,"abstract":"Since field research requires a lot of effort, time, economic and resource investment, it necessitates fact-based tools for a sound preliminary evaluation of the actual possibility to achieve its objective. Such a tool, the Encounter Predictability Scorecard (EPS), is here described for the first time. The rediscovery of the endemic Orthopteran Uromenus annae proved that field research is performed under strong biases including blind faith in previous scientific literature, and expectations about the biology and ecology of the target species. U. annae escaped field researches in the documented localities, and was rediscovered serendipitously in two new unrelated locations. This casts doubt on the capacity of field researchers to assess, even in general terms, the possibility of success of field expeditions. We conceived a method inspired by the performance management tools from the world of corporate strategy: scorecards. The most famous among closed-choice, qualitative-quantitative checklists, is the Balanced Scorecard, based on original work from the late 1980’s. We adapted those methods to the constraints of field research, and field-tested in a retrospective way for the search of U. annae. The EPS is freely available as a digital spreadsheet, and can be tested and customised at any time. Although in its infancy, the EPS looks like a promising operational tool to help saving time and money, and to identify which objectives and organizational setups are more promising. Besides providing a clearer, more rational basis for operational decisions, the straightforward compilation of an EPS may also mitigate the impact of cognitive biases.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/fe.2020.458","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45787678","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"First description of calling song of Arcyptera alzonai and possible taxonomic implications (Insecta: Orthoptera, Acrididae, Gomphocerinae)","authors":"L. Anselmo","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.460","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.460","url":null,"abstract":"The aim of this study was to contribute to the knowledge of Arcyptera alzonai, considered an endemic Italian species, whose biology is little known and which has an uncertain taxonomic status. Some individuals were found on a small site within its historical presence area in Susa Valley (Piedmont, NW Italy). Some recordings of the song, until today unknown, were made and analyzed. From the oscillograms obtained, no significant differences emerged with the congener species Arcyptera microptera. Also according to various authors these two species are at the moment indistinguishable from a morphological point of view. Therefore, a possible synonymy among these two taxa can be assumed which, however, must be investigated and confirmed by further research based on genetic analysis.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48256312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paola D’Alessandro, M. Iannella, E. Grobbelaar, M. Biondi
{"title":"Revision of the Calotheca nigrotessellata species group from southern Africa, with description of two new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)","authors":"Paola D’Alessandro, M. Iannella, E. Grobbelaar, M. Biondi","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.457","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.457","url":null,"abstract":"Calotheca Heyden is a mostly sub-Saharan flea beetle genus, comprising twenty-seven species previously included in Blepharida Chevrolat. The examination of new material is revealing a high species richness, as there is high intraspecific variability. Calotheca luteomaculata sp. nov. from Zimbabwe and the Republic of South Africa, and C. luteotessellata sp. nov. from the Republic of South Africa are here described and attributed to the C. nigrotessellata (Baly) species group, mainly based on genitalic characters. Photographs of the main diagnostic characters are supplied, including the median lobe of the aedeagus and spermatheca. A forward stepwise discriminant function analysis, using morphometric variables, has been performed. It supports the attribution of the examined specimens to the three species here considered, thus adding characters useful for their identification. Information on geographical distribution and host plants are also provided.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-11-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47111252","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The spread of Bombus haematurus in Italy and its first DNA barcode reference sequence","authors":"P. Biella, A. Galimberti","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.413","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.413","url":null,"abstract":"Climate change and human activities are impacting species distribution, and thus, tracking species movements is a key aspect for their conservation and for understanding their biology. Among the bumblebees that are changing distribution, one of the most striking cases of a fast and natural range expansion is the eastern Mediterranean Bombus haematurus. Here we report the first Italian records of this species, with observations from the N-E Italy at a distance of 332 Km from the edge of the historical distribution. These are the westernmost known occurrences of this species and they are not far from a large series of records in several Central European countries of recent colonization. Here, we also obtained and made publicly available the reference COI barcode sequence of Bombus haematurus and shown that is significantly different from other similar species at this genetic marker. Coupling morphology, field-data and genetic identity should greatly improve the efficiency of tracking species movements and therefore also their knowledge in both recently colonized and historical areas.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/fe.2020.413","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45642700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Meike Liu, Min Huang, A. Cline, Paolo Cardoli, P. Audisio, S. Sabatelli
{"title":"Re-examination of the genus-level taxonomy of the pollen beetle subfamily Meligethinae – Part 1. Sagittogethes Audisio and Cline 2009 and allied genera; with description of a new genus (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)","authors":"Meike Liu, Min Huang, A. Cline, Paolo Cardoli, P. Audisio, S. Sabatelli","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.419","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.419","url":null,"abstract":"Recent molecular and morphological data derived from members of the pollen-beetle subfamily Meligethinae suggest the need to separate the genus Sagittogethes Audisio and Cline, 2009, including species mostly distributed in Western Palaearctic areas, into two distinct (although related) genera, Sagittogethes and Teucriogethes gen. n. This new genus, comprising the Western European Meligethes obscurus Erichson, 1845 as its type species, includes less than ten species distributed between the Iberian Peninsula and North Africa westward, and China and Japan eastward. All inclusive species utilize members of the genus Teucrium L. (Lamiacaeae: Ajugoideae) as larval host-plants. Morphological and bionomical information, and molecular data clearly demonstrate the necessity for updating the taxonomic position of the two clades. Based on molecular evidence, the new genus represents the sister-group of Thymogethes Audisio and Cline, 2009, while the sister-group relationships of the remaining Sagittogethes taxa with other Lamiaceae-associated genera of Meligethinae remain uncertain. Within the new genus, the relictual and rare Western Mediterranean species T. minutus (C.N.F. Brisout de Barneville, 1863) seems to occupy an isolated position.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/fe.2020.419","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41929202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A third endemic Artena from the Philippines (Lepidoptera: Erebidae)","authors":"A. Zilli, R. Vos","doi":"10.4081/fe.2020.400","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.4081/fe.2020.400","url":null,"abstract":"Artena uncinata sp. n. from the Philippines (Luzon) is described. This species is a third member of the A. lacteicincta-A. eccentrica group and can readily be separated from its closest allies by the reduced secondary sexual characters of the male and differences in the male genitalia.","PeriodicalId":43612,"journal":{"name":"FRAGMENTA ENTOMOLOGICA","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2020-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.4081/fe.2020.400","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44258000","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}