Revision of the Aspistomella group of genera (Diptera: Ulidiidae: Pterocallinae: Lipsanini).

Twenty-three species of the genera Aspistomella Hendel, 1909, Polyteloptera Hendel, 1909, and Ulivellia Speiser, 1929 occurring in South America (Colombia, Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil) form a monophyletic lineage sharing certain combinations of plesiomorphies and apomorphies with similar larval biology. The name Aspistomella Hendel, 1909 is a new senior subjective synonym of Paraphyola Hendel, 1909. The group of genera is extended by the addition of six known species, Aspistomella angustifrons (Hendel, 1909) comb.

A new species of the genus Becker, 1923 and the first records of this genus for Europe (Diptera, Asilidae).

A new species of Becker, 1923, Álvarez Fidalgo & van den Broek, , is described from Spain, representing the first record of this genus for Europe. It is illustrated in high-resolution photographs and the first ecological information is provided, as well as a key to all species tentatively placed in this genus.

Review of the European Latreille (Hymenoptera, Vespidae) using morphology and DNA barcodes, with an illustrated key to species.

The European species of the potter wasp genus Latreille, 1802 (Vespidae, Eumeninae) are illustrated and a new illustrated key to the 13 recognised species is presented. Guiglia, 1951 is synonymised with (Christ, 1791) (), André, 1884 and Dalla Torre, 1894 with (Panzer, 1799) () and Blüthgen, 1938 with André, 1884 ().

A pictorial key for identification of the hoverflies (Diptera: Syrphidae) of the Madeira Archipelago.

Background: Syrphid flies are important ecological indicators and provide crucial ecosystem services, being important pollinators and biological control agents of insect pests. These charismatic insects are conspicuous and, due to their size and colourful patterns, are relatively easy to identify. However, the lack of user-friendly literature (e.

A new species of the genus Psilota Meigen, 1822 (Diptera: Syrphidae) from China.

The genus Psilota Meigen, 1822 is recorded for the first time from China, and the species Psilota bashanensis Huo and Zhao sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on the adult male.

The European Stag Beetle () Monitoring Network: International Citizen Science Cooperation Reveals Regional Differences in Phenology and Temperature Response.

To address the decline in biodiversity, international cooperation in monitoring of threatened species is needed. Citizen science can play a crucial role in achieving this challenging goal, but most citizen science projects have been established at national or regional scales. Here we report on the establishment and initial findings of the European Stag Beetle Monitoring Network (ESBMN), an international network of stag beetle () monitoring schemes using the same protocol.

Three new hoverfly species from Greece (Diptera: Syrphidae).

An ongoing investigation on the Greek hoverfly fauna using adult morphology has revealed new species within three genera. In this study, the knowledge of the Mediterranean hoverfly fauna has been enhanced by describing the following species: Cheilosia candida Vujić et Radenković sp. n.

A new species of (Diptera, Syrphidae) from the Kingdom of Bhutan, the easternmost representative of the subgroup.

A new species of , Smit , is described from Bhutan. This species belongs to the subgroup of the species group. Seven species are currently known within this subgroup: four European, one of which is also found in the Near East, and three more only known from Tajikistan.

A bacterial surface layer protein exploits multistep crystallization for rapid self-assembly.

Surface layers (S-layers) are crystalline protein coats surrounding microbial cells. S-layer proteins (SLPs) regulate their extracellular self-assembly by crystallizing when exposed to an environmental trigger. However, molecular mechanisms governing rapid protein crystallization in vivo or in vitro are largely unknown.

Robber flies from Sint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles, with the descriptions of Efferia exaggerata sp. n. and the male of Ommatius prolongatus Scarbrough (Diptera: Asilidae).

Four species of robber flies are recorded from Sint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles. Efferia exaggerata sp. n.

Two new European long-legged hoverfly species of the species subgroup (Diptera, Syrphidae).

Meigen (Diptera, Syrphidae) is one of the most speciose hoverfly genera in Europe, with several species groups recognized within. As part of the group of species, a subgroup of long-legged representatives stands out. We name it subgroup and provide descriptions for two new European species which belong to this subgroup: from mainland Spain and from Lesvos and Evros, Greece.

A Caulobacter crescentus Microbicide Protects from Vaginal Infection with HIV-1 in Humanized Bone Marrow-Liver-Thymus Mice.

Over 2 million people are infected with HIV-1 annually. Approximately half of these new infections occur in women residing in low-income countries, where their access to and control over HIV-1 preventative measures are often limited, indicating that female-controlled prevention options for HIV-1 are urgently needed. Microbicides that can be topically applied to the vaginal tract in advance of sexual activity represent a promising female-controlled prevention option for HIV-1.

Topologically-guided continuous protein crystallization controls bacterial surface layer self-assembly.

Many bacteria and most archaea possess a crystalline protein surface layer (S-layer), which surrounds their growing and topologically complicated outer surface. Constructing a macromolecular structure of this scale generally requires localized enzymatic machinery, but a regulatory framework for S-layer assembly has not been identified. By labeling, superresolution imaging, and tracking the S-layer protein (SLP) from C.

Bat Ectoparasites From Sint Eustatius, Lesser Antilles (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Streblinae; Hemiptera: Polyctenidae).

In this paper 4 species of bat ectoparasites are recorded from the island of Sint Eustatius, Dutch Caribbean. One species of true bug (Hemiptera: Polyctenidae) as well as 3 species of bat flies (Diptera: Hippoboscidae: Streblinae) are recorded. All species are photographed.

First host record of Myopa pellucida Robineau-Desvoidy (Diptera: Conopidae) identified using DNA barcoding.

Thick-headed flies of the genus Myopa Fabricius are a common sight in early spring in Europe. Several species can be found flying among Salix catkins together with their supposed Andrena Fabricius hosts (Hymenoptera: Apidae) (John Smit observations). Despite the fact that some of these Myopa species are very common, little is known about their actual host-parasitoid associations.

Tolmerus calceatus (Meigen) confirmed as a valid species separate from Tolmerus atricapillus (Fallén) (Diptera: Asilidae).

The status of Tolmerus atricapillus calceatus (Meigen) is discussed. Based on morphological, ecological as well as genetic information it is concluded that Tolmerus calceatus stat. rev.

Generation of a Dual-Target, Safe, Inexpensive Microbicide that Protects Against HIV-1 and HSV-2 Disease.

HSV-2 infection is a significant health problem and a major co-morbidity factor for HIV-1 acquisition, increasing risk of infection 2-4 fold. Condom based prevention strategies for HSV-2 and HIV-1 have not been effective at stopping the HIV-1 pandemic, indicating that alternative prevention strategies need to be investigated. We have previously developed an inexpensive HIV-1 specific microbicide that utilizes the S-layer mediated display capabilities of Caulobacter crescentus, and have shown that recombinant C.

Proposal of Henriciella barbarensis sp. nov. and Henriciella algicola sp. nov., stalked species of the genus and emendation of the genus Henriciella.

Two Gram-negative, heterotrophic, aerobic, prosthecated, marine bacteria, designated strains MCS23T and MCS27T, were isolated from seawater samples. NaCl was required for growth. The major polar lipid detected in strain MCS27T was phosphatidylglycerol, whereas those detected in MCS23T were phosphatidylglycerol, sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol and 1,2-diacyl-3-α-d-glucuronopyranosyl-sn-glycerol taurineamide.

Environmental Calcium Controls Alternate Physical States of the Caulobacter Surface Layer.

Surface layers (S-layers) are paracrystalline, proteinaceous structures found in most archaea and many bacteria. Often the outermost cell envelope component, S-layers serve diverse functions including aiding pathogenicity and protecting against predators. We report that the S-layer of Caulobacter crescentus exhibits calcium-mediated structural plasticity, switching irreversibly between an amorphous aggregate state and the crystalline state.

Two Outer Membrane Proteins Contribute to Caulobacter crescentus Cellular Fitness by Preventing Intracellular S-Layer Protein Accumulation.

Surface layers, or S-layers, are two-dimensional protein arrays that form the outermost layer of many bacteria and archaea. They serve several functions, including physical protection of the cell from environmental threats. The high abundance of S-layer proteins necessitates a highly efficient export mechanism to transport the S-layer protein from the cytoplasm to the cell exterior.

Surface-layer protein from Caulobacter crescentus: expression, purification and X-ray crystallographic analysis.

Protein surface layers are self-assembling, paracrystalline lattices on the surface of many prokaryotes. Surface-layer proteins have not benefited from widespread structural analysis owing to their resistance to crystallization. Here, the successful expression of a truncated version of RsaA, the surface-layer protein from Caulobacter crescentus, from a Caulobacter protein-expression system is reported.

OmpW of Caulobacter crescentus Functions as an Outer Membrane Channel for Cations.

Caulobacter crescentus is an oligotrophic bacterium that lives in dilute organic environments such as soil and freshwater. This bacterium represents an interesting model for cellular differentiation and regulation because daughter cells after division have different forms: one is motile while the other is non-motile and can adhere to surfaces. Interestingly, the known genome of C.

Transposon Mutagenesis Paired with Deep Sequencing of Caulobacter crescentus under Uranium Stress Reveals Genes Essential for Detoxification and Stress Tolerance.

Unlabelled: The ubiquitous aquatic bacterium Caulobacter crescentus is highly resistant to uranium (U) and facilitates U biomineralization and thus holds promise as an agent of U bioremediation. To gain an understanding of how C. crescentus tolerates U, we employed transposon (Tn) mutagenesis paired with deep sequencing (Tn-seq) in a global screen for genomic elements required for U resistance.

The core and O-polysaccharide structure of the Caulobacter crescentus lipopolysaccharide.

Here we describe the analysis of the structure of the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Caulobacter crescentus strain JS1025, a derivative of C. crescentus CB15 NA1000 with an engineered amber mutation in rsaA, leading to the loss of the protein S-layer and gene CCNA_00471 encoding a putative GDP-L-fucose synthase. LPS was isolated using an aqueous membrane disruption method.