Searching for variables representing the response to cold stress in mediterranean Geotrupinae reveals an association between heat and cold tolerances.

The study of cold tolerance is imperative for understanding insect activity across spatial and temporal gradients. Here, we assessed various physiological variables to discern the response to cold stress in Mediterranean earth-boring dung beetles, utilizing an infrared thermography protocol initially developed for detecting heat stress variables. Subsequently, we conducted a joint analysis of heat and cold stress variables to explore the extent of congruence between their responses.

Phylogeographic and Paleoclimatic Modelling Tools Improve Our Understanding of the Biogeographic History of (Colubridae).

Phylogeographic and paleoclimatic modelling studies have been combined to infer the role of Pleistocene climatic oscillations as drivers of the genetic structure and distribution of Mediterranean taxa. For the European whip snake, , previous studies based on paleoclimatic modelling have depicted a low reliability in the pattern of past climatic suitability across the central Mediterranean Basin, which barely fits the species' genetic structure. In this study, we combined phylogeographic and paleoclimatic modelling tools to improve our understanding of the biogeographic history of , particularly extending the sampling and phylogeographic inferences to previously under-sampled regions.

Mitogenomics and hidden-trait models reveal the role of phoresy and host shifts in the diversification of parasitoid blister beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae).

Changes in life history traits are often considered speciation triggers and can have dramatic effects on the evolutionary history of a lineage. Here, we examine the consequences of changes in two life history traits, host-type and phoresy, in the hypermetamorphic blister beetles, Meloidae. Subfamilies Nemognathinae and Meloinae exhibit a complex life cycle involving multiple metamorphoses and parasitoidism.

Metagenomics Analysis Reveals an Extraordinary Inner Bacterial Diversity in Anisakids (Nematoda: Anisakidae) L3 Larvae.

L3 larvae of anisakid nematodes are an important problem for the fisheries industry and pose a potential risk for human health by acting as infectious agents causing allergies and as potential vectors of pathogens and microrganisms. In spite of the close bacteria-nematode relationship very little is known of the anisakids microbiota. Fresh fish could be contaminated by bacteria vectored in the cuticle or in the intestine of anisakids when the L3 larvae migrate through the muscles.

Limited long-distance dispersal success in a Western European fairy shrimp evidenced by nuclear and mitochondrial lineage structuring.

Anostraca are known by their ability for long-distance dispersal, but the existence in several species of deep, geographically structured mtDNA lineages suggests their populations are subjected to allopatric differentiation, isolation, and prevalence of local scale dispersion. is one of the most widespread species of Anostraca and previous studies revealed an unclear geographical pattern of mtDNA genetic diversity. Here, we analyze populations from the Iberian and Italian Peninsulas, Central Europe, and Scandinavia, with the aim to characterize the patterns of genetic diversity in a spatio-temporal framework using mtDNA and nuclear markers to test gene flow among close populations.

Beetle Exoskeleton May Facilitate Body Heat Acting Differentially across the Electromagnetic Spectrum.

Exoskeletons of beetles and their associated morphological characteristics can serve many different functions, including thermoregulation. We study the thermal role of the exoskeleton in 13 Geotrupidae dung beetle species using heating experiments under controlled conditions. The main purpose was to measure the influence of heating sources (solar radiance vs.

The classification and phylogenetic status of Jekelius (Reitterius) punctulatus (Jekel, 1866) and Jekelius (Jekelius) brullei (Jekel, 1866) (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) using molecular data.

The phylogenetic placement of Jekelius brullei (Jekel, 1866) and J. punctulatus (Jekel, 1866) (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae) was assessed using mitochondrial and nuclear molecular data to discern contrasting nomenclatural views provided by López-Colón (1996) and the Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera (Löbl et al. 2006).

Proteomic profiling and characterization of differential allergens in the nematodes Anisakis simplex sensu stricto and A. pegreffii.

The parasite species complex Anisakis simplex sensu lato (Anisakis simplex sensu stricto; (A. simplex s.s.