Next step in (Montagu, 1803) phylogeography: northern French and Dutch populations (Eupulmonata, Stylommatophora, Hygromiidae).

Features of shell and genitalia as well as nucleotide sequences of selected mitochondrial and nuclear genes of specimens of from ten northern French and two Dutch populations were compared with the same features of British and Italian populations. They were found to be very similar to populations previously identified as belonging to the CAN-1 lineage of . This confirms previous suggestions that was introduced to western Europe (England, France and the Netherlands) in historical times.

New and little-known ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Bulgaria.

Background: Many faunistic studies on the myrmecofauna of Bulgaria have been carried out and about 180 ant species (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from 43 genera and six subfamilies have been discovered as a result. Although the Bulgarian ant fauna is considered to be relatively well studied, the finding of unrecorded species continues, especially amongst the rare social parasites and the species with a more southern distribution in the Balkans.

New Information: The current study presents data on 11 ant species recorded for the first time in Bulgaria ( Agosti & Collingwood, 1987, Steiner et al.

Distance decay 2.0 - A global synthesis of taxonomic and functional turnover in ecological communities.

Aim: Understanding the variation in community composition and species abundances (i.e., β-diversity) is at the heart of community ecology.

A review of the species-group (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Greece.

A review of the Greek members of the species-group revealed three species new to science: (Sterea Ellas, Euboea Island), (Peloponnese, Arcadia) and (Peloponnese, Arcadia and Lakonia). The diagnoses of Salata, Borowiec & Trichas, 2018 and (Dlussky & Zabelin, 1985) are updated based of the new discoveries. Additionally, presence of the latter species in Greece is discussed and its distribution range revised.

Morphometry of two cryptic tree frog species at their hybrid zone reveals neither intermediate nor transgressive morphotypes.

Under incomplete reproductive isolation, secondary contact of diverged allopatric lineages may lead to the formation of hybrid zones that allow to study recombinants over several generations as excellent systems of genomic interactions resulting from the evolutionary forces acting on certain genes and phenotypes. Hybrid phenotypes may either exhibit intermediacy or, alternatively, transgressive traits, which exceed the extremes of their parents due to epistasis and segregation of complementary alleles. While transgressive morphotypes have been examined in fish, reptiles, birds, and mammals, studies in amphibians are rare.

Sucking of human blood by (O. F. Müller, 1846) (Hirudinida: Glossiphoniidae): Case study with notes on body form.

Four events of sucking human blood are described.Human blood was sucked by both adult and juvenile specimens of . .

Drivers of species invasion in Central Europe-Case study in the landscape of the Carpathian Mountains and their foreground.

Aim: The invasion process is a complex, context-dependent phenomenon; nevertheless, it can be described using the PAB framework. This framework encompasses the joint effect of propagule pressure (P), abiotic characteristics of the environment (A), and biotic characteristics of both the invader and recipient vegetation (B). We analyzed the effectiveness of proxies of PAB factors to explain the spatial pattern of and .

A new European species of (Collembola, Hypogastruridae) revealed by morphological data and DNA barcodes.

A new species, , from Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway, Poland, and Ukraine is described based on morphological data and DNA barcodes. It belongs to a small European group of species with type B chaetotaxy and strong tegumentary granulation with distinct fields of coarse granules: Stach, 1949, (Gisin, 1963), (Nosek & Červek, 1970), (Carpenter & Evans, 1899), and Rusek, 1964. It differs from all of them in the chaetotaxy of lateral parts of thoracic terga II-III (setae m present and one additional seta outside lateral sensillum m present or absent) that is exceptional within the whole -group.

A novel LysR-type regulator negatively affects biosynthesis of the immunosuppressant brasilicardin.

Brasilicardin A (BraA) is a promising immunosuppressive compound produced naturally by the pathogenic bacterium IFM 0406. Heterologous host expression of brasilicardin gene cluster showed to be efficient to bypass the safety issues, low production levels and lack of genetic tools related with the use of native producer. Further improvement of production yields requires better understanding of gene expression regulation within the BraA biosynthetic gene cluster (Bra-BGC); however, the only so far known regulator of this gene cluster is Bra12.

Taxonomic review of the complex (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), with a description of a new species from Iran.

, a member of the complex, is described from the Estahban county of south-western Iran. The species is characterized by small body size and yellow to yellowish red body coloration with distinctly infuscated legs. Additionally, the taxonomic status of all known members of the complex is updated.

Three new species of Foerster, 1850 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) from Iran.

, , and are described from the Koohrang county of central-west Iran (Chaharmahal va Bakhtiari Province). All new species belong to the complex and are characterized by presence of the thick, black, and decumbent setae on lateral and posterior surfaces of tibiae. Additionally, a key to Asian was updated to accommodate the new species.

Contribution to the knowledge of Neanurinae of north-western Iran with description of seven new species (Collembola, Neanuridae).

Seven new species of the subfamily Neanurinae from north-western Iran are described and illustrated in detail. differs from the most similar congener, (Axelson, 1905), in chaetotaxic details and the arrangement of tubercles on the dorsal side of the body. can be easily recognised by its wide labrum, the absence of chaetae C on the head and the presence of a toothed claw.

Hybridization and introgression between toads with different sex chromosome systems.

The growing interest in the lability of sex determination in non-model vertebrates such as amphibians and fishes has revealed high rates of sex chromosome turnovers among closely related species of the same clade. Can such lineages hybridize and admix with different sex-determining systems, or could the changes have precipitated their speciation? We addressed these questions in incipient species of toads (Bufonidae), where we identified a heterogametic transition and characterized their hybrid zone with genome-wide markers (RADseq). Adult and sibship data confirmed that the common toad is female heterogametic (ZW), while its sister species the spined toad is male heterogametic (XY).

Interplay of π-stacking and inter-stacking interactions in two-component crystals of neutral closed-shell aromatic compounds: periodic DFT study.

This paper bridges the gap between high-level computations of gas-phase models of 1 : 1 arene-arene complexes and calculations of the two-component (binary) organic crystals using atom-atom potentials. The studied crystals consist of electron-rich and electron-deficient compounds, which form infinite stacks (columns) of heterodimers. The sublimation enthalpy of crystals has been evaluated by DFT periodic calculations, while intermolecular interactions have been characterized by Bader analysis of the periodic electronic density.

A revision of Simon, 1900 and Simon, 1900 (Araneae, Salticidae, Ballini) with descriptions of new species.

Two genera from the tribe Ballini (Araneae, Salticidae), Simon, 1900 and Simon, 1900, are remarkable for their resemblance to beetles. Their biology is, however, poorly known and taxonomy has hitherto been rarely analysed. Thirteen species are included in this taxonomic revision of the two genera.

Silhouette width using generalized mean-A flexible method for assessing clustering efficiency.

Cluster analysis plays vital role in pattern recognition in several fields of science. Silhouette width is a widely used index for assessing the fit of individual objects in the classification, as well as the quality of clusters and the entire classification. Silhouette combines two clustering criteria, compactness and separation, which imply that spherical cluster shapes are preferred over others-a property that can be seen as a disadvantage in the presence of complex, nonspherical clusters, which is common in real situations.

DNA barcodes reveal 63 overlooked species of Canadian beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera).

This study demonstrates the power of DNA barcoding to detect overlooked and newly arrived taxa. Sixty-three species of Coleoptera representing 25 families are studied based on DNA barcode data and morphological analysis of the barcoded specimens. Three of the species involve synonymies or previous taxonomic confusion in North America, while the first Canadian records are published for 60 species.

Preliminary division of not socially parasitic Greek Mayr, 1861 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) with a description of three new species.

The division of Greek members of the genus into 17 morphological groups is proposed. species group is reviewed with three species: (Santschi) (North Aegean Islands, Sterea Ellas, Peloponnese and Thessaly), and two species new to science: (Epirus, Ionian Islands, Macedonia, Peloponnese, western Sterea Ellas, Thessaly, and also Dalmatia in Croatia), and (Ionian Islands and Peloponnese); a new species , a member of the species group is also described (Sterea Ellas: Euboea Island).

, a new species from the mountains of the Balkan Peninsula (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

, a member of the species group, is described from Dinaric Alps of Slovenia and Croatia, from Golešnica Mt. in north Macedonia, Osogovo-Belasica Massif of southwestern Bulgaria, and from Kerkini Mts. of Greek Macedonia.

Excessive computer use as an oral health risk behaviour in 18-year-old youths from Poland: A cross-sectional study.

Background: Many studies have indicated that the excessive use of computers (more than 3 hr/d) might be associated with an unhealthy life-style.

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between excessive computer use with the condition of the teeth and periodontium and the oral health behaviour of 18-year-olds.

Design: Cross-sectional studies, using a questionnaire, were carried out on 1,611 18-year-olds from Poland.

Genetic turnovers and northern survival during the last glacial maximum in European brown bears.

The current phylogeographic pattern of European brown bears () has commonly been explained by postglacial recolonization out of geographically distinct refugia in southern Europe, a pattern well in accordance with the expansion/contraction model. Studies of ancient DNA from brown bear remains have questioned this pattern, but have failed to explain the glacial distribution of mitochondrial brown bear clades and their subsequent expansion across the European continent. We here present 136 new mitochondrial sequences generated from 346 remains from Europe, ranging in age between the Late Pleistocene and historical times.

The influence of an electric field on growth and trace metal content in aquatic plants.

It is known that both natural and artificial electric fields (EF) affect plants physiological parameters as well as germination, growth and yield. The present article describes results of a preliminary experiment on the impact of electric field on aquatic plants biogeochemistry. The objective of the present study was the assessment of the influence exerted by the electric field on growth and trace metals content of Elodea canadensis.

A new species of the ant genus Fabricius, 1804 from Crete (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

from Crete, Greece, is described and illustrated. It belongs to complex and is well characterized by very small body, extremely shallow metanotal groove and presence of suberect to erect setae on the apical part of scape. New records of Cretan members of the genus Fabricius, 1804 are provided, their checklist is updated, and the key to their determination is presented.

Electromagnetic Field Seems to Not Influence Transcription via CTCT Motif in Three Plant Promoters.

It was proposed that magnetic fields (MFs) can influence gene transcription via CTCT motif located in human HSP70 promoter. To check the universality of this mechanism, we estimated the potential role of this motif on plant gene transcription in response to MFs using both bioinformatics and experimental studies. We searched potential promoter sequences (1000 bp upstream) in the potato and thale cress genomes for the CTCT sequence.