Francisco Collantes

Strepsiptera, Phylogenomics and the Long Branch Attraction Problem

Insect phylogeny has recently been the focus of renewed interest as advances in sequencing techniques make it possible to rapidly generate large amounts of genomic or transcriptomic data for a species of interest. However, large numbers of markers are not sufficient to guarantee accurate phylogenetic reconstruction, and the choice of the model of sequence evolution as well as adequate taxonomic sampling are as important for phylogenomic studies as they are for single-gene phylogenies. Recently, the sequence of the genome of a strepsipteran has been published and used to place Strepsiptera as sister group to Coleoptera. However, this conclusion relied on a data set that did not include representatives of Neuropterida or of coleopteran lineages formerly proposed to be related to Strepsiptera. Furthermore, it did not use models that are robust against the long branch attraction artifact. Here we have sequenced the transcriptomes of seven key species to complete a data set comprising 36 species to study the higher level phylogeny of insects, with a particular focus on Neuropteroidea (Coleoptera, Strepsiptera, Neuropterida), especially on coleopteran taxa considered as potential close relatives of Strepsiptera. Using models robust against the long branch attraction artifact we find a highly resolved phylogeny that confirms the position of Strepsiptera as a sister group to Coleoptera, rather than as an internal clade of Coleoptera, and sheds new light onto the phylogeny of Neuropteroidea.

Review of ten-years presence of Aedes albopictus in Spain 2004–2014: known distribution and public health concerns

Ten years have gone by since the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus was recorded for the first time in Spain. In this paper, all relevant published information about this vector in Spain for the period 2004–2014 is reviewed. The known distribution for 2014 is provided, including all historical records (published and unpublished data) and the results from samplings of the last year. The consequences on public health about the presence of the Asian tiger mosquito in Spain are also highlighted. Further, legal aspects and control plans related to the management and diseases transmitted by this invasive vector species are also discussed.

Updated distribution of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in Spain: new findings in the mainland Spanish Levante, 2013

In 2004, Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse, 1894) was observed for the first time in Catalonia, northeastern Spain. A decade later, it has spread throughout the eastern Mediterranean region of the country and the Balearic Islands. Framed within a national surveillance project, we present the results of monitoring in 2013 in the autonomous communities of the mainland Levante. The current study reveals a remarkable increase in the spread of the invasive mosquito in relation to results from 2012; the species was present and well-established in 48 municipalities, most of which were along the Mediterranean coastline from the Valencian Community to the Region of Murcia.

Citizen science provides a reliable and scalable tool to track disease-carrying mosquitoes

Recent outbreaks of Zika, chikungunya and dengue highlight the importance of better understanding the spread of disease-carrying mosquitoes across multiple spatio-temporal scales. Traditional surveillance tools are limited by jurisdictional boundaries and cost constraints. Here we show how a scalable citizen science system can solve this problem by combining citizen scientists’ observations with expert validation and correcting for sampling effort. Our system provides accurate early warning information about the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) invasion in Spain, well beyond that available from traditional methods, and vital for public health services. It also provides estimates of tiger mosquito risk comparable to those from traditional methods but more directly related to the human–mosquito encounters that are relevant for epidemiological modelling and scalable enough to cover the entire country. These results illustrate how powerful public participation in science can be and suggest citizen science is positioned to revolutionize mosquito-borne disease surveillance worldwide.Monitoring of the spread of invasive mosquitos is important both for preventing and for understanding disease outbreaks. Here the author report that a scalable citizen science system can provide accurate early warning of the invasion process of the Asian tiger mosquito in Spain, with far more scalable coverage than that of traditional surveillance methods.

Updating the known distribution of Aedes albopictus (Skuse, 1894) in Spain 2015

As in other countries, the distribution of Aedes albopictus continues expanding in Spain and all the provinces of the Spanish Mediterranean coast are already positive, as well as other unexpected inner places as Huesca city. A list and a map of the newly positive municipalities in 2015 are included. It is the firts record for the Formentera island (Balearic Islands). Some aspects about the known distribution and the possible related variables are discussed.

Expression of the Pupal Determinant broad during Metamorphic and Neotenic Development of the Strepsipteran Xenos vesparum Rossi

Derived members of the endoparasitic order Strepsiptera have acquired an extreme form of sexual dimorphism whereby males undergo metamorphosis and exist as free-living adults while females remain larviform, reaching sexual maturity within their hosts. Expression of the transcription factor, broad (br) has been shown to be required for pupal development in insects in which both sexes progress through metamorphosis. A surge of br expression appears in the last larval instar, as the epidermis begins pupal development. Here we ask if br is also up-regulated in the last larval instar of male Xenos vesparum Rossi (Stylopidae), and whether such expression is lost in neotenic larviform females. We clone three isoforms of br from X. vesparum (Xv’br), and show that they share greatest similarity to the Z1, Z3 and Z4 isoforms of other insect species. By monitoring Xv’br expression throughout development, we detect elevated levels of total br expression and the Xv’Z1, Xv’Z3, and Xv’Z4 isoforms in the last larval instar of males, but not females. By focusing on Xv’br expression in individual samples, we show that the levels of Xv’BTB and Xv’Z3 in the last larval instar of males are bimodal, with some males expressing 3X greater levels of Xv’br than fourth instar femlaes. Taken together, these data suggest that neoteny (and endoparasitism) in females of Strepsiptera Stylopidia could be linked to the suppression of pupal determination. Our work identifies a difference in metamorphic gene expression that is associated with neoteny, and thus provides insights into the relationship between metamorphic and neotenic development.

Superparasitism of Eoxenos laboulbenei De Peyerimhoff (Strepsiptera: Mengenillidae) by Idiomacromerus gregarius (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) in southern Spain

A female puparium of Eoxenos laboulbenei De Peyerimhoff (Strepsiptera: Insecta) found in Mula, Murcia, Spain was parasitized by five larvae of Idiomacromerus gregarius (Silvestri) (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Torymidae). The parasitized puparium was kept in the laboratory until the following summer, when four I. gregarius adults emerged from it. This species of chalcidoid is rarely found. It was first described in 1943 from Italy by Silvestri and the present report is the first record from Spain. Here we re-examine and redescribe the newly discovered specimens of I. gregarius, add further details about its morphology and give a brief account of its biology including a new record (the mengenillid E. laboulbenei).

Syntomoza Amaliae, a New Species of Moth-Fly (Diptera, Psychodidae) from Nicaragua

AbstractA new species of Psychodidae, Syntomoza amaliae is described from Nicaragua and compared to all the type material of this genus. Besides head and wing structures, the subgenital plates provide taxonomic characters by which the ♀ ♀ can be determined. Drawings of the respective details are presented for 4 neotropical Syntomoza species.

Potential Risk Areas of Aedes albopictus in South-Eastern Iran: A Vector of Dengue Fever, Zika, and Chikungunya

The possibility of the rapid and global spread of Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever, and dengue fever by Aedes albopictus is well documented and may be facilitated by changes in climate. To avert and manage health risks, climatic and topographic information can be used to model and forecast which areas may be most prone to the establishment of Ae. albopictus. We aimed to weigh and prioritize the predictive value of various meteorological and climatic variables on distributions of Ae. albopictus in south-eastern Iran using the Analytical Hierarchy Process. Out of eight factors used to predict the presence of Ae. albopictus, the highest weighted were land use, followed by temperature, altitude, and precipitation. The inconsistency of this analysis was 0.03 with no missing judgments. The areas predicted to be most at risk of Ae. albopictus-borne diseases were mapped using Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing data. Five-year (2011–2015) meteorological data was collected from 11 meteorological stations and other data was acquired from Landsat and Terra satellite images. Southernmost regions were at greatest risk of Ae. albopictus colonization as well as more urban sites connected by provincial roads. This is the first study in Iran to determine the regional probability of Ae. albopictus establishment. Monitoring and collection of Ae. albopictus from the environment confirmed our projections, though on-going field work is necessary to track the spread of this vector of life-threatening disease.

Implementation and evaluation of the medication management in nursing units of a university hospital by means of a quality improvement cycle

AIMS The aim of this study was to improve compliance with protocols for the correct handling and storage of medication, both in medication rooms and on resuscitation trolleys in order to reduce the level of adverse effects on inpatients. BACKGROUND The most frequent adverse effects in healthcare are due to medication errors. METHODS Twenty hospital units were studied in 2012. Their medication rooms and resuscitation trolleys share the same medication supply system. Twelve criteria were evaluated and in the first assessment, corrective measures were implemented and criteria were evaluated again. RESULTS In the first evaluation, the total amount of cases of noncompliance was 153 (65.38%). Seven corrective measures were implemented on the 6 criteria which accumulate 60% of the noncompliance cases. After that, 81 noncompliance cases (34.62%) were obtained. Almost all of evaluated criteria showed an improvement. Nine of the 12 criteria evaluated showed a statistically significant improvement in the second assessment. CONCLUSIONS A quality improvement cycle is a useful tool to identify safety problems, related to management of medication rooms and resuscitation trolleys of nursing units. It is possible to identify and implement improvement measures without any additional cost.