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Four new species of Miropotes Nixon (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) are described: Miropotes orientalis Fernandez-Triana & van Achterberg, from Thailand and Vietnam, and three species from Australia, M. austini, M. neglectus, and M. lordhowensis (all authored by Fernandez-Triana and Whitfield). A key to all known 14 species of the genus is provided, as well as brief, software-generated descriptions (Lucid 3.5.4). Miropotes is distributed mostly within the Australasian region, although it is here reported for the first time for the Oriental region. The relationships with other genera of Microgastrinae are briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A modification of a DNA extraction method by freezing specimens is recognized as one of new non-destructive techniques. In this study, the freezing method has been applied on dried and fresh, tiny and economically important insect samples, i.e. on adults and larvae of wasps, fruit flies and thrips. The modification entails freezing instead of a lengthy incubation of the sample. Most importantly, the sample is not cut into small pieces, but is soaked in a lysis buffer and then frozen in -22°C for a minimum of 20 minutes. After that, the remaining protocols from the manual of DNeasy Blood and Tissue Kit are followed. Several other non-destructive methods also require incubation for at least 20 minutes in a lysis buffer at 55°C. However, the duration of that incubation process is not standard for all insect and arthropod species. This is because the optimization process is based on species size and the thickness of the insect cuticle. With the freezing method, samples are not damaged, and remain available for morphological re-examination. Hence, the sample can also be re-used for taxonomic work with no distortion of samples, no loss of coloration and no phenotypic changes on the external morphology. The complete protocol for the freezing method is described in this paper. With this freezing method, DNA concentration of 0.2- 5.61 ng/µl was recovered on various tiny insect species. Furthermore, several specimens of Bactrocera and Heratemis_species were selected as control specimens in analyzing a variety of extraction methods. The freezing method was proven as a new technique to obtain sufficient quantity and a high quality of DNA for molecular work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new species of the genus Megalommum Szépligeti (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Braconinae), reared from the pistachio longhorn beetle (Calchaenesthes pistacivora Holzschuh; Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), is described and illustrated. The genera Curreia Ashmead, 1900 and Endovipio Turner, 1922 are new synonyms of Megalommum Szépligeti, 1900. Notes on the biology of M. pistacivorae sp. n. and a key to the West Palaearctic and Oriental species are added. The following new combinations are given: M. xanthoceps (Fahringer, 1928), comb. n., M. jacobsoni (Tobias, 1968), comb. n., M. ayyari (Watanabe, 1950), comb. n., M. philippinense (Baker, 1917), comb. n., M. dodecanesi (Ferrière, 1922), comb. n., M. ceresense (Turner, 1922), comb. n., M. inareatum (Granger, 1949), comb. n., M. antefurcale (Szépligeti, 1915) comb. n. and M. tibiale (Ashmead, 1906), comb. n. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nineteen species of Braconidae have been reared from seeds of Dipterocarpaceae (mainly Shorea species) in West Malaysia. Eleven new species (Brachistinae: Schizoprymnus mesocaudus sp. nov.; Schizoprymnus torreadoroides sp. nov.; Braconinae: Bracon nitidisoma sp. nov.; Bracon rugulifer sp. nov.; Syntomernus shoreatus sp. nov.; Spermatobracon triangulornatus sp. nov.; Cheloninae: Ascogaster cornifera sp. nov.; Ascogaster lamellifera sp. nov.; Phanerotoma divergens sp. nov.; Microgastrinae: Apanteles hemiaurantius sp. nov.; Apanteles striatus sp. nov.) and one new genus (Spermatobracon gen. nov.; type species: Spermatobracon triangulornatus gen. nov. and sp. nov.) are described and illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the first time accounts of the biology of Proterops borneoensis Szepligeti, 1902 (Braconidae: Ichneutinae), and its host Cibdela janthina (Klug, 1834) (Argidae) are provided. Proterops borneoensis is reported from northern Sumatra as a parasitoid of Cibdela janthina feeding on Rubus alceifolius Poir. between 369 and 914 m altitude. For the first time a key to the Old World species of the genus Proterops Wesmael is given and a new species from Taiwan (Proterops bicolorinus van Achterberg, sp. nov.) is included. Proterops borneoensis and Proterops fumosus Belokobylskij, 1993, are reported from Nepal and northeast China, respectively. Proterops basalis Walker, 1874, is excluded from Proterops and synonymized with Snellenius theretrae (Watanabe, 1937): Snellenius basalis (Walker) syn. nov. and comb. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new Holarctic subgenus (Fungivenator subgen. nov.) of the genus Colastes Haliday, 1833 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Exothecinae) is proposed for a group of species that, as far as is known, has its larvae living on hosts in bracket fungi. The type species (Colastes sandei sp. nov. from Netherlands, Germany and England) and a second species (C. fritzeni sp. nov.) from Finland are described and illustrated. A key to the five known species is included. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first reported parasitoid reared from Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire, Spathius agrili n. sp., is described from China. S. agrili was reared from A. planipennis in China attacking a Fraxinus species native to North America, Fraxinus velutina Torr., and one endemic to the region, Fraxinus mandshurica Rupr. Life history observations of S. agrili in the field and laboratory indicate it is a gregarious idiobiont ectoparasitoid and has up to four generations per year. Parasitism rates in the field ranged from 30 to 90%, with one to 35 S. agrili eggs associated with a single host. From a host larva 1-18 adult wasps (average of 8.4) were reared. Based on laboratory rearings, the emerging adult female to male ratio is 3:1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new genus, Cornutorogas gen. nov., and four new species, Cornutorogas orientalis Chen and Belokobyskij, sp. nov. (China, Vietnam), C. maetoi van Achterberg, sp. nov. (Thailand), C. javensis van Achterberg, sp. nov. (Java) and C. sumatrensis van Achterberg, sp. nov. (Sumatra), of the subfamily Rogadinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from the Oriental Region are described and illustrated. The placement of this genus in the Rogadini is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although individuals with poor food security might be expected to have reduced food intake, and thus reduced body fat and less likelihood of being overweight, these associations have not been adequately studied. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between food insecurity and overweight as measured by body mass index (BMI) using data from the nationally representative 1994-1996 Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII). Overweight was defined as BMI >27.3 kg/m(2) for women and 27.8 kg/m(2) for men. Food insecurity was related to overweight status for women (n = 4509, P < 0.0001), but not for men (n = 4970, P = 0.44). Excluding the 11 severely insecure women, the prevalence of overweight among women increased as food insecurity increased, from 34% for those who were food secure (n = 3447), to 41% for those who were mildly food insecure (n = 966) and to 52% for those who were moderately food insecure (n = 86). Food insecurity remained a significant predictor of overweight status, after adjustment for potentially confounding demographic and lifestyle variables (P < 0.01). In a logistic regression analysis, mildly insecure women were 30% more likely to be overweight than those who were food secure [odds ratio (OR) 1.3, P = 0.005]. Thus, food insecurity had an unexpected and paradoxical association with overweight status among women with a higher prevalence of overweight among the food insecure, and a resulting potential for increased incidence of obesity-related chronic diseases. Given that the rates of both overweight and food insecurity are on the rise, this research area warrants further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined how altering text and graphics of a nutrition brochure could affect the ability to remember the content of the message. Two theoretical models were used to guide alterations: dual-coding theory and the communications model. Three brochure formats were tested: the original brochure containing abstract text and abstract graphics, a modified brochure with relatively concrete text and abstract graphics, and a relatively concrete text brochure with concrete graphics. Participants ( N = 239 women) were divided into four age groups: 20-30, 40-50, 60-70 and over 70 years. Women were randomly assigned into each of the three experimental brochure formats or a control group. Participants completed recalled materials from the assigned brochures (the no treatment control group did not include a brochure) at two different sessions, 30 days apart. Data were content analyzed and results were compared using analysis of covariance to test differences by age and brochure types. Younger women (20-30 and 40-50 years) recalled more information than women over 60 years. More concrete nutrition education print materials enhanced recall of information presented immediately after reading the material; however, this effect was transient and lasted less than 30 days after a one-time reading. The implications of these data for communicating nutrition messages with print materials are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. The biological and taxonomic relationships of the braconid genera Cantharoctonus Viereck, Noserus Foerster, Pseudavga Tobias and Rhysipolis Foerster are briefly discussed and short diagnoses are given for each genus. Figures are provided of the type-species of each of the genera. Pachystigmus Hellén 1927 is a new synonym of Noserus Foerster, 1862. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]