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Many studies have highlighted how numerous bacteria provide their hosts essential nutrients or protection against pathogens, parasites and predators. Nevertheless, the role of symbiotic microorganisms in the interactions between social insects and their parasites is still poorly known. Microdon (Diptera, Syrphidae) is a peculiar fly genus whose larvae are able to successfully infiltrate ant colonies and feed upon the ant brood. Using high throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we provide the first microbiome survey of Mi. myrmicae larvae and larvae and workers of its host, Myrmica scabrinodis , collected from two sites in England. We analyzed the microbiome of the external surface of the cuticle and the internal microbiome of the body separately. The results clearly show that the Mi. myrmicae microbiome significantly differs from that of its host, while no substantial dissimilarity was detected across the microbiome of ant workers and ant larvae. Microdon myrmicae microbiome varies across the two analyzed sites suggesting that bacteria communities of Mi. myrmicae are derived from the environment rather than by horizontal transmission between hosts and parasites. Families Streptococcaceae, Carnobacteriaceae and Rizhobiaceae are dominant in My. scabrinodis , and Spiroplasma is dominant in ant workers. Microbiome of Mi. myrmicae larvae is mainly characterized by the family Anaplasmataceae, with Wolbachia as predominant genus. Interestingly, we found Serratia within both Mi. myrmicae and Myrmica larvae. Bacteria of this genus are known to produce a family of pyrazines commonly involved in ant communication, which could play a role in Microdon /ant interaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] (From left to right) Gonatocerus cincticipitis female; Gonatocerus cincticipitis male; and map of collecting sites in Japan. Photographs by Serguei V. Triapitsyn; map by H. Kusuhara. • • Gonatocerus cincticipitis is an egg parasitoid of green rice leafhopper, Nephotettix cincticeps. • •The previously reported genetic identity of Gonatocerus cincticipitis was incorrect. • • Gonatocerus cincticipitis is a member of a morphologically difficult species complex. • •Revised molecular identity of Gonatocerus cincticipitis facilitates its positive identification. Gonatocerus cincticipitis Sahad (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) is an egg parasitoid of the rice pest, green rice leafhopper Nephotettix cincticeps (Uhler) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), in Japan and the Republic of Korea. Its molecular determination is reconsidered following the previous taxonomic misidentification, and its genetic separation from G. saipanensis (Doutt), a morphologically identical Gonatocerus sp. from Shimane Prefecture, Honshu Island in Japan, and other members of the Gonatocerus fuscicornis (Walker) species complex is demonstrated and discussed. DNA was successfully extracted from reared specimens of G. cincticipitis from Honshu and Kyushu islands in Japan, and the standard barcoding section of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene (COI) as well as two regions of nuclear ribosomal RNA, the D2 domain of 28S (28S-D2) and the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2), were amplified and sequenced for genetic analyses. Both sexes of G. cincticipitis are redescribed and illustrated to facilitate their recognition. An updated morphological key to females of the Palaearctic species of Gonatocerus Nees ab Esenbeck is also provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Euwallacea fornicatus species complex is native to Asia but has invaded many countries globally. This complex includes four cryptic species that infest a wide range of economic crops, including tea. One of them is Euwallacea perbrevis Schedl, which has been a major pest of tea in Sri Lanka and India for over a century. The species complex was first recorded infesting tea in Taiwan over 80 years ago but the specific identity of that first record is unknown. Furthermore, although tea is an important industry in Taiwan, this pest has attracted limited attention. Hence, we surveyed tea gardens across the island, determining infestation rates, and identifying the Euwallacea species present. We also used sticky traps to monitor the annual flight dynamics of the beetles and of a parasitoid natural enemy, an undescribed species of Eucosmophorus. Levels of infestation varied even between neighboring gardens. Highly infested tea gardens were located mainly in central Taiwan and some in eastern Taiwan. The peak flight activity of the species complex occurred between October and March, when the parasitoid was also abundant. Molecular identification of the trapped beetles identified them as E. fornicatus sensu stricto Eichhoff and E. kuroshio Gomez & Hulcr, but E. perbrevis was not detected. In contrast to the situation in Sri Lanka, where E. perbrevis attacks the highly visible terminal branches of the tea plant, in Taiwan, E. fornicatus s. s. and E. kuroshio predominantly attacked the main bole and underground parts. We propose that the 'hidden' nature of this attack, and the similarities of the symptoms to a common fungal disease of tea, may have led to an underestimation of the impact of the species complex on tea, not only in Taiwan but also in other tea growing countries. • E. fornicatus s. s. and E. kuroshio are dominant in tea gardens of Taiwan. • E. perbrevis was not detected in tea gardens of Taiwan. • Peak flight activity of SHB occurred between October and March. • SHB prefer to attack lower part of the main trunk of the tea plant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

(From left to right) Amrasca biguttula adult and nymph; Anagrus ? atomus female; and A. turpanicus female. Photo by Tetsuya Adachi-Hagimori and Serguei V. Triapitsyn. [Display omitted] • Amrasca biguttula is an economically important pest of okra, Abelmoschus esculentus , in Japan. • Five species of Mymaridae and one of Trichogrammatidae were reared from okra leafhopper eggs. • Anagrus turpanicus was newly recorded from Japan. • Anagrus ? atomus , A. turpanicus and Pseudoligosita nephotetticum are for the first time reported from eggs of okra leafhopper. The okra leafhopper, Amrasca (Sundapteryx) biguttula (Ishida) (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is an economically important pest of okra, Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench (Malvaceae), in Japan. During 2019 and 2022 surveys for its egg parasitoids (Hymenoptera) were conducted on Kyushu and Ryukyu islands in southern Japan. Five species of Mymaridae, Anagrus (Anagrus)? atomus (L.), A. (A.) japonicus Sahad, A. (A.) turpanicus Triapitsyn and Hu, Arescon enocki (Subba Rao and Kaur), and Stethynium empoascae Subba Rao, as well as one of Trichogrammatidae, Pseudoligosita nephotetticum (Mani), were recorded from eggs of A. biguttula on okra in Japan. Of these, A. (A.) turpanicus , identified using a combination of molecular and morphological methods, is newly recorded from Japan; A. (A.)? atomus , A. (A.) turpanicus and P. nephotetticum are for the first time reported from eggs of okra leafhopper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Exacerbations of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are heterogeneous. Objective We sought to investigate the sputum cellular, mediator, and microbiome profiles of both asthma and COPD exacerbations. Methods Patients with severe asthma or moderate-to-severe COPD were recruited prospectively to a single center. Sputum mediators were available in 32 asthmatic patients and 73 patients with COPD assessed at exacerbation. Biologic clusters were determined by using factor and cluster analyses on a panel of sputum mediators. Patterns of clinical parameters, sputum mediators, and microbiome communities were assessed across the identified clusters. Results The asthmatic patients and patients with COPD had different clinical characteristics and inflammatory profiles but similar microbial ecology. Three exacerbation biologic clusters were identified. Cluster 1 was COPD predominant, with 27 patients with COPD and 7 asthmatic patients exhibiting increased blood and sputum neutrophil counts, proinflammatory mediators (IL-1β, IL-6, IL-6 receptor, TNF-α, TNF receptors 1 and 2, and vascular endothelial growth factor), and proportions of the bacterial phylum Proteobacteria. Cluster 2 had 10 asthmatic patients and 17 patients with COPD with increased blood and sputum eosinophil counts, type 2 mediators (IL-5, IL-13, CCL13, CCL17, and CCL26), and proportions of the bacterial phylum Bacteroidetes. Cluster 3 had 15 asthmatic patients and 29 patients with COPD with increased type 1 mediators (CXCL10, CXCL11, and IFN-γ) and proportions of the phyla Actinobacteria and Firmicutes. Conclusions A biologic clustering approach revealed 3 subgroups of asthma and COPD exacerbations, each with different percentages of patients with overlapping asthma and COPD. The sputum mediator and microbiome profiles were distinct between clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are heterogeneous diseases. Objective We sought to determine, in terms of their sputum cellular and mediator profiles, the extent to which they represent distinct or overlapping conditions supporting either the “British” or “Dutch” hypotheses of airway disease pathogenesis. Methods We compared the clinical and physiological characteristics and sputum mediators between 86 subjects with severe asthma and 75 with moderate-to-severe COPD. Biological subgroups were determined using factor and cluster analyses on 18 sputum cytokines. The subgroups were validated on independent severe asthma (n = 166) and COPD (n = 58) cohorts. Two techniques were used to assign the validation subjects to subgroups: linear discriminant analysis, or the best identified discriminator (single cytokine) in combination with subject disease status (asthma or COPD). Results Discriminant analysis distinguished severe asthma from COPD completely using a combination of clinical and biological variables. Factor and cluster analyses of the sputum cytokine profiles revealed 3 biological clusters: cluster 1: asthma predominant, eosinophilic, high T H 2 cytokines; cluster 2: asthma and COPD overlap, neutrophilic; cluster 3: COPD predominant, mixed eosinophilic and neutrophilic. Validation subjects were classified into 3 subgroups using discriminant analysis, or disease status with a binary assessment of sputum IL-1β expression. Sputum cellular and cytokine profiles of the validation subgroups were similar to the subgroups from the test study. Conclusions Sputum cytokine profiling can determine distinct and overlapping groups of subjects with asthma and COPD, supporting both the British and Dutch hypotheses. These findings may contribute to improved patient classification to enable stratified medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]