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Background: The fruit fly Phortica variegata (Drosophilidae: Steganinae) feeds on the ocular secretions of animals and humans, and has been described as an intermediate host of the eye worm Thelazia callipaeda (Spirurida: Thelaziidae) in Italy. Despite the increased detection of T. callipaeda in many European countries, information about its vector role in natural conditions is still limited. In the Iberian Peninsula, thelaziosis caused by T. callipaeda has been reported in dogs, cats, red foxes, wild rabbits and humans., Methods: In the last seven years, we have detected increased numbers of cases of canine thelaziosis at three locations in mainland Spain: Site 1, La Vera region (Cáceres Province, central-western Spain; 51 cases); Site 2, El Escorial municipality (Madrid Community, central Spain; 23 cases); and Site 3, Miraflores de la Sierra municipality (Madrid Community, central Spain; 41 cases). Site 1 is considered endemic for T. callipaeda while the other two sites have been recently recognised as risk zones for T. callipaeda infection., Results: From June 2016 to September 2017, 2162 flies were collected and morphologically identified as Phortica spp. (Site 1, n = 395; Site 2, n = 1544; and Site 3, n = 223). Upon dissection, third-stage T. callipaeda larvae were found in two out of 155 flies examined from Site 1, and both these larvae tested molecularly positive for the eye worm. Of the 395 flies collected from Site 1, 371 were molecularly processed for arthropod species identification and T. callipaeda detection. All 371 flies were identified as P. variegata and 28 (7.5%; 95% CI: 4.8-10%) tested positive for T. callipaeda DNA haplotype 1., Conclusions: Our findings indicate that T. callipaeda circulates among dogs and P. variegata in Spain, where zoonotic cases have been also reported. The co-existence of canine thelaziosis and Phortica spp. in geographical areas previously considered free of the eye worm indicates a risk of infection for both animals and humans living in this region.

Invertebrates lack the immune machinery underlying vertebrate-like acquired immunity. However, in many insects past infection by the same pathogen can 'prime' the immune response, resulting in improved survival upon reinfection. Here, we investigated the mechanistic basis and epidemiological consequences of innate immune priming in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster when infected with the gram-negative bacterial pathogen Providencia rettgeri. We find that priming in response to P. rettgeri infection is long-lasting and sexually dimorphic response. We further explore the epidemiological consequences of immune priming and find it has the potential to curtail pathogen transmission by reducing pathogen shedding and spread. The enhanced survival of individuals previously exposed to a non-lethal bacterial inoculum coincided with a transient decrease in bacterial loads, and we provide strong evidence that the effect of priming requires the IMD-responsive antimicrobial-peptide Diptericin-B in the fat body. Further, we show that while Diptericin B is the main effector of bacterial clearance, it is not sufficient for immune priming, which requires regulation of IMD by peptidoglycan recognition proteins. This work underscores the plasticity and complexity of invertebrate responses to infection, providing novel experimental evidence for the effects of innate immune priming on population-level epidemiological outcomes. Author summary: When we are vaccinated, our immune response is able to respond quickly if we are ever exposed to the same pathogen in the future. Unlike humans, the immune systems of invertebrates, such as insects, are not capable of the same type of specific immune memory. However, much work has shown that insects previously exposed to an inactivated pathogen will fare better if they are re-infected–a phenomenon broadly called "immune priming". How insects are able to do this is an exciting focus of current research. We investigated immune priming in the fruit fly, a powerful model system for infection and immunity. We found that exposure to an inactivated form of the bacterial fly pathogen Providencia rettgeri resulted in flies surviving a subsequent live infection. This effect lasted several days, was stronger in male flies, and was seen in different fly genetic backgrounds. We uncovered that priming requires a specific immune response in the fly fat-body (the equivalent to a fly 'liver') that produces an antimicrobial protein called Diptericin. We also found that primed flies were able to keep pathogen growth lower, and that this reduced their ability to spread the infection to other flies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor and cognitive aging can severely affect life quality of elderly people and burden health care systems. In search for diagnostic behavioral biomarkers, it has been suggested that walking speed can predict forms of cognitive decline, but in humans, it remains challenging to separate the effects of biological aging and lifestyle. We examined a possible association of motor and cognitive decline in Drosophila, a genetic model organism of healthy aging. Long term courtship memory is present in young male flies but absent already during mid life (4–8 weeks). By contrast, courtship learning index and short term memory (STM) are surprisingly robust and remain stable through mid (4–8 weeks) and healthy late life (>8 weeks), until courtship performance collapses suddenly at ~4.5 days prior to death. By contrast, climbing speed declines gradually during late life (>8 weeks). The collapse of courtship performance and short term memory close to the end of life occur later and progress with a different time course than the gradual late life decline in climbing speed. Thus, during healthy aging in male Drosophila, climbing and courtship motor behaviors decline differentially. Moreover, cognitive and motor performances decline at different time courses. Differential behavioral decline during aging may indicate different underlying causes, or alternatively, a common cause but different thresholds for defects in different behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drosophila melanogaster is an excellent model for dissecting innate immune signaling and functions. Humoral and cellular immune mechanisms in the fly take place in the hemolymph, where host defense components are secreted and act in response to microbial invaders. Studying hemolymph factors is critical for understanding the regulation of the host's antimicrobial immune system. Therefore, methods for extracting the fly hemolymph efficiently and in sufficient quantities are essential for isolating and characterizing immune proteins and peptides. Here, we describe a novel and simple hemolymph isolation protocol for single D. melanogaster male and female adults. This procedure substantially improves the already used technique and allows fly immunologists to explore innate immune hemolymph activity in D. melanogaster individuals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) populations of the Iberian Peninsula have been severely affected by the emergence of the rabbit haemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) Lagovirus europaeus/GI.2 (RHDV2/b). Bushflies and blowflies (Muscidae and Calliphoridae families, respectively) are important RHDV vectors in Oceania, but their epidemiological role is unknown in the native range of the European rabbit. In this study, scavenging flies were collected between June 2018 and February 2019 in baited traps at one site in southern Portugal, alongside a longitudinal capture-mark-recapture study of a wild European rabbit population, aiming to provide evidence of mechanical transmission of GI.2 by flies. Fly abundance, particularly from Calliphoridae and Muscidae families, peaked in October 2018 and in February 2019. By employing molecular tools, we were able to detect the presence of GI.2 in flies belonging to the families Calliphoridae, Muscidae, Fanniidae and Drosophilidae. The positive samples were detected during an RHD outbreak and absent in samples collected when no evidence of viral circulation in the local rabbit population was found. We were able to sequence a short viral genomic fragment, confirming its identity as RHDV GI.2. The results suggest that scavenging flies may act as mechanical vectors of GI.2 in the native range of the southwestern Iberian subspecies O. cuniculus algirus. Future studies should better assess their potential in the epidemiology of RHD and as a tool for monitoring viral circulation in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cuticular hydrocarbons are the major organic compounds synthesized by oenocytes. The CHCs act as sex pheromones, cell communicators, inhibits dissection, and chemotaxonomic cues. The CHCs were isolated from non-Drosophila species Phorticella striata (Sajjan and Krishnamurthy, 1975) (Diptera, Drosophilidae) by employing whole body extract through GCMS method. Among the identified organic compounds, a total of 38 compounds were obtained from male flies and 68 organic compounds were isolated from female flies, Majority of the CHCs identified were methyl branched alkanes, some of them were esters and alcohols. Male flies exhibit 15 specific CHCs in which tetradecane, 2, 6, 10-trimethyl was dominant with a relative abundance (15.60%) and cyclopropane tetradecanoic acid was the least found CHCs with a relative abundance (RA) of 0.75 per cent. The flies exhibit 28 female specific CHC's, among them tetradecane was dominant (r value of 19.20%) and Iodomethyl undecane was the least (RA=0.70%). Both male and female flies shared 23 CHCs, but the ratio among them showed great variance. Among the shared CHCs 3-Trifluoroacetoxy dodecane was dominant in female (RA=14.50%), the male exhibited RA of 4.66 per cent. In male flies 3-Trifluoroacetoxy pentadecane was most abundant CHC (RA=10.90%), than female (4.31%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The toxicity of MPs on aquatic creatures has been extensively studied, but little attention was paid to terrestrial organisms. To fill this gab, we conducted a series of experiments using Drosophila as a model organism to understand whether exposure to different concentrations (0.005, 0.05, 0.5 µg/ml) of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) beads (2 µm in size) can impact flies feeding activity, digestion and excretion. The ability of flies to distinguish between normal and PS-MPs treated food media was tested first, and then we evaluated the effects of a 7-day short-term exposure to PS-MPs on food intake, mortality, starvation resistance, fecal pellet count, and the cellular structure of mid gut cells. The results revealed that flies can really differentiate and ignore MPs-treated food. We discovered sex-specific effects, with male flies being more sensitive to PS-MPs, with all males dying after 14 days when exposed to 0.5 µg/ml of PS-MPs, whereas female flies survived more. All male flies exposed to PS-MPs died after 24 h of starvation. Midgut cells showed concentration-dependent necrosis and apoptosis in response to PS-MPs. Our findings provide new insights into MPs toxicity on terrestrial organisms and giving a warning that management measures against MPs emission must be taken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psilocybin has been shown to be a powerful, long-lasting antidepressant in human clinical trials and in rodent models. Although rodents have commonly been used to model psychiatric disorders, Drosophila have neurotransmitter systems similar to mammals and many comparable brain structures involved in similar behaviors. The forced swim test (FST), which has been used extensively to evaluate compounds for antidepressant efficacy, has recently been adapted for Drosophila. The fly FST has potential to be a cost-effective, high-throughput assay for evaluating potential antidepressants. For this study we pharmacologically validated the fly FST using methamphetamine, DL-α-methyltyrosine, and the antidepressant citalopram. While methamphetamine and DL-α-methyltyrosine altered overall locomotor activity in the Drosophila Activity Monitor System (DAMS), they had no significant impact on measures of immobility in the FST. Conversely, chronic citalopram decreased measures of immobility in the FST in both sexes without increasing DAMS activity. We used the validated FST to evaluate the antidepressant-like effects of high (3.5 mM) and low (0.03 mM) doses of psilocybin. Both doses of psilocybin significantly reduced measures of immobility in male flies, but not females. 0.03 mM had an effect size comparable to chronic citalopram, and 3.5 mM had an effect size approximately twice that of chronic citalopram. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last decade, the increasing interest in long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) has led to the discovery of these transcripts in multiple organisms. LncRNAs tend to be specifically, and often lowly, expressed in certain tissues, cell types and biological contexts. Although lncRNAs participate in the regulation of a wide variety of biological processes, including development and disease, most of their functions and mechanisms of action remain unknown. Poor conservation of the DNA sequences encoding for these transcripts makes the identification of lncRNAs orthologues among different species very challenging, especially between evolutionarily distant species such as flies and humans or mice. However, the functions of lncRNAs are unexpectedly preserved among different species supporting the idea that conservation occurs beyond DNA sequences and reinforcing the potential of characterising lncRNAs in animal models. In this review, we describe the features and roles of lncRNAs in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, focusing on genomic and functional comparisons with human and mouse lncRNAs. We also discuss the current state of advances and limitations in the study of lncRNA conservation and future perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activation of the immune system upon infection exerts a huge energetic demand on an individual, likely decreasing available resources for other vital processes, like reproduction. The factors that determine the trade-off between defensive and reproductive traits remain poorly understood. Here, we exploit the experimental tractability of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster to systematically assess the impact of immune system activation on pre-copulatory reproductive behaviour. Contrary to expectations, we found that male flies undergoing an immune activation continue to display high levels of courtship and mating success. Similarly, immune-challenged female flies remain highly sexually receptive. By combining behavioural paradigms, a diverse panel of pathogens and genetic strategies to induce the fly immune system, we show that pre-copulatory reproductive behaviours are preserved in infected flies, despite the significant metabolic cost of infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the increase in global transport in recent decades, species that flourish in human-altered environments are widening their geographical distribution. Consequently, endemic species are either declining or going to extinction. Here, we report the first occurrence of the Afrotropical fly Zaprionus tuberculatus Malloch in the Americas. This species has been recognized as invasive by the Invasive Species Compendium, and we argue that it will probably impact drosophilid communities. Our study was conducted on the natural and urban environments of the Brazilian Savanna, a biodiversity hotspot where drosophilid communities have been monitored since 1999. Z. tuberculatus was first collected in January 2020, at low abundances, in urban parks located in Brasília. In December 2020, we recorded it in a preserved area approximately 200 km away from the urban parks. From January to March 2021, we found the species in seven urban parks in Brasília and three natural reserves (conservation units) located around the city. The species' relative abundance increased from 0.9% in 2020 (n = 11,244 drosophilids) to 17% in 2021 (n = 6,002 drosophilids). This is a rare opportunity to monitor a recent invasion event in a well-studied area. Based on the impact of Z. indianus Gupta, which invaded the Brazilian Savanna in 1999 and remained the dominant species during the rainy seasons, we fear that this new arrival will reduce the diversity of drosophilids in the Neotropics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowing the biology and ecology of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is important to predict its potential for permanent establishment in cold climatic regions. We studied the reproductive potential of postdiapause male and female flies collected in lowbush blueberry fields in late season over two years. After being submitted to a six-month cold-winter regime, survivors were exposed to a simulated springtime warming regime to monitor reproductive potential and expected population growth. Overwintered fly survivors of both sexes that were aged up to nine months after field capture reproduced successfully in spring and early summer when mated to nondiapause flies experimentally made available for mating as potential migrant colonisers from lower latitudes. Relative to control nondiapause flies, the lifetime fertility of postdiapause flies was reduced by 84% in females and 70% in males, revealing large fitness costs of reproductive diapause under cold stress. Modelling potential reproduction of overwintered flies in warming conditions using models parametrised for age-dependent fertility rate and diapause status showed that nondiapause migrant flies would be strongly advantaged over locally overwintered postdiapause flies due to precocious reproductive maturity, broader pattern of age-specific fertility, and higher lifetime fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plastic recombination in Drosophila melanogaster has been associated with a variety of extrinsic and intrinsic factors such as temperature, starvation, and parasite infection. The bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis has also been associated with plastic recombination in D. melanogaster. Wolbachia infection is pervasive in arthropods and this infection induces a variety of phenotypes in its hosts, the strength of which can depend on bacterial titer. Here, we test the hypothesis that the magnitude of Wolbachia-associated plastic recombination in D. melanogaster depends on titer. To manipulate titer, we raised Wolbachia-infected and uninfected flies on diets that have previously been shown to increase or decrease Wolbachia titer relative to controls. We measured recombination in treated and control individuals using a standard backcrossing scheme with two X-linked visible markers. Our results recapitulate previous findings that Wolbachia infection is associated with increased recombination rate across the yellow-vermillion interval of the X chromosome. Our data show no significant effect of diet or diet by Wolbachia interactions on recombination, suggesting that diet-induced changes in Wolbachia titer have no effect on the magnitude of plastic recombination. These findings represent one of the first steps toward investigating Wolbachia-associated plastic recombination and demonstrate that the phenotype is a discrete response rather than a continuous one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work using a Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) bioassay suggested that the innate immune response of the fly might contribute to the toxicity of certain fungal volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Here, we exposed wild‐type or immune‐deficient strains (NOS, Imd, and Toll) of Drosophila male adults to two concentrations (0.02 and 0.1 µmol ml‐1) of volatilized chemical standards of 1‐octen‐3‐ol, 3‐octanone, and 3‐octanol, and their viability was monitored for 24 h. All fly strains were killed within 2 h when exposed to 1‐octen‐3‐ol at 0.1 µmol ml‐1. The wild‐type, red‐eyed (OregonR) strain was more resistant to all three compounds at both concentrations than the white‐eyed strain (w1118) with wild‐type immune genes. Of the three compounds tested, 3‐octanol at 0.02 µmol ml‐1 was the least toxic to all Drosophila strains. Of the white‐eyed fly mutants, the NOS mutant was more resistant to VOC exposure than the white‐eyed strains carrying no defects in the immune system. The white‐eyed RelE20 (Imd) mutant flies were more susceptible to 0.02 µmol ml‐1 of 1‐octen‐3‐ol than the red‐eyed spz6 (Toll) mutants. Unexpectedly, the most resistant to the eight‐carbon (8‐C) volatiles was displayed by double mutant flies carrying blocked immune system mutations in both the Imd and Toll pathways (RelE20spz6). These data suggest that components of the wild‐type innate immune system of Drosophila are responsible for causing death in flies exposed to 8‐C volatiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some leafmining fly species are pests of agricultural and ornamental plants but they also include many species with little economic importance. The taxonomy of leafmining flies is often challenging because of putative cryptic species. Following new outbreaks of Liriomyza (Diptera:Agromyzidae) in Australia, we here characterize 13 dipteran leafminer species collected from Australia based on cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) DNA barcodes, and we compare these with overseas data. We confirm barcodes of nine species from the Agromyzidae (Liriomyza sativae, L. huidobrensis, L. trifolii, L. bryoniae, L. chinensis, L. brassicae, L. chenopodii, Phytomyza plantaginis and P. syngenesiae) and one species from the Drosophilidae (Scaptomyza flava); we describe new haplotypes for some of these species. Furthermore, we provide the first DNA barcodes for two species (Cerodontha milleri and Phytoliriomyza praecellens) from the Agromyzidae and one species (Scaptomyza australis) from the Drosophilidae. These findings provide a baseline for DNA-based identification of pest Liriomyza incursions spreading across the Australian east coast in relation to other species already present in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The most species-rich radiation of animal life in the 66 million years following the Cretaceous extinction event is that of schizophoran flies: a third of fly diversity including Drosophila fruit fly model organisms, house flies, forensic blow flies, agricultural pest flies, and many other well and poorly known true flies. Rapid diversification has hindered previous attempts to elucidate the phylogenetic relationships among major schizophoran clades. A robust phylogenetic hypothesis for the major lineages containing these 55,000 described species would be critical to understand the processes that contributed to the diversity of these flies. We use protein encoding sequence data from transcriptomes, including 3145 genes from 70 species, representing all superfamilies, to improve the resolution of this previously intractable phylogenetic challenge. Results: Our results support a paraphyletic acalyptrate grade including a monophyletic Calyptratae and the monophyly of half of the acalyptrate superfamilies. The primary branching framework of Schizophora is well supported for the first time, revealing the primarily parasitic Pipunculidae and Sciomyzoidea stat. rev. as successive sister groups to the remaining Schizophora. Ephydroidea, Drosophila's superfamily, is the sister group of Calyptratae. Sphaeroceroidea has modest support as the sister to all non-sciomyzoid Schizophora. We define two novel lineages corroborated by morphological traits, the 'Modified Oviscapt Clade' containing Tephritoidea, Nerioidea, and other families, and the 'Cleft Pedicel Clade' containing Calyptratae, Ephydroidea, and other families. Support values remain low among a challenging subset of lineages, including Diopsidae. The placement of these families remained uncertain in both concatenated maximum likelihood and multispecies coalescent approaches. Rogue taxon removal was effective in increasing support values compared with strategies that maximise gene coverage or minimise missing data. Conclusions: Dividing most acalyptrate fly groups into four major lineages is supported consistently across analyses. Understanding the fundamental branching patterns of schizophoran flies provides a foundation for future comparative research on the genetics, ecology, and biocontrol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Spotted wing drosophila (SWD), Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is a pest of stone and small fruits causing considerable economic losses. Current management strategies rely primarily on calendar‐based spraying, owing to the poor relationship between monitoring data and damage levels, and the lack of success of mass‐trapping tools. The aim of this study was to evaluate different trap models for SWD, with an emphasis on their fly‐retention capacity. To this end, we examined and quantified the added value of two fly‐retaining trap features; tunnel entries to impede escape and an insecticide‐coated inner surface as a killing agent. Results: An insecticide‐coated inner surface resulted in significantly higher trap retention after 24 h in the laboratory (4.9‐ to 7.4‐fold greater, depending on trap type) compared to a noncoated trap. Trapping efficacy was significantly improved in field trials by such a killing agent in the trap (1.2‐ to 4.5‐fold greater). Tunnel entries significantly improved trap retention in the laboratory and field (by 1.5‐fold). Conclusion: The outcomes of this study clearly reveal the substantial impact of the fly‐retention capacity of SWD traps on their overall capture performances. It was demonstrated for the first time that an insecticide‐coated inner surface as a killing agent significantly improves trap efficacy for SWD. This finding can readily be implemented in any trap model to improve monitoring and mass trapping of SWD. Also tunnel entries were shown to have a significant influence on the fly retention and, hence, substantially enhance trapping efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insect grooming prevents disease and preserves sensory functioning. Grooming movements have not been examined in flies, so this descriptive study was undertaken, using frame by frame analysis of videographs. Drosophila was chosen because of recent interest in neural systems that control grooming. Head grooming occurs in discrete bouts during which the well-bristled forelegs serve as brushes that sweep across areas of the head, usually several times per bout ( X ¯ ± s = 4.3 ± 1.1). Grooming is nearly always performed simultaneously by both legs. Sweeps across the head comprise cycles with a mean period of 95 ms and a modest amount of individual variation (CV = 9%); the sexes and species are virtually identical. In contrast to the precision of timing, head grooming is spatially irregular; no specific organ except the proboscis is groomed by itself; multiple areas are frequently groomed in a single bout and the two legs usually groom different areas of the head. Head movements comprise: (1) frequent, brief yawing motions, (2) pitching motions, and (3) occasional large rolls that enhance a foreleg's access to the top of the head. The amount of time spent for head grooming depended on the number of sweep cycles (r = 0.99). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Commensal microbiota heavily influence metazoan host physiology. Drosophila melanogaster has been proven a valuable animal model for studying many aspects of host-microbiota interaction. Lactobacillus are the most common human probiotics and are also one of the major symbiotic bacteria in Drosophila. Although the beneficial effects of Lactobacillus on fly development and physiology have been recognized, how broadly these effects are observed across the Lactobacillus taxa remains largely unknown. In this study, four Lactobacillus species including five strains of L. plantarum were examined for their effects on fly larval development. Monoassociation of germ-free flies with L. rhamnosus (GG) most strongly accelerated fly larval development. Monoassociation with L. plantarum moderately accelerated fly development, but monoassociation with L. reuteri or L. sakei had marginal effects, despite similar bacterial loads in the host gut. An L. plantarum strain previously isolated from our lab rarely enhanced larval development, confirming the strain-specific effects of L. plantarum. The correlation between development-promoting effects and protein digestion activity in the host gut was found only among the members of L. plantarum species. Moreover, the cytoprotective response in the host gut known to be induced by L. plantarum was not correlated with development-promoting effects among any of the bacteria tested. Our results suggest that a broad range of Lactobacillus taxa are able to reside in the fly gut, but their ability to enhance host larval development is highly varied. This study may aid our understanding of the basic principles underlying the beneficial effects of probiotic commensal bacteria on metazoan development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a roundup of interesting scientific discoveries and studies from Science's daily newsletter, ScienceAdviser. The topics covered include female flies selectively fertilizing their eggs based on the quality of the male's pheromones, genetic adaptations of different human populations to high altitudes, the potential transmission of viruses through mosquito poop, the diversification of birds before the extinction of dinosaurs, and the debunking of a supposed soft tissue fossil. The article also mentions other scientific findings such as the impact of volcanic gas on Earth's climate and the glowing genes in petunia plants. [Extracted from the article]

Factors regulating larval growth and determinants of adult body size are described for several holometabolous insects, but less is known about brain size scaling through development. Here we use the isotropic fractionation ("brain soup") method to estimate the number of brain cells and cell density for the whitelined sphinx moth (Lepidoptera: Hyles lineata) from the first instar through the adult stage. We measure mass and brain cell number and find that, during the larval stages, body mass shows an exponential relationship with head width, while the total number of brain cells increases asymptotically. Larval brain cell number increases by a factor of ten from nearly 8000 in the first instar to over 80,000 in the fifth instar. Brain cell number increases by another factor of 10 during metamorphosis, with the adult brain containing more than 900,000 cells. This is similar to increases during development in the vinegar fly (Drosophila melanogaster) and the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens). The adult brain falls slightly below the brain-to-body allometry for wasps and bees but is comparable in the number of cells per unit brain mass, indicating a general conservation of brain cell density across these divergent lineages. • First estimates of brain cell number through development in a moth, the whitelined sphinx. • Brain cell number scales logarithmically during larval development. • Adult optic lobes and central brain have similar cell densities. • Optic lobes of the whitelined sphinx are less cellularly dense than male black soldier fly, but comparable to female. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Dracula orchids mimic mushrooms in appearance and scent, and are pollinated by mushroom flies. This study examined the guilds of insect visitors to Dracula species and to co‐occurring mushrooms in an Ecuadorean cloud forest. Significant visitor overlap was documented (mostly in the genera Zygothrica and Hirtodrosophila; Drosophilidae). To test the brood‐site mimicry hypothesis, behavioural observations were also performed and rearing success was examined. 2. Many fly species that visit Dracula are also found on mushrooms. Furthermore, the presence of pollinia enabled us to document the fact that particular individuals visiting mushrooms also visit Dracula. Roughly two‐thirds of the visitors to these unusual flowers are fungal‐associated, and the rest appear to be Dracula specialists. 3. A variety of behaviours common on both host groups were observed, including courtship semaphoring, feeding, sheltering, defending territory, and mating. Given this suite of shared reproductive behaviour, it was hypothesised that flies may also oviposit in both substrates. Flies were reared from mushrooms, Dracula spp., and other flowers (controls) to determine which substrate led to the highest fitness for the flies. Very few flies emerged from the Dracula flowers and there was no species overlap between the emergent insects and the known pollinators. 4. Despite the fact that there is evidence for brood‐site mimicry, the Dracula situation is complex. All the flies could derive many of the same fitness benefits from the flowers as they do from mushrooms (shelter, food, mating), but they are clearly not gaining the same fitness benefit, in terms of progeny, on flowers compared with mushrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soluble oligomers of the 42‐amino acid amyloid beta (Aβ42) peptide are highly toxic and suspected as the causative agent of synaptic dysfunction and neuronal loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Previously, we have shown that a small, D‐amino acid Aβ42‐oligomer interacting peptide (D‐AIP) can neutralize human Aβ42‐mediated toxicity using in vitro and cell‐based assays. In the present longitudinal study using a transgenic Drosophila melanogaster model, advanced live confocal imaging and mass spectrometry imaging (MALDI‐MSI) showed that the eight amino acid D‐AIP can attenuate Aβ42‐induced toxicity in vivo. By separating male and female flies into distinct groups, the resultant distribution of ingested D‐AIP was different between the sexes. The Aβ42‐induced 'rough eye' phenotype could be rescued in the female transgenics, likely because of the co‐localization of D‐AIP with human Aβ42 in the female fly heads. Interestingly, the phenotype could not be rescued in the male transgenics, likely because of the co‐localization of D‐AIP with a confounding male‐specific sex peptide (Acp70A candidate in MSI spectra) in the gut of the male flies. As a novel, more cost‐effective strategy to prevent toxic amyloid formation during the early stages of AD (i.e. neutralization of toxic low‐order Aβ42 oligomers without creating larger aggregates in the process), our longitudinal study establishes that D‐AIP is a stable and highly effective neutralizer of toxic Aβ42 peptides in vivo. Cover Image for this issue: doi: 10.1111/jnc.14512. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix‐assisted laser/desorption ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI IMS) is an analytical technique for understanding the spatial distribution of biomolecules across a sample surface. Originally employed for mammalian tissues, this technology has been adapted to study specimens as diverse as microbes and cell cultures, food such as strawberries, and invertebrates including the vinegar fly Drosophila melanogaster. As an ideal model organism, Drosophila has brought greater understanding about conserved biological processes, organism development, and diseased states and even informed management practices of agriculturally and environmentally important species. Drosophila displays anatomically separated renal (Malpighian) tubules that are the physiological equivalent to the vertebrate nephron. Insect Malpighian tubules are also responsible for pesticide detoxification. In this article, we first describe an effective workflow and sample preparation method to study the phospholipid distribution of the Malpighian tubules that initially involves the manual microdissection of the tubules in saline buffer followed by a series of washes to remove excess salt and enhances the phospholipid signals prior to matrix deposition and IMS at 25‐μm spatial resolution. We also established a complementary methodology for lipid IMS analysis of whole‐body fly sections using a dual‐ polarity data acquisition approach at the same spatial resolution after matrix deposition by sublimation. Both procedures yield rich signal profiles from the major phospholipid classes. The reproducibility and high‐quality results offered by these methodologies enable cohort studies of Drosophila through MALDI IMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between host and parasitoid has been examined in terms of either the effects of infestation on host growth and development, or the growth and development of parasitoid larvae in response to the physiological and nutritional status of their hosts. Although a wide range of host–parasitoid interactions has been studied, detailed developmental profiles of parasitoid larvae and environmental effects on them have remained unclear in many cases because the parasitoid larvae are relatively inaccessible inside their hosts. Here, we used Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) and Asobara japonica Belokobylskij (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) as a model system to describe developmental profiles of hosts and endoparasitoid wasps, and investigated environmental factors that affect the developmental profiles in in vivo and in vitro culture experiments. As a result, we successfully identified six morphologically distinct developmental stages (I–VI) of pre‐adult A. japonica. The current approach based on qualitative and quantitative assessment of wasp morphology may be an effective approach for estimating the instar number of endoparasitoids lacking sclerotized structures in general. The finding that the development of A. japonica from stage III to stage IV is constrained by host developmental stage regardless of the environmental conditions in this study suggests that developmental mismatch may be an important factor in the evolution of host selection in endoparasitoid wasps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive vinegar fly of Asian origin now distributed throughout North America. Due to the unique morphology of females, this fly has become one of the most serious pests of thin-skinned fruits including blueberry, blackberry, cherry, raspberry, and strawberry. Prophylactic insecticide applications are commonly used to control this fly. A more sustainable approach to managing this invasive pest may not be possible without a clear understanding of the biology of this species under extreme environmental conditions. Specifically, high temperature is known to interfere with development and reproduction of drosophilids; however, the impact of high temperature on D. suzukii needs to be further investigated. The objective of the present study was to investigate the impact of exposure to constant and relatively short-term heat stress on reproductive success of D. suzukii , and potential for recovery. Results show that the development and reproduction of D. suzukii were negatively affected by constant and relatively short-term heat stress. Under constant heat stress, oviposition rate and adult lifespan decreased as temperature increased from 24 °C to 33 °C and reproduction was completely absent at 33 °C. Under relatively short-term heat stress, oviposition, pupation, and adult eclosion were significantly decreased as temperature increased from 28 °C to 34 °C. The short-term heat stress greatly reduced the fertility of both male and female D. suzukii which was recovered eight days after treatment. This study provides basic information on thermal biology of D. suzukii to help us better understand the trends commonly observed in D. suzukii trap captures in regions with hot summer conditions, and the results can be used in population models to predict its population dynamics in regions where high temperatures prevail during the field season. Highlights • Impact of constant- and short-term heat stress was evaluated on Drosophila suzukii. • Heat stress had strong negative impact on reproductive success of D. suzukii. • Oviposition, pupation, and adult eclosion were significantly decreased at >28°C. • Fertility was reduced after heat-stress which was recovered 8 days after treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive, highly polyphagous pest of soft-skinned fruits throughout much of the world. A better understanding of the ecology of adult flies, including their nutritional resources, is needed to advance ecologically based management approaches. In this study, we evaluate the capability of polymerase chain reaction-based gut content analysis to detect a known food resource from DNA extracted from laboratory-reared flies. Using strawberry as a focal host and available DNA primers, we validated that DNA from this host could be detected for up to 7 d post-consumption. With the development of specific primers for additional hosts, we expect that this technique will enable researchers to better understand how D. suzukii adults use, and move between, nutritional resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of Zaprionus indianus, Drosophila suzukii, and Drosophila melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae) in Nezahualcóyotl var. fig fruits is reported in commercial greenhouse plantations in the state of Morelos, Mexico. The area planted with fig has been increasing in this region, due to the opening of new markets; therefore, these pests represent a phytosanitary problem for the crop. The adults of Z. indianus emerged from ripe and overripe fig fruits, whereas the other 2 species only from overripe fruits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report here the first observation of Zaprionus indianus Gupta in mainland France. Five specimens of both sexes were trapped in a liquid vinegar bait in Cap d'Antibes (French Riviera) and their taxonomic identification was then performed by morphological and molecular analysis. Z. indianus is recognized as a fig pest in the invaded American countries, and it could pose economic problems in this new location since figs are also grown in European Mediterranean areas. This Drosophilid species is on the EPPO pest quarantine list. Its spread and possible permanent establishment in South France should thus be monitored in the next years to assess possible agricultural damages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being a relatively new field, nanoscience has been in the forefront among many scientific areas. Nanoparticle materials (NM) present interesting physicochemical characteristics not necessarily found in their bulky forms, and alterations in their size or coating markedly modify their physical, chemical, and biological properties. Due to these novel properties there is a general trend to exploit these NM in several fields of science, particularly in medicine and industry. The increased presence of NM in the environment warrants evaluation of potential harmful effects in order to protect both environment and human exposed populations. Although in vitro approaches are commonly used to determine potential adverse effects of NM, in vivo studies generate data expected to be more relevant for risk assessment. As an in vivo modelDrosophila melanogasterwas previously found to possess reliable utility in determining the biological effects of NM, and thus its usage increased markedly over the last few years. The aims of this review are to present a comprehensive overview of all apparent studies carried out with NM andDrosophila, to attain a clear and comprehensive picture of the potential risk of NM exposure to health, and to demonstrate the advantages of usingDrosophilain nanotoxicological investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura, 1931) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is native to East Asia and invasive on the European and American continents. The first records in both Europe and the United States were in 2008. Since that year, it has widely moved across these continents. As D. suzukii females lay eggs in healthy ripening fruits of several species, particularly in small soft fruits and berries, the species causes agricultural damage. The soft thin-skinned fruit pest, identified as D. suzukii, has been found in Erzurum, Turkey, where damaged strawberry crops were observed and cultured in the middle of August and September 2014. Initially, 2 adults, 3 pupae, and several larvae were observed. Emergence of male and female adults continued for 10 more days. Here we report the first finding of D. suzukii in Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Herbivory is a key innovation in insects, yet has only evolved in onethird of living orders. The evolution of herbivory likely involves major behavioral changes mediated by remodeling of canonical chemosensory modules. Herbivorous flies in the genus Scaptomyza (Drosophilidae) are compelling species in which to study the genomic architecture linked to the transition to herbivory because they recently evolved from microbe-feeding ancestors and are closely related to Drosophila melanogaster. We found that Scaptomyza flava, a leaf-mining specialist on plants in the family (Brassicaceae), was not attracted to yeast volatiles in a four-field olfactometer assay, whereas D. melanogaster was strongly attracted to these volatiles. Yeast-associated volatiles, especially short-chain aliphatic esters, elicited strong antennal responses in D. melanogaster, but weak antennal responses in electroantennographic recordings from S. flava. We sequenced the genome of S. flava and characterized this species' odorant receptor repertoire. Orthologs of odorant receptors, which detect yeast volatiles in D. melanogaster and mediate critical host-choice behavior, were deleted or pseudogenized in the genome of S. flava. These genes were lost step-wise during the evolution of Scaptomyza. Additionally, Scaptomyza has experienced gene duplication and likely positive selection in paralogs of Or67b in D. melanogaster. Olfactory sensory neurons expressing Or67b are sensitive to green-leaf volatiles. Major trophic shifts in insects are associated with chemoreceptor gene loss as recently evolved ecologies shape sensory repertoires. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The African fig fly, Zaprionus indianus Gupta (Diptera: Drosophilidae), is an invasive fruit pest that has spread rapidly through much of the eastern United States. Tests were conducted in southern Florida that recorded the response of Z. indianus to baits that included Merlot wine, rice vinegar, ethanol and acetic acid, alone and in combination. The flies were attracted to the wine but not to the vinegar or unbaited traps and were most strongly attracted to the combination of wine and vinegar. More flies were captured in traps baited with the combination of ethanol and acetic acid, the most abundant volatiles of wine and vinegar respectively, than in traps baited with either chemical alone or in unbaited traps. A subsequent test found that traps baited with wine plus acetic acid were as attractive as traps baited with wine plus vinegar. In this test, there was no difference in capture in unbaited traps or traps baited with ethanol plus acetic acid, and intermediate capture was obtained in traps baited with vinegar plus ethanol. These findings suggest that it may be possible to develop a synthetic chemical lure for Z. indianus that is based on volatiles from wine used in combination with acetic acid alone or in combination with other volatiles from vinegar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cadmium (Cd) exerts detrimental effects on multiple biological processes of the living organisms along with epigenetic transgenerational effect. Drosophila melanogaster offers unique opportunity to evaluate Cd toxicity when studying important life traits in short duration of time by designing distinct behavioural assays. Present study utilized this model organism to assess Cd induced lethality, retarded growth, decreased life span and altered behaviour of the animals either at larval or adult stage. Our investigations revealed reduced locomotion and reproductive fitness of the animals upon Cd exposure. Transgenerational effect on locomotion was found to be behaviour specific as larval crawling was affected, but adult fly negative geotaxis was comparable to the control. Mechanistically, decreased antioxidant enzymes activity, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) together with altered homeostasis of essential elements (Fe, Zn and Mg) may be responsible for the observed effects. Altogether our work showed extensive range of Cd altered Drosophila behaviour which warrants need to control environmental Cd toxicity. [Display omitted] • Cd exposure led to developmental lethality, retarded growth and decreased lifespan in Drosophila melanogaster. • Locomotory behaviour and reproductive fitness were reduced in Cd treated animals. • Break down of antioxidant defence system in Cd larvae. • Cd exposure altered the accumulation of essential elements in larval body. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports new records for three species of Diptera collected in at Water Keys, Florida. It mentions information on species including Culicoides furens, Calusamyia hribari, and Zaprionus indianus; and also mentions information on Periodic mosquito surveillance to collect numerous Ceratopogonidae.

Ten new species of the subgenusStegana(Steganina) are described from southern to south-western China:S. (S.)convenasp. nov.,S. (S.)cylindricasp. nov.,S. (S.)eurystomasp. nov.,S. (S.)hamatasp. nov.,S. (S.)hirticepssp. nov.,S. (S.)latigenasp. nov.,S. (S.)planicepssp. nov.,S. (S.)rhomboicasp. nov.,S. (S.)setivenasp. nov. andS. (S.)sphaericasp. nov. They cannot be placed under any established species groups.http://www.zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D4B6C5A7-3700-4B0C-8355-E4564C2A7296 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the olfactory system of Drosophila melanogaster, it is relatively straightforward to target in vivo measurements of neural activity to specific processing channels. This, together with the numerical simplicity of the Drosophila olfactory system, has produced rapid gains in our understanding of Drosophila olfaction. This review summarizes the neurophysiology of the first two layers of this system: the peripheral olfactory receptor neurons and their postsynaptic targets in the antennal lobe. We now understand in some detail the cellular and synaptic mechanisms that shape odor representations in these neurons. Together, these mechanisms imply that interesting neural adaptations to environmental statistics have occurred. These mechanisms also place some fundamental constraints on early sensory processing that pose challenges for higher brain regions. These findings suggest some general principles with broad relevance to early sensory processing in other modalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coping with seasonal changes in temperature is an important factor underlying the ability of insects to survive over the harsh winter conditions in the northern temperate zone, and only a few drosophilids have been able to colonize sub-polar habitats. Information on their winter physiology is needed as it may shed light on the adaptive mechanisms of overwintering when compared with abundant data on the thermal physiology of more southern species, such as Drosophila melanogaster. Here we report the first seasonal metabolite analysis in a Drosophila species. We traced changes in the cold tolerance and metabolomic profiles in adult Drosophila montana flies that were exposed to thermoperiods and photoperiods similar to changes in environmental conditions of their natural habitat in northern Finland. The cold tolerance of diapausing flies increased noticeably towards the onset of winter; their chill coma recovery times showed a seasonal minimum between late autumn and early spring, whereas their survival after cold exposure remained high until late spring. The flies had already moderately accumulated glucose, trehalose and proline in autumn, but the single largest change occurred in myo-inositol concentrations. This increased up to 400-fold during the winter and peaked at 147nmolmg∼1 fresh mass, which is among the largest reported accumulations of this compound in insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Notch signaling is a highly conserved pathway in multi-cellular organisms ranging from flies to humans. It controls a variety of developmental processes by stimulating the expression of its target genes in a highly specific manner both spatially and temporally. The diversity, specificity and sensitivity of the Notch signaling output are regulated at distinct levels, particularly at the level of ligand-receptor interactions. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we report that the Drosophila gene uninflatable (uif), which encodes a large transmembrane protein with eighteen EGF-like repeats in its extracellular domain, can antagonize the canonical Notch signaling pathway. Overexpression of Uif or ectopic expression of a neomorphic form of Uif, Uif*, causes Notch signaling defects in both the wing and the sensory organ precursors. Further experiments suggest that ectopic expression of Uif* inhibits Notch signaling in cis and acts at a step that is dependent on the extracellular domain of Notch. Our results suggest that Uif can alter the accessibility of the Notch extracellular domain to its ligands during Notch activation. Conclusions/Significance: Our study shows that Uif can modulate Notch activity, illustrating the importance of a delicate regulation of this signaling pathway for normal patterning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fungal pathogen Candida albicans is a common cause of opportunistic infections in humans. We report that wild-type Drosophila melanogaster (OrR) flies are susceptible to virulent C. albicans infections and have established experimental conditions that enable OrR flies to serve as model hosts for studying C. albicans virulence. After injection into the thorax, wild-type C. albicans cells disseminate and invade tissues throughout the fly, leading to lethality. Similar to results obtained monitoring systemic infections in mice, well-characterized cph1Δ efg1Δ and csh3D fungal mutants exhibit attenuated virulence in flies. Using the OrR fly host model, we assessed the virulence of C. albicans strains individually lacking functional components of the SPS sensing pathway. In response to extracellular amino acids, the plasma membrane localized SPSsensor (Ssy1, Ptr3, and Ssy5) activates two transcription factors (Stp1 and Stp2) to differentially control two distinct modes of nitrogen acquisition (host protein catabolism and amino acid uptake, respectively). Our results indicate that a functional SPS-sensor and Stp1 controlled genes required for host protein catabolism and utilization, including the major secreted aspartyl protease SAP2, are required to establish virulent infections. By contrast, Stp2, which activates genes required for amino acid uptake, is dispensable for virulence. These results indicate that nutrient availability within infected hosts directly influences C. albicans virulence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Stegana castanea species group is established as a morphological group within the subgenus Steganina, based on two known and six new species from the Oriental region: Stegana (Steganina) bacilla Chen and Aotsuka, 2004; S. castanea Okada, 1988; S. (S.) reni sp. nov.; S. (S.) tiani sp. nov.; S. (S.) tongi sp. nov.; S. (S.) wangi sp. nov., S. (S.) weiqiuzhangi sp. nov. and S. (S.) xui sp. nov. from southern China. A key to all the species of this group is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]