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In 2004 and 2006, well-established populations of an exotic halictine bee were found in the Upper Hunter Valley region of New South Wales, Australia. On the basis of morphology, the species was identified as Halictus (Seladonia) smaragdulus Vachal, 1895 by an expert familiar with that genus. Subsequently, it was discovered that there are six species in the S. smaragdula complex, but none of the six had the same mitochondrial DNA barcode as the species found in Australia. The introduced bee has been shown to be conspecific with an African species by mitochondrial COI DNA sequences and identified as Seladonia hotoni (Vachal, 1903) by morphology.

BACKGROUND: Osteoarthritis (OA) is the fastest growing cause of disability worldwide. Current treatments for OA are severely limited and a large proportion of people with OA live in constant, debilitating pain. There is therefore an urgent need for novel treatments to reduce pain. Synovitis is highly prevalent in OA and is associated with pain. In inflammatory arthritides such as rheumatoid arthritis, methotrexate (MTX) is the gold standard treatment for synovitis and has a well-known, acceptable toxicity profile. We propose that using MTX to treat patients with symptomatic knee OA will be a practical and safe treatment to reduce synovitis and, consequently, pain. METHODS/DESIGN: Pain Reduction with Oral Methotrexate in knee Osteoarthritis, a pragmatic phase III trial of Treatment Effectiveness (PROMOTE) is an investigator-initiated, multi-centre, randomized, double-blind, pragmatic placebo-controlled trial. A total of 160 participants with symptomatic knee OA will be recruited across primary and secondary care sites in the United Kingdom and randomized on a 1:1 basis to active treatment or placebo, in addition to usual care, for 12 months. As is usual practice for MTX, dosing will be escalated over six weeks to 25 mg (or maximum tolerated dose) weekly for the remainder of the study. The primary endpoint is change in average knee pain during the past week (measured on an 11-point numerical rating scale) between baseline and six months. Secondary endpoints include other self-reported pain, function and quality-of-life measures. A health economics analysis will also be performed. A magnetic resonance imaging substudy will be conducted to provide an explanatory mechanism for associated symptom change by examining whether MTX reduces synovitis and whether this is related to symptom change. Linear and logistic regression will be used to compare changes between groups using univariable and multivariable modelling analyses. All analyses will be conducted on an intention-to-treat basis. DISCUSSION: The PROMOTE trial is designed to examine whether MTX is an effective analgesic treatment for OA. The MRI substudy will address the relationship between synovitis and symptom change. This will potentially provide a much needed new treatment for knee OA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials identifier: ISRCTN77854383 (registered: 25 October 2013).

Introduced bees may compete with native fauna, spread parasites or pathogens to commercial bee hives, or increase the fecundity of introduced weeds. Therefore, the recent detection of Halictus smaragdulus, native to the western Palaearctic, in the Hunter Valley region of New South Wales (NSW, Australia) is cause for concern. However, it is currently difficult to justify control measures, as there is little known on its ecology, impacts and distribution. Determining the current distribution is fundamental to managing introduced species, yet this is difficult with inconspicuous species such as H. smaragdulus, especially as recent introductions are often found in low densities. We demonstrated how a combination of approaches could be used to improve the identification of occupied locations in NSW, including bioclimatic envelope models, proximity to known populations, and observed habitat preferences. Members of the public were also trained to collect specimens and improve overall survey efficiency. Bees were collected using pan traps and sweep netting. H. smaragdulus was detected at 44 new locations, extending the known distribution from ~1,250 to 46,800 km 2. While bioclimatic envelope models helped guide survey locations, species detectability was higher when observed habitat preferences and proximity to known populations were also considered. We also demonstrated that with training via the internet and appropriate procedures for returning specimens in the mail, members of the public could successfully collect this small and inconspicuous invertebrate, with potential applications for other similar species. © 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Pan trapping is a standardised and commonly used method for collecting bees, but characteristics of the trap may influence its effectiveness or bias results. The effect of trap colour on the species and numbers caught has been studied in the Northern Hemisphere, but not in the Australian region. Australia has a unique bee fauna and colour preferences, if any, may differ from those found in other continents. In four separate surveys across a wide area of New South Wales, it was tested whether there was a difference in the abundance or species richness captured by yellow- and white-coloured pan traps. In total, 1267 bees were collected, comprising 66 species, 50 of which are in the family Halictidae. In all surveys, yellow pan traps collected a significantly larger number and greater diversity of bees. Eight of the thirteen most common species were observed significantly more frequently (P

The emerald furrow bee, Halictus smaragdulus Vachal, 1895, native to the western Palaearctic, is recorded from the Upper Hunter Valley region, New South Wales, Australia. Halictus Latreille is a genus previously unknown in Australia. The bee is well established in the area and has been observed visiting flowers of exotic plants, including Galenia pubescens - a declared noxious weed.