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Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is an emerging disease characterized by fever and thrombocytopenia. The syndrome is caused by SFTS virus (SFTSV), a member of the family Bunyaviridae, genus [...]

The supraesophageal ganglion of the wolf spider Arctosa kwangreungensis is made up of a protocerebral and tritocerebral ganglion, whereas the subesophageal ganglionic mass is composed of a single pair of pedipalpal ganglia, four pairs of appendage ganglia, and a fused mass of abdominal neuromeres. In the supraesophageal ganglion, complex neuropile masses are located in the protocerebrum which include optic ganglia, the mushroom bodies, and the central body. Characteristically, the only nerves arising from the protocerebrum are the optic nerves, and the neuropiles of the principal eyes are the most thick and abundant in this wandering spider. The central body which is recognized as an important association center is isolated at the posterior of the protocerebrum and appears as a complex of highly condensed neurons. These cells give off fine parallel bundles of axons arranged in the mushroom bodies. The subesophageal nerve mass can be divided into two main tracts on the basis of direction of the neuropiles. The dorsal tracts are contributed to from the motor or interneurons of each ganglion, whereas the ventral tracts are from incoming sensory axons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The biological attachment device on the tarsal appendage of the earwig, Timomenus komarovi (Insecta: Dermaptera: Forficulidae) was investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy to reveal the fine structural characteristics of its biological attachment devices to move on smooth and rough surfaces. They attach to rough substrates using their pretarsal claws; however, attachment to smooth surfaces is achieved by means of two groups of hairy tarsal pads. This biological attachment device consists of fine hairy setae with various contact sizes. Three different groups of tenent setae were distinguished depending on the cuticular substructure of the endplates. Two groups of setae commonly had flattened surfaces, and they were covered with either spoon-shaped or spatula-shaped endplates, respectively. While the flattened tip setae were distributed at the central region, the pointed tip setae were characteristically found along the marginal region. There were no obvious gender-specific differences between fibrillar adhesive pads in this insect mainly because the forceps-like pincers are used during copulation to grasp the partner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]