Meloidogyne californiensis n. sp. is described and illustrated from bulrush Scirpus robustus in California. LM and SEM studies revealed that this species differs from other known species in the genus Meloidogyne especially by the prominent posterior cuticular protuberances in the female, the distinct shape of the perineal pattern which is marked by one prominent stria in the perineum, indistinc...

The immuno-competence hypothesis proposes that higher levels of testosterone increases the susceptibility to parasitism. Here we examined the testosterone levels in two species of flying squirrels (Glaucomys): one known to regularly host a nematode species (Strongyloides robustus) without ill effects (G. volans) and a closely related species that is considered negatively affected by the parasit...

A new species of bark-beetle from Kashmir, Scolytus stephenisp. n., dedicated to the late Professor Emeritus Stephen Lane Wood, is described and figured. Key to Indian Scolytus Geoffroy, 1762 species is provided.

The introduction of invasive species represents a major threat to the integrity of stream-dwelling fish populations worldwide, and this issue is receiving increasing attention from scientists, in particular because of potential impact on biodiversity. In this study, we analysed the dispersal of an exotic loricariid fish the red fin dwarf pleco (Parotocinclus maculicauda) in a stream of the Atla...

The robust jaws and large, thick-enameled molars of the Plio-Pleistocene hominins Australopithecus and Paranthropus have long been interpreted as adaptations for hard-object feeding. Recent studies of dental microwear indicate that only Paranthropus robustus regularly ate hard items, suggesting that the dentognathic anatomy of other australopiths reflects rare, seasonal exploitation of hard fal...

Bone tool-use by Early Pleistocene hominins is at the centre of debates in human evolution. It especially case South Africa, where 102 bone tools have been described from four Stone Age archaeological sites, which yielded Oldowan and possibly Acheulean artefacts, as well Paranthropus robustus early Homo remains. Here we describe a tool Cooper’s D. The deposit, dated between 1.4 1.0 Ma, has seve...

New data on the karyotype structure of five species of the subfamily Eurytominae are described, including the following species: Eurytoma rosae (2n = 20), E. robusta (n =7, 2n = 14), E. serratulae (n = 6, 2n = 12), E. compressa (2n = 10) and Sycophila biguttata (2n = 18). 2n = 10, 12 and 14 are reported for the first time for the Eurytominae, in which only 2n = 20 and 18 have been previously fo...

Meiospores of a microsporidian parasite Amblyospora sp. (Protozoa: Microspora) from larval Aedes cantator mosquitoes were directly infectious to an alternate copepod host, Acanthocyclops vernalis (Arthropoda: Crustacea). Infections ranged from 6.7% to 60.0% in laboratory tests when meiospores and copepods were maintained together for 10-30 days in filtered water from the breeding site or in a b...

The Cooper’s D deposit has been dated by U-Pb at a maximum age of 1.37 Ma ± 0.113 and yielded seven Hominini remains, six them are attributed to the Southern African endemic species Paranthropus robustus Broom, 1938. However, taxonomic composition faunal assemblage recovered this site, especially ruminants, remains poorly understood. This paper updates previous palaeontological biochronological...