Publications

juvenile hormone signaling during reproduction and development of the linden bug, pyrrhocoris apterus.	juvenile hormone (jh), a sesquiterpenoid produced by the insect corpus allatum gland (ca), prevents metamorphosis in larvae and stimulates vitellogenesis in adult females. whether the same jh signaling pathway regulates both processes is presently unknown. here, we employ the robust jh response during reproduction and development of the linden bug, pyrrhocoris apterus, to compare the function of key jh-signaling genes encoding the jh receptor, methoprene-tolerant (met), its binding partner taima ...	2014	24361539
capillary electrophoresis of pterin derivatives responsible for the warning coloration of heteroptera.	a new capillary electrophoretic (ce) method has been developed for analysis of 10 selected derivatives of pterin that can occur in the integument (cuticle) of true bugs (insecta: hemiptera: heteroptera), specifically l-sepiapterin, 7,8-dihydroxanthopterin, 6-biopterin, d-neopterin, pterin, isoxanthopterin, leucopterin, xanthopterin, erythropterin and pterin-6-carboxylic acid. pterin derivatives are responsible for the characteristic warning coloration of some heteroptera and other insects, signa ...	2014	24602308
importance of juvenile hormone signaling arises with competence of insect larvae to metamorphose.	juvenile hormone (jh) postpones metamorphosis of insect larvae until they have attained an appropriate stage and size. then, during the final larval instar, a drop in jh secretion permits a metamorphic molt that transforms larvae to adults either directly (hemimetaboly) or via a pupal stage (holometaboly). in both scenarios, jh precludes metamorphosis by activating the kr-h1 gene through a jh receptor, methoprene-tolerant (met). removal of met, kr-h1, or jh itself triggers deleterious precocious ...	2014	24662045
cost effective, robust, and reliable coupled separation techniques for the identification and quantification of phospholipids in complex biological matrices: application to insects.	the quantification of phospholipid classes and the determination of their molecular structures are crucial in physiological and medical studies. this paper's target analytes are cell membrane phospholipids, which play an important role in the seasonal acclimation processes of poikilothermic organisms. we introduce a set of simple and cost-effective analytical methods that enable efficient characterization and quantification of particular phospholipid classes and the identification and relative d ...	2014	24799084
role of methoprene-tolerant (met) in adult morphogenesis and in adult ecdysis of blattella germanica.	juvenile hormone (jh) represses metamorphosis of young instars in insects. one of the main players in hormonal signalling is methoprene-tolerant (met), which plays the role of jh receptor. using the polyneopteran insect blattella germanica as the model and rnai for transcript depletion, we have confirmed that met transduces the antimetamorphic signal of jh in young nymphs and plays a role in the last nymphal instar moult in this species. previously, the function of met as the jh receptor had bee ...	2014	25072526
a role for taiman in insect metamorphosis.	recent studies in vitro have reported that the methoprene-tolerant (met) and taiman (tai) complex is the functional receptor of juvenile hormone (jh). experiments in vivo of met depletion have confirmed this factor's role in jh signal transduction, however, there is no equivalent data regarding tai because its depletion in larval or nymphal stages of the beetle tribolium castaneum and the bug pyrrhocoris apterus results in 100% mortality. we have discovered that the cockroach blattella germanica ...	2014	25356827
molecular characterization, tissue distribution, and ultrastructural localization of adipokinetic hormones in the cns of the firebug pyrrhocoris apterus (heteroptera, insecta).	adipokinetic hormones (akhs) are a group of insect metabolic neurohormones, synthesized and released from an endocrine retrocerebral gland, the corpus cardiacum (cc). small amounts of akh have also been identified in the brain, although their role in this organ is not clear. to address this gap in the knowledge about insect brain biology, we studied the nucleotide sequence, tissue distribution, and subcellular localization of akhs in the brain and cc of the firebug pyrrhocoris apterus. this inse ...	2015	25449136
reactions of green lizards (lacerta viridis) to major repellent compounds secreted by graphosoma lineatum (heteroptera: pentatomidae).	the chemical defence of heteroptera is primarily based on repellent secretions which signal the potential toxicity of the bug to its predators. we tested the aversive reactions of green lizards (lacerta viridis) towards the major compounds of the defensive secretion of graphosoma lineatum, specifically: (i) a mixture of three aldehydes: (e)-hex-2-enal, (e)-oct-2-enal, (e)-dec-2-enal; (ii) a mixture of these three aldehydes and tridecane; (iii) oxoaldehyde: (e)-4-oxohex-2-enal; (iv) secretion ext ...	2015	25869384
why is the number of days required for induction of adult diapause in the linden bug pyrrhocoris apterus fewer in the larval than in the adult stage?	adult females of pyrrhocoris apterus, programmed for diapause by short-day (sd) photoperiod and those programmed for reproduction by long-day (ld) retain photoperiodic information in continuous darkness (dd) until death. however, if the interruption of sd by dd is made in the course of diapause programming in adults, then the incidence of diapause depends on the number of sd cycles received before dd, with no evidence that the photoperiodic clock is free-running at dd to complete diapause induct ...	2015	25891916
[homoxenous trypanosomatids from true bugs pyrrhocoris apterus (l.) in the north of the pskov region].	in the north of the pskov region (58 degrees 35' n, 28 degrees 55' e) the appearance of a single colony of true bugs pyrrhocoris apterus has been recorded. dissection of 95 individuals from this colony revealed 100% prevalence of infection with homoxenous trypanosomatids. in 3% of the cases intestinal infection was accompanied by hyperinvasion into the salivary glands and hemolyph of the hosts. analysis of trypanosomatid morphotypes demonstrated mixed infections in all studied p. apterus individ ...	2015	25936172
personality and ectoparasitic mites (hemipteroseius adleri) in firebugs (pyrrhocoris apterus).	individuals of the same species often consistently differ in their behaviour across time and context. these stable differences are usually termed 'animal personality'. parasitism is known to significantly influence the evolution of animal personality at least in part because more explorative individuals may meet parasites more frequently than less explorative ones. previously, we have demonstrated that consistent individual differences (i.e. boldness, activity, exploration) can be measured in fi ...	2016	26569455
photoperiod regulates growth of male accessory glands through juvenile hormone signaling in the linden bug, pyrrhocoris apterus.	adult reproductive diapause is characterized by lower behavioral activity, ceased reproduction and absence of juvenile hormone (jh). the role of jh receptor methoprene-tolerant (met) in female reproduction is well established; however, its function in male reproductive development and behavior is unclear. in the bean bug, riptortus pedestris, circadian genes are essential for mediating photoperiodically-dependent growth of the male accessory glands (mags). the present study explores the role of ...	2016	26826599
characterization of the adipokinetic hormone receptor of the anautogenous flesh fly, sarcophaga crassipalpis.	adipokinetic hormone (akh) is an insect neuropeptide mainly involved in fat body energy mobilization. in flies (phormia regina, sarcophaga crassipalpis), bugs (pyrrhocoris apterus) and cockroaches (periplaneta americana) akh was also demonstrated to be involved in the regulation of digestion. this makes akh an important peptide for anautogenous female flies that need to feed on a supplementary protein meal to initiate vitellogenesis, the large scale synthesis of yolk proteins and their uptake by ...	2016	27063262
through experience to boldness? deactivation of neophobia towards novel and aposematic prey in three european species of tits (paridae).	european tits (paridae) exhibit species-specific levels of initial wariness towards aposematic prey. this wariness may be caused by neophobia, dietary conservatism or innate bias against particular prey traits. we assessed the contribution of these three mechanisms to the behaviour of juvenile tits towards novel palatable prey and novel aposematic prey. we compared levels of initial wariness in great tits (parus major), blue tits (cyanistes caeruleus) and coal tits (periparus ater), and tested h ...	2016	27474371
decrease in methoprene tolerant and taiman expression reduces juvenile hormone effects and enhances the levels of juvenile hormone circulating in males of the linden bug pyrrhocoris apterus.	juvenile hormone (jh) produced by the corpus allatum (ca) stimulates vitellogenesis and reduces the synthesis of hexamerin proteins in adult females of pyrrhocoris apterus. at present it is unknown whether the signaling pathway involving the jh receptor gene methoprene tolerant (met) and its binding partner taiman (tai), regulates the synthesis of accessory gland proteins (acps) and hexamerin proteins or effects male survival. knockdown of genes by injecting met dsrna or tai dsrna, reduced the a ...	2017	27570150
unexpected geographic variability of the free running period in the linden bug pyrrhocoris apterus.	circadian clocks keep organisms in synchrony with external day-night cycles. the free running period (frp) of the clock, however, is usually only close to-not exactly-24 h. here, we explored the geographical variation in the frp of the linden bug, pyrrhocoris apterus, in 59 field-lines originating from a wide variety of localities representing geographically different environments. we have identified a remarkable range in the frps between field-lines, with the fastest clock at ~21 h and the slow ...	2016	27708112
folk knowledge of invertebrates in central europe - folk taxonomy, nomenclature, medicinal and other uses, folklore, and nature conservation.	there is scarce information about european folk knowledge of wild invertebrate fauna. we have documented such folk knowledge in three regions, in romania, slovakia and croatia. we provide a list of folk taxa, and discuss folk biological classification and nomenclature, salient features, uses, related proverbs and sayings, and conservation.	2016	27729074
hypermetabolic conversion of plant oil into water: endothermic biochemical process stimulated by juvenile hormone in the european firebug, pyrrhocoris apterus l.	the physiological and biochemical mechanisms that enable insects to feed on dry food to secure enough water for larval growth were investigated. the study was carried out with a plethora of physiological methods, ranging from the simple volumetric determination of o2 consumption and water intake to more advanced methods such as scanning microrespirography and thermovision imaging of insect's body temperature. the experiments were done on the european firebug, pyrrhocoris apterus, which feeds exc ...	2016	27790049
comparative analysis of volatile defensive secretions of three species of pyrrhocoridae (insecta: heteroptera) by gas chromatography-mass spectrometric method.	the true bugs (hemiptera: heteroptera) have evolved a system of well-developed scent glands that produce diverse and frequently strongly odorous compounds that act mainly as chemical protection against predators. a new method of non-lethal sampling with subsequent separation using gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection was proposed for analysis of these volatile defensive secretions. separation was performed on rtx-200 column containing fluorinated polysiloxane stationary phase. va ...	2016	27997627
species specificity of aldehyde and fatty acid profiles of four family group representatives within the insect infraorder pentatomomorpha (hemiptera: heteroptera).	reactive α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, including 4-oxoalk-2-enals, are known to be present in volatile secretions of numerous heteropteran insect species. because the aldehydes are likely to originate from metabolism of fatty acids (fas), the present study aimed to examine and compare the aldehyde and fa profiles of four model heteropteran species. the model species consisted of adult family group representatives within the infraorder pentatomomorpha (hemiptera: heteroptera): seed bug (lygaeus eque ...	2017	28027605
life cycle of blastocrithidia papi sp. n. (kinetoplastea, trypanosomatidae) in pyrrhocoris apterus (hemiptera, pyrrhocoridae).	blastocrithidia papi sp. n. is a cyst-forming trypanosomatid parasitizing firebugs (pyrrhocoris apterus). it is a member of the blastocrithidia clade and a very close relative of b. largi, to which it is almost identical through its ssu rrna gene sequence. however, considering the sl rna gene these two species represent quite distinct, not even related typing units. morphological analysis of the new species revealed peculiar or even unique features, which may be useful for future taxonomic revis ...	2017	28073072
adipokinetic hormone activities in insect body infected by entomopathogenic nematode.	the role of adipokinetic hormone (akh) in the firebug pyrrhocoris apterus adults infected by the entomopathogenic nematode (epn) steinernema carpocapsae was examined in this study. it was found that co-application of epn and akh enhanced firebug mortality about 2.5 times within 24h (from 20 to 51% in epn vs. epn+akh treatments), and resulted in metabolism intensification, as carbon dioxide production in firebugs increased about 2.1 and 1.6times compared to control- and epn-treated insects, respe ...	2017	28254268
beneficial effect of adipokinetic hormone on neuromuscular paralysis in insect body elicited by braconid wasp venom.	the effect of habrobracon hebetor venom and the role of the adipokinetic hormone (akh) in poisoned adult females of the firebug pyrrhocoris apterus were studied 24 and 48h after treatments. venom application elicited total neuromuscular paralysis in firebugs, but the co-application of venom and pyrap-akh significantly reduced paralysis (up to 3.2 times) compared to the application of venom only. although the mechanisms of their action are unknown, both agents might affect neuromuscular junctions ...	2017	28257925
morphological effects of juvenile hormone mimics on embryonic development in the bug,pyrrhocoris apterus.	embryos ofpyrrhocoris apterus exposed to juvenile hormone mimics (jh) were examined throughout development to determine the progressive effects of treatment. prior to blastokinesis whole experimental embryos did not differ morphologically from control embryos fixed at the same stage. treated embryos failed to complete blastokinesis due to abnormal breakage of the extra-embryonic membranes.in the embryo-larva transition, jh exposure interfered with dorsal closure, with the consolidation of the ne ...	1977	28304913
behavioral regulation of developmental cycle in pyrrhocoris apterus l. (heteroptera: pyrrhocoridae).	during the warm season the larvae of pyrrhocoris apterus select in their natural habitats places with temperatures which do not exceed 24°c on average even at the hours of maximum sunshine. at the same time other places of their habitats have temperatures up to 50°c. this active behavioral selection of the microclimate regulates the speed of p. apterus development and entertains the monovoltine cycle in climatic, conditions of central europe. a less rigorous choice of the microclimate, even when ...	1976	28308254
induction of adult diapause in pyrrhocoris apterus l. by short cold exposure.	the ripening of ovaries in the females of pyrrhocoris apterus can be inhibited not only by short-day photoperiod but also by cold shocks during the first week of the adult life.ovaries in a part of the females are prevented from ripening by transferring the bugs from 25° c and long-day photoperiod to substantially lower temperatures for 2 (or 4) days. the oviposition is inhibited at least for 3 weeks after the return to original conditions favourable for reproduction. this effect is achieved whe ...	1971	28310755
the effect of social learning on avoidance of aposematic prey in juvenile great tits (parus major).	social learning plays an important role in acquiring new foraging skills and food preferences in many bird species but its potential role in learning to avoid aposematic prey has never been studied. we tested the effect of social learning on the acquisition of avoidance of aposematic insect prey (firebug pyrrhocoris apterus; heteroptera) in juvenile, hand-reared great tits (parus major). behaviour towards aposematic prey was compared between two groups of birds: (1) the observers that were, prio ...	2017	28639012
the ability of lizards to identify an artificial batesian mimic.	birds are usually considered the main predators shaping the evolution of aposematic signals and mimicry. nevertheless, some lizards also represent predominately visually oriented predators, so they may also play an important role in the evolution of aposematism. despite this fact, experimental evidence regarding the responses of lizards to aposematic prey is very poor compared to such evidence in birds. lizards possess very similar sensory and cognitive abilities to those of birds and their resp ...	2017	28716358