Sit-and-wait predators have evolved several traits that increase the probability of encountering prey, including lures that attract prey. Although most crab spiders (Thomisidae) are known by their ability to change colour in order to match the background, a few use a different strategy. They are UV-reflective, creating a colour contrast against UV-absorbing flowers that is attractive for pollin...

BACKGROUND Monitoring traps and control methods are needed for the long-legged chafer, Hoplia spectabilis Medvedev, which has recently reached outbreak numbers in pastureland of Qinghai Province, China. RESULTS Field trapping experiments, using cross-pane funnel (barrier) traps, showed that H. spectabilis adults were not significantly attracted to branches of the host plant Dasiphora fructico...

We examined phylogenetic relationships among species of Liomys, including L. adspersus (Panamanian spiny pocket mouse), L. irroratus (Mexican spiny pocket mouse), L. pictus (painted spiny pocket mouse), L. salvini (Salvin’s spiny pocket mouse), and L. spectabilis (Jaliscan spiny pocket mouse), several species of Heteromys, as well as representatives of other genera of heteromyids and 2 geomyids...

Senna spectabilis (DC.) H.S. Irwin & Barneby (Fabaceae; Caesalpinioideae), commonly known as "canafístula" or "cassia", is widely used in the semi-arid region of northeastern Brazil as a source of forage and timber. The plant presents a high nutritional content in comparison with other forage species that are native to the Brazilian Caatinga; thus, it represents a valuable resource during perio...

Gymnopilus spectabilis, a hallucinogenic mushroom belonging to the family Cortinariaceae, is found growing in dense clusters on stumps and logs of hardwoods and conifers. It contains the hallucinogenic alkaloid psilocybin and its strongly bitter taste makes it undesirable as an edible. In an effort to identify chemical constituents of Korean native wild mushrooms, 4,6-decadiyne-1,3,8-triol (1),...

Streptomyces lydicus NRRL2433 and S. spectabilis NRRL2494 produce two inhibitors of bacterial RNA polymerase: the 3-acyltetramic acid streptolydigin and the naphthalenic ansamycin streptovaricin, respectively. Both strains are highly resistant to their own antibiotics. Independent expression of the S. lydicus and S. spectabilis rpoB and rpoC genes, encoding the beta- and beta'-subunits of RNA p...

In the present study, samples of Cassytha filiformis L. and healthy leaves of two of its host plants viz. Bougainvillea spectabilis Willd (Nyctaginaceae) and Citrus aurantifolia Swingle (Rutaceae) were collected simultaneously from different areas of Lahore, Pakistan. To analyze epiphytic microflora, washings of host leaf/parasite stem were used for the isolation. For endophytic microbes, steri...

Hybrid speciation has played a significant role in the evolution of angiosperms at the polyploid level. However, relatively little is known about the importance of hybrid speciation at the diploid level. Two species of Penstemon have been proposed as diploid hybrid derivatives based on morphological data, artificial crossing studies, and pollinator behavior observations: Penstemon spectabilis (...

Inferences regarding hybridization rely on genetic markers to differentiate parental taxa from one another. Intersimple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers are based on single-primer PCR reactions where the primer sequence is derived from di- and trinucleotide repeats. These markers have successfully been used to assay genetic variability among cultivated plants, but have not yet been tested in natu...