There is anecdotal evidence for profound behavioral changes prior to and during earthquakes in many organisms, including arthropods such as ants. Behavioral or physiological analysis has often, in light of these reports, been proposed as a means of earthquake prediction. We report here a serendipitous study of the effect of the powerful Landers earthquake in the Mojave Desert, USA (Richter magn...

The presence of Ursinia nana, an Anthemideae of South-African origin which has been introduced into the NE Iberian Peninsula, is reported for the fi rst time in Europe. The data offered cover its precise location, morphology, chromosome number, ecology and a population census, as well as its life cycle, fl oral structure, reproductive biology and fruit dispersal mechanisms. Of special note are ...

TEM and SEM analysis of the tibio-tarsal antennal cleaner in Messor rufitarsis reveals a pore region on the surface of the basitarsus. These pores are originating from a cluster of highly prismatic epidermal cells that fill the anterior hemolymph space of the leg almost completely. Within the cytoplasma of the cells, basal labyrinth, nucleus/rough endoplasmic reticulum, 'secondary lysosomes', a...

In hymenopteran societies, workers are not always sterile, and may produce parthenogenetically either males (arrhenotoky) or females (thelytoky). Thelytoky however is exceptional, and has been recorded in only four ant species. Here we provide evidence for worker thelytoky in an additional species, the harvesting ant Messor capitatus (Latreille) (Hymenoptera Formicidae Myrmicinae). Two orphaned...

Two new resveratrol trimer derivatives, named rheumlhasol A (1) and rheumlhasol B (2) were isolated from the methanolic extract of roots of Rheum lhasaense A. J. Li et P. K. Hsiao together with four known resveratrol dimer derivatives, including maximol A (3), gnetin C (4), ε-viniferin (5), and pallidol (6). The structures were determined by combined spectroscopic methods and by comparison of t...

onychomycosis is a nail disorder associated with aesthetic problems, discomfort, physical injury and loss of dexterity. the purpose of the present study was to isolate and identify the causative fungi of onychomycosis in 2402 patients in kermanshah province, western iran in 1994 to 2010.mycologic assessment was carried out by standard methods including either microscopic or cultural procedures....