Two kinds of 'shapunkha', the 'Shvet' (white) and 'Rakta' (red) are described in some of the Ayurvedic texts and the former is reported therapeutically more effective. Some of the Ayurvedic physicians use T. villosa Pers. as 'Shvet sharpunkha' due to its persistently villous silky white parts. While others have advocated white colour of flowers as main feature for distinguishing "Shvet sharpunk...

A new species Xerobion ulytavicum Kadyrbekov sp. n. from host plant Galatella biflora is described Karaganda region (Kazakhstan). New differs the most similar X. caspicae Bozhko, 1963 by shape of ultimate rostral segment, ratio length siphunculi and cauda (0.4–0.75 vs 0.7–1.0, respectively), proportion frontal setae to diameter third antennal segment at base (1.0–1.2 0.7–1.0) a hair on trochant...

The insertion of exogenous genetic cargo into insects using transposable elements is a powerful research tool with potential applications in meeting food security and public health challenges facing humanity. piggyBac is the transposable element most commonly utilized for insect germline transformation. The described efficiency of this process is variable in the published literature, and a comp...