On the occurrence of Branchinecta orientalis Sars, 1901 (Crustacea, Anostraca) in Algeria, with some ecological notes.

The first substantiated record of Branchinecta orientalis in Algeria is here reported. This species was found in a small freshwater pool (Jemot) in Oum El Bouaghi province, located in the High Plateaus of the Aurès region in North-East of Algeria. Details on biogeography, ecology and morphology of this Algerian population of the species are provided. In its Algerian occurrence locality, B. orientalis co-occurs mostly with Branchinecta ferox during autumn and spring but also with other large Branchiopoda with a maximum of 7 species occurring synchronically and 9 species in total.

Life-history omnivory in the fairy shrimp Branchinecta orientalis (Branchiopoda: Anostraca).

Very little is known about the feeding of naupliar and juvenile life stages of omnivorous fairy shrimps (Crustacea: Anostraca). Here, we aim to reveal whether the fairy shrimp Branchinecta orientalis is an ontogenetic omnivore and at which age and ontogenetic stage they gain the ability to feed on zooplankton. We assess how food uptake rates change with age until reaching maturity by providing algae (pico- and nanoplanktonic unicellular algae) and zooplankton (rotifers and copepod nauplii) as food in individual experiments. We found that the fairy shrimp B. orientalis started to feed on both types of algal prey immediately after hatching. Nanoplanktonic algae likely represented the most important food source until reaching maturity. Moreover, fairy shrimps started to feed on zooplankton already when they were 7 days old. Slow-moving rotifers gradually gained importance in the fairy shrimp diet with time. Our results reveal an ontogenetic change in the prey spectrum of fairy shrimp. The systematic shift towards omnivory likely affects both phyto- and zooplankton community composition, possibly contributing to temporal changes in food web dynamics in fairy shrimp habitats, and temporary ponds, which may warrant more detailed investigations in future studies. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10750-022-05132-z.

New species and new records of the genus Harpactea (Araneae, Dysderidae) from the Djurdjura National Park, Algeria.

Harpactea hamidae n.sp. is describe based on males from Tikjda region in the National Park of Djurdjura (Bouira, Algeria). It belongs to the species group and subgroup corticalis. Its distribution is summarized and discussed. New records for two other Harpactea species (H. heizerensis Bosmans & Beladjal, 1991 and H. innupta Beladjal & Bosmans, 1997) are presented.

Taxonomy and Distribution of Trichoptera in El Harrach Wadi (Northcentral Algeria) with the First Record of Hydropsyche incognita in North Africa.

Data on the caddisfly fauna of Algeria are incomplete and the available information concerns only some regions. In the present contribution, new distribution data on Trichoptera in El Harrach Wadi are given. Sampling campaigns were conducted during 20102013 at 10 sampling sites where eleven species were collected as follows: Hydropsyche fezana Navs 1935, H. incognita Pitsch 1993, H. lobata McLachlan 1884, H. maroccana Navs 1936, H. obscura Navs 1928, H. resmineda Malicky 1977, Hydropsyche sp., Cheumatopsyche sp., Diplectrona sp., Oxyethira sp., and Rhyacophila munda McLachlan 1862. The record of H. incognita Pitsch 1993a is new for Algeria and the Maghreb.

Description of a new species of the genus Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826 (Araneae, Zodariidae) from Algeria.

A new species of the genus Zodarion Walckenaer, 1826 is described based on material collected in different regions in Algeria. Morphological, diagnostic characters and illustrations of the genitalia of both sexes are presented. The samples reveal different phenological activities for males and females, and that the species occurs in agro-ecosystem habitats.

Electrospinning repellents in polyvinyl alcohol-nanofibres for obtaining mosquito-repelling fabrics.

Recently, the use of repellents for preventing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases is getting increasingly more attention. However, most of the current repellents are volatile in nature and must be frequently re-applied as their efficacy is only limited to a short period of time. Therefore, a slow release and abrasion-resistant mechanism is needed for prolonging the protection time of the repellents. The focus of this study is on the direct micro-encapsulation of repellents from an emulsion and integration of already encapsulated repellents into nanofibres via electrospinning. Different repellents were electrospun in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) nanofibrous structures, namely p-menthane-3,8-diol micro-capsules, permethrin, chilli and catnip oil. The repellents were successfully incorporated in the nanofibres and the tensile properties of the resulting samples did not have a significant change. This means that the newly created textiles were identical to current PVA nanofibrous textiles with the added benefit of being mosquito repellent. Principally, all incorporated repellents in the nanofibrous structures showed a significantly reduced number of mosquito landings compared to the control. Consequently, the currently described method resulted in a new and very effective repelling textile material that can be used in the prevention against mosquito-associated diseases.

Life from the ashes: survival of dry bacterial spores after very high temperature exposure.

We found that spores of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens rank amongst the most resistant to high temperatures with a maximum dry heat tolerance determined at 420 °C. We found that this extreme heat resistance was also maintained after several generations suggesting that the DNA was able to replicate after exposure to these temperatures. Nonetheless, amplifying the bacterial DNA using BOXA1R and (GTG)5 primers was unsuccessful immediately after extreme heating, but was successful after incubation of the heated then cooled spores. Moreover, enzymes such as amylases and proteases were active directly after heating and spore regeneration, indicating that DNA coding for these enzymes were not degraded at these temperatures. Our results suggest that extensive DNA damage may occur in spores of B. amyloliquefaciens directly after an extreme heat shock. However, the successful germination of spores after inoculation and incubation indicates that these spores could have a very effective DNA repair mechanism, most likely protein-based, able to function after exposure to temperatures up to 420 °C. Therefore, we propose that B. amyloliquefaciens is one of the most heat resistant life forms known to science and can be used as a model organism for studying heat resistance and DNA repair. Furthermore, the extremely high temperature resistivity of these spores has exceptional consequences for general methodology, such as the use of dry heat sterilization and, therefore, virtually all studies in the broad area of high temperature biology.

Morphometric and preliminary genetic characteristics of Branchinecta orientalis populations from Iran (Crustacea: Anostraca).

Branchinecta orientalis is a fairy shrimp endemic to the Palearctic region, from Mongolia to Spain. The patchy nature of its habitat is thought to result in a high degree of subdivision among populations, potentially promoting speciation. We combined morphometric characteristics with molecular phylogeny of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) to test whether B. orientalis could be a species complex and whether there is any correlation between the genetic variation, morphometric characteristics and geographical variables. We studied six populations from Iran based on the comparison of morphometric and molecular datasets, we confirmed that the Aigher Goli (AIG) population is biometrically well separated from the Akh Gol, Hassar, Rashakan, Khaslou and Garagojanlou populations in northwestern Iran. The relatively high genetic divergence in the AIG from the other populations and its congruence with morphometric data were observed in B. orientalis populations. However, as these results were generated using a small sample size and on a limited sampling range, they should be considered as preliminary.

Effect of salinity stress on the life history variables of Branchipus schaefferi Fisher, 1834 (Crustacea: Anostraca).

BACKGROUND: Freshwater anostracans inhabit ephemeral water bodies in which as the water level decreases due to evaporation the salt concentration increases. Thus, for most anostracans salinity becomes the major stress factor. RESULTS: We tested five concentrations of NaCl (0 to 8 g/l) on the life table demography of Branchipus schaefferi fed Chlorella (alga). Age-specific survivorship curves of male and female B. schaefferi showed nearly a similar pattern in that increased salt concentration resulted in decreased survivorship. The age-specific reproduction (m(x)) of females showed several peaks of cyst production at 0 and 1 g/l salinity while in treatments containing salt at 4 or 8 g/l, there were fewer peaks. Average lifespan, life expectancy at birth, gross and net reproductive rates, generation time and the rate of population increase were all significantly influenced by the salt concentration in the medium. The highest value of net reproductive rate (970 cysts/female) was in treatments containing 0 g/l of salt, while the lowest was 13 cysts/female at 8 g/l. The rate of population increase (r) varied from 0.52 to 0.32 per day depending on the salt concentration in the medium. CONCLUSION: The low survival and offspring production of B. schaefferi at higher salinity levels suggests that this species is unlikely to colonize inland saline water bodies. Therefore, the temporary ponds in which it is found, proper conservative measures must be taken to protect this species.