Real-time position and pose prediction for a self-propelled undulatory swimmer in 3D space with artificial lateral line system.

This study aims to investigate the feasibility of using an artificial lateral line (ALL) system for predicting the real-time position and pose of an undulating swimmer with Carangiform swimming patterns. We established a 3D computational fluid dynamics simulation to replicate the swimming dynamics of a freely swimming mackerel under various motion parameters, calculating the corresponding pressure fields. Using the simulated lateral line data, we trained an artificial neural network to predict the centroid coordinates and orientation of the swimmer. A comprehensive analysis was further conducted to explore the impact of sensor quantity, distribution, noise amplitude and sampling intervals of the ALL array on predicting performance. Additionally, to quantitatively assess the reliability of the localization network, we trained another neural network to evaluate error magnitudes for different input signals. These findings provide valuable insights for guiding future research on mutual sensing and schooling in underwater robotic fish.

Glowing Sucker Octopus (Stauroteuthis syrtensis)-Inspired Soft Robotic Gripper for Underwater Self-Adaptive Grasping and Sensing.

A soft gripper inspired by the glowing sucker octopus (Stauroteuthis syrtensis)' highly evolved grasping capability enabled by the umbrella-shaped dorsal and ventral membrane between each arm is presented here, comprising of a 3D-printed linkage mechanism used to actuate a modular mold silicone-casting soft suction disc to deform. The soft gripper grasp can lift objects using the suction generated by the pump in the soft disc. Moreover, the protruded funnel-shaped end of the deformed suctorial mouth can adapt to smooth and rough surfaces. Furthermore, when the gripper contacts the submerged target objects in a turbid environment, local suctorial mouth arrays on the suction disc are locked, causing the variable flow inside them, which can be detected as a tactile perception signal to the target objects instead of visual perception. Aided by the 3D-printed linkage mechanism, the soft gripper can grasp objects of different shapes and dimensions, including flat objects, objects beyond the grasping range, irregular objects, scattered objects, and a moving turtle. The results report the soft gripper's versatility and demonstrate the vast application potentials of self-adaptive grasping and sensing in various environments, including but are not limited to underwater, which is always a key challenge of grasping technology.

The status of Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta & White (Diptera: tephritidae) inferred from complete mitochondrial genome analysis.

In this study, the complete 15,911 bp mitochondrial genome (mitogenome) of Bactrocera invadens was sequenced. To estimate the status of B. invadens, all available mitogenomes of Bactrocera were downloaded from GenBank for phylogenetic analysis. Phylogenetic analyses showed that B. invadens, B. philippinensis, B. papayae, and three B. dorsalis sequences formed a well-supported clade with very short terminal branch lengths, indicting the relatively close evolutionary relationships of these taxa. The results further supported that B. invadens, the same as B. philippinensis and B. papayae, belongs to the same species as B. dorsalis.

Three new species of Diaphorus Meigen (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Tibet.

The species of Diaphorus Meigen from Tibet are reviewed. Previously only one species, Diaphorus xizangensis Yang & Grootaert, was known to occur in Tibet. The following three species are described as new to science: Diaphorus baheensis sp. nov., Diaphorus longrenensis sp. nov. and Diaphorus nigripedus sp. nov. Diaphorus anatoli Negrobov is recorded from Tibet for the first time. A key to the species of Diaphorus from Tibet and the Himalayan area is presented.

Chrysotus Meigen (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Tibet with descriptions of four new species.

The genus Chrysotus Meigen is reported from Tibet for the first time. Five species are recorded. The following four species are described as new to science: Chrysotus altavaginas sp. nov., C. motuoensis sp. nov., C. namaicunensis sp. nov. and C. tibetensis sp. nov., Chrysotus biprojicienus Wei & Zhang is recorded from Tibet for the first time. A key to the species of Chrysotus from Tibet is presented.

[Diel rhythm of benthic macroinvertebrate's drift in streams in Hengshishui River watershed of Guangdong, China].

An investigation was conducted on the species composition and diel rhythm of benthic macroinvertebrate's drift in two adjacent 3rd order streams in the Hengshishui River watershed of Guangdong, China. One of the streams was seriously polluted by acid mine drainage (AMD) discharged from the Guangdong Dabaoshan Mine, with a very low pH (3.45) and high contents of heavy metals that exceeded the Chinese National Standards for surface water, and the another adjacent was a clean stream. The results showed that the individuals and species of benthic macroinvertebrates were much more in clean stream than in AMD-polluted stream. In the drift samples from clean stream, a total of 6871 macroinvertebrate individuals belonging to 52 taxa of 10 orders were collected, among which, 99.5% were aquatic insects. However, the total drift density was dominated by a few taxa, of which, the dominant drift taxa with relative abundance in excess of 5% included Pseudocloeon morum (28.5%), Cinygmina yixingensis (13.8%), Cheumatopsyche sp. (13.2%), Serratella albostriata (7.5%), Chironomidae (6.5%), and Psephenoides sp. (5.0%). The most abundant drifter both in species and in individuals was Ephemeroptera, constituting 65% of the entire caught (dominated by Baetidiae, which represented 63% of total mayfly individuals), followed by Trichoptera (18%). The macroinvertebrate's drift showed significant diel rhythm, i. e., the drift was strongly nocturnal, with the peaks at 21:00 and 2:00, and the average drift densities being (70.3 +/- 10.8) and (289.0 +/- 124.6) ( ind x 100 m(-3)), respectively. No diurnal drifter was observed. Most dominant drift taxa showed slightly differences in their drift peaks, but some dominant taxa, e. g., chironomids and Psephenoides sp., showed no clear diel rhythm of drift. Polypedilum sp., an acidophilic species of Chironomidae, was the only drift animal found in AMD-polluted stream, which had three distinct drift peaks, i. e., at 19:00, 0:00 and 4:00, with the highest drift density being only (6.7 +/- 5.2) (ind x 100 m(-3)). It was indicated that AMD not only reduced the numbers and species diversity of drift benthic macroinvertebrates, but also altered their drift patterns.