Systematics, biodiversity, biogeography, and host associations of the Miridae (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Cimicomorpha).

The Miridae, a hyperdiverse family containing more than 11,020 valid described species, are discussed and the pertinent literature is reviewed. Diagnoses for the family and subfamilies are given. Color habitus photos are presented for representatives of most of the 35 currently recognized tribes. Key morphological character systems are discussed and illustrated, including pretarsal structures, femoral trichobothria, external efferent system of the metathoracic glands, male and female genitalia, and molecular markers. A historical comparison of tribal classifications and the most up-to-date classification are presented in tabular form. A brief history of the classification of each of the eight recognized subfamilies is presented. Distributional patterns and relative generic diversity across biogeographic regions are discussed; generic diversity by biogeographic region is presented in tabular form. Taxonomic accumulation graphs are presented by biogeographic region, indicating an ongoing need for taxonomic work in the Southern Hemisphere, and most particularly in Australia. Host plant associations are evaluated graphically, showing high specificity for many taxa and a preference among phytophagous taxa for the Asteridae and Rosidae.

Sexual coevolution in the traumatically inseminating plant bug genus Coridromius.

Sexual conflict has recently been proposed as a driving force behind the rapid diversification of genitalia among sexually reproducing organisms. In traumatically inseminating insects, males stab females in the side of the body with needle-like genitalia, ejaculating into their body cavity. Such mating is costly to females and has led to the evolution of cost-reducing 'paragenitalia' in some species. Whereas some consider this evidence of sexually antagonistic coevolution, others remain unconvinced. Variation in the reproductive morphology of both sexes - particularly males - is alleged to be negligible, contradicting the expectations of a coevolutionary arms race. Here, we use a phylogeny of the traumatically inseminating plant bug genus Coridromius to show that external female paragenitalia have evolved multiply across the genus and are correlated with changes in male genital shape. This pattern is characteristic of an evolutionary arms race driven by sexual conflict.

Population genetics of wolf spiders of fragmented habitat in the wheat belt of New South Wales.

Possible effects of habitat fragmentation on the population genetics of a species of wolf spider (Lycosidae) from remnant Callitris woodland in the wheat belt of central western New South Wales in Australia are examined. Single-strand conformational analysis of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase (subunit 1) was used to characterize the haplotypes of 295 spiders in six blocks each of four woodland sites. DNA sequences were collected from 119 of these spiders to confirm haplotype scoring, allow phylogeny estimation and permit calculation of sequence-based statistics. Intra-block tests do not suggest widespread effects of fragmentation. Genetic diversity is high in all blocks, with 25 haplotypes being identified. Nucleotide diversity is relatively low, as all of the haplotypes are closely related. One block had a significantly low value for the Ewens/Watterson test of neutrality and one block's value was nearly significantly high. Two blocks had nearly significant values of the Harpending Raggedness Index testing for recent population bottlenecks. No other intrablock tests approach significance. Interpopulation comparisons show significant nonhomogeneity of haplotype frequencies globally and in all pairwise comparisons. Relationships between woodland blocks based on haplotype frequencies are discordant with geographical proximity. Haplotype distribution patterns suggest that population structuring existed prior to fragmentation. We develop two measures of genetic distinctiveness to identify subpopulations of interest for conserving evolutionary processes in a species' regional population. One is based on the sum of pairwise FST values and one on the spatial distribution of genetic variation. High values of the measure suggest a subpopulation might have been recently perturbed and low values that it is relatively undisturbed. The two measures identify different blocks as being of particular interest.

Species discrimination and population differentiation in ants using microsatellites.

This study was conducted to establish the regional scale of population differentiation of ants in the wheat belt of central western New South Wales. Microsatellite variation was surveyed at five loci in two morphologically similar ant species (designated "A" and "B") from the Camponotus ephippium complex. Three of the five scored microsatellite loci were highly variable with totals, in the two species, of 11, 13 and 42 alleles. The other loci had two and three alleles. The mean number of alleles per locus per sample ranged from 2.0 to 4.6 for species A and from 1.4 to 3.8 in species B. Mean observed heterozygosity was 0.385 for species A and 0.363 for species B. The geographic distribution of genotypes was significantly non-random for all tested loci in both species. Eight of 47 alleles in species A and 15 of 28 in species B were restricted to a single site. Allelic accumulation percentages were calculated for several orderings of samples - level of heterozygosity, sample size and geographic position. In all orderings three or more samples must be included for more than three-quarters of alleles to be represented.

Gangliocytic paraganglioma of the duodenum.

In spite of possessing microscopic features of invasiveness, the clinical behaviour of duodenal gangliocytic paraganglioma is benign. The operation of choice for removal of the tumour is local excision. This conservative approach was used in the case of a 70-year-old white women who presented with occult gastrointestinal bleeding. The unusual histologic features of this woman's tumour are discussed. Although the tumour appears to be aggressive no recurrence has been reported to date following adequate local excision of a duodenal gangliocytic paraganglioma.