The first extensive analysis of species composition and abundance of stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) on soybean crops in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: Soybean is the third-greatest global commodity crop with respect to grain production, Brazil is the largest soybean producer in the world. We performed the first extensive survey including all the five main soybean cultivation regions in Brazil over three seasons (2018/2019, 2019/2020, and 2020/2021). A total of 2386 localities were sampled, corresponding to 145 municipalities in 11 states. Sampling was carried out between the R1 and R8 soybean growth stages, using a beating sheet. RESULTS: Fifteen species were recorded, with five species accounting for more than 99% of the sampled insects. The Neotropical brown stink bug, Euschistus heros (F.), was the most abundant species (82.4% of the adults and 84.1% of the nymphs overall), with differences in the mean abundance between soybean macroregions. The melacanthus green belly stink bug, Diceraeus melacanthus Dallas was the second most abundant species overall, followed by the brown winged stink bug, Edessa meditabunda (F.), the furcatus green belly stink bug, Diceraeus furcatus (F.) and the red-banded green stink bug, Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood). The relative abundance of each species differed between soybean macroregions. The mean abundance of nymphs and adults of Euschistus heros at different soybean reproductive stages showed an increase from early reproductive stages to the beginning of the late reproductive stages (R5 or R6). CONCLUSION: This large-scale assessment of stink bugs provides a basis for outlining integrated pest management programs and drives the development of monitoring and control strategies, as well as future studies investigating population dynamics over time and space in soybean fields. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.

Molecular insights on the historical dispersion of Piezodorus guildinii (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in Brazil.

Piezodorus guildinii (Westwood, 1837) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is an important arthropod pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) throughout American continents. However, the historical events associated with its dispersion are poorly understood. In this study, we employed a phylogeographic approach to investigate the origin and demographic history of P. guildinii in Brazil. We analyzed the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I and Cytb gene sequences of P. guildinii individuals collected in Brazil's 5 soybean production macro-regions and cross-referenced this information with sequences available in public databases. Our findings support an older Caribbean basin establishment for the current genealogical strains of P. guildinii, with subsequent dispersion to Brazil around 0.97 Mya. No secondary dispersion of this species from the Caribbean region to soybean areas in Brazil was identified. The Brazilian populations of P. guildinii are genetically structured across the country's soybean macro-regions and show strong signals of continuous demographic and spatial expansion in Brazil, which may be accelerated by the soybean cropping landscape in the country. The populations from the northern region (MR5) are older than the Central and South populations. The signs of demographic expansion indicate that P. guildinii populations are increasing their effective size in soybean regions, which could reflect its importance as a soybean pest in the coming years.

Copulatory function and development shape modular architecture of genitalia differently in males and females.

Genitalia are multitasking structures whose development is mediated by numerous regulatory pathways. This multifactorial nature provides an avenue for multiple sources of selection. As a result, genitalia tend to evolve as modular systems comprising semi-independent subsets of structures, yet the processes that give rise to those patterns are still poorly understood. Here, we ask what are the relative roles of development and function in shaping modular patterns of genitalia within populations and across species of stink-bugs. We found that male genitalia are less integrated, more modular, and primarily shaped by functional demands. In contrast, females show higher integration, lower modularity, and a predominant role of developmental processes. Further, interactions among parts of each sex are more determinant to modularity than those between the sexes, and patterns of modularity are equivalent between and within species. Our results strongly indicate that genitalia have been subjected to sex-specific selection, although male and female genitalia are homologous and functionally associated. Moreover, modular patterns are seemingly constant in the evolutionary history of stink-bugs, suggesting a scenario of multivariate stabilizing selection within each sex. Our study demonstrates that interactions among genital parts of the same sex may be more fundamental to genital evolution than previously thought.

Integrating data to redescribe Euschistus taurulus Berg (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae).

The genus Euschistus Dallas includes 67 species restricted to the New World, and several species are registered on cultivated plants in the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. In South America, most Euschistus species are completely overlooked due to the lack of information to allow accurate identification. Here, we redescribed Euschistus taurulus Berg, including for the first time, characterization of the internal and external genitalia of both sexes. We also report original information on bionomics, review and update information on geographical distribution and host plants records. Additionally, we provide DNA barcoding sequences for E. taurulus and three other morphologically similar key-agriculture pest species in South America: Euschistus heros (Fabricius), Dichelops melacanthus (Dallas), and Dichelops furcatus (Fabricius). We discuss means for correct identification of E. taurulus and its phylogenetic position within Euschistus and other similar stink bugs; the potential economic importance of the E. taurulus is also addressed.

Resposta prolongada durante 43 ciclos de trastuzumabe entansina (T?DM1) em paciente com câncer de mama metastático com superexpressão de HER2: relato de caso / Prolonged response for 43 cycles of trastuzumab entansine (T?DM1) in apatient with metastatic breast cancer with HER2 overexpression: case report

O objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar o caso de uma paciente portadora de câncer de mama metas tático com superexpressão de HER2 que fez uso de trastuzumabe entansina (T DM1), enquanto randomizada em um estudo clínico de fase III e que apresentou resposta completa e duradora das lesões alvo. As informações foram obtidas por meio de revisão do prontuário, entrevista com a pa ciente e revisão de questionários aos quais a paciente foi submetida. Este relato de caso se justifica devido à longa duração de resposta clínica e à segurança de T DM1 como nova droga antiHER.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi relatar o caso de uma paciente portadora de câncer de mama metas tático com superexpressão de HER2 que fez uso de trastuzumabe entansina (T DM1), enquanto randomizada em um estudo clínico de fase III e que apresentou resposta completa e duradora das lesões alvo. As informações foram obtidas por meio de revisão do prontuário, entrevista com a pa ciente e revisão de questionários aos quais a paciente foi submetida. Este relato de caso se justifica devido à longa duração de resposta clínica e à segurança de T DM1 como nova droga antiHER.