/library/oar/handle/123456789/417 Fri, 26 Dec 2025 06:04:00 GMT 2025-12-26T06:04:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/141019 Title: First record of Duilius bipunctatus (Fieber, 1866) (Hemiptera : Auchenorrhyncha : Cixiidae), a Tamarix-feeding planthopper, from Malta Authors: Gjonov, Ilia; Mifsud, David Abstract: The genus Duilius Stål, 1858 is a member of the planthopper family Cixiidae and the sole representative of the tribe Duiliini Emeljanov, 2002. Currently, 22 species of the genus are known, which are grouped into three subgenera: Duilius Stål (17 species), Duiliopsisde Bergevin, 1933 (1 species) and BitropisDlabola, 1985 (4 species) (Emeljanov, 2015, Bourgoin, 2019, Dmitriev et al. 2022 onward). Species in this genus are distinguished from other cixiids by the following morphological features: elongated and slender body, obsoletekeels on the postclypeus, lack of medianocellus, distinct median keel on the vertex and three mesonotal keels (Emeljanov 2002, 2015, Holzinger 2002). They are distributed in the Palaearctic and Ethiopian realms (Huang & Holzinger 2010). Most species are recorded from plants of the genus TamarixL. (Tamaricaceae) (Emeljanov 2012). Three species, namely D.bipunctatus(Fieber, 1866), D. seticulosus (Lethierry, 1874) and D. viridulus(Horváth, 1895), are recorded from Europe, having a mainly Mediterranean distribution. All three species are known to occur in Sicily, with which the Maltese islands share a common geological history, at least during the Glacial Maximum when the Sicilian south-eastern corner was connected to the Malta-Gozo insular system by a narrow strip of land (Cappadonia et al. 2018). Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/141019 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/140782 Title: Apis florea in Europe : first report of the dwarf honey bee in Malta Authors: Uzunov, Aleksandar; Galea, Thomas; Chen, Chao; Cilia, Giovanni; Costa, Cecilia; Mifsud, David Abstract: The Red dwarf honey bee (Apis florea), is a single-comb open-nesting member of the genus Apis with a natural distribution area stretching from the Indomalayan realm on the east to the Persian Gulf on the west. However, it is reportedly colonising new territories mainly due to anthropogenic activities. Nowadays it can be found from Taiwan on the east, to Jordan, the Arabian Peninsula and North-eastern Africa on the west. Here we present the first scientific record of a fully established colony of A. florea in Europe. The colony was found on Malta, a crossway of naval routes in the Mediterranean Sea. We documented the incident with photos, collected samples of workers and drones and sequenced the mtDNA COI gene to confirm assignment to A. florea. Also, we alert the competent authorities and the beekeeping community to be vigilant and ready to undertake effective eradication measures. In the paper, we discuss the risks and the potential consequences associated with the invasion of A. florea in Europe. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/140782 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/140781 Title: HBeeID : a molecular tool that identifies honey bee subspecies from different geographic populations Authors: Donthu, Ravikiran; Marcelino, Jose A. P.; Giordano, Rosanna; Tao, Yudong; Weber, Everett; Avalos, Arian; Band, Mark; Akraiko, Tatsiana; Chen, Shu‑Ching; Reyes, Maria P.; Hao, Haiping; Ortiz‑Alvarado, Yarira; A. Cuff, Charles; Pérez Claudio, Eddie; Soto‑Adames, Felipe; Smith‑Pardo, Allan H.; Meikle, William G.; Evans, Jay D.; Giray, Tugrul; Abdelkader, Faten B.; Allsopp, Mike; Ball, Daniel; Morgado, Susana B.; Barjadze, Shalva; Correa‑Benitez, Adriana; Chakir, Amina; Báez, David R.; Chavez, Nabor H. M.; Dalmon, Anne; Bugeja Douglas, Adrian; Fraccica, Carmen; Fernández‑Marín, Hermógenes; Galindo‑Cardona, Alberto; Guzman‑Novoa, Ernesto; Horsburgh, Robert; Kence, Meral; Kilonzo, Joseph; Kükrer, Mert; Le Conte, Yves; Mazzeo, Gaetana; Mota, Fernando; Muli, Elliud; Oskay, Devrim; Ruiz‑Martínez, José A.; Oliveri, Eugenia; Pichkhaia, Igor; Romane, Abderrahmane; Sanchez, Cesar Guillen; Sikombwa, Evans; Satta, Alberto; Scannapieco, Alejandra A.; Stanford, Brandi; Soroker, Victoria; Velarde, Rodrigo A.; Vercelli, Monica; Huang, Zachary Abstract: Background: Honey bees are the principal commercial pollinators. Along with other arthropods, they are increasingly under threat from anthropogenic factors such as the incursion of invasive honey bee subspecies, pathogens and parasites. Better tools are needed to identify bee subspecies. Genomic data for economic and ecologically important organisms is increasing, but in its basic form its practical application to address ecological problems is limited. Results: We introduce HBeeID a means to identify honey bees. The tool utilizes a knowledge-based network and diagnostic SNPs identified by discriminant analysis of principle components and hierarchical agglomerative clustering. Tests of HBeeID showed that it identifies African, Americas-Africanized, Asian, and European honey bees with a high degree of certainty even when samples lack the full 272 SNPs of HBeeID. Its prediction capacity decreases with highly admixed samples. Conclusion: HBeeID is a high-resolution genomic, SNP based tool, that can be used to identify honey bees and screen species that are invasive. Its flexible design allows for future improvements via sample data additions from other localities. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/140781 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/139213 Title: Further records of social parasitic ants in Europe and review of the Bulgarian species Authors: Lapeva-Gjonova, Albena; Csősz, Sándor; Mifsud, David Abstract: Social parasitic ants exploit the colonies of other ant species, either permanently or temporarily. The permanent parasites are amongst the rarest species of ants, although their hosts may be very common. Due to their rarity and often restricted distribution range, most of them are listed as vulnerable. Filling in the gaps in geographical and host ranges will advance our understanding of the social parasitic lifestyle's origin and evolution. Mon, 01 Jan 2024 00:00:00 GMT /library/oar/handle/123456789/139213 2024-01-01T00:00:00Z