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Udeus Champion, 1902 is a weevil genus in the tribe Eugnomini associated with the inflorescences of Cecropia Loefl. (Urticaceae), with 11 valid species distributed in the Neotropics. Species of Udeus are generally rare in collections and their biology is poorly known, despite a high abundance in nature. Here, we describe Udeus cerradensis Lira, de Medeiros & Grossi, sp. nov. from the Brazilian Cerrado, including the first descriptions of larvae and pupae for a Neotropical eugnomine. We assess their role as potential pollinators of their host plant Cecropia saxatilis Snethl. and find that adults do not visit pistillate flowers and therefore are unlikely to be pollinators. This contrasts with previous reports in a different pair of species in Cecropia‐Udeus, suggesting that pollinator agents vary between species in this plant genus. Finally, we provide notes about the predation of larvae of U. cerradensis by social wasps Synoeca surinama (L.) and Protopolybia aff. sedula (Saussure), revealing that, in this instance, an endophytic larva does not prevent predation by a behaviourally flexible predator. This study is the first of a series on the natural history of Udeus and their specialised interactions with host plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, a comprehensive cytogenetic analysis of three species of tenebrionid beetles: Alphitobius diaperinus, Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio, is presented. This paper also contains a review of the cytogenetic information for each species and adds new data. The male karyotype of both T. molitor and Z. morio is 2n = 18 + Xyp, with large heterochromatic blocks in the pericentromeric regions of all chromosomes. The male A. diaperinus karyotype is 2n = 18 + X0, also with heterochromatic pericentromeric regions in all chromosomes. The location of the nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) differs in each species: in A. diaperinus, it is located on the smallest pair of autosomes, while in T. molitor, it is on two pairs of autosomes and both sex chromosomes. In contrast, it is exclusively located on the X chromosome in Z. morio. Telomere analysis revealed that all species have TCAGG repeats in their telomeres, but lack the canonical TTAGG insect telomeric motif. In addition, a study of the distribution of satellite DNA and composition revealed that each species has a main satellite DNA family forming the pericentromeric heterochromatin. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of each of these satellites did not produce hybridization signal in the other two species, indicating a divergence in repetitive DNA composition among them. This study adds to the understanding of chromosomal organization, heterochromatin distribution and repetitive DNA dynamics in tenebrionid beetles and sheds light on their cytogenetic diversity and evolutionary significance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Cleopus Dejean, 1821, a genus belonging to the tribe Cionini Schoenherr, 1825 of the large subfamily Curculioninae and the family Curculionidae, is distributed in the Oriental and Palaearctic regions. This paper reviews all valid species of the genus based on morphological characters for the first time. Five already known species are redescribed, and thirteen species new to the science are described. This is the fourth part of the revision of the tribe Cionini after three revisions of Palaearctic, Afrotropical, and Oriental species of the genus Cionus Clairville, 1798. Beside detailed descriptions and redescriptions, illustrations of habitus and male genitalia, diagnoses, remarks and comparative notes, biological notes, distribution, lists of examined specimens, and a key to all valid species are given. The genus Cleopus Dejean, 1821 is herein revised for the first time. Based on adult morphological characteristics, 18 species are recognized as valid. Thirteen species, all distributed in the Eastern Palaearctis or Oriental region, are described as new: C. aduncirostris sp. n.; C. cognatus sp. n.; C. confusus sp. n.; C. dohertyi sp. n.; C. hajeki sp. n.; C. lirenae sp. n.; C. longitarsis sp. n.; C. minutus sp. n.; C. pallidisquamosus sp. n.; C. parvidentatus sp. n.; C. philippinensis sp. n.; C. simillimus sp. n.; and C. subaequalis sp. n. Lectotypes of following two valid species and three synonyms were designated: Curculio solani Fabricius, 1792; Curculio pulchellus Herbst, 1795; Cionus setiger Germar, 1821; Curculio immunis Marsham, 1802; and Cleopus pulchellus rigidus Stephens, 1831. Neotypes of Curculio perpensus Rossi, 1792 and Cleopus pulchellus flavus Stephens, 1832 were designated. The following new synonyms of Cleopus pulchellus (Herbst, 1795) were established: Cleopus pulchellus var. flavus Stephens, 1831 syn. n. and C. pulchellus var. rigidus Stephens, 1831 syn. n. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several important papers discussing phoretic dispersal in animals have appeared in recent years, but the nature and evolutionary significance of the phenomenon are still not fully understood. This article reviews the current knowledge of this behaviour in Uropodina mites, which disperse at the deutonymphal stage. We first examine the morphological and behavioural attributes of Uropodina deutonymphs involved in phoretic dispersal. We then provide a systematic review of the animals that carry Uropodina, and examine the carrier-specificity of 30 well-known species. Most species are associated with a single family of carriers, or at most, two families. The available information shows that phoretic deutonymphs of most species do not show any preference for male or female carriers. The spatial pattern of attachment of phoretic deutonymphs varies according to the identity of the carrier insect. The nature of deutonymph infestation depends on the size and morphology of both the mite and its carrier. Successful phoresy also depends on synchronisation of the life cycles of the mite and its carrier, but the temporal dynamics of phoresy remain particularly poorly studied. Phoresy has ecological and evolutionary consequences for both the Uropodina and their carriers. Future research on phoresy will benefit from studies of its evolutionary development, the reasons why beetles appear to be specially favoured as carriers, how phoretic mites affect the insect that carries them, and how the apparent global decline in insect populations is affecting their symbiotic mites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve performance in terms of overshoot and motor response speed when a permanent-magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) with a proportional–integral (PI) controller is subjected to external disturbances, this paper proposes a speed control strategy based on an enhanced Beetle Antennae Search algorithm, which allows for adjustable parameters of the PI controller within a certain range. Firstly, to enhance the global and local search capabilities of each individual beetle, the step size was improved by linearly decreasing it. Secondly, a simulation model of a PMSM closed-loop control system was built to verify the effectiveness of the improved Beetle Antennae Search (BAS) algorithm. Finally, a linear feedback shift register model that generates four random numbers was developed on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The improved BAS algorithm for the PMSM control system was implemented on an FPGA using the Verilog hardware description language, and the feasibility of the system was verified through hardware simulation. Additionally, the hardware resource consumption on different FPGA platforms was analyzed. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed new speed control strategy can reduce the overshoot and improve the motor response speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper highlighted the occurrence of Timarcha turbida (Erichson 1841) as an artichoke pest for the first time in Tunisian crops. In fact, Timarcha was never be reported previously to develop on a Compositae (Asteraceae) host plant. Here, larva and adult stages of the pest are described and host plants affinities in genus Timarcha are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: There is increasing interest in the study of how the ongoing climate change is affecting insect populations. However, most research has been focused on a limited number of groups that are particularly charismatic or expected to respond more clearly to climate change. Moreover, most research has been developed in a few areas (especially northern and central European countries), while others (such as the Mediterranean basin) have been largely overlooked. Therefore, more empirical research is needed, particularly on less charismatic species, groups that are expected to react less dramatically to climatic change, and key areas that are still poorly investigated. This study investigates changes in distributional and activity patterns in a common, ecologically tolerant, forest tenebrionid beetle in a region (central Italy) within the Mediterranean biodiversity hotspot, an area strongly subjected to the ongoing climate change, but for which research is still limited. By analyzing changes in elevation, latitude, longitude, and seasonal activity between 1900–1980 and 1981–2022, the results provided insights into the potential effects of climate change on this species. The beetle's average values of elevation and latitude were found to have been increased in the second period. In response to rising temperatures, the species became more frequent at higher elevation and in northern places. No strong evidence was found for an earlier species seasonal activity, but this could be due to the inclusion in the analysis of likely overwintering individuals. The findings suggest that even thermally tolerant species can undergo distributional shifts in elevation and latitude, even at a relatively small scale. There is an increasing volume of literature on the impact of climate change on insects. However, there is an urgent need for more empirical research on underrepresented groups in key areas, including species for which the effects of climatic change may seem less evident. The present paper illustrates the results of a study on a common forest tenebrionid beetle, Accanthopus velikensis (Piller and Mitterpacher, 1783), at a regional scale within the Mediterranean basin. Using a large set of records from Latium (central Italy), changes in the median values of elevation, latitude, longitude, and phenology between two periods (1900–1980 vs. 1981–2022) were tested. Records of A. velikensis in the period 1981–2022 showed median values of elevation and latitude higher than those recorded in the first period. Thus, in response to rising temperatures, the species became more frequent at higher elevation and in northern places. By contrast, A. velikensis does not seem to have changed its activity pattern in response to increased temperatures, but this might be an artifact due to the inclusion of likely overwintering individuals. The results obtained for A. velikensis indicate that even thermally euryoecious species can show changes in their elevational and latitudinal distribution, and that poleward shifts can be apparent even within a small latitudinal gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) are the ultimate solution for preventing road accidents, which result in the loss of precious human life worldwide. In this context, effective communication between the vehicular nodes is essential due to the varying network topology and high vehicular mobility inherent with VANETs. Cluster‐based routing is identified to be a significant approach for achieving efficient routing and improving communication proficiency in VANETs. In this paper, a beetle colony optimization algorithm–based clustering scheme (BCOACS) is proposed for generating optimized clusters for facilitating reliable data dissemination. This BCOACS algorithm includes two vital strategies such as beetle antenna search (BAS) and swarm intelligence for attaining inter‐cluster and intra‐cluster communications. In specific, BAS strategy that includes random search attributed toward gradient direction is used for intra‐cluster communication without using the complete amount of gradient information. On the other hand, a swarm intelligence strategy that encompasses a collective approach of self‐organized and decentralized agents is used for inter‐cluster communication with the view to minimize the load on each cluster head (CH) and to extend the clusters' lifetime. The simulation outcomes of the proposed BCOACS scheme confirmed improved performance in optimizing the number of constructed clusters independent of the increase in the network grid size, transmission range, and number of vehicular nodes in the network compared to the benchmarked approaches. The results also confirmed that the proposed BCOACS scheme achieved a maximized throughput of 13.42%, with reduced delay and protocol overhead of 18.96% and 19.45%, better than the benchmarked schemes used for investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica, is a highly polyphagous Scarabaeidae native to Japan that colonized North America and Azores in the last century and has recently invaded Italy and Switzerland. Considering its economic impact on the horticulture and turfgrass industries, this species was ranked within the EU priority pests list in 2019. According to the EU Convention on Biological Diversity, the identification of invasion routes is a pivotal aspect in an effective management program aimed at controlling invasive alien species. To reconstruct the source of introductions of this pest, we investigated the genetic variability of P. japonica in its native and invaded areas worldwide by analyzing 9 microsatellite loci and two mitochondrial genes, COX I and CytB. In its native area, P. japonica is structured into two populations: one in the southern and another in the northern-central region of Japan. A limited area within central Japan was identified as the putative source of the North American outbreak. Moreover, the ABC inference and phylogeographic reconstruction suggest that two European populations originated from two independent introductions. The Azores Islands outbreak occurred approximately 50 years ago and originated from the southeastern region of North America (For simplicity, in this paper North America refers to Canada and the USA), while the second introduction, more recently, occurred in Italy and Switzerland and originated from northeastern region of North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phlyctinus callosus and P. xerophilus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are two cryptic species of native entimine weevils, previously grouped together under the P. callosus sensu lato concept, that are pests of economic importance to the deciduous fruit and vine industry in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Laboratory bioassays were conducted using entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) isolates of Beauveria and entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs), Heterorhabditis indica and Steinernema yirgalemense, to determine differences in susceptibility of adult P. callosus and P. xerophilus to potential biological control agents. The test arena used was 24‐well bioassay plates with an inoculation rate of 200 infective juveniles (IJs)/insect for EPNs and 5 × 105 conidia/insect for EPF. Insects were inoculated using a 12.7 mm filter paper impregnated with 50 μL of entomopathogen suspension. Infection was determined after 96 h incubation for EPNs through dissection of cadavers. Insects inoculated with EPF were incubated in the wells for 18 days and mortality recorded daily. Cadavers were surface sterilized and observed for overt mycosis. Differential susceptibility between P. callosus and P. xerophilus was observed in EPF but not in EPN bioassays. Differential susceptibility to EPF could be due to methodology. Low adult weevil pathogenicity was found for all entomopathogens, with variable results obtained from different bioassay batches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aiming at the problems of identifying storage pest tobacco pest beetles from images that have few object pixels and considerable image noise, and therefore suffer from lack of information and identifiable features, this paper proposes an automatic monitoring method of tobacco beetle based on Multi-scale Global residual Feature Pyramid Network and Dual-path Deformable Attention (MGrFPN-DDrGAM). Firstly, a Multi-scale Global residual Feature Pyramid Network (MGrFPN) is constructed to obtain rich high-level semantic features and more complete information on low-level features to reduce missed detection; Then, a Dual-path Deformable receptive field Guided Attention Module (DDrGAM) is designed to establish long-range channel dependence, guide the effective fusion of features and improve the localization accuracy of tobacco beetles by fitting the spatial geometric deformation features of and capturing the spatial information of feature maps with different scales to enrich the feature information in the channel and spatial. Finally, to simulate a real scene, a multi-scene tobacco beetle dataset is created. The dataset includes 28,080 images and manually labeled tobacco beetle objects. The experimental results show that under the framework of the Faster R-CNN algorithm, the detection precision and recall rate of this method can reach 91.4% and 98.4% when the intersection ratio (IoU) is 0.5. Compared with Faster R-CNN and FPN, when the intersection ratio (IoU) is 0.7, the detection precision is improved by 32.9% and 6.9%, respectively. The proposed method is superior to the current mainstream methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces Bityle oriens sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Apomecynini) from Boston, Province of Davao Oriental, Philippines. A catalog of the known species of the genus Bityle is also presented. Coleoptera expeditions need to be undertaken to discover more novel species, especially in the understudied islands of the Philippine archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The range of interactions between Cladosporium, a ubiquitous fungal genus, and insects, a class including about 60% of the animal species, is extremely diverse. The broad case history of antagonism and mutualism connecting Cladosporium and insects is reviewed in this paper based on the examination of the available literature. Certain strains establish direct interactions with pests or beneficial insects or indirectly influence them through their endophytic development in plants. Entomopathogenicity is often connected to the production of toxic secondary metabolites, although there is a case where these compounds have been reported to favor pollinator attraction, suggesting an important role in angiosperm reproduction. Other relationships include mycophagy, which, on the other hand, may reflect an ecological advantage for these extremely adaptable fungi using insects as carriers for spreading in the environment. Several Cladosporium species colonize insect structures, such as galleries of ambrosia beetles, leaf rolls of attelabid weevils and galls formed by cecidomyid midges, playing a still uncertain symbiotic role. Finally, the occurrence of Cladosporium in the gut of several insect species has intriguing implications for pest management, also considering that some strains have proven to be able to degrade insecticides. These interactions especially deserve further investigation to understand the impact of these fungi on pest control measures and strategies to preserve beneficial insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The phylogenetic status of the family Nitidulidae and its sister group relationship remain controversial. Also, the phylogenetic status of the subfamily Meligethinae and its phylogenetic relationships with other subfamilies of Nitidulidae are not fully understood. Mitochondrial genome sequences can be used to study species identification, phylogeny, and population genetic structure, and to provide valuable molecular markers for further genetic studies. In this paper, two complete mitochondrial genomes of Meligethinae were provided for the first time, and the phylogenetic status of the family Nitidulidae and subfamily Meligethinae were explored based on the complete mitochondrial genomes. A comparative analysis of the general characteristics and non-coding region patterns of the complete mitochondrial genomes of Meligethinus tschungseni and Brassicogethes affinis revealed that the base composition and mitochondrial genome structure of these two species are markedly different. Given the results of the phylogenetic analysis based on 20 mitochondrial genomes, the status of Nitidulidae and its sister group relationship is discussed. We also attempted to analyze the taxonomic status of Meligethinae and its sister group relationship. This study will provide a basis for further studies on the higher phylogeny of Nitidulidae. The phylogenetic status of the family Nitidulidae and its sister group relationship remain controversial. Also, the status of the subfamily Meligethinae is not fully understood, and previous studies have been mainly based on morphology, molecular fragments, and biological habits, rather than the analysis of the complete mitochondrial genome. Up to now, there has been no complete mitochondrial genome report of Meligethinae. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genomes of Meligethinus tschungseni and Brassicogethes affinis (both from China) were provided, and they were compared with the existing complete mitochondrial genomes of Nitidulidae. The phylogenetic analysis among 20 species of Coleoptera was reconstructed via PhyloBayes analysis and Maximum likelihood (ML) analysis, respectively. The results showed that the full lengths of Meligethinus tschungseni and Brassicogethes affinis were 15,783 bp and 16,622 bp, and the AT contents were 77% and 76.7%, respectively. Each complete mitochondrial genome contains 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs), 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs), and a control region (A + T-rich region). All the PCGs begin with the standard start codon ATN (ATA, ATT, ATG, ATC). All the PCGs terminate with a complete terminal codon, TAA or TAG, except cox1, cox2, nad4, and nad5, which terminate with a single T. Furthermore, all the tRNAs have a typical clover-leaf secondary structure except trnS1, whose DHU arm is missing in both species. The two newly sequenced species have different numbers and lengths of tandem repeat regions in their control regions. Based on the genetic distance and Ka/Ks analysis, nad6 showed a higher variability and faster evolutionary rate. Based on the available complete mitochondrial genomes, the results showed that the four subfamilies (Nitidulinae, Meligethinae, Carpophilinae, Epuraeinae) of Nitidulidae formed a monophyletic group and further supported the sister group relationship of Nitidulidae + Kateretidae. In addition, the taxonomic status of Meligethinae and the sister group relationship between Meligethinae and Nitidulinae (the latter as currently circumscribed) were also preliminarily explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Illeis chinensis feeds on various powdery mildews. It plays a vital role in spreading spores. This paper provides a detailed description of the fine morphology of each of the mouthparts of I. chinensis along with a careful identification and classification of its diverse sensilla types. Specifically, the differences between I. chinensis and predatory ladybeetles are compared, and the functions of each of the mouthparts, as well as their different kinds of sensilla, are discussed. The morphological diversity of insect mouthparts is closely related to changes in food sources and diets. Research into the structures of insect mouthparts may help to establish a fundamental basis for a better understanding of insect feeding mechanisms. In this study, we examined the fine morphology of the mouthparts of Illeis chinensis using scanning electron microscopy. We paid particular attention to the types, quantities, and distribution of sensilla on the mouthparts. Our results showed that the basic components of the mouthparts of I. chinensis are the same as those in other lady beetles, i.e., the labrum, mandible, maxillae, labium, and hypopharynx. We also found structural specialization indicating adaptation to fungal feeding. On the mouthparts, there are eight kinds of sensilla and two kinds of glandular structures, including sensilla chaetica, sensilla basiconica, sensilla styloconica, sensilla coeloconica, sensilla campaniformia, sensilla placodea, sensilla digitiformia, Böhm bristles, perforated plates, and cuticular pores. This is the first time that sensilla digitiformia has been reported in ladybirds. Finally, variations in mouthparts among ladybirds with differing diets, as well as the putative functions of each of the mouthparts and sensilla, were discussed. This research can provide a reference for understanding the functions of the mouthparts in ladybird feeding behavior and thereby contribute to the development of precise insect behavior regulation and management strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to update the list of Nitidulidae species observed on date palms in Algeria (Ziban region), their spatial dynamics according to the development stages (larva, pupa, adult), and the effectiveness of the bagging operation. In 2020, we sampled and examined 1800 dates of the Deglet Nour variety from three palm groves managed with different protection modes: yellow bagging, white bagging, and no bagging. The results obtained mention the presence of nine species of Nitidulidae with five species reported for the first time on dates in Algeria. The highest relative abundance (RA) of Nitidulidae beetles was noted in the southern (28%) direction. However, the variation of infestation rate (IR) according to the direction was not very accentuated. The GLM analysis showed that, except for the adult stage, the direction presented a highly significant effect on the RA variation of the total Nitudilidae, the larva and pupa stages (p < 0.0001), but there was no significant effect of direction on the IR in all studied cases. The highest RA of total Nitidulidae was found on the white plastic-protected dates (RA = 42%), the IR of the total Nitidulidae was higher on dates protected by yellow plastic (IR = 38%). The unprotected dates recorded the lowest RA and IR for all studied cases and the effect of bagging type on the RA variation of Nitidulidae, in all studied cases, was statistically highly significant (p < 0.0001). This effect on the IR was very highly significant only for total Nitudilidae, larvae, and adults (p < 0.0001). So, the southern direction presents the best conditions for sheltering the largest numbers of Nitidulidae. The latter also has a marked preference for bunches covered by plastic bags rather than for those left uncovered. This implies the ineffectiveness of the operation of protecting dates with plastic bags, especially the yellow-coloured ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the least studied eyes of any beetle taxon are those of the scarabaeoid family Passalidae. Some members of this family of around 600 species worldwide are known to have superposition eyes (Aceraius grandis; A. hikidai) while others have apposition eyes (Cylindrocaulus patalis ; Ceracupes yui). In C. yui of nearly 3 cm body length (this paper) the retinal layer is very thin and occupies approximately half of an ommatidium's total length, the latter amounting to 284 and 266 μm in the respective dorsal and ventral eye regions. The two eye regions are almost completely separated by a prominent cuticular canthus, a feature usually associated with the presence of a tracheal tapetum, a clear-zone between dioptric and light-perceiving structures and a regular array of smooth facets. In C. yui the facets are smooth (but not very regular) and a tracheal tapetum and a clear-zone are absent. The rhabdoms, formed by 8–9 retinula cells, are complicated, multilobed structures with widths and lengths of around 15 and 80 μm, respectively. The combination of some superposition and mostly apposition eye features, e.g., extensive corneal exocones, relatively small number of ommatidia, absence of a clear-zone and tracheal bush, suggest an adaptation of this species' eye to the fossorial lifestyle of C. yui , and, thus, a manifestation of the passalid eye's plasticity. • First detailed ultrastructural study of the eye of a passalid from Taiwan. • Description of a scarabaeoid beetle eye in which apposition features dominate. • Eye adaptations to accommodate the species' fossorial lifestyle. • Compromise between adaptations to protect the eye against physical damage and to retain some sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new bionic multicellular thin-walled circular tube was proposed to enhance structural crashworthiness. • Bionic multicellular structures exhibit significant energy absorption advantages than traditional ribbed structures. • Characteristic structure and branching number N have remarkable effect on the energy absorption characteristic. • The theoretical analysis model can predict well the energy absorption and mean crushing force (F m) for BMTC tubes. Inspired by the microstructure of the beetle's elytra, a new bionic polycellular tube protective structure based on the fractal principle was proposed in this paper, and its energy absorption characteristics were studied. Firstly, the typical microstructures of two-branch structure (type A), three-branch structure (type B) and mixed-branch structure (type C) of the beetle's elytra were extracted. Based on that, three types of the bionic multicellular thin-walled circular tube (BMTC) were designed, and the reliability of finite element models was verified by experiments. Secondly, the energy absorption characteristics and crushing mechanism of three groups of BMTCs were compared and analyzed by LS-DYNA software, and the analytical expression of mean crushing force (F m) for BMTCs was established. The results show that the energy absorption structures of type B have better comprehensive energy absorption characteristics. Compared with the traditional ribbed structure, specific energy absorption (SEA) of BMTCs is increased by 36.75 %. In addition, when the central column is connected to the three ribs, the central column has the best deformation resistance. Moreover, the theoretical solutions matched well with the results of numerical simulation. Consequently, the research results provide inspiration for the design of energy absorption protection devices, and theoretical guidance for the analysis of energy absorption characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent study published in the journal PLoS ONE examined the relationship between Black-backed Woodpeckers and wood-boring beetles in burned forests. The researchers developed a multi-trophic occupancy model to analyze how the populations of these species change over time following a fire. They found that evidence of beetle larvae was a good predictor of woodpecker presence in the first few years after a fire, but became less reliable as time went on. The study also highlighted the importance of considering pyrodiversity, or the variation in fire characteristics, in wildlife habitat assessments for post-fire management. Another paper published in Ecological Applications evaluated different statistical models that predicted Black-backed Woodpecker use of burned forests, emphasizing the impact of timing and variation in fire characteristics on habitat use. These studies provide valuable insights into the dynamics of woodpeckers and beetles in post-fire landscapes, which can inform forest management practices. [Extracted from the article]

Purpose: Phonecards were largely used in African countries for telephone services. They have been collected by people around the world as a hobby. Images from several themes were printed in phonecards, including insects (beetles, butterflies, dragonflies, etc.). We hypothesized that the display of butterfly images in phonecards aimed to arise issues associated with butterfly endangerment and conservation status by protecting their natural habitat and/or butterfly beautifulness, and that they present "extinct" or "threatened" conservation status classification. The purpose of this study is to describe how butterfly images were used in African phonecards; to identify the butterfly species name through their images and information available in all African phonecards; and to record the most recent known geographical distribution and conservation status of butterflies. Design/methodology/approach: Colnect database was assessed to identify all butterfly-themed African phonecards. International Union for Conservation of Nature database was also assessed to obtain information on the most recent known geographical distribution and conservation status of butterflies. Findings: The species name of butterflies was identified from 6 out of 18 African phonecards. The most recent known geographical distribution of butterflies was wide across Africa and conservation status of most genera is classified as "least concern". Originality/value: The display of butterfly images in African phonecards is mostly associated with their beautifulness and least related with butterfly conservation, protection and endangerment status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]