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Ecosystem monitoring, particularly of freshwater ecosystems, is critical for long-term management of impacted areas. However, current approaches do not account for sublethal effects on populations, and detection of impact can only be made after the fact. One method to resolve this is to use an ecotoxicogenomic approach to assess changes in expression of stress response genes in target species. Cricotopus Van Der Wulp is a diverse genus of non-biting midges that in Australia occupies a wide range of lotic freshwater ecosystems, with marked variation among species in their pollution tolerance. The species Cricotopus albitarsis, Cricotopus draysoni and Cricotopus parbicinctus are considered to be particularly tolerant and often co-occur, thus presenting an ideal system for exploring transcriptome-level differences to understand and identify potential candidate molecular proxies for stream impact. This first requires a critical mass of transcriptome data from natural populations. This project addresses this by sampling the three target species from two locations in southeast Queensland in which they occur in sympatry. Larval transcriptomes were sequenced using either 50 bp single-end or 100 bp paired-end chemistries and assembly following read quality control produced 46 380, 17 167 and 27 125 transcripts for C. draysoni, C. albitarsis and C. parbicinctus, respectively. Comparative analyses suggest broad similarities among species, reflecting their common heritage; however some key differences are noted. Cricotopus albitarsis and C. draysoni appeared to lack expression of chemorepellent genes, generally involved in predator avoidance. Cricotopus parbicinctus possessed an apparently unique cluster of proteins associated with antioxidant activity - generally involved in mediating oxidative stress. Additionally, C. draysoni possessed a unique cluster associated with storage of nutrients in the fat body, a body part where some pollutants are known bioaccumulate. Taken together, this study represents the first analysis of transcriptomes of natural populations of Australian chironomids and will underpin future assessments of differential gene expression and data mining for candidate genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers news briefs of Queensland as of August 1, 2016. A fruit fly identification training course held at Ecosciences Precinct in Brisbane, Queensland in April 2016. An announcement of market access protocol for nectarinesto China by the DAF Market Access Team. A broadcast documentary on bioluminescence in the University of Queensland (UQ).

In the century since the description of the orthoclad genus Paratrichocladius Santos- Abreu ( Diptera: Chironomidae), separation in any life stage from the cosmopolitan, diverse Cricotopus Wulp has been problematic. Molecular analysis reveals the presence of two species in Australia that conform in morphology to Paratrichocladius and which form a well-supported clade including Paratrichocladius micans ( Kieffer) from Africa and a distinct southern African larva. This clade clusters with taxa allied with Cricotopus albitibia ( Walker), in turn nested within all other sampled Australian Cricotopus. Relevant nodes strongly support Cricotopus as nonmonophyletic without inclusion of Paratrichocladius. We synonymize Paratrichocladius with Cricotopus syn.n, treating Paratrichocladius as a subgenus. Cricotopus ( Paratrichocladius) australiensis Cranston sp.n. is described for Trichocladius pluriserialis Freeman from Australia, which is not the same species under that name in New Zealand. Cricotopus ( Paratrichocladius) bifenestrus Cranston sp.n. from Australia is described, also in all life stages. The many new combinations, listed in an Appendix, include three replacement names for new secondary homonyms, namely: Cricotopus ( Paratrichocladius) sinobicinctus Cranston & Krosch nom.n. for Paratrichocladius bicinctus Fu, Sæther & Wang, Cricotopus draysoni Cranston & Krosch nom.n. for Cricotopus brevicornis Drayson, Krosch & Cranston, and Cricotopus ( Paratrichocladius) sikhotealinus Makarchenko & Makarchenko nom.n. for Cricotopus orientalis Kieffer. We conclude with comments on wider issues in the taxonomy of Paratrichocladius, especially concerning New Zealand species. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge on the evolution of the New Zealand insect fauna is reviewed and outstanding questions are highlighted. The New Zealand insect fauna is a composite of old and recent lineages and many spectacular examples of evolutionary processes are evident, including species radiations, hybridisation and unusual adaptations. We discuss the origins and evolution of four prominent communities within the insect fauna: terrestrial lowland insects, alpine insects, aquatic insects and insect communities from offshore islands. Within each of these communities, significant lineages are discussed, and in particular the crucial adaptations that enable these lineages to thrive and diversify. Glacial history has had a dramatic impact on the New Zealand insects, and the effects on different lineages are discussed. The New Zealand insects are unique, yet many are threatened with extinction, and efforts to preserve the fauna are reviewed. Despite the accumulating knowledge, major gaps still exist and these are outlined, as are opportunities to address key questions. The review concludes with a synthesis and a discussion of how systematics, new technologies and integrative approaches have the promise to improve dramatically our understanding of New Zealand insect evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of linking an offender to a crime scene via their fingerprints has historically required significant human effort to compare latent fingerprints recovered from the scene with known fingerprints of a suspect. Increasing the speed of such comparisons, whilst maintaining accuracy and reliability and minimising error, is crucial for providing rapid intelligence to police investigators. One major opportunity for streamlining fingerprint examination is the adaptation of 'lights-out' technology to the comparison and matching of latent fingerprints. Here, we review the development, trial and validation process undertaken by the Queensland Police Service (QPS), Australia, to support implementation of a lights-out latent (LOL) workflow for automated latent fingerprint searching that is fully integrated with the existing case management systems. Targeted trials were undertaken using random selections of previously identified latent fingerprints that were searched using the LOL workflow against a local 10-print database. The results suggested that the LOL workflow could identify up to 44% of latent fingerprints with minimal human intervention and supported its implementation for all latent fingerprint comparisons in QPS casework. Review of LOL casework comparison outcomes for 2019 revealed that LOL-based identifications contributed approximately one quarter of all fingerprint identifications. Several procedural and technical factors that influenced the speed and efficiency of the LOL workflow are discussed, along with opportunities for improvement and future validation as an expert system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]