Taxonomic changes are made based on checkered beetle (Coleoptera: Cleridae) types of the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH).Lectotypes are designated (and holotypes and paralectotypes recognized) for 44 species of Hydnocerinae, including the type species for Isolemidia, Parmius, Paupris, Allelidea, Blaesiopthalmus and Lemidia, four species of Enoclerus (Clerinae), and 14 species of Cymatodera (Tillinae). Annotations include comments on additional type material, new type locality, previous (type series) locality, and questionable or missing types. Phyllobaenus pallipes(Gorham) and P. rufithorax (Gorham) are synonymized with P. flavifemoratus(Gorham), P. chapini (Wolcott) is synonymized under P. lateralis (Gorham), and P. villosus (Schenkling) is synonymized under P. longus (LeConte), new synonymies. The first molecular phylogeny of the clerid lineage (Coleoptera: Cleridae, Thanerocleridae) is presented and compared with the two most recent phylogenetic hypotheses of the group. Phylogenetic relationships of checkered beetles wareere inferred from approximately 5,000 nucleotides amplified from four loci (28S, 16S, 12S, COI). A worldwide sample of ~70 genera is included and phylogenies are reconstructed using Bayesian Inference and Maximum Likelihood. The results are not entirely congruent with either of the current classification systems. Three major lineages are recognized. Tillinae are supported as the sister group to all other subfamilies, whereas Thaneroclerinae, Korynetinae sensu latu and a new subfamily formally described here, Epiclininae, new subfamily, form a sister group to Clerinae + Hydnocerinae. To assess the phylogeny and evolution of Hemiptera, a comprehensive mitogenomic analysis integrating mitogenome-based molecular phylogenetics, fossil-calibrated divergence dating (using BEAST), and ancestral state reconstructions are presented. The 81 sampled mitogenomes represent the most extensive mitogenomic analyses of Hemiptera to date. The putatively primitive “Homoptera” was previously rendered paraphyletic by Heteroptera, whereas the presented results support each group as monophyletic. The results from both diet and habitat ancestral state reconstructions support that 1) Heteroptera (and Homoptera) evolved from a phytophagous ancestor, contrary to the popular hypothesis that the ancestor was predaceous; and 2) family-level radiation of Heteroptera is coincident with the apically-produced labium and the novel hemelytron. It is here proposed these morphological innovations facilitated multiple independent shifts from phytophagy to predation and multiple independent colonizations of aquatic habitats.

The introductory part of this thesis sums up the state of knowledge on aposematism and mimicry, the effect of aposematic and mimetic signals on spider predators, and cases when spiders do not receive but send such signals. Attachments of the thesis include four original manuscripts. In the first study, we presented jumping spiders (Evarcha arcuata, Salticidae) with different colour forms (red-and-black, yellow-and-black, white-and-black) of the firebug (Pyrrhocoris apterus, Pyrrhocoridae). Our goal was to compare reactions of the spiders to various intensity of aposematic signalization, expecting red-and-black coloration to have the strongest effect. Aversive learning of all colour forms was equally effective, but generalization of the learned avoidance to other colour forms was more effective after switch from less (white-and-black, yellow-and-black) to more (red-and-black) conspicuously coloured prey. When tested the next day, avoidance of the white-and-black prey got mostly forgotten. In the second study, we assessed little studied sensitivity of spiders to smells of unpalatable prey. After jumping spiders learned to avoid firebugs, most of them avoided the firebug smell, showing their sensitivity not only to optical, but also to chemical part of signalization of the unpalatable prey. In the...

<p>Istraživanja faune stenica na prostoru Vojvodine u<br />poslednjih nekoliko decenija baziraju se pre svega na<br />praćenju brojnosti i &scaron;tetnosti vrsta u p&scaron;enici, lucerki i<br />soji. Malo je podataka o korisnim vrstama, kao i<br />drugim vrstama koji imaju mali ili gotovo beznačajan<br />uticaj na biljnu proizvodnju. Stoga je u ovom radu<br />istražena fauna stenica različitih ekosistema koji<br />obuhvataju useve p&scaron;enice i lucerke, ali i biljke<br />ruderalnih stani&scaron;ta i poljoza&scaron;titnih pojaseva navedenih<br />kultura. Istovremeno je istražena i fauna stenica sa<br />biljaka spontane flore na lokalitetima vi&scaron;ih<br />nadmorskih visina Fru&scaron;ke gore i Divčibara, koje<br />predstavljaju mesta prezimljavanja određenih vrsta.<br />Podaci o prisutnim vrstama navedenih ekosistema<br />predstavljaju dodadatak dosada&scaron;njim istraživanjima<br />faune stenica na&scaron;e zemlje.<br />Stenice su uzorkovane entomolo&scaron;kim kečerom<br />i ručno na vi&scaron;e od 48 lokaliteta na teritoriji Bačke,<br />Fru&scaron;ke gore i Divčibara. Determinacija uzorkovanih<br />jedinki rađena je prema morfolo&scaron;kim karakteristikama<br />uz upotrebu odgovarajućih ključeva, pri čemu je<br />zabeleženo ukupno 59 vrsta iz 14 familija. Najveći<br />broj vrsta zabeležen je na biljkama spontane flore,<br />ukupno 42 vrste, zatim u usevu lucerke, 26 vrsta, a<br />najmanji broj vrsta, ukupno 17, zabeleženo je u usevu<br />p&scaron;enice. Među uzorkovanim stenicama najvi&scaron;e je bilo<br />fitofagnih oligofagnih vrsta, ali je zabeleženo i<br />prisustvo ukupno &scaron;est predatorskih vrsta.<br />Kao dodatak morfolo&scaron;koj determinaciji vrsta<br />urađena je molekularna analiza osam vrsta, u prvom<br />redu žitnih stenica iz familija Scutelleridae i<br />Pentatomidae, ali i tri izrazito polifagne vrste čije<br />prisustvo je zabeleženo na velikom broju lokaliteta.<br />Kod pomenutih vrsta analiziran je mitohondrijalni<br />citohrom c oksidaza I standardni barkod fragmet i<br />formirano je filogenetsko stablo. Ova istraživanja<br />predstavljaju preliminarna istraživanja stenica sa<br />na&scaron;eg podneblja na molekularnom nivou.<br />Spisak registrovanih vrsta stenica, koji je<br />jedan od rezultata ovog rada, predstavlja značajan<br />doprinos poznavanju faune Heteroptera u gajenim<br />kulturama, p&scaron;enici i lucerki, ali i na biljkama spontane<br />flore. Molekularna analiza ukazala je na sličnost<br />pojedinih vrsta i rodova na molekularnom nivou i<br />istovremeno potvrdila pozdanost morfolo&scaron;kih<br />karaktera u determinaciji stenica. Najvažnije osobine<br />svih registrovanih stenica koje su iznete u radu<br />predstavljaju prilog izučavanju faune stenica u<br />Vojvodini, pa i Srbiji.</p> / <p>Faunistic research of true bugs (Heteroptera) in<br />Vojvodina, in several last decades was mainly<br />focused on the most important pest species in wheat,<br />alfalfa and soybean. There are very few data of<br />beneficial species and/or species of low importance to<br />named crops. Therefore the main focus of this work<br />was to investigate the whole fauna of true bugs in<br />different ecosystems, including wheat, alfalfa and<br />ruderal plants in and around the cultivated fields. At<br />the same time true bugs fauna of spontaneous flora in<br />localities of higher altitudes, such as Fru&scaron;ka gora<br />mountain and Divčibare, was also investigated. List of<br />registered species is a great contribution to the fauna<br />of true bugs in Vojvodina and Serbia.<br />During research true bugs were sampled by<br />sweep net and by hand, at more than 48 localities all<br />around the Bačka region (Vojvodina), as well as in<br />Fru&scaron;ka gora mountain and Divčibare. Specimens were<br />identified according to their morphology, using many<br />keys for identification. 59 species belonging to 14<br />terrestrial families were recorded. The most species<br />were recorded in spontaneous flora, 42 in total. This<br />was followed by 26 species in alfalfa fields and only<br />17 species registered in wheat. Most of these species<br />were phytophagous and only six were predaceous.<br />Presence of zoophagous specimens is important as<br />indicator of biological balance which exists in<br />described environment despite the human activity.<br />Molecular analysis of eight true bugs species<br />was done as additional method for identification of<br />sampled specimens. Species were chosen by their<br />importance in wheat fields, and by their presence in<br />each sampled ecosystem. Mitochondrial cytochrome c<br />oxidase subunit I gene was analyzed and phylogenetic<br />tree was constructed. This is a preliminary survey of<br />true bugs in Vojvodina on molecular level.<br />List of recorded true bug species, as one of the results<br />of this work, is a contribution to the list of species in<br />wheat and alfalfa which includes not only pest<br />species, but beneficial and neutral ones as well.<br />Knowledge of true bugs species which inhabit<br />spontaneous plants around the fields is of importance<br />for cultivated crops having in mind bugs vicinity and<br />ability to live and hide inside of different plants.<br />Molecular analysis revealed the similarity of some<br />species and genera at molecular level and at the same<br />time confirmed the reliability of morphological<br />characters in identification of true bugs. The most<br />important characteristics of recorded species were<br />given as contribution of true bugs investigations in<br />Vojvodina and Serbia.</p>

Jan Raška: Reactions of the jumping spider Evarcha arcuata to aposematic true bugs Abstract: This paper studies the effect of qualities of a prey on predatory behaviour of Evarcha arcuata (Araneae: Salticidae). Naturally coloured aposematic larveae of Pyrrhocoris apterus have been compared to two types of prey: 1) to identically coloured but in defensive secretion different larvae of Scantius aegyptius, and 2) differently coloured larvae of white mutants of P. apterus. The defensive secretion of S. aegyptius has been found less effective in the first interaction with predator than that of P. apterus, however, after several trials the difference of reactions of the spider has not been noticeable. When changed the species of prey, E. arcuata has symmetrically and considerably generalised between the two species. Significant difference has been established in memory test - while P. apterus has been avoided even after one day, S. aegyptius has been attacked as thought the spiders were naive. The learning sequence has been similar in both colour forms of P. apterus; the generalisation of the two colours has been symetrical as well. Both colour forms succeeded in memory test (e.g. spiders have proven difference in comparison with the naive ones), however, white mutants have been successfully attacked...

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Insects have developed many strategies of defence against predators in the course of evolution. The evolutionarily oldest and most widely used type of defence is chemical defence, followed by acoustic or optical defence. However, many species of insects use simultaneously multiple types of warning signals, which affect different sensory receptors of the given predator. Such a complex method of warning signals is called multimodal method. It may consist of a combination of simultaneous chemical and optical signals, or a combination of acoustic and optical signalling. The combination of chemical and optical signalling used against a predator is probably the most common form of multimodal signalling. The presented work deals with the analysis of biologically active substances, which participate in the defence mechanisms of a widespread species of insects - true bugs (Heteroptera). Pterin derivatives represent a large group of natural compounds derived from pteridin, bicyclic heterocycle, and they are found in virtually all living organisms from bacteria to vertebrates. In insects, they primarily serve as pigments, resulting for example in striking coloration of cuticles of Heteroptera. The first part of the dissertation was focused on identification and quantification of pterin derivatives in cuticles...

In the first part of the doctoral thesis, the capillary electrophoresis was used to test the potential chiral separation properties of monosubstituted cyclodextrin derivatives, namely PEMEDA- and PEMPDA-β-cyclodextrins for the group of selected analytes. Both selectors exhibited excellent enantioseparation properties for N-boc-D,L-tryptophan, where the enantiomers were completely separated even at 0.5 mmol·l-1 concentration of the cyclodextrin derivative in the background electrolyte. However, the differences between the enantiodiscrimination properties of individual derivatives were minimal. The second test group consisted of two cyclodextrin derivatives, namely 2-O- and 3-O- cinnamyl-α-cyclodextrins. These derivatives are able to form supramolecular polymers in aqueous solutions that disintegrate at elevated temperature. The formation of these polymers was tested by NMR and DLS experiments. None of the tested cyclodextrin derivatives showed enantiodiscrimination properties towards a group of selected analytes. In the frame of antipredatory study, HPLC-MS/MS method working in HILIC mode was used for separation of ten pterin derivatives and riboflavin, which can be present as pigments in insects, reptiles or amphibians as a part of their warning coloration. The developed methodology was applied for...