The King's Lace Bug Recaredus rex Distant, 1909 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae): Systematic Position, First Palaearctic and Afrotropical Records, and Ecological Niche Modelling

Predicted range expansion of Prostephanus truncatus (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae) under projected climate change scenarios

The larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus [Horn] [Coleoptera: Bostrichidae]) is a wood-boring insect native to Central America and adapted to stored maize and cassava. It was accidentally introduced to Tanzania and became a pest across central Africa. Unlike many grain pests, P. truncatus populations can establish and move within forests. Consequently, novel infestations can occur without human influence. The objectives of our study were to (i) develop an updated current suitability projection for P. truncatus, (ii) assess its potential future distribution under different climate change scenarios, and (iii) identify climate variables that best inform the model. We used WALLACE and MaxEnt to predict potential global distribution by incorporating bioclimatic variables and occurrence records. Future models were projected for 2050 and 2070 with Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 2.6 (low change) and 8.5 (high change). Distribution was most limited by high precipitation and cold temperatures. Globally, highly suitable areas (> 75%) primarily occurred along coastal and equatorial regions with novel areas in northern South America, India, southeastern Asia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, totaling 7% under current conditions. Highly suitable areas at RCPs 2.6 and 8.5 are estimated to increase to 12% and 15%, respectively, by 2050 and increase to 19% in 2070 under RCP 8.5. Centroids of highly suitable areas show distribution centers moving more inshore and away from the equator. Notably, the result is a range expansion, not a shift. Results can be used to decrease biosecurity risks through more spatially explicit and timely surveillance programs for targeting the exclusion of this pest.

Tribe Acalyptaini (Hemiptera: Tingidae: Tinginae) Revisited: Can Apomorphies in Secondary and Tertiary Structures of 18S rRNA Length-Variable Regions (LVRs) Support Tribe Validity?

The lace bug tribe Acalyptaini (Tingidae: Tinginae) includes five genera, Acalypta, Derephysia, Dictyonota, Kalama, and Recaredus, and it was recently resurrected based on morphological and karyological characters. We aimed to validate the distinctiveness of this tribe using 18S rDNA sequences, which have not been used in previous Tingidae phylogenomic studies. Our results confirmed the monophyly of the tribe. Moreover, the monophyly of the subfamily Cantacaderinae and its basal position within the family Tingidae were indicated, as well as the position of the tribe Litadeini as sister to all other Tinginae. In addition, we attempted to determine the apomorphic morpho-molecular characters in the secondary and tertiary structures of length-variable regions of the 18S rRNA sequences of the analysed species. The results showed that two LVRs (LVR X and LVR L) of the hypervariable region V4 exhibited significant variability in the number of nucleotides and could be considered for apomorphic recognition.

Comparative Cytogenetics of Lace Bugs (Tingidae, Heteroptera): New Data and a Brief Overview

The lace bug family Tingidae comprises more than 2600 described species in 318 genera that are classified into the subfamilies Tinginae (about 2500 species and 300 genera), Cantacaderinae, and Vianadinae. We provide data on karyotypes of 16 species belonging to 10 genera of the tribes Tingini and Acalyptaini (Tinginae) studied using conventional chromosome staining and FISH. The species of Tingini possess 2n = 12A + XY, whereas those of Acalyptaini have 2n = 12A + X(0). FISH for 18S rDNA revealed hybridization signals on one of the medium-sized bivalents in species of both tribes. FISH with a telomeric probe TTAGG produced no signals in any species. In addition, we provide a list of all data obtained to date on Tingidae karyotypes, which includes 60 species from 22 genera of Tinginae. The subfamily is highly conservative in relation to the number and size of autosomes, whereas it shows diversity in the number and chromosomal distribution of the rDNA arrays, which may be located either on a pair of autosomes (the predominant and supposedly ancestral pattern), on one or both sex chromosomes, or on an autosome pair and the X. The absence of the “insect” telomeric sequence TTAGG in all species implies that Tinginae have some other, yet unknown, telomere organization.