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Volume 62 (2011)
- Issue 4 Pages 211-
- Issue 3 Pages 181-
- Issue 2 Pages 85-
- Issue 1 Pages 1-
Volume 62, Issue 1
Displaying 1-8 of 8 articles from this issue
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Original Articles
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Takeshi AGATSUMA, Sae FUKUNAGA, Blanca R. JARILLA, Mitsuru NAGATAKI, S ...2011 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 1-11
Published: March 15, 2011
Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe present study contains the first description of phosphagen kinase (PK) from the intermediate snail host, Biomphalaria glabrata. We determined the cDNA sequence of PK from the snail B. glabrata, a vector of Schistosoma mansoni, and then cloned the cDNA into a pMAL plasmid and expressed it in Escherichia coli as a fusion protein with maltose-binding protein (MBP). The recombinant protein, consisting of 353 amino acids, has a calculated molecular mass of 39,376 Da and an estimated isoelectric point (pI) of 6.12. B. glabrata PK showed significant activity with the substrate L-arginine, indicating AK, and has the following kinetic constants determined for the forward reaction: KmArg=0.26 mM, KdArg=0.28 mM, kcat=20.3 s-1 and Vmax=30.4 μmol Pi/min/mg protein. Comparison of kcat/KmArg values with other AKs indicates that B. glabrata AK has a high catalytic efficiency (78.12 s-1 mM-1), although it exhibited weak synergism during substrate binding (KdArg/KmArg=1.08). In view of the significance of AK in temporal energy buffering, this enzyme may be a novel molluscicide target to control B. glabrata and consequently control the transmission of schistosomiasis.View full abstractDownload PDF (906K) -
Mayuko YONEJIMA, Mamoru WATANABE, Naoko NIHEI, Mutsuo KOBAYASHI, Tomok ...2011 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 13-22
Published: March 15, 2011
Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWe examined the relationship between spatial variation in the number of vector mosquitoes of Japanese encephalitis, Culex tiritaeniorhynchus, collected by dry ice baited traps and the patterns of land use around each trap location. By using CDC miniature light traps enhanced with 1 kg of dry ice, we collected mosquitoes at 13 trap sites inside 3 cowsheds and 10 outdoor-trap sites distributed at 6 rural villages in Toyama Prefecture, Japan. Significant differences in the number of captured mosquitoes were observed among the trap sites. Multiple regression analysis was performed to explain the observed spatial variation in mosquito numbers among the 10 outdoor-traps by choosing a set of land use components and using the distance from the cowshed as predictors. Twelve “land use components” were distinguished and the proportion of area covered with each component was calculated within a circular area around each trap location. Four different radii of the circular area were used in the regression analysis and the best model explained 66.6% of the variation when the radius was 150 m long. The rural-agricultural landscape represented by paddy fields had the largest regression coefficient suggesting a strong association with the spatial variation in the number of mosquitoes captured by dry-ice baited traps.View full abstractDownload PDF (1080K) -
Yao-Te HUANG, Peter H. ADLER2011 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 23-30
Published: March 15, 2011
Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe banding patterns of polytene chromosomes from the larval silk glands of the black fly Simulium suzukii from Taiwan are resolved relative to other species in the Simulium tuberosum group. Simulium suzukii is chromosomally most similar to the Simulium tani complex, sharing 11 fixed inversions, relative to the standard map for the Simulium tuberosum group, but differing by three fixed inversions and by having unique sex chromosomes and autosomal polymorphisms.View full abstractDownload PDF (505K) -
Hiroyuki TAKAOKA, Katsumi SAITO2011 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 31-38
Published: March 15, 2011
Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSSimulium (Hellichiella) notoense sp. nov. is described on the basis of adult females and pupae collected in Ishikawa Prefecture, Honshu, Japan. This new species is distinguished from most known species of the subgenus Hellichiella by the pupal gill with four slender filaments arranged in two pairs, of which the dorsal pair bears a long stalk directed upward while the ventral pair bears a short stalk extended forward. The pupa of S. (H.) notoense sp. nov. is remarkable in lacking frontal trichomes which are present in most species of the Simuliidae. This is the second species of the subgenus Hellichiella recorded from Japan.View full abstractDownload PDF (339K) -
Yousuke WATANABE, Masanori MIURA, Tsutomu TANIKAWA, Kohichi KANDA, Kok ...2011 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 39-43
Published: March 15, 2011
Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSWe analyzed the ultrasonic calls of adult black rats, Rattus rattus, with acoustic analysis software, Adobe Audition 2.0. The rats intermittently produced 1 to 7 ultrasound waves in a series of calls. The waves showed a higher frequency and longer duration at the start of the calls than in the subsequent waves. The mean frequencies of the calls at the start, 28.9±3.0 kHz, were significantly higher than at the end, 27.5±2.3 kHz (p<0.0001). The mean frequencies in females, 28.5±1.5 kHz, were significantly higher than in males, 26.3±1.4 kHz (p<0.0001). The mean duration of the ultrasound calls in females, 920±612 ms, was longer than in males, 700±416 ms. There was a significant difference between males and females in the duration of the calls (p<0.01).View full abstractDownload PDF (632K) -
Keiko KOSONE, Mayumi ITO, Akihiro KANAYAMA2011 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 45-51
Published: March 15, 2011
Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSThe movement of the German cockroach Blattella germanica between conditioned and unconditioned harborages was examined in the laboratory with various arrangements of food and water in the test arena. Three different groups of adult cockroaches were used for the experiments; male- or female-only group and a sexually mixed group. In the case of the sexually separated groups, about 50% of males moved into the unconditioned harborage at the end of the experiment, while only a few females moved into the unconditioned harborage during the experimental period of 21 days. However, in the sexually mixed group, males became less active than in the sexually separated group. In contrast, females became active and the number of females moving into the unconditioned harborage was equal to the males after the 15th day of the experiment. When the position of food and water was changed serially the behavioral response of males as well as females was different from that observed under the experimental conditions of fixed position of food and water. These results indicated that male and female cockroaches move together into an unconditioned harborage in mixed group and their moving activity is affected by the position of food and water in relation to the location of the conditioned and unconditioned harborage.View full abstractDownload PDF (593K) -
Mikako TAMASHIRO, Takako TOMA, Kosuke MANNEN, Yukiko HIGA, Ichiro MIYA ...2011 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 53-70
Published: March 15, 2011
Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTo determine the host-feeding patterns of mosquitoes, blood-fed mosquitoes were collected by 5 different methods from various places such as mountain forests, residential areas and animal sheds of the following 5 islands, Amamioshima, Tokunoshima, Iheyajima, Okinawajima and Iriomotejima in the Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan over a 6 yr period (2005-2010). A total of 975 bloodmeals derived from blood- fed mosquitoes of 35 species representing 11 genera were successfully identified by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based method, and 34 vertebrate species were identified as the bloodmeal hosts. Our results indicate that mosquitoes of the same genus show similar host preferences when blood source animals are classified into 5 major groups; mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fishes. The genus Anopheles exhibited mammalophilic and Aedes exhibited mammalophilic, but Ae. (Geoskusea) baisasi Knight and Hull fed predominantly on fishes. Host preferences of the genus Culex were somewhat different among subgenera. Subgenus Culex fed on warm-blooded animals, including mammals and birds, whereas other subgenera fed on various hosts both warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. The Uranotaenia species were amphibian-feeders and also fed on reptiles and fishes, but not on warm-blooded animals. Medical importance of mosquito species is discussed as related to their feeding patterns and transmission of mosquito-borne diseases.View full abstractDownload PDF (532K)
Short Communication
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Chizu SANJOBA, Yusuf ÖZBEL, Masahito ASADA, Yasutaka OSADA, Sambu ...2011 Volume 62 Issue 1 Pages 71-77
Published: March 15, 2011
Released on J-STAGE: October 15, 2011
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSSergentomyia squamirostris was collected from Akita, Gunma, and Tottori prefectures in Japan. These are the first distributional records of S. squamirostris from Akita and Tottori prefectures. Detailed descriptions and illustrations of genital pump, paramere, aedeagus, surstyle, and the heads of male and female S. squamirostris collected in Japan are presented for the first time.View full abstractDownload PDF (311K)
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