Occurrence of Physoclypeus farinosus Hendel (Diptera : Lauxaniidae) in flowerheads of Asteraceae (Asterales)

The occurrence of Physoclypeus farinosus Hendel in flowerheads of Asteraceae from different Brazilian localities is presented. The use of this resource by this fly is discussed.

Toward a resolution of Campanulid phylogeny, with special reference to the placement of Dipsacales

Broad-scale phylogenetic analyses of the angiosperms and of the Asteridae have failed to confidently resolve relationships among the major lineages of the campanulid Asteridae (i.e., the euasterid II of APG II, 2003). To address this problem we assembled presently available sequences for a core set of 50 taxa, representing the diversity of the four largest lineages (Apiales, Aquifoliales, Asterales, Dipsacales) as well as the smaller ""unplaced"" groups (e.g., Bruniaceae, Paracryphiaceae, Columelliaceae). We constructed four data matrices for phylogenetic analysis: a chloroplast coding matrix (atpB, matK, ndhF, rbcL), a chloroplast non-coding matrix (rps16 intron, trnT-F region, trnV-atpE IGS), a combined chloroplast dataset (all seven chloroplast regions), and a combined genome matrix (seven chloroplast regions plus 18S and 26S rDNA). Bayesian analyses of these datasets using mixed substitution models produced often well-resolved and supported trees. Consistent with more weakly supported results from previous studies, our analyses support the monophyly of the four major clades and the relationships among them. Most importantly, Asterales are inferred to be sister to a clade containing Apiales and Dipsacales. Paracryphiaceae is consistently placed sister to the Dipsacales. However, the exact relationships of Bruniaceae, Columelliaceae, and an Escallonia clade depended upon the dataset. Areas of poor resolution in combined analyses may be partly explained by conflict between the coding and non-coding data partitions. We discuss the implications of these results for our understanding of campanulid phylogeny and evolution, paying special attention to how our findings bear on character evolution and biogeography in Dipsacales.

LASIODERMA SERRICORNE (COLEOPTERA: ANOBIIDAE) IN STORED MATRICARIA RECUTITA (ASTERACEAE) IN BRAZIL

Insects pests of stored products and by-products are extending their feeding preferences to new items. We report for the first time in Brazil the feeding and reproduction of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma serricorne F. (Coleoptera: Anobiidae) on stored chamomile, Matricaria recutita L. (Asteraceae). One intact package (10 cm wide x 15 cm long) of M. recutita infested by L. serricorne was purchased in a supermarket in Vicosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil. In this sample this insect had fed on the dried parts (inflorescences and rods), which made the product unfit for human consumption. This 20 g sample included 101 live and 4 dead Lasioderma serricorne. Circumstantial evidence suggested that the infested material was probably harvested from an infested field in Apr 2013 and packaged with L. serricorne eggs, and that these had developed into the adults found in the package.