The tachinid fly Exorista larvarum (L.) (Diptera: Tachinidae) is a polyphagous larval endoparasitoid that deposits its eggs on the host exoskeleton of lepidopteran and tenthredinid larvae. The attachment of larval E. larvarum and the formation of the respiratory funnel were studied during infestation in the last larval instar of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). The tachinid larvae burrow through the host integument after hatching, using their robust cephalopharyngeal skeleton, leaving a dark spot at the point of their penetration as a result of host cuticle melanization. Endoparasitoid penetration induces the host cellular defence, resulting in the formation of a haemocyte capsule consisting of multi-cellular sheaths. This enveloping capsule later undergoes melanization, which is mostly obvious towards the posterior part of the endoparasitoid. The endoparasitoid uses the host encapsulation response to build a respiratory funnel from the modified host integument, leading to the host surface. The encapsulated larva remains attached to the respiratory funnel via an anal hook and cuticular spines until fully developed. Additional immunohistochemical analyses were used to study host-parasitoid interactions. Indirect immunofluorescence showed no labelling of potential tachinid antigens and confirmed no effect on the surrounding host tissues. A simulated parasitization with coated polybead microspheres revealed the mortal impact of tachinid antigens to the host. Hosts injected with antigen-coated polybeads died as a consequence of an acute and extensive immunological response to the tachinid antigens and not due to the trauma caused by foreign objects inside their body.

• MeSH
• Diptera fyziologie   MeSH
• fluorescenční protilátková technika nepřímá MeSH
• interakce hostitele a parazita * MeSH
• larva fyziologie   MeSH
• mikrosféry MeSH
• můry parazitologie   MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH

Artificial neural networks (ANN) methodology, molecular analyses and comparative morphology of the male postabdomen were used successfully in parallel for species identification and resolution of some taxonomic problems concerning West Palaearctic species of the genus Tachina Meigen, 1803. Supervised feed-forward ANN with back-propagation of errors was applied on morphometric and qualitative characters to solve known taxonomic discrepancies. Background molecular analyses based on mitochondrial markers CO I, Cyt b, 12S and 16S rDNA and study of male postabdominal structures were published separately. All three approaches resolved taxonomic doubts with identical results in the following five cases: case 1, the four presently recognized subgenera of the genus Tachina were confirmed and the description of a new subgenus was recommended; case 2, the validity of a new boreo-alpine species (sp.n.) was confirmed; case 3, the previously supposed presence of T. casta (Rondani, 1859) in central Europe was not supported; case 4, West Palaearctic T. nupta (Rondani, 1859) was contrasted with East Palaearctic specimens from Japan, which seem to represent a valid species not conspecific with central European specimens; T. nupta needs detailed further study; case 5, T. nigrohirta (Stein, 1924) resurrected recently from synonymy with T. ursina Meigen, 1824 was confirmed as a valid species. This parallel application of three alternative methods has enabled the principle of 'polyphasic taxonomy' to be tested and verified using these separate results. For the first time, the value of using the ANN approach in taxonomy was justified by two non-mathematical methods (molecular and morphological).

• MeSH
• anatomie srovnávací MeSH
• cytochromy typu b genetika   MeSH
• Diptera anatomie a histologie   klasifikace   genetika   MeSH
• druhová specificita MeSH
• hmyzí geny MeSH
• mitochondriální DNA genetika   MeSH
• molekulární sekvence - údaje MeSH
• neuronové sítě * MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S genetika   MeSH
• RNA ribozomální genetika   MeSH
• sekvenční analýza DNA MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• hodnotící studie MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH
• Názvy látek
• cytochromy typu b MeSH
• mitochondriální DNA MeSH
• RNA ribozomální 16S MeSH
• RNA ribozomální MeSH
• RNA, ribosomal, 12S MeSH Prohlížeč