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University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, U.S.A
Using Specimen Databases to Generate a Checklist of El Paso Ants
El Paso County is a part of the Chihuahuan Desert and is also home to many species of ants. Previous studies identified 291 species of ants in Texas, but may not have included the Mackay ant collection because many records had not been databased. The recent incorporation of the massive Mackay ant collection into the UTEP Biodiversity Collections makes these ant records easily accessible to the public and has several applications, including improving the knowledge of ant distributions in a local area. We generated a checklist of species and an updated map of ants of El Paso County, using Arctos and other databases like the Symbiota Collections of Arthropod Network (SCAN). Records that only contained textual data were georeferenced. Of the records cataloged so far, the Mackay collection has 8 genera and 16 species. The SCAN database added 19 genera and 59 species. Using the generated map and checklist, we identify sampling gaps in the county. With this data future researchers can use historical distribution data from applications in Arctos or SCAN
Determining Minagenia (Pompilidae: Pepsinae) Phylogeny and Biogeography from Museum Specimens
Minagenia Banks, 1934 (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsinae) are small spider wasps with a global distribution, yet to date only 20 species have been described, 15 of which found in the New World. However, there are many undescribed species of Minagenia globally, including variation within already described species that may constitute new species designations. Presented here is a global phylogeny of Minagenia, using ultra-conserved elements from museum specimens, to infer biogeographical and distribution patterns, and to verify sex associations and monophyly within species known for their high morphological variance.
¹Control of Infectious Diseases Department, Institute of Public Health, Str: “A.Moisiu”, No. 80, Tirana, Albania.
²Department of Textile and Fashion, Polytechnic University of Tirana
A Century of Mosquito Control in Albania: Past, Present and Future Challenges and its Role in Malaria Eradication
The beginnings of mosquito control studies in Albania date to 1922 by Dr. Ashta. Gambusia affinis, a larvivorous fish, was introduced in 1931 as an effective biological method for mosquito larvae control. During 1931-1933, the American Rockefeller Foundation supported widely draining marshes throughout the country. Malaria was hyper endemic in Albania and a real public health problem in the beginning of 19th Century. A full campaign on malaria eradication started in 1947, and was achieved within twenty years. DDT was widely used in 1946 and in 1957, following the WHO recommendations, a strategic plan for malaria eradication was implemented. The drainage of the marshes, total reclamation of water irrigation and drainage system, as well as door to door campaign for the diagnosis of malaria in humans were performed. Agricultural, environmental and economical interventions were multilaterally comprehended in the program. Total malaria control in Albania was achieved in 1967. Further studies on malaria Anopheles vectors showed a gained insecticide resistance, except malathion. The increase of malaria imported cases in recent years, raised awareness of reemerging potential in the country. There was an interruption in mosquito control during the 90’s, meanwhile 2014 marked the beginning of the national program on mosquito larval control based in biological agents, conducted yearly to date by the Institute of Public Health. Future challenges in the mosquito control would be focused on nano-tech repellent, extraction of new substances from different plants, their impregnation in textiles and the evaluation process of the efficacy against mosquito bites in the field.
