Naphthenic acids (NAs) are carboxylic acids with the formula (CnH2n+ZO2) and are the toxic, persistent constituents of oil sands process-affected waters (OSPW), produced during oil sands extraction. Currently, the proteins and mechanisms involved in NA biodegradation are unknown. Using LC-MS/MS shotgun proteomics, we identified proteins overexpressed during the growth of Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf5 on a model NA (4-n-butylphenyl)-4-butanoic acid (n-BPBA) and commercial NA mixture (Acros). By day 11, >95% of n-BPBA was degraded. With Acros, a 17% reduction in intensity occurred with 10-18 carbon compounds of the Z family -2 to -14 (major NA species in this mixture). A total of 554 proteins (n-BPBA) and 631 proteins (Acros) were overexpressed during growth on NAs; including several transporters (e.g. ABC transporters), suggesting a cellular protective response from NA toxicity. Several proteins associated with fatty acid, lipid and amino acid metabolism were also overexpressed; including acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and acyl-CoA thioesterase II, which catalyze part of the fatty acid beta-oxidation pathway. Indeed, multiple enzymes involved in the fatty acid oxidation pathway were upregulated. Given the presumed structural similarity between alkyl-carboxylic acid side chains and fatty acids, we postulate that P. fluorescens Pf-5 was using existing fatty acid catabolic pathways (among others) during NA degradation.

Plants are often attacked by multiple antagonists, and traits of the attacking organisms, and their order of arrival onto hosts, may affect plant defenses. However, few studies have assessed how multiple antagonists, and varying attack order, affect plant defense or nutrition. To address this, we assessed defensive and nutritional responses of Pisum sativum plants after attack by a vector herbivore (Acrythosiphon pisum), a non-vector herbivore (Sitona lineatus), and a pathogen (Pea enation mosaic virus, PEMV). We show PEMV-infectious A. pisum induced several pathogen-specific plant defense signals, but these defenses were inhibited when S. lineatus was present in peas infected with PEMV. In contrast, feeding by S. lineatus induced anti-herbivore defense signals, but these defenses were enhanced by PEMV. Sitona lineatus also increased abundance of plant amino acids, but only when they attacked after PEMV-infectious A. pisum. Our results suggest that diverse communities of biotic antagonists alter defense and nutritional traits of plants through complex pathways that depend on the identity of attackers and their order of arrival onto hosts. Moreover, we show interactions among a group of biotic stressors can vary along a spectrum from antagonism to enhancement/synergism based on the identity and order of attackers, and these interactions are mediated by a multitude of phytohormone pathways.

We report a case of acute right ventricular failure in a patient with cardiogenic shock on left-sided mechanical circulatory support with Impella 5.0. The patient was successfully bridged to heart transplantation using additional right-sided support with ProtekDuo. Key learning points of the case include prompt recognition of right ventricular failure in patients on left-sided support, early consideration of right-ventricular mechanical support platforms, and timely deployment of right-sided mechanical support.

Background: In this study, we conducted a retrospective review of patients at our institution with noninfectious sternal dehiscence (NISD) after median sternotomy who received thermoreactive nitinol clips (TRNC) treatment during a 10-year period. We compared TRNC patients with and without history of failed Robicsek repair. The purpose of the study was to analyze the impact of previous Robicsek repair on the treatment of sternal dehiscence with TRCN. Methods: Between December 2009 and January 2020, out of 283 patients with NISD who underwent refixation, we studied 34 cases who received TRNC treatment. We divided these 34 cases into two groups: patients who had a previously failed Robicsek procedure before TRNC treatment (group A, n=11) and patients who had been directly referred to TRCN treatment (group B, n= 23). Results: Postoperative complication rate was significantly higher in group A (p=0.026). Hospitalization duration was significantly longer in group A due to the higher complication rate (p=0.001). Operative time was significantly shorter and blood loss was significantly lower in group B (p=0.001). Conclusion: The Robicsek procedure is considered an effective method in the treatment of NISD but, in case of its failure, subsequent TRNC treatment might become cumbersome in high-risk patients. In our study, a previously failed Robicsek procedure caused significantly higher morbidity and additional operative risk in later TRNC treatment of high-risk cases. Ultimately, we speculate that a direct TRNC treatment for NISD is favorable in high-risk patients.

Maternal infanticide and cannibalism, whereby a mother killing and consumes her own offspring, occurs in various animal taxa. The ability of the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri) to kill and consume conspecifics is accepted, but the extent of its occurrence is not fully understood due to difficulty in observation and uneven reporting. Here we discover extra interesting phenomenonand that two tree shrew respectively eating the neonate in two different experiments. This was the first recorded of evidence by dynam

Om45 is a major protein of the yeast outer mitochondrial membrane under respiratory conditions. However, the cellular role of the protein has remained obscure. Previously, deletion mutant phenotypes have not been found, and clear amino acid sequence similarities that would allow inferring its functional role are not available. In this work, we describe synthetic petite mutants of UGO1 and GEM1 that depend on the presence of OM45 for respiratory growth, as well as the identification of several multicopy suppressors of the synthetic petite phenotypes. In the analysis of our mutants, we demonstrate that Om45 and Gem1 have a collaborative role in the maintenance of mitochondrial morphology, cristae structure, and mitochondrial DNA maintenance. A group of multicopy suppressors rescuing the synthetic lethal phenotypes of the mutants on non-fermentable carbon sources additionally supports this result. Our results imply that the synthetic petite phenotypes we observed are due to the disturbance of the inner mitochondrial membrane and point to this mitochondrial sub-compartment as the main target of action of Om45, Ugo1, and the yeast Miro GTPase Gem1.

Understanding the role of ecological processes in speciation has become one of the most active areas of research in marine population biology in recent decades. The traditional view was that allopatry was the primary driver of speciation in marine taxa, but the geography of the marine environment and the dispersal capabilities of many marine organisms render this view somewhat questionable. One of the earliest and most highly cited empirical examples of ecological speciation with gene flow in marine fishes is that of the slippery dick wrasse, Halichoeres bivittatus. Evidence for this cryptic or incipient speciation event was primarily in the form of a deep north-south divergence in a single mitochondrial locus, combined with a finding that these two haplotypes were associated with different habitat types in the Florida Keys and Bermuda, where they overlap. Here we examine habitat assortment in the Florida Keys using a broader sampling of populations and habitat types than were available for the original study, and find no evidence to support the claim that haplotype frequencies differ between habitat types, and little evidence to support any differences between populations. These results severely undermine claims of ecological speciation with gene flow in Halichoeres bivittatus. We argue that future claims of this type should be supported by multiple lines of evidence that illuminate potential mechanisms and allow researchers to rule out alternative explanations for spatial patterns of genetic differences.

Episiotomy and operative vaginal delivery- Do we need more evidence?A.H. Sultan- Urogynaecology and Pelvic Floor Reconstruction Unit, Croydon University Hospital, London Road, Croydon CR7 7YE- Honorary Reader, St George’s University of LondonEmail:asultan29@gmail.comTel: 00 44 7961386840(ORCID 0000-0001-8979-2304)J.W. de Leeuw, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ikazia Ziekenhuis, Rotterdam, the Netherlands(ORCID 0000-0001-5028-8055)DISCLOSURE of INTERESTAbdul Sultan is the co-director of the Croydon Perineal and Anal Sphincter Trauma courses (www.perineum.net)Operative vaginal delivery (OVD) is recognised as a major risk factor in the occurrence of obstetric anal sphincter injuries (OASIs), particularly during first vaginal deliveries. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have shown the merits of adopting a policy of restrictive mediolateral episiotomy during normal vaginal delivery, although no RCT to date has included measurements of the angle or size of the episiotomy. The benefits of episiotomy performed during OVD demonstrated in large observational studies are overwhelming (Sultan et al. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol. 2019;240:192-196) .Ankarcrona et al have added another study to this collection and have confirmed the results of most such publications. In their study, based on 11 years of data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register, they have emulated a RCT using propensity scores. Ultimately, both methods used showed an almost identical risk reducing effect as the commonly used logistic regression analysis. demonstrating a significant reduction in OASIs during vacuum extraction associated with the use of mediolateral or lateral episiotomies. The Number Needed to Treat to prevent one OASI was 27, which is known to be fourfold lower in forceps delivery.Is the episiotomy a treatment for a certain condition or disease? In reality, episiotomy is an intervention to reduce the risk for an unwanted side effect of birth. Consequently, the impact is one of risk modification as opposed to treatment. Similar to the study by Ankarcrona et al risk factors are commonly established with the use of observational studies (RCOG Greentop guideline No 29, 2015) . In the last decade, several large observational studies Involving more than 2 million women showed a significantly lower rate of OASI in nulliparous women undergoing OVD with an episiotomy.Given the availability of such studies, based on registered databases, showing significantly lower OASI rates, is there still a need for further evidence? Ankarcrona et al acknowledge Lund et al who have shown in their systematic review that there is an association between the risk reduction for OASI with episiotomy rates; the greatest reduction was shown in studies with episiotomy rates over 70%.Obstetricians opposing the use of routine episiotomy during OVD highlight the lack of a definitive RCT. RCT’s are commonly used to address the treatment effect of an intervention on a particular condition with a well described outcome. However, RCT’s of episiotomy during OVD have proven to be very difficult and usually compare no more than the liberal versus the restricted use of episiotomy. As Ankarcrona et al mention, there is only one pilot RCT of IVD and episiotomy indicating that 1600 OVD will need to be included for a definitive study. However, we believe that the design of such a study should be two separate arms for forceps and vacuum delivery as the inherent risks with/without an episiotomy is different. Such a study with vacuum extraction is currently underway in Sweden.The challenge now is to identify prior to labour which women are at high risk of sustaining OASIS using prediction models based on the pre-existing large national databases.

Body fat has regulatory functions through producing cytokines and adipokines whose role in the pathogenesis of Systemic Sclerosis (SSc) is currently emerging. Changes in body mass, either overweight or underweight status, entail a dysregulation of the cytokines/adipokines network that may impact on SSc disease activity. We evaluated serum levels of adipokines and cytokines in SSc patients and correlated them to clinical features and body mass index (BMI) categories. The study included 89 SSc patients and 26 healthy donors (HD). Serum levels of adiponectin, leptin, resistin, visfatin, TNFα, IFNγ, IL-2, IL-10, and IL-17A were measured by Multiplex Immunoassay, and correlated to BMI, waist to hip ratio, and disease specific features. Mann-Whitney U-test or t-Student for unpaired data, Kruskal-Wallis test or ANOVA, were used for comparisons between groups. Spearman’s or Pearson’s test were used for correlation analysis. Serum levels of TNFα, IL-2, leptin, and resistin, were significantly higher in SSc than in HD. The highest levels of IL-17A, IL-2, IL-10, leptin and visfatin were detected in obese SSc patients (p <0.01). Conversely, underweight SSc patients showed the highest TNFα levels (p<0.05), which were negatively correlated with BMI (p=0.05). No correlation between adipokines/cytokines and clinical characteristics was found. Adipokines, IL-2, IL-10 and IL-17A were found to be increased in obese SSc patients, but whether they play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease remains to be investigated. Intriguingly, underweight patients had higher TNFα levels, suggesting a potential role of TNFα in inducing the cachexia observed in long-lasting disease.

Land degradation is one of the major global environmental issues that need serious attention. The land itself is a complex system regulating myriads of processes and perturbation in anyone these would certainly lead to the stimulation of land degradation. Among these, fly ash (FA) dumping is one of the common-practices, which has been adopted to overcome land-use disruption and other health hazards. However, this practice has become a driving factor for FA-induced land degradation. Therefore, in purview to tackle this issue, the present article is aimed to identify and suggest plausible sustainable practices to restore and manage FA contaminated sites. It preliminarily deals with the systematic exploration and identification of FA-based and associated contaminated lands via geospatial technology with a brief focus on monitoring its different contaminant profiles in the FA and soil systems. Moreover, the article emphasizes identifying the potential local plant species in the FA-contaminated regions to understand the local people’s demands. Following this, it would suggest the major sustainable approaches to expedite the restoration of FA contaminated lands along with the key highlights of their bottlenecks, while the ground implementation. Nevertheless, the article aimed to unravel the recommended prospects to address those bottlenecks to develop an efficient restoration enterprise during the Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021-2030).

Fly ash (FA) is the 80% of coal burnt by-product of thermal power plants (TPPs), its disposal in landfills causes environmental and health issues. The amount of FA production is increasing continuously to fulfil the worldwide energy for demand, which possibly never find a practically safe method for FA dumping. Its fine particle size disperses in the air and causes air pollution and water pollution is resulted due to slurry erosion from FA dumps and contamination by leachate. Health issues and environmental concerns due to fly ash landfills/dumpsites can be prohibited by covering with phytoaccumulator plant species. Limitations of plant growth in FA includes alkaline pH, contain metals such as Cr, Cd, As, Hg and Pd, toxic level of B, pozzolanic properties of FA and lack of microbial activity. Generally, the phytoremediation process is slow therefore, to accelerate the phytoremediation process FA require organic amendments and bio-fertilizers. This article focuses on the role of naturally occurring plants in stabilization of FA dumpsite and physiochemical changes in FA. This review summarises the different holistic approaches of rehabilitations of FA landfills and also compiles how to convert FA landfills into useful landfills for bioenergy productions. Utilization of organic matter and industrial waste has been proved to provide essential nutrients for plant establishment and heavy metal accumulation. The outcomes of this learning are beneficial for classifying site-specific ecological restoration of FA landfills through holistic approach.

Progressive knowledge of allergenic structures resulted in a broad availability of allergenic molecules for diagnosis. Component resolved diagnosis allowed a better understanding of patient sensitization patterns, facilitating allergen immunotherapy decisions. In parallel to the discovery of allergenic molecules, there was a progressive development of a regulation framework that affected both in vitro diagnostics and Allergen Immunotherapy products. With a progressive understanding of underlying mechanisms associated to Allergen immunotherapy and an increasing experience of application of molecular diagnosis in daily life, we focus in analyzing the evidences of the value provided by molecular allergology in daily clinical practice, with a focus on Allergen Immunotherapy decissions.

Land degradation due to soil erosion presents a challenge for sustainable development. We investigated the impact of land use type and land management practices on runoff and sediment yield dynamics in the northwestern highlands of Ethiopia. The study area included 14 zero-order catchments with a surface area ranging from 324 m2 to 1715 m2. V-notch weirs produced from plastic jars were introduced as measuring alternatives that met local constraints. Runoff depth at the weir was registered at 5-min intervals during two rainy seasons in 2018 and 2019. Rainfall was measured using tipping-bucket rain gauges. Runoff samples were collected in 1-L bottles and suspended sediment concentration (SSC) was determined. The mean event runoff coefficient ranged from 3% for forests to 56% for badlands. Similarly, the mean annual sediment yield (SY) was lowest for forests (0.8 Mg ha-1 yr-1) and highest for badlands (43.4 Mg ha-1 yr-1), with significant differences among land use types (14.8 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in cropland, 5.7 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in grazing land, and 2.9 Mg ha-1 yr-1 in plantations). Soil organic matter (SOM) reduced runoff and SY, necessitating the consideration of agronomic and land management practices that enhance SOM. Annual SY decreased exponentially with the rock fragment cover (RFC). In fields where RFC was less than 20%, collecting rock fragments for installing stone bunds resulted in a net increase in SY. Rehabilitating badlands and enhancing SOM content in croplands can substantially reduce catchment SY and, hence considerably contribute to the sustainability of this type of environment.

We obtain the optimal system's generating operators associated to a modification of the generalization of the Emden--Fowler Equation. equation. Using those operators we characterize all invariant solutions associated to a generalized. Moreover, we present the variational symmetries and the corresponding conservation laws, using Noether's theorem and Ibragimov's method. Finally, we classify the Lie algebra associated to the given equation.

In this article, we study the pointwise convergence problem about solution to the fractional Schrödinger equation with 0 < m < 1 along the tangential curve and estimate the capacitary dimension of the divergence set. We extend the results of Cho and Shiraki in [8] for the case m > 1 to the case 0 < m < 1, which is sharp up to the endpoint.

Background: The ‘old friends’ hypothesis posits that reduced exposure to previously ubiquitous microorganisms is one factor involved in the increased rates of allergic diseases. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) may be one of the “old friends” hypothesized to help prevent allergic diseases. We sought to elucidate whether early-life CMV infection is associated with childhood atopy via perturbations of the gut microbiota. Methods: Participants were recruited from a population-based birth cohort (CHILD study) and followed prospectively until age five years in four Canadian cities. A total of 928 participants provided stool microbiome data, urine for CMV testing, skin-prick tests, and questionnaires-based detailed environmental exposures. CMV infection was assessed in the first year of life while the main outcome was defined by persistent sensitization to any allergen at ages 1, 3, and 5 years. Results: Early CMV infection was associated with increased beta and decreased alpha diversity of the gut microbiota. Both changes in diversity measures and early CMV infection were associated with persistent allergic sensitization at age 5 years (aOR= 2.08; 95%CI: 1, 4.33). Mediation analysis demonstrated that perturbation of gut microbial composition explains 30% of the association. Conclusions: Early-life CMV infection is associated with an alteration in the intestinal microbiota, which mediates the effect of the infection on childhood atopy. This work indicates that preventing CMV infection would not put children at increased risk of developing atopy. Rather, a CMV vaccine, in addition to preventing CMV-associated morbidity and mortality, might reduce the risk of childhood allergic diseases.

This paper aims to investigate the ecological role of Merlucicius merluccius, Linnaeus, 1758, in the southern and central Tyrrhenian Sea (GSA 10, Resolution GFCM/33/2009/2 General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean), analysing ontogenetic diet shift, geographical variations on prey composition and feeding habits. A sample of 734 hake specimens between 6 cm and 73 cm of total length (TL) were collected in 2018. To value the ontogenetic shifts in prey composition, five size-classes were created from the sample and for each class were calculated quantitative feeding indices. The cluster and MDS analysis, based on the % IRI, resulted in three trophic groups of hake size classes. The most abundant preys for small hake (size class I) were the Euphausiids, Stylocheiron longicorne and Mysidacea, while for hake with size over 10.5 cm of TL were crustaceans and fish. Engraulis encrasicolus was the most abundant prey fish for hake, followed by Boops boops and Myctophids. The mesopelagic fauna had a relevant role in the European hake diet in the southern zone. The high presence of Euphausiids, Mysids, Myctophidae and Sternoptychidae in the gut content of juvenile hakes (6-23 cm) showed the importance of organic matter and energy flowed from the mesopelagic environment to the epipelagic. Important is also the presence of decapod crustaceans in hake with size over 36 cm TL considering that our study area includes an important Gulf for the fishing of decapod crustacea.

Background: Pulmonary artery sling (PAS) is associated with tracheal stenosis and left pulmonary artery (LPA) dysplasia in infants, which may cause pulmonary dysplasia and lung volume variations. We aimed to assess these altered lung volumes in patients with PAS using dual-source computed tomography (DSCT). Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients with surgically confirmed PAS and compared them with matched normal controls. All participants underwent DSCT examination. We measured and compared the diameters of the trachea, main bronchus and main pulmonary artery (MPA) and its branches and both lung volumes on axial and reconstructed computed tomography images. Results: There were no statistical differences in the diameters of MPA or right pulmonary artery between patients and controls. The diameters of the stenosed trachea , left and right main bronchi and LPA were smaller in the PAS group than in the control group (p < 0.001) , and significant differences were evident in the left lung volume (p < 0.001), right lung volume (p = 0.008) and the right-to-left lung volume ratio (p = 0.004) between the two groups. Pearson’s correlation and linear regression analyses between the diameters of the trachea and MPA, total lung volume, ipsilateral bronchial and pulmonary artery branches and ipsilateral lung volume ranged from 0.71 to 0.87 (p < 0.001) and 0.57 to 0.77 (p < 0.05) for the control and PAS groups, respectively. Conclusions: Lung development is disordered in patients with PAS, which causes not only tracheal stenosis and LPA dysplasia but also dysplasia of both lungs.

Chromhidrosis is defined by the secretion of colored sweat and pompholyx is a type of eczema characterized by the development of palmar and plantar vesicles.The case that we report can be eccrine chromhidrosis resembling the clinical features of pompholyx with explanation of probable pathomechanism.

A 92-year-old man presented to the hospital with recurrent hypoglycemia with a chronically raised right hemidiaphragm. A CT thorax-abdomen-pelvis showed a large abdominal mass. A ‘big’ IGF-2 secreting non-islet cell tumour was suspected and confirmed. The patient was treated with low dose prednisolone.

A document by Teun van Gelder. Click on the document to view its contents.

A metabolically engineered Lactobacillus plantarum mutant, which could produce D-lactic acid from both glucose and xylose, was applied for the production of optically pure D-lactic acid from corncobs by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF). Using a corncob hydrolysate obtained by a combination of dilute acid treatment using 1.5% H2SO4 followed by enzymatic saccharification, the L. plantarum mutant completely assimilated both glucose and xylose in the corncob hydrolysate within 20 hours, resulting in the successful production of D-lactic acid with high optical purity in a batch culture. To improve the performance of D-lactic acid production from corncobs, SSF experiments from 100 to 250 g/L of acid-hydrolyzed corncobs using 1.5% H2SO4 were performed, and 49.7 to 101 g/L of D-lactic acid with 96.8-98.6% of optical purity was successfully produced. The D-lactic acid yield from corncobs (YL/C) was approx. 0.61 when 100-150 g/L of acid-hydrolyzed corncobs was used; however, the YL/C decreased to 0.49 as the concentration of acid-hydrolyzed corncobs because of insufficient acid hydrolysis of the corncobs. Therefore, by increasing the H2SO4 concentration to 3.5%, D-lactic acid production from corncobs significantly increased to 134 g/L with YL/C of 0.63 and 2.88 g/(L･h) of productivity from 250 g/L of acid-hydrolyzed corncobs.

Aims. Right ventricular (RV) dysfunction is a predictor of adverse outcomes among patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) however, differences in RV parameters in HFrEF patients with ischemic (ICM) and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies (NICM) are not well understood. We investigated echocardiographic characteristics, including RV strain, in patients with acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) and compared patients with ICM and NICM etiology. Methods. Consecutive patients who presented with ADHF and NYHA class III-IV were prospectively enrolled if they had LVEF <40% and history of ICM or NICM. All patients underwent clinical exam, laboratory evaluation and 2-D echocardiographic assessment of the left ventricular (LV) and RV function, LV and RV global longitudinal strain (LVGLS, RVGLS), and RV free wall strain (RVfwLS). Results. Of 84 patients, 44 had ICM and 40 NICM. The groups had similar blood pressure, NT-proBNP, and echocardiographic parameters of LV function including LVGLS. Absolute RVGLS values were lower than RVfwLS values in both groups. Patients with NICM had significantly lower RVfwLS, but not RVGLS, compared to patients with ICM (-13% to -17%, P=0.006). Similar differences in RVfwLS were seen in patients in NYHA class III (NICM vs ICM: -13% and -17%, respectively, 95% CI: -8.5 to -0.5) and NYHA class IV (NICM vs ICM: -13.8% and -17%, respectively, 95% CI: -6.4 to -0.59). Conclusion. Among patients hospitalized with ADHF, patients with nonischemic etiology compared with the patients with ICM, have worse RV dysfunction measured by RVfwLS, despite similar extent of LV impairment and the same functional limitation class.

The isopod species Haploniscus bicuspis (G.O. Sars, 1877) shows circum-Icelandic distribution in a wide range of environmental conditions and along well-known geographic barriers, such as the Greenland-Iceland-Faroe (GIF) Ridge. We wanted to explore population genetics, phylogeography and cryptic speciation as well as to investigate whether previously described, but unaccepted subspecies have any merit. Using the same set of specimens, we combined mitochondrial COI sequences, thousands of nuclear loci (ddRAD), and proteomic profiles, plus selected morphological characters using Confocal Laser Scanning Microscopy (CLSM). Five divergent genetic lineages were identified by COI and ddRAD, two south and three north of the GIF Ridge. Assignment of populations to the three northern lineages varied and detailed analyses revealed hybridization and gene flow between them, suggesting a single northern species with a complex phylogeographic history. No apparent hybridization was observed among lineages south of the Ridge, inferring the existence of two more species. Differences in proteomic profiles between the three putative species were minimal, implying an ongoing or recent speciation process. Population differentiation was high, even among closely associated populations, and higher in mitochondrial COI than nuclear ddRAD loci. Gene flow is apparently male-biased, leading to hybrid zones and instances of complete exchange of the local nuclear genome through immigrating males. This study did not confirm the existence of subspecies defined by male characters, which probably characterize different male developmental stages present in all species.