The colours of insects function in intraspecific communication such as sexual signalling, interspecific communication such as protection from predators, and in physiological processes, such as thermoregulation. The expression of melanin-based colours is temperature-dependent and thus likely to be impacted by a changing climate. However, it is unclear how climate change drives changes in body and wing colour may impact insect physiology and their interactions with conspecifics (e.g. mates) or heterospecific (e.g. predators or prey). The aim of this review is to synthesise the current knowledge of the consequences of climate-driven colour change on insects. Here, we discuss the environmental factors that affect insect colours, and then we outline the adaptive mechanisms in terms of phenotypic plasticity and microevolutionary response. Throughout we discuss the impact of climate-related colour change on insect physiology, and interactions with con-and-heterospecifics.

We highlight the recent 5 years of research that contributed to our understanding of the mechanisms of RNA interference (RNAi) in insects. Since its first discovery, RNAi has contributed enormously as a reverse genetic tool for functional genomic studies. RNAi is also being used in therapeutics, as well as agricultural crop and livestock production and protection. Yet, for the wider application of RNAi, improvement of its potency and delivery technologies is needed. A mechanistic understanding of every step of RNAi, from cellular uptake of RNAi trigger molecules to targeted mRNA degradation, is key for developing an efficient strategy to improve RNAi technology. Insects provide an excellent model for studying the mechanism of RNAi due to species-specific variations in RNAi efficiency. This allows us to perform comparative studies in insect species with different RNAi sensitivity. Understanding the mechanisms of RNAi in different insects can lead to the development of better strategies to improve RNAi and its application to manage agriculturally and medically important insects.

This study investigated the in vitro bioaccessibility of aluminum, copper, iron, manganese, lead, selenium, and zinc in three important species of farmed insects: the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), the house cricket (Acheta domesticus) and the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria). Results show that all three insect species constitute excellent sources of essential elements (Fe, Cu and Zn) for the human diet, contributing to the recommended dietary allowance, i.e., 10%, 50%, and 92%, respectively. A higher accumulation of Se (≥1.4 mg Se/kg) was observed with increasing exposure concentration in A. domesticus, showing the possibility of using insects as a supplements for this element. The presence of Al and Fe nanoparticles was confirmed in all three species using single particle-inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry and transmission electron microscopy. The results also indicate that Fe bioaccessibility declines with increasing Fe-nanoparticle concentration. These findings contribute to increase the nutritional and toxicological insights of farmed insects.

The iconic Monarch butterfly is probably the best-known example of chemical defence against predation, as pictures of vomiting naive blue jays in countless textbooks vividly illustrate. Larvae of the butterfly take up toxic cardiac glycosides from their milkweed hostplants and carry them over to the adult stage. These compounds (cardiotonic steroids, including cardenolides and bufadienolides) inhibit the animal transmembrane sodium-potassium ATPase (Na,K-ATPase), but the Monarch enzyme resists this inhibition thanks to amino acid substitutions in its catalytic alpha-subunit. Some birds also have substitutions and can feast on cardiac glycoside-sequestering insects with impunity. A flurry of recent work has shown how the alpha-subunit gene has been duplicated multiple times in separate insect lineages specializing in cardiac glycoside-producing plants. In this issue of Molecular Ecology, Herbertz et al. toss the beta-subunit into the mix, by expressing all nine combinations of three alpha- and three beta-subunits of the milkweed bug Na,K-ATPase and testing their response to a cardenolide from the hostplant. The findings suggest that the diversification and subfunctionalization of genes allow milkweed bugs to balance trade-offs between resistance towards sequestered host plant toxins that protect the bugs from predators, and physiological costs in terms of Na,K-ATPase activity.

BACKGROUND: African swine fever (ASF) is a highly contagious and severe haemorrhagic disease of Suidae, with mortalities that approach 100 percent. Several studies suggested the potential implication of non-biting dipterans in the spread of ASFV in pig farms due to the identification of the ASFV DNA. However, to our knowledge, no study has evaluated the viral DNA load in non-biting dipterans collected in outbreak farms and no risk factors have been analysed. In this context, our study aimed to analyse the risk factors associated with the presence of non-biting dipterans collected from ASF outbreaks in relation to the presence and load of viral DNA.
METHODS: Backyard farms (BF), type A farms (TAF), and commercial farms (CF), were targeted for sampling in 2020. In 2021, no BF were sampled. Each farm was sampled only once. The identification of the collected flies to family, genus, or species level was performed based on morphological characteristics using specific keys and descriptions. Pools were made prior to DNA extraction. All extracted DNA was tested for the presence of the ASFV using a real-time PCR protocol. For this study, we considered every sample with a CT value of 40 as positive. The statistical analysis was performed using Epi Info 7 software (CDC, USA).
RESULTS: All collected non-biting flies belonged to five families: Calliphoridae, Sarcophagidae, Fanniidae, Drosophilidae, and Muscidae. Of the 361 pools, 201 were positive for the presence of ASFV DNA. The obtained CT values of the positive samples ranged from 21.54 to 39.63, with a median value of 33.59 and a mean value of 33.56. Significantly lower CT values (corresponding to higher viral DNA load) were obtained in Sarcophagidae, with a mean value of 32.56; a significantly higher number of positive pools were noticed in August, mean value = 33.12.
CONCLUSIONS: Our study brings compelling evidence of the presence of the most common synanthropic flies near domestic pig farms carrying ASFV DNA, highlighting the importance of strengthening the biosecurity measures and protocols for prevention of the insect life cycle and distribution.

Fires can significantly impact forest ecosystems. However, studies on the effects of fires on insect communities in post-fire plots in natural forests are rare. This study presents an analysis of the Coleoptera fauna in the forests of the Mordovia State Nature Reserve (European Russia) in 2022 and 2023 after a fire. Insects were sampled from burned plots (9) in 2010 and 2021, as well as unburned (control) plots (2), and alpha diversity was compared. After processing the material, we examined a total of 12,218 Coleoptera specimens from 38 families and identified 194 species. The families Nitidulidae, Cerambycidae, Elateridae, and Scarabaeidae were the most abundant across all plots. Cerambycidae, Elateridae, Nitidulidae, Staphylinidae, Coccinellidae, and Scarabaeidae exhibited the greatest species diversity. In total, 17 species were found on all plots, including Cetonia aurata, Protaetia cuprea volhyniensis, Trogoderma glabrum, Carpophilus hemipterus, Epuraea biguttata, Glischrochilus grandis, Glischrochilus hortensis, Glischrochilus quadripunctatus, Soronia grisea, Pediacus depressus, Chrysanthia geniculata, Anastrangalia reyi, Leptura quadrifasciata, Leptura thoracica, Lepturalia nigripes, Rhagium mordax, and Anisandrus dispar. Only five species exhibited preferences for certain plots. Maximum abundance and species diversity were observed on unburned (control) plots. The plots where fires occurred in 2010 and 2021 had the lowest total abundance values for Coleoptera. These fires destroyed almost all potential sites for beetle settlement, feeding, breeding, and shelter. Traps recorded a higher abundance of Coleoptera in the first year after fires compared to the second year. The Coleoptera fauna showed the greatest similarity on the control plots.

UNASSIGNED: The research focused on evaluating the biological and reproductive parameters of the species Spodoptera sunia with the introduction of field genetic material, in the Noctuid Insect Breeding Laboratory.
UNASSIGNED: The experiment consisted of three treatments and three repetitions involving 30 individuals each. Field-collected S. sunia population was reared in the laboratory under semi-controlled conditions of temperature and humidity for three generations. The progeny of the third generation was crossed with the laboratory population and the resulting progeny was observed for growth and reproductive fitness.
UNASSIGNED: The results revealed that the hybrid progeny (T3) has a sex ratio (F: M) of 0.82, as against 1.22 and 0.76 observed in the field (T1) and lab populations (T2) respectively. The T1 females oviposited 196 egg masses as against 160 and 59 egg masses by T3 and T2 females respectively. The larval growth was more in hybrid progeny with shorter larval duration. However, no variation was observed in the incubation and pupal periods.
UNASSIGNED: Since the most optimal results were obtained in T2 and T3, it is recommended to introduce genetic material every six months to maintain a good laboratory population of the insect host under study and better breeding of its natural enemies.

Satellite DNA (satDNA) consists of tandem repeat sequences that typically evolve rapidly through evolutionary mechanisms, including unequal crossover, transposition events, and others. The evolutionary history of Euchroma gigantea is marked by complex chromosomal evolution between lineages, making this species an interesting model for understanding satDNA evolution at intraspecies level. Therefore, our aim was to comprehend the potential contribution of satDNAs to the greater chromosomal differentiation of evolutionary lineages in E. gigantea by investigating the differential patterns of amplification and contraction of the repeats. To achieve this, we employed de novo identification of satDNA using RepeatExplorer and TAREAN, allowing the satellitome characterization between lineages. A total of 26 satDNA families were identified, ranging from 18 to 1101 nucleotides in length, with most families being shared between individuals/lineages, as predicted by the library hypothesis, except for the satDNA EgiSat21-168 that was absent for Northeast Lineage. The total satDNA content of the individuals was less than 11.2%, and it appeared to increase in two directions following the chromosomal evolution model. Thirteen satDNAs exhibited different patterns of amplification, and nine ones were contracted among individuals. Additionally, most repeats showed a divergence of about 10% for these satDNAs, indicating satellitome differentiation for each lineage/individual. This scenario suggests that the expansion of the satellitome occurred differentially among individuals/lineages of E. gigantea, with the contribution of various DNA turnover mechanisms after geographical isolation, and that they could be involved with karyotype evolution.

Black soldier fly (BSF; Hermetia illucens) is a promising insect species for food and feed production as its larvae can convert different organic waste to high-value protein. Selective breeding is one way to optimize production, but the potential of breeding is only starting to be explored and not yet utilized for BSF. To assist in monitoring a captive population and implementing a breeding program, genomics tools are imperative. We conducted whole genome sequencing of two captive populations separated by geographical distance - Denmark (DK) and Texas, USA (TX). Various population genetics analyses revealed a moderate genetic differentiation between two populations. Moreover, we observed higher inbreeding in the DK population, and the detection of a subpopulation within DK population aligned well with the recent foundation of the DK population from two captive populations. Additionally, we generated gene ontology annotation and variants annotation for wider potential applications. Our findings establish a robust marker set for research in population genetics, facilitating the monitoring of inbreeding and laying the groundwork for practical breeding programs for BSF.

Comprehensive biodiversity data is crucial for ecosystem protection. The Biome mobile app, launched in Japan, efficiently gathers species observations from the public using species identification algorithms and gamification elements. The app has amassed >6 million observations since 2019. Nonetheless, community-sourced data may exhibit spatial and taxonomic biases. Species distribution models (SDMs) estimate species distribution while accommodating such bias. Here, we investigated the quality of Biome data and its impact on SDM performance. Species identification accuracy exceeds 95% for birds, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians, but seed plants, molluscs, and fishes scored below 90%. Our SDMs for 132 terrestrial plants and animals across Japan revealed that incorporating Biome data into traditional survey data improved accuracy. For endangered species, traditional survey data required >2000 records for accurate models (Boyce index ≥ 0.9), while blending the two data sources reduced this to around 300. The uniform coverage of urban-natural gradients by Biome data, compared to traditional data biased towards natural areas, may explain this improvement. Combining multiple data sources better estimates species distributions, aiding in protected area designation and ecosystem service assessment. Establishing a platform for accumulating community-sourced distribution data will contribute to conserving and monitoring natural ecosystems.
The internet has allowed people to share their experiences through images, videos or audio recordings. This has led to the creation of online communities around a variety of topics, including biodiversity. In 2019, a smartphone app, called Biome, was created to fuel biodiversity engagement by making wildlife surveying an easy and fun activity via gamification and assisted species identification through image recognition and ecological analyses. These types of observations are essential for understanding biological communities and species habitats, and they can indicate where and when species occur. Across Japan, Biome has gathered over 6.5 million observations of different species. For biologists, this type of data is extremely useful because it is continuous and enables advanced statistical estimations of species distributions. The fact that the approach is enjoyable to the user also means more people are willing to participate, lowering the barriers to collecting data about biodiversity loss. However, questions remain regarding whether community-sourced data is robust enough for scientific purposes. To address this, Atsumi et al. investigated the quality of occurrence data collected in Biome. The researchers found that community identification of birds, reptiles, mammals and amphibians all exceeded 95% in accuracy. However, the accuracy fell for harder-to-judge seed plants, molluscs and fish species, ranging below 90%. Atsumi et al. also compared how estimated distributions of each species changed when only scientific data was used, versus when it was combined with community data. To perform this analysis, the scientists recognized variations in observation efforts across different locations and individuals and adjusted for these biases in their estimations. They found that adding community-sourced data significantly improved the accuracy of species distribution estimations, including endangered species. Atsumi et al. demonstrate that Biome data is useful when deciding which areas to designate as protected in terms of biodiversity. Additionally, these data can provide guidance for stakeholder-informed ecosystem service assessments. The element of rapid and reliable data collection can contribute to growing positive attitudes towards nature and biodiversity, The platform\'s community-driven nature also indicates an increase in biodiversity awareness and may link to crafting informative socio-environmental policy commitments.