Valentina Kuznetsova

• Dr. Sciences, Professor Principle Researcher
• Researcher at Russian Academy of Sciences

Introduction: Telomeric sequences are stable parts of the genome and are widely conserved among higher-level taxa (e.g., TTAGG in insects and other arthropods), although exceptions are known and their numbers are increasing with research. The true bug suborder Heteroptera (Hemiptera) includes more than 40,000 species in about 100 families, classifi...

The article is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Sc. Ninel A. Petrova, who passed away on 18 April 2024, and to her scientific heritage. Ninel was born on 28 March 1940 in Leningrad, the former Soviet Union. From 1959 to 1964, she studied at the Faculty of Biology and Soil Science of the Leningrad State University. After graduating from the university...

To identify nucleolus organizing regions (NORs), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 18S rDNA probe was performed on chromosomes of Tenthredo campestris Linnaeus, 1758 (Tenthredinidae), Arge ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1767) (Argidae) (n = 10 in both) and Aulacidea hieracii (Bouché, 1834) (Cynipidae) (2n = 20). In all these species, a single per...

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with two different probes, the canonical insect telomeric sequence (TTAGG)n and the sequence (TTAGGGATGG)n, was performed on meiotic chromosomes of two members of the true bug family Cimicidae (Cimicomorpha), the common bed bug Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, 1758 and the tropical bed bug C. hemipterus (Fabrici...

Simple Summary The class Insecta constitutes the largest group of terrestrial animals, with more than a million described species. As in all other animals, insect genomes contain clusters of specific genes, which are essential for producing and assembling ribosomes. These clusters harbor two types of repetitive DNA, i.e., 45S and 5S ribosomal DNA (...

We studied the karyotype and chromosomal distribution of 18S rDNA clustered in nucleolar organizer regions (NORs) in Nysius graminicola (Kolenati, 1845), belonging to the subfamily Orsillinae (Lygaeidae). It is shown that this species has a karyotype with 2n = 22(18+mm+XY), previously known in only one of 24 studied species of the genus Nysius Dall...

Simple Summary The order Hemiptera is incredibly diverse in terms of modes of parthenogenetic reproduction. In this article, we review all currently known data on reproduction by true parthenogenesis, specifically thelytoky, in two major hemipteran suborders, Fulgoromorpha (planthoppers) and Cicadomorpha (leafhoppers). We discuss distribution patte...

The Lygaeoidea comprise about 4660 species in 790 genera and 16 families. Using standard chromosome staining and FISH with 18S rDNA and telomeric (TTAGG)n probes, we studied male karyotypes and meiosis in 10 species of Lygaeoidea belonging to eight genera of the families Blissidae, Cymidae, Heterogastridae, Lygaeidae, and Rhyparochromidae. Chromoso...

The structure of testes and ovaries can be described in its simplest form by the number of follicles and ovarioles they contain. Sixty-five years after the last review of the internal reproductive systems in true bugs (Heteroptera), the data accumulated today on the number of testicular follicles and ovarioles in their gonads are summarized. In add...

Simple Summary The jumping plant louse Cacopsylla ledi (Flor, 1861) (Hempitera: Psylloidea) is a triploid apomictic parthenogenetic species. Occasionally, so-called rare males and diploid females that can interbreed with each other are found in the populations. If these bisexuals were able to move to a new area and establish a new population, this...

To reveal the phylogeographic pattern of the parthenogenetic psyllid Cacopsylla myrtilli (W. Wagner 1947) (Hemiptera, Psylloidea), we sequenced a 638 bp fragment of the mitochondrial COI gene from 962 individuals. These insects originated from 46 sampling sites, which cover a significant part of the northern Palearctic distribution range of the spe...

Simple Summary Tingidae, or lace bugs, is a family of herbivorous true bugs, with approximately 2600 identified species in 318 genera classified in two or sometimes three subfamilies, among which the largest subfamily Tinginae comprises about 2500 species. Here, an account is given of the karyotypes of 16 lace bug species studied using conventional...

A new species, Rhaphidosoma paganicum sp. nov. (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Harpactorinae: Rhaphidosomatini), is described from the Dry Zone of Myanmar. It is the fifth species of Rhaphidosoma Amyot et Serville, 1843, known from the Oriental Region, and the first record of the genus for Myanmar and Indochina. The structure of the external and internal...

This article is part (the 4 th article) of the themed issue (a monograph) “Aberrant cytogenetic and reproductive patterns in the evolution of Paraneoptera”. The purpose of this article is to consider chromosome structure and evolution, chromosome numbers and sex chromosome systems, which all together constitute the chromosomal basis of reproduction...

Simple Summary Wolbachia has many varied impacts on the biology and evolution of insects and some other groups of invertebrates. The number of studies that have particularly addressed the impact of Wolbachia infection on reproduction and processes of speciation and diversification of host species has grown rapidly over the past decade. Despite that...

This paper opens the themed issue (a monograph) “Aberrant cytogenetic and reproductive patterns in the evolution of Paraneoptera”, prepared by a Russian-Bulgarian research team on the basis of long-term collaborative studies. In this first part of the issue, we provide the basic introductory information, describe the material involved and the metho...

The ancient insect order Odonata is divided into three suborders: Anisoptera and Zygoptera with approximately 3000 species worldwide each, and Anisozygoptera with only four extant species in the rel-ict family Epiophlebiidae. An updated list of Odonata species studied regarding chromosome number, sex chromosome mechanism and the occurrence of m-chr...

The ancient insect order Odonata is divided into three suborders: Anisoptera and Zygoptera with approximately 3000 species worldwide each, and Anisozygoptera with only four extant species in the relict family Epiophlebiidae. An updated list of Odonata species studied regarding chromosome number, sex chromosome mechanism and the occurrence of m-chro...

All Odonata species studied to date using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) belong to the dragonfly (Anisoptera) families Corduliidae and Libellulidae. It was shown that 18S rRNA gene loci locate on one of the largest pairs of autosomes in every species, whereas the "insect" telomere motif (TTAGG) n is absent in all but one species. For bet...

Repetitive DNAs are the main components of eukaryotic genome. We mapped the 18S rDNA and TTAGG telomeric probe sequences by FISH to meiotic chromosomes of eight species of the order Psocoptera considered a basal taxon of Paraneoptera: Valenzuela burmeisteri (Brauer, 1876), Stenopsocus lachlani Kolbe, 1960, Graphopsocus cruciatus (Linnaeus, 1768), P...

The representatives of the lacewing families Myrmeleontidae, Ascalaphidae, and Nemopteridae (the suborder Myrmeleontiformia) were studied with reference to the number of testicular follicles in males and the number of ovarioles in females. We have found that the number of follicles is highly variable, at least in the first two families. In the comp...

Telomeres are terminal regions of chromosomes, which protect them from fusion with other chromosomes and stabilize their structure. Telomeres usually contain specific DNA repeats (motifs), which are maintained by telomerase, a kind of reverse transcriptase. In this review, we survey the current state of knowledge of telomere motifs in insects. Amon...

Based on chromosomal, molecular and morphological analyses, two new Cacopsylla Ossiannilsson, 1970 species are described, C. lapponica S. Nokkala & Ch. Nokkala, sp. nov. and C. borealis S. Nokkala et Ch. Nokkala, sp. nov. (Hemiptera, Psylloidea). C. lapponica is a rare bisexual alpine species living on Vaccinium uliginosum Linnaeus, 1753 above tree...

Telomeres are terminal regions of chromosomes, which protect them from fusion with other chromosomes and stabilize their structure. Telomeres usually contain specific DNA repeats (motifs), which are maintained by telomerase, a kind of reverse transcriptase. In this review, we survey the current state of knowledge of telomere motifs in insects. Amon...

Male karyotype and meiosis in four true bug species belonging to the families Reduviidae, Nabidae, and Miridae (Cimicomorpha) were studied for the first time using Giemsa staining and FISH with 18S ribo-somal DNA and telomeric (TTAGG) n probes. We found that Rhynocoris punctiventris (Herrich-Schäffer, 1846) and R. iracundus (Poda, 1761) (Reduviidae...

An account is given of the karyotypes of Hydramagnipapillata Itô, 1947, H.oxycnida Schulze, 1914, and Pelmatohydraoligactis (Pallas, 1766) (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Hydridae). A number of different techniques were used: conventional karyotype characterization by standard staining, DAPI-banding and C-banding was complemented by the physical mapping of th...

An account is given of the karyotypes of Hydramagnipapillata Itô, 1947, H.oxycnida Schulze, 1914, and Pelmatohydraoligactis (Pallas, 1766) (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Hydridae). A number of different techniques were used: conventional karyotype characterization by standard staining, DAPI-banding and C-banding was complemented by the physical mapping of th...

The karyotypes of 10 species from 9 genera of the family Tingidae (Hemiptera, Heteroptera, Cimicomorpha) are described and illustrated for the first time. These species are: Agrammaatricapillum (Spinola, 1837), Catoplatuscarthusianus (Goeze, 1778), Dictylaplatyoma (Fieber, 1861), Lasiacanthahermani Vásárhelyi, 1977, Oncochilasimplex (Herrich-Schaef...

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) is a technique used to determine the chromosomal position of DNA and RNA probes. The present study contributes to knowledge on jumping plant-lice genomes by using FISH with 18S rDNA and telomeric (TTAGG)n probes on meiotic chromosomes of Psylla alni (2n = 24 + X), Cacopsylla mali (2n = 22 + neo-XY and 20 +...

Telomeric repeats in two members of the sawfly family Tenthredinidae (Hymenoptera), namely, Tenthredo omissa (Förster, 1844) and Taxonus agrorum (Fallén, 1808) (both have n = 10), were studied using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Chromosomes of both species were demonstrated to contain the canonical TTAGG insect telomeric repeat, which...

With very deep sympathies and very great regret we announce that our best friend, the dearest colleague and excellent researcher Professor Iya Kiknadze passed away in Novosibirsk on December 17, 2017. She was a scientist who made a great and very valuable contribution in the field of cytology – structure and function of the eukaryotic chromosome, c...

We studied the karyotypes of 8 dragonfly species originating from the Curonian Spit (the Baltic Sea, Russia) using C-banding and FISH with 18S rDNA and “insect” telomeric (TTAGG)n probes. Our results show that Leucorrhinia rubicunda, Libellula depressa, L. quadrimaculata, Orthetrum cancellatum, Sympetrum danae, and S. vulgatum from the family Libel...

Male karyotypes of four lace bug species, Agramma fallax (Horváth, 1906), Copium teucrii (Host, 1788), Galeatus sinuatus (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1838) and Dictyla humuli (Fabricius, 1794), were analyzed for the first time using both conventional chromosome staining and FISH with 18S rDNA and telomeric (TTAGG)n probes. All species show the same karyotyp...

Characteristics of parthenogenesis in Cacopsylla ledi (Flor, 1861) were analyzed using cytological and molecular approaches. In all three populations studied from Finland, i.e. Turku, Kustavi and Siikajoki, males were present at a low frequency but were absent from a population from Vorkuta, Russia. In a follow-up study conducted in the Turku popul...

An account is given of the karyotypes and male meiosis of the Water Scorpion Nepa cinerea Linnaeus, 1758 and the Water Stick Insect Ranatra linearis (Linnaeus, 1758) (Heteroptera, Nepomorpha, Nepidae). A number of different approaches and techniques were tried: the employment of both male and female gonads and mid-guts as the sources of chromosomes...

We report here the first chromosome numbers for benthic water bugs (Nepomorpha: Aphelocheiridae). All three studied species, Aphelocheirus aestivalis (Fabricius, 1794), A. murcius Nieser and Millán, 1989 and Aphelocheirus sp. from Ebro River (northern Spain), have karyotype 2n = 22 + XX/X(0) and inverted sequence of the X chromosome divisions in ma...

Myrmeleontidae, commonly known as "antlions", are the most diverse family of the insect order Neuroptera, with over 1700 described species (in 191 genera) of which 37 species (in 21 genera) have so far been studied in respect to standard karyotypes. In the present paper we provide first data on the occurrence of the "insect-type" telomeric repeat (...

As of now, within the lace bug family Tingidae (Cimicomorpha), only l.5% of the species described have been cytogenetically studied. In this paper, male karyotypes of Stephanitis caucasica, S. pyri, Physatocheila confinis, Lasiacantha capucina, Dictyla rotundata and D. echii were studied using FISH mapping with an 18S rDNA marker. The results show...

Abstract We report several chromosomal traits in 11 species from 8 genera of the planthopper family Issidae, the tribes Issini, Parahiraciini and Hemisphaeriini. All species present a 2n = 27, X(0) chromosome complement known to be ancestral for the family. The karyotype is conserved in structure and consists of a pair of very large autosomes; the...

We report several chromosomal traits in 11 species from 8 genera of the planthopper family Issidae, the tribes Issini, Parahiraciini and Hemisphaeriini. All species present a 2n = 27, X(0) chromosome complement known to be ancestral for the family. The karyotype is conserved in structure and consists of a pair of very large autosomes; the remaining...

In hexapods, unlike the majority of animals, development without fertilization is a common phenomenon. They evolved a striking diversity of unisexual reproductive types that include a variety of modes starting from spontaneous parthenogenesis in females to the production of impaternate males with different variants in between. Many reports about pa...

The karyotype and male meiosis, with a particular focus on the presence or absence of chiasmata between the homologs, were studied in the water boatman species Cymatia rogenhoferi (Fieber) and C. coleoptrata (Fabricius) (Corixidae, Cymatiainae). It is shown that the species have 2n = 33 (28A+2m+X1X2Y) and 2n = 24 (20A+2m+XY) respectively, post-redu...

A short review of main cytogenetic features of insects belonging to the sister neuropteran families Myrmeleontidae (antlions) and Ascalaphidae (owlflies) is presented, with a particular focus on their chromosome numbers and sex chromosome systems. Diploid male chromosome numbers are listed for 37 species, 21 genera from 9 subfamilies of the antlion...

A comprehensive review of cytogenetic features is provided for the large hemipteran suborder Auchenorrhyncha, which currently contains approximately 42,000 valid species. This review is based on the analysis of 819 species, 483 genera, and 31 families representing all presently recognized Auchenorrhyncha superfamilies, e.i. Cicadoidea (cicadas), Ce...

A short review of main cytogenetic features of insects belonging to the sister neuropteran families Myrmeleontidae (antlions) and Ascalaphidae (owlflies) is presented, with a particular focus on their chromosome numbers and sex chromosome systems. Diploid male chromosome numbers are listed for 37 species, 21 genera from 9 subfamilies of the antlion...

Citation: Kuznetsova VG, Khabiev GN, Krivokhatsky VA (2015) Chromosome numbers in antlions (Myrmeleontidae) and owlflies (Ascalaphidae) (Insecta, Neuroptera) In: Lukhtanov VA, Kuznetsova VG, Grozeva S, Golub NV (Eds) Genetic and cytogenetic structure of biological diversity in insects. ZooKeys 538: 47-61. Abstract A short review of main cytogenetic...

We have investigated for the first time the chromosomes of Karoophasma biedouwense, a species belonging to the Manto-phasmatodea, a recently discovered order of carnivorous insects. Our study has revealed that males of this species display testes with numerous seminal tubes (follicles), as in other Polyneoptera, and short tubular seminal vesicles e...

Male karyotypes of Elasmotropis testacea (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1835), Tingis cardui (Linnaeus, 1758), T. crispata (Herrich-Schaeffer, 1838), and Agramma femorale Thomson, 1871 (Heteroptera, Cimicomorpha, Tingidae) were analyzed using conventional chromosome staining and FISH with 18S rDNA and (TTAGG)n telomeric probes. The FISH technique was applied...

Telomeric repeats are general and significant structures of eukaryotic chromosomes. However, nothing is known about the molecular structure of telomeres in the enigmatic hemipteran suborder Coleorrhyncha (moss bugs) commonly considered as the sister group to the suborder Heteroptera (true bugs). The true bugs are known to differ from the rest of th...

Using a cytological approach, diploid females were found coexisting with rare males in triploid apomictic parthenogenetic populations of the psyllid Cacopsylla myrtilli (W. Wagner, 1947) in Norway, Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia. Diploid females were easily distinguished from triploid apomictic females by the presence of 13 chiasmate bivalent...

Genomes of numerous diploid plant and animal species possess traces of interspecific crosses, and many researches consider them as support for homoploid hybrid speciation (HHS), a process by which a new reproductively isolated species arises through hybridization and combination of parts of the parental genomes, but without an increase in ploidy. H...

The leafhopper genus Alebra Fieber, 1872 comprises a complex of morphologically similar species. The chromosome complements (karyotypes) of five Alebra species, i.e. A. albostriella, A. coryli, A. viridis, A. wahlbergi and a new, yet undescribed species, provisionally named Taxon 1, were here investigated, three of these species (A. coryli, A. viri...

The patterns of sperm formation in sternorrhynchous jumping plant-lice are reviewed. To date information is available for 143 species belonging to 54 genera, 17 subfamilies and seven of the eight psylloid families (only Phacopteronidae is not represented). For the majority of the taxa (116 species, 39 genera, 10 subfamilies and the families Calophy...

In the first cytogenetic study of the recently proposed family Myerslopiidae the male karyotype of Mapuchea chilensis (Nielson, 1996) was analyzed using conventional chromosome staining, AgNOR- and C-bandings, and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 18S rDNA and (TTAGG)n telomeric probes. A karyotype of 2n = 16 + XY, NOR on a medium-size...

LABINA E.S., MARYAÑSKA-NADACHOWSKA A., BURCKHARDT D., KUZNETSOVA V.G. 2014. Variation in sperm formation patterns in jumping plant-lice (Hemiptera: Psylloidea): a light microscopic study. Folia Biologica (Kraków) 62: 321-333. The patterns of sperm formation in sternorrhynchous jumping plant-lice are reviewed. To date information is available for 14...

Karyotypes of six species belonging to three main clades of parasitoid Hymenoptera, the superfamilies Ichneumonoidea (Ichneumonidae: Ichneumon amphibolus), Cynipoidea (Cynipidae: Diplolepis rosae) and Chalcidoidea (Eurytomidae: Eurytoma robusta, Eu. serratulae and Eu. compressa, and Torymidae: Torymus bedeguaris) were studied using FISH with 18S rD...

Cytogenetic information on the hemipteran suborder Coleorrhyncha is here provided for the first time. The New Zealand peloridiid species, Xenophyes cascus Bergroth, 1924 (Hemiptera: Coleorrhyncha: Peloridiidae), was found to display testes with a single follicle each, holokinetic chromosomes (like other Hemiptera), a karyotype of 2n = 26 + X(0) and...

The hemipteran (homopteran) suborder Auchenorrhyncha involves five superfamilies including the Fulgoroidea (planthoppers), Cicadoidea (cicadas), Membracoidea (leafhoppers and treehoppers), Myerslopioidea stat. nov. (ground-dwelling leafhoppers), and Cercopoidea (spittlebugs or froghoppers). The object of the present study is the spittlebug genus Ph...

In this work 13 populations of the leafhopper species Alebra albostriella (Fallén, 1826) (6 populations) and A. wahlbergi (Boheman, 1845) (7 populations) (Cicadellidae: Typhlocybinae) from Greece were studied cytogenetically. We examined chromosomal complements and meiosis in 41 males of A. albostriella sampled from Castanea sativa, Fagus sylvatica...

For studying meiosis in males, large samples of Cacopsylla myrtilli (Wagner, 1947) (Hemiptera, Psyllidae) were collected in Norway, Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia. In addition to all-female populations, males were present in 10 out of 47 populations; still, all populations were highly female-biased, the proportion of males varying from 0.1% t...

Electronic supplementary material video S1. (doi: 10.3897/zookeys.319.4384.app) File format: MPEG Video File (mpg).

The karyotype and meiosis in males of giant water bug Lethocerus patruelis (Heteroptera: Belostomatidae: Lethocerinae) were studied using standard and fluorochrome (CMA 3 and DAPI) staining of chromosomes. The species was shown to have 2n = 22A + 2m + XY where 2m are a pair of microchromosomes. NORs are located in X and Y chromosomes. Within Belost...

A cytogenetic investigation was performed in eight species of the spittlebug genus philaenus using silver-NOR (agNOR)-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with 18s rDNA and (TTAGG)n telomeric probes. this is the first application of FISH technique in the auchenorrhyncha, a suborder of the hemiptera. FISH along with the rDNA probe r...

Cacopsylla fraudatrix Labina & Kuznetsova sp.n., collected from Vaccinium myrtillus in Bieszczady Mountains (S. Poland) is described and compared with the most closely related species, C. myrtilli (developing on V. myrtillus) and C. ledi (on Ledum palustre) as well as with a distantly related species C. vaccinii (on V. bracteatum). The identity of...

Using the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), the presence of (TTAGG)n telomeric sequence was detected in the chromosomes of Lethocerus patruelis (Stål, 1854) belonging to the family Belostomatidae (Heteroptera: Nepomorpha). This sequence was exclusively present at the ends of chromosomes in this species. This is the first evidence of the in...

Abstract The evolution of karyotypes and sex determination system of Philaenus Stål (Auchenorrhyncha: Aphrophoridae) species is studied here in detail. The most plausible scenario of chromosomal rearrangements accompanying phylogenetic differentiation in Philaenus is advanced. It is postulated that the ancestral karyotype of Philaenus was 2n = 24 +...

The Cimicomorpha is one of the largest and highly diversified infraorders of the Heteroptera. This group is also highly diversified cytogenetically and demonstrates a number of unusual cytogenetic characters such as holokinetic chromosomes; m-chromosomes; multiple sex chromosome systems; post-reduction of sex chromosomes in meiosis; variation in th...

Eight species belonging to five true bug families were analyzed using DAPI/CMA3-staining and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with telomeric (TTAGG)n and 18S rDNA probes. Standard chromosomal complements are reported for the first time for Deraeocoris rutilus (Herrich-Schäffer, 1838) (2n=30+2m+XY) and Deraeocoris ruber(Linnaeus, 1758) (2n=...

Bugs (Insecta: Heteroptera) are frequently used as examples of unusual cytogenetic characters, and the family Cimicidae is one of most interest in this respect. We have performed a cytogenetic study of the common bed bug Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, 1758 using both classical (Schiff-Giemsa and AgNO 3-staining) and molecular cytogenetic techniques (b...

Bugs (Insecta: Heteroptera) are frequently used as examples of unusual cy-togenetic characters, and the family Cimicidae is one of most interest in this respect. We have performed a cytogenetic study of the common bed bug Cimex lectularius Linnaeus, 1758 using both classical (Schiff-Giemsa and AgNO 3-staining) and molecular cytogenetic techniques (...

At the turn of the 21st century, the use of molecular and molecular cytogenetic methods led to revolutionary advances in systematics of insects and other arthropods. Analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes, as well as investigation of structural rearrangements in the mitochondrial chromosome convincingly supported the Pancrustacea hypothesis, a...

At the turn of the 21st century, the use of molecular and molecular cytogenetic methods led to revolutionary advances in systematics of insects and other arthropods. Analysis of nuclear and mitochondrial genes, as well as investigation of structural rearrangements in the mitochondrial chromosome convincingly supported the Pancrustacea hypothesis, a...