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The spined soldier bug, Podisus maculiventris, is a generalist predator of insects and has been used in biological control. However, information on the digestion of food in this insect is lacking. Therefore, we have studied the digestive system in P. maculiventris, and further characterized carbohydrases in the digestive tract. The midgut of all developmental stages was composed of anterior, median, and posterior regions. The volumes of the anterior midgut decreased and the median midgut increased in older instars and adults, suggesting a more important role of the median midgut in food digestion. However, carbohydrase activities were predominant in the anterior midgut. In comparing the specific activity of carbohydrases, α-amylase activity was more in the salivary glands (with two distinct activity bands in zymograms), and glucosidase and galactosidase activities were more in the midgut. Salivary α-amylases were detected in the prey hemolymph, demonstrating the role of these enzymes in extra-oral digestion. However, the catalytic efficiency of midgut α-amylase activity was approximately twofold more than that of the salivary gland enzymes, and was more efficient in digesting soluble starch than glycogen. Midgut α-amylases were developmentally regulated, as one isoform was found in first instar compared to three isoforms in fifth instar nymphs. Starvation significantly affected carbohydrase activities in the midgut, and acarbose inhibited α-amylases from both the salivary glands and midgut in vitro and in vivo. The structural diversity and developmental regulation of carbohydrases in the digestive system of P. maculiventris demonstrate the importance of these enzymes in extra-oral and intra-tract digestion, and may explain the capability of the hemipteran to utilize diverse food sources.

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Sabalan is a voluminous stratovolcano situated in the northwestern part of Alborz-Azerbaijan zone, 25 km from Meshkinshahr. It is separated by a fault creating a tectonic boundary from Sarab plain and Meshkinshahr. The composition of Sabalan volcanic rocks ranges from andesite, trachyandesite to dacite. The rocks have hypocrystalline porphyritic texture with a glassy matrix and microlite. Plagioclase, amphibole, pyroxene, biotite, and oxides are the main phenocryst phase of the rocks. Some plagioclases show disequilibrium textures (sieve texture and oscillatory zoning). The sieve texture and oscillatory zoning in the plagioclases may be indicative of magma mixing processes in the genesis of the Sabalan volcanic rocks. Geochemical data reveal that the Sabalan lavas exhibit calk-alkaline major-oxide trends with a sodic character and they range in composition from andesite to dacite. Pre-caldera and post-caldera volcanic rocks have similar geochemical features with enrichments in LILE and LREE relative to HFSE and HREE, respectively, and have negative Ti, Nb, and Ta anomalies. Ba/Ta ratios higher than 450 and La/Nb ratios ranging between 2 and 3 indicate a volcanic arc setting for the studied rocks. Based on fi eld and geochemical studies, Sabalan is a subduction-related volcano, occurred as a result of subduction of Neo-Tethyan oceanic crust beneath the Iranian microplate.

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