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Biodiversity Of Culicidae (Insecta: Diptera) In The Region Of Khenchela (Northeast Algeria), Imane Halimi, Fatima Zohra Zohra Kara-Toumi, Salim Lebbal, Ruben Bueno Mari, Asma Ghorab, Fairouz Saidi

Journal of Bioresource Management

Mosquitoes are considered as vectors of serious human diseases. The prevention of parasitic and arboviral vector-borne diseases is based mostly on vector control strategies. This control cannot be effective unless a strong knowledge of mosquito biology and distribution in the working area. In this context, and in order to improve the knowledge on the specific diversity of the culicids fauna in the region of Khenchela (northeast of Algeria), an inventory of mosquitoes was carried out for the first time in this region. Larval collection was conducted in various types of habitats through continuous monitoring of seven sites from May 2020 …

Artificial Intelligence System For Automatic Imaging, Quantification, And Identification Of Arthropods In Leaf Litter And Pitfall Samples, Pierce Helton, Khoa Luu, Ashley Dowling

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

It is well known that arthropods are the most diverse and abundant eukaryotic organisms on the planet. Museum and research collections have huge insect accumulations from expeditions conducted over history that contain specimens of both temporal and spatial value, including hundreds of thousands of species. This biodiversity data is inaccessible to the research community, resulting in a vast amount of “dark data”. The primary objective of this study is to develop an artificial intelligence-driven system for specimen identification that greatly minimizes the time and expertise required to identify specimens in atypical environments. Successful development will have profound impacts on both …

Inventory And Distribution Of Mosquitoes (Diptera, Culicidae) In The Aures Region (Batna, Algeria), Nora Belkhiri, Wafa Habbachi, Saliha Benhissen, Naama Frah, Abdelmadjid Yagoub Asloum, Nadia Aberkane

Journal of Bioresource Management

Mosquitoes are the most terrifying both for their abundance and for the diseases they transmit. They are vectors of malaria, lymphatic filariasis and arbovirus such as yellow fever, dengue, viral encephalitis and African horse sickness. These characteristics give this fauna prominent importance and health interest. To identify the most widespread mosquito species, we conducted for the first time an inventory in the Aures region more particularly the wilaya of Batna (East of Algeria) from May 2017 to January 2020, we studied their diversity, abundance and distribution. The sampling is done by monthly surveys of the various localities chosen, using the …

Protura (Arthropoda: Hexapoda) In Slovenian Caves, Loris Galli, Franc Janžekovič, Peter Kozel, Tone Novak

International Journal of Speleology

Protura is a small class of Hexapoda, generally poorly known, and rather scarce data on its occurrence in caves are scattered throughout literature on fauna in caves and in some papers on Protura. Although the cave-dwelling fauna is relatively well studied in Slovenia, published records on Protura are rare. In this paper, data on the occurrence and abundance of Protura in Slovenian caves are considered. Various statistical analyses were performed to compare caves with Protura to those without in 60 intensively monitored cavities to detect any differences in the selected environmental conditions. No significant difference was obtained. Samples collected from …

Microhabitat Selection Of A Sicilian Subterranean Woodlouse And Its Implications For Cave Management, Giuseppe Nicolosi, Stefano Mammola, Salvatore Costanzo, Giorgio Sabella, Rosolino Cirrincione, Giovanni Signorello, Marco Isaia

International Journal of Speleology

Human activities in subterranean environments can affect different ecosystem components, including the resident fauna. Subterranean terrestrial invertebrates are particularly sensitive to environmental change, especially microclimatic variations. For instance, microclimate modifications caused by the visitors may directly affect local fauna in caves opened to the public. However, since numerous factors act synergistically in modulating the distribution and abundance of subterranean species, it remains challenging to differentiate the impact of human intervention from that of other factors. Therefore, evidence of the impact of tourism on cave invertebrate fauna remains scarce. Over a year and with approximately two visits a month, we investigated …

Coleoptera Collected Using Three Trapping Methods At Grass River Natural Area, Antrim County, Michigan, Robert A. Haack, Bill Ruesink

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Abstract. Overall, 409 Coleoptera species (369 identified to species, 24 to genus only, and 16 to subfamily only), representing 275 genera and 58 beetle families, were collected from late May through late September 2017 at the Grass River Natural Area (GRNA), Antrim County, Michigan, using baited multi-funnel traps (210 species), pitfall traps (104 species), and sweep nets (168 species). All three collecting methods were used in three distinct habitats: a rich conifer swamp (cedar), near the edge of a red pine plantation (pine), and within a mesic northern hardwood forest (hardwoods). Additional collections were made along two trails and in …

Occurrence Of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) On Birds In Northwestern Lower Michigan, 2011-2019, William C. Scharf, Lisa Aukland, Gary W. Shugart, Sarah A. Hamer

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Abstract

Monitoring tick infestation of wildlife provides baseline tick

occurrence data that may have human or animal health implications. We collected 312 ticks of four species from 5,122 birds of 93 species while monitoring bird migration during 15 fall and spring seasons between 2011 and 2019 in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Twenty-seven of 93 bird species hosted ticks with an overall prevalence (=at least one tick) of 3.6% (185/5,122). Median burden was one tick/per infested bird with a range of 1-16 ticks per infested bird. Tick species collected were primarily Haemaphysalis leporispalustris (Packard) and Ixodes scapularis Say, with …

Reinstatement Of Andrena Vernalis Mitchell (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) From Synonymy With A. Ziziae Robertson, Zachary M. Portman, Ian G. Lane, Gabriella L. Pardee, Daniel P. Cariveau

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Andrena (Micrandrena) ziziae Robertson, 1891 (Andrenidae) is a well-known species found in a variety of habitats in the eastern and central United States and adjacent southern Canada. Andrena (Micrandrena) vernalis Mitchell, 1960 was described from five female specimens in the eastern United States and was synonymized with A. ziziae by Ribble in 1968. Recently collected specimens from throughout Minnesota have revealed that A. ziziae sensu Ribble is actually two species, one of which matches A. vernalis. Here, we reinstate A. vernalis as a valid species and describe the previously unknown male. We provide diagnostic characters …

Insect Diversity And Association With Plants: A Case Study In Rural Areas Of Dhirkot, Azad Kashmir Pakistan, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz, Mehboob Ul Hassan, Mikhail F. Bagaturov, Majid Mahmood, Ghazal Tariq, Lariab Zahra Faiz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Insects play a vital role for proper functioning of forest ecosystem, including positive roles as pollinators, seed dispersers, genetic linkers and detrimental effects by feeding on and/or killing trees. The present study was conducted to find insect association with plants in rural areas of Dhirkot. The study was conducted from March, 2019 to September, 2019. The sampling was carried out by line transect method. Thirty transects were taken for sampling insects. Sixty-five species of insects in association with 150 plants were recorded.

Drivers Of Ant Composition, Richness, And Trophic Guilds In Neotropical Iron Ore Cavities, Rodrigo A. Castro-Souza, Thais G. Pellegrini, Marconi Souza-Silva, Rodrigo L. Ferreira

International Journal of Speleology

Subterranean habitats may be considered limiting for animal colonization, especially for ants, due to permanent darkness and mainly because of oligotrophic conditions. While not as deep as limestone caves, iron ore caves and other subterranean habitats may be more available for colonization because of their shallower depth. We use the richness and composition of ants to assess how differences in habitat structure affect the biodiversity and ecosystem function between cavities and surrounding epigean landscapes. We predicted that the distribution of ants would be different because of the variation in habitat structure and cavity conditions may act as a filter for …

Ecological-Taxonomical Analysis Of Collembolans Of The Northeast Of Uzbekistan, Matnazar Rakhimov, Zulkhumor Elmuratova, Dilfuza Majidova

Bulletin of National University of Uzbekistan: Mathematics and Natural Sciences

Paper is devoted to the ecological and faunistic analysis of the collembolans unit of the Northeast region of Uzbekistan. In the agrocenoses of apple orchard, wheat and surrounding ecosystems, 40 species of collembolans have been identified. Of these, 29 species were found in agrocenoses (apple orchard and wheat), and 40 (in natural communities). We observed the same pattern in a huge population density in the cenoses studied. It is significantly more in natural communities (12386 copies per 1 m² of soil) as compared with agrocenoses (6980 copies per 1 m² of soil). The horizons of the surface layer …

Epizooic Diatoms On The Cerci Of Ephemeroptera (Caenidae) Naiads, Daniel E. Wujek

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Using scanning electron microscopy, epizooic diatoms were observed growing on the cerci of Caenis amica Hagen naiads (Ephemeroptera, Caenidae). Meridion circulare (Greville) C. Agardh was the most abundant, followed by Synedra rumpens Kützing, then Cocconeis pediculus Ehrenberg. Other diatom species observed from substrates in Cedar Creek, Isabella County, Michigan were not observed on the cerci. No diatoms were observed on Ephemerellidae naiads.

Pentatomoidea (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae, Scutelleridae) Associated With The Dioecious Shrub Florida Rosemary, Ceratiola Ericoides (Ericaceae), A. G. Wheeler Jr.

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Florida rosemary (Ceratiola ericoides), an ericaceous shrub with needlelike leaves, is characteristic of Florida scrubs and certain other xeric plant communities of well-drained sands. The plant is dioecious, its inconspicuous male and female flowers borne on separate individuals. From 2003 to 2012 (mainly 2007–2012), rosemary was sampled periodically (with all months included at least once during the period) in sand ridges of peninsular Florida and two riverine dunes in southeastern Georgia. Branches of male and female plants were tapped separately into a beating net. Sampling during the final three years was female-plant-biased to facilitate work on fruit- and seed-feeding …

Activity And Diversity Of Collembola (Insecta) And Mites (Acari) In Litter Of A Degraded Midwestern Oak Woodland, James F. Steffen, Joan Palincsar, Florrie M. Funk, Daniel J. Larkin

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Litter-inhabiting Collembola and mites were sampled using pitfall traps over a twelve-month period from four sub-communities within a 100-acre (40-ha) oak-woodland complex in northern Cook County, Illinois. Sampled locations included four areas where future ecological restoration was planned (mesic woodland, dry-mesic woodland, mesic upland forest, and buckthorn-dominated savanna) and a mesic woodland control that would not be restored. Fifty-eight mite and 30 Collembola taxa were identified out of 5,308 and 190,402 individuals trapped, respectively. There was a significant positive relationship between litter mass and both mite diversity and the ratio of Oribatida to Prostigmata and a significant negative relationship between …

A New Species Of Aphis In Minnesota (Hemiptera: Aphididae) On Narrow-Leaved Purple Coneflower, Echinacea Angustifolia, D. M. Lagos, D. J. Voegtlin

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Aphis echinaceae, n. sp. is described from specimens collected in Douglas County, Minnesota, on Echinacea angustifolia (DC.). The aphid is illustrated with biometric data for alate and apterous vivipara. Its short cauda and siphunculi, and presence of secondary sensoria on antennal segments III, IV, and V in both morphs makes this Aphis morphologically similar to A. debilicornis (Gillette and Palmer), A. lugentis Williams and A. caliginosa Hottes and Frison, and root feeding aphids of the subgenus Pseudoprotaphis Kadyrbekov and genus Protaphis Börner. A diagnosis is provided.

Effects Of Pitfall Trap Preservative On Collections Of Carabid Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Kenneth W. Mccravy, Jason E. Willand

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Effects of six pitfall trap preservatives (5% acetic acid solution, distilled water, 70% ethanol, 50% ethylene glycol solution, 50% propylene glycol solution, and 10% saline solution) on collections of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were studied in a west-central Illinois deciduous forest from May to October 2005. A total of 819 carabids, representing 33 species and 19 genera, were collected. Saline produced significantly fewer captures than did acetic acid, ethanol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol, while distilled water produced significantly fewer captures than did acetic acid. Significant associations between numbers of captures and treatment were seen in four species: Amphasia interstitialis …

Why Are There So Few Insect Predators Of Nuts Of American Beech (Fagus Grandifolia)?, Charles E. Williams

The Great Lakes Entomologist

American beech, Fagus grandifolia Ehrh., is a common nut-bearing tree of eastern North America. Compared to other North American nut-bearing tree species of comparable geographic range, the nut-infesting insect fauna of American beech is species-poor: only the filbertworn, Cydia latiferreana (Wlsm.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), infests nuts of American beech. Why are there so few insect predators of nuts of American beech? Using data from published studies, I explore two hypotheses that may help to explain the species-poor nut-infesting insect fauna of American beech. First, might chemical defense of beechnuts, and/ or low nutritional value, restrict the number of insect predators that …

A Friend Unmasked: Notes On Chauliognathus Pensylvanicus (Coleoptera: Cantharidae) And The Nature Of Natural History, Andrew H. Williams

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Data from field observations from 1992 through 2006 and from museum specimens of adult Chauliognathus pensylvanicus (DeGeer) from Wisconsin are presented here, with information from the literature. Beetles were found using flowers of 183 species in 29 families growing outside cultivation in Wisconsin and in every Wisconsin county. All evidence supports the characterization of C. pensylvanicus as a prairie insect that also lives in other, early successional plant communities.

Tomicus Piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) Reproduction And Development In Scots, Jack, Red And Eastern White Pine Under Laboratory Conditions, Hui Ye, Robert A. Haack, Toby R. Petrice

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), is an exotic bark beetle in North America that was first found in the Great Lakes region in 1992. We evaluated T. piniperda reproduction and development in one Eurasian pine (Scots pine, Pinus sylvestris L.) and three North American pines (jack pine, P. banksiana Lamb.; red pine, P. resinosa Ait.; and eastern white pine, P. strobus L.) under laboratory conditions. We introduced one pair of adults into individual pine bolts, allowed development, collected brood, and later debarked all bolts and measured galleries. Reproduction and development occurred in all pine species tested. …

Ecological Notes On Species Of Cleridae (Insecta: Coleoptera) Associated With The Prairie Flora Of Central North America, Jonathan R. Mawdsley

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The association of eighteen species of Cleridae (Coleoptera) with tallgrass and shortgrass prairie ecosystems in central North America is reported for the first time. New flower visitation, habitat association, distribution, and/or rearing records are reported for Enoclerus analis (LeConte), E. coccineus coccineus (Schenkling), E. cordifer (LeConte), E. rosmarus (Say), E. zonatus (Klug), Placopterus thoracicus pallipes (Wolcott), Trichodes bibalteatus LeConte, T. bicinctus Green, T. nutalli (Kirby), Phyllobaenus dubius (Wolcott), P. knausii (Wickham), P. pubescens (LeConte), P. subfasciatus (LeConte), Isohydnocera albocincta (Horn), I. brunnea (Horn), I. curtipennis (Newman), I. tricondylae (LeConte) and Wolcottia pedalis (LeConte). Diagnostic characters are presented to separate adults …

New Records Of Rhopalosomatidae (Hymenoptera: Vespoidea) From Wisconsin, Steven J. Krauth

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The rhopalosomatid Olixon banksii is recorded from Wisconsin for the first time.

Richness And Abundance Of Carabidae And Staphylinidae (Coleoptera), In Northeastern Dairy Pastures Under Intensive Grazing, R. A. Byers, G. M. Barker, R. L. Davidson, E. R. Hoebeke, M A. Sanderson

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Dairy cattle has become popular to dairy farmers in the Northeast looking for management schemes to cut production costs. Carabidae (ground beetles) and Staphylinidae (rove beetles) are indicators of habitat disturbances, such as drainage of wetlands, or grassland for grazing animals, and their monitoring could provide one measure of ecosystem sustainability if intensive management systems expand or intensify in the future. Our objective was assess the abundance and species richness of these two beetle families under intensive grazing throughout Pennsylvania, southern New York and Vermont. We collected 4365 ground beetles (83 species) and 4,027 rove beetles (79 species) by pitfall …

Dispersal And Re-Capture Of Marked, Overwintering Tomicus Piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) From Scotch Pine Bolts, A. V. Barak, D. Mcgrevy, G. Tokaya

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The pine shoot beetle (PSB), Tomicus piniperda is a recently established exotic pest of live pine in the southern Great Lakes of the U.S. and Canada. Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris L. is the most susceptible pine species, but the adult also attacks several other North American species of Pinus. This research investigated the dispersal behavior of beetles emerging from overwintering sites to aid in the development of effective monitoring and management practices. Scotch pine logs with overwintering PSB were sprayed with fluorescent pigments to mark dispersing beetles. These logs were placed in piles in the centers of three circular …

Seasonal Shoot-Feeding By Tomicus Piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) In Michigan, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence, George C. Heaton

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Seasonal shoot-feeding by Tomicus piniperda (L.) was monitored at 2­ week intervals on 15 Scotch pine, Pinus sylvestris L., trees from 8 April through 16 November 1994 in southern Michigan. All shoots that showed evidence of T. piniperda attack were removed every two weeks. In 1994, initial spring flight of T. piniperda began on 22 March. At least two live T. piniperda adults were found on the 15 trees on each sampling date from 8 April through 1 November 1994. In addition, at least one freshly attacked, beetle- free shoot was found on each sampling date except for 1 November. …

Tomicus Piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae): Is Shoot Feeding Required For Reproductive Maturation?, Therese M. Poland, Robert A. Haack

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), is a univoltine pest of pine in its native range of Europe and Asia. Tomicus piniperda is now widely established in the Great Lakes region and poses a potentially significant threat to other pine-producing areas in North America. An unusual aspect of the life history of T. piniperda is the extended period of maturation-feeding that takes place in the shoots of living pine trees and subsequent overwintering before adults reproduce the following year. We investigated the extent to which shoot-feeding is required by newly-emerged T. piniperda before introduction into Scotch pine (Pinus …

New Canadian Records Of Asilidae (Diptera) From An Endangered Ontario Ecosystem, Jeffrey H. Skevington

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The Asilidae (Diptera) of Bosanquet (northern Lambton County, Ontario) are surveyed. Forty-one species are recorded. Twelve species are published for the first time from Canada: Atomosia puella, Cerotainia albipilosa, Cerotainia macrocera, Holcocephala calva, Holopogon (Holopogon) oriens, Laphria canis, Laphria divisor, Laphria grossa, Lasiopogon opaculus, Machimus notatus, Machimus sadyates, and Neomochtherus auricomus. These species plus the following four are new to Ontario: Laphystia flavipes, Lasiopogon tetragrammus, Machimus novaescotiae, and Proctacanthella ca­copiloga.

Habitat Characterization Of Five Rare Insects In Michigan (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae, Riodinidae, Satyridae; Homoptera: Cercopidae), Keith S. Summerville, Christopher A. Clampitt

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Over 80 species of insects are listed as endangered, threatened, or special concern under Michigan's endangered species act. For the majority of these species, detailed habitat information is scant or difficult to interpret. We describe the habitat of five insect species that are considered rare in Michigan: Lepyronia angulifera (Cercopidae), Prosapia ignipectus (Cercopidae), Oarisma poweshiek (Hesperiidae), Calephelis mutica (Riodinidae), and Neonympha mitchellii mitchellii (Satyridae). Populations of each species were only found within a fraction of the plant communities deemed suitable based upon previous literature. Furthermore, individuals of each species were observed to be closely affiliated with just a few vegetation …

Sex Ratio And Sexual Dimorphism In Formica Exsectoides, The Allegheny Mound Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), H. C. Rowe, C. M. Bristow

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We excavated 66 mounds from 6 populations of Formica exsectoides in Michigan jack pine, collecting sexual caste pupae for sex ratio estimates and measurement of dimorphism. Reproductive caste brood was present in only 37 ofthe 66 mounds, and presence of reproductive caste brood was associated with larger mound surface area. Females were heavier than males, but did not differ from males in energy density. Sexes did not differ in timing or rate of development. Sex ratio estimates based on individual mounds ranged from 1.0 (all male) to 0.08 (female·biased). Four of the six study populations were strongly male·biased, while sex …

Ground Beetle Range Extensions: Six New Ohio Records (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Foster Forbes Purrington, R. Chris Stanton, David J. Horn

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We newly report six ground beetles from Ohio, comprising Badister parviceps, Stenolophus dissimilis, Harpalus somnulentus, Pentagonica fiavipes, Agonum albicrus, and Lebia collaris.

Diversity Of Water Bugs In Gujranwala District, Punjab, Pakistan, Muhammad Shahbaz Chattha, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz, Arshad Javid, Irfan Baboo, Inayat Ullah Malik

Journal of Bioresource Management

Water bugs fall under the order Hemiptera, suborder Heteroptera, which is further divided into two types, i.e., semi-aquatic (Gerromorpha) and true water bugs (Nepomorpha). They play a vital role as biological control agents and also a source of food for fishes, birds and other aquatic organisms. The present work was carried out to ascertain aquatic Hemiptera in different lentic and lotic water bodies of various sizes in Gujranwala district, Pakistan. A total of 10 species belonging to five families were identified. Species include Nepa ruber Linnaeus, Laccotrephes elongatus Montandon, Ranatra filiformis Fabricius (Nepidae), Corixa substriata Uhler, Micronecta proba …