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Short-Amplitude High-Frequency Wing Strokes Determine The Aerodynamics Of Honeybee Flight, Douglas L. Altshuler, William B. Dickson, Jason T. Vance, Stephen P. Roberts, Michael H. Dickinson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Most Insects Are Thought to Fly by Creating a Leading-Edge Vortex that Remains Attached to the Wing as It Translates through a Stroke. in the Species Examined So Far, Stroke Amplitude is Large, and Most of the Aerodynamic Force is Produced Halfway through a Stroke When Translation Velocities Are Highest. Here We Demonstrate that Honeybees Use an Alternative Strategy, Hovering with Relatively Low Stroke Amplitude (≈90°) and High Wingbeat Frequency (≈230 Hz). When Measured on a Dynamically Scaled Robot, the Kinematics of Honeybee Wings Generate Prominent Force Peaks during the Beginning, Middle, and End of Each Stroke, Indicating the Importance …

Stemborers Associated With Smooth Cordgrass, Spartina Alterniflora (Poaceae), In A Nursery Habitat, W. H. White, D. Adamski, G. Fine, E. P. Richard, Jr.

USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Extensive ecological studies have been conducted on insects inhabiting native stands of smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora Loisel; however, this is not the case for insects found in smooth cordgrass in a nursery habitat. We investigated species composition and larval disposition among stemborers (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae and Crambidae) infesting stems of smooth cordgrass in nursery plots. One thousand and forty stems of smooth cordgrass were randomly selected in 2003 and examined for presence of stemborer larvae. Height of larvae on or within stem, height of stem from ground level to top-visible dewlap, and condition of the leaf-whorl were documented. Stemborers representing six …

Celastrina Serotina (Lycaenidae: Polyommatinae): A New Butterfly Species From The Northeastern United States And Eastern Canada, Harry Pavulaan, David M. Wright

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

A new light-venter Azure species, Celastrina serotina, is described from the northeastern United States and eastern Canada. The flight period of this univoltine spring species is interpolated (allochrony) between its sympatric congeners, C. lucia Auctorum (not Kirby) and C. neglecta (Edwards). In this regard it is similar to C. neglectamajor Opler & Krizek in the southern Appalachians and C. idella Wright & Pavulaan on the New Jersey coastal plain. In a significant portion of its range, C. serotina larvae feed on eriophyid mite-formed galls on the upper surface of Black Cherry Prunus serotina Ehrh. …

A Review Of Described Metacyrba, The Status Of Parkella, And Notes On Platycryptus And Balmaceda, With A Comparison Of The Genera (Araneae: Salticidae: Marpissinae), G. B. Edwards

Insecta Mundi

Parkella Chickering 1946 = Metacyrba F. O. P.-Cambridge 1901, n. syn.; Parkella venusta Chickering 1946 = Metacyrba venusta (Chickering 1946), n. comb.; Parkella fusca Chickering 1946 and Dendryphantes franganilloi Caporiacco 1955 = Metacyrba venusta (Chickering 1946), n. syn. The six valid described species of Metacyrba are diagnosed and re-illustrated to show previously unrecognized genitalic differences. Metacyrba similis Banks 1904 is resurrected as a subspecies, becoming Metacyrba taeniola similis Banks 1904, n. status. The female of Metacyrba pictipes Banks 1903 is described for the first time. Metacyrba arizonensis Barnes 1958 = Platycryptus arizonensis (Barnes 1958), n. comb., and Marpissa magna (Peckham …

An Annotated Checklist Of The Tephritidae (Diptera) Of Florida, Bruce D. Sutton, Gary J. Steck

Insecta Mundi

A total of 73 species of tephritid flies has been recorded from Florida since the early 1800s. Of these, 7 species are considered to represent occasional waifs or accidental introductions from surrounding regions that are not known to have established populations in Florida; 6 are exotic pests which failed to colonize or were extirpated; and 7 species are represented only by early literature records and are considered dubious for the state. Thus, the tephritid fauna of Florida currently comprises a total of 53 species of which 1 species is precinctive to the state and considered to be endangered.

The Scientific Name Of The Coffee Bean Weevil And Some Additional Bibliography (Coleoptera: Anthribidae: Araecerus Schönherr), Barry D. Valentine

Insecta Mundi

The name Araecerus fasciculatus (DeGeer 1775) is resurrected for the coffee bean weevil, with the following synonyms: Bruchus cacao Fabricius 1775, Bruchus peregrinus Herbst 1797, Bruchus capsinicola Fabricius 1798, Anthribus coffeae Fabricius 1801, Amblycerus japonicus Thunberg 1815 (probably a synonym), Anthribus alternans Germar 1824, Phloeobius griseus of Stephens 1831, not Fabricius 1792, Cratoparis parvirostris Thomson 1858, Araecerus seminarius Chevrolat 1871, and Tropideres (Rhaphitropis) mateui Cobos 1954. Lectotypes are designated for A. fasciculatus, B. capsinicola, and A. alternans. A diagnosis distinguishes Araecerus from all 650 anthribid genera and a diagnosis for the species is as complete as possible with materials studied. …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 17, No. 5, December 2005

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents:
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Welcome
Farewell
Faculty News
Grad Student News
From the Office
Grants
Museum News
Publications
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Meet a Distance Student
This & That
Hexapod Herald Archives

Brassica Mulches And Meal Control Fungal Wheat Pathogens In Vitro And Take-All Disease In Soil, Thomas Samuel Breeden

Masters Theses

Soilborne pathogens have an economic impact on crops throughout the world. Many survive saprophytically and therefore are difficult to control. Soil fumigation and seed treatments are sometimes effective. However, they are economically impractical for many crops. Crop rotation/alternative crops are often a practical, economical, and successful means of controlling soilborne pathogens. Recent studies have revealed that Brassica spp. Inhibit a wide array of plant pathogens. Decomposing species of Brassica release glucosinolates, which are converted to isothiocyanates (ITC) by the enzyme myrosinase. The ITC compounds inhibit microorganisms. The present study had three objectives. The first was to evaluate the effect of …

Muscle Biochemistry And The Ontogeny Of Flight Capacity During Behavioral Development In The Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera, Stephen P. Roberts, Michelle M. Elekonich

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

A Fundamental Issue in Physiology and Behavior is Understanding the Functional and Genetic Mechanisms that Underlie Major Behavioral Shifts in Organisms as They Adopt New Environments or Life History Tactics. Such Transitions Are Common in Nature and Include the Age-Related Switch from Nest/hive Work to Foraging in Social Insects Such as Honeybees (Apis Mellifera). Because of their Experimental Tractability, Recently Sequenced Genome and Well Understood Biology, Honeybees Are an Ideal Model System for Integrating Molecular, Genetic, Physiological and Sociobiological Perspectives to Advance Understanding of Behavioral and Life History Transitions. When Honeybees (Apis Mellifera) Transition from Hive Work to Foraging, their …

Differential Immersion Survival By Populations Of Cicindela Hirticollis (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae, Mathew Louis Brust, William Wyatt Hoback, Kerri Farnsworth Skinner, Charles Barry Kinsley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

In the past 20 yr, populations of Cicindela hirticollis Say (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) that inhabit river shorelines have declined dramatically. These habitats have routinely flooded in winter and spring historically, but they have been altered by damming and controlled water releases for irrigation and power generation. We tested the ability of C. hirticollis larvae from two river and one bayshore population to survive immersion in severely hypoxic water. This is the first report of population-level differences among insects in immersion survival and likely relates to exposure to different flooding regimes. The larvae from the Chesapeake Bay population survived ≈3 d of …

Biodemography Of A Long-Lived Tephritid: Reproduction And Longevity In A Large Cohort Of Female Mexican Fruit Flies, Anastrepha Ludens, James R. Carey, Pablo Liedo, Hans-Georg Müller, Jane-Ling Wang, Damla Senturke, Lawrence G. Harshman

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

Age of sexual maturity, daily and lifetime reproductive rates, and life span were recorded in a laboratory cohort of Mexican fruit flies consisting of over 1100 females maintained individually. The results revealed that, relative to the medfly, the Mexfly is slower maturing (14 vs 17 days), more fecund (1400 vs 650–1100 eggs/female), and longer lived (50 vs 35 days). The results reinforced the generality of several earlier findings on the medfly including the deceleration of mortality at older ages and the weakness of the correlation between the rate of egg laying at early ages and both subsequent reproduction and remaining …

Resistant Turfgrasses For Improved Chinch Bug Management, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Frederick P. Baxendale, Robert C. Shearman, Thomas E. Eickhoff

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Researchers at the University of Nebraska evaluated selected cool- and warm-season turfgrasses for resistance to chinch bugs in the Blissus complex, and documented the presence of multiple chinch bug resistance in these turfgrasses.

Greenhouse and field screening studies were initiated to search for cool- and warm-season turfgrasses with resistance to chinch bugs in the Blissus complex. Several warmseason turfgrasses (buffalograss, zoysiagrass, and bermudagrass) with resistance to the western chinch bug have been identified.

Studies are currently underway to investigate the biochemical and physiological mechanisms underlying resistant turfgrasses. This information is fundamentally important for formulating plant breeding strategies, and subsequently developing …

The Symmetry Of Longevity, Lawrence G. Harshman, Hans-Georg Müller, Xueli Liu, Yue Wang, James R. Carey

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

We tested the hypothesis that relatively symmetrical flies live longer. Vein measurements on the left and right wings from the same individual were used to characterize bilateral symmetry in relationship to age-specific survival in defined cohorts. A longitudinal cohort study supported the hypothesis of a correlation between bilateral symmetry and longevity. For another type of experiment, wings were removed from females and males at approximately the beginning of adult life. Thus, there would be no effect of wings per se on adult survival. These wings were measured to characterize bilateral asymmetry, and the day of death of each dewinged individual …

An Electronic Checklist Of The New World Chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), Arthur V. Evans, Andrew B. T. Smith

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

Suggested citation:
Evans, A. V. and A. B. T. Smith. 2005. An Electronic Checklist of the New World Chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae). Version 1. Electronically published, Ottawa, Canada. 344 pp.

PDF file, 345 pages

Environmental Hypoxia Influences Hemoglobin Subunit Composition In The Branchiopod Crustacean Triops Longicaudatus, J. A. Guadagnoli, A. M. Braun, S. (Stephen) P. Roberts, C. L. Reiber

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hemoglobin (Hb) is a Highly Conserved Protein that Provides a Vital Link between Environmental Oxygen and its Use And/or Storage within an Organism. While Ubiquitous among Vertebrates, Hb Occurs Frequently in Invertebrate Phyla as Well. Many Arthropod Species Use the Copper-Binding Pigment Hemocyanin, But Unique in This Phylum Are the Branchiopod Crustaceans, Which Express Hb. Branchiopod Hb Concentration and Structure Are Exquisitely Sensitive to Environmental Oxygen Availability. Hemoglobin Concentration and Oxygen-Binding Affinity Increase with Decreasing Oxygen Tension in Daphnia, Artemia and Triops. the Change in Binding Affinity is Attributed to Differential Hb Subunit Expression in Daphnia and Artemia But Remains …

Synopsis Of Scarab Beetle Tribe Valgini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) In The New World, Mary Liz Jameson, Katharine A. Swoboda

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

Two genera and Þve species of valgine scarabs (Cetoniinae: Valgini) are found in the New World, including the introduced European species, Valgus hemipterus L.. Valgus mexicanus Cazier is transferred to the genus Dasyvalgus Kolbe, and characters that support this transfer are discussed. Based on shared morphological characters, Valgus minutus Casey and V. serricollis Fitch are synonymized with V. canaliculatus (Olivier). Neotypes are designated for V. serricollis Fitch and Cetonia canaliculata Olivier.Akey to the genera and species of New World Valgini is provided. Species are redescribed and information about geographic and phenology, biology, and larvae is provided.

Tb191: Conservation And Management Of Native Bees In Cranberry, Jennifer L. Loose, Francis A. Drummond, Constance Stubbs, Stephen Woods

Technical Bulletins

Threats to agriculturally important pollinators have serious implications for human beings. A loss of bees translates to less successful crop pollination, thus reduced yield and poorer quality fruits. Native bees have the potential to serve as commercial pollinators. A diverse pollinator complex comprised of both honey bees and native bees should result in stable pollination levels and should be resistant to threats such as disease, fluctuating honey and crop prices, and honey bee transportation costs. Adding the goal of native bee conservation to land management increases the ecological integrity of an ecosystem by conserving a unique biological interaction that is …

New Records Of Xorides (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Xoridinae) From Florida, Charles S. Porter

Insecta Mundi

Abstract:
Xorides albopictus (Cresson) and Xorides calidus (Provancher) are recorded for the first time from Florida. New Florida records are given for Xorides semirufus Townes, previously known only from the holotype female collected near Archer in Alachua County in 1953. A key is provided to the Florida species of Xorides. A photograph of X. semirufus is included.

Resumen:
Se citan por primera vez para Florida las especies Xorides albopictus (Cresson) y Xorides calidus (Provancher). Se proporcionan nuevos registros para Florida de Xorides semirufus Townes, especie de la cual antes se conocía un solo ejemplar, el holotipo coleccionado en 1953 …

New Records Of Whiteflies (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) From Korea, Soo-Jung Suh, Greg Hodges

Insecta Mundi

Five species of whiteflies, Aleurolobus iteae Takahashi, Aleurolobus vitis Danzig, Asterobemisia takahashii Danzig, Bemisiella artemisiae Danzig, and Massilieurodes euryae (Takahashi), are newly recorded from Korea.

First Records Of Acrotaphus Fuscipennis (Cresson) And Of A. Tibialis (Cameron) From The United States (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Julieta Brambila, Charles C. Porter

Insecta Mundi

Abstract:
Acrotaphus fuscipennis (Cresson), distinctive because of its black wings and bright red body, is recorded for the first time from the United States. It was reared from araneid spiders collected in Florida, which constitutes the first host record for this species. Acrotaphus tibialis (Cameron), collected in Texas, is also recorded for the first time in the United States. New U.S. localities are given for A. wiltii (Cresson). A key is provided for the identification of the three species of Acrotaphus in United States. The adults of all three species and the cocoon of Acrotaphus fuscipennis are illustrated.

Resumen:
Acrotaphus …

A New Species Of Pharaxonotha (Coleoptera: Erotylidae), Probable Pollinator Of The Endangered Cuban Cycad, Microcycas Calocoma (Zamiaceae), Ramiro Chavez, Julio A. Genaro

Insecta Mundi

Abstract:
The new species Pharaxonotha esperanzae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) is described. It feeds on the pollen of the endangered Cuban cycad Microcycas calocoma (Miq.) A. DC. and breeds in its male cones. Its potential role as a pollinator of Microcycas is discussed.

Resumen:
Se describe la especie nueva: Pharaxonotha esperanzae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae). Ésta se alimenta del polen del cicadal cubano amenazado Microcycas calocoma (Miq.) A.DC y se reproduce en su cono masculino. Se discute su papel potencial como agente polinizador.

The First Record Of Phidippus Bidentatus (Araneae: Salticidae) In The United States, G. B. Edwards

Insecta Mundi

University of Florida, Gainesville, FL A male of a neotropical jumping spider, Phidippus bidentatus F. O. P.-Cambridge 1901, was collected by John Scott Armstrong and his staff from a boll weevil trap in Cameron County, Texas. The recent revision of the genus Phidippus (Edwards 2004) gave the range of this species as central Mexico to northwest Costa Rica. In addition, the specimen has a character, namely the presence of a distinct cheliceral distal dorsal tubercle, that would make it key out in the second couplet of the key, along with Phidippus audax (Hentz) and P. regius C. L. Koch. However …

Spartocera Batatas (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Coreidae), Newly Established In Florida, Susan E. Halbert, Julieta Brambila

Insecta Mundi

Spartocera batatas (Fabricius) was found for the first time in the USA in Homestead, Florida, in 1995. Records from Brazil, British Guiana, Colombia, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Jamaica, Martinique, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saba, and Venezuela also are reported. The bug can be a pest of sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas.

New Host Records Of Chewing Lice (Mallophaga) On Birds In Florida Iii, J. Adam Holt

Insecta Mundi

Here, I report some new county and Florida host records as well as two new U.S. host records for avian lice. County records for avian lice are less significant than the host records themselves. Considering that most avian lice are host specific, the county records should resemble the area the host would most likely be encountered. The main source of material for this publication has been the Marathon Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Marathon, Monroe County, Florida, with Kelly Grinter as the official curator and keeper. The center takes in about 90 different species of birds per year. The following is …

A Distributional Checklist Of The Leaf-Cutting Bees (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) Of Florida, J. M. Leavengood Jr., D. Serrano

Insecta Mundi

The leaf-cutting bees are a diverse group which is commonly encountered all across the country. With over 600 North American species, most of which are in the genera Anthidium, Dianthidium, Stelis, Heriades, Hoplitis, Osmia, Megachile and Coelioxys, there are numerous “non-Apis” pollinators. Being an important taxon, there is a definite need for an awareness of their distribution across the United States and, perhaps in time, everywhere. This may allow us to follow the establishment of exotic species such as Megachile [Callomegachile] torrida Smith, M. [Pseudomegachile] lanata Fabricius, and an unidentified exotic which is listed below in the subgenus Callomegachile …

Eight Species Of Whiteflies (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) Newly Recorded From Korea, Myeong-Lyeol Lee, Soo-Jung Suh, Greg Hodges, Mary Carver

Insecta Mundi

Aleuroclava magnoliae (Takahashi), Aleurotrachelus ishigakiensis (Takahashi), Aleyrodes lonicerae Walker, Asterobemisia carpini (Koch), Bemisia afer (Priesner and Hosny), Dialeurolobus pulcher Danzig, Pealius polygoni Takahashi, and Pealius rubi Takahashi are newly recorded from Korea.

Curius Punctatus (Fisher), New Combination (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Curiini), Eugino H. Nearns, Marc A. Branham

Insecta Mundi

Fisher (1932) described Pentomacrus punctatus from eight specimens, the holotype of which is a male specimen deposited in the USNM, type locality Santiago de las Vegas, Cuba (Fig. 1b). Giesbert (1985) synonymized Pentomacrus with Plectromerus. Plectromerus punctatus (Fisher) is listed as endemic to Cuba (Fisher 1932, Monné 2005, Monné and Hovore 2003, Peck 2005).

First Record Of Plectromerus Exis Zayas In The Dominican Republic (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Eugenio H. Nearns, Robert H. Turnbow Jr.

Insecta Mundi

During revisionary work on the tribe Curiini LeConte, 1873, a new country record for Plectromerus exis Zayas was noticed. Plectromerus exis was described by Fernando de Zayas in 1975 from five specimens collected in several localities in Cuba (Zayas, 1975) and is listed as endemic to that island (Monné, 2005; Monné and Hovore, 2005; Peck, 2005). The senior author recently studied the holotype and type series of P. exis deposited in the Zayas Collection, La Habana, Cuba (Nearns, 2005).

The Transantarctic Genus Labena (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae: Labenini) In Chile, Charles C. Porter

Insecta Mundi

Abstract:
Labena is a primitive genus known from the Neotropic, Nearctic, Neantarctic, and Australian biogeographic regions. It parasitizes larvae of wood boring beetles in dead twigs and smaller branches of hardwood trees and shrubs. Descriptions are given of 2 new Chilean species: Labena canelensis Porter, from sclerophyll woodland in central Chile, is black with sparse white markings, has a strong tooth at the base of the submetapleural carina, and a short first gastric tergite (2.3-2.6 as long as wide at apex), whereas L. pucon Porter occurs in temperate wet forest of southern Chile and is black with profuse white markings, …

Prairie Apioninae (Coleoptera: Brentidae) Of Wisconsin: Collections And Distributions, Scott B. Sauer

Insecta Mundi

Two recent invertebrate collections from Wisconsin prairies have yielded large numbers of Apioninae. These collections and published literature demonstrate that certain members are important components of the prairie biotic community. This paper examines the collections, associated food plants, and prevalence of prairie Apioninae in Wisconsin.