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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Two New Species Of Cave-Dwelling Beetles Trechus Clairville Of Fulvus-Group In Portugal, Ana Reboleira, Fernando Gonçalves, Artur Serrano Apr 2009

Two New Species Of Cave-Dwelling Beetles Trechus Clairville Of Fulvus-Group In Portugal, Ana Reboleira, Fernando Gonçalves, Artur Serrano

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

Two new cave-dwelling ground beetle species, Trechus gamae sp. n. and Trechus lunai sp. n., from Portugal, are described. The new species are included in the Trechus fulvus-group by their morphological characters. The work provides diagnostic characters in particular those of the structure of male genitalia, and the distribution of the hypogean species of the fulvus -group at the Estremenho Karstic Massif is mapped. Some comments on the seasonal activity of T. gamae sp. n. are also given. An identification key to the males of the T. fulvus-group species from the Estremenho Karstic Massif is presented, and biogeographical comments are …


Colorado Potato Beetle Management On Potatoes: Current Challenges And Future Prospects., Andrei Alyokhin Dec 2008

Colorado Potato Beetle Management On Potatoes: Current Challenges And Future Prospects., Andrei Alyokhin

Andrei Alyokhin

The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is the most important insect defoliator of potatoes that can completely destroy potato crops. Its current range covers about 16 million km2 in North America, Europe, and Asia and continues to expand. A complex and diverse life history, combined with an impressive ability to develop insecticide resistance, make the Colorado potato beetle a challenging pest to manage. Beetle populations on commercial farms are usually suppressed by insecticides, which are likely to remain the predominant approach for the foreseeable future. In addition, the beetles can be controlled through the use of relatively …


Life In The Slow Lane: Palmetto Seedlings Exhibit Remarkable Survival But Slow Growth In Florida's Nutrient-Poor Uplands, W. G. Abrahamson, C. R. Abrahamson Dec 2008

Life In The Slow Lane: Palmetto Seedlings Exhibit Remarkable Survival But Slow Growth In Florida's Nutrient-Poor Uplands, W. G. Abrahamson, C. R. Abrahamson

Warren G. Abrahamson, II

The palmettos Serenoa repens and Sabal etonia are crucial foundation species in many peninsular Florida vegetative associations. We monitored the survival and growth of individual palmetto seedlings using two cohorts found in different vegetative associations. Seedling cohorts containing both S. repens and S. etonia were individually tagged in 1989 and have been monitored until 2008, a period of 19 years. One cohort (N = 100 seedlings) occurs in a xeric, “inopina-phase” scrubby flatwoods and a second cohort (N =78 seedlings) lives in a well-drained, “wiregrass-phase” flatwoods. The soils at both sites are very nutrient-poor Entisols that show rapid permeability, low …


Stimulatory And Suppressive Effects Of Novaluron On The Colorado Potato Beetle Reproduction., Andrei Alyokhin, Ryan Guillemette, Raymond Choban Dec 2008

Stimulatory And Suppressive Effects Of Novaluron On The Colorado Potato Beetle Reproduction., Andrei Alyokhin, Ryan Guillemette, Raymond Choban

Andrei Alyokhin

The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), is one of the most damaging insect pests of potato. Novaluron is a relatively new benzoylphenyl urea insect growth regulator with good activity against this pest. Earlier studies revealed that feeding on potato foliage treated with novaluron induces reversible egg hatch inhibition in adult Colorado potato beetles. We investigated if novaluron effects depend on physiological state of the beetles at the time of exposure. The following four treatments were created: young beetles unmated at the beginning of the experiment and feeding on potato foliage treated with novaluron, young beetles unmated at the beginning …


Interactions Of Native And Non-Native Lady Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) With Aphid-Tending Ants In Laboratory Arenas, Christy Finlayson, Andrei Alyokhin, Erin Porter Dec 2008

Interactions Of Native And Non-Native Lady Beetle Species (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) With Aphid-Tending Ants In Laboratory Arenas, Christy Finlayson, Andrei Alyokhin, Erin Porter

Andrei Alyokhin

Interactions between lady beetles and the European fire ant (Myrmica rubra L.) tending potato aphids [Macrosiphum euphorbiae (Thomas)] were compared in the laboratory. Lady beetle species native to North America (Coccinella trifasciata perplexa Mulsant, Coleomegilla maculata lengi Timberlake, Hippodamia convergens Guerin-Meneville) and non-native species of Palearctic origin [Coccinella septempunctata L., Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), Hippodamia variegata (Goeze), Propylea quatuordecimpunctata L.)] were evaluated. Harmonia axyridis consumed a significantly greater number of aphids compared with all other species but C. septempunctata. Ant stings affected H. variegata and C. septempunctata to a greater extent than other species. Ants showed a significantly greater amount of …


The Evolution Of Flight In Insects: Insights From Mayflies And Dna, T. Heath Ogden Dec 2008

The Evolution Of Flight In Insects: Insights From Mayflies And Dna, T. Heath Ogden

T. Heath Ogden

No abstract provided.


Predation On Pupa Of Chrysomya Rufifacies (Marquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) By Parasitoid, Exoristobia Philippinensis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) And Ophyra Spinigera Larva (Diptera: Muscidae), Chen Chee Dhang Dec 2008

Predation On Pupa Of Chrysomya Rufifacies (Marquart) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) By Parasitoid, Exoristobia Philippinensis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) And Ophyra Spinigera Larva (Diptera: Muscidae), Chen Chee Dhang

Chen Chee Dhang

A forensic entomological study was conducted using monkey carcasses (Macaca fascicularis Raffles) that were placed in either an outdoor or indoor environment at a coastal area in Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, Malaysia during May until August 2008. We collected pupae of Chrysomya rufifacies (Marquart) from the carcasses and kept them individually. The emergence of 13 parasitic microhymenopteran, from one of the pupae occurring within a week were identified as Exoristobia philippinensis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae). Another observation was made whereby a pupa of C. rufifacies was predated by a muscid larva, Ophyra spinigera (Stein). The larva squeezed into the pupa and consumed …


Towards A New Paradigm In Mayfly Phylogeny (Ephemeroptera): Combined Analysis Of Morphological And Molecular Data, T. Heath Ogden Dec 2008

Towards A New Paradigm In Mayfly Phylogeny (Ephemeroptera): Combined Analysis Of Morphological And Molecular Data, T. Heath Ogden

T. Heath Ogden

This study represents the first formal morphological and combined (morphological and molecular) phylogenetic analyses of the order Ephemeroptera. Taxonomic sampling comprised 112 species in 107 genera, including 42 recognized families (all major lineages of Ephemeroptera). Morphological data consisted of 101 morphological characters. Molecular data were acquired from DNA sequences of the 12S, 16S, 18S, 28S and H3 genes. The Asian genus Siphluriscus (Siphluriscidae) was supported as sister to all other mayflies. The lineages Carapacea, Furcatergalia, Fossoriae, Pannota, Caenoidea and Ephemerelloidea were supported as monophyletic, as were many of the families. However, some recognized families (for example, Ameletopsidae and Coloburiscidae) and …


Combined Morphological And Molecular Phylogeny Of Ephemerellidae (Ephemeroptera), T. Heath Ogden Dec 2008

Combined Morphological And Molecular Phylogeny Of Ephemerellidae (Ephemeroptera), T. Heath Ogden

T. Heath Ogden

This study represents the first combined molecular and morphological analysis for the mayfly family Ephemerellidae (Ephemeroptera), with a focus on the relationships of genera and species groups of the subfamily Ephemerellinae. The phylogeny was constructed based on DNA sequence data from 3 nuclear (18S rDNA, 28S rDNA, histone H3) and 2 mitochondrial (12S rDNA, 16S rDNA) genes, and 23 morphological characters. Taxon sampling for Ephemerellidae included exemplars from all 25 extant genus groups and additional representatives from those genera with the highest diversity. Ephemerellidae appears to consist of three major clades. Ephemerella, the largest genus of Ephemerellidae, and Serratella were …