Life Sciences Commons^™

Species Delimitation, Discovery And Conservation In A Tiger Beetle Species Complex Despite Discordant Genetic Data., Daniel P. Duran, Robert A Laroche, Stephen J Roman, William Godwin, David P Herrmann, Ethan Bull, Scott P Egan

School of Earth & Environment Faculty Scholarship

In an age of species declines, delineating and discovering biodiversity is critical for both taxonomic accuracy and conservation. In recent years, there has been a movement away from using exclusively morphological characters to delineate and describe taxa and an increase in the use of molecular markers to describe diversity or through integrative taxonomy, which employs traditional morphological characters, as well as genetic or other data. Tiger beetles are charismatic, of conservation concern, and much work has been done on the morphological delineation of species and subspecies, but few of these taxa have been tested with genetic analyses. In this study, …

Complementary Of Blacklight Trap And Flight Interception Trap In A Multi-Year Study Of Flying Coleoptera Near A Farm Pond In Southern Québec (Canada), Claire Levesque, Gilles-Yvon Levesque

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Abstract

A blacklight trap (LT) and a flight interception trap (FIT) were installed throughout the May-September period during four years (2014-2017), near a farm pond within an orchard at Compton, in southern Québec (Canada). We collected by LT 162,001 adults representing 560 beetle species and morphospecies belonging to 49 families, and using a FIT 10,159 individuals for 468 Coleoptera species belonging to 48 families. We observed a similarity of 9.8% between these two assemblages including 214 common species (26.3% of total of 814 caught taxa). We caught mainly nocturnal Carabidae, Hydrophilidae, Staphylinidae and Dryopidae in the LT, and primarily diurnal …

Review Of Structural Color In The Genus Chrysochroa Dejean, 1833 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Able Chow

LSU Master's Theses

The jewel beetles, (Coleoptera: Buprestidae Leach, 1815), is the eighth most speciose coleopteran family, with the majority of its members possessing diverse bright, saturated structural coloration of multilayer origin. This study focuses on the genus Chrysochroa Dejean, 1833, which includes some of the most brilliantly and charismatically colored buprestid species. While members of Chrysochroa are prised by entomologists amateurs and professional and are well-represented in museum collections, the evolution and ecology of their structural color remain underexplored. Twenty-eight select taxa including exemplars from all 13 subgenera of Chrysochroa were investigated to provide an overview of the objective optical properties and …

First Report Of Enoclerus Spinolae (Leconte) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) From Missouri And Nebraska, Ed Freese

The Great Lakes Entomologist

New state records are presented for Enoclerus spinolae (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) specimens from Missouri and Nebraska.

A New Species Of Chalepides Casey, 1915 (Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae, Cyclocephalini) From The Pantanal Of Brazil, Brett Ratcliffe, Matthias Seidel

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Chalepides pantanalensis Ratcliffe & Seidel is described as a new species from the Pantanal region in Brazil. A description, diagnosis for distinguishing the species, illustrations, and a distribution map are provided. The new species is morphologically compared with C. howdenorum Joly & Escalona and C. osunai Joly & Escalona.

The genus Chalepides Casey consists of 14 species dis­tributed in South America with one species in the West Indies (Joly and Escalona 2002; Ratcliffe and Cave 2015). Chalepides species are recognized by a usually prolonged prepygidium with a concomitant shortening of the pygidium; presence of long, dense, tawny setae on the …

Dung Beetle (Scarabaeinae) Diversity Of The Highest Elevation In West Africa: The Nimba Mountain Range, Jacob Bowen

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The Nimba Mountain Range in Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Liberia is within the Upper Guinean Forests, a critical biodiversity hotspot highly threatened by various human activities. The region is home to many endemic species including the viviparous Nimba toad, Nimba otter-shrew, and the discrete Bossou chimpanzee population. Dung beetles can act as a focal taxon from which extrapolation to the diversity of other taxa and ecosystem health can be made. Elevational trends in dung beetle diversity were investigated on the Nimba Mountain Range and in the nearby Bossou Chimpanzee reserve in Guinea. Dung beetle species diversity surveys aimed to document …

Leaf Mining Insects And Their Parasitoids In The Old-Growth Forest Of The Huron Mountains, Ronald J. Priest, Robert R. Kula, Michael W. Gates

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Leaf mining insects in an old-growth forest along the south central shore of Lake Superior in Michigan are documented. We present the results of a 13-year survey of leaf mining species, larval hosts, seasonal occurrence, and parasitoids, as well as report biological observations. Representative larvae, mines, adults, and parasitoids were preserved. Among the larval host associations, 15 are reported as new. Additionally, 42 parasitoid taxa were identified resulting in six first reports from the New World and 32 new host associations. Two undescribed species (Gelechiidae and Figitidae) discovered through this research were described in earlier publications.

New State Records For The Cicada Parasite Beetle Sandalus Petrophya Knoch (Rhipiceridae), Ed Freese

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Abstract: New state records are presented for Sandalus petrophya specimens from Nebraska and Iowa along with the currently known distribution of this beetle species.

A Five-Year Study Of The Flying Beetles (Coleoptera) From A Grassland And An Adjacent Woods In Southern Québec (Canada), Claire Levesque, Gilles-Yvon Levesque

The Great Lakes Entomologist

During the entire snow-free season (April or May to October) in 2006-2010, we collected with four flight interception traps a total of 34 629 individuals of 848 Coleoptera species belonging to 60 families in southern Québec (Canada). We catched mainly phytophagous and zoophagous beetles. The majority of species (621 or 73,2%) were represented by less than 10 adults over the five years; however, we collected at least 100 adults for 48 species, including four major species: Meligethes nigrescens Stephens (15,9% of the total catches), Longitarsus luridus (Scopoli) (10,6%), Eusphalerum pothos (Mannerheim) (9,1%) and Acidota subcarinata Erichson (5,9%). Between 39 and …

Do Saproxylic Curculionids Affect The Fitness Of Co-Occurring Cerambycids?, Sheila R. Heath

Dissertations and Theses

Saproxylic insects sometimes coexist in incredibly high numbers under bark and share common resources. Thus, interactions between species are possible and could even explain their coexistence. This study investigates evidence of negative or positive effects of curculionid beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) on cerambycid beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) that coexisted in dead tree branches in Costa Rica. Co-occurrence analysis and generalized regressions were used to test associations between cerambycid and curculionid species. Three cerambycid species that each co-occurred with a curculionid species were selected to measure fitness. Fitness measures of the cerambycid were compared with abundance of the co-occurring curculionid to assess the …

Forensic Entomology And The Order Coleoptera, Carrie Pratt

Essential Studies UNDergraduate Showcase

Medico-legal forensic entomology is the study of insects to aid in determining time, place, manner, and cause of death. Identification of the postmortem interval (PMI), or the time that has passed since a person has died, is arguably one of the most important pieces of information that forensic entomology can provide. The PMI can be found using either insect developmental rates or entomofaunal succession, the arrival of different insects at a body at different time points.

The largest group of insects, the beetles, is the order Coleoptera, which contains 25% of all animal species. Members of this order are critical …

A Model Species For Agricultural Pest Genomics: The Genome Of The Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa Decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Sean D. Schoville, Yolanda H. Chen, Martin N. Andersson, Joshua B. Benoit, Anita Bhandari, Julia H. Bowsher, Kristian Brevik, Kaat Cappelle, Mei-Ju M. Chen, Anna K. Childers, Christopher Childers, Olivier Christiaens, Justin Clements, Elise M. Didion, Elena N. Elpidina, Patamarerk Engsontia, Markus Friedrich, Inmaculada García-Robles, Richard A. Gibbs, Chandan Goswami, Alessandro Grapputo, Kristina Gruden, Marcin Grynberg, Bernard Henrissat, Emily C. Jennings, Jeffery W. Jones, Megha Kalsi, Sher A. Khan, Abhishek Kumar, Fei Li, Vincent Lombard, Subba Reddy Palli, June-Sun Yoon

Entomology Faculty Publications

The Colorado potato beetle is one of the most challenging agricultural pests to manage. It has shown a spectacular ability to adapt to a variety of solanaceaeous plants and variable climates during its global invasion, and, notably, to rapidly evolve insecticide resistance. To examine evidence of rapid evolutionary change, and to understand the genetic basis of herbivory and insecticide resistance, we tested for structural and functional genomic changes relative to other arthropod species using genome sequencing, transcriptomics, and community annotation. Two factors that might facilitate rapid evolutionary change include transposable elements, which comprise at least 17% of the genome and …

Case 3733 – Cetonia Marmorea Olivier, 1789 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini): Proposed Conservation By Reversal Of Precedence With Scarabaeus Pulcher Swederus, 1787, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this application, under Article 23.9.3 of the Code, is to conserve the widely used name Gymnetis marmorea (Olivier, 1789), a flower chafer (Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae) from Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, which is threatened by the unused senior subjective synonym Scarabaeus pulcher Swederus, 1787. The head of the holotype of Scarabaeus pulcher Swederus, 1787 is excluded from the holotype under Article 73.1.5 of the Code since it is a piece belonging to a Cotinis Burmeister glued to the body of a Gymnetis MacLeay.

Functional Value Of Elytra Under Various Stresses In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, David M. Linz, Alan W. Hu, Michael I. Sitvarin, Yoshinori Tomoyasu

Entomology Faculty Publications

Coleoptera (beetles) is a massively successful order of insects, distinguished by their evolutionarily modified forewings called elytra. These structures are often presumed to have been a major driving force for the successful radiation of this taxon, by providing beetles with protection against a variety of harsh environmental factors. However, few studies have directly demonstrated the functional significance of the elytra against diverse environmental challenges. Here, we sought to empirically test the function of the elytra using Tribolium castaneum (the red flour beetle) as a model. We tested four categories of stress on the beetles: physical damage to hindwings, predation, desiccation, …

Reduced Stability And Intracellular Transport Of Dsrna Contribute To Poor Rnai Response In Lepidopteran Insects, Jayendra Nath Shukla, Megha Kalsi, Amit Sethi, Kenneth E. Narva, Elane Fishilevich, Satnam Singh, Kanakachari Mogilicherla, Subba Reddy Palli

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

RNA interference (RNAi) has become a widely used reverse genetic tool to study gene function in eukaryotic organisms and is being developed as a technology for insect pest management. The efficiency of RNAi varies among organisms. Insects from different orders also display differential efficiency of RNAi, ranging from highly efficient (coleopterans) to very low efficient (lepidopterans). We investigated the reasons for varying RNAi efficiency between lepidopteran and coleopteran cell lines and also between the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata and tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens. The dsRNA either injected or fed was degraded faster in H. virescens than in L. …

Two New Species Of South American Glaresidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea), M. J. Paulsen

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Two new species of South American Glaresidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) are described: Glaresis smithi Paulsen, new species from Argentina, and Glaresis mondacai Paulsen, new species from Chile and Peru. The species are compared to their closest congener, Glaresis fritzi Martínez et al., and a key is provided for the known South American species of the genus Glaresis Erichson.

Clues To Aquatic Beetle Research In Southeast Asia: A Multitude Of Ecological Niches, Microhabitats And Deduced Field Sampling Techniques, Hendrik Freitag

Biology Faculty Publications

The basic ecological classification of Southeast Asian beetle families that are associated with aquatic habitats is reviewed. The microhabitat preferences of the taxa are examined on family level with generic examples. Suitable collection methods for quantitative and qualitative sampling are suggested which take into account the different ecological adaptation patterns and microhabitat preferences.

A New Species Of Xylotrechus (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Clytini) From Utah, Ronald L. Alten

Insecta Mundi

Xylotrechus rameyi, new species, (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is described from southern Utah. Comments on its biology including habitat, host plants and larval history are provided along with photographs of the holotype, allotype, the related species X. insignis LeConte, and the larval galleries and pupal chamber.

Insights Into The Development And Evolution Of Exaggerated Traits Using De Novo Transcriptomes Of Two Species Of Horned Scarab Beetles, Ian A. Warren, J. Cristobal Vera, Annika Johns, Robert Zinna, James H. Marden, Douglas J. Emlen, Ian Dworkin, Laura C. Lavine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Scarab beetles exhibit an astonishing variety of rigid exo-skeletal outgrowths, known as ‘‘horns’’. These traits are often sexually dimorphic and vary dramatically across species in size, shape, location, and allometry with body size. In many species, the horn exhibits disproportionate growth resulting in an exaggerated allometric relationship with body size, as compared to other traits, such as wings, that grow proportionately with body size. Depending on the species, the smallest males either do not produce a horn at all, or they produce a disproportionately small horn for their body size. While the diversity of horn shapes and their behavioural ecology …

Sequential Sampling Plans For The Red Sunflower Seed Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) In Oilseed Sunflower, Chengwang Peng, Gary J. Brewer

Gary J. Brewer

Decision making on control of the red sunflower seed weevil, Smicronyx fulvus LeConte, requires a reliable and efficient method for classifying the pest population. The objective of this study was to develop sequential sampling plans for red sunflower seed weevil control in oilseed sunflower. Sequential classification sampling plans were developed from Wald's sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) by using a negative binomial distribution. Operating characteristic and average sample number functions were computed for a range of k values. Two sampling plans were developed for the economic thresholds of six and eight weevils per sunflower head, based on a k value …

On The Identity And Systematic Placement Of Onthophagus Viriditinctus Reitter, 1892 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini), Stefano Ziani

Insecta Mundi

A re-description and new records of Onthophagus viriditinctus Reitter, 1892 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini), an uncommon species from Iran, are provided. The taxonomic position and some nomenclatural problems are discussed. The placement in the subgenus Exonthophagus Kabakov, 2006 is proposed. Images of the male, female, aedeagus and drawings of lamella copulatrix of Onthophagus viriditinctus and Onthophagus haroldi Ballion, 1871, the only other species included in the subgenus, are supplied. A key for distinguishing the two species is provided.

Notes On The Distribution And Habitat Of Omethes Marginatus Leconte (Coleoptera: Omethidae), Arthur V. Evans, Kyle E. Schnepp

Insecta Mundi

The known distribution of a rarely collected omethid, Omethes marginatus LeConte (Coleoptera), includes Arkansas, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Collection and ecological notes on recent collections in Arkansas, Indiana, and Virginia are presented.

Taxonomic Notes On Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) Lemuroides D’Orbigny, 1898 And O. (P.) Fortigibber Reitter, 1909 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini), Stefano Ziani

Insecta Mundi

The taxonomic position of Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) lemuroides d’Orbigny, 1898 and Onthophagus (Palaeonthophagus) fortigibber Reitter, 1909 is discussed (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini). A key to the species is given. Photo

Distribution, Ecology, And Population Dynamics Of The American Burying Beetle [Nicrophorus Americanus Olivier (Coleoptera, Silphidae)] In South-Central Nebraska, Usa, Jon C. Bedick, Brett C. Ratcliffe, W. Wyatt Hoback, Leon G. Higley

Brett C. Ratcliffe

The endangered American burying beetle, Nicrophorus americanus Olivier, was previously widespread throughout eastern North America. In the past century numbers of this beetle have drastically declined and currently remnant populations are known from only six states despite intensive surveying efforts conducted for the last nine years. Efforts aimed at discovering and managing remnant populations have been generally limited by a lack of knowledge concerning N. americanus biology. We used baited pitfall traps to define the range of the Gothenburg, Nebraska, population of N. americanus. Using mark-recapture techniques, we estimate that the annual Gothenburg population consists of more than one thousand …

A Biotic Survey And Inventory Of The Dynastine Scarab Beetles Of Mesoamerica, North America, And The West Indies: Review Of A Long-Term, Multicountry Project, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Ronald D. Cave

Brett C. Ratcliffe

This biotic inventory will document the species-level diversity of dynastine scarabs, their spatial and temporal distributions, ecological preferences, and biology. The long term, multi-country research project explores a biotically megadiverse region that is seriously at risk from deforestation, environmental homogenization, invasive species, and urban sprawl. Objectives of this survey are: 1) to understand the biodiversity of dynastine scarab beetles in Mesoamerica; 2) disseminate this information in print and electronic forms; 3) train students, parataxonomists, and collection managers in the study area about dynastine taxonomy and identification, care of collections, dissemination of information, and conservation; and 4) assemble authoritatively identified voucher …

Preliminary Checklist Of The Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, And Vesperidae (Coleoptera) Of Peru, Miguel A. Monné, Eugenio H. Nearns, Sarah C. Carbonel Carril, Ian P. Swift, Marcela L. Monné

Insecta Mundi

A preliminary checklist of the Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, and Vesperidae (Coleoptera) of Peru is presented. Within Cerambycidae, we record five subfamilies, 55 tribes, 345 genera and subgenera, and 714 species. Within Disteniidae, we record one tribe, six genera, and 11 species. We also record one subfamily, one tribe, one genus, and two species within Vesperidae. Four new country records are recorded: one species in the tribe Anacolini (Cerambycidae: Prioninae): Cycloprionus flavus Tippmann, 1953; and three species in the tribe Onciderini (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae): Cacostola simplex (Pascoe, 1859); Marensis simplex (Bates, 1865); Trachysomus cavigibba Martins, 1975. In addition, 161 species recorded are known …

Larval Performance And Kill Rate Of Convergent Ladybird Beetles, Hippodamia Convergens, On Black Bean Aphids, Aphis Fabae, And Pea Aphids, Acyrthosiphon Pisum, Travis M. Hinkelman, Brigitte Tenhumberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Generalist predator guilds play a prominent role in structuring insect communities and can contribute to limiting population sizes of insect pest species. A consequence of dietary breadth, particularly in predatory insects, is the inclusion of low-quality, or even toxic, prey items in the predator’s diet. Consumption of low-quality prey items reduces growth, development, and survival of predator larvae, thereby reducing the population sizes of generalist predators. The objective of this paper was to examine the effect of a suspected low-quality aphid species, Aphis fabae (Scopoli) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), on the larval performance of an abundant North American predator, Hippodamia convergens (Guérin-Méneville) …

Chemical Ecology, Population Dynamics And Insecticide Susceptibility Of Lesser Mealworm Alphitobius Diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), Narinderpal Singh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), is a serious, cosmopolitan pest present in poultry production facilities, where it slows down weight gain in chicks, carries disease–causing organisms, and causes damage to poultry insulation. The first study estimated that the lesser mealworm densities in poultry litter applied to pastures were 3.5, 2.2 and 0.4 million larvae, adults and pupae, respectively, per hectare in Savoy, Arkansas. The repercussions of these adult beetles are that they often disperse to and reinfest poultry houses with the potential to vector disease to poultry, and disperse to invade human dwellings resulting in litigation. The …

Description Of The Larva And Female Genitalia Of Trechus Gamae With Data On Its Ecology, Ana Reboleira, Vicente Ortuño

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

The third instar larva and the female genitalia of Trechus gamae Reboleira et Serrano (Coleoptera Carabidae Trechini) are described, illustrated and commented. Larvae and imagos were collected in deep parts of caves from Estremenho karstic massif in the centre Portugal. The work provides the first study on hypogean beetle larvae from Portugal, increasing the knowledge about hypogean microendemic species from the Lusitanic district of the Iberian Peninsula. The morphological diagnostic characters of the female genitalia corroborate the inclusion of T. gamae in the “T. fulvus-group”. Some new data on the ecology of this species are also given.

Five New Species Of Anillinus Casey From The Southern Appalachian Mountains And The Piedmont Plateau Of Eastern U.S.A. (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Trechinae: Bembidiini), Igor M. Sokolov

Insecta Mundi

Five new species of anilline ground beetles (Carabidae: Trechinae: Bembidiini) are described from the Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont Plateau of eastern United States. Two species, Anillinus unicoi n. sp. (from the Unicoi Mountains, North Carolina) and A. carltoni n. sp. (from the Great Smoky Mountains, North Carolina/ Tennessee), inhabit the crests of adjacent mountain ranges, and share similarities with A. moseleyae Sokolov and Carlton. These three comprise a high-altitude group of species in the region. The third species A. chilhowee n. sp. Is one of the smallest representatives of the loweae-group of species. It differs from its relatives in characters …