Entomology Commons^™

Lack Of Rhythmicity In The Honey Bee Queen: An Investigation Of Temporal Behavioral Patterns In Apis Mellifera Ligustica., Jennifer N. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the behavioral patterns of honey bee queens. To determine if mated honey bee queens possess diel rhythmicity in behavior, we observed them in glass-sided observation hives using three types of observation regimes: focal studies consisting of 2-hour and 24-hour continuous observations as well as scan-sampling of multiple queens. All behaviors (active: walking, inspecting, egg-laying, begging for food, feeding, and grooming self; inactive: standing) occurred at all times of day and night, but no queen showed consistent diel rhythmicity in any of the individual behaviors. There were no consistent diel differences in active versus inactive behaviors or …

Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Nearctic Blepharicera Macquart (Diptera: Blephariceridae) With An Emphasis On The Eastern Blepharicera Tenuipes Group Hogue, Amanda Jane Jacobson

Doctoral Dissertations

The eastern Nearctic fauna of Blepharicera Macquart (Diptera: Blephariceridae) is revised to include twenty-three species, six of which are new to science. Descriptions of the larvae, pupae, and adults of B. amnicula n. sp., B. conifera n. sp., B. crista n. sp., B. enoristera n. sp., B. hillabee n. sp., and B. opistera n. sp. are presented. Keys to instar IV larvae, pupae, and adults of all eastern Blepharicera (except B. caudata Courtney) are provided. Phylogenetic studies were conducted to determine the relationships between eastern and western Nearctic Blepharicera and among species within these groups. Larvae, pupae, and adults were …

The Role Of Peroxidase In The Defense Response Of Buffalograss To Chinch Bugs, Anh Hoang

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In recent years, buffalograss, Buchloë dactyloides (Nuttall) Engelmann has gained popularity as a turfgrass because of its low maintenance requirement, drought tolerance, and limited pests and diseases. Within the last decade, however, the western chinch bug Blissus occiduus Barber has emerged as important pest of buffalograss. Considerable progress has been made toward identifying buffalograsses with resistance to the western chinch bug and understanding the mechanisms of the resistance. It has been hypothesized that chinch bug-resistant buffalograsses can effectively detoxify the elevated levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) through enhanced activity of ROS-scavenging enzymes, while ROS accumulates in the susceptible plants …

A Re-Examination Of Diplectrona Modesta Banks 1908 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) Using Morphological And Molecular Techniques, Lauren Harvey

All Theses

Diplectrona modesta Banks 1908 (Trichoptera: Hydropsychidae) is a common inhabitant of streams across eastern North America. This species is well known and used often in biomonitoring studies. Experts in the field have long noted the morphological variation in larval head color and patterns as well as the species presence in many different types of habitats, such as springs, seeps, streams, and some small rivers. This study examines the species both morphologically and molecularly using mitochondrial and nuclear genes in order to determine if the species is a complex of several species or one highly variable species. DNA sequencing using the …

Management Of Ticks And Tick-Borne Disease In A Tennessee Retirement Community, Jessica Rose Harmon

Masters Theses

Human Monocytic Ehrlichiosis (HME) is an emerging disease first described in 1987 and is transmitted by the bite of Amblyomma americanum. Over the past 10 years, the CDC has documented increasing ehrlichiosis case reports nationwide. Our study site is a golf-oriented retirement community located in the Cumberland Plateau of Tennessee. In 1993, four men at the study site had symptoms consistent with HME which prompted a CDC outbreak investigation and led community managers to mitigate ticks feeding on deer. The objectives of this study were to measure the efficacy of current tick mitigation attempts, to determine the level of …

Historical Biogeography Of Velvet Ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) In The North American Deserts And Arid Lands, Joseph S. Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For centuries, scientists have been intrigued by the high amount of biodiversity that is found in the deserts of North America. Recently, several studies have investigated the causes of the high diversity found in desert-dwelling mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. These studies have found that many of these organisms seem to have diversified in response to the same historical events. Little work has been done, however, on diverse desert-dwelling insect groups. In this dissertation, I investigate the patterns of genetic diversity in four groups of nocturnal wasps called velvet ants. I compare the patterns of genetic diversity to the historical events …

The First Hypogean Dipluran From Portugal: Description Of A New Species Of The Genus Litocampa (Diplura: Campodeidae), Ana Reboleira, Alberto Sendra, Fernando Gonçalves, Pedro Oromí

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

A new species of subterranean Campodeid Dipluran of the genus Litocampa mendesi n. sp. is described. Despite the presence of this genus in Spain, this is the first record in Portugal, and it is also the first Portuguese species of hypogean Diplura. The new species combines unique characters absent in the European and American species of the genus. Litocampa mendesi n. sp. was collected only in one part of a cave of the Jurassic karstic massif of Algarve, the southwesternmost part of the Iberian Peninsula. The morphological features of this species show some adaptations to hypogean life but not a …

Cell Lines Having Enhanced Cell Longevity And Protein Expression, Bruce Allen Webb, Jeremy Kroemer

Entomology Faculty Patents

It is the object of the current invention to provide methods and compositions relating to the expression of vankyrin proteins in cell lines to increase their viability, longevity and capacity for protein production. The inventors have discovered that the expression of P-ank-1 and I²-ank-3 proteins in cell culture has increased the cells' longevity and capacity for endogenous and/or heterologous target protein production. Specifically, the present invention relates to the enhanced expression of endogenous and/or heterologous target proteins/polypeptides in recombinant cells that are also expressing P-ank-1 and/or I²-ank-3 protein compared to expression host cells that are not …

Africanized Honey Bee, Erin W. Hodgson, Cory A. Stanley, Alan H. Roe, Danielle Downey

All Current Publications

African honey bees (Apis mellifera scutellata) are native to sub-Saharan Africa and were introduced in the Americas to improve honey production in the tropics. These African honey bees were accidentally released and began to interbreed with European honey bees (Apis mellifera ligustica), the most common subspecies used for pollination and honey production in the United States (Fig. 1). As a result, the hybrid offspring are called “Africanized” because of their shared characteristics. Africanized honey bees are about the same size, shape and color as European honey bees (Fig. 2), and a genetic analysis must be used to distinguish one from …

A Hypogean New Species Of Trechus Clairville, 1806 (Coleoptera, Carabidae) From Portugal And Considerations About The T. Fulvus Species Group, Ana Reboleira, Vicente Ortuño, Fernando Gonçalves, Pedro Oromí

Ana Sofia P.S. Reboleira

A new hypogean ground beetle species, Trechus tatai n. sp. from the Montejunto karstic massif in Portugal is described. Morphological diagnostic characters of the imago are provided and the new species is included in the Trechus fulvus-group. Comments on the biogeography of hypogean carabid beetles in karstic areas of Portugal and an illustrated key to the males of the T. fulvus-group in the Iberian Peninsula are also included.

A Taxonomic Revision Of Camptocerus Dejean (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), Sarah M. Smith, Anthony I. Cognato

Insecta Mundi

The Neotropical ambrosia beetle genus Camptocerus Dejean was revised. Monophyly of the genus was tested using 66 morphological characters in a cladistic analysis. Camptocerus was recovered as monophyletic and 31 species were recognized. Six new synonyms were discovered: C. auricomus Blandford 1896 (= C. striatulus Hagedorn 1905), C. inoblitus (Schedl) 1939 (= C. morio (Schedl) 1952), C. niger (Fabricius) 1801 (= C. tectus Eggers 1943), C. opacicollis (Eggers) 1929 (= C. infidelis Wood 1969; = C. uniseriatus Schedl 1972), C. suturalis (Fabricius) 1801 (= C. cinctus Chapuis 1869). Two species were removed from synonymy: C. charpentierae Schedl and C. hirtipennis …

Biological Control Of Rubber Tree Lace Bug By Endophytic Parasitoid In Brazil, Rodrigo Souza Santos Rss

Entomology Papers from Other Sources

The rubber tree is a plant cultivated with the purpose of extraction of the natural rubber (latex), being an important segment of the Brazil economy. Among the main curses that attack the culture, he stands out the tingid, Leptopharsa heveae Drake & Poor (Hemiptera: Tingidae) and among their main natural enemies they stand out the lace wings, the mushroom Sporothrix insectorum and the egg parasitoid Erythmelus tingitiphagus (Soares) (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae). The objective of the work was to report the potential of this natural enemy use, as auxiliary in programs of integrated handling of this pest of rubber plantations. The study …

Mosquito Net With Dinotefuran And Pbo For Killing Mosquitoes, Especially Mosquitoes With Pyrethroid Resistance, Mikkel Vestergaard Frandsen, Georgina Bingham, Sebastien Gouin, Michael Stabley Pedersen, Helen Victoria Pates Jamet, Matthieu Zellweger

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Dinotefuran and PBO is used for killing mosquitoes, as PBO increases the knockdown speed of Dinotefuran.

The present invention relates to insecticidal mosquito nets containing PBO in combination with an insecticide.

One of the methods to counteract malaria is the use of commercially available long lasting insecticidal mosquito nets for protecting humans from the bite of Anopheline mosquitoes that carry malaria. Whereas the typically applied pyrethroids have been used successfully as insecticides on such nets due to their rapid knockdown effect, there is currently a critical increased resistance to pyrethroids observed among those mosquitoes. One type of resistance is metabolic, …

Weevils Of The Genus Cercopeus Schoenherr From South Carolina, Usa (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Entiminae), Charles W. O’Brien, Janet C. Ciegler, Jennifer C. Girón

Insecta Mundi

Six new species of the weevil genus Cercopeus Schoenherr are described from South Carolina: C. alexi, C. cornelli, C. femoratus, C. paulus, C. skelleyi, and C. tibialis. Three other species also found in South Carolina are re-described: C. chrysorrhoeus (Say), C. maspavancus Sleeper, and C. strigicollis Sleeper. Keys to known males and females of all 17 species of Cercopeus are given, along with photographs of habitus, leg features, and antennae, and line illustrations of genitalia. Nearly all specimens of the new species were collected from January-March and these species are winter active

Eight New State Records Of Aleyrodine Whiteflies Found In Clark County, Nevada And Three Newly Described Taxa (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae, Aleyrodinae), John W. Dooley Iii, Susan Lambrecht, Jeffrey Honda

Insecta Mundi

Eight new state records and the three newly described species are the subject of this publication. Whiteflies (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae: Aleyrodinae) were collected from 2003 through 2009 within the Las Vegas area of Clark County, Nevada to determine the occurrence of newly established species and host range and distribution. Prior to 2003 the following ten whiteflies were known to be established in Nevada: Aleuroglandulus subtilis Bondar, Aleuroplatus berbericolus Quaintance and Baker, Aleyrodes spiraeoides Quaintance, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Dialeurodes citri (Ashmead), Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday), Tetraleurodes mori (Quaintance), Trialeurodes abutiloneus (Haldeman), Trialeurodes packardi (Morrill), and Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood). Based on collections made …

Homophileurus Neptunus Dechambre, A New Junior Synonym Of H. Waldenfelsi Endrödi (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Phileurini), Brett Ratcliffe, Jochen-P. Saltin

Insecta Mundi

Homophileurus neptunus Dechambre was found to be conspecific with H. waldenfelsi Endrödi after examination of types, descriptions, and illustrations. Accordingly, H. neptunus is placed in junior synonymy with H. waldenfelsi, new synonymy. Homophileurus waldenfelsi is an uncommon species and occurs in Ecuador, Colombia, Brazil, and Peru. Brazil and Peru are new country records.

A low-res version of the PDF file (approx 1 Mb) is attached (below) as a "Related file."

Review Of Synapsis Bates (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Coprini), With Description Of A New Species, Jiri Zidek, Svatopluk Pokorny

Insecta Mundi

Presented are a checklist, a discussion of and keys to species groups and their constituent species, and a description of one new species: Synapsis horaki. The species Synapsis cambeforti Krikken and S. thoas Sharp are synonymized with S. ritsemae Lansberge, Balthasar’s synonymy of S. yunnana Arrow with S. tridens Sharp is revived, and the status of six recently described species is left unresolved because of insufficient data.

Three New Species Of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae; Rutelinae) From Guatemala And Mexico, José Monzón Sierra

Insecta Mundi

Three new species of Chrysina Kirby are described: C. baileyana from Guatemala, and C. hawksi and C. giesberti from Guatemala and Mexico. Also the females of C. centralis (Morón), C. guatemalensis (Monzón, Cano and Bailey) and C. tecunumani (Cano and Morón) are described.
Se describen tres especies nuevas de Chrysina Kirby: C. baileyana de Guatemala, y C. hawksi y C. giesberti de Guatemala y Mexico. Se describen las hembras de C. centralis (Morón), C. guatemalensis (Monzón, Cano y Bailey) y C. tecunumani (Cano y Morón).

Polistes Dominula (Christ, 1791) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Polistinae) Found In South Dakota, U.S.A., Louis S. Hesler

Insecta Mundi

Polistes dominula (Christ, 1791) (Fig. 1) is a Palearctic paper wasp that was discovered in eastern North America near Boston, Massachusetts in the late 1970s (Hathaway 1981). This species has spread westward into various Canadian provinces and several states within the U.S. (see Cervo et al. 2000; Hoebeke and Wheeler 2005; Liebert et al. 2006; Buck et al. 2008 and references therein). The range of P. dominula has expanded westward to at least the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in eastern Minnesota (Liebert et al. 2006). A second distinct front of P. dominula originated along the Pacific coast of North America …

New Records Of Biting And Predaceous Midges From Florida, Including Species New To The Fauna Of The United States (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), William L. Grogan Jr., Lawrence J. Hribar, C. Steven Murphree, James E. Cilek

Insecta Mundi

We provide new records of biting and predaceous midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from Florida, including the first documented United States records of Atrichopogon (Atrichopogon) caribbeanus Ewen, Dasyhelea griseola Wirth, D. scissurae Macfie, and Brachypogon (Brachypogon) woodruffi Spinelli and Grogan. Atrichopogon (Meloehelea) downesi Wirth, Forcipomyia (Thyridomyia) monilicornis (Coquillett), F. (T.) nodosa Saunders, Ceratoculicoides blantoni Wirth and Ratanaworabhan, Mallochohelea albibasis (Malloch), Bezzia (Bezzia) imbifida Dow and Turner and B. (B.) mallochi Wirth are recorded for the first time from Florida. Forcipomyia (Thyridomyia) johannseni Thomsen, Bezzia (Bezzia) expolita (Coquillett), and B. (B.) pulverea (Coquillett) are deleted from the ceratopogonid fauna of Florida. Dasyhelea koenigi …

The Beetles Of The Island Of St. Vincent, Lesser Antilles (Insecta: Coleoptera); Diversity And Distributions, Stewart B. Peck

Insecta Mundi

This paper summarizes the information published on the beetle fauna of the island of St. Vincent (excluding the Grenadine islands). The fauna contains 62 families, with 371 genera, and 536 species. The families with the largest number of species are Staphylinidae (128), Curculionidae (54), Chrysomelidae (47), Scarabaeidae (31), Tenebrionidae (30), and Cerambycidae (29). At least 17 species (3.17%) were probably accidentally introduced to the island by human activities. One hundred four species (19.40%) are endemic (restricted) to the island and likely speciated on the island. One hundred twenty species (22.39%) are shared only with other islands of the Lesser Antilles …

Areawide Suppression Of European Corn Borer With Bt Maize Reaps Savings To Non-Bt Maize Growers, W. D. Hutchinson, E. C. Burkness, P. D. Mitchell, R. D. Moon, T. W. Leslie, S. J. Fleischer, M. Abrahamson, K. L. Hamilton, K. L. Steffey, M. E. Gray, R. L. Hellmich, L. V. Kaster, Thomas E. Hunt, Robert J. Wright, K. Pecinovsky, T. L. Rabaey, B. R. Flood, E. S. Raun

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Transgenic maize engineered to express insecticidal proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has become widely adopted in U.S. agriculture. In 2009, Bt maize was planted on more than 22.2 million hectares, constituting 63% of the U.S. crop. Using statistical analysis of per capita growth rate estimates, we found that areawide suppression of the primary pest Ostrinia nubilalis (European corn borer) is associated with Bt maize use. Cumulative benefits over 14 years are an estimated $3.2 billion for maize growers in Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, with more than $2.4 billion of this total accruing to non-Bt maize growers. Comparable estimates …

Regional Assemblages Of Lygus (Heteroptera: Miridae) In Montana Canola Fields, Sue Blodgett, R. A. Ritter, A. W. Lenssen, M. L. Taper

Sue Blodgett

Sweep net sampling of canola (Brassica napus L.) was conducted in 2002 and 2003 to determine Lygus (Heteroptera: Miridae) species composition and parasitism levels in four regions of Montana. Regardless of region or seasonal change, Lygus elisus (Van Duzee) was the dominant species in all canola fields sampled, averaging 60–99% of the total adult populations. Lygus borealis (Kelton), Lygus keltoni (Schwartz) and Lygus lineolaris (Palisot) were detected at much lower levels. Total lygus population density was greatest in the southwest and central regions. The northeast and southwest regions had the greatest lygus species diversity. The proportion of L. elisus increased …

Host Instar Susceptibility And Selection And Interspecific Competition Of Three Introduced Parasitoids Of The Mealybug Paracoccus Marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), Kaushalya G. Amarasekare, Catharine M. Mannion, Nancy D. Epsky

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Three previously introduced parasitoids (Acerophagus papayae Noyes and Schauff, Anagyrus loecki Noyes and Menezes, and Pseudleptomastix mexicana Noyes and Schauff [Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae]) of the mealybug Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) were studied for their host instar susceptibility and sex ratio, host instar selection, and interspecific competition in the laboratory. All three parasitoids were able to develop in the second instars, third-instar females, and adult females of P. marginatus. No progeny emerged from first-instar mealybugs. The proportion of female emergence was increased with increasing host size. Parasitoids selected their host instars for oviposition when they …

Stable Isotope Analysis Reveals Detrital Resource Base Sources Of The Tree Hole Mosquito, Aedes Triseriatus, Michael G. Kaufman, Kirsten S. Pelz-Stelinski, Donald A. Yee, Steven A. Juliano, Peggy H. Ostrom, Edward D. Walker

Faculty Publications

1. Detritus that forms the basis for mosquito production in tree hole ecosystems can vary in type and timing of input. We investigated the contributions of plant‐ and animal‐derived detritus to the biomass of Aedes triseriatus (Say) pupae and adults by using stable isotope (¹⁵N and ¹³C) techniques in laboratory experiments and field collections.
2. Laboratory‐reared mosquito isotope values reflected their detrital resource base, providing a clear distinction between mosquitoes reared on plant or animal detritus.
3. Isotope values from field‐collected pupae were intermediate between what would be expected if a single (either plant or animal) detrital source dominated the …

Sperm Use During Egg Fertilization In The Honeybee (Apis Mellifera), Maria Rubinsky

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A technique to quantify sperm use in honeybee queens (Apis mellifera) was developed and used to analyze the number of sperm used in different groups of honeybee queens. To do this a queen was placed on a frame with worker cells containing no eggs, and an excluder box was placed around her. The frame was put back into the colony and removed after two and a half hours. This method reduced stress on the queen so that she felt comfortable enough to lay eggs and did not require the queen to be killed so that she could be sampled multiple …

Caterpillar Fungus Of The Tibetan Plateau, Lucas Crouch

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Chongcao is a traditional Chinese medicine that can only be found on the Tibetan plateau. It is the result of a parasitic relationship between the Ghost moth Larva and the fungus Cordyceps Sinensis. Chongcao is highly prized among the Chinese as a medicine and the value is reflected in the market. The price of Chongcao increased by 900% between the years 1997 and 2008 (Winkler, 2010). In 2009 the market went down a slightly due to the 2008 financial crises but the price in 2010 recovered to 2008 levels. It is currently worth twice its weight in gold. (LA Times) …

Cat-Facing Insects, Diane Alston, Michael Reding, Marion Murray

All Current Publications

There are a number of insects with the piercing-sucking feeding habit that can cause deformity and catfacing type injury to pome and stone fruits, including lygus bug, stink bug, and boxelder bug. Cat-facing injury is caused by puncture feeding in flower buds and fruit. The result is unsightly dimpling, deformity, and scarring of fruit. The name “cat facing” comes from the distorted fruit shape that resembles the puckered cheeks of a cat. In addition to the insects discussed in this section, some aphids and the campylomma bug can inflict similar injury.

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 22, No. 5, October 2010

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New Species Of The Genus Cotycicuiara Galileo And Martins, 2008 (Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Desmiphorini), Ubirajara R. Martins, Maria Helena M. Galileo

Insecta Mundi

Five new species of the genus Cotycicuiara Galileo and Martins are described and illustrated: C. oicepe sp. nov., from Trinidad and Tobago; and from Brazil C. multicava sp. nov., (Minas Gerais); C. pertusa sp. nov., (Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catarina); C. nivaria sp. nov., (Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo); C. chionea sp. nov., (Rio de Janeiro). A revised key to species is provided.

Novas espécies do gênero Cotycicuiara Galileo e Martins, 2008 (Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Desmiphorini). Espécies novas descritas e ilustradas: de Trinidad and Tobago, Cotycicuiara oicepe sp. nov.; do Brasil, C. multicava sp. nov., (Minas Gerais); C. pertusa sp. nov., (Rio …