Entomology Commons^™

Egg Production In The Boxelder Bug Boisea Trivittata (Hemiptera: Rhopalidae), Karin A. Grimnes, Deborah Miller, Aaron J. Wyman

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Boxelder bug females emerged from overwintering sites in the spring and rapidly provisioned eggs with yolk materials. Five discrete egg stages were identified based on egg size, protein content, and degree of chorion sclerotization. Females did not accumulate yolk materials into the egg until after melanization was completed, as unmelanized animals rarely possessed even stage 2 eggs. All adult females entering overwintering sites possessed only immature stage eggs (stage 1 and 2). The rate of egg vitellogenesis in the spring was rapid; a major change in numbers of more mature stage eggs (stage 3 and above) in the ovary occurred …

Mating Frequency Of European Corn Borer (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) In Minnesota, Kansas, And Texas, J. L. Hinton, D. A. Andow

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The frequency of mating and polyandry in natural populations are important parameters for understanding evolutionary dynamics. Mating frequency among natural populations of Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner) [Lepidoptera: Crambidae] are quite variable. Showers et al. (1974) found 91.1, 73.8, and 71.3% of females had mated during the second flight over 1971-3 at one location in Iowa. During 1971, only 10% mated multiple times, with lower levels of polyandry in subsequent years. In an earlier study in Iowa, Pesho (1961) found that 65-100 % of females had mated and up to 43% had mated more than once. A population in southwestern Ontario averaged …

Feeding Records Of Caterpillars (Lepidoptera) From Wisconsin Prairies And Savannas, Andrew H. Williams

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Basic to our understanding of any animal and its habitat requirements is knowing what it eats. Presented here are feeding observations of 18 species of caterpillars encountered in Wisconsin prairies and savannas over 1992-2002. These food plants are previously unreported for these insects.

Biology Of Diastrophus Nebulosus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) And Its Parasitoid/Inquiline Complex In Galls On Rubus Flagellaris (Rosaceae), H. C. Gordinier

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Rubus flagellaris patches occasionally harbor colonies of compound stem- galls initiated by the cynipid, Diastrophus nebulosus. These isolated colonies host a parasitoid/inquiline complex made up of five principal and three incidental chalcidoid species and one cynipid inquiline. Over 1-2 seasons, parasitoid/inquiline infestation reduced primary host populations to lows of 2-0% in some colonies. Despite heavy parasitism in most colonies, dispersal of D. nebulosus out of infested colonies resulted in a survival rate of 22%. Among parasitoids, a new species, Eurytoma rubrigalla, was revealed along with new records for Eupelmella vesicularis and an unidentified Habrocytus species. Immature stages and life …

Simultaneous Parasitism Of Field-Collected Green Cloverworm, Hypena Scabra (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae By Endoparasitioids And An Entomopathogenic Fungus, Daniel M. Pavuk, Charles E. Williams

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The impacts of entomopathogens (e.g., fungi, bacteria, protists and viruses) on larval Lepidoptera and their associated insect parasitoids have been examined in laboratory studies but field studies of interaction between these two mortality factors are rare. We present field observations of concurrent insect parasitism and fungal disease infection in larvae of the green cloverworm, Hypena scabra, a sporadic pest of soybean (Glycine max) in North America. We reared ten parasitoid species from H. scabra larvae during our three-month study. Three parasitoid species were dominant and overlapped the period of infection by the entomopathogenic fungus Nomuraea rileyi: Aleiodes nolophanae, Cotesia …

Sticky Exudates On The Inflorescences Of Cirsium Discolor (Asteraceae) And Penstemon Digitalis (Scrophulariaceae) As Possible Defense Against Seed Predators, Patricia A. Thomas

The Great Lakes Entomologist

From 1982 through 1987, I investigated whether sticky exudates released by Cirsium discolor and Penstemon digitalis in their inflorescences provide defense against seed predators. I tested two hypotheses: 1: Exudates directly deter seed predators, and 2: Insects struggling in exudates attract predatory arthropods that remain and defend the inflorescences against seed predators. These hypotheses predict that neutralizing the stickiness will increase seed predation (by allowing access to more seed predators, or by decreasing the number of predatory arthropods attracted), and therefore decrease successful seed production. Results did not support either hypothesis, with no increase in seed predators (nor decrease in …

Sprinkler Irrigation As A Management Practice For Bemisia Tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) In Cotton Fields, Ibrahim Gencsoylu, Fuat Sezgin

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Field experiments were conducted in 1999 and 2000 to investigate the effect of irrigation method on populations of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) and natural enemies in cotton fields in Aydın Province, Turkey. Two irrigation methods, sprinkler and border, were studied each year. All plots were irrigated during different phenological periods including initial bloom, boll initiation, 50% boll filling and 5-10% boll opening stages. Irrigation methods and periods significantly affected whitefly populations. Densities of B. tabaci were significantly reduced in sprinkler-irrigated plots compared to border-irrigated plots in 2000 but not in 1999. Irrigation methods did not affect the population of natural enemies. …

Behavioral Differences Between Two Recently Sympatric Paper Wasps, The Native Polistes Fuscatus And The Invasive Polistes Dominulus, Stephanie A. Silagi, George J. Gamboa, Carrie R. Klein, Melissa A. Noble

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Polistes dominulus (Christ), an old world paper wasp, was introduced into the eastern United States in the 1970s and has been rapidly spreading westward. Recently, it has displaced the native Polistes fuscatus (F.) in at least some areas of Michigan. In order to understand why P. dominulus has been so successful, several behavioral attributes were compared between P. dominulus and P. fuscatus at a Michigan field site that contained colonies of both species nest- ing semi-naturally in plywood nestboxes.

Preworker colonies of P. dominulus had a significantly greater tendency to store nectar (and had significantly higher proportions of cells with …

Arthropods Associated With Purple Loosestrife In Illinois Wetlands, J. Dylan Maddox, Robert N. Wiedenmann

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We estimated and described the arthropod fauna on purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria) plants in northeastern Illinois wetlands. A total of 1063 individual arthropods were collected—930 insects and 133 arachnids. The av- erage number of arthropods ranged from 19.00 to 86.75 individuals per loos- estrife plants of a single root crown. We collected individuals from twenty-five families representing 8 orders of insects. Miridae, Anthocoridae, Lygaeidae, Cicadellidae, and Aphididae were each represented by at least 50 individuals. Three orders and ten families were found that had not been previously reported as occurring on purple loosestrife, but many of these taxa were represented …

Evaluation Of Minnesota Geographic Classifications Based On Caddisfly (Trichoptera) Data, David C. Houghton

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The ability to partition the variation of faunal assemblages into homogenous units valuable for biomonitoring is referred to as classification strength (CS). In this study, the CSs of three types of geographic classifications: watershed basin, ecological region, and caddisfly region, were compared based on 248 light trap samples of adult caddisflies collected in Minnesota during 1999–2001. The effect on CS of three different levels of taxonomic resolution: family, genus, and species, was also assessed. Primary (broadest possible) a priori classification by watershed basin and ecological region had a lower CS than did secondary classification by these regions. Caddisfly region, an …

The Terrestrial Isopod Hyloniscus Riparius (Isopoda: Oniscidea: Trichoniscidae) In Wisconsin, Joan Jass, Barbara Klausmeier

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We examined seasonal reproductive patterns for the terrestrial isopod Hyloniscus riparius in Wisconsin. Samples collected from habitats in three Wisconsin regions were compared with regard to the reproductive status of population members. We also recorded differences in sex ratio and stage of female gravidity in all samples. Males were a minority in all samples. Southern samples showed the greatest reproductive capacity based on the proportion of females that were found to be gravid.

Factors Affecting Capture Rates Of Insect Taxa By Retail Electrocutors And Eliminators In Northern Lower Michigan, Joel T. Heinen, Joseph Reznik, Sarah Hill, Jennifer Kostrzewski, Anya Maziak

The Great Lakes Entomologist

We compare the abundance and types of insects captured at several locations, with and without a chemical attractant and in varying weather conditions using two different devices advertised to kill biting insects. Using both an insect electrocutor that uses ultraviolet light as an attractant, with and without octenol as an added attractant, and an insect eliminator that uses carbon dioxide, heat and octenol as attractants, more non-biting than biting insects were captured. Numerous harmless and beneficial insects were killed with electrocutors. Although eliminators were more target-specific, they captured fewer insects overall compared to electrocutors. The numbers and types of insects …

The Distribution And Prevalence Of The Alfalfa Blotch Leafminer (Diptera: Agromyzidae) In Illinois, J. G. Lundgren, K. L. Steffey, R. N. Wiedenmann

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Surveys were made in 2001 and 2002 to determine the distribution and prevalence of the alfalfa blotch leafminer, Agromyza frontella (Diptera: Agromyzidae), and its primary parasitoids, Dacnusa dryas and Chrysocharis liriomyzae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae and Eulophidae, respectively), in Illinois. We collected 239 samples from alfalfa fields in the alfalfa-producing regions of Illinois. Samples from each site consisted of 20 cut stems and 10 sets of 10 sweeps in 2001, and 40 stems and 10 sets of 20 sweeps in 2002. Each trifoliate was examined for mining and pinholing injury, and the number of adult A. frontella, D. dryas, and C. …

Gene Flow Between Great Lakes Region Populations Of The Canadian Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio Canadensis, Near The Hybrid Zone With P. Glaucus (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), Aram D. Stump, F.A. H. Sperling, Amber Crim, J. Mark Scriber

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Papilio canadensis were sampled from three locations on either side of Lake Michigan to study gene flow near and through a butterfly hybrid zone. Allele frequencies at four polymorphic enzyme loci, as indicated by allozyme electrophoresis, were similar in all samples. Values for FST were close to zero, indicating that gene flow is high among these populations, even when separated by Lake Michigan. We developed a mitochondrial DNA marker with diagnostic differences between P. canadensis and its parapatric sister species Papilio glaucus, based on PCR-RFLP. P. glaucus haplotypes of this mtDNA marker and P. glaucus alleles of a diagnostic …

Updated Conservation Status Of Protected Minnesota Caddisflies, David C. Houghton, Ralph W. Holzenthal

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Seven of the 13 Minnesota Trichoptera species with official protected status were located in the state during 1997-2001, including four species – Agapetus tomus, Asynarchus rossi, Hydroptila novicola, and Polycentropus milaca – not collected in nearly 40 years. Three species – Chilostigma itascae, Oxyethira ecornuta, and Polycentropus milaca – appear rare in Minnesota, two – Agapetus tomus and Asynarchus rossi – appear rare but locally abundant, and two – Hydroptila novicola and Oxyethira itascae – were found throughout northern Minnesota suggesting that they are more abundant than previously thought. Five listed species were not collected during this study and …

Predation By Achaearanea Tepidariorum (Araneae: Theridiidae) On Anoplophora Glabripennis (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Wm. Dean Morewood, Kelli Hoover, James C. Sellmer

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Anoplophora glabripennis is a large wood-boring cerambycid beetle that has recently invaded North America and Europe from Asia. We discovered the common house spider, Achaearanea tepidariorum, in large cages housing A. glabripennis on trees and confirmed the ability of A. tepidariorum to prey upon adult A. glabripennis by placing the two species together within smaller containers where they could be more easily observed. Adult A. glabripennis, up to 600% of the spiders’ body length, exceed the maximum relative size of prey previously reported for A. tepidariorum or for solitary webbuilding spiders in general.

Insect Composition Of The Mosquito Magnet Pro® Mosquito Trap In Northeastern Ohio, T. M. Pucci, J. Lynch, J. B. Keiper

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The trap composition of 6 Mosquito Magnet Pro® mosquito traps from northeastern Ohio is given by insect order, dipteran family, and mosquito species. A total of 395 mosquitoes (Culicidae), 20,984 biting midges (Ceratopogonidae), 196 black flies (Simuliidae), and 318 stable flies (Muscidae: Stomoxys sp.) was captured. Non-biting fly abundance accounts for 49.6% of the total catch. Large variation occurred among dates and traps.

Attack Of Urophora Quadrifasciata (Meig.) (Diiptera: Tephritidae) A Biological Control Agent For Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea Maculosa Lamarck) And Diffuse Knapweed (C. Diffusa Lamarck) (Asteraceae) By A Parasitoid, Pteromalus Sp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) In Michigan, Ronald F. Lang, Jane Winkler, Richard W. Hansen

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Urophora quadrifasciata (Meig.) a seedhead fly released in North America for biological control of Centaurea maculosa and C. diffusa is parasitized by a Pteromalus sp. Parasitism up to 60% of U. quadrifasciata was found in samples of seed heads of C. maculosa and C. diffusa collected from 54 of the 59 counties sampled in Michigan and in one sample of C. maculosa seed heads from Hennepin County, Minnesota. Parasitism of U. quadrifasciata has rarely been reported.

Host Range Extension For Chlorochlamys Chloroleucaria (Geometrinae, Geometridae) To Include Eriogonum Alatum (Polygonaceae), Kathleen H. Keeler, George J. Balogh

The Great Lakes Entomologist

(excerpt)

Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria (Guenée) is a common moth of eastern North America, recorded from Nova Scotia south to Cuba and Mexico and as far west as Manitoba, the Black Hills of South Dakota, Wyoming and central Colorado (Boulder and El Paso counties) (Ferguson 1985).

Sugar Maple Borer (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) Activity Associated With Periods Of Severe Defoliation, Robert A. Wink, Douglas C. Allen

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A perusal of previous research on sugar maple borer, Glycobius speciosus, in northern New York State strongly associates severe early and late season defoliation with increased borer damage. This re-examination of earlier work suggests foliage protection may be necessary when forest management objectives are concerned with wood volume and quality.