Life Sciences Commons^™

Evolution And Biogeography Of High Appalachian Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae), Adam Haberski

All Dissertations

The southern Appalachian Mountains are a region of great species richness and a center of endemism in many taxa, including flightless arthropods. High elevation refugia have facilitated the persistence of ancient lineages (paleoendemism) and in situ speciation (neoendemism), but their ubiquity, timing, and relative importance is unknown. Congruent patterns among co-distributed, but independent taxa might illuminate common drivers of Appalachian endemism. In this dissertation, I investigated the influence of allopatric speciation, geography, and paleoclimate events on the diversification of endemic species in two genera of rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), Lathrobium Gravenhorst and Ischnosoma Stephens, using an integrative morphological and molecular …

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 …

Mycophagous Beetle Females Do Not Behave Competitively During Intrasexual Interactions In Presence Of A Fungal Resource, L. D. Mitchem, Vincent A. Formica, R. Debray, Dana E. Homer , '21, E. D. Brodie Iii

Biology Faculty Works

Intrasexual interactions can determine which individuals within a population have access to limited resources. Despite their potential importance on fitness generally and mating success especially, female–female interactions are not often measured in the same species where male–male interactions are well-defined. In this study, we characterized female–female interactions in Bolitotherus cornutus, a mycophagous beetle species native to Northeastern North America. We used dyadic, behavioral assays to determine whether females perform directly aggressive or indirectly exclusionary competitive behaviors. Polypore shelf fungus, an important food and egg-laying resource for B. cornutus females, is patchily distributed and of variable quality, so we tested …

Biodiversity And Fire In Shortgrass Steppe, Paulette L. Ford

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Effects of fire at two levels of intensity on beetle diversity in shortgrass steppe were examined. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 3 treatments and 4 replicates per treatment. Treatments were two levels of fire 1) dormant-season fire (relatively hot), and 2) growing-season fire (relatively cool), and unburned plots. The response variables were arthropod species richness and abundance. The intermediate disturbance hypothesis predicts that maximum species richness occurs at intermediate levels of disturbance. Data obtained in this study support that prediction. Species richness was higher on plots of intermediate fire intensity than the more intensely burned plots, and almost …

Weak Spatial-Genetic Structure In A Native Invasive, The Southern Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus Frontalis), Across The Eastern United States, Ryan C. Garrick, Ísis C. Arantes, Megan B. Stubbs, Nathan P. Havill

Faculty and Student Publications

The southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis, is a native pest of pine trees that has recently expanded its range into the northeastern United States. Understanding its colonization, dispersal, and connectivity will be critical for mitigating negative economic and ecological impacts in the newly invaded areas. Characterization of spatial-genetic structure can contribute to this; however, previous studies have reached different conclusions about regional population genetic structure, with one study reporting a weak east-west pattern, and the most recent reporting an absence of structure. Here we systematically assessed several explanations for the absence of spatial-genetic structure. To do this, we developed nine …

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 …

The Lure Of Hidden Death: Development Of An Attract-And-Kill Strategy Against Wireworms Combining Semiochemicals And Entomopathogenic Nematodes, Diana La Forgia, Pamela Bruno, Raquel Campos-Herrera, Ted Turlings, Francois Verheggen

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Wireworms are polyphagous soil-dwelling pests that are hard to control. Attract-and-kill strategies, combining attractive semiochemicals with biocontrol agents, have great promise to control insect pests. We hypothesized that the combination of plant semiochemicals and entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) in an attract-and-kill system could greatly enhance the nematodes' efficiency against wireworms. We evaluated the potential of alginate beads loaded with plant extracts and EPNs to control Agriotes obscurus. We tested the efficiency to kill wireworms or to reduce their feeding activity when combining potato tuber extracts as attractants with any of seven different EPN populations. While a direct application of EPNs on …

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 …

Evaluation Of The Diversity Of Durum Wheat Coleoptera (Triticum Durum Desf.) In The Region Of Sigus Oum El Bouaghi (Eastern Algeria), Amokrane Assia, Khammar Hichem, Hadjab Ramzi, Saheb Menouar

Journal of Bioresource Management

The Oum El Bouaghi region in Eastern Algeria, long considered as a cereal-growing area is nowadays a durum wheat production region par excellence. Although the damage caused by Coleoptera is very significant, studies on the knowledge of their diversity are few and remain limited for some entomological groups. Our work is the first step to evaluate the diversity of Coleoptera and the long-term impact of taking biological management measures against harmful fauna in favour of more environment friendly agriculture. To assess the beetle community, different sampling methods were combined (Barber trap, coloured traps, mowing net and sight hunting). Evaluation of …

Taxonomic Revision Of Agraphydrus Régimbart , 1903 V. Philippine Species And Their First Dna Barcodes (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae: Acidocerinae), Hendrik Freitag, Albrecht Komarek

Biology Faculty Publications

The genus Agraphydrus RÉGIMBART , 1903 (Coleoptera: Hydrophilidae) of the Republic of the Philippines is taxonomically reviewed aided by COI mtDNA barcodes. Nine new species are described, all currently regarded as endemic to the Philippines: A. abrasus sp.n., A. ampullatus sp.n., A. batak sp.n., A. brevilobatus sp.n., A. occultus sp.n., A. palawanensis sp.n., A. pelingeni sp.n., A. tenuipalpis sp.n., and A. zetteli sp.n. Agraphydrus coomani (O RCHYMONT , 1927), widespread in the Oriental and Australasian regions, is recorded from the Philippines for the first time. COI sequences and thorough morphological examination suggest that this and further species represent a group …

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.

Effects Of Forest Age And Composition On Coleoptera Associated With Fungal Fruiting Bodies In Southwest Ohio, Jeffrey M. Brown

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Mature forests often harbor greater biodiversity than younger woods. As this relationship of forest age to biodiversity has not been examined for all taxa, this study sought to document the diversity of mycophilous beetle communities in deciduous forests of southwest Ohio and understand how they vary in relation to forest age. I surveyed fungus associated beetles using baited traps at eight forested sites in the Dayton, Ohio region. Traps were surveyed three times during 2018 to account for seasonal variation, something that has not been done for this geographic region. Forest age had no significant effect on beetle abundance or …

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 …

Anthrenus (Anthrenodes) Himalayensis Sp. Nov. From Western Himalayas, India (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae), Ji̇ri̇ Hava, Aijaz Ahmad Wachkoo, Amir Maqbool

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Anthrenus (Anthrenodes) himalayensis sp. nov., a new dermestid species from Kashmir Himalayas, India is described, illustrated, and compared with similar species. The new species is closest to A. occultus Háva, 2006 and A. katrinkrauseae Háva, 2018 but differs by the structure of antennae, male genitalia, and scale pattern.

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 …

Insect Immunity Varies Idiosyncratically During Overwintering., Laura V Ferguson, Brent J Sinclair

Biology Publications

Overwintering insects face multiple stressors, including pathogen and parasite pressures that shift with seasons. However, we know little of how the insect immune system fluctuates with season, particularly in the overwintering period. To understand how immune activity changes across autumn, winter, and spring, we tracked immune activity of three temperate insects that overwinter as larvae: a weevil (Curculio sp., Coleoptera), gallfly (Eurosta solidaginis, Diptera), and larvae of the lepidopteran Pyrrharctia isabella. We measured baseline circulating hemocyte numbers, phenoloxidase activity, and humoral antimicrobial activity, as well as survival of fungal infection and melanization response at 12°C and 25°C to capture any …

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.

Restoration Of Black Oak (Quercus Velutina) Sand Barrens Via Three Different Habitat Management Approaches, David J. Kriska

ETD Archive

Disturbance regimes, i.e. frequent fires, historically maintained oak barrens until European settlement patterns, and eventually, Smoky the Bear and the fire suppression campaign of the U.S. Forest Service snuffed out the periodic flames. In the absence of a disturbance regime, ground layer floral composition at many historical oak sand barrens will change predominantly because of a buildup of leaf litter and shading of the soils. Termed mesophication, this process of ecological succession will drive Black Oak Sand Barrens to an alternate steady state. A survey conducted on Singer Lake Bog in Green, Ohio, demonstrated that succession shifted the community to …

Updated List Of The Subfamily Omaliinae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae)From Kazakhstan With Some New Records, Peter Hlavac, Matus Kocian, Oto Nakladal

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A detailed, updated list of the subfamily Omaliinae known from Kazakhstan is provided.

Eustenomacidius Egeuniversitatis Sp.N. - The First Record Of Thetenebrionid Genus In Turkey (Insecta: Coleoptera), Beki̇r Keski̇n, Maxim V. Nabozhenko, Nurşen Keski̇n

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The new species Eustenomacidius (Caucasohelops) egeuniversitatis sp. n. is described from Southeastern Anatolia (Van Province). The species differs from two other representatives of the subgenus Caucasonotus Nabozhenko, 2006 by the absence of temple grooves (lower aspect of eye having a posterior ventral groove) and shiny body without microsculpture. It is the first record of the genus in Turkey. Data on bionomics and a key to species of the subgenus Caucasonotus are given. Mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (cox1) barcoding regions of type specimens were also sequenced and uploaded to GenBank.

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, …

Epigeal Fauna Of Bosque Protector Cerro Candelaria, Justine Albers

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pitfall traps are commonly used to sample epigeal fauna, and are especially utilized for the collection of ground-dwelling arthropods; however, this sampling method has yet to be employed in Cerro Candelaria, a protected cloud forest reserve in Tungurahua, Ecuador. Pitfall trap systems were established at two different sites in the reserve that differed in elevation and forest type. Although individuals from 4 different phlya, 11 classes and 17 orders were encountered over the duration of the study, pitfalls were most effective at sampling Coleoptera, which comprised 40% of the total catch across both sites. The two communities of beetle …

Redescription And Identity Of Taphinella Bengalensis Jacoby, 1900(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae), Jan Bezdek

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The primary type specimens of Taphinella bengalensis Jacoby, 1900 (type species of Taphinellina Maulik, 1936) were examined. The genus Taphinellina is excluded from synonymy with Charaea Baly, 1878 and newly synonymized with Cassena Weise, 1892. Taphinella bengalensis is transferred to Cassena and redescribed, and its lectotype is designated. Color photos of its habitus and drawings of both male and female genitalia are presented.

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. …