Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Increased Signal Complexity Is Associated With Increased Mating Success, Noori Choi, Matt Adams, Kasey Fowler-Finn, Elise Knowlton, Malcolm Rosenthal, Aaron Rundus, Roger D. Santer, Dustin J. Wilgers, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

The evolution of complex signals has often been explored by testing multiple functional hypotheses regarding how independent signal components provide selective benefits to offset the costs of their production. In the present study, we take a different approach by exploring the function of complexity per se. We test the hypothesis that increased vibratory signal complexity— based on both proportional and temporal patterning—provides selective benefits to courting male Schizocosa stridulans wolf spiders. In support of this hypothesis, all of our quantified metrics of vibratory signal complexity predicted the mating success of male S. stridulans. The rate of visual signalling, which is …

Description Of The Courtship And Copulation Behaviours Of The Wall Spider Oecobius Concinnus (Oecobiidae), Diego Solano-Brenes, Laura Segura-Hernández, Gilbert Barrantes

Eileen Hebets Publications

Courtship and copulation behaviours are yet scantily described in many spider families, and this lack of information limits our understanding of the evolution of such behaviours within and across families. Here, we provide a detailed description of both courtship and copulation behaviour for Oecobius concinnus Simon, 1893. A striking characteristic of the male courtship is the construction of a tubular web (mating web) in which most courtship and copulation occurs. This web likely functions to restrain the female in a reduced space and as a substrate for male pheromones. The courtship consists of a complex web of interactions between both …

Behavior And Chemical Signals As Markers Of Colony Identification In Argentine Ants (Linepithema Humile), Stephanie A. Rohrbach

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Argentine ants, Linepithema humile, are a highly successful invasive species around the globe and are especially prominent in states such as California and the southeastern United States. L.humile have a unique form of unicoloniality, called “supercolonies”. L. humile can detect colonymates through scent markers in their outer cuticle. With these chemical markers, ants will exhibit high aggression if they smell different from one another. In our study, we performed aggression assays among ten different nest sites and analyzed their CHCs through gas chromatography mass spectrometry, or GC-MS, analysis. For our behavior results, while within-nest interactions displayed low aggression as …

Mortality In Interspecific Hybrids Of Nasonia Vitripennis And Nasonia Giraulti, Bonnie Cobb

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Nasonia is a parasitoid wasp genus that serves as an emerging model for studying speciation due to an incompatibility between nuclear and mitochondrial genomes between sister taxa. Short generation times, easy rearing in a lab setting, producing large amounts of progeny, and whole genome sequencing make Nasonia is an excellent candidate for studying incomplete reproductive isolation. Nasonia have five chromosomes and exhibit haplo-diploid sex determination in which fertilized eggs develop into diploid females and unfertilized eggs develop into haploid males. Recessive phenotypes are hidden in diploid females but are laid bare in haploid males as there is no interaction between …

Reevaluation Of The Described Subspecies Of Euphydryas Phaeton (Drury, 1773) With A Replacement Name For Melitaea Phaeton Schausi (Clark, 1927), Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The present paper reevaluates the subspecific standing of the nominotypical and three described subspecies of Euphydryas phaeton (Drury, 1773). The nominotypical subspecies phaeton occupies the mid-Atlantic region, with undefined zones of contact with described subspecies borealis (F. Chermock & R. Chermock, 1940) to the north, and subspecies schausi (Clark, 1927) to the south. Nominotypical phaeton is an intermediate phenotype between borealis and schausi, which are each noticeably different from each other but both reasonably similar to intermediate (nominotypical) phaeton. Both borealis and schausi were synonymized under nominotypical phaeton since about time of their descriptions, by authors and list …

Nesting Behavior, Ecology, And Functional Morphology Of The Trapdoor Spider-Hunting Spider Wasp Aporus (Plectraporus) Hirsutus (Banks) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Alice J. Abela, Rick C. West

Insecta Mundi

Macrophotographs in series taken by Alice Abela on sandy coastal dunes in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties, CA in 2010–2021 supplement and enhance F. X. Williams (1928) study of the ecol­ogy and nesting behavior of the trapdoor spider-hunting spider wasp Aporus (Plectraporus) hirsutus (Banks) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Aporini). Abela’s macrophotographs and observations provide new details of adult wasp feeding, functional morphology, hunting, digging and prey transport, and host spider trapdoor, entrance, burrow structure, host capture and escape activity. Newly reported host records from this study and online photographs expand A. hirsutus host selection in the large wafer-lid …

Micromentignatha Geberti, A New Tiger Beetle Species From Australia (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Jürgen Wiesner

Insecta Mundi

Micromentignatha geberti (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), new species, is described. It is distinguished from the other members of the genus by its larger body size and shape of elytral maculation.

Due to the kindness of Christian Kerkering, I was able to study specimens of a tiger beetle species he recently acquired. It proved to be new to science and is described herein. It is a member of Micromentignatha Sumlin, 1981, which raises the number of species in this genus to four (Wiesner 2020: 327). A key to distinguish these congeners as well as a catalog of the genus are given herein.

Ishtarella Thailandica Martens, New Genus, New Species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) Of Aphid Parasitoid From Thailand, With A Country Checklist Of Aphidiinae, Abigail P. Martens, Matthew L. Buffington, Donald L.J. Quicke, Marisa Raweearamwong, Buntika A. Butcher, Paul J. Johnson

Insecta Mundi

Ishtarella Martens new genus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Aphidiinae) and I. thailandica Martens new species are described and illustrated from Doi Phu Kha National Park, Nan Province, Thailand. The genus is assigned to the tribe Aphidiini, subtribe Trioxina. Based on morphology, Ishtarella appears most closely related to Binodoxys Mackauer. An updated checklist of the aphidiine fauna of Thailand, based on published records, is presented.

Parasitoid wasps in the subfamily Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) comprise about 60 genera and more than 650 species worldwide (Yu et al. 2016). The Aphidiinae of Thailand were all but unknown prior to a Thai­land Inventory Group for Entomological …

Ardella Magnaemirabilis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Ardellini), A New Scarabaeoid Species, Genus And Tribe From The Southwestern United States, M. J. Paulsen

Insecta Mundi

An interesting new taxon of scarabaeoid beetle is described from western Texas, USA. The remark­ably small chafer, Ardella magnaemirabilis new genus, new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Ardellini) is described and compared to other diminutive scarabaeoid genera from drier habitats of the southwestern USA. The tribe Ardellini, new tribe, is erected to accommodate the unusual genus.

After a few centuries with entomologists scouring the continent, the discovery of unknown Nearctic scarab gen­era is no longer commonplace. The western United States, in particular, is biogeographically diverse with pockets of endemism that makes such discoveries still possible, driving collectors to continue sampling …

Two New Species Of Deromecus Solier From Guatemala (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Pomachiliini), E. R. Fuller

Insecta Mundi

Deromecus georginas Fuller, new species, and Deromecus longitarsis Fuller, new species (Cole­optera: Elateridae: Pomachiliini) are described from cloud forest habitat on eastern coastal volcanoes in Quetzaltenango Department, Guatemala, and compared with Deromecus trivittatus Champion from Mexico.

Se describen la neuva especie Deromecus georginas Fuller y la neuva especie Deromecus longitarsis Fuller (Coleoptera: Elateridae: Pomachiliini), del hábitat del bosque nuboso, de los volcanes oriental de la costa, en el Departmento de Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, y se comparan con Deromecus trivittatus Cham­pion, de México.

The Elateridae are a conspicuous and diverse group of beetles in Central America (Champion 1894–1897). Adults of luminous …

Occurrence Of An Exotic Whitefly, Siphoninus Phillyreae (Haliday) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) In South Korea And Its Potential Pathway Analysis, Seon Woo Lee, Hyun Jik Lee, Jun-Ran Kim, Soo-Jung Suh

Insecta Mundi

The ash whitefly, Siphoninus phillyreae (Haliday) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), was first found in southern areas of South Korea during September 2019. During the survey of 2021, no additional specimens of the ash whitefly were found other than the previously reported regions. Attempts to trace a possible path­way for exotic ash whitefly suggested that this species probably followed pathways of illegal importation of infested plants from China or Japan and was unintentionally introduced into South Korea based on a survey-based study. This whitefly has not been intercepted at ports of entry to South Korea on imported plant material between 1999 and 2019 …

New Synonymies And Notes In Criodion Audinet-Serville (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), Antonio Santos-Silva, Sergio Devesa

Insecta Mundi

Criodion angustatum Buquet, 1852 and C. pilosum Lucas, 1857 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) are synonymized with C. tomentosum Audinet-Serville, 1834. The holotypes of C. angustatum and C. hirsutum, and syntypes of C. pilosum and of C. tuberculatum Gahan, 1892 are illustrated for the first time. One of the type localities of C. tuberculatum is corrected.

Currently, Criodion Audinet-Serville, 1834 includes 13 species distributed from Guatemala to southern South America (Monné 2021; Tavakilian and Chevillotte 2021). Despite the relatively small number of species, they encompass several problems with their identification. For example, the specimens often identified as C. murinum Nonfried, 1895 …

New Larval Host Plants And Ecological Observations On North American Cerambycidae (Coleoptera), Josef Vlasak, Katerina Vlasakova

Insecta Mundi

New larval hosts are presented for 152 North American Cerambycidae (Coleoptera). Larval host plants of Aneflus calvatus Horn in Leng, Aneflomorpha arizonica Linsley, Aneflomorpha fisheri Linsley, Ane­flomorpha opacicornis Linsley, Anelaphus magnipunctatus (Knull), Atylostagma glabra Schaeffer, Cacophrissus pauper Bates, Elytroleptus limpianus Skiles and Chemsak, Obrium rubidum LeConte, and Stenelytrana splen­dens (Knull) are reported for the first time. The types of wood utilized by larvae of Leptorhabdium pictum (Haldeman), Sphenostethus taslei (Buquet), Typocerus lugubris (Say), and Xestoleptura octonotata (Say) are discussed. Notes on larval morphology and larval habits of Aneflus spp. and Stenaspis solitaria (Say), includ­ing a correction of a published host …

Habitat Assessment Of Ozark Glades Using Selected Epigeal Predatory Arthropods, Austin Key Jones

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Epigeal predatory arthropods were collected with pitfall-style traps in nine sandstone glades of varying ecological stages, and management histories, in the Ozarks of Northern Arkansas over three years. These sites were categorized into three Site Types; Intact, high quality glades; Degraded, forest-encroached glades, and Restored glades which had received woody vegetation removal and burning. Collections of ground spiders (Gnaphosidae), predatory ground beetles (Carabidae), and the sole species of scorpion present in the Ozarks, Centruroides vittatus, were reported on as well as the applicability of arthropod collection methods for glade habitat assessment. Habitat characteristics were recorded for each site and analyzed …

American Burying Beetle, Plant Richness, And Soil Property Responses To Collapse Of Juniperus Virginiana Woodlands With Fire, Alison K. Ludwig

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Grasslands are declining in the Great Plains due to land use changes, woody plant encroachment, and loss of historic fire cycles. Prescribed burn associations have utilized prescribed fire to collapse invading woodlands and allow the restoration of grasslands. This fire is considered “extreme” because it is capable of changing the structure and function of an ecosystem. Our study site is the Loess Canyons Experimental Landscape, a long-term, ecoregion-scale experiment to apply prescribed fire across the region to restore grasslands. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project established the Loess Canyons ecoregion as a Biologically-Unique Landscape in 2005 with the state’s wildlife action …

Cognitive Ecology Of Color Vision In Orchid Bees, Andreia Queiroz Santos A Figueiredo

Dissertations

Animals interact with their environment and acquire information from it. Information can be processed by their sensory systems and influence behavior, often mediated through mechanisms of decision-making and learning. Animal pollinators acquire information from flowers and use this information to make decisions about the flowers they visit. My research aimed to understand the role of color vision in a tropical pollinator, the orchid bee Euglossa dilemma. Chapter 1 is a review exploring pollination through the lens of prepared learning. Prepared learning proposes that animals learn some associations better than others due to an evolved match with the environment. I …

The First Record Of The Jumping Bristletail Pedetontus Gershneri Allen, 1995 (Microcoryphia: Machilidae) From Alabama, Usa Significantly Extends Its Known Range, Alexander B. Orfinger, Grant D. De Jong

Insecta Mundi

The jumping bristletail Pedetontus gershneri Allen, 1995 (Microcoryphia: Machilidae) is reported from the state of Alabama, USA, for the first time, extending its known range east-southeast by roughly 588 km. The first partial mtDNA barcode was generated for the species. Notes on color variation and sampling needs of Microcoryphia are briefly discussed.

The Microcoryphia (=Archaeognatha, or jumping bristletails) are a small order of insects with about 500 nominal species worldwide (Mendes 1990). The North American fauna includes 30 named species (De Jong 2020), with additional species expected to be discovered and described (Bowser 2019). Numerous records of species in the …

Survey Of The Attelabidae Of Wisconsin (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea), Julia Janicki, Daniel K. Young

Insecta Mundi

A statewide survey of Wisconsin’s Attelabidae (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea) was conducted over one full (2012) and two partial (2011, 2013) field seasons. Specimens were collected using a variety of techniques. Fourteen species of Attelabidae in nine genera placed in two subfamilies are now recorded from Wisconsin, with five new state species records and 117 new Wisconsin county records. Generic and species-level keys for Wisconsin attelabid species are provided along with generic and species diagnoses. Species treatments also include a synonymy, a description, and information on natural history, phenology, distribution and collecting methods. Dorsal and lateral habitus images are also provided for …

A New Neotropical Predaceous Midge In The Genus Parabezzia Malloch From Guerrero, Mexico, And A Second Mexican Record Of P. Alexanderi Wirth (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae: Ceratopogoninae: Ceratopogonini), Herón Huerta, Gustavo R. Spinelli, William L. Grogan Jr.

Insecta Mundi

We describe and illustrate a new Neotropical predaceous midge, Parabezzia carlae Huerta, Spinelli and Grogan, new species (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) from males collected by Malaise trap in La Union, Ayutla de los Libres, state of Guerrero, Mexico. We also report a second record of P. alexanderi Wirth from Veracruz, Mexico. A key to the known species in Mexico is included.

Se describe e ilustra una especie nueva de mosquita predadora de la región Neotropical, Parabezzia carlae Huerta, Spinelli y Grogan, nueva especie (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) sobre la base de machos colectados con trampa Malaise procedentes de La Unión, Ayutla de Los Libres, …

A New Species Of Leptorhyparus Howden, 2003 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini) In Amber From The Dominican Republic, With Comments On Extant Species, Paul E. Skelley

Insecta Mundi

A new species of Leptorhyparus Howden, 2003 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini) is described, Leptorhyparus quadricornis Skelley, in amber from the Dominican Republic. Extant species of Leptorhyparus are reviewed, with additional collection data and diagnostic characters presented.

Se describe una nueva especie en el género Leptorhyparus Howden, 2003 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini), Leptorhyparus quadricornis Skelley, en ámbar de la República Dominicana. Se revisan las especies vivientes del género Leptorhyparus, agregándose datos de colección y caracteres diagnósticos.

Two New Species Of Nothochodaeus Nikolajev, 2005 From Palawan Island, Philippines (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ochodaeidae), Jean-Bernard Huchet

Insecta Mundi

Nothochodaeus minotaurus Huchet, new species, and N. huxleyi Huchet, new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ochodaeidae), from Palawan Island, Philippines, are described and illustrated.

Following my study of the Ochodaeidae of the Philippine archipelago (Huchet 2014a, 2014b, 2017, 2018, 2019), I describe here two new species of the genus Nothochodaeus Nikolajev, respectively N. minotaurus Huchet, new species, and N. huxleyi Huchet, new species, bringing to four species, all endemic, the representatives of this genus in the archipelago. Both species described here are illustrated and compared with their closest relatives. These new species originate from the island of Palawan. This discovery …

New Genus Of Rhyparini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) In Amber From The Dominican Republic, Paul E. Skelley

Insecta Mundi

Priscyparus quisqueyensis Skelley, new genus and new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini), is described in amber from the Dominican Republic. An updated key to New World genera of Rhyparini is presented.

Priscyparus quisqueyensis Skelley, género nuevo y especie nueva (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Rhyparini), se describe de ámbar de la República Dominicana. La clave a los Rhyparini del Nuevo Mundo es enmendada para incluir el nuevo género.

There are only three fossil taxa of Rhyparini (Coleoptera: Scrabaeidae: Aphodiinae) preserved in copal or amber from the New World. There have been brief listings of a Termitodius Wasmann in Colombian copal (Penney and …

Biocontrol Of The Emerald Ash Borer: An Adapted Nicholson-Bailey Model, Michael Kerckhove, Shuheng Chen

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Subspecific Designation Of The U.S.A. Interior Highlands Population Of Argynnis (Speyeria) Diana (Cramer, 1777) (Nymphalidae: Heliconiinae: Argynnini: Argynnina), Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Subspecific designation is designated for the North American Interior Highlands population of Argynnis diana, based on four factors: mtDNA haplotype differences from nominotypical A. diana of the Appalachian Mountains; wing shape difference in the males between both regions; wing size of the adults; and tendency for females of the Interior Highlands to show tan coloration in the submarginal row of rectangular spots of the subapical region of the dorsal forewings.

Type Locality Of Polyommatus Lucia (W. Kirby, 1837) (Lycaenidae: Polyomatinae) With An Inspection Of The Species' Phenotypic Expression, Norbert G. Kondla, Harry Pavulaan, David M. Wright

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The type locality of Polyommatus lucia was not clearly defined by W. Kirby (1837) and been improperly interpreted as Cumberland House, Saskatchewan, Canada by several authors. The present paper examines the circumstances surrounding the collection of the specimen described and illustrated by William Kirby, and determines the type locality is Fort Carlton Provincial Park, Saskatchewan. The habitat, flora, and phenotypic expression of Celestrina lucia (W. Kirby) near the type locality are presented.

Two New Species Of Hermeuptychia From North America And Three Neotype Designations (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae), Qian Cong, Eduardo P. Barbosa, Mario A. Marín, André V. L. Freitas, Gerardo Lamas, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Abstract

Two new species of Hermeuptychia Forster, 1964 are described. Hermeuptychia sinuosa Grishin, sp. n. (type locality Guatemala: El Progreso, Morazán) is an isolated member of the genus that does not readily fit into known species groups, as suggested by its distinct male and female genitalia and COI DNA barcode sequences. It is distinguished from its congeners by prominently wavy submarginal lines, rounder wings and distinctive genitalia, and can typically be identified by a white dot, instead of an eyespot, near the ventral hindwing apex. Hermeuptychia occidentalis Grishin, sp. n. (type locality Mexico: Guerrero, Acapulco) belongs to the Hermeuptychia sosybius …

A New Species And Significant Range Extension For The Genus Fractipes Bechynĕ (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), Wills Flowers

Insecta Mundi

Fractipes tayrona new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini) is described from a dry forest on the Caribbean coast of Colombia. This locality is very distant from the localities in southeast Brazil, where the other two known species of Fractipes Bechynĕ were described. Male and female genitalia are described for the first time in this genus, and F. tayrona is compared with holotype photographs of F. rhabdopteroides Bechynĕ and F. secundus Bechynĕ and Springlová de Bechynĕ.

Resumen. Se describe Fractipes tayrona especie nueva (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumol­pini) de la costa Caribe de Colombia. La especie fue recolectada en un bosque seco, …

A New Species Of Seticeros Perger And Santos-Silva From Ecuador (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae), Josef Vlasak, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

A new species, Seticeros convergens Vlasak and Santos-Silva (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prio­ninae) is described from Ecuador. An updated key to species of Seticeros Perger and Santos-Silva, 2010 is provided.

Perger and Santos-Silva (2010) created Seticeros to include Anacanthus aquilus Thomson, 1865 and their new species, S. tunupai. Currently, the genus includes one more species, S. granulocephalus Ramírez Campos, Esteban-Durán and Santos-Silva, 2011. The known geographical distribution is from Costa Rica to Colombia (Monné 2021; Tavakilian and Chevillotte 2021). Here we are describing a new species from Ecuador.

Better Tired Than Lost: Turtle Ant Trail Networks Favor Coherence Over Short Edges, Arjun Chandrasekhar, James A. R. Marshall, Cortnea Austin, Saket Navlakha, Deborah M. Gordon

Student Published Works

Creating a routing backbone is a fundamental problem in both biology and engineering. The routing backbone of the trail networks of arboreal turtle ants (Cephalotes goniodontus) connects many nests and food sources using trail pheromone deposited by ants as they walk. Unlike species that forage on the ground, the trail networks of arboreal ants are constrained by the vegetation. We examined what objectives the trail networks meet by comparing the observed ant trail networks with networks of random, hypothetical trail networks in the same surrounding vegetation and with trails optimized for four objectives: minimizing path length, minimizing average …

Irreproducibility In Searches Of Scientific Literature: A Comparative Analysis, Gábor Pozsgai, Gábor L. Lövei, Liette Vasseur, Geoff Gurr, Péter Batáry, János Korponai, Nick A. Littlewood, Jian Liu, Arnold Móra, John J. Obrycki, Olivia Reynolds, Jenni A. Stockan, Heather Vanvolkenburg, Jie Zhang, Wenwu Zhou, Minsheng You

Entomology Faculty Publications

1. Repeatability is the cornerstone of science, and it is particularly important for systematic reviews. However, little is known on how researchers’ choice of database, and search platform influence the repeatability of systematic reviews. Here, we aim to unveil how the computer environment and the location where the search was initiated from influence hit results.
2. We present a comparative analysis of time-synchronized searches at different institutional locations in the world and evaluate the consistency of hits obtained within each of the search terms using different search platforms.
3. We revealed a large variation among search platforms and showed that PubMed and Scopus …