Entomology Commons^™

Tips On Collecting And Rearing Immatures Of 375 Butterfly And Skipper Taxa, Jacque Wolfe, Jack Harry, Todd Stout

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Rearing techniques are discussed for 375 different butterfly and skipper taxa from Utah and beyond.

Physiological Status Of Male And Female Popillia Japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Affects Mating And Grouping Behavior, Natasha Tigreros, Rashmi Jadhav, Katelyn A. Kowles, Britto P. Nathan, Paul Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Because mating may be costly, sexually active males or females are predicted to be in relatively good physiological condition and may preferentially direct their mating behavior toward relatively high-quality mates. We tested this hypothesis in Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica Newman), a pest species in which males and females may be either isolated or in aggregations while feeding on host plants. We examined male size and lipid content and female size and egg load with respect to both their pairing status and whether they were isolated or in aggregations. Males that were paired had the highest lipid levels, and single, isolated …

Physiological Status Of Male And Female Popillia Japonica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Affects Mating And Grouping Behavior, Natasha Tigreros, Rashmi Jadhav, Katelyn Kowles, Britto Nathan, Paul Switzer

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Because mating may be costly, sexually active males or females are predicted to be in relatively good physiological condition and may preferentially direct their mating behavior toward relatively high-quality mates. We tested this hypothesis in Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica Newman), a pest species in which males and females may be either isolated or in aggregations while feeding on host plants. We examined male size and lipid content and female size and egg load with respect to both their pairing status and whether they were isolated or in aggregations. Males that were paired had the highest lipid levels, and single, isolated …

Pollen Interception By Linyphiid Spiders In A Corn Agroecosystem: Implications For Dietary Diversification And Risk-Assessment, Julie A. Peterson, Susan Romero, James D. Harwood

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Dietary diversification, including consumption of plant tissues such as pollen, can enhance the fecundity of generalist predators, resulting in improved control of pest prey. Supplemental pollen feeding has been observed in many natural enemies, including sheet-web spiders (Araneae: Linyphiidae), which represent a major component of food webs in agroecosystems. Their horizontal, ground-based webs have the potential to intercept pollen grains during anthesis of crop plants, providing the opportunity for consumption of pollen to occur. In laboratory feeding trials, Frontinella communis and Tennesseellum formicum (Araneae: Linyphiidae) readily fed on pollen grains dusted on their webs, with 82 and 92% of spiders …

Diversity Of Interactions: A Metric For Studies Of Biodiversity, Lee A. Dyer, Thomas R. Walla, Harold F. Greeney, John O. Stireman Iii, Rebecca F. Hazen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Multitrophic interactions play key roles in the origin and maintenance of species diversity, and the study of these interactions has contributed to important theoretical advances in ecology and evolutionary biology. Nevertheless, most biodiversity inventories focus on static species lists, and prominent theories of diversity still ignore trophic interactions. The lack of a simple interaction metric that is analogous to species richness is one reason why diversity of interactions is not examined as a response or predictor variable in diversity studies. Using plant-herbivore-enemy trophic chains as an example, we develop a simple metric of diversity in which richness, diversity indices (e.g., …

Ecology Of Mayfly (Insecta : Ephemeroptera) Nymphs In Three Streams Of Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia., Sree Gayathree Selvantharan

Student Works (2010-2019)

Three sampling stations with various environmental quality gradients in Ulu Gombak Forest Reserve, Selangor, Peninsular Malaysia were selected in this study: Sungai Gombak, Anak Sungai Gombak and Sungai Batu 19. A total of six genera of ephemeropteran nymphs were found from the mentioned streams: Baetis sp. (Baetidae) (232), Thalerosphyrus sp. (Heptageniidae) (925), Campsoneuria sp. (Heptageniidae) (1432), Neurocaenis sp. (Tricorythidae) (471), Platybaetis sp. (Baetidae) (12) and Prosopistoma sp. (Prosopistomatidae) (1). The most dominant family of ephemeropteran nymphs is Heptageniidae while Neurocaenis sp. (Tricorythidae) were the only nymphs that showed significant difference in abundance between all three streams (p=0.05) using student t-test. …

Niche Specialization And Conservation Biology Of Cicindela Nevadica Lincolniana, Tierney R. Brosius

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As with many organisms across the globe, Cicindela nevadica lincolniana is threatened with extinction. Understanding ecological factors that contribute to extinction vulnerability and what methods aid in the recovery of those species is essential in developing successful conservation programs. Here we examine behavioral mechanisms for niche partitioning along with improving techniques for captive rearing protocol and increasing public awareness about the conservation of this local insect. Ovipositional selectivity was examined for Cicindela nevadica lincolniana, Cicindela circumpicta, Cicindela togata, Cicindela punctulata, and Cicindela fulgida. Models reflect that these species of co-occurring tiger beetles select different ranges of salinity in which to …

Male Remating Success And The Frequency Of Copulatory Plugs In The Green Lynx Spider Peucetia Viridans (Araneae, Oxyopidae), Martina G. Ramirez, Angelik C. Achekian, Catherine R. Coverley, Rachel M. Pierce, Sarah S. Eiman, Melissa M. Wetkowski

Biology Faculty Works

Peucetia viridans males were allowed to mate with three virgin females and most matings resulted in live spiderlings, even when males lacked palpal paracymbial processes. Among females, the presence of copulatory plugs was inconsistent, and when present, their condition was not uniform; broken-off male paracymbia were often found in epigynal orifices. There was no size effect in a male’s ability to completely plug a female’s genital orifices, as well as no significant change in the pattern of plug production over consecutive mating trials. Among mated, field-collected females, the presence of plugs and paracymbia was variable, with females from some sites …

The Transition Zone: Impact Of Riverbanks On Emergent Dragonfly Nymphs. Implications For Riverbank Restoration And Management, Kirsten Hope Martin

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The use of riprap in the restoration and stabilization of riverine landscapes is an issue of concern for many ecologists. While current methods of bank stabilization, especially those involving the placement of rocks (riprap) along the waterline, are effective in controlling erosion their presence changes habitat components (slope, substrate composition, near-shore river velocity) at the river-land interface. The additional impacts of river current, water temperature, soil composition, slope, and water level fluctuation, may further imperil emerging nymphs. The purpose of this research is to document the effects of riprap, location (upriver or downriver of hydroelectric intake/outtake facilities), water level fluctuation, …

Quantification Of Bt-Endotoxin Exposure Pathways In Carabid Food Webs Across Multiple Transgenic Events, Julie A. Peterson, John J. Obrycki, James D. Harwood

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Despite the reported specificity of Bacillus thuringiensis proteins against target pests, a number of studies have indicated that the uptake of Bt-endotoxins from bioengineered crops could have negative effects on natural enemies. It is therefore essential to quantify exposure pathways in non-target arthropod food webs across multiple transgenic events. Adult ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) were collected from transgenic corn fields expressing lepidopteran-specific Cry1Ab, coleopteran-specific Cry3Bb1, and both Cry1Ab and Cry3Bb1 (stacked event), as well as a non-transgenic isoline. Carabid gut-contents were screened for Cry1Ab Bt-endotoxin using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Significant numbers of carabids tested positive for Cry1Ab from the lepidopteran-specific …

Biotic And Abiotic Characteristics Influencing Nest Location And Trophic Relationships Of The Fungus-Growing Ant Trachymyrmex Septentrionalis (Formicidae: Attini), Jonathan Paul Howell

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Trachymyrmex septentrionalis represents the only species of fungus-growing ant in the southeastern United States. T. septentrionalis cultivates a symbiotic fungus on which the ants feed. Worker ants collect plant and animal debris to feed the fungus. These ants are common in Florida, but increasingly scarce as they near the northern extent of their range in New Jersey. Colonies of T. septentrionalis occur in patches throughout Blackwater Ecological Preserve, a longleaf pine forest in southeastern Virginia. Blackwater Ecologic Preserve is a 129 hectare tract of land, located in Isle of Wight county, that is undergoing a regimen of controlled burning to …

Natural Life Histories Of Alaska Colias (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), Jack L. Harry

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Eight species of the genus Colias of Alaska were studied during the years of 2005, 2006, and 2007. Natural life histories were determined, immature stages described, measured, and photographed. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) pictures of the micropyle of five species are included.

Barrow Island Ute Guide - Non-Indigenous Insects, Spiders And Snails, Mike Grimm, Kristofer Collett, Peter Davis, Marc Widmer, Andras Szito, Rob Emery, Peter Mangano

Biosecurity published reports

Barrow Island, the second largest island in Western Australia, is a Class A Nature Reserve and home to a variety of rare and endangered fauna and flora, some of which occur nowhere else. The island lies about 70 km off the north-west coast of Western Australia and 150 km west of Karratha.

Oil discoveries in the 1960s and the development of massive Northwest Shelf gas reserves since the 1990s made Barrow Island an important site for these industries. Strict environmental and quarantine conditions are placed on industry seeking permits to drill oil wells and construct gas processing plants. Oil production …

The International Lepidoptera Survey Newsletter, April 2009, International Lepidoptera Survey, Kenneth E. Davenport, Ray E. Stanford, Robert. L. Langston

International Lepidoptera Survey Newsletter

Contents (pages 1-67)

Title

Flight Periods of California Butterflies for “Resident Species,” Subspecies and Most Strays to the State (2009)

Authors

Kenneth E. Davenport, Ray E. Stanford and Robert L. Langston

Abstract

Normal flight periods and early/late records for resident species, subspecies and regular strays of butterflies of California are presented below.. Many subspecies or populations in the state are distinctive and may prove to merit species recognition by specialists in the future.

A Preliminary Study Of The Diversity And Temporal Patterns Of Abundance Of Tachinidae In Southwestern Ohio, Diego J. Inclán, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Although tachinids are one of the most diverse families of Diptera (Irwin et al. 2003) and represent the largest group of non-hymenopteran parasitoids (Belshaw 1994), the ecology of most species in the family is poorly known. Most of the studies that have focused on tachinids are related to taxonomic descriptions. Currently, our knowledge is very limited in terms of the diversity and distribution of populations across time and space, especially in the Nearctic and Neotropical Regions (Stireman 2008). There have been a number of recent studies focused on diversity and temporal distributions of tachinids in the Palaearctic Region such as …

Behavioral Explanations Underlying The Lack Of Trap Effectiveness For Small-Scale Management Of Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul V. Switzer, Patrick C. Enstrom, Carissa A. Schoenick

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Traps containing a combination floral and synthetic pheromone lure are used to monitor and manage Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). One key factor limiting trap effectiveness for beetle control is the "trap spillover" phenomenon, in which the trap attracts beetles without capturing them, resulting in increased damage to surrounding host plants. We investigated the mechanisms underlying trap spillover by conducting two studies in a soybean field in east central Illinois. In the first study, we set up trap stations for 1 d and compared the sex, size, and egg load (for females) of beetles caught in the traps …

Behavioral Explanations Underlying The Lack Of Trap Effectiveness For Small-Scale Management Of Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul Switzer, Patrick Enstrom, Carissa Schoenick

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Traps containing a combination floral and synthetic pheromone lure are used to monitor and manage Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). One key factor limiting trap effectiveness for beetle control is the "trap spillover" phenomenon, in which the trap attracts beetles without capturing them, resulting in increased damage to surrounding host plants. We investigated the mechanisms underlying trap spillover by conducting two studies in a soybean field in east central Illinois. In the first study, we set up trap stations for 1 d and compared the sex, size, and egg load (for females) of beetles caught in the traps …

Letter From The Dean, Lalit Verma

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Reproductive Tactics Of Aphidophagous Lady Beetles: Comparison Of A Native Species And An Invasive Species That Is Displacing It, Yukie Kajita

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Coccinella septempunctata L. (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) has been introduced to North America in recent decades, raising concerns of adverse impacts on native lady beetles, including the congeneric C. transversoguttata richardsoni (Brown). The central focus of my dissertation is to understand the importance of reproduction, in particular, in promoting invasion of C. septempunctata and its replacement of native lady beetles in alfalfa fields of western North America.

Studies were conducted to compare reproductive tactics of the invasive C. septempunctata and the native C. transversoguttata, by addressing: 1) maximum rate of reproduction of overwintered lady beetles, 2) population dynamics of the invasive …

Familiarity With Breeding Habitat Improves Daily Survival In Colonial Cliff Swallows, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown, Kathleen R. Brazeal

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

One probable cost of dispersing to a new breeding habitat is unfamiliarity with local conditions such as the whereabouts of food or the habits of local predators, and consequently immigrants may have lower probabilities of survival than more experienced residents. Within a breeding season, estimated daily survival probabilities of cliff swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, at colonies in southwestern Nebraska, USA, were highest for birds that had always nested at the same site, followed by those for birds that had nested there in some (but not all) past years. Daily survival probabilities were lowest for birds that were naive immigrants to …

Phylogeographical Structure And Evolutionary History Of Two Buggy Creek Virus Lineages In The Western Great Plains Of North America, Abinash Padhi, Amy T. Moore, Mary Bomberger Brown, Jerome E. Foster, Martin Pfeffer, Kathryn P. Gaines, Valerie A. O'Brien, Stephanie A. Strickler, Allison E. Johnson, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Buggy Creek virus (BCRV) is an unusual arbovirus within the western equine encephalitis complex of alphaviruses. Associated with cimicid swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius) as its vector and the cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and house sparrow (Passer domesticus) as its amplifying hosts, this virus is found primarily in the western Great Plains of North America at spatially discrete swallow nesting colonies. For 342 isolates collected in Oklahoma, Nebraska, Colorado, and North Dakota, from 1974 to 2007, we sequenced a 2076 bp region of the 26S subgenomic RNA structural glycoprotein coding region, and analyzed phylogenetic relationships, …

Longevity-Fertility Trade-Offs In The Tephritid Fruit Fly, Anastrepha Ludens, Across Dietary-Restriction Gradients, James R. Carey, Lawrence G. Harshman, Pablo Liedo, Hans-Georg Müller, Jane-Ling Wang, Zhen Zhang

Lawrence G. Harshman Publications

Although it is widely known that dietary restriction (DR) not only extends the longevity of a wide range of species but also reduces their reproductive output, the interrelationship of DR, longevity-extension and reproduction is not well understood in any organism. Here we address the question: “Under what nutritional conditions do the longevity-enhancing effects resulting from food restriction either counteract, complement or reinforce the mortality costs of reproduction? To answer this question we designed a fine-grained DR study involving 4,800 individuals of the tephritid fruit fly Anastrepha ludens in which we measured sex-specific survival and daily reproduction in females in each …

Gender-Specific Differences In Spatial Behavior Of The Flesh Fly, Sarcophaga Crassipalpis., Caleb Joseph Paquette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Territoriality in the flesh fly, Sarcophaga crassipalpis (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) was studied in the laboratory. In rectangular enclosures, male flies exhibited a lower tolerance (occupation of the same physical space) of same-sex conspecifics than did female flies. In circular arenas, male flies showed significantly higher levels of spatial separation among themselves (as determined from nearest neighbor analyses) than did females: males were distributed uniformly whereas females were nearly random. The male spatial behavior occurred during the photophase but not the scotophase of light-dark cycles, suggesting that visual cues are required for maintenance of inter-individual spacing. No significant differences in male spacing …

Detritus Type Alters The Outcome Of Interspecific Competition Between Aedes Aegypti And Aedes Albopictus (Diptera : Culicidae), Ebony G. Murrell, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Many studies of interspecific competition between Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae show that Ae. albopictus are superior resource competitors to Ae. aegypti. Single-species studies indicate that growth and survival of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti larvae are affected by the type of detritus present in containers, which presumably affects the amount and quality of microorganisms that the mosquito larvae consume. We tested whether different detritus types alter the intensity of larval competition by raising 10 different density/species combinations of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti larvae under standard laboratory conditions, with one of four detritus types …

Tachinid Collecting In Southwest New Mexico And Arizona During The 2007 Nads Field Meeting, John O. Stireman Iii

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The 2007 field meeting of the North American Dipterists Society (NADS) was held August 13–16 in southwestern New Mexico, centered in Silver City (at Western New Mexico University), and the surrounding Gila National Forest. This was the first NADS meeting that I have been able to attend, and I think I can speak for all in saying it was enjoyable, productive, and interesting; an overall success. A more detailed account and evaluation of this meeting is available in the 2007 Fly Times article (O’Hara 2007).

Experimental Inoculation Of House Sparrows (Passer Domesticus) With Buggy Creek Virus, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Amy T. Moore, Nicholas A. Panella, Eric A. Edwards, Mary Bomberger Brown, Nicholas Komar, Charles R. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We performed experimental inoculations of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) with Buggy Creek virus (BCRV), a poorly known alphavirus (Togaviridae) vectored primarily by the swallow bug (Hemiptera: Cimicidae: Oeciacus vicarius) that is an ectoparasite of the cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and house sparrow. Viremias were detected by plaque assay in two of six birds on days 1–3 postinoculation; viremia was highest on day 2. Viral RNA was detected by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in blood of six of 12 birds ranging from day 1 to day 15 postinoculation. Infectious BCRV was detected in …

Environmental Conditions Affect Sperm Competition Risk In Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul Switzer, Carissa Schoenick, Patrick Enstrom

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Males of many species guard their mates to prevent rivals from usurping paternity of the potential offspring. Environmental conditions, such as temperature, may affect a male’s ability to guard a female effectively and consequently the amount of sperm competition that occurs. We tested whether temperature and light affected mating behavior in laboratory experiments on the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, a species in which males guard females for minutes to many hours after mating. When tested in groups, under conditions of high temperature and high light, males guarded females for shorter periods of time and males and females both mated …

Seed Predators Of Canada Milk-Vetch And Their Parasitoids, Arvid Boe, Paul J. Johnson

Native Plant Focused Publications

Canada milk-vetch (Astragalus canadensis L.), North America’s most widespread species of Astragalus, is important for herbivores and granivores in natural ecosystems but suffers heavy seed losses to bruchids and curculionids. Our objectives were: (1) compile a species inventory and describe life histories of insects associated with seed production in Canada milk-vetch, and (2) determine frequencies of pod predation and primary parasitism in Canada milk-vetch. The seed predators were Acanthoscelides perforatus (Horn) and Tychius liljebladi Blatchley. Frequency of pod predation varied between two plant populations (46 and 70%) and between A. perforatus (37 %) and T. liljebladi (21 %). The primary …

Environmental Conditions Affect Sperm Competition Risk In Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul V. Switzer, Carissa A. Schoenick, Patrick C. Enstrom

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Males of many species guard their mates to prevent rivals from usurping paternity of the potential offspring. Environmental conditions, such as temperature, may affect a male’s ability to guard a female effectively and consequently the amount of sperm competition that occurs. We tested whether temperature and light affected mating behavior in laboratory experiments on the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, a species in which males guard females for minutes to many hours after mating. When tested in groups, under conditions of high temperature and high light, males guarded females for shorter periods of time and males and females both mated …

Supplementary Material: Agonistic Signals Received By An Arthropod Filiform Hair Allude To The Prevalence Of Near-Field Sound Communication, Roger D. Santer, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

SUPPLEMENTARY METHODS
(i) Analysis of behaviour
(ii) Stimulator design

SUPPLEMENTARY RESULTS
(i) Typical contest behaviour
(ii) Additional data on ALV positioning relative to the receiver
(iii) Electrophysiological control experiments
(iv) Analysis of phase-locking

SUPPLEMENTARY REFERENCES

Includes 3 figures and 1 table.