Entomology Commons^™

A New Genus Of Agathidinae With The Description Of A New Species Parasitic On Samea Multiplicalis (Guenée), Michael J. Sharkey, Katherine A. Parys, Stephanie Clutts

Entomology Faculty Publications

A new genus of Agathidinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), Neothlipsis, is proposed to include 10 species. Nine of these species were formerly included in the polyphyletic genus Therophilus Wesmael 1837, formerly referred to as Bassus. A new species, Neothlipsis parysae, parasitic on Samea multiplicalis (Guenée), is described. The ten described species transferred to Neothlipsis are:, Neothlipsis agathoides, comb. n. for Bassus agathoides Newton and Sharkey 2000; Neothlipsis agilis, comb. n. for Bassus agilis Cresson 1868; Neothlipsis brevicauda, comb. n. for Bassus brevicaudus Muesebeck 1932; Neothlipsis californica, comb. n. for Bassus californicus Muesebeck 1927; Neothlipsis cincta, comb. n. for Microdus …

Wolbachia Infections That Reduce Immature Insect Survival: Predicted Impacts On Population Replacement, Philip R. Crain, James W. Mains, Eunho Suh, Yunxin Huang, Philip H. Crowley, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The evolutionary success of Wolbachia bacteria, infections of which are widespread in invertebrates, is largely attributed to an ability to manipulate host reproduction without imposing substantial fitness costs. Here, we describe a stage-structured model with deterministic immature lifestages and a stochastic adult female lifestage. Simulations were conducted to better understand Wolbachia invasions into uninfected host populations. The model includes conventional Wolbachia parameters (the level of cytoplasmic incompatibility, maternal inheritance, the relative fecundity of infected females, and the initial Wolbachia infection frequency) and a new parameter termed relative larval viability (RLV), which is the survival of infected larvae relative to …

Lytopylus Förster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae) Species From Costa Rica, With An Emphasis On Specimens Reared From Caterpillars In Area De Conservación Guanacaste, Michael J. Sharkey, Stephanie Clutts, Erika M. Tucker, Daniel Janzen, Winnie Hallwachs, Tanya Dapkey, M. Alex Smith

Entomology Faculty Publications

Twelve species of Costa Rican Lytopylus are treated; these include all species reared from Lepidoptera caterpillars in Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Costa Rica, over 32 years of caterpillar inventory, as well as two species recorded in the literature as occurring in Costa Rica. Ten new species are described, i.e., Lytopylus bradzlotnicki, Lytopylus colleenhitchcockae, Lytopylus gregburtoni, Lytopylus jessicadimauroae, Lytopylus jessiehillae, Lytopylus mingfangi, Lytopylus rebeccashapleyae, Lytopylus robpringlei, Lytopylus sandraberriosae, Lytopylus vaughntani. The following species are transferred to Lytopylus: Metriosoma flavicalcar Enderlein 1920 to Lytopylus flavicalcarcomb. n.; Bassus macadamiae Briceño and Sharkey 2000 to Lytopylus macadamiaecomb. n.; Metriosoma bicarinatum Enderlein 1920 to Lytopylus …

Natural Selection On Body Size Is Mediated By Multiple Interacting Factors: A Comparison Of Beetle Populations Varying Naturally And Experimentally In Body Size, Angela R. Amarillo-Suárez, R Craig Stillwell, Charles W. Fox

Entomology Faculty Publications

Body size varies considerably among species and among populations within species, exhibiting many repeatable patterns. However, which sources of selection generate geographic patterns, and which components of fitness mediate evolution of body size, are not well understood. For many animals, resource quality and intraspecific competition may mediate selection on body size producing large-scale geographic patterns. In two sequential experiments, we examine how variation in larval competition and resource quality (seed size) affects the fitness consequences of variation in body size in a scramble-competing seed-feeding beetle, Stator limbatus. Specifically, we compared fitness components among three natural populations of S. limbatus …

Male Mating Competitiveness Of A Wolbachia-Introgressed Aedes Polynesiensis Strain Under Semi-Field Conditions, Eric W. Chambers, Limb Hapairai, Bethany A. Peel, Hervé Bossin, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF), a global public health problem affecting approximately 120 million people worldwide, is a leading cause of disability in the developing world including the South Pacific. Despite decades of ongoing mass drug administration (MDA) in the region, some island nations have not yet achieved the threshold levels of microfilaremia established by the World Health Organization for eliminating transmission. Previously, the generation of a novel Aedes polynesiensis strain (CP) infected with an exogenous type of Wolbachia has been described. The CP mosquito is cytoplasmically incompatible (i.e., effectively sterile) when mated with wildtype mosquitoes, and a strategy was proposed …

Large-Scale Rnai Screen Of G Protein-Coupled Receptors Involved In Larval Growth, Molting And Metamorphosis In The Red Flour Beetle, Hua Bai, Fang Zhu, Kapil Shah, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) belong to the largest superfamily of integral cell membrane proteins and play crucial roles in physiological processes including behavior, development and reproduction. Because of their broad and diverse roles in cellular signaling, GPCRs are the therapeutic targets for many prescription drugs. However, there is no commercial pesticide targeting insect GPCRs. In this study, we employed functional genomics methods and used the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum, as a model system to study the physiological roles of GPCRs during the larval growth, molting and metamorphosis.

RESULTS: A total of 111 non-sensory GPCRs were identified in …

Transfected Mosquito Vectors, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Patents

A method is provided for producing an artificial infection in a Culicidae (mosquito) species. The mosquitoes include species within the subfamilies Culicinae and Anophelinae, and the species include Aedes albopictus, Aedes aegypti and Aedes polynesiensis infected with a Wolbachia infection. The infection may be a strain of Wolbachia which does not normally or naturally infect the selected mosquito species. The artificially infected Aedes mosquito can be introduced into a mosquito population to control the reproduction capability of the population by introducing an incompatible Wolbachia infection. The present method can be used as a novel means to limit mosquito-borne pathogens and …

Characterization Of Wolbachia And Its Interaction In Host Mosquitoes, Eunho Suh

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Wolbachia are maternally inherited, obligate, intracellular bacteria inducing a form of sterility known as cytoplasmic incompatibility. Wolbachia based strategies have been proposed for the control of disease vectors. One example is to use a population replacement strategy to drive into natural population a novel Wolbachia that modifies the age structure of a vector population, reducing disease transmission.

In this research, the effects of a life-shortening stain of Wolbachia (popcorn Wolbachia) are transferred into the mosquitoes Aedes albopictus (Chapter Two and Three) and A. aegypti (Chapter Four and Five). In Chapter Two, the Wolbachia symbiosis significantly reduced fecundity and …

Biological Control Of The Black Cutworm, Agrotis Ipsilon (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), And Endophyte Mediated Tritrophic Interactions In Turfgrass, Andrea Jeanne Bixby-Brosi

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Components of successful pest management programs must be complementary and not antagonistic. This project examined interactions between natural enemies of the black cutworm, Agrotis ipsilon (Hufnagel), an important turfgrass pest, and host plant resistance by endophytic grass.

Agrotis ipsilon nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgipMNPV) was examined as a bio-insecticide for controlling A. ipsilon in turfgrass. Fresh (1-week-old) AgipMNPV residues killed 76−86% of neonates hatching from eggs on golf course tees, however, residual control of implanted larvae lasted no more than a few weeks. Combinations of AgipMNPV with adjuvants, such as optical brightener and lignin, failed to accelerate or extend …

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 …

New Views On Strand Asymmetry In Insect Mitochondrial Genomes, Shu-Jun Wei, Min Shi, Xue-Xin Chen, Michael J. Sharkey, Cornelis Van Achterberg, Gong-Yin Ye, Jun-Hua He

Entomology Faculty Publications

Strand asymmetry in nucleotide composition is a remarkable feature of animal mitochondrial genomes. Understanding the mutation processes that shape strand asymmetry is essential for comprehensive knowledge of genome evolution, demographical population history and accurate phylogenetic inference. Previous studies found that the relative contributions of different substitution types to strand asymmetry are associated with replication alone or both replication and transcription. However, the relative contributions of replication and transcription to strand asymmetry remain unclear. Here we conducted a broad survey of strand asymmetry across 120 insect mitochondrial genomes, with special reference to the correlation between the signs of skew values and …

Bed Bug Deterrence, Kenneth F. Haynes, Mark H. Goodman, Michael F. Potter

Entomology Faculty Publications

A recent study in BMC Biology has determined that the immature stage of the bed bug (the nymph) signals its reproductive status to adult males using pheromones and thus avoids the trauma associated with copulation in this species. The success of this nymphal strategy of deterrence is instructive. Against the background of increasing problems with bed bugs, this research raises the question whether pheromones might be used to control them.

See research article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/121.

Comparative Mitogenomics Of Braconidae (Insecta: Hymenoptera) And The Phylogenetic Utility Of Mitochondrial Genomes With Special Reference To Holometabolous Insects, Shu-Jun Wei, Min Shi, Michael J. Sharkey, Cornelis Van Achterberg, Xue-Xin Chen

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Animal mitochondrial genomes are potential models for molecular evolution and markers for phylogenetic and population studies. Previous research has shown interesting features in hymenopteran mitochondrial genomes. Here, we conducted a comparative study of mitochondrial genomes of the family Braconidae, one of the largest families of Hymenoptera, and assessed the utility of mitochondrial genomic data for phylogenetic inference at three different hierarchical levels, i.e., Braconidae, Hymenoptera, and Holometabola.

RESULTS: Seven mitochondrial genomes from seven subfamilies of Braconidae were sequenced. Three of the four sequenced A+T-rich regions are shown to be inverted. Furthermore, all species showed reversal of strand asymmetry, suggesting …

A Brain-Specific Cytochrome P450 Responsible For The Majority Of Deltamethrin Resistance In The Qtc279 Strain Of Tribolium Castaneum, Fang Zhu, R. Parthasarathy, Hua Bai, Katharina Woithe, Martin Kaussmann, Ralf Nauen, Douglas A. Harrison, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Cytochrome P450-mediated detoxification is one of the most important mechanisms involved in insecticide resistance. However, the molecular basis of this mechanism and the physiological functions of P450s associated with insecticide resistance remain largely unknown. Here, we exploited the functional genomics and reverse genetic approaches to identify and characterize a P450 gene responsible for the majority of deltamethrin resistance observed in the QTC279 strain of Tribolium castaneum. We used recently completed whole-genome sequence of T. castaneum to prepare custom microarrays and identified a P450 gene, CYP6BQ9, which showed more than a 200-fold higher expression in the deltamethrin-resistant QTC279 strain when compared …

Socio-Environmental And Endocrine Influences On Developmental And Caste-Regulatory Gene Expression In The Eusocial Termite Reticulitermes Flavipes, Matthew R. Tarver, Xuguo Zhou, Michael E. Scharf

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Strict regulation of caste differentiation, at the molecular level, is thought to be important to maintain social structure in insect societies. Previously, a number of extrinsic and intrinsic factors have been shown to influence caste composition in termite colonies. One important factor is the influence of nestmates; in particular, soldier termites are known to inhibit hormone-dependent worker-to-soldier differentiation. However, soldier influences on nestmates at the molecular level are virtually unknown. Here, to test the hypothesis that soldiers can influence nestmate gene expression, we investigated the impact of four treatments on whole-body gene expression in totipotent Reticulitermes flavipes workers: (i) …

Molecular Evidence For A Functional Ecdysone Signaling System In Brugia Malayi, George Tzertzinis, Ana L. Egaña, Subba Reddy Palli, Marc Robinson-Rechavi, Chris R. Gissendanner, Canhui Liu, Thomas R. Unnasch, Claude V. Maina

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Filarial nematodes, including Brugia malayi, the causative agent of lymphatic filariasis, undergo molting in both arthropod and mammalian hosts to complete their life cycles. An understanding of how these parasites cross developmental checkpoints may reveal potential targets for intervention. Pharmacological evidence suggests that ecdysteroids play a role in parasitic nematode molting and fertility although their specific function remains unknown. In insects, ecdysone triggers molting through the activation of the ecdysone receptor: a heterodimer of EcR (ecdysone receptor) and USP (Ultraspiracle).

METHODS AND FINDINGS: We report the cloning and characterization of a B. malayi EcR homologue (Bma-EcR). Bma-EcR dimerizes with …

Mitochondrial Phylogenomics Of The Bivalvia (Mollusca): Searching For The Origin And Mitogenomic Correlates Of Doubly Uniparental Inheritance Of Mtdna, Hélène Doucet-Beaupré, Sophie Breton, Eric G. Chapman, Pierre U. Blier, Arthur E. Bogan, Donald T. Stewart, Walter R. Hoeh

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Doubly uniparental inheritance (DUI) is an atypical system of animal mtDNA inheritance found only in some bivalves. Under DUI, maternally (F genome) and paternally (M genome) transmitted mtDNAs yield two distinct gender-associated mtDNA lineages. The oldest distinct M and F genomes are found in freshwater mussels (order Unionoida). Comparative analyses of unionoid mitochondrial genomes and a robust phylogenetic framework are necessary to elucidate the origin, function and molecular evolutionary consequences of DUI. Herein, F and M genomes from three unionoid species, Venustaconcha ellipsiformis, Pyganodon grandis and Quadrula quadrula have been sequenced. Comparative genomic analyses were carried out on these …

Morphology And Systematics Of Braconid Wasps, Charles Andrew Boring

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The following morphological structures of the ovipositor of Homolobus truncator (Say) (Hymenoptera : Braconidae) are described and hypotheses of their functions are proposed: a series of sharp ridges on the distal surface of the notch helps maintain a grip on the inner surface of the host cuticle; the sperone directs eggs away from the inner surface of the ventral valves; a flap-like structure on each ventral valve covers the portal through which eggs pass; the valvillus maintains position of the egg within the ovipositor and acts against the egg to force it out; ctenidia on the inner surface of the …

Impact Of Dietary Diversification On Invasive Slugs And Biological Control With Notes On Slug Species Of Kentucky, Anna K. Thomas

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Increasing introductions of non-native terrestrial slugs (Mollusca: Gastropoda) are a concern to North American regulatory agencies as these generalists impact the yield and reduce the aesthetic value of crop plants. Understanding how the increase in diversification in North American cropping systems affects non-native gastropods and finding effective biological control options are imperative for pest management; however, little research has been done in this area. This study tested the hypothesis that dietary diversification affects the biological control capacity of a generalist predator and allows the slug pest Deroceras reticulatum (Müller) (Stylommatophora: Agriolimacidae) to more effectively fulfill its nutritional requirements. Results showed …

Distribution Of Eastern Hemlock, Tsuga Canadensis, In Eastern Kentucky And The Susceptibility To Invasion By The Hemlock Woolly Adelgid, Adelges Tsugae, Joshua Taylor Clark

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The hemlock woolly adelgid, an invasive non-native insect, is threatening eastern hemlock in Kentucky. This study examined three techniques to map the distribution of eastern hemlock using decision trees, remote sensing, and species distribution modeling. Accuracy assessments showed that eastern hemlock was best modeled using a decision tree without incorporating satellite radiance. Using the distribution from the optimal model, risk maps for susceptibility to hemlock woolly adelgid infestation were created using two species distribution models. Environmental variables related to dispersal were used to build the models and their contributions to the models assessed. The models showed similar spatial distributions of …

Creating An Interactive And Dichotomous Key To The World Subfamilies Of Braconidae, Kacie Jo Johansen

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Members of Braconidae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea) are mostly parasitoids of other holometabolous insects. It is a large family with a little over 18,000 described species and many more to be described. Subfamily classification in this group has been unstable and resolution of phylogenetic history at the subfamily level has been problematic. Since 1993, no new keys to the subfamilies of Braconidae have been produced. Many taxonomic and phylogenetic changes have taken place since then, including a recent phylogeny proposing 47 subfamilies and representing the most robust and resolved analysis to date. A pressing need for new keys to the world subfamilies …

Vectors And Methods For Enhanced Cell Longevity And Protein Expression, Bruce A. 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 …

Parallel Metatranscriptome Analyses Of Host And Symbiont Gene Expression In The Gut Of The Termite Reticulitermes Flavipes, Aurélien Tartar, Marsha M. Wheeler, Xuguo Zhou, Monique R. Coy, Drion G. Boucias, Michael E. Scharf

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Termite lignocellulose digestion is achieved through a collaboration of host plus prokaryotic and eukaryotic symbionts. In the present work, we took a combined host and symbiont metatranscriptomic approach for investigating the digestive contributions of host and symbiont in the lower termite Reticulitermes flavipes. Our approach consisted of parallel high-throughput sequencing from (i) a host gut cDNA library and (ii) a hindgut symbiont cDNA library. Subsequently, we undertook functional analyses of newly identified phenoloxidases with potential importance as pretreatment enzymes in industrial lignocellulose processing.

RESULTS: Over 10,000 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were sequenced from the 2 libraries that aligned into …

Integration Of Irradiation With Cytoplasmic Incompatibility To Facilitate A Lymphatic Filariasis Vector Elimination Approach, Corey L. Brelsfoard, William St. Clair, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Mass drug administration (MDA) is the emphasis of an ongoing global lymphatic filariasis (LF) elimination program by the World Health Organization, in which the entire 'at risk' human population is treated annually with anti-filarial drugs. However, there is evidence that the MDA strategy may not be equally appropriate in all areas of LF transmission, leading to calls for the augmentation of MDA with anti-vector interventions. One potential augmentative intervention is the elimination of vectors via repeated inundative releases of male mosquitoes made cytoplasmically incompatible via an infection with Wolbachia bacteria. However, with a reduction in the vector population size, …

Biology And Management Of The Bed Bug, Cimex Lectularius L. (Heteroptera: Cimicidae), Alvaro Romero

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The near absence of bed bugs from human dwellings for fifty or more years has left us with limited knowledge of its biology and few answers to eliminate populations. I explored a diverse set of objectives to answer key questions concerning bed bug biology and control. Major objectives were studies of circadian rhythmicity, pyrethroid resistance, sublethal effects of insecticides, synergism of pyrethroids, and evaluation of a pyrrole insecticides, chlorfenapyr. Additional studies included persistence of Borrelia in bed bugs after ingestion, and aggregation factors from feces.

In the absence of host stimuli, insects were much more active in the dark than …

Systematics Of Ichneutine Parasitic Wasps (Braconidae: Ichneutinae), John Ray Fischer

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Ichneutine wasps have received little attention, despite their hypothesized placement at the base of an economically and ecologically important clade, the Microgastroidia s.s. This study combines previous hypotheses based on morphology with molecular evidence from multiple genes (28S: D1-5, 18S, COI, and CAD) to examine phylogenetic relationships of Ichneutinae using maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference. The three main ichneutine groups (Ichneutini, Muesebeckiini, and Proteropini) are each found to be monophyletic, but evidence exists that Ichneutinae itself is paraphyletic with respect to the rest of Microgastroidea s.l. Lispixys is found to be derived from within Oligoneurus, and Masonbeckia is almost …

Hymenopteran Molecular Phylogenetics: From Apocrita To Braconidae (Ichneumonoidea), Barbara J. Sharanowski

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Two separate phylogenetic studies were performed for two different taxonomic levels within Hymenoptera. The first study examined the utility of expressed sequence tags for resolving relationships among hymenopteran superfamilies. Transcripts were assembled from 14,000 sequenced clones for 6 disparate Hymenopteran taxa, averaging over 660 unique contigs per species. Orthology and gene determination were performed using modifications to a previously developed computerized pipeline and compared against annotated insect genomes. Sequences from additional taxa were added from public databases with a final dataset of 24 genes for 16 taxa.

The concatenated dataset recovered a robust and well-supported topology; however, there was extreme …

Co-Up-Regulation Of Three P450 Genes In Response To Permethrin Exposure In Permethrin Resistant House Flies, Musca Domestica, Fang Zhu, Ting Li, Lee Zhang, Nannan Liu

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Insects may use various biochemical pathways to enable them to tolerate the lethal action of insecticides. For example, increased cytochrome P450 detoxification is known to play an important role in many insect species. Both constitutively increased expression (overexpression) and induction of P450s are thought to be responsible for increased levels of detoxification of insecticides. However, unlike constitutively overexpressed P450 genes, whose expression association with insecticide resistance has been extensively studied, the induction of P450s is less well characterized in insecticide resistance. The current study focuses on the characterization of individual P450 genes that are induced in response to permethrin …

Interspecific Hybridization Yields Strategy For South Pacific Filariasis Vector Elimination, Corey L. Brelsfoard, Yves Séchan, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a leading cause of disability in South Pacific regions, where >96% of the 1.7 million population are at risk of LF infection. As part of current global campaign, mass drug administration (MDA) has effectively reduced lymphatic filiariasis prevalence, but mosquito vector biology can complicate the MDA strategy. In some regions, there is evidence that the goal of LF elimination cannot be attained via MDA alone. Obligate vector mosquitoes provide additional targets for breaking the LF transmission cycle, but existing methods are ineffective for controlling the primary vector throughout much of the South Pacific, Aedes polynesiensis. …

Genome-Wide Analysis Of The Interaction Between The Endosymbiotic Bacterium Wolbachia And Its Drosophila Host, Zhiyong Xi, Laurent Gavotte, Yan Xie, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Intracellular Wolbachia bacteria are obligate, maternally-inherited, endosymbionts found frequently in insects and other invertebrates. The success of Wolbachia can be attributed in part to an ability to alter host reproduction via mechanisms including cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), parthenogenesis, feminization and male killing. Despite substantial scientific effort, the molecular mechanisms underlying the Wolbachia/host interaction are unknown.

RESULTS: Here, an in vitro Wolbachia infection was generated in the Drosophila S2 cell line, and transcription profiles of infected and uninfected cells were compared by microarray. Differentially-expressed patterns related to reproduction, immune response and heat stress response are observed, including multiple genes that have …