Entomology Commons^™

Nebline, June 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Choosing Quality Child Care: Guidance For Parents

Eastern Carpenter Bees

Eating for Brain Health

Recipe of the Month

Naturally Occurring Contaminants, Part 4 of a Series — Arsenic

Efficiency Is Key To Profit On Stocker Cattle

Common Grub Control Questions

Garden Guide: Things to do This Month

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Jen & Jesse Metcalf

4th Graders Learn About “Farm to Fork” During Virtual Ag Festival

Statewide 4-H Companion Animal Challenge Results

Extension News

Extension Calendar

STEM Zoom Workshops in June

Seeking Lancaster County Fair Historic Memorabilia and Stories

Presence-Absence Sampling Plans For Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) In The Midwest Region Of The United States, Rafael Carlesso Aita, Daniela T. Pezzini, Eric C. Burkness, Christina D. Difonzo, Deborah L. Finke, Thomas E. Hunt, Janet J. Knodel, Christian H. Krupke, Lia Marchi-Werle, Brian Mccornack, Andrew P. Michel, Christopher R. Philips, Nicholas J. Seiter, Adam J. Varenhorst, Robert J. Wright, William D. Hutchison, Robert L. Koch

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Stink bugs represent an increasing risk to soybean production in the Midwest region of the United States. The current sampling protocol for stink bugs in this region is tailored for population density estimation and thus is more relevant to research purposes. A practical decision-making framework with more efficient sampling effort for management of herbivorous stink bugs is needed. Therefore, a binomial sequential sampling plan was developed for herbivorous stink bugs in the Midwest region. A total of 146 soybean fields were sampled across 11 states using sweep nets in 2016, 2017, and 2018. The binomial sequential sampling plans were developed …

Longitudinal Study Of Pogonomyrmex Occidentalis (Hymenoptera: Formicideae), Western Harvester Ant, Colony Survival In Western Nebraska, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

I observed individual western harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex occidentalis) colonies, marked between 1977 and 1994, to live a mean of 15.65 years (n = 112). The longest-lived colony lived 42 years.

Genomics-Guided Refinement Of Butterfly Taxonomy, Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Paul A. Opler, Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Continuing with comparative genomic exploration of worldwide butterfly fauna, we use all proteincoding genes as they are retrieved from the whole genome shotgun sequences for phylogeny construction. Analysis of these genome-scale phylogenies projected onto the taxonomic classification and the knowledge about butterfly phenotypes suggests further refinements of butterfly taxonomy that are presented here. As a general rule, we assign most prominent clades of similar genetic differentiation to the same taxonomic rank, and use criteria based on relative population diversification and the extent of gene exchange for species delimitation. As a result, 7 tribes, 4 subtribes, 14 genera, and 9 subgenera …

Chlamydastis Meyrick Of Costa Rica: Barcodes, Biology, And Descriptions Of 36 New Species (Lepidoptera: Depressariidae), Eugenie Phillips-Rodríguez, John W. Brown, Winnie Hallwachs, Daniel H. Janzen

Insecta Mundi

We recognize and review 40 species of Chlamydastis Meyrick, 1916 (Lepidoptera: Depressari­idae) from Costa Rica, including four previously described (i.e., C. vividella (Busck, 1914), revived status; C. phytoptera (Busck, 1914); C. orion Busck, 1920; and C. ungulifera (Meyrick, 1929)) and 36 new species: C. abelulatei Phillips and Brown, new species; C. carolinagodoyae Phillips and Brown, new species; C. angelsolisi Phillips and Brown, new species; C. lindapitkinae Phillips and Brown, new species; C. iangauldi Phillips and Brown, new species; C. anniapicadoae Phillips and Brown, new species; C. antonioazofeifai Phillips and Brown, new species; …

Survivorship Of Soybean Aphid Biotypes (Hemiptera: Aphididae) On Winter Hosts, Common And Glossy Buckthorn, Doris M. Lagos-Kutz, Glen L. Hartman

Insecta Mundi

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is a major pest of soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., both in Asia where it is native, and in the USA where it is adventive. The rapid spread and establishment of the soybean aphid in the USA since its discovery in 2000 was successful because of extensive soybean production in the Midwest and the wide distribution of common buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica (L.), its preferred primary winter host. The survivorship of four soybean aphid biotypes on com­mon and glossy buckthorn, Frangula alnus Mill., were compared. Our study showed that nymph oviparae of soybean …

New Adult Host Records For Three Buprestidae (Coleoptera) Rarely Encountered In The United States And Significant Extension Of The Known Geographic Range Of Agrilus Pilosicollis Fisher, Jason A. Hansen, Christine A. Nalepa

Insecta Mundi

New adult host records of Agrilus langei Obenberger, A. pilosicollis Fisher, and Dicerca mutica LeConte (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) are reported. The known geographic range of A. pilosicollis is expanded from the type location in Kansas south to Texas and east to North Carolina. Images with key characters of each of the three species are included.

Among the nearly 800 species of buprestids in North America (north of Mexico) are those known from very few specimens. Distribution and plant host information for such species is understandably limited and, in many cases, completely unknown (Nelson et al. 2008). A knowledge of …

Nebline, May 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Building Health Equity in Lincoln: Extension Launches Health Equity Coalition

Recipe of the Month

Intensive Gardening Techniques

Garden Guide Things to Do This Month

Naturally Occurring Elements in Groundwater--Part 3 of a Series — Fluoride

Cash Rent Survey

Preparing for the Inevitable: Japanese Beetles

Challenge Accepted! Children Thrive Outside

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Rusty & Heidi Hanley

4-H Announcements for 4-H'ers and Volunteers

Clover College: June 15–18, 2021

EXTENSION CALENDAR

4-H’ers Qualify for State Speech & PSA Contest

4-H Horse Stampede Results

Perspectives On Insecticide Resistance Management: Past, Present, And Future, Jacob Nikodym

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

The use of chemical products to control arthropod pests has occurred for thousands of years, beginning with the use of inorganic products in ancient cultures, and progressing to the development of synthetic insecticides beginning in the early 20^th century. As these chemicals have imposed selection pressure on insects, the insects have adapted to this pressure, leading to the development of insecticide resistance. Since it was first reported in 1914, insecticide resistance has grown to be a major concern facing agricultural production, as each insecticide chemistry introduced is impacted by the evolution of resistance.

In the latter half of the …

Investigating The Role Of Spiders In Integrated Pest Management For Biological Control Of Nebraska Crop Pests, Samantha Daniel

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As generalist predators, spiders are capable of fulfilling a wide variety of ecological niches allowing them to intercept and prey upon an array of insect species. This characteristic could be particularly advantageous within agricultural ecosystems. This project sought to reveal the composition and abundance of spider communities within cornfields in western Nebraska and the impact of agronomic practices on those communities as well as determine the potential for spider predation upon two key pests of corn. Spiders were collected from eight corn fields from May to August 2017 and four corn fields from May to August 2018. Additionally, the populations …

Characterizing The Susceptibility And Biological Fitness Of Nebraska Western Corn Rootworm Populations To Pyramided Plant-Incorporated Protectants, Jordan D. Reinders

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, is a pest of field corn, Zea mays L., across the United States (U.S.) Corn Belt. Transgenic corn expressing two or more insecticidal proteins (‘pyramid’) derived from Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) is a common management strategy employed in areas of continuous corn production. The newest rootworm-Bt pyramid registered in the U.S. is SmartStax^® PRO, which contains two rootworm-Bt proteins (Cry3Bb1, Cry34/35Ab1) and DvSnf7 dsRNA. With the pending commercialization of SmartStax^® PRO, understanding the current susceptibility of Nebraska WCR populations to the Cry3Bb1 + Cry34/35Ab1 pyramid (SmartStax^®) and …

Participatory On-Farm Research During Graduate School: Challenges And Opportunities, Fernanda Souza Krupek, Carlos Bonini Pires, Gabriela Inveninato Carmona

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Including farmers, growers, and ranchers (hereinafter referred to as producers) as active participants in the development of knowledge, through extension and on-farm research programs, is an effective method of agricultural technology and innovation transfer. The emerging interest in understanding agricultural systems’ complexity has fostered collaborations between producers and land grant universities, particularly across graduate programs focused on applied research. While the concept of on-farm research is not new, the scale and impact of on-farm studies conducted by researchers in partnership with producers are expanding (Kyveryga, 2019). Can master’s and Ph.D. research projects be conducted at the farm scale and generate …

On Atrypanius Cretiger (White, 1855) And Atrypanius Punctatellus (Bates, 1872) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Acanthocinini), Antonio Santos-Silva, Juan Pablo Botero

Insecta Mundi

Atrypanius punctatellus (Bates, 1872) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Acanthocinini) is for­mally proposed as a junior synonym of A. cretiger (White, 1855). Atrypanius cretiger is redescribed and the type locality is confirmed as Colombia.

Despite the large amount of work on Acanthocinini published in the past fifty years, the tribe still has many problems. This is particularly true with regard to the limits and definition of the genera. Due to the large num­ber of species in this tribe, especially in the Neotropical region (146 genera and 1,138 species – Tavakilian and Chevillotte 2020; Roguet 2021), it is difficult to perceive eventual synonyms, …

First Record Of Palonica Viridia (Ball, 1903) (Hemiptera: Membracidae) In Utah, Lawrence Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Palonica viridia (Hemiptera: Membracidae) is reported from Utah for the first time. Ecological and trapping information is also provided.

The genus Palonica Ball, 1931 contains seven species, four of which occur in the United States (Deitz and Wal­lace 2012; Wallace 2015). Palonica nogalana Ball is found only in Arizona while P. pyramidata (Uhler) and P. tremulata (Ball) have wide distributions across much of the United States and parts of Canada (Deitz and Wallace 2012). Palonica viridia (Ball) ranges west from Arizona, north to British Columbia and east to Texas and New York into Quebec. Presented is the first record of …

A New Species Of Myrmecotypus Pickard-Cambridge Spider (Araneae: Corinnidae: Castianeirinae) From The Bolivian Orocline, Imitating One Of The World’S Most Aggressive Ants, Robert Perger, Gonzalo D. Rubio

Insecta Mundi

A new species of ant-mimicking spider of the subfamily Castianeirinae, Myrmecotypus rubrofemo­ratus Perger and Rubio, new species (Araneae: Corinnidae), is described from the Pre-Andean area of the Bolivian orocline. Adults of M. rubrofemoratus new species resemble the carpenter ant Camponotus femora­tus Forel, 1907, which is considered one of the most aggressive ants in the world.

The Neotropical castianeirine genus Myrmecotypus Pickard-Cambridge is a group of slender, fast-running spi­ders that includes 11 species (World Spider Catalog 2020). Four species are reported from South America and three from Bolivia: M. iguazu Rubio and Arbino, 2009, M. niger Chickering, 1937, and M. …

First Record Of Phaenops Obtusa (Horn) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) In Massachusetts, Lawrence Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Phaenops obtusa (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) is reported from Massachusetts for the first time. Eco­logical and trapping information is also provided.

The genus Phaenops Dejean, 1833 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), sometimes treated as a subgenus of Melanophila Eschscholtz (e.g. Bright 1987), contains 15 species in North America, five which occur in the northeast (Nelson et al. 2008; Paiero et al. 2012). Phaenops obtusa (Horn) is primarily distributed in southeastern United States from Louisiana to Florida and South Carolina, with a disjunct occurrence reported from New York (Nelson et al. 2008). Presented here is the first record of P. obtusa from Massachusetts, extending its disjunct …

The Lycaenid Butterfly Fauna (Lepidoptera) Of Cosñipata, Peru: Annotated Checklist, Elevational Patterns, And Rarity, Gerardo Lamas, Michael L. Mcinnis, Robert C. Busby, Robert K. Robbins

Insecta Mundi

Peru’s Cosñipata Region in Cuzco and Madre de Dios Departments is a valley between Manu National Park and the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve that ranges from 400 to 4,000 m elevation. A team of experienced lepidopterists sampled the butterfly fauna of this valley for more than a decade (7,440 field person-hours). We analyze the data for Lycaenidae (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea), a family for which we have taxonomic expertise. After adding data on the fauna from museums and the literature, we present an annotated checklist of the 340 Lycaenidae species recorded from the Cosñipata Region with notes for each species on the elevations …

A New Genus Cicatrisphaerion, New Species, New Records, And Redescriptions Of Neotropical Cerambycidae (Coleoptera), Steven W. Lingafelter, Roy F. Morris Ii, Frederick W. Skillman Jr., Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

A new genus, Cicatrisphaerion Lingafelter, Morris, Skillman, and Santos-Silva (Coleoptera: Cer­ambycidae), and three new species of the same authorship, C. wappesi from Quintana Roo, Mexico, C. rileyi from Chiapas, Mexico, and Eupogonius wappesi from Quintana Roo, Mexico, are described. New records and clarification on the distribution of Psyrassaforma janzeni Chemsak, 1991 and P. nitida Chemsak, 1991 are provided. Ameriphoderes amoena (Chemsak and Linsley, 1979) is redescribed based on four male specimens and a new country record from Guatemala is documented. New distributional records are provided for Estola flavobasalis Breuning, 1940 (including a new country record for Bolivia) and Estola …

How Do Vanhorniidae (Hymenoptera) Parasitize Eucnemidae (Coleoptera)?, Jyrki Muona

Insecta Mundi

The relationship between the beetle family Eucnemidae and the parasitic proctotrupoid family Vanhorniidae is discussed. The only proven host for Vanhornia eucnemidarum Crawford in North America is an undetermined species of the genus Isorhipis Boisduval and Lacordaire. In Europe, the only known host for Vanhornia leileri Hedqvist is Hylis cariniceps (Reitter). The biologies of the hosts differ radically and it ap­pears unlikely that they could be parasitized in a typical proctotrupoid fashion in which eggs are placed in or on the host larva. This supports the hypothesis that small Vanhorniidae larvae attach themselves to the newly hatched beetle larvae, before …

Soybean Gall Midge In Nebraska, Anthony J. Mcmechan, Thomas Hunt, Robert J. Wright

Eastern Nebraska Research, Extension, and Education Center

Soybean gall midge (Resseliella maxima Gagné) was described in 2019 as a new insect species in Nebraska, due to observations of widespread early season injury in eastern Nebraska, eastern South Dakota, western Iowa, and southwest Minnesota soybean fields (Gagné et al., 2019). Since its discovery, soybean gall midge has been causing significant injury and yield losses in soybean in eastern Nebraska. Although only recently identified, soybean gall midge is not likely new to the north- central region of the U.S. In 2011, orange larvae were documented in some isolated fields in northeast Nebraska that had received hail damage during the …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 33, No. 1, April 2021

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

In This Issue of Hexapod Herald

• Student News - p. 2-3

• Alumni News - p. 4

• Faculty News - p. 5

• Dr. Scott Hutchins visits UNL campus - p. 6

• Publications - p. 6

Nebline, April 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Experiential Learning Teaches Skills and More

DIY FitBall: A Fun Fitness Activity

Recipe of the Month

Get Ready to Control Pine Tip Blight

Garden Guide

2021 Prennial Plant of the Year

Naturally Occurring Elements in Groundwater, Part 2 of a Series: Iron and Manganese

No Bull! Examine Your Sires’ Breeding Soundness

Inspiring Rich Conversations through Questions by Sarah Roberts

Become a Community Scientist by Kait Chapman

Hearto f 4-H Volunteer Award: James Blake

4-H Announcements for 4-H'ers and Volunteers

Watch Chicks Hatch on Egg Cam

4-H Achievement Celebration

Extension Calendar

2021 Weed Awareness

Controlling and Managing Phragmites

Take 2, Two …

Synopsis Of The Tribe Platynini In New Zealand (Coleoptera: Carabidae), André Larochelle, Marie-Claude Larivière

Insecta Mundi

The tribe Platynini (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Harpalinae) is revised for New Zealand. Eight genera and forty-three species are recognized.

Four genera and sixteen species are described as new: Ctenognathus davidsoni Larochelle and Larivière new species, Ctenognathus earlyi Larochelle and Larivière new species, Ctenognathus garnerae Larochelle and Larivière new species, Ctenognathus hoarei Larochelle and Larivière new species, Ctenognathus kaikoura Larochelle and Larivière new species, Ctenognathus marieclaudiae Larochelle new species, Ctenog­nathus perumalae Larochelle and Larivière new species, Ctenognathus takahe Larochelle and Larivière new species, Ctenognathus tawanui Larochelle and Larivière new species, Ctenognathus tepaki Larochelle …

Subsequent Spelling Ritchiei For Mnematium Ritchii Macleay, 1821 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeini) To Be Maintained For Prevailing Usage, Stefano Ziani

Insecta Mundi

The specific name in Mnematium ritchiei Macleay, 1821 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeini) is an incorrect subsequent spelling—the original spelling is ritchii—but, because of its prevailing usage here documented, is to be preserved.

A Catalogue Of The Cybocephalidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) Of The World, Trevor Randall Smith

Insecta Mundi

A world catalogue and bibliography of the family Cybocephalidae (Coleoptera) is presented. The catalogue contains 207 species within 16 genera. Each taxon is accompanied by a complete taxonomic his­tory, including a full annotated synonymy with original references cited. The reversal of the recent synonymy of Cybocephalus brevis Grouvelle over Cybocephalus minimus Grouvelle is proposed. Cybocephalus aeneus Reiche is removed from synonymy with Cybocephalus micans Reitter and considered incertae sedis.

The Cybocephalidae are a family of small predatory beetles found throughout the world (Smith 2020). While cybocephalids are typically extremely convex, shiny and dark in coloration, the defining characteristic of …

The Strange Case Of Colophotia Miranda Olivier, 1886 (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Luciolinae), Lesley Ballantyne, Wan F.A. Jusoh

Insecta Mundi

A single male specimen identified as Colophotia miranda Olivier (Coleoptera: Lampyridae: Lucio­linae) by Blair and housed in the Natural History Museum, London, is redescribed, and its identification and affinities explored.

Ernest Olivier, who first described Colophotia miranda in 1886, was then curator of insects at the Muséum natio­nale d’Histoire naturelle, Paris (MNHN). Effectively for lampyridologists he was the first in a narrow line of firefly taxonomists. Thanks to Olivier we have our first subfamily classifications, keys, catalogues and species descrip­tions; work that has undergone much revision and expansion in the last 100 years.

One of Olivier’s strengths, for those of …

Two New Species Of Palm-Leaf Skeletonizers (Lepidoptera: Pterolonchidae: Homaledra Busck), James E. Hayden

Insecta Mundi

Two species of palm-leaf skeletonizers (Lepidoptera: Pterolonchidae: Homaledra Busck) that are invasive in Florida, USA are newly described. Homaledra howardi new species is described from Florida and the Dominican Republic. Homaledra knudsoni new species is described from Florida, southern Texas, and Mexico. A lectotype is designated for Homaledra sabalella (Chambers). The three are diagnosed and com­pared with other congeners, and Homaledra is compared with other Pterolonchidae. The larvae of the three common species feed on epidermis of palm foliage, causing significant damage.

Se describen dos especies de palomillas de hojas de palma (Lepidoptera: Pterolonchidae: Homale­dra Busck) que son invasivas en …

Evaluation Of The Taxonomic Status Of Eurytides Marcellus Form “Floridensis” (W. Holland, 1898) (Papilionoidea, Papilioninae, Leptocircini), Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The purpose of this paper is to firmly identify subspecific authorship of the name floridensis for the Floridian population of Eurytides marcellus (Cramer, 1779), which I recognize as a distinct, though slightly differentiated, subspecies ranging north and west along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coastal regions. Though the name has been in historical use by multiple authors since description by William J. Holland (1898), it has not been readily evident which, if any, published work to date clearly and validly elevated the name to subspecific rank. The name “floridensis” is not preoccupied by any other members of …

Pupal Polymorphism Of The Bog Copper Butterfly Lycaena (Epidemia) Epixanthe (Bsd. & Le C. [1835]) (Lycaenidae: Lycaeninae) In New Jersey, David M. Wright

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

The immature stages of the Bog Copper butterfly, Lycaena epixanthe, were described in detail by the author nearly forty years ago. Two different pupal colors were interpreted to represent distinct separate morphs with genetically-fixed incidences. Reassessment of the data discloses a pattern of progressive color change of each individual pupa throughout the pupal period. This transforming strategy is adaptive and may reduce predator recognition.

Nebline, March 2021

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Naturally Occurring Elements in Groundwater - Part 1 of a Series — Calcium and Magnesium

Celebrate National Nutrition Month

RECIPE OF THE MONTH

2021 All-America Selections Vegetable Winners

Starting Seeds Indoors

Garden Guide Things to Do This Month

Planning for Spring Calving Season

Chemigation Trainings

2021 Nebraska On-Farm Research Annual Results Update Meetings

Houseplants: Simple Solutions to Plant Pests

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Whitney Lehn

Meet 2020–2021 4-H Council

4-H Announcements for 4-H'ers and Volunteers

Private Pesticide Applicator Trainings by Zoom

EXTENSION CALENDAR

Upcoming Early Childhood Trainings