Entomology Commons^™

Mitochondrial Genomes Of Two Barklice, Psococerastis Albimaculata And Longivalvus Hyalospilus (Psocoptera: Psocomorpha): Contrasting Rates In Mitochondrial Gene Rearrangement Between Major Lineages Of Psocodea, Hu Li, Renfu Shao, Fan Song, Xuguo Zhou, Qianqian Yang, Zhihong Li, Wanzhi Cai

Entomology Faculty Publications

The superorder Psocodea has ∼10,000 described species in two orders: Psocoptera (barklice and booklice) and Phthiraptera (parasitic lice). One booklouse, Liposcelis bostrychophila and six species of parasitic lice have been sequenced for complete mitochondrial (mt) genomes; these seven species have the most rearranged mt genomes seen in insects. The mt genome of a barklouse, lepidopsocid sp., has also been sequenced and is much less rearranged than those of the booklouse and the parasitic lice. To further understand mt gene rearrangements in the Psocodea, we sequenced the mt genomes of two barklice, Psococerastis albimaculata and Longivalvus hyalospilus, the first representatives from …

Differential Undertaking Response Of A Lower Termite To Congeneric And Conspecific Corpses, Qian Sun, Kenneth F. Haynes, Xuguo Zhou

Entomology Faculty Publications

Undertaking behaviour is an essential activity in social insects. Corpses are often recognized by a postmortem change in a chemical signature. Reticulitermes flavipes responded to corpses within minutes of death. This undertaking behaviour did not change with longer postmortem time (24 h); however, R. flavipes exhibited distinctively different behaviours toward dead termites from various origins. Corpses of the congeneric species, Reticulitermes virginicus, were buried onsite by workers with a large group of soldiers guarding the burial site due to the risk of interspecific competition; while dead conspecifics, regardless of colony origin, were pulled back into the holding chamber for nutrient …

The Endosymbiont Arsenophonus Is Widespread In Soybean Aphid, Aphis Glycines, But Does Not Provide Protection From Parasitoids Or A Fungal Pathogen, Jason A. Wulff, Karrie A. Buckman, Kongming Wu, George E. Heimpel, Jennifer A. White

Entomology Faculty Publications

Aphids commonly harbor bacterial facultative symbionts that have a variety of effects upon their aphid hosts, including defense against hymenopteran parasitoids and fungal pathogens. The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is infected with the symbiont Arsenophonus sp., which has an unknown role in its aphid host. Our research goals were to document the infection frequency and diversity of the symbiont in field-collected soybean aphids, and to determine whether Arsenophonus is defending soybean aphid against natural enemies. We performed diagnostic PCR and sequenced four Arsenophonus genes in soybean aphids from their native and introduced range to estimate infection frequency …

Corpse Management In Social Insects, Qian Sun, Xuguo Zhou

Entomology Faculty Publications

Undertaking behavior is an essential adaptation to social life that is critical for colony hygiene in enclosed nests. Social insects dispose of dead individuals in various fashions to prevent further contact between corpses and living members in a colony. Focusing on three groups of eusocial insects (bees, ants, and termites) in two phylogenetically distant orders (Hymenoptera and Isoptera), we review mechanisms of death recognition, convergent and divergent behavioral responses toward dead individuals, and undertaking task allocation from the perspective of division of labor. Distinctly different solutions (e.g., corpse removal, burial and cannibalism) have evolved, independently, in the holometabolous hymenopterans and …

Bed Bugs Evolved Unique Adaptive Strategy To Resist Pyrethroid Insecticides, Fang Zhu, Hemant Gujar, Jennifer R. Gordon, Kenneth F. Haynes, Michael F. Potter, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Recent advances in genomic and post-genomic technologies have facilitated a genome-wide analysis of the insecticide resistance-associated genes in insects. Through bed bug, Cimex lectularius transcriptome analysis, we identified 14 molecular markers associated with pyrethroid resistance. Our studies revealed that most of the resistance-associated genes functioning in diverse mechanisms are expressed in the epidermal layer of the integument, which could prevent or slow down the toxin from reaching the target sites on nerve cells, where an additional layer of resistance (kdr) is possible. This strategy evolved in bed bugs is based on their unique morphological, physiological and behavioral characteristics …

Integrated Analysis Of Cytochrome P450 Gene Superfamily In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Fang Zhu, Timothy W. Moural, Kapil Shah, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The functional and evolutionary diversification of insect cytochrome P450s (CYPs) shaped the success of insects. CYPs constitute one of the largest and oldest gene superfamilies that are found in virtually all aerobic organisms. Because of the availability of whole genome sequence and well functioning RNA interference (RNAi), the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum serves as an ideal insect model for conducting functional genomics studies. Although several T. castaneum CYPs had been functionally investigated in our previous studies, the roles of the majority of CYPs remain largely unknown. Here, we comprehensively analyzed the phylogenetic relationship of all T. castaneum CYPs …

Population Impacts Of Wolbachia On Aedes Albopictus, James W. Mains, Corey L. Brelsfoard, Philip R. Crain, Yunxin Huang, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

Prior studies have demonstrated that Wolbachia, a commonly occurring bacterium capable of manipulating host reproduction, can affect life history traits in insect hosts, which in turn can have population-level effects. Effects on hosts at the individual level are predicted to impact population dynamics, but the latter has not been examined empirically. Here, we describe a biological model system based on Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) that allows for measurement of population dynamics, which has not been accomplished in prior field trials or laboratory designs. The results demonstrate the studied populations to be robust and allow for persistent, closed populations with …

Wolbachia Association With The Tsetse Fly, Glossina Fuscipes Fuscipes, Reveals High Levels Of Genetic Diversity And Complex Evolutionary Dynamics, Rebecca E. Symula, Uzma Alam, Corey L. Brelsfoard, Yineng Wu, Richard Echodu, Loyce M. Okedi, Serap Aksoy, Adalgisa Caccone

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Wolbachia pipientis, a diverse group of α-proteobacteria, can alter arthropod host reproduction and confer a reproductive advantage to Wolbachia-infected females (cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI)). This advantage can alter host population genetics because Wolbachia-infected females produce more offspring with their own mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplotypes than uninfected females. Thus, these host haplotypes become common or fixed (selective sweep). Although simulations suggest that for a CI-mediated sweep to occur, there must be a transient phase with repeated initial infections of multiple individual hosts by different Wolbachia strains, this has not been observed empirically. Wolbachia has been found in the tsetse fly, Glossina …

Reference Gene Selection For Qrt-Pcr Analysis In The Sweetpotato Whitefly, Bemisia Tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), Rumei Li, Wen Xie, Shaoli Wang, Qingjun Wu, Nina Yang, Xin Yang, Huipeng Pan, Xiaomao Zhou, Lianyang Bai, Baoyun Xu, Xuguo Zhou, Youjun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Accurate evaluation of gene expression requires normalization relative to the expression of reliable reference genes. Expression levels of "classical" reference genes can differ, however, across experimental conditions. Although quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) has been used extensively to decipher gene function in the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci, a world-wide pest in many agricultural systems, the stability of its reference genes has rarely been validated.

RESULTS: In this study, 15 candidate reference genes from B. tabaci were evaluated using two Excel-based algorithms geNorm and Normfinder under a diverse set of biotic and abiotic conditions. At least two reference genes were …

Doublesex Target Genes In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Jayendra Nath Shukla, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Sex determination cascade in insects terminates with the production of sex-specific protein, Doublesex (Dsx). We identified the dsx homolog (Tcdsx) in Tribolium castaneum. The pre-mRNA of Tcdsx is sex-specifically spliced into three female (Tcdsxf1, Tcdsxf2 and Tcdsxf3) and one male-specific (Tcdsxm) isoforms. Cis-regulatory elements potentially involved in sex-specific splicing of the Tcdsx pre-mRNA were identified in the female-specific exon and the adjoining intronic sequences. All the three female-specific TcDsx proteins share common OD1 and OD2 domains and differ in their C-terminal sequences. Knockdown of Tcdsx resulted in a reduction in the oocyte development, egg production and hatching of eggs laid. …

Reactive Oxygen Species Production And Brugia Pahangi Survivorship In Aedes Polynesiensis With Artificial Wolbachia Infection Types, Elizabeth S. Andrews, Philip R. Crain, Yuqing Fu, Daniel K. Howe, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

Heterologous transinfection with the endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia has been shown previously to induce pathogen interference phenotypes in mosquito hosts. Here we examine an artificially infected strain of Aedes polynesiensis, the primary vector of Wuchereria bancrofti, which is the causative agent of Lymphatic filariasis (LF) throughout much of the South Pacific. Embryonic microinjection was used to transfer the wAlbB infection from Aedes albopictus into an aposymbiotic strain of Ae. polynesiensis. The resulting strain (designated "MTB") experiences a stable artificial infection with high maternal inheritance. Reciprocal crosses of MTB with naturally infected wild-type Ae. polynesiensis demonstrate strong bidirectional incompatibility. Levels of reactive …

Characterization Of Head Transcriptome And Analysis Of Gene Expression Involved In Caste Differentiation And Aggression In Odontotermes Formosanus (Shiraki), Qiuying Huang, Pengdong Sun, Xuguo Zhou, Chaoliang Lei

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background

The subterranean termite Odontotermes formosanus (Shiraki) is a serious insect pest of trees and dams in China. To date, very little is known about genomic or transcriptomic data for caste differentiation and aggression in O. formosanus. Hence, studies on transcriptome and gene expression profiling are helpful to better understand molecular basis underlying caste differentiation and aggressive behavior in O. formosanus.

Methodology and Principal Findings

Using the Illumina sequencing, we obtained more than 57 million sequencing reads derived from the heads of O. formosanus. These reads were assembled into 116,885 unique sequences (mean size = 536 bp). …

Open Release Of Male Mosquitoes Infected With A Wolbachia Biopesticide: Field Performance And Infection Containment, Linda O'Connor, Catherine Plichart, Ayo Cheong Sang, Corey L. Brelsfoard, Hervé C. Bossin, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a globally significant disease, with 1.3 billion persons in 83 countries at risk. A coordinated effort of administering annual macrofilaricidal prophylactics to the entire at-risk population has succeeded in impacting and eliminating LF transmission in multiple regions. However, some areas in the South Pacific are predicted to persist as transmission sites, due in part to the biology of the mosquito vector, which has led to a call for additional tools to augment drug treatments. Autocidal strategies against mosquitoes are resurging in the effort against invasive mosquitoes and vector borne disease, with examples that include field …

Wolbachia Strain Wpip Yields A Pattern Of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Enhancing A Wolbachia-Based Suppression Strategy Against The Disease Vector Aedes Albopictus, Maurizio Calvitti, Riccardo Moretti, Amanda R. Skidmore, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is induced in nature by Wolbachia bacteria, resulting in conditional male sterility. Previous research demonstrated that the two Wolbachia strains (wAlbA and wAlbB) that naturally co-infect the disease vector mosquito Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) can be replaced with the wPip Wolbachia strain from Culex pipiens. Since Wolbachia-based vector control strategies depend upon the strength and consistency of CI, a greater understanding is needed on the CI relationships between wPip, wAlbA and wAlbB Wolbachia in Ae. albopictus.

METHODS: This work consisted of a collaborative series of crosses carried out in Italy and in US to study …

Cloning, Ligand-Binding, And Temporal Expression Of Ecdysteroid Receptors In The Diamondback Moth, Plutella Xylostella, Baozhen Tang, Wei Dong, Pei Liang, Xuguo Zhou, Xiwu Gao

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is a devastating pest of cruciferous crops worldwide, and has developed resistance to a wide range of insecticides, including diacylhydrazine-based ecdysone agonists, a highly selective group of molt-accelerating biopesticides targeting the ecdysone receptors.

RESULT: In this study, we cloned and characterized the ecdysone receptors from P. xylostella, including the two isoforms of EcR and a USP. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis showed striking conservations among insect ecdysone receptors, especially between P. xylostella and other lepidopterans. The binding affinity of ecdysteroids to in vitro-translated receptor proteins indicated that PxEcRB isoform bound specifically …

Comparative Mitogenomic Analysis Of Damsel Bugs Representing Three Tribes In The Family Nabidae (Insecta: Hemiptera), Hu Li, Haiyu Liu, Fan Song, Aimin Shi, Xuguo Zhou, Wanzhi Cai

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Nabidae, a family of predatory heteropterans, includes two subfamilies and five tribes. We previously reported the complete mitogenome of Alloeorhynchus bakeri, a representative of the tribe Prostemmatini in the subfamily Prostemmatinae. To gain a better understanding of architecture and evolution of mitogenome in Nabidae, mitogenomes of five species representing two tribes (Gorpini and Nabini) in the subfamily Nabinae were sequenced, and a comparative mitogenomic analysis of three nabid tribes in two subfamilies was carried out.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Nabid mitogenomes share a similar nucleotide composition and base bias, except for the control region, where differences are observed at the …

Widespread And Persistent Invasions Of Terrestrial Habitats Coincident With Larval Feeding Behavior Transitions During Snail-Killing Fly Evolution (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), Eric G. Chapman, Andrey A. Przhiboro, James D. Harwood, Benjamin A. Foote, Walter R. Hoeh

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Transitions in habitats and feeding behaviors were fundamental to the diversification of life on Earth. There is ongoing debate regarding the typical directionality of transitions between aquatic and terrestrial habitats and the mechanisms responsible for the preponderance of terrestrial to aquatic transitions. Snail-killing flies (Diptera: Sciomyzidae) represent an excellent model system to study such transitions because their larvae display a range of feeding behaviors, being predators, parasitoids or saprophages of a variety of mollusks in freshwater, shoreline and dry terrestrial habitats. The remarkable genus Tetanocera (Tetanocerini) occupies five larval feeding groups and all of the habitat types mentioned above. …

Three New Species Of Sesioctonus Viereck (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae) From Peru, Lidia Sulca, Michael J. Sharkey

Entomology Faculty Publications

Three new species of Sesioctonus (Braconidae: Agathidinae) are described and illustrated, i.e., Sesioctonus huggerti, Sesioctonus wayquecha, and Sesioctonus bina. Two new Peruvian species records for Sesioctonus are reported: Sesioctonus longinoi and Sesioctonus diazi. A revised key to all known species of Sesioctonus is presented.

Pyrosequencing The Bemisia Tabaci Transcriptome Reveals A Highly Diverse Bacterial Community And A Robust System For Insecticide Resistance, Wen Xie, Qing-Shu Meng, Qing-Jun Wu, Shao-Li Wang, Xin Yang, Ni-Na Yang, Ru-Mei Li, Xiao-Guo Jiao, Hui-Peng Pan, Bai-Ming Liu, Qi Su, Bao-Yun Xu, Song-Nian Hu, Xuguo Zhou, You-Jun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a phloem-feeding insect poised to become one of the major insect pests in open field and greenhouse production systems throughout the world. The high level of resistance to insecticides is a main factor that hinders continued use of insecticides for suppression of B. tabaci. Despite its prevalence, little is known about B. tabaci at the genome level. To fill this gap, an invasive B. tabaci B biotype was subjected to pyrosequencing-based transcriptome analysis to identify genes and gene networks putatively involved in various physiological and toxicological processes.

METHODOLOGY AND PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Using Roche 454 pyrosequencing, …

Population Genetic Structure Of Aedes Polynesiensis In The Society Islands Of French Polynesia: Implications For Control Using A Wolbachia-Based Autocidal Strategy, Corey L. Brelsfoard, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Aedes polynesiensis is the primary vector of Wuchereria bancrofti in the South Pacific and an important vector of dengue virus. An improved understanding of the mosquito population genetics is needed for insight into the population dynamics and dispersal, which can aid in understanding the epidemiology of disease transmission and control of the vector. In light of the potential release of a Wolbachia infected strain for vector control, our objectives were to investigate the microgeographical and temporal population genetic structure of A. polynesiensis within the Society Islands of French Polynesia, and to compare the genetic background of a laboratory strain …

Rapid Spread Of Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus In China Is Aided Differentially By Two Invasive Whiteflies, Huipeng Pan, Dong Chu, Wenqian Yan, Qi Su, Baiming Liu, Shaoli Wang, Qingjun Wu, Wen Xie, Xiaoguo Jiao, Rumei Li, Nina Yang, Xin Yang, Baoyun Xu, Judith K. Brown, Xuguo Zhou, Youjun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) was introduced into China in 2006, approximately 10 years after the introduction of an invasive whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) B biotype. Even so the distribution and prevalence of TYLCV remained limited, and the economic damage was minimal. Following the introduction of Q biotype into China in 2003, the prevalence and spread of TYLCV started to accelerate. This has lead to the hypothesis that the two biotypes might not be equally competent vectors of TYLCV.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The infection frequency of TYLCV in the field-collected B. tabaci populations was investigated, the acquisition and transmission …

Rna Interference Of Nadph-Cytochrome P450 Reductase Results In Reduced Insecticide Resistance In The Bed Bug, Cimex Lectularius, Fang Zhu, Sarah Sams, Tim Moural, Kenneth F. Haynes, Michael F. Potter, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase (CPR) plays a central role in cytochrome P450 action. The genes coding for P450s are not yet fully identified in the bed bug, Cimex lectularius. Hence, we decided to clone cDNA and knockdown the expression of the gene coding for CPR which is suggested to be required for the function of all P450s to determine whether or not P450s are involved in resistance of bed bugs to insecticides.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The full length Cimex lectularius CPR (ClCPR) cDNA was isolated from a deltamethrin resistant bed bug population (CIN-1) using a combined PCR strategy. Bioinformatics and in …

The Complete Mitochondrial Genome And Novel Gene Arrangement Of The Unique-Headed Bug Stenopirates Sp. (Hemiptera: Enicocephalidae), Hu Li, Hui Liu, Aimin Shi, Pavel Stys, Xuguo Zhou, Wanzhi Cai

Entomology Faculty Publications

Many of true bugs are important insect pests to cultivated crops and some are important vectors of human diseases, but few cladistic analyses have addressed relationships among the seven infraorders of Heteroptera. The Enicocephalomorpha and Nepomorpha are consider the basal groups of Heteroptera, but the basal-most lineage remains unresolved. Here we report the mitochondrial genome of the unique-headed bug Stenopirates sp., the first mitochondrial genome sequenced from Enicocephalomorpha. The Stenopirates sp. mitochondrial genome is a typical circular DNA molecule of 15, 384 bp in length, and contains 37 genes and a large non-coding fragment. The gene order differs substantially from …

Gene Expression Profiling In The Thiamethoxam Resistant And Susceptible B-Biotype Sweetpotato Whitefly, Bemisia Tabaci, Wen Xie, Xin Yang, Shao-Ii Wang, Qing-Jun Wu, Ni-Na Yang, Ru-Mei Li, Xiao-Guo Jiao, Hui-Peng Pan, Bai-Ming Liu, Yun-Tao Feng, Bao-Yun Xu, Xuguo Zhou, You-Jun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

Thiamethoxam has been used as a major insecticide to control the B-biotype sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Due to its excessive use, a high level of resistance to thiamethoxam has developed worldwide over the past several years. To better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying this resistance in B. tabaci, gene profiles between the thiamethoxam-resistant and thiamethoxam-susceptible strains were investigated using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) library approach. A total of 72 and 52 upand down-regulated genes were obtained from the forward and reverse SSH libraries, respectively. These expressed sequence tags (ESTs) belong to several functional categories based …

Juvenile Hormone Regulates Vitellogenin Gene Expression Through Insulin-Like Peptide Signaling Pathway In The Red Flour Beetle, Tribolium Castaneum, Zhentao Sheng, Jingjing Xu, Hua Bai, Fang Zhu, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Our recent studies identified juvenile hormone (JH) and nutrition as the two key signals that regulate vitellogenin (Vg) gene expression in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. Juvenile hormone regulation of Vg synthesis has been known for a long time in several insects, but the mechanism of JH action is not known. Experiments were conducted to determine the mechanism of action of these two signals in regulation of Vg gene expression. Injection of bovine insulin or FOXO double-stranded RNA into the previtellogenic, starved, or JH-deficient female adults increased Vg mRNA and protein levels, thereby implicating the pivotal role for …

Revision Of The New World Genus Crassomicrodus Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae), With An Identification Key To Species, José Isaac Figueroa, Michael J. Sharkey, Jesus Romero Nápoles, José Antonio Sánchez García, Ana Mabel Martínez, Victor López-Martínez, Samuel Pineda

Entomology Faculty Publications

A key to species and descriptions are presented for 14 species of the New World genus Crassomicrodus Ashmead. Seven new species, Crassomicrodus azteca, Crassomicrodus clypealis, Crassomicrodus costaricensis, Crassomicrodus jalisciensis, Crassomicrodus mariae, Crassomicrodus oaxaquensis,and Crassomicrodus olgae are described. Crassomicrodus fenestratus (Viereck) is synonymized with Crassomicrodus nigriceps (Cresson). Crassomicrodus melanopleurus (Ashmead) is recognized as a valid species.

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 …