Entomology Commons^™

Biology And Chemical Ecology Of The Sugarcane Beetle And Integrated Pest Management Of Sweet Potato Soil Insects In Louisiana, Tara Parker Smith

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Host plant preference and chemical ecology of the sugarcane beetle, Euetheola humilis were evaluated in greenhouse and laboratory studies. Sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, was significantly preferred over all other plant species evaluated in a host plant preference test. Corn, Zea mays, and sugarcane, Saccharum spp., were the next most chosen plant species in the study. In olfactometer experiments, sugarcane beetles responded significantly more to beetle injured and mechanically injured roots vs. uninjured roots. Male and female beetles were also significantly more attracted to female conspecifics. Differences were not detected between sweet potato cultivars in olfactometer trials. Cultivar preference studies suggested …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 7 2006, Several Authors

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

No abstract provided.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Contents, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Interactions Between Formosan Subterranean Termites, Brown Rot Fungus (Gloeophyllum Trabeum) And Some Of The Fungi Present On The Termite Integument And Gut, Poornima Jayasimha

LSU Master's Theses

Although the brown rot fungus, Gloeophyllum trabeum (Pers.:Fr.) Murrill, has been shown to be attractive and beneficial to subterranean termites, including Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, to date no research has been conducted to determine if the association is mutualistic. We first set out to determine if the fungus could be spread by termites. This would represent an obvious benefit to the fungus. We found that C. formosanus does not spread G. trabeum. Unexpectedly, Formosan subterranean termites were found to suppress the growth of G. trabeum. To further investigate this finding, Formosan subterranean termite workers were released into Petri dishes with wood …

Influences Of Host Size And Host Quality On Host Use In A Seed-Feeding Beetle, Angela Rocío Amarillo-Suárez

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

For insects that develop inside discrete hosts both host size and host quality constrain offspring growth, influencing the evolution of body size and life history traits. This dissertation examines the effects of host size, host quality, and intraspecific competition on life history and associated traits of populations of the seed-feeding beetle S. limbatus adapted to different host plants, and quantifies population differences in phenotypic plasticity. Populations of the study correspond to divergent clades of the species phylogeography (Colombia and United States).

Clades compared differ genetically for all traits when beetles were raised in a common garden. Contrary to expectations from …

Scorpions’ Bad Rap Dates To Prehistoric Times, Aldemaro Romero Jr., Tanja Mckay

Publications and Research

No abstract provided.

Seasonality And Adult Habitat Use By Four Diabrotica Species At Prairie–Corn Interfaces, Laura A. Campbell, Lance J. Meinke

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Although Diabrotica pest species have been well studied in field corn, Zea mays L., relatively little is known about adult habitat use by pest and nonpest species at prairie-corn interfaces. Therefore, the objective of this work was to compare seasonal patterns of beetles of four Diabrotica species and their use of remnant prairie and adjacent field corn habitats in southeastern Nebraska. The study was conducted at five sites in 2001 and continued at three sites in 2002. The Diabrotica species included D. barberi Smith and Lawrence, D. cristata (Harris), D. virgifera virgifera LeConte, and D. undecimpunctata howardi Barber. Cucurbitacin vial …

Absence Of Genetic Divergence Between Western Corn Rootworms (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Resistant And Susceptible To Control By Crop Rotation, Nicholas Miller, K. S. Kim, S. T. Ratcliffe, A. Estoup, T. Guillemaud

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), is a major pest of corn, Zea mays L., in North America that has recently invaded Europe. A loss of ovipositional fidelity to cornfields has allowed the species to circumvent crop rotation as a means of control in part of its range in the United States. Analyses of variation at eight microsatellite loci provided no evidence for general genetic differentiation between samples of western corn rootworm collected in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merr., fields and those collected in cornfields both inside and outside the rotation-resistance problem area. This result suggests …

Diabrotica Virgifera Virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Larval Feeding Behavior On Transgenic Maize (Mon 863) And Its Isoline, Pete L. Clark, Ty T. Vaughn, Lance J. Meinke, Jaime Molina-Ochoa, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Diabrotica species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) larval behavior studies have posed a challenge to researchers because of the subterranean life cycle of this pest. To fully understand how the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, injures the maize, Zea mays L., root system, its behavior must be studied. For example, larvae that can detect an area of the root that has a lower amount of toxin, whether from an insecticide or a transgenic maize plant, have an increased chance of survival. This study assessed D. v. virgifera larval feeding behavior on rootworm-susceptible maize and maize containing a biotechnology-derived trait (MON863) with …

Australian Plague Locust (Chortoicetes Terminifera), Department Of Agriculture And Food, Wa

Bulletins 4000 -

The Australian plague locust (APL) is the most economically important grasshopper in Australia. The immature hopper stage damages mainly pastures in farming areas, and gardens and lawns in domestic areas. They tend to avoid established green crops, although the edges of crops can be damaged. Adult locusts can form swarms and fly into other areas, damaging pastures, ripening cereal, lupin and pulse crops, grapevines, fruit trees and native tree seedlings. If crops have completely dried off before locusts begin flying, the possibility of damage is considerably less.

Analyses Of Cry1ab Binding In Resistant And Susceptible Strains Of The European Corn Borer, Ostrinia Nubilalis (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Herbert A. A. Siqueira, Joel Gonzalez-Cabrera, Juan Ferre, Ronald Flannagan, Blair Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Cry1Ab toxin binding analysis was performed to determine whether resistance in laboratory-selected Ostrinia nubilalis strains is associated with target site alteration. Brush border membrane vesicles were prepared using dissected midguts from late instars of susceptible and resistant strains (Europe-R and RSTT) of O. nubilalis. Immunoblot analysis indicated that three different proteins bound to Cry1Ab toxin and were recognized by an anticadherin serum. In a comparison of resistant and susceptible strains, reduced Cry1Ab binding was apparent for all three bands corresponding to cadherin-like proteins in the Europe-R strain, while reduced binding was apparent in only one band for the RSTT …

An Update On The Distribution And Diversity Of Bombus In Nebraska (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Douglas A. Golick, Marion D. Ellis

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

From 1999–2002, the University of Nebraska Department of Entomology, Folsom’s Children Zoo, and Lincoln Public Schools Science Focus High School initiated a program called Bumble Boosters. Forty schools participated to conduct a general survey of Nebraska bumble bees to: 1) determine whether the 20 species of bumble bees previously identified can still be found in Nebraska, 2) collect in areas that were not included in previous surveys, and 3) discover any additional species in the state. This study provides an update to previous surveys including; new distribution maps for species, and a discussion of findings.

Genetic And Morphological Comparisons Of New And Old World Populations Of Spalangia Species (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), David B. Taylor, Roger Moon, Gary Gibson, Allen L. Szalanski

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The genetic similarity of New and Old World samples of Spalangia spp. (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) was examined using two ribosomalDNAregions. The species examined were Spalangia cameroni Perkins, Spalangia endius Walker, Spalangia gemina Bouček, Spalangia nigra Latreille, Spalangia nigroaenea Curtis, and Spalangia slovaca Bouček. Two species of Muscidifurax, Muscidifurax raptor Girault & Sanders and Muscidifurax zaraptor Kogan & Legner (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) were included as outgroup taxa. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS)-1 region was highly variable among Spalangia species with many insertions/deletions making alignment of the sequences difÞcult. The D2-D3 region of the 28s ribosomal gene and the nuclear rDNA 18s gene were …

Long-Term Reduction Of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection In Sylvatic Mammals Following Deforestation And Sustained Vector Surveillance In Northwestern Argentina, L. A. Ceballos, M. V. Cardinal, G. M. Vazquez-Prokopec, M. A. Lauricella, M. M. Orozco, M. Roberto Cortinas, A. G. Schijman, M. J. Levin, Uriel Kitron, R. E. Gürtlera

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Long-term variations in the dynamics and intensity of sylvatic transmission of Trypanosoma cruzi were investigated around eight rural villages in the semiarid Argentine Chaco in 2002–2004 and compared to data collected locally in 1984–1991. Of 501 wild mammals from 13 identified species examined by xenodiagnosis, only 3 (7.9%) of 38 Didelphis albiventris opossums and 1 (1.1%) of 91 Conepatus chinga skunks were infected by T. cruzi. The period prevalence in opossums was fourfold lower in 2002–2004 than in 1984–1991 (32–36%). The infection prevalence of skunks also decreased five-fold from 4.1–5.6% in 1984–1991 to 1.1% in 2002–2004. Infection in opossums increased …

Effects Of Temperature On Development Of Phormia Regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae) And Use Of Developmental Data In Determining Time Intervals In Forensic Entomology, P. D. Nabity, Leon G. Higley, Tiffany M. Heng-Moss

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Precise developmental data for forensic indicator blow fly species are essential for accuracy in the estimate of the post-mortem interval (PMI). Why, then, does the determination of the PMI result in conflicting time frames when published conspecific developmental data are used? To answer this question, we conducted constant temperature trials between the developmental minimum temperature and upper threshold temperatures (8-32 degrees C) on the forensically important blow fly species Phormia regina (Meigen) (Diptera: Calliphoridae). Flies were reared using two designs to quantify sources of variation. We measured rearing container temperatures and internal growth chamber temperatures by using thermocouples to accurately …

Oil-Soluble Dyes For Marking Spodoptera Frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Elis Christine Vilarinho, Odair Aparecido Fernandes, Celso Omoto, Thomas E. Hunt

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Although various biological aspects of Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) have been examined, adult movement and dispersal of this insect pest is not well understood. Release-recapture techniques by using marked insects is a useful approach for dispersal studies; however, the marking technique should not significantly affect insect biology or behavior. Therefore, the effect of different concentrations of oil-soluble dyes (Solvent Blue 35 [C.I. 61554], Sudan Red 7B [C.I. 26050], Sudan Black B [26150], Sudan Orange G [C.I. 11920], and Sudan I 103624 [C.I. 12055]) on development, mortality, and fecundity of S. frugiperda was evaluated. Dyes were added to artificial …

Temperature Effect On Kinetics Of Uptake, Transfer, And Clearance Of [14C]Noviflumuron In Eastern Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Neil A. Spomer, Shripat T. Kamble

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

[¹⁴C]Noviflumuron uptake, clearance, rate of excretion, and transfer from treated to untreated termite workers were evaluated at 15, 19, 23, and 27°C. Feeding units were constructed from plastic containers provisioned with washed sand, distilled water, [¹⁴C]noviflumuron-treated feeding discs (0.05 or 0.5% [AI]), and Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) workers. Feeding units were held in environmental growth chambers preset at 15, 19, 23, and 27°C. The amount of [¹⁴C]noviflumuron present within R. flavipes was measured by scintillation counting and subsequently quantified. Uptake of noviflumuron by R. flavipes workers at 15°C was ≈2.8 times less than at 19 …

Partner-Driven Agricultural Research-For-Development Networks In West Africa: The Case Of Rocariz, L. T. Narteh, M. Winslow, Ousmane Youm, S. O. Keya

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Agricultural research feeds the knowledge base that underpins food security and rural employment across sub-Saharan Africa. However, in West Africa, many national agricultural research programs (NARS) are small and have insufficient resources to carry out well-rounded, in-depth research programs. Since the crops, cropping systems and food needs of these countries have much in common, there is a clear opportunity for sharing knowledge and capacities for mutual benefit through networks.

However, conventional crop-based networks in sub-Saharan Africa were mainly mechanisms for centralized dissemination and testing of technologies, an approach that treated NARS as dependent recipients of research outputs generated by international …

Relative Index Of Susceptibility To The Maize Weevil, Sitophilus Zeamais, Among Some Qpm Corn Lines, Jamilton P. Santos, Paulo E. O. Guimaraes, Jose M. Waquil, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais, is one important pest of stored corn grain. It is difficult to control and causes large weight and nutritional losses to the grains. The discovery of the gene Opaque-2 (O-2) that enhances the protein quality with Lysine and Tryptophane opened new perspectives to use corn to feed monogastric animals and for human nutrition. However, the soft and farinaceous consistency of the endosperm in the O-2 gene corn increased the susceptibility to maize weevil. To solve this problem the O-2 gene was transferred to normal corn. This new corn was called Quality Protein Maize (QPM). …

Ecologically-Based Participatory Ipm In A Global Context: The Ipm Crsp Model, E. A. Heinrichs

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The IPM CRSP develops and implements approaches to IPM that help raise the standard of living and improve the environment in countries around the world. The IPM CRSP model is based on (1) participatory IPM, (2) networking, (3) capacity/institution building, (4) res~h and. technology development and (5) technology ·transfer. Regional programs in Central Asia, East Africa, West Africa, Latin American/Caribbean, Eastern Europe, South Asia and Southeast Asia address problems of a specific region and the global themes, invasive species, information technology and databases, regional diagnostic laboratories, insect transmitted viruses, and impact assessments deal with universal issues. Major crop emphasis is …

Hyla Squirella (Squirrel Treefrog): Refugia., Louis A. Somma, David Serrano

Papers in Herpetology

HYLA SQUiREUA (Squirrel Treefrog). REFUGIA. Entomologists commonly use trap-nests to monitor cavity-nesting Hymenoptera. These trap-nests consist of 5 x 10 cm pine timber cut into 12-cm lengths. Five lengths are then stacked and strapped together. Each pIece of timber is predrilled in each side to have either a 3.2, 4.8, 6.4, 7.9, or 12.7 Iiundiameterhole, 8 cmindepth. Thus, each trap-nest consisted of five pieces of wood containing 2 holes of each diameter. They are suspended with wire from tree trunks and branches. We set these wooden traps (N = 10) at Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park, Gainesville, Alachua Co., Florida, …

Glucocorticoid Hormone Levels Increase With Group Size And Parasite Load In Cliff Swallows, Samrrah A. Raouf, Linda C. Smith, Mary Bomberger Brown, John C. Wingfield, Charles R. Brown

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Animals often cope with adverse events by releasing glucocorticoid hormones, which in turn promote increased energy assimilation. In captive animals, crowding also leads to increased glucocorticoid activity, probably because of increased levels of social competition. We investigated how group size and ectoparasite infestations affected endogenous levels of the glucocorticoid hormone, corticosterone, in colonial cliff swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, in southwestern Nebraska, USA. Parasites were removed from some colonies by fumigating nests. Baseline levels of corticosterone in breeding adults varied significantly with whether parasites were present, colony size (measured by total number of active nests at a site), and nesting stage. …

Tick Pheromones And Their Use In Tick Control, Daniel E. Sonenshine

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Tick pheromones that regulate assembly, attraction/aggregation/attachment, and mating behavior have been described. Most of the compounds regulating these behaviors are purines, substituted phenols, or cholesteryl esters. Other pheromonal compounds include organic acids, hematin, or ecdysteroids. Novel devices have been developed that combine the specific compounds comprising these pheromones with an acaricide. When applied to tick-infested vegetation or directly to the body surfaces of livestock or companion animals, these devices are effective for tick control. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of tick pheromones. In addition, this review also presents examples illustrating how devices using tick pheromones can offer …

Oviposition Behavior Of Female Anopheles Gambiae In Eestern Kenya Inferred From Microsatellite Markers, Hong Chen, Ulrike Fillinger, Guiyun Yan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Anopheles gambiae females in a relatively isolated hut and all larvae from larval habitats within 100 m of the hut were collected in August 2001 in western Kenya. Among 42 aquatic habitats, 16 had A. gambiae larvae. Two hundred fifty larvae and 58 adults were genotyped using nine microsatellite markers to infer sibling relationship between the larvae and maternity between the females and larvae. The pairwise genetic relatedness of A. gambiae larvae per habitat ranged from -0.4112 to 0.9375, indicating that full siblings, half siblings, and genetically unrelated individuals presented at those habitats with multiple larvae. From a likelihood analysis, …

Molecular Characterization Of A Tsetse Fly Midgut Proteolytic Lectin That Mediates Differentiation Of African Trypanosomes, Laila U. Abubakar, Wallace D. Bulimo, Francis J. Mulaa, Ellie O. Osir

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Differentiation of bloodstream-form trypanosomes into procyclic (midgut) forms is an important first step in the establishment of an infection within the tsetse fly. This complex process is mediated by a wide variety of factors, including those associated with the vector itself, the trypanosomes and the bloodmeal. As part of an on-going project in our laboratory, we recently isolated and characterized a bloodmeal-induced molecule with both lectin and trypsin activities from midguts of the tsetse fly, Glossina longipennis [Osir, E.O., Abubakar, L., Imbuga, M.O., 1995. Purification and characterization of a midgut lectin-trypsin complex from the tsetse fly, Glossina longipennis. Parasitol. Res. …

New Bioassay Method To Assess The Pathogenicity Of Colombian Strains Of Metarhizium Anisopliae (Metsch.) Sorokin And Paecilomyces Sp. (Deuteromycotina: Hyphomycetes) Against The Subterranean Burrower Bug Cyrtomenus Bergi Froeschner (Hemiptera: Cydnidae), Juliana Jaramillo, Christian Borgemeister

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Using a new sand bioassay method, the pathogenicity of three Colombian strains of Metarhizium anisopliae (i.e., CIAT 224, 245, and 230) and one strain of Paecilomyces sp. (CIAT 308) were tested against fourth instars of the subterranean burrower bug Cyrtomenus bergi Froeschner (Hem.: Cydnidae) in the laboratory. The proposed bioassay simulates the habitat of C. bergi and at the same time enables the evaluation of a large number of insects in a short period of time and under controlled conditions. All tested fungal species/strains were pathogenic against C. bergi. However, only low levels of mortality were obtained, and never exceeded …

Effect Of Light Intensity And Weld Thickness On The Performance Of Uv-Cured Frp Composite Joints, Jerry Alan Peck

LSU Master's Theses

Thirty-six FRP composite welds were wetted with UV curing vinyl ester resin and used to join fiberglass tubes. The effects of UV light intensity and weld thickness on performance (as measured by bursting pressure and stiffness) were evaluated to determine optimal conditions for joint construction. The joined composite pipes were cured vertically with UV lamps at three different light intensities, 80 mW/cm2, 35 mW/cm2 and 15 mW/cm2 to isolate the effect of UV light intensity. Eight-layer, five-layer and three-layer joints were prepared and cured at constant light intensity to evaluate the effect of reducing the thickness of the composite joint. …