Entomology Commons^™

Microbial Decomposition Of Skeletal Muscle Tissue (Ovis Aries) In A Sandy Loam Soil At Different Temperatures, David O. Carter, Mark Tibbett

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A laboratory experiment was conducted to determine the effect of temperature (2, 12, 22 °C) on the rate of aer­obic decomposition of skeletal muscle tissue (Ovis aries) in a sandy loam soil incubated for a period of 42 days. Measurements of decomposition processes included skeletal muscle tissue mass loss, carbon dioxide (CO₂) evo­lution, microbial biomass, soil pH, skeletal muscle tissue carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) content and the calcula­tion of metabolic quotient (qCO₂). Incubation temperature and skeletal muscle tissue quality had a significant effect on all of the measured process rates with 2 °C …

Pyemotes Herfsi (Acari: Pyemotidae), A Mite New To North America As The Cause Of Bite Outbreaks, Alberto B. Broce, Ludek Zurek, James A. Kalisch, Robert Brown, David L. Keith, David Gordon, Janis Goedeke, Cal Welbourn, John Moser, Ronald Ochoa, Eduardo Azziz-Baumgartner, Fuyuen Yip, Jacob Weber

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

High incidences of red, itching, and painful welts on people in the midwestern United States led to the discovery of a European species of mite, Pyemotes herfsi (Oudemans) (Acari: Pyemotidae), preying on gall-making midge larvae on oak leaves. The mites' great reproductive potential, small size, and high capacity for dispersal by wind make them difficult to control or avoid.

Development Of Anchor Loci To Map A Bt Resistance Factor In The Domesticated Silkworm, Bombyx Mori, Marc Chatenay-Lapointe

Senior Honors Projects

The BT toxin is an insecticide produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, and millions of acres of genetically modified crops expressing this agent have been planted. However, with such widespread use, there is a great potential for pests resistant to this toxin to develop. An understanding of how BT resistance operates and is inherited is central to ensuring continued use of the transgenic crops. Bombyx mori, the domesticated silkworm, is the model organism for the Lepidoptera, an order of insects containing many important agricultural pests. Screening shows that BT resistance is present in some silkworm strains, and linkage group 15 …

Phylogenetic Study Of Diadegma Species (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) Inferred From Analysis Of Mitochondrial And Nuclear Dna Sequences, Barbara Wagener, Annette Reineke, Bernhard Löhr, Claus P.W. Zebitz

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The genus Diadegma consists of a large group of parasitoid wasps with a confusing taxonomy based on morphological characters. No phylogenetic studies on this genus or any of its species have been published so far. We examined DNA variations in a 498 bp segment of the cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and compared nine different Diadegma species (i.e., D. semiclausum, D. insulare, D. fenestrale, D. mollipla, D. rapi., D. leontiniae, D. chrysostictos, D. armillata, D. blackburni) from various geographical origins. Interspecific variation ranged from …

Mate Location Mechanism And Phase-Related Mate Preferences In Solitarius Desert Locust, Schistocerca Gregaria, Sidi Ould Ely, Hassan Mahamat, Peter G.N. Njagi, Magzoub Omer Bashir, Salah El-Tom El-Amin, Ahmed Hassanali

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Mate location responses of male and female solitary-reared locusts that had either experienced no crowding or that had been crowded for varying periods were studied in a flatbed wind tunnel. Two hypotheses were explored: that both sexes of this phase of the locust participate in locating the other by using a combination of chemical and visual signals, and that individuals that experience some crowding (i.e., undergo varying levels of phase shift) can compete effectively with their solitary counterparts in mate location and mating. Our results confirm that both male and female solitarious locusts actively participate in mate location, although the …

Exogenous Expression Of Human Na, K-Atpase Isoforms In Insect Cells, Christal Renee' Carpenter

McCabe Thesis Collection

The Na-K-ATPase or Na pump is a membrane bound enzyme that maintains a high concentration of K+ and low concentration of Na+ in most animal cells. Three subunits constitute the Na pump, named alpha (ex), beta (~). and gamma (y). The ex subunit is responsible for the catalytic and transport of the enzyme, the ~ subunit is important for bringing the ex to the plasma membrane of the cell, and y is a regulatory subunit of the Na pump. In addition, there are several molecular variants or isoforms of the ex and ~ subunits. At present four different ex (ex …

Effect Of Investigator Disturbance In Experimental Forensic Entomology: Succession And Community Composition, G. D. De Jong, W. W. Hoback

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Carrion insect succession studies have historically used repeated sampling of single or a few carcasses to produce data, either weighing the carcasses, removing a qualitative subsample of the fauna present, or both, on every visit over the course of decomposition and succession. This study, conducted in a set of related experimental hypotheses with two trials in a single season, investigated the effect that repeated sampling has on insect succession, determined by the number of taxa collected on each visit and by community composition. Each trial lasted at least 21 days, with daily visits on the first 14 days. Rat carcasses …

Nebline, April 2006

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Visioning Process Can Help Communities Shape Their Future
Bennet is First in Nebraska to do Visioning Process
Easter Egg-Handling Tips
Lemon Dill Egg Salad Recipe
Have You Tried Kohlrabi
Food Bank Needs Volunteers, Donations
President’s Notes — Alice’s Analysis
Household Hints: Benefits of Disinfecting Household Surfaces
FCE News & Events
Poison Prevention
Tease-Proof Your Child
Acreage Insight Clinic: Horse Nutrition & Management, April 13
Effect of Increasing Energy Prices on Farming Costs
Oats for Extra Pasture, Hay and Silage
Consider Burning Shelled Corn as an Alternative Heating Fuel
Tornado – Will You be Ready?
Financial Resources and Skills
Protect Woody …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 18, No. 2, April 2006

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents:
Congratulations
Welcome
Farewell
Faculty News
Grad Student News
From the Office
Grants
Museum News
Publications
Travel
Condolences
Meet a Distance Student
This & That
Hexapod Herald Archives

Relating The Cost Of Spinning Silk To The Tendency To Share It For Three Embiids With Different Lifestyles (Order Embiidina: Clothodidae, Notoligotomidae, And Australembiidae), Janice Edgerly-Rooks, Shailesh Shenoy, Vanessa Werner

Biology

Although adult female embiids (Order Embiidina) superficially lack morphological diversity, their variety of habitats may impose distinct selective pressures on behavior, such as their use of silk and their tendency to aggregate. For example, where silk serves as a primary defense from environmental threats, coloniality might be adaptive. The cost of production or spinning might also prompt them to share silk. These ideas were tested in laboratory trials involving three species of embiids with different lifestyles: an arboreal species (Antipaluria urichi (Saussure) from a neotropical rain forest, a species (Notoligotoma hardyi (Frederichs) that dwells on surfaces of granite outcrops in …

Creating & Evaluating Artificial Domiciles For Bumble Bees, Douglas A. Golick, Marion D. Ellis, Brady Beecham

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Most biologists agree that the availability of suitable nesting sites is a limiting factor for bumble bee populations (Free, 1959). Bumble bees always select areas with preexisting insulation for nesting. Fur-lined abandoned rodent dens are especially attractive, but occasionally, abandoned man-made materials are inhabited. It is not rare to find multiple dead queens in a nest indicating that they have fought for ownership.

Despite our knowledge of bumble bee nest site selection, most efforts to attract bumble bees to artificial domiciles have been met with limited success (Fye & Medler, 1954; Hobbs et al.,1960). Creating and evaluating artificial domiciles provides …

Assessing Risk Of Resistance To Aerial Applications Of Methyl-Parathion In Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Michael A. Caprio, Tim Nowatski, Blair Siegfried, Lance J. Meinke, Robert J. Wright, Larry D. Chandler

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

We validated a stochastic model of the evolution of resistance to adulticidal sprays of methyl-parathion in western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, populations in Nebraska. The population dynamics predicted by the model resembled that reported for field populations, and time until control failures occurred closely matched reports by commercial crop consultants. We incorporated uncertainty about the values used for 18 model parameters by replacing default values with random draws taken from a normal distribution. One parameter, the initial resistance allele frequency, was no longer measurable because of the evolution of resistance. We therefore proposed five candidate initial allele frequencies …

Inheritance Of Resistance To The Cry1ab Bacillus Thuringiensis Toxin In Ostrinia Nubilalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), Analiza P. Alves, Terrence A. Spencer, B.E. Tabashnik, Blair Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Laboratory selection with Cry1Ab, the predominant Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin in transgenic corn, Zea mays L., produced >1000-fold resistance in two laboratory strains of European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (Hubner). We tested the offspring of various crosses to determine the mode of inheritance of resistance to Cry1Ab. Patterns of inheritance of resistance were similar in the two resistant strains. The progeny of reciprocal F₁ crosses (resistant male x susceptible female and vice versa) responded alike in bioassays, indicating autosomal inheritance. The median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀ values) of F₁ were intermediate between the resistant and susceptible parents, indicating …

Plasmid Probes For Screening Specific Genes In Large Fragment Dna Libraries, Leah Ferguson

Senior Honors Projects

Heliothis virescens, a member of the lepidopteran family, is of great importance to many people who rely on agriculture as a source of income because it is a pest of many important crops. Because H. virescens feeds on a broad array of hosts including cotton, tobacco, tomato, and soybean it has earned its place as a major nuisance in the United States. Heliothis subflexa is a close taxonomic relative of H. virescens, but the two species differ in that H. subflexa is a specialized herbivore that only feeds on plants in the genus Physalis. Studies have been performed to determine …

Movement Of Cicindela Hirticollis Say Larvae In Response To Moisture And Flooding, Mathew L. Brust, William Wyatt Hoback, Kerri Farnsworth Skinner, Charles Barry Knisley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The larvae of the tiger beetle, Cicindela hirticollis Say, inhabit sandy shoreline areas that flood periodically. This species has declined over much of its range and at least one subspecies is near extinction, possibly as a result of human alteration of waterways. In addition to physiological tolerance for anoxia, the larvae have physical and behavioral adaptations to avoid drowning. We hypothesized that C. hirticollis larvae would exhibit behavioral responses to soil moisture change and flooding because, unlike most other tiger beetles, they frequently relocate their burrows. Our laboratory studies demonstrated that larvae select surface soil moisture levels of 7–50% saturation …

Review Of Kawai, Hori, Kawahara, & Inagaki, Atlas Of Japanese Scarabaeoidea. Volume 1. Coprophagous Group., Brett C. Ratcliffe

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

Increasingly enhanced digital technology keeps raising the bar for quality of entomological publications, and this handsome book sets a new, high standard for scientific illustrations of scarab beetles. Simply put, this book is a thing of functional beauty! I wish that we could all make presentations like this in our scientific publications—how much more exciting our science could be. This Atlas (and it is just that) is the first volume in a proposed three volume set that will deal with the Japanese scarabaeoid fauna. It covers the coprophagous scarabaeoids that occur in Japan (including the Ryukyu Islands): Trogidae, Ceratocanthidae, Bolboceratidae, …

Nebline, March 2006

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Nebraska 4-H Summer Camps Provide Ultimate Camping Experience for Youth
All-America Selection Vegetables for 2006
Shamrocks for St. Patrick’s Day
Hints for Starting Transplants
Red Flour Beetles
ewf needs volunteers
Household Hazardous Waste Collections for 2006
Don’t Get Trapped in a Smelly Situation
Pocket Gophers in Your Alfalfa? UNL Wildlife Researcher Needs Your Help!
Collection of Unwanted Pesticides, March 16
Diesel vs. Propane Irrigation Systems
Commercial Pesticide Applicator Training
Worried About the High Cost of Fertilizer?
Pollination Requirements for Tree and Small Fruits
Upcoming Acreage Insights Clinics
Type of Farm Enterprise and Crop(s) Produced
$tretch Your Food Dollar with Canned …

Studies On The Genus Aphodius Of The United States And Canada (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): X. Some New Species From Central North America, Robert Gordon

Insecta Mundi

Six new species of Aphodius Illiger (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) are described from the central United States. They are: Aphodius ashworthi, Aphodius barri, Aphodius gardneri, Aphodius salsburyi, Aphodius sayi, Aphodius ulkei.

Distribution And Biology Of The Ectoparasitic Beaver Beetle Platypsyllus Castoris Ritsema In North America (Coleoptera: Leiodidae: Platypsyllinae), Stewart B. Peck

Insecta Mundi

The distribution and biology of the beaver beetle, Platypsyllus castoris Ritsema, are summarized for North America. In light of the fact that the beetle uses two beaver species as hosts which have seemingly been separated for some five million years on two continents, it is asked if the Nearctic and Palearctic beetle populations are really the same species.

An Annotated Checklist Of Wisconsin Sap And Short-Winged Flower Beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae, Kateretidae), Michele B. Price, Daniel K. Young

Insecta Mundi

A survey of Wisconsin Nitidulidae and Kateretidae yielded 78 species through analysis of literature records, museum and private collections, and three years of field research (2000-2002). Twenty-seven species (35% of the Wisconsin fauna) represent new state records, having never been previously recorded from the state. Wisconsin distribution, along with relevant collecting techniques and natural history information, are summarized. The Wisconsin nitidulid and kateretid faunae are compared to reconstructed and updated faunal lists for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and south-central Canada. Literature and distributional records suggest at least 11 additional nitidulid species may occur in Wisconsin.

New Species Of Damalis Fabricius (Diptera: Asilidae) From Thailand And China, Aubrey G. Scarbrough

Insecta Mundi

Damalis bigoti, new species, from Thailand, and D. candonensis, new species, from China, are described, illustrated, and compared with known species from these regions.

The Identity Of Anthribus Heros Fabricius (Coleoptera: Anthribidae), And Lectotype Designation, Barry D. Valentine

Insecta Mundi

Ten of the eleven valid species of Phloeotragus Schönherr 1823 occur in subsaharan Africa, where they include the largest anthribids on that continent; the eleventh is from Madagascar. The type species is Anthribus heros Fabricius 1801, by original designation and monotypy.

Preliminary Checklist Of Bolivian Cerambycidae (Coleoptera), James E. Wappes, Roy F. Morris Ii, Eugenio H. Nearns, Michael C. Thomas

Insecta Mundi

Abstract:
A list of the Cerambycidae of Bolivia is presented. It totals 1,259 species including 496 new country records. When available the known geographical distribution by department is shown for each species.

Resumen:
Se presenta una lista de los Cerambycidae de Bolivia. En total son 1.259 especies incluyendo 496 que son nuevas para el país. En los casos que ha sido posible, la distribución departamental se presenta para cada especie.

A New Species And New Records Of Aphodius Illiger (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) From Mammal Burrows In Nebraska, M. J. Paulsen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

Direct sampling of rodent burrows in Nebraska resulted in the collection of 16 species of Aphodius Illiger previously unknown from the state, including specimens of four undescribed species. One of these species is described here as new: Aphodius viceversus new species recorded from Nebraska and Kansas. Other Aphodius species recorded from Nebraska for the first time include A. acuminatus Cartwright, . anomaliceps Brown, A. carri Brown, A. criddlei Brown, A. kirni Cartwright, A. kiowensis Gordon and Salsbury, A. magnificens Robinson, A. neodistinctus Brown, A. peculiosus Schmidt, A. punctissimus Brown, A. thomomysi Brown, and A. leptotarsis Brown. Collecting information is summarized …

Four New Aphodius Illiger From Pocket Gopher Burrows In Arizona, Utah, Kansas And Nebraska (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae), William B. Warner, Paul E. Skelley

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

We describe four new species of winter-active Aphodius (sensu lato) from pocket gopher burrows in Arizona, Utah, Kansas, and Nebraska: A. caccabatus, A. paulseni, A. skillmani, and A. utopensis. Diagnostic characters of all four species are illustrated.

A Revision Of The Genus Geopsammodius Gordon And Pittino, 1992 (Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Psammodiini), Paul E. Skelley

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

The genus Geopsammodius Gordon and Pittino is revised. Eight new species are described: G. atlantida (Honduras: Atlantida), G. fuscus (Martin Co. and Palm Beach Co., Florida), G. morrisi (eastern Polk Co., Florida), G. ohoopee (Tattnall Co., Georgia), G. rileyi (coastal Louisiana and Texas), G. subpedalis (northern coastal Gulf of Mexico), G. unsidensis (inland Texas), and G. withlacoochee (Citrus Co. and Hernando Co., Florida), bringing the number of described species to 11. A key and illustrations are provided to aid in identification of taxa.

Diel Periodicity In The Production Of Green Leaf Volatiles By Wild And Cultivated Host Plants Of Stemborer Moths, Chilo Partellus And Busseola Fusca, K. Chamberlain, Z. R. Khan, J. A. Pickett, T. Toshova, L. J. Wadhams

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The volatile chemicals produced by four poaceous plant species, blue thatching grass, Hyparrhenia tamba, Napier grass, Pennisetum purpureum, sorghum, Sorghum bicolor, and maize, Zea mays, which are host plants for the lepidopterous stemborers, Chilo partellus and Busseola fusca, were collected by air entrainment and analyzed by gas chromatography. The total quantities of volatiles collected hourly, over a 9-hr period, from P. purpureum and H. tamba showed an approximately hundredfold increase in the first hour of the scotophase. Thereafter, the amount decreased rapidly to levels present during photophase. Although onset of scotophase also triggered an increase in quantities of volatiles collected …

Crop Updates 2006 - Cereals, Roger Jones, Nichole Burges, Mohommad Amjad, Ben Curtis, Wal Anderson, Darren Chitty, Brianna Peake, Harm Van Rees, Cherie Reilly, James Hunt, Dean Holzworth, Zvi Hochman, Allan Peake, Neal Dalgliesh, Stephen Van Rees, Trudy Mccann, Peter Carberry, Raj Malik, Kelly Winfield, Brenda Shackley, Judith Devenish, Darshan Sharma, Steve Penny Jr, Christine Zaicou-Kunesch, Mike Bolland, Ross Brennan, Paul Damon, Zed Rengel, Jeremy Lemon, Perry Poulton, Nick Poole, Brooke Thompson, Stephen Loss, Jeff Russell, Angie Roe, James Eyres, Narelle Simpson, Ron Mctaggart, Lionel Martin, Dave Allen, Hossein Golzar, Manisha Shankar, Robert Loughman, John Majewski, Donna Foster, Jamie Piotrowski, Nicole Harry, Geoff Thomas, Kith Jayasena, Svetlana Micic, Paul Matson, Tony Dore, Thomas (Ben) Biddulph, Daryl Mares, Julie Plummer, Tim Setter, Garren Knell, Steve Curtin, Wade Longmuir, Nigel Metz, Tina Botwright Acuña, Len Wade, Cindy Mills, Peter Stone

Crop Updates

This session covers twenty nine papers from different authors:

PLENARY

1. The 2005 wheat streak mosaic virus epidemic in New South Wales and the threat posed to the Western Australian wheat industry, Roger Jones and Nichole Burges, Department of Agriculture

SOUTH COAST AGRONOMY

2. South coast wheat variety trial results and best options for 2006, Mohammad Amjad, Ben Curtis and Wal Anderson, Department of Agriculture

3. Dual purpose winter wheats to improve productivity, Mohammad Amjad and Ben Curtis, Department of Agriculture

4. South coast large-scale premium wheat variety trials, Mohammad Amjad and Ben Curtis, Department of Agriculture …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 18, No. 1, February 2006

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents:
Congratulations
Welcome
Farewell
Faculty News
Grad Student News
From the Office
Grants
Museum News
Publications
Travel
Meet a Distance Student
Condolences
This & That
Hexapod Herald Archives