Entomology Commons^™

Investigating Nectar Rhythms In Squash (Cucurbita Pepo): Effects On Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) Foraging Behavior., Samuel David Boyd

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Experiments were performed to investigate the influence of water availability on the diel patterns of nectar secretion (volume, concentration, sugar production) in male squash flowers as well as to discover what physical component of nectar honey bees use to trigger their time-memory. Squash plants were grown in the greenhouse and in the field under both constant and variable watering regimes. Throughout anthesis, nectar volume and sugar concentration were recorded. In the field, the temporal distribution of arrivals to squash was observed with and without blossoms present. In the greenhouse and in the field, squash flowers exhibit a consistent diel pattern …

Vectors And Methods For Enhanced Cell Longevity And Protein Expression, Bruce A. Webb, Jeremy Kroemer

Entomology Faculty Patents

It is the object of the current invention to provide methods and compositions relating to the expression of vankyrin proteins in cell lines to increase their viability, longevity and capacity for protein production. The inventors have discovered that the expression of P-ank-1 and I²-ank-3 proteins in cell culture has increased the cells' longevity and capacity for endogenous and/or heterologous target protein production. Specifically, the present invention relates to the enhanced expression of endogenous and/or heterologous target proteins/polypeptides in recombinant cells that are also expressing P-ank-1 and/or I²-ank-3 protein compared to expression host cells that are not …

Remote Sensing To Detect The Movement Of Wheat Curl Mites Through The Spatial Spread Of Virus Symptoms, And Identification Of Thrips As Predators Of Wheat Curl Mites, Abby R. Stilwell

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The wheat curl mite (WCM), Aceria tosichella Keifer, transmits three viruses to winter wheat: wheat streak mosaic virus, High Plains virus, and Triticum mosaic virus. This virus complex causes yellowing of the foliage and stunting of plants. WCMs disperse by wind, and an increased understanding of mite movement and subsequent virus spread is necessary in determining the risk of serious virus infections in winter wheat. These risk parameters will help growers make better decisions regarding WCM management. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the capabilities of remote sensing to identify virus infected plants and to establish the potential …

Synchrotron X-Ray Visualisation Of Ice Formation In Insects During Lethal And Non-Lethal Freezing, Brent J. Sinclair, Allen G. Gibbs, Wah Keat Lee, Arun Rajamohan, Stephen P. Roberts, John J. Socha

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Although the Biochemical Correlates of Freeze Tolerance in Insects Are Becoming Well-Known, the Process of Ice Formation in Vivo is Subject to Speculation. We Used Synchrotron X-Rays to Directly Visualize Real-Time Ice Formation at 3.3 Hz in Intact Insects. We Observed Freezing in Diapausing 3rd Instar Larvae of Chymomyza Amoena (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Which Survive Freezing If It Occurs above 214uC, and non-Diapausing 3rd Instar Larvae of C. Amoena and Drosophila Melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae), Neither of Which Survive Freezing. Freezing Was Readily Observed in All Larvae, and on One Occasion the Gut Was Seen to Freeze Separately from the Haemocoel. There …

Two Additional Invasive Scarabaeoid Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) In Hawaii, Mary Liz Jameson, Darcy E. Oishi, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Grant T. Mcquate

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

Two species of dynastine scarab beetles are reported for the first time on the island of Hawaii: the Pasadena masked chafer, Cyclocephala pasadenae (Casey) (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) from North America and Temnorhynchus retusus (Fabricius) (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Pentodontini) from Africa. The Pasadena masked chafer is established on the island of Hawaii, is a recognized pest of turf grass, and is a concern for agriculture and native Hawaiian arthropod species. Temnorhynchus retusus is not known to be an agricultural pest, but its spread on the islands could pose a problem for Hawaiian native species. We provide an overview of each species, characteristics …

Description Of The Larva Of Lophodiplosis Trifida, An Australian Gall Midge (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) And Biocontrol Agent Of Paperbark In Florida, Usa, Raymond Gagne, Susan Wright, Matthew F. Purcell, Bradley T. Brown, Paul D. Pratt, Ted D. Center

USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Lophodiplosis trifida Gagné, an Australian gall midge on paperbark, Melaleuca quinquenervia (Myrtaceae), is a recent release in southern Florida for the biological control of that host. The larval stage is described for the first time and compared to that of other Lophodiplosis species. Photos of galls and illustrations of larvae are provided. Second and third instars of L. trifida are unusual among Cecidomyiidae for the lack of setae on most papillae.

Biological Observations And A New State Record Of Paracotalpa Granicollis Haldeman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) In New Mexico, Paul Kaufman, Mary Liz Jameson

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

Specimens of Paracotalpa granicollis Haldeman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) collected in northwestern New Mexico represent a new state record for the species. Individuals (males only) were observed in association with Juniperus osteosperma Torr. Little (Juniper; Cupressaceae). We provide an overview of the biology of species in the genus Paracotalpa Ohaus and discuss biological observations of P. granicollis.

Generic Reassignment Of Species In The Tribe Cephaloleiini Chapuis, 1875 (Coleoptera: Cassidinae), C. L. Staines

Insecta Mundi

Thirty-one species of Cephaloleiini are assigned to new genera, creating new combinations: 19 to Parimatidium Spaeth, 10 to Stilpnaspis Weise, and two to Demotispa Baly. Demotispa peruana membrata Uhmann, 1957 is raised to full species status. As the transfer of Cephaloleia limbatum Pic to Demotispa creates a homonymy, the species is renamed Demotispa pici nomen novum.

The Beetles Of St. Lucia, Lesser Antilles (Insecta: Coleoptera): Diversity And Distributions, Stewart B. Peck

Insecta Mundi

The published beetle fauna of the island of St. Lucia is summarized. It contains 135 genera, and 175 species in 25 families. Four species are accidentally introduced by human activities. Twenty three species are endemic (restricted) to the island. Twenty seven species on St. Lucia are shared only with other islands of the Lesser Antilles, and 22 species are widespread Antilles endemics. The remaining 56.6% of the fauna is otherwise mostly one which is widely distributed in the Antilles and the Neotropics. This suggests that it is mostly an immigrant fauna originating in the continental Neotropics. Undoubtedly, the actual numbers …

A New Country Record For Chrysina Diversa (Ohaus, 1912) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) In Central America, Conrad P. D. T. Gillett

Insecta Mundi

Chrysina diversa (Ohaus, 1912) is recorded for the first time from Belize. Detailed information on its capture in that country is presented.

Chrysina diversa (Ohaus, 1912) est signalée pour la première fois de Belize. Des informations détaillées sur sa capture dans cette pays sont présentées ici.

Fortuitous Establishment Of Rhyzobius Lophanthae (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) And Aphytis Lingnanesis (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) In South Texas On The Cycad Aulacaspis Scale, Aulacaspis Yasumatsui (Hemiptera: Diaspididae), Daniel Flores, Jason Carlson

Entomology Papers from Other Sources

The cycad aulacaspis scale, Aulacaspis yasumatsui Takagi, is currently found in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, Cayman Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Hawaii, and Florida (Germain and Hodges 2007). It was originally described from specimens collected on a Cycas sp., in Bangkok, Thailand, in 1972 (Takagi 1977). In recent years, finds have also been reported in California, Georgia, and Nevada (IUCN/SSC Cycad Specialist Group 2009). In 2006, severe outbreaks of cycad aulacaspis scale were reported in South Texas where sago palms, Cycas revoluta Thunb., adorn landscapes and are important ornamental plants for commercial nursery growers (Bográn et al. 2006). Of …

Hybridization In Diabrotica Barberi Smith And Lawrence And Diabrotica Longicornis (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae): Biology, Behavior, Field Introgression, And A Reevaluation Of Taxonomic Status, Laura A. Campbell

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Diabrotica barberi Smith and Lawrence and D. longicornis (Say) are currently recognized as closely related chrysomelid species. Morphological and genetic data support that the two species are sister taxa, and hybridization has been proposed to occur. The objectives of this work were to: 1) assess life history parameters of both taxa and hybrids, 2) compare mating behavior, pheromone response, and spermatophore transfer of both taxa and hybrids, and 3) examine genetic and morphological data for evidence of introgression. Using lab-reared individuals, fitness parameters and potential for population growth were assessed. D. barberi and D. longicornis differed in longevity and fecundity. …

Steinernema Diaprepesi (Nematoda: Steinernematidae): Its Occurrence In Western Mexico And Susceptibility Of Engorded Cattle Ticks Boophilus Microplus (Acari: Ixodidae), Jaime Molina-Ochoa, Khuong B. Nguyen, Martín González-Ramírez, Miguel Guadalupe Quintana-Moreno, Roberto Lezama-Gutiérrez, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) belong to the families Steinernematidae and Heterorhabditidae. They infect a wide range of insect hosts and are used to control numerous species of soil borne insect pests (Grewal 2002). We identified EPN genera based on the color of cadavers of the wax moth, Galleria mellonella L., in which Heterorhabditis and Steinernema, produce red and tan colors, respectively, according to Woodring & Kaya (1988). We obtained an isolate of an EPN from sandy loam soil with the Galleria technique (Bedding & Akhurst, 1975) from grasslands in the Campus Tecomán of the Universidad de Colima, and we designated it …

Non-Target Effects Of The 'Push-Pull' Habitat Management Strategy: Parasitoid Activity And Soil Fauna Abundance, Charles A.O. Midega, Zeyaur R. Khan, Johnnie Van Den Berg, Callistus K.P.O. Ogol, Toby J. Bruce, John A. Pickett

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

We assessed the non-target effects of a habitat management system ('push-pull') on maize stemborer specialist natural enemy activity and soil Collembola. Two study sites in western Kenya were sampled. There were two treatments at each site, maize monocrop and 'push-pull'. The latter comprised an intercrop of maize and Desmodium, Desmodium uncinatum Jacq., with Napier grass, Pennisetum purpureum (Schumach), as a trap crop planted around the edge of the plot (spaced 1 m from main crop). Trichogramma spp. were recovered from stemborer eggs while Cotesia sesamiae and Cotesia flavipes were recovered from stemborer larvae, and Dentichasmias busseolae from pupae. Mean number …

Bed Bugs: For Homeowners, Ryan S. Davis, Erin W. Hodgson, Jay B. Karren, Alan H. Roe

All Current Publications

Bed bugs are notorious around the world for their impact on humans and have been recognized as important pests for hundreds of years. Infestations were common before World War II, but heavy insecticide use eliminated most bed bugs in North America for almost 30 years.

Bed Bugs: For Pest Control Operators, Ryan S. Davis

All Current Publications

Over the past decade reports of bed bug infestations (Cimicidae: Cimex lectularius) throughout North America and abroad have been on the rise. Accordingly, bed bug submissions to the Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab have also been increasing.

The Chemistry Of Lipid Signal Molecules In Insects, Sean M. Putnam

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

I report on the chemical identification of lipid signaling molecules in three species of insects and describe the chemical isolation of a bacterial product that inhibits eicosanoid biosynthesis. Chapter 2 reports that eicosanoids mediate nodulation reactions to bacterial infection in newly-emerged, but not forager honeybees. Cyclooxygenase and lipoxygenase inhibitors attenuate nodulation, which is reversed in the presence of arachidonic acid. Older adult honeybees do not produce bacterial-induced nodules, and they have fewer circulating hemocytes, from which I infer that foraging honeybees express a physiological trade-off between maintaining a biologically expensive hemocytic immune system and flight activity associated with foraging. Chapters …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 21, No. 6, November 2009

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Welcome

Congratulations

Publications

Grants

Meet and Off-Campus Student

Student News

From the Office

Travel

Nebline, November/December 2009

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Middle School Youth on a “Nutrition Mission”
Roasts – Easy to Make for the Holidays and Any Other Time, Too!
Family & Community Education (FCE) Clubs: Presidents’ Notes—Bonnie’s Bits
FCE News & Events
Household Hints: Get a Handle on Holiday Cleaning
Radon—A Health Hazard
Computer Cleaning—Hotspots for Germs
Flexible Cash Lease Provisions
Thistle Control Still Possible This Fall — but Hurry
Use Season-Long Records to Assess Pumping Plant Performance
Diversity is the Key to Attracting Wildlife
Provide Basic Needs to Attract Birds
Relocating Problem Wild Animals: Not as Humane as Most People Think
Evergreen Colors for Winter
Fall Vegetable Garden …

Integration Of Edible Beans (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.) Into The Push-Pull Technology Developed For Stemborer And Striga Control In Maize-Based Cropping Systems, Zeyaur R. Khan, Charles A.O. Midega, Japhether M. Wanyama, David M. Amudavi, Ahmed Hassanali, Jimmy Pittchar, John A. Pickett

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Smallholder farming systems in eastern Africa are characterized by cereal/edible legume intercrops in fields severely constrained by parasitic weed, Striga hermonthica, cereal stemborers and declining soil fertility. The push-pull technology concurrently addresses these constraints. It involves intercropping maize with stemborer repellent fodder legume, Desmodium spp. (push), with an attractant crop, Napier grass, Pennisetum purpureum (pull), planted around this intercrop, thus making it difficult to interplant edible legumes. We assessed farmers' practice and perceptions on intercropping and willingness to integrate beans in their push-pull plots from a sample of 300 farmers in six districts in western Kenya. All the respondents traditionally …

Fungal Entomopathogens: New Insights On Their Ecology, Fernando E. Vega, Mark S. Goettel, Meredith Blackwell, David Chandler, Mark A. Jackson, Siegfried Keller, Masanori Koike, Nguya K. Maniania, Arnulfo Monzón, Bonnie H. Ownley, Judith K. Pell, Drauzio E.N. Rangel, Helen E. Roy

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

An important mechanism for insect pest control should be the use of fungal entomopathogens. Even though these organisms have been studied for more than 100 y, their effective use in the field remains elusive. Recently, however, it has been discovered that many of these entomopathogenic fungi play additional roles in nature. They are endophytes, antagonists of plant pathogens, associates with the rhizosphere, and possibly even plant growth promoting agents. These findings indicate that the ecological role of these fungi in the environment is not fully understood and limits our ability to employ them successfully for pest management. In this paper, …

The Milliped Family Tingupidae (Chordeumatida) On Kodiak Island, Alaska, Usa, A Geographically Remote Record Of Indigenous Diplopoda, Rowland M. Shelley, Michael F. Medrano, Kristiina Ovaska

Insecta Mundi

With documentation of an unidentifiable adult female and juvenile Tingupidae (Chordeumatida), Kodiak Island, Alaska, becomes the westernmost indigenous diplopod locality in North America including continental islands. The northernmost and most proximate locality, Yakutat, lies ca. 935 mi (1,496 km) to the eastnortheast, while Haines, the type locality of Tingupa tlingitorum Shear and Shelley, some 1,196 mi (1,914 km) in this direction, is the most proximate familial site. Kodiak is also one of the most remote indigenous milliped localities in the Pacific, the most proximate ones to the west and south, Kamchatka, Russia, and the Hawaiian Islands, United States, being over …

Five New Species Of Peltonotus Burmeister (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) From Southeast Asia, Mary Liz Jameson, Kaoru Wada

Insecta Mundi

The Southeast Asian scarab beetle genus Peltonotus Burmeister (Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) is associated with aroid flowers and possesses a unique, articulated maxillary tooth. We describe five new species of Peltonotus: P. animus and P. cybele from Sumatra, P. favonius from Vietnam, P. mushiyaus from Borneo, and P. tigerus from Thailand. The circumscription of P. karubei Muramoto is broadened to include new color variation, and the body size range for the genus is increased with Peltonotus mushiyaus, n. sp., now being the smallest member of the genus. We provide an amended key to species, distribution maps, diagnoses and accompanying comparative …

A Revision Of The Genus Maracandula Currie (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), Robert B. Miller, Lionel A. Stange

Insecta Mundi

Three new species of Maracandula are described from Mexico and included in a key to the five species in Mexico. Diagnoses of the species are given as well as distributional data.

Se describen tres especies nuevas de Maracandula de Mexico y se incluye una clave de las cinco especies conocidas de Mexico.

Xyloryctes Hope, 1837 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Oryctini) In The United States. Qui Es Et Ubi Fuisti Et Quo Vadis?, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Insecta Mundi

Two species of Xyloryctes occur in the United States: X. jamaicensis (Drury) and X. thestalus Bates. Identification and distribution of these species has long been confused but is reviewed and clarified here. Xyloryctes jamaicensis occurs only in the eastern half of the U.S. and not in the southwestern U.S. as previously thought, while X. thestalus occurs in Guatemala and southern Mexico northwards to the southwestern United States. This hypothesis is corroborated by biogeographical and host plant data. Three new synonyms are listed for X. thestalus: X. faunus Casey 1915, X. hebes Casey 1915, and X. thestalus borealis Endrödi. The …

First Record Of Curius Chemsaki Nearns And Ray, 2006 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Curiini) In Colombia, Eugenio H. Nearns, Ian P. Swift, Luis J. Joly

Insecta Mundi

Curius chemsaki Nearns and Ray, 2006 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Curiini), is reported from Colombia for the first time. In addition, the range of this taxon within Venezuela is extended to the Andean Province of Táchira.

Contributions To The Faunistics Of Odonata In Thailand, Michael L. Ferro, Robert W. Sites, Akekawat Vitheepradit

Insecta Mundi

Distribution and habitat information are provided for 1578 adult specimens of Odonata representing 127 species in 70 genera and 16 families that were collected from 143 locations throughout Thailand. Of the species collected, 25 (20%) were represented by a single specimen, and 40 (31%) were collected from a single location. Collections were made at 49 lentic and 85 lotic sites, and an average of 6.9 and 6.6 species were collected at each site in each habitat, respectively.

A Heteroskedastic Error Covariance Matrix Estimator Using A First-Order Conditional Autoregressive Markov Simulation For Deriving Asympotical Efficient Estimates From Ecological Sampled Anopheles Arabiensis Aquatic Habitat Covariates, Benjamin G. Jacob, Daniel A. Griffith, Ephantus J. Muturi, Erick X. Caamano, John I. Githure, Robert J. Novak

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background. Autoregressive regression coefficients for Anopheles arabiensis aquatic habitat models are usually assessed using global error techniques and are reported as error covariance matrices. A global statistic, however, will summarize error estimates from multiple habitat locations. This makes it difficult to identify where there are clusters of An. arabiensis aquatic habitats of acceptable prediction. It is therefore useful to conduct some form of spatial error analysis to detect clusters of An. arabiensis aquatic habitats based on uncertainty residuals from individual sampled habitats. In this research, a method of error estimation for spatial simulation models was demonstrated using autocorrelation indices and …

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

Entomology Faculty Publications

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

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

Controlling The Dengue Mosquito (Aedes Aegypti): Assessment Of The Effects Of Metofluthrin, A Novel Vapor-Active Pyrethroid, On Mosquito Behavior In A Modeled Domestic Setting., Randy Kring

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Dengue fever is a potentially life-threatening illness that is endemic in over 100 countries and threatens approximately half of the world’s population. The dengue virus is transmitted between humans by a mosquito vector, principally the dengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti. This mosquito prefers to live and feed in and around people’s homes. As a result, preventing mosquito bites within a domestic setting is essential to controlling the dengue virus. Although several methods of bite prevention are currently available to the public, most of these methods only provide short-term protection from the dengue mosquito. In contrast, a recently developed synthetic pyrethroid called …