Entomology Commons^™

2011 Soybean Insect Losses In The Southern Us, F. R. Musser, A. L. Catchot Jr., J. A. Davis, D. A. Herbert Jr., B. R. Leonard, G. M. Lorenz, T. Reed, D. D. Reisig, S. D. Stewart

Midsouth Entomologist

Survey-based soybean insect losses provide a glimpse of current soybean management practices and allow one to see evolving trends. This survey was initiated in Mississippi in 2004, Tennessee in 2008, and Arkansas in 2009. The 2011 survey is the first to include Alabama, Louisiana, North Carolina, and Virginia. The 2011 survey represents nearly 9.5 million acres across the southern U.S. Overall, the 2011 survey shows corn earworm to be responsible for more than 50% of all insect-related costs and losses in the surveyed states. More than 50% of the acreage was scouted for a fee and more than 50% of …

Spatial Genetic Variation Among Spodoptera Frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Sampled From The United States, Puerto Rico, Panama, And Argentina, Difabachew K. Belay, Pete L. Clark, Steven R. Skoda, David J. Isenhour, Jaime Molina-Ochoa, Claudia Gianni, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Spatial genetic variability of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), was studied by collecting samples from 31 locations in the United States, Argentina, Panama, and Puerto Rico, and then using amplified fragment length polymorphism to detect genetic variation. Analysis of molecular variance showed significant genetic variation in fall armyworm among all (28%) sample locations and individuals within (71%) sample locations; genetic variation of fall armyworm was minimal between sample locations grouped into regions. The pairwise fixation index (F_ST) comparisons showed significant genetic differentiation (0.288) among the 31 locations. However, dendrograms of results from cluster …

Genetic Differentiation Of Western Corn Rootworm Populations (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Relative To Insecticide Resistance, Hong Chen, Haichuan Wang, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Abstract

As the single most important pest of field corn, Zea mays L., throughout most of the Corn Belt, the western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), has undergone repeated selection for resistance to a variety of insecticides that persist widely among Nebraska populations. In this study, we used 11 microsatellite markers to genotype two populations with high levels of resistance to methyl-parathion and aldrin (Polk and Stromsburg), two populations with low and intermediate levels of resistance (Mead and Clay Center) from Nebraska, and one population from outside the Corn Belt (Safford, Arizona). The genetic diversity measured by …

Bean Leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) And Bean Pod Mottle Virus In Soybean: Biology, Ecology, And Management, Buyung A. R. Hadi, Jeffrey D. Bradshaw, Marlin E. Rice, John J. Hill

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcata (Förster), is a pest of soybean found in many production areas in the United States. The bean leaf beetle larvae feed on soybean root nodules, whereas the adults feed on the above ground parts of soybean such as cotyledon, leaves, and pods. Bean leaf beetle is also a very efficient vector of Bean pod mottle virus, a widespread virus of soybean in the south and southeastern United States with recent expansion into the north central region of the country. This article summarizes bean leaf beetle biology, ecology, and its impact on soybean production in the …

A Novel Synthetic Odorant Blend For Trapping Of Malaria And Other African Mosquito Species, Wolfgang R. Mukabana, Collins K. Mweresa, Bruno Otieno, Philemon Omusula, Renate C. Smallegange, Joop J.A. Van Loon, Willem Takken

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Estimating the biting fraction of mosquitoes is of critical importance for risk assessment of malaria transmission. Here, we present a novel odor-based tool that has been rigorously assessed in semi-field assays and traditional African villages for estimating the number of mosquitoes that enter houses in search of a blood meal. A standard synthetic blend (SB) consisting of ammonia, (S)-lactic acid, tetradecanoic acid, and carbon dioxide was complemented with isovaleric acid, 4,5 dimethylthiazole, 2-methyl-1-butanol, and 3-methyl-1-butanol in various combinations and concentrations, and tested for attractiveness to the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae. Compounds were released through low density polyethylene (LDPE) material or …

Species Composition Of Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) In The Citrus Museum At The Agricultural Research Centre (Arc), Kade, Ghana, Caroline Ngichop Foba, Kwame Afreh-Nuamah, Maxwell Kelvin Billah, Daniel Obeng-Ofori

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

To determine species composition of fruit flies on six cultivated varieties of citrus (Late Valencia orange, Pineapple orange, Ovaleto, Mediterranean sweet lemon, Satsuma tangerine and Ortanique orange), a study was conducted at the Agricultural Research Centre, Kade, Ghana. Improvised Lynfield baited traps (methyl eugenol (ME) and citrus juice (CJ)) and McPhail baited traps (trimedlure (TML)) were used. Ripe infested fruits from the selected varieties were also collected and incubated. Tephritid fruit fly species from trapping were identified as Bactrocera invadens Drew, Tsuruta & White, Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillet), Ceratitis ditissima Munro, C. anonae Graham, C. capitata (Wiedemann), C. bremii Guerin-Meneville, Dacus …

Oviposition Induced Volatile Emissions From African Smallholder Farmers' Maize Varieties, Amanuel Tamiru, Toby J.A. Bruce, Charles A.O. Midega, Christine M. Woodcock, Michael A. Birkett, John A. Pickett, Zeyaur R. Khan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Maize (corn), Zea mays, is a genetically diverse crop, and we have recently shown that certain open pollinated varieties (OPVs) of Latin American origin possess a trait not present in mainstream commercial varieties: they produce volatiles in response to stemborer oviposition that are attractive to stemborer parasitoids. Here, we tested whether a similar tritrophic effect occurs in the African OPVs 'Nyamula' and 'Jowi'. Herbivore induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) were collected from plants exposed to egg deposition by the stemborer Chilo partellus. In a four-arm olfactometer bioassay, the parasitic wasp Cotesia sesamiae preferred samples containing HIPVs from plants with eggs to …

Life History Of Oplostomus Haroldi (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Under Laboratory Conditions And A Description Of Its Third Instar Larva, Ayuka T. Fombong, Fabian Haas, Paul N. Ndegwa, Lucy W. Irungu

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The life history of Oplostomus haroldi (Witte), a recently reported pest of honeybee colonies in East Africa, was studied for the first time under laboratory conditions. Adult O. haroldi collected from beehives in the coastal part of Kenya were reared on a mixture of moist sterilized soil and cow dung. At 25-±-2-°C, 50-±-5% relative humidity and a 10-h light-14-h dark photoperiod, the laid eggs took 11.9-±-1.3 days to hatch into a curved pear-shaped scarabaeiform larva with a well-developed head and thoracic legs. The first, second and third larval instars lasted 14.6-±-2.6, 17.5-±-2.4 and 34.6-±-2.4 days, respectively. The pupal stage, which …

Seasonal Abundance Of Maiestas Banda (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), A Vector Of Phytoplasma, And Other Leafhoppers And Planthoppers (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) Associated With Napier Grass (Pennisetum Purpureum) In Kenya, Shinsaku Koji, Satoshi Fujinuma, Charles A.O. Midega, Hassan M. Mohamed, Tadashi Ishikawa, Michael R. Wilson, Manfred Asche, Simon Degelo, Tarô Adati, John A. Pickett, Zeyaur R. Khan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach), the main fodder crop in eastern Africa, has recently been severely affected by Napier stunt disease, which is caused by phytoplasma. We have recently confirmed that a leafhopper, Maiestas banda (Kramer) transmits phytoplasma in Napier grass in Kenya. Several other species of leafhoppers (Cicadellidae) and planthoppers (Delphacidae) are also associated with Napier grass, and some could be potential vector(s) of phytoplasma, but little is known about phenology and movement activity of these insect groups. We monitored the populations of M. banda and other leafhoppers and planthoppers in Napier grass fields at two sites in western …

Western Striped And Western Spotted Cucumber Beetles, Diane Alston, Dennis Worwood

All Current Publications

Cucumber beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) are pests of cucurbits throughout the U.S. Western species of cucumber beetles will also feed on leaves of other vegetables (especially corn, tomato, potato, and bean) and soft fruits (especially apricot and peach) (Table 1). In Utah, watermelon and cantaloupe have been the main commercial crops attacked. In home gardens, zucchini, cucumber and cantaloupe have suffered the most damage.

An Annotated List Of The Lepidoptera Of Honduras, Jacqueline Y. Miller, Deborah L. Matthews, Andrew D. Warren, M. Alma Solis, Donald J. Harvey, Patricia Gentili-Poole, Robert Lehman, Thomas C. Emmel, Charles V. Covell

Insecta Mundi

A biodiversity inventory of the Lepidoptera of Pico Bonito National Park and vicinity, in the Department of Atlantida of northern Honduras, was initiated in 2009 to obtain baseline data. We present a revised checklist of Honduran butterfly species (updated from the initial 1967 lists), as well as the first comprehensive list of Honduran moths. Our updated list includes 550 species of Papilionoidea, 311 Hesperioidea, and 1,441 moth species.

Los Ciempiés Escutigeromorfos (Scutigeromorpha), Escolopendromorfos (Scolopendromorpha) Y Geofilomorfos (Geophilomorpha) De La Selva Tropical Caducifolia De La Reserva De Chamela, Jalisco, México, Fabio Germán Cupul-Magaña

Insecta Mundi

The Chamela-Cuixmala Biosphere Reserve is located on the Pacific coast of the state of Jalisco in Mexico. The Reserve was founded in 1993 and covers 13142 hectares. It is one of the few reserves in Mexico created for the protection of the tropical deciduous (dry) forest and associated ecosystems. Five centipede species have hitherto been reported from the Reserve: Cormocephalus impressus Porat, 1876; Dendrothereua linceci (Wood, 1867); Ectonocryptoides quadrimeropus Shelley and Mercurio, 2005; Scolopendra polymorpha (Wood, 1861) and Scolopendra viridis Say, 1821. The first formal study on the centipede fauna in the Reserve commenced in July 2010. After one year …

Preliminary Checklist Of The Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, And Vesperidae (Coleoptera) Of Peru, Miguel A. Monné, Eugenio H. Nearns, Sarah C. Carbonel Carril, Ian P. Swift, Marcela L. Monné

Insecta Mundi

A preliminary checklist of the Cerambycidae, Disteniidae, and Vesperidae (Coleoptera) of Peru is presented. Within Cerambycidae, we record five subfamilies, 55 tribes, 345 genera and subgenera, and 714 species. Within Disteniidae, we record one tribe, six genera, and 11 species. We also record one subfamily, one tribe, one genus, and two species within Vesperidae. Four new country records are recorded: one species in the tribe Anacolini (Cerambycidae: Prioninae): Cycloprionus flavus Tippmann, 1953; and three species in the tribe Onciderini (Cerambycidae: Lamiinae): Cacostola simplex (Pascoe, 1859); Marensis simplex (Bates, 1865); Trachysomus cavigibba Martins, 1975. In addition, 161 species recorded are known …

A Summary Of The Endemic Beetle Genera Of The West Indies (Insecta: Coleoptera); Bioindicators Of The Evolutionary Richness Of This Neotropical Archipelago, Stewart B. Peck, Daniel E. Perez-Gelabert

Insecta Mundi

The Caribbean Islands (or the West Indies) are recognized as one of the leading global biodiversity hot spots. This is based on data on species, genus, and family diversity for vascular plants and non-marine vertebrates. This paper presents data on genus level endemicity for the most speciose (but less well publicised) group of terrestrial animals: the beetles, with 205 genera (in 25 families) now recognized as being endemic (restricted) to the West Indies. The predominant families with endemic genera are Cerambycidae (41), Chrysomelidae (28), Curculionidae (26), and Staphylinidae (25). This high level of beetle generic endemicity can be extrapolated to …

New Records Of Biting Midges Of The Genus Culicoides Latreille From Mexico (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Herón Huerta, Ana M. Rodríguez Castrejón, William L. Grogan Jr., Sergio Ibáñez-Bernal

Insecta Mundi

We provide the first records of six species of biting midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae) in the genus Culicoides Latreille from Mexico: C. baueri Hoffman, C. castillae Fox, C. debilipalpis Lutz, C. iriartei Fox, C. leoni Barbosa and C. pusilloides Wirth and Blanton. In addition, C. leopoldoi Ortiz is confirmed from Mexico, and new records are included for 25 other species previously recorded in Mexico: C. arubae Fox and Hoffman, C. blantoni Vargas and Wirth, C. crepuscularis Malloch, C. daedalus Macfie, C. diabolicus Hoffman, C. foxi Ortiz, C. furens (Poey), C. gabaldoni Ortiz, C. haematopotus …

Chalcosicya Maya N. Sp, A New Mexican Species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumoplinae) And Its Implications For Morphology And Biogeography, R. Wills Flowers

Insecta Mundi

Chalcosicya maya, new species, (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae) is described and the species key of Blake (1951) is modified to accommodate it. This is the first known mainland species of this previously Antillean genus. Sclerotized rods in the apical segment of the ovipositor of Chalcosicya Blake and related genera are shown to be useful systematic characters within the eumolpine tribe Adoxini. Relationships with other genera suggest that Chalcosicya belongs to a clade derived from ancestors with a western Tethyian distribution.

Se describe Chalcosicya maya especie nueva (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae). Esta es la primera especie conocida de tierra continente de este género …

The Milliped Genus Euryurus Koch, 1847 (Polydesmida: Euryuridae) West Of The Mississippi River; Occurrence Of E. Leachii (Gray, 1832) On Crowley’S Ridge, Arkansas, Rowland M. Shelley, Chris T. Mcallister, Henry W. Robison

Insecta Mundi

The milliped genus Euryurus Koch, 1847, and the species, E. leachii (Gray, 1832) (Polydesmida: Euryuridae), are recorded from three sites on the northern part of Crowley’s Ridge (Cross, Lee, and Poinsett counties), Arkansas, where the only prior familial records are of Auturus evides (Bollman, 1887). Coupled with the published locality of E. leachii in Phillips Co., at the southern extremity of the Ridge, the only known occurrences of both the genus and species in Arkansas and west of the Mississippi River are in this physiographic feature. The Arkansas population is geographically peripheral but anatomically intermediate between the two recognized subspecies, …

The Apterous Endemic Genus Omphra Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Helluonini) Of The Indian Subcontinent: Taxonomy With Notes On Habits And Distributional Patterns, Shiju T. Raj, Thomas K. Sabu, Zhao Danyang

Insecta Mundi

Among the four oriental genera of the tribe Helluonini, Omphra Dejean (Coleoptera: Carabidae), is unique for its endemism to the Indian subcontinent and aptery. High intraspecies variability in morphological characters and limited diagnostic information makes species differentiation of the genus Omphra a complicated task. The present study provides a description of a new species, Omphra drumonti n. sp. from the Western Ghats, redescriptions and a key to the species of Omphra, details of intraspecies variation, discussion of relationships between taxa and distributional patterns of the genus. Based on the distributional patterns in the Indian subcontinent and flightlessness of …

Recognition Of Chyrsobothris Thoracica Guadeloupensis Descarpentries, 1981 At The Species Level (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), Norman E. Woodley, Julien Touroult

Insecta Mundi

Evidence is presented that the subspecies Chrysobothris thoracica guadeloupensis Descarpentries, 1981 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) should be recognized at the species level. Character evidence is provided to separate C. guadeloupensis, new status, from C. thoracica Fabricius, 1798. Both species are illustrated with habitus photographs and images of the male genitalia.

Gene Expression Modulation System For Use In Plants And Method For Modulating Gene Expression In Plants, Subba Reddy Palli, Ajay Kumar Singh

Entomology Faculty Patents

An EcR-based gene expression modulation system for use in plants includes an EcR gene expression cassette, a modified RXR gene expression cassette, and a gene-of-interest expression cassette, which can be expressed in a host plant cell.

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 …

Bark Beetles And Fire: Two Forces Of Nature Transforming Western Forests, Gail Wells

Joint Fire Science Program Digests

Bark beetles are chewing a wide swath through forests across North America. Over the past few years, infestations have become epidemic in lodgepole and spruce-fir forests of the Intermountain West. The resulting extensive acreages of dead trees are alarming the public and raising concern about risk of severe fire. Researchers supported by the Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) are examining the complicated relationship between bark beetles and wildfire, the two most influential natural disturbance agents in these forests. Are the beetles setting the stage for larger, more severe wildfires? And are fires bringing on beetle epidemics? Contrary to popular opinion, …

Midgut And Fat Body Bacteriocytes In Neotropical Cerambycid Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Olga Calderon, Amy Berkov

Publications and Research

Xylophagous insects derive nutrients from intractable substrates by producing or ingesting cellulolytic enzymes, or by maintaining associations with symbiotic microbes. Wood-boring cerambycid beetle larvae sometimes house maternally-transmitted endosymbiotic yeasts that are presumed to provide their hosts with nutritional beneÞts. These are thought to be absent from species in the large subfamily Lamiinae; nevertheless yeasts have been repeatedly isolated from the guts of neotropical lamiines. The objective of this study was to conduct transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies of cerambycid larval midgut tissues to determine if gut yeasts were intracellular, or simply present in the gut lumen. Nine cerambycid larvae were …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 24, No. 1, February 2012

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

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Nebline, February 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

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Food & Fitness

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Horticulture

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and other extension news and events

Effect Of Temperature And Relative Humidity On The Development And Fecundity Of Chilo Partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), A. Tamiru, E. Getu, B. Jembere, T. Bruce

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The spotted stemborer, Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is one of the most important insect pests attacking maize and sorghum in Ethiopia. Recent studies have indicated that the pest is spreading to new locations where it was not reported before. In the current study, laboratory investigations were carried out to determine the combined effect of different levels of relative humidity and temperature regimes on the development and fecundity of C. partellus, as these physical factors are known to play an important role in the life cycle of insects and adaptability to local climate. Developmental time, longevity, potential fecundity and realized …

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 …

Observations Of Oviposition Behavior Among North American Tiger Beetle (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) Species And Notes On Mass Rearing, Mathew L. Brust, C. Barry Knisley, Stephen M. Spomer, Kentaro Miwa

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

Although the larvae of a large number of North American tiger beetle species have been described, little information exists on the oviposition behavior of female tiger beetles at the species level. In this study, we found that the oviposition behavior varied widely among species, with some species utilizing more than one method. We found that, contrary to many references, several tiger beetle species did not oviposit from above the soil surface by inserting the ovipositor into the soil. Instead, several species oviposited by tunneling over 20 mm below the soil surface. In addition, we outline recently used successful protocols for …

The Pentatomidae, Or Stink Bugs, Of Kansas With A Key To Species (Hemiptera: Heteroptera), Richard J. Packauskas Ph.D.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Forty eight species of Pentatomidae are listed as occurring in the state of Kansas, nine of these are new state records. A key to all species known from the state of Kansas is given, along with some notes on new state records.

Breeding Biology And Incremental Benefits Of Outcrossing For The Restoration Wildflower, Hedysarum Boreale Nutt. (Fabaceae), Katharine A. Swoboda-Bhattarai, James H. Cane

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Northern sweetvetch (Hedysarum boreale Nutt.) is an herbaceous perennial legume of the Rocky Mountains, USA, whose seed is desired for rehabilitating degraded plant communities. Through experimental pollinations, the necessity of pollinators was shown by the failure of autogamy, despite stigmas first becoming receptive in the bud in close proximity to the dehiscing anthers. Nonetheless, the species proved to be self-fertile, initiating as many fruits through selfing as outcrossing. Incremental benefits of outcrossing only later manifested in superior fruit development, seed maturation and seed germination. Farming of H. boreale can yield abundant viable seed if adequately visited by pollinating bees.