Entomology Commons^™

Nebline, November/December 2015

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Chill Out Over the Holidays by Freezing Foods Ahead

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The Tramp Ant Cardiocondyla Venustula (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Reported From Alabama, J. A. Macgown, H. Richter

Midsouth Entomologist

No abstract provided.

Clinical Report Of The Spinose Ear Tick, Otobius Megnini (Acari: Parasitiformes: Argasidae), From A Domestic Cat, Felis Silvestris Catus, And First Record From Northwest Arkansas, M. J. Skvarla, G. E. Evans, J. R. Fisher, A. P. G. Dowling

Midsouth Entomologist

We provide a brief overview of the spinose ear tick, Otobius megnini (Dugès 1884) (Acari: Parasitiformes: Argasidae), describe a clinical case from a domestic cat, Felis silvestris catus L. 1758, and report the species for the first time from Northwest Arkansas.

The George H. Bradley Black Fly Papers (Diptera: Simuliidae), T. M. Nations, K. T. Edwards, J. Goddard

Midsouth Entomologist

Dr. George H. Bradley, a former USDA and Army entomologist, conducted research on a variety of medically important insects during his career; most notably mosquitoes (Diptera: Culicidae) and black flies (Diptera: Simuliidae). Much of Dr. Bradley’s personal library was donated to the Mississippi Entomological Museum at Mississippi State University after his death. Six of Dr. Bradley’s papers in that library, apparently never published, were discovered concerning the ecology and biology of the southern buffalo gnat, which he called Eusimulium pecuarum, (now known as Cnephia pecuarum). These unpublished works provide much needed and never before seen information on this medically important …

An Introduction To Insects Of Regulatory Concern, Robert Phillips

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

No abstract provided.

Three New Reports Of Subsocial Tortoise Beetles From South America (Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Margarete V. Macedo, Vivian Flinte, André Abejanella, Caroline S. Chaboo

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Subsociality is known in 35 species in 10 genera of the chrysomelid subfamilies Cassidinae and Chrysomelinae. In Cassidinae, the behavior is clustered in two tribes, Eugenysini and Mesomphaliini, but unknown biologies of many of these species limit fine-scaled resolution of the origins and diversity of this interesting behavior. We report three new records of subsocial Cassidinae, Eugenysa martae Borowiec in Colombia, Omaspides (Omaspides) clathrata L. in French Guiana, and Paraselenis (S.) aulica in Brazil. Females guard larvae and pupae; larvae retain exuvio-fecal shields in some stages. Longer-term study of P. (S.) aulica on the host Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) revealed …

Effects Of Agroforestry On Pest, Disease And Weed Control: A Meta-Analysis, Lorena Pumariño, Gudeta Weldesemayat Sileshi, Sofia Gripenberg, Riikka Kaartinen, Edmundo Barrios, Mary Nyawira Muchane, Charles Midega, Mattias Jonsson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Agroforestry practices may influence pest incidence and abundance both through increased top-down regulation by natural enemies and via bottom-up factors such as moderation of microclimate, soil nutrients and water content. We conducted a meta-analysis of the effects of agroforestry on the abundance of invertebrate pests, weeds, natural enemies and plant damage due to pests and diseases. We also tested whether effects of agroforestry were dependent on crop type (annual or perennial), type of pest association (above or belowground) and weed type (parasitic Striga weeds or non-parasitic weeds).Agroforestry practices resulted in lower abundances of both parasitic and non-parasitic weeds, and in …

Odorant Receptor-Based Discovery Of Natural Repellents Of Human Lice, Julien Pelletier, Pingxi Xu, Kyong-Sup Yoon, John M. Clark, Walter S. Leal

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

The body louse, Pediculus humanus humanus, is an obligate blood-feeding ectoparasite and an important insect vector that mediates the transmission of diseases to humans. The analysis of the body louse genome revealed a drastic reduction of the chemosensory gene repertoires when compared to other insects, suggesting specific olfactory adaptations to host specialization and permanent parasitic lifestyle. Here, we present for the first time functional evidence for the role of odorant receptors (ORs) in this insect, with the objective to gain insight into the chemical ecology of this vector. We identified seven putative full-length ORs, in addition to the odorant receptor …

Nebline, October 2015

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: We All Benefit From Pollinator Habitats

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Abejas Silvestres (Himenóptera: Apoidea) En La Neblina: Análisis De La Diversidad, Interacciones, Y Potencial Para Miel En Un Remanente De Bosque Nublado, Jen Hayes

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Las abejas (Himenóptera: Apoidea) se encuentran en casi cada una de las bioregiones en el mundo. Su composición es muy diversa en los neotrópicos. Las abejas silvestres (no-Apis) representan casi el 90% de las especies de abejas en todo el mundo (Parra, 2005). Los objetivos principales de este estudio fueron realizar un inventario de las especies de abejas al final de la estación seca, observar sus interacciones intra-específicas, y determinar el potencial de producción de miel medicinal de las abejas sin aguijón (Apidae: Meliponini). El estudio fue realizado en la Reserva Inti Llacta, un remanente de bosque nublado …

The Beetle Tree Of Life Reveals That Coleoptera Survived End-Permium Mass Extinction To Diversify During The Cretaceous Terrestrial Revolution, Duane D. Mckenna, Alexander L. Wild, Kojun Kanda, Charles L. Bellamy, Rolf G. Beutel, Michael S. Caterino, Charles W. Farnum, David C. Hawks, Michael A. Ivie, Mary Liz Jameson, Richard A.B. Leschen, Adriana E. Marvaldi, Joseph V. Mchugh, Alfred F. Newton, James A. Robertson, Margaret K. Thayer, Michael F. Whiting, John F. Lawrence, Adam Ślipinski, David R. Maddison, Brian D. Farrell

Publications

Here we present a phylogeny of beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) based on DNA sequence data from eight nuclear genes, including six single-copy nuclear protein-coding genes, for 367 species representing 172 of 183 extant families. Our results refine existing knowledge of relationships among major groups of beetles. Strepsiptera was confirmed as sister to Coleoptera and each of the suborders of Coleoptera was recovered as monophyletic. Interrelationships among the suborders, namely Polyphaga (Adephaga (Archostemata, Myxophaga)), in our study differ from previous studies. Adephaga comprised two clades corresponding to Hydradephaga and Geadephaga. The series and superfamilies of Polyphaga were mostly monophyletic. The traditional Cucujoidea …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 27, No. 4, October 2015

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Content: Welcome - Congratulations - Publications - Faculty Changes, Part II - Faculty News -- Grants - Citizen Science Buzz - Student News - Meet an Off Campus Student - BUGFEST Success

Effect Of Pentoxifylline On Chitinolytic Enzyme Activity In The Eastern Subterranean Termite (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae), Timothy J. Husen, Shripat T. Kamble, Julie M. Stone

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A two-molecule chitinolytic enzyme system (endo- and exo-chitinase) hydrolyzes and degrades the chitin polymers. Therefore, it is imperative to discover novel compounds for inhibiting chitinolytic enzymes to prevent insect growth. This research examined the effect of pentoxifylline (a dimethylxanthine chitinase inhibitor) on inhibition of endo- and exo-chitinolytic enzyme activities in eastern subterranean termite, Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar). Enzyme activities were compared with amounts of treated diet consumed by termites and percent mortality observed over time. Pentoxifylline affected in vitro endo-chitinase activity in a concentration-dependent manner, while having minimal to no effect on in vitro exo-chitinase enzyme activity. However, pentoxifylline treatment affected …

Differential Expression Of The Chemosensory Transcriptome In Two Populations Of The Stemborer Sesamia Nonagrioides, Nicolas Glaser, Aurore Gallot, Fabrice Legeai, Myriam Harry, Laure Kaiser, Bruno Le Ru, Paul André Calatayud, Emmanuelle Jacquin-Joly

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Among the proposed mechanisms of local adaptation to different ecological environments, transcriptional changes may play an important role. In this study, we investigated whether such variability occurred within the chemosensory organs of a herbivorous insect, for which chemosensation guides most of its host preferences. A European and an African population of the noctuid Sesamia nonagrioides that display significant differences in their ecological preferences were collected on Zea mays and Typha domingensis, respectively. RNAseq were used between the two populations for digital expression profiling of chemosensory organs from larval antennae and palps. Preliminary data on adult female antennae and ovipositors were …

Mirnas Regulated Overexpression Of Ryanodine Receptor Is Involved In Chlorantraniliprole Resistance In Plutella Xylostella (L.), Xiuxia Li, Lei Guo, Xuguo Zhou, Xiwu Gao, Pei Liang

Entomology Faculty Publications

The amino acid mutations in ryanodine receptor (RyR) and elevated activity of detoxification enzymes have been associated with the diamide insecticide resistance in the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.). The up-regulation of P. xylostella RyR mRNA (PxRyR) expression has also been reported in field populations of different graphical origin. However, whether the up-regulation of PxRyR is involved in diamide resistance remains unknown. In this paper, 2.28- to 4.14-fold higher expression of PxRyR was detected in five field collected resistant populations, compared to that in a susceptible population. The expression of PxRyR was up-regulated 5.0- and 7.2-fold, respectively, after …

Extant! Living Bembidion Palosverdes Kavanaugh And Erwin (Coleoptera: Carabidae) Found On Santa Catalina Island, California Full Access, Michael S. Caterino, Katie J. Caterino, David R. Maddison

Publications

Kavanaugh and Erwin (1992) described Bembidion palosverdes from seven specimens from two localities on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, Los Angeles Co., CA (Pt. Vicente, ∼33.741°N, 118.411°W, and Pt. Fermin, ∼33.705°N, 118.294°W), collected in June 1964 by Derham Giuliani. The species' authors spent two days searching for specimens at the two known localities, but found no additional specimens. They suggested that the species may have become extinct prior to its formal description, citing a major 1969 oil spill as a potential factor.

Intrinsic Fluctuations And Driven Response Of Insect Swarms, Rui Ni, James G. Puckett, Eric R. Dufresne, Nicholas T. Ouellette

Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications

Animals of all sizes form groups, as acting together can convey advantages over acting alone; thus, collective animal behavior has been identified as a promising template for designing engineered systems. However, models and observations have focused predominantly on characterizing the overall group morphology, and often focus on highly ordered groups such as bird flocks. We instead study a disorganized aggregation (an insect mating swarm), and compare its natural fluctuations with the group-level response to an external stimulus. We quantify the swarm’s frequency-dependent linear response and its spectrum of intrinsic fluctuations, and show that the ratio of these two quantities has …

Nebline, September 2015

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 4-H Youth “Let the Good Times Grow” at Super Fair

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Insecticides Promote Viral Outbreaks By Altering Herbivore Competition, Huipeng Pan, Evan L. Preisser, Dong Chu, Shaoli Wang, Qingjun Wu, Yves Carriére, Xuguo Zhou, Youjun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

While the management of biological invasions is often characterized by a series of single-specieg decisions, invasive species exist within larger food webs. These biotic interactions can alter the impact of control/eradication programs and may cause suppression efforts to inadvertently facilitate invasion spread and impact. We document the rapid replacement of the invasive Bemisia Middle East-Asia Minor I (MEAM1) cryptic biotype by the cryptic Mediterranean (MED) biotype throughout China and demonstrate that MED is more tolerant of insecticides and a better vector of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) than MEAMJ. While MEAM1 usually excludes MED under natural conditions, insecticide application …

Evaluating Sub-Lethal Effects Of Orchard-Applied Pyrethroids Using Video-Tracking Software To Quantify Honey Bee Behaviors, Erin M. Ingram, Julie Augustin, Marion D. Ellis, Blair Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Managed honey bee, Apis mellifera L., colonies are contracted to pollinate fruit and nut orchards improving crop quality and yield. Colonies placed in orchards are potentially exposed to pyrethroid insecticides used for broad-spectrum pest control. Pyrethroids have been reported to pose minimal risk to bees due to their low application rates in the field and putative repellent properties. This repellency is believed to alter foraging behavior with the benefit of preventing bees from encountering a lethal dose in the field. However, sub-lethal exposure to pyrethroids may adversely impact bee behavior potentially resulting in social dysfunction or disruption of foraging.

This …

Sternal Gland Structures In Males Of Bean Flower Thrips, Megalurothrips Sjostedti, And Poinsettia Thrips, Echinothrips Americanus, In Comparison With Those Of Western Flower Thrips, Frankliniella Occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), Stephanie Krueger, Sevgan Subramanian, Saliou Niassy, Gerald B. Moritz

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Sternal pores are important features for identification of male thrips, especially within the subfamily Thripinae. They vary in shape, size and distribution even between species of one genus. Their functional role is speculated to be that of sex- and/or aggregation pheromone production. Yet, sexual aggregations are not reported in Echinothrips americanus, known to have sternal pores, while we observed aggregations in Megalurothrips sjostedti, previously reported to lack them. We examined the sternal glands and pores of the thripine species E. americanus and M. sjostedti males, in comparison with those of Frankliniella occidentalis using light microscopy, as well as scanning and …

Population Dynamics Of Empoasca Fabae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) In Central Iowa Alfalfa Fields, L. A. Weiser Erlandson, John J. Obrycki

Entomology Faculty Publications

Adults and nymphs of Empoasca fabae Harris (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) and adults of predatory species in the families Coccinellidae, Anthocoridae, Nabidae, Chrysopidae, and Hemerobiidae were sampled in Iowa alfalfa fields from June to September in 1999 and 2000. The relationship between each predatory taxa and E. fabae was examined using regression analysis. In 2000, all predators were found to be positively correlated with the presence of E. fabae during all periods sampled and most likely contributed to mortality. Orius insidiosus (Say) (Hemiptera: Anthoridae) was the most numerous insect predatory species; population numbers ranged from 0 to 1 and 0.1 to 3.7 …

Differential Gene Expression Profiling In Bed Bug (Cimex Lectularius L.) Fed On Ibuprofen And Caffeine In Reconstituted Human Blood, Ralph B. Narain, Haichuan Wang, Shripat T. Kamble

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The recent resurgence of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius L.) infestations worldwide has created a need for renewed research on biology, behavior, population genetics and management practices. Humans serve as exclusive hosts to bed bugs in urban environments. Since a majority of humans consume Ibuprofen (as pain medication) and caffeine (in coffee and other soft drinks) so bug bugs subsequently acquire Ibuprofen and caffeine through blood feeding. However, the effect of these chemicals at genetic level in bed bug is unknown. Therefore, this research was conducted to determine differential gene expression in bed bugs using RNA-Seq analysis …

Influence Of Dietary Experience On The Induction Of Preference Of Adult Moths And Larvae For A New Olfactory Cue, Christophe Petit, Bruno Le Ru, Stéphane Dupas, Brigitte Frérot, Peter Ahuya, Laure Kaiser-Arnauld, Myriam Harry, Paul André Calatayud

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

In Lepidoptera, host plant selection is first conditioned by oviposition site preference of adult females followed by feeding site preference of larvae. Dietary experience to plant volatile cues can induce larval and adult host plant preference. We investigated how the parent's and self-experience induce host preference in adult females and larvae of three lepidopteran stem borer species with different host plant ranges, namely the polyphagous Sesamia nonagrioides, the oligophagous Busseola fusca and the monophagous Busseola nairobica, and whether this induction can be linked to a neurophysiological phenotypic plasticity. The three species were conditioned to artificial diet enriched with vanillin from …

Seasonality Of Forensically Relevant Diptera In Northwestern Indiana, Sarah M. Stanley, Trevor Stamper

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Minimum postmortem interval (mPMI) estimations are critical to solving cases of equivocal death and the accuracy of these predictions can depend on the understanding of necrophagous fly successional patterns. In order to better understand the successional patterns of necrophagous flies, it is important to know the seasonality of forensically relevant fly species—that is, the baseline pattern of their presence and absence in relation to annually cyclic environmental factors. Since many environmental factors play a role in insect seasonality, it is possible that some of these factors can be summed to create an index that represents seasonality in a simpler form. …

Stable Reference Gene Selection For Rt-Qpcr Analysis In Nonviruliferous And Viruliferous Frankliniella Occidentalis, Chunxiao Yang, Hui Li, Huipeng Pan, Yabin Ma, Deyong Zhang, Yong Liu, Zhanhong Zhang, Changying Zheng, Dong Chu

Entomology Faculty Publications

Reverse transcriptase-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) is a reliable technique for measuring and evaluating gene expression during variable biological processes. To facilitate gene expression studies, normalization of genes of interest relative to stable reference genes is crucial. The western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), the main vector of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), is a destructive invasive species. In this study, the expression profiles of 11 candidate reference genes from nonviruliferous and viruliferous F. occidentalis were investigated. Five distinct algorithms, geNorm, NormFinder, BestKeeper, the ΔCt method, and RefFinder, were used to determine the performance …

Climate-Adapted Companion Cropping Increases Agricultural Productivity In East Africa, Charles A.O. Midega, Toby J.A. Bruce, John A. Pickett, Jimmy O. Pittchar, Alice Murage, Zeyaur R. Khan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Production of cereals, the main staple and cash crops for millions of farmers in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is severely constrained by parasitic striga weed Striga hermonthica, stemborers and poor soil fertility. A companion cropping system known as 'push-pull' overcomes these constraints while providing additional soil fertility and forage grass benefits to smallholder farmers. To ensure the technology's long-term sustainability in view of the current and further potential aridification as a consequence of climate change, drought-tolerant crops, Brachiaria cv mulato (border crop) and greenleaf desmodium (intercrop), have been identified and incorporated into a 'climate-adapted push-pull'. The aims of the current study …

Nebline, August 2015

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Nutrition Education Program Reaches 15-Year-Milestone Teaching Nutrition in Lincoln Schools

Food & Health

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Special pullout section: Lancaster County Super Fair 2015 Schedule & Map

A Dual Function Of White Coloration In A Nocturnal Spider Dolomedes Raptor (Araneae: Pisauridae), Tai-Shen Lin, Shichang Zhang, Chen-Pan Liao, Eileen A. Hebets, I-Min Tso

Eileen Hebets Publications

Nocturnal animals frequently possess seemingly conspicuous color patterns that can function in a variety of ways (e.g. prey attraction, camouflage, predator avoidance, etc.). The use of color patterns in intraspecific signaling, especially reproductive activities, in nocturnal animals has received relatively little attention. This study tested for a dual function of color in the nocturnal fishing spider, Dolomedes raptor (Araneae: Pisauridae), whose males develop dimorphic white stripes at sexual maturation. We tested for a role in foraging as well as mate assessment. First, quantifications of the natural variation of male stripes indicated a correlation between stripe area and male body size …

Benthic Collector And Grazer Communities Are Threatened By Hemlock Woolly Adelgid-Induced Eastern Hemlock Loss, Joshua K. Adkins, Lynne K. Rieske

Entomology Faculty Publications

Eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis (L.) is a foundation species in eastern North America where it is under threat from the highly invasive, exotic hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae). Eastern hemlock is especially important in riparian areas of Central and Southern Appalachia, so we compared the spatial and temporal composition of benthic collector-gatherers, collector-filterers, and grazers in headwater streams with hemlock-dominated riparian vegetation to those with deciduous tree-dominated riparian vegetation to evaluate the extent to which adelgid-induced hemlock loss could influence composition and abundance of these two functional feeding groups. We found differences in benthic invertebrate abundance and …