Entomology Commons^™

Evaluation Of Foliar Insecticides For The Control Of Western Bean Cutworm In Field Corn, 2015, Débora G. Montezano, Kayla A. Mollet, Grace E. Hirzel, Julie A. Peterson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The western bean cutworm (WBC) is an important pest of corn and dry beans. This study was conducted within the historic range of WBC in western Nebraska; however, it has undergone a rapid range expansion into the eastern Corn Belt within the last 16 years. This field trial was established to evaluate the efficacy of a single application of foliar insecticides against this pest to prevent feeding damage to non-Bt corn ears. The trial was located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s West Central Water Resources Field Laboratory in Keith County, Nebraska, USA (41.160246° N, –102.035695° W). A RCB design with …

Evaluation Of Foliar Insecticides For The Control Of Western Bean Cutworm In Field Corn, 2016, Débora G. Montezano, Kayla A. Mollet, Grace E. Hirzel, Julie A. Peterson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The western bean cutworm (WBC) is an important pest of corn and dry beans. In addition to yield loss due to direct feeding on developing kernels in the ear, WBC infestation can also lead to secondary fungal infections. This study was conducted within the historic range of WBC in western Nebraska; however, it has undergone a rapid range expansion into the eastern Corn Belt within the last 16 years. This field trial was established to evaluate the efficacy of a single application of foliar insecticides against this pest to prevent feeding damage to non-Bt corn ears. The trial was located …

Rainbow Peacock Spiders Inspire Miniature Superiridescent Optics, Bor-Kai Hsiung, Radwanul Hasan Siddique, Doekele G. Stavenga, Jürgen C. Otto, Michael C. Allen, Ying Liu, Yongfeng Lu, Dimitri D. Deheyn, Matthew D. Shawkey, Todd A. Blackledge

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Colour produced by wavelength-dependent light scattering is a key component of visual communication in nature and acts particularly strongly in visual signalling by structurallycoloured animals during courtship. Two miniature peacock spiders (Maratus robinsoni and M. chrysomelas) court females using tiny structured scales (~ 40 × 10 μm²) that reflect the full visual spectrum. Using TEM and optical modelling, we show that the spiders’ scales have 2D nanogratings on microscale 3D convex surfaces with at least twice the resolving power of a conventional 2D diffraction grating of the same period. Whereas the long optical path lengths required …

Importance Of The Antenniform Legs, But Not Vision, For Homing By The Neotropical Whip Spider Paraphrynus Laevifrons, Verner P. Bingman, Jacob M. Graving, Eileen Hebets, Daniel D. Wiegmann

Eileen Hebets Publications

Amblypygids, or whip spiders, are nocturnal, predatory arthropods that display a robust ability to navigate to their home refuge. Prior field observations and displacement studies in amblypygids demonstrated an ability to home from distances as far away as 10 m. In the current study, micro-transmitters were used to take morning position fixes of individual Paraphrynus laevifrons following an experimental displacement of 10 m from their home refuge. The intention was to assess the relative importance of vision compared with sensory input acquired from the antenniform legs for navigation as well as other aspects of their spatial behavior. Displaced individuals were …

Phytophagous Insect Oviposition Shifts In Response To Probability Of Flower Abortion Owing To The Presence Of Basal Fruits, Shivani Jadeja, Brigitte Tenhumberg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Phytophagous insects use a wide range of indicators or associated cues to avoid laying eggs in sites where offspring survival is low. For insects that lay eggs in flowers, these unsuitable sites may be created by the host plant’s resource allocation to flowers. In the sequentially flowering host plant, Yucca glauca, late-opening distal flowers are more likely to be aborted in the presence of already-initiated basal fruits because they are strong resource sinks. If flowers are aborted, all eggs of the phytophagous insect, Tegeticula yuccasella, within the flower die. We used the phytophagous insect T. yuccasella that lays …

Distinct Fitness Costs Associated With The Knockdown Of Rnai Pathway Genes In Western Corn Rootworm Adults, Ke Wu, Carolina Camargo, Elane Fishilevich, Kenneth E. Narva, Xiuping Chen, Caitlin E. Taylor, Blair D. Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

RNA interference (RNAi) based approaches can potentially be used to control insect pests. These approaches may depend on the usage of microRNA (miRNA) or double stranded RNA (dsRNA) mediated gene knockdown, which likely involves proteins that regulate these pathways, such as Argonaute 1 (Ago1), Argonaute 2 (Ago2), Dicer 1 (Dcr1), Dicer 2 (Dcr2), and Drosha in insects. We previously performed functional characterization of Ago2 and Dcr2 of western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and observed that knockdown of Ago2 and Dcr2 ameliorated the lethal effect induced by the dsRNA-mediated knockdown of an essential gene in WCR, thereby …

“Hummingbird” Floral Traits Interact Synergistically To Discourage Visitation By Bumble Bee Foragers, Robert J. Gegear, Rebecca Burns, Katharine A. Swoboda-Bhattarai

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Pollination syndromes are suites of floral traits presumed to reflect adaptations to attract and utilize a “primary” type of animal pollinator. However, syndrome traits may also function to deter “secondary” flower visitors that reduce plant fitness through their foraging activities. Here we use the hummingbird-pollinated plant species Mimulus cardinalis as a model to investigate the potential deterrent effects of classic bird syndrome traits on bumble bee foragers. To establish that M. cardinalis flowers elicit an avoidance response in bees, we assessed the choice behavior of individual foragers on a mixed experimental array of M. cardinalis and its bee-pollinated sister species …

Are Weevils Picky Eaters? Community Structure And Host Specificity Of Neotropical Saproxylic Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Jhunior A. Morillo

Dissertations and Theses

Abstract Primary saproxylic beetles play a major role in forest nutrient cycling and making deadwood accessible to other decomposers. Understanding beetle host preferences and patterns of community assembly is critical for their conservation, and for predicting which species might become invasive. This project aims to investigate the ecological and host specificity, as well as the community composition of curculionids in a mosaic of old-growth (OG) and secondary forest on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica. The subfamily Scolytinae was expected to be the most species-rich and abundant. Ambrosia beetles were expected to have more generalist species than other curculionids. Old growth …

The Cattle Dung Arthropod Community In Eastern South Dakota: Their Colonization, Impact On Degradation, And Response To Rangeland Management, Jacob Pecenka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cattle grazing operations are an important industry throughout the world and a vital component of the economy of the Northern Great Plains. Rangeland management is important to ensure that cattle grazing remains not only profitable but also environmentally sustainable. Conventionally managed rangeland systems that practice continuous grazing and repeated applications of chemicals such as avermectins pose a risk to the continuing productivity of rangelands. These practices have ecological consequences, primarily to the arthropod community that inhabits cattle dung pats. This diverse community works together to recycle dung pats and make the nutrients in dung accessible to the surrounding plant community, …

Cold Tolerance And Overwintering Physiology Of The Salvinia Weevil (Cyrtobagous Salviniae): Improving The Biological Control Of Giant Salvinia In Temperate Louisiana, Alana D. Russell

LSU Master's Theses

Cyrtobagous salviniae is widely used for biological control of Salvinia molesta. Despite success in tropical and subtropical regions, the effectiveness of C. salviniae on S. molesta is inconsistent in temperate regions, indicating the need for a better understanding of the thermal biology of this agent. The objectives of this study were to compare cold tolerance of C. salviniae populations from the temperate native range and Louisiana, and characterize the overwintering physiology and population dynamics of C. salviniae in Louisiana. Surveys of the Lower Paraná-Uruguay Delta resulted in the first record of C. salviniae in Uruguay, and revealed the most southern …

Competition And Community Interactions Of Two Generalist Herbivores, Elizabeth Ellen Barnes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Competition can have far-reaching consequences for the fitness and distribution of many organisms. In herbivorous insects, competition mediated by a third organism is more common than direct competition and has a strong effect on insect communities; yet most research on indirect competition among herbivores focuses on dietary specialists, and those studies that do include generalists tend to rear them on agricultural crops. My project examines species interactions at three levels: intraspecific competition (within species), interspecific competition (between species), and ecosystem engineering effects at the community level. I studied competition and community interactions of two temporally-separated species of herbivorous insects, western …

Evaluation Of Control Tactics For Management Of Sweetpotato Weevil (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Jie Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sweetpotato weevil (SPW), Cylas formicarius elegantulus (Summer), is the most damaging root-feeding insect of sweetpotato, Ipomoea batatas L. (Lam), worldwide. The efficacy and compatibility of host plant resistance and insecticide control were evaluated in this dissertation. cv. Beauregard is the most susceptible cultivar for oviposition and offspring performance of SPW compared to cvs. Evangeline and Murasaki. The oviposition preference was shaped by the larval experience of SPW, providing evidence in support of the Hopkins’ Host-Plant Selection Principle. Although oviposition on cv. Murasaki was reduced, the egg capacity of SPW developed on cv. Murasaki was not decreased, indicating an adaptive behavior …

Determining The Influence Of Imidacloprid And Glufosinate Ammonium On The Population Dynamics Of Twospotted Spider Mite Populations In Louisiana Cotton, Sebe Anthony Brown

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Twospotted spider mites, Tetranychus urticae, is an important agricultural pest of many field crops worldwide. This study investigated the impacts of imidacloprid seed treatments on populations of twospotted spider mites while also investigating if exogenous applications of jasmonic acid can offset any hormone modulating effects caused by seed treatments. Imidacloprid seed treatments significantly increased cumulative adult mite days in 2013 but not 2015 or 2016 in the field. Applications of 10 millimolar jasmonic acid did not reduce mite severity or injury in all field trials. Imidacloprid seed treatments significantly increased all spider mite life stages in the laboratory while applications …

Aquatic Insect Community Structure And Secondary Production In Coastal Wetland Ponds Of The Copper River Delta, Alaska: Influence Of Water Temperature And Macrophyte Community Structure, Chantel Caldwell

Master's Theses

The Copper River Delta (CRD), southcentral Alaska, is one of the world’s largest continuous coastal wetlands and is largely composed of sloughs, lakes, and ponds. Due to coastal topography the east side of the Copper River (East Delta) is disproportionately impacted by a cold continental air mass. Wetland communities of the CRD were also impacted by a 9.2 magnitude earthquake in 1964 that shifted the more coastal portion of the CRD from tidally influenced ponds to freshwater ponds.

The West-East temperature gradient across the CRD coupled with landscape type (uplifted marsh (UM) and outwash plain (OP)) creates four regions (West-UM, …

Tick Haller's Organ, A New Paradigm For Arthropod Olfaction: How Ticks Differ From Insects, Ann L. Carr, Robert D. Michell Iii, Anirudh Dhammi, Brooke W. Bissinger, Daniel E. Sonenshine, R. Michael Roe

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Ticks are the vector of many human and animal diseases; and host detection is critical to this process. Ticks have a unique sensory structure located exclusively on the 1st pairs of legs; the fore-tarsal Haller's organ, not found in any other animals, presumed to function like the insect antennae in chemosensation but morphologically very different. The mechanism of tick chemoreception is unknown. Utilizing next-generation sequencing and comparative transcriptomics between the 1st and 4th legs (the latter without the Haller's organ), we characterized 1st leg specific and putative Haller's organ specific transcripts from adult American dog ticks, Dermacentor variabilis. The …

Examination Of Civil Forensic Entomology Through Case Studies, Alicia Thuis

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Brief History of Forensic Entomology 2 Civil Forensic Case Studies 11 The Raisin Ant 11 Maggots in My Potato! 13 Extra Protein for Fido 15 Health Food Invasion 16 Swimming Spiders 18 Extras in the Steak 19 In or Out? 23 Buttery Parasites 24 Laminated Flies 26 Chicken Fried Maggots 27 Process of Elimination 29 Bed Bugs Everywhere! 30 Not a “Bug” 32 Not a Cockroach 34 Ethical Considerations 36 Best Practice Recommendations 43 Future Research Directions 47 References 50

Biology And Management Of Key Rice Pest In Asia, Airene Millsap

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

1. Importance of rice

2. Origin and history of rice as a crop

3. Rice cultivation 3.1 Lowland or Irrigated rice 3.2 Upland rice 3.3 Deep water rice 3.4 Floating rice

4. Parts of rice plants 4.1 Vegetative stage 4.2 Reproductive stage 4.3 Ripening stage

5. Rice Pests

5.1 Vegetative stage • Stem Borer • Gall Midge • Rice Hispa • Rice Leaf Folder • Rice Armyworms • Rice Whorl Maggots • Rice Caseworm • Rice Mealybugs • Short Horned Grasshopper • Rice Stem Maggot • Rice Thrips • Oriental Migratory Locust • Black Bug • Green Stink Bug

5.2 …

The Plant As A Habitat For Entomophagous Insects, L. Kaiser, P. Ode, S. Van Nouhuys, P. A. Calatayud, S. Colazza, A. M. Cortesero, A. Thiel, J. Van Baaren

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Populations of herbivorous insects are naturally consumed by other predacious or predatory insect species. These entomophagous insects are thus plant-dwelling organisms that use the plant for several vital functions and are affected by plant traits at the evolutionary, organism and population levels. Many entomophagous species are used for the biological control of insect pests worldwide. The aim of this chapter is to provide an exhaustive review of mechanisms underlying the interactions between plants and entomophagous insects, including those governing life history traits at the individual level, as well as those acting on population and community structure and dynamics. We detail …

Use Of Insects For Fish And Poultry Compound Feed In Sub-Saharan Africa - A Systematic Review, G. Ssepuuya, V. Namulawa, D. Mbabazi, S. Mugerwa, P. Fuuna, Z. Nampijja, S. Ekesi, K. K.M. Fiaboe, D. Nakimbugwe

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The cost of compound feed is a constraint in intensive fish and poultry farming, contributing 60-80% of the total production costs, 70% of which is due to fish and soy meal used as protein source. This review presents the extent to which insects have been utilised as an alternative protein source in feed in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). A key word search of agricultural, biological and multi-disciplinary databases and academic search engines was conducted for literature on the extent of research and utilisation of insects in poultry and fish feed in SSA. There is limited published information on the practice as …

Entomopathogens Routinely Used In Pest Control Strategies: Orchards In Tropical Climate, N. K. Maniania, S. Ekesi, C. Dolinski

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Fruit and nut trees such as mango, pineapples, papaya, banana, guava, cashew, passion fruit, and avocado are important components of tropical ecosystems. They are sources of vitamins, minerals and carbohydrates and have great economic importance as sources of both household incomes and national revenues. Fruit and nut trees provide important adaptive values and tend to be more resilient to climate change due to their perennial nature, and they have the property of sequestering carbon. World production and trade of fresh tropical fruit are expected to expand over decades, with developing countries accounting for about 98% of total production, while developed …

Dna Barcodes, Expanded Distribution, And Redescription Of Apanteles Hemara Nixon, 1965 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), A Potential Biocontrol Species Against Amaranth Leaf-Webbers In Africa, Jose Fernandez-Triana, Melanie Beaudin, Kees Van Achterberg, Mawufe K. Agbodzavu, Stephen T.O. Othim, Faith W. Nyamu, Komi K.M. Fiaboe

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The microgastrine parasitoid wasp Apanteles hemara Nixon, 1965, is currently being considered as a potential biocontrol agent of amaranth leaf-webber pests in Africa. To facilitate future research and identification of the species, we characterize it from an integrative taxonomy perspective by providing a comprehensive morphological redescription, extensive illustrations (including the first images of the holotype), DNA barcodes, wasp biology, host data (Choreutidae and Crambidae caterpillars), and updated geographical distribution of the species (including eight new country records). Despite a wide distribution across four major biogeographical regions (mostly within the Old World tropics), the species seems to be relatively uniform from …

Systematics And Biology Of Cotesia Typhae Sp. N. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), A Potential Biological Control Agent Against The Noctuid Mediterranean Corn Borer, Sesamia Nonagrioides, Laure Kaiser, Jose Fernandez-Triana, Claire Capdevielle-Dulac, Célina Chantre, Matthieu Bodet, Ferial Kaoula, Romain Benoist, Paul André Calatayud, Stéphane Dupas, Elisabeth A. Herniou, Rémi Jeannette, Julius Obonyo, Jean François Silvain, Bruno Le Ru

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Many parasitoid species are subjected to strong selective pressures from their host, and their adaptive response may result in the formation of genetically differentiated populations, called host races. When environmental factors and reproduction traits prevent gene flow, host races become distinct species. Such a process has recently been documented within the Cotesia flavipes species complex, all of which are larval parasitoids of moth species whose larvae are stem borers of Poales. A previous study on the African species C. sesamiae, incorporating molecular, ecological and biological data on various samples, showed that a particular population could be considered as a distinct …

Cotesia Icipe Sp. N., A New Microgastrinae Wasp (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) Of Importance In The Biological Control Of Lepidopteran Pests In Africa, Komi K.M. Fiaboe, Jose Fernández-Triana, Faith W. Nyamu, Komi M. Agbodzavu

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

A new species of Microgastrinae, Cotesia icipe Fernández-Triana & Fiaboe, sp. n., is described from eastern Africa. It was reared in Kenya as a solitary parasitoid from two major amaranth pests, Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval, 1833) and S. exigua (Hübner, 1808); study of specimens in collections also revealed its presence in four other countries in the Afrotropical region (Madagascar, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, and Yemen). Morphological, molecular and biological characters are used to describe the new species and to distinguish it from all 12 previously described species of Afrotropical Cotesia. Cotesia icipe shows potential in the biological control of key Lepidopteran …

Plant–Insect Interactions In A Changing World, S. Pincebourde, J. Van Baaren, S. Rasmann, P. Rasmont, G. Rodet, B. Martinet, P. A. Calatayud

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Global change is resetting the spatial and ecological equilibrium of complex co-evolutionary relationships between plants and their insect herbivores. We review the mechanisms at play in the responses of plant–insect interactions to global changes, including increased temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentrations, modification of land use and pollution. We distinguish between the direct effects of global changes on each partner from the indirect impacts on insects via the responses of plants. The indirect effects include a change in the nutritional quality of the plant tissues for herbivore insects, as well as a change in the microclimatic conditions at the leaf surface. …

Role Of Varietal Resistance In Managing The Rice Water Weevil, A Major Insect Pest Of Louisiana Rice, Maisarah Mohamad Saad

LSU Master's Theses

Resistance of several commercial rice varieties widely grown in Louisiana was assessed against the rice water weevil (Lissorhoptrus oryzophilus Kuschel), the major insect pest of rice in the United States. A five-year field study was conducted to identify resistant genotypes among conventional inbred, herbicide tolerant, conventional hybrid, and herbicide tolerant hybrid varieties. Resistance was evaluated in two different locations to enable selection of rice varieties with wide adaptability over diverse environments. There were no large differences in the resistance found amongst commercial rice varieties over the five-year field study. Jefferson was frequently found to support lower larval densities than other …

Termite Gut Microbes As Tools And Targets For Termite Control, Chinmay Vijay Tikhe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Formosan subterranean termite (FST), Coptotermes formosanus, is an invasive urban pest in the United States. Colonies of the FST are dependent on the symbiotic gut protozoa for cellulose digestion in the workers’ guts, and the gut bacterial community is known to provide essential nutrients to the termite. The objectives of this PhD research were to develop and evaluate paratransgenesis and phage therapy for termite control. During this study, a termite gut bacterium: Trabulsiella odontotermitis was genetically engineered and was evaluated as a ‘Trojan horse’ for paratransgenesis. We proved that T. odontotermitis can tolerate 50 times more concentration of ligand-Hecate …