Entomology Commons^™

Moss-Inhabiting Flea Beetles Of The West Indies I: New Species Of Borinken Konstantinov And Konstantinova And Kiskeya Konstantinov And Chamorro-Lacayo (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) From Puerto Rico, Alexander S. Konstantinov, Adelita Maria Linzmeier, Sonja J. Scheffer, Matthew L. Lewis

Insecta Mundi

Three new species of flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) from moss cushions from Puerto Rico are described: Borinken toronegro Konstantinov and Linzmeier and Kiskeya segar­rai Konstantinov and Linzmeier from the Toro Negro mountain region and Kiskeya micheliorum Konstantinov and Linzmeier from the Maricao mountains. New species are compared morphologically with already known species from the same genera. In addition, to determine the similarities between moss inhabiting flea beetles, we sequenced the Cytochrome oxidase I barcode region of larval and adult specimens. In all cases, the distances between species are well outside the 2% species-limit cutoff typically used as an …

Description Of A New Species Of Xalitla Lane, 1959 (Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Neoibidionini) From Western Mexico, Antonio Santos-Silva, Frederick W. Skillman Jr.

Insecta Mundi

The tribal allocation of Xalitla Lane, 1959 (Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) is discussed. Xalitla limoni Santos-Silva and Skillman, new species, is described from Mexico (Jalisco). Xalitla lezamai Galileo and Mar­tins, 2008 is determined to be synonymous with X. genuina Martins, 1970 and formally placed in synonymy. A key to the species of Xalitla, which includes the new species and synonymy, is provided.

South American Coccinellidae (Coleoptera), Part Xx: Systematic Revision Of South American Calloeneis Grote (Cryptognathini), Robert D. Gordon, Guillermo González F., Guy A. Hanley

Insecta Mundi

Species of Calloeneis Grote (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) are discussed, and a key to all recognized species is provided. New species described are C. alexandra, C. angelica, C. blanca, C. bennetti, C. bethany, C. brooke, C. francis, C. jacquelin, C. johnnie, C. kara, C. krista, C. leticia, C. lynne, C. robyn, C. marianne, C. myra, C. rosalie, C. roxanne and C. sheri, all authored by Gordon and Hanley.

Caddisflies (Trichoptera) Of The Buffalo National River, Arkansas, David E. Bowles, Cameron Cheri, Faron D. Usrey, Jeffrey M. Williams

Insecta Mundi

We report 106 species of caddisflies (Trichoptera) representing 44 genera and 16 families that were collected across 50 sampling sites in the Buffalo River watershed. The species collected represent about 45% of the known Interior Highlands caddisfly fauna. The most speciose families collected were the Hydroptilidae (30), Leptoceridae (21), and Hydropsychidae (17). Two species found during this study, Paduniella nearctica and Ochrotrichia contorta, are listed as species of special concern in the state of Arkansas due to their relative rarity. Similarity analysis values among collection sites ranged from 9% to 77%. Seriation analysis of caddisfly genera and species showed …

Arcola Malloi (Pastrana), The Alligatorweed Stemborer, A New Synonym Of Macrorrhinia Endonephele (Hampson) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Phycitinae), James E. Hayden, Jean-François Landry

Insecta Mundi

Arcola malloi (Pastrana, 1961) is a junior subjective synonym of Macrorrhinia endonephele (Hampson, 1918) syn. nov. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). The species is a biological control agent introduced in United States and Australia to control alligatorweed, Alternanthera philoxeroides (Mart.) Griseb. (Amaranthaceae). The synonymy is recognized by comparison of type specimens, genitalic dissections, and DNA COI barcoding. Vogtia Pastrana, 1961 syn. nov. and Arcola Shaffer, 1995 syn. nov. are synonymized with Macrorrhinia Ragonot, 1887. Macror­rhinia megajuxta (Neunzig and Goodson, 1992) comb. nov. is transferred from Ocala Hulst, 1892. Lectotypes are designated for Divitiaca ochrella Barnes and McDunnough, 1913, and Divitiaca simulella Barnes and …

Additional Observations On The Nesting Behavior Of Miscophus (Nitelopterus) Californicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Alice J. Abela, Darrell Ubick

Insecta Mundi

Close-up photographs of nest entry, nest closure and prey transport taken on sandy coastal back dunes in Santa Barbara County, CA by Alice J. Abela substantiate and enhance written descriptions of these nesting be­havior components in Miscophus californicus (Ashmead) [=M. laticeps (Ashmead)] (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae). Dictynidae (Dictyna Sundevall or Emblyna Chamberlin) is introduced as a new host family and host spider leg amputation is revealed for the first time for this small miscophine wasp.

Miscophus (Nitelopterus) californicus (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) is a small (4.5–7.0 mm) Nearctic miscophine wasp that ranges from California and Arizona north to southern …

Erratum To Armitage And Harris (2020): The Trichoptera Of Panama Xiv. New Species Of Microcaddisflies (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae) From Omar Torrijos Herrera National Park, Brian J. Armitage, Steven C. Harris

Insecta Mundi

After publication of Armitage and Harris (2020), it was noticed that the wrong illustrations were used for the species Neotrichia espinosa Armitage and Harris (Fig. 9) and Neotrichia michaeli Armitage and Harris (Fig. 10), resulting in images that did not correspond to the captions. The authors and the Insecta Mundi editorial staff apologize for this error. The intended versions of Figures 9 and 10 are reproduced here. Insecta Mundi has also released a revised version of the Armitage and Harris (2020) manuscript, with this error corrected. However, the revised version is not an official peer-reviewed article, and anyone wishing to …

Comparative Analysis Of Viruses In Four Bee Species Collected From Agricultural, Urban, And Natural Landscapes, Tugce Olgun, Sydney Everhart, Troy D. Anderson, Judy Wu-Smart

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Managed honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) and wild bees provide critical ecological services that shape and sustain natural, agricultural, and urban landscapes. In recent years, declines in bee populations have highlighted the importance of the pollination services they provide and the need for more research into the reasons for global bee losses. Several stressors cause declining populations of managed and wild bee species such as habitat degradation, pesticide exposure, and pathogens. Viruses, which have been implicated as a key stressor, are able to infect a wide range of species and can be transmitted both intra- and inter-specifically from infected …

Polilla De La Manzana, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston, Michael Reding

All Current Publications

Polilla de la manzana (Orden Lepidoptera, familia Tortricidae) es la plaga más grave de la manzana y la pera en todo el mundo (Fig. 1). En la mayoría de las regiones productoras de las frutas más comerciales y en los patios de casas en Utah, la fruta debe ser protegida para cosechar un cultivo.

Plagas Frutales: Pera, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston

All Current Publications

El fuego bacteriano es causado por una bacteria llamada Erwinia amylovora. Las peras son muy susceptibles al fuego bacteriano. Flores, ramitas terminales, y a veces ramas enteras o árboles mueren. Las condiciones ambientales que favorecen la infección son los días lluviosos calientes durante la floración. La lluvia, el rocío fuerte, y los insectos propagan las bacterias exudadas a las flores, donde las nuevas infecciones se producen

Plagas Frutales: Albaricoque, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston

All Current Publications

El tiro de munición es una enfermedad de hongos común en Utah. Ataca capullos latentes de hojas, brotes de flores, hojas, frutos y ramitas. Las lesiones visibles ocurren primero en las hojas jóvenes como pequeñas manchas redondas y bronceadas que con el tiempo se caen, dejando agujeros redondos.

Plagas Frutales: Cereza, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston

All Current Publications

El tiro de munición ataca capullos latentes de hojas, brotes de flores, hojas, frutos y ramitas (las infecciones de frutas son menos comunes en la cereza). Las primeras lesiones visibles ocurren en las hojas jóvenes como pequeñas manchas redondas y moradas. Eventualmente estas infecciones se caen, dejando agujeros redondos dando el nombre a esta enfermedad.

Plagas Frutales: Ciruela, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston

All Current Publications

Causada por un organismo parecido a un hongo de suelo (Phytophthora), ésta enfermedad se produce en todo el mundo en casi todos los árboles frutales. Phytophthora está presente en la mayoría de los suelos, pero sólo causa infección en circunstancias óptimas, las cuáles son alta humedad del suelo o agua estancada, y un huésped susceptible.

Plagas Frutales: Durazno Y Nectarine, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston

All Current Publications

El tiro de munición es una enfermedad de hongos común en Utah. Ataca capullos latentes de hojas, brotes de flores, hojas, frutos y ramitas. Las primeras lesiones visibles ocurren en las hojas jóvenes como pequeñas manchas redondas y bronceadas que con el tiempo se caen, dejando agujeros redondos. Las lesiones circulares se desarollan en la fruta que primero aparecen como manchas rojizas (mostradas a la derecha, arriba), y más tarde como protuberancias ásperas y taponadas.

Plagas Frutales: Manzana, Marion Murray, Diane G. Alston

All Current Publications

El fuego bacteriano es causado por una bacteria llamada Erwinia amylovora. Algunas variedades de manzanas son muy susceptibles a esta enfermedad, como Jonathan, Jonagold y Gala. Flores, ramitas terminales, y a veces ramas enteras o árboles mueren.

The Trichoplusia Ni Gut Microbiome And Its Derivation From The Phyllosphere Of Its Food Plants, Josemaria Garcia, Marisol Escanuela, Swapna Bhat, Evan Lampert

Georgia Journal of Science

Insects are the most abundant and diverse animals on planet Earth and rely on their diverse microbiomes to be so. The insect gut microbiome is vital in the growth and development of many insect species. Trichoplusia ni, the cabbage looper, is a generalist herbivore, but little is known about its microbiome. In this study, a metagenomic analysis of fecal samples was used to determine the effect of diet on the microbiome of T. ni larvae. Larvae were reared on six plant species, the microbiome was sampled from fecal material, and the phyllosphere was sampled from leaves the larvae ate. …

Splitting The Hive, Sheriden M. Hansen, Andree Walker-Bravo, Jaydee Gunnell

All Current Publications

Warming late spring temperatures mark the beginning of swarm season in Utah, especially for beehives that have successfully overwintered. Swarming is when bees naturally divide the existing colony roughly in half, with half the bees remaining in the hive and the other half leaving (with the queen) to look for new accommodations. Colonies that swarm are often left with limited resources, do not produce much honey, and can be rendered too weak to overwinter. Splitting your hives in anticipation of swarming can help reduce the negative effects of swarming, giving bees a chance to build up resources and strength before …

Current Applications And Limitations Of Forensic Entomology, Helena Volckaert

Themis: Research Journal of Justice Studies and Forensic Science

Forensic entomology is the study of arthropods concerning their application in crime scene investigation as a method of predicting postmortem interval (PMI) in deceased or missing individuals. PMI is determined by the life stage of insects present on-scene. Insects used in criminal investigations are primarily beetles, flies, or moths; this may also include various scavenging insects and hitchhiking mites. These creatures help colonize decayed tissue, providing crime scene personnel with live specimens collected and examined for biological evidence. Forensic entomology is currently a niche application in most investigations—as qualified entomologists are often needed—and proper analysis of collected evidence can be …

The Discovery Of Metarhizium Anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin Isolates From Arkansas And Their Pathogenicity To Amblyomma Americanum L., Austin Goldsmith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The lone star tick Amblyomma americanum L. is the most abundant tick in Arkansas and has been implicated as a vector of many important disease-causing pathogens. Many species of entomopathogenic fungi have been isolated from several species of ticks, with some of these fungi being utilized for tick biocontrol. However, few studies have assessed the pathogenicity of entomopathogenic fungi to A. americanum. The objectives of this study were to: isolate and identify native Arkansas isolates of entomopathogenic fungi from wild A. americanum ticks exposed to soil and to compare the pathogenicity of one isolate (Metarhizium anisopliae (Metchnikoff) Sorokin isolate Savoy …

Role Of Plant Volatile Organic Compounds (Vocs) In Seed Priming And Plant-Herbivore Interactions., Abhinav Kumar Maurya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation explores and expands the existing knowledge on the role of plant volatiles in facilitating seed priming and providing direct defense against herbivore. Although the roles of plant volatiles in priming a plant’s defenses and providing direct defense against pests is well known, information regarding their effects on seed and the fitness of future plants and direct toxicity to herbivores is understudied. This dissertation does a thorough examination of these two understudied aspects of plant volatiles and provides novel insight into the role of plant volatiles in seed priming and direct defense (Chapter I). Seeds in the soil can …

Nebline, May 2020

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Vegetable Gardening for Beginners

"Sewing for Hospitals" Community Service Project

Extension Postponements, Cancellations & Changes

Making a Meal With What's on Hand

Recipe of the Month

2020 Cash Rent Survey

Pesticide Applicators: Deferment of License Recertification

When Thunder Roars or Lightening Flashes, Go Indoors!

Sleep Impacts Mental and Physical Health

2020 Perennial Plant of the Year

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Composting How-To Videos

Spending Time in Nature is Beneficial to Children and Adults

4-H Announcements for enrolled 4-H'ers or 4-H volunteers

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Mary Burroughs

Clover College Workshop Descriptions

Extension Calendar

Support Local 4-H …

Olfactory Tissue Investment In Tropical Rainforest Ants Scales With Body Size., Heather Evon Short

College of Arts & Sciences Senior Theses

Differential tissue allocation in animal sensory systems is common and varies with habitat. Worker ants perform a variety of complex tasks that depend on neural capacity, with chemical cues considered central to ant behavior. The antennal (olfactory) lobes of ant brains are often highly developed relative to other insects; however, arboreal ants that live in environments with higher light levels tend to rely more on visual cues than olfaction compared to terrestrial ants. The extent to which habitat-driven behavior affects neural investment in tropical rainforest ants is unknown. Here, I focused on three common tropical ant species (Pseudomyrmex boopis, P. …

Dragonflies And Damselflies (Insecta: Odonata) As Indicators For Riparian Condition In Ozark Spring Streams, Cameron Riley Cheri

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) are often ineffectively sampled during standard stream bioassessments in North America. Subsequently, odonates are not frequently regarded as informative taxa for stream assessment, particularly when monitoring the ecological impacts of organic pollution. I hypothesized that stream-dwelling odonates should be more useful bioindicators for the assessment of riparian conditions surrounding streams because vegetation associated with streams is used for oviposition, roosting and to establish breeding territories. I selected twelve Ozark spring streams that satisfied a broad array of riparian conditions for study. I sampled each stream’s odonate and total benthic community along with both instream and …

Association Between Wild Bee Communities And Floral Resources In The Conservation Reserve Program, Allison Eagan

Honors Program Theses

Due to the significance of the plant-pollinator relationship, the loss of pollinators may impose widespread effects on plant communities. Pollinator declines raise questions for the future of agricultural productivity, food security, and human health. Due to the large diversity of the wild bee population and their essential role as pollinators of natural land and agricultural crops, implementing conservation practices are necessary to preserve decreasing populations. Previous conservation efforts have been limited to planting native flowering forbs in unused fields or hedgerows bordering farms and roadsides in order to establish sufficient floral resources. However, restored prairies have the ability to support …

Molecular Characterization Of Wolbachia And Its Impact On The Microbiome Of Exotic And United States Ticks, Cailyn G. Bobo

Honors Theses

Wolbachia endosymbionts are obligate intracellular bacteria in the phylum α-Proteobacteria. They infect approximately two-thirds of arthropods including insects and nematodes. These bacteria manipulate host reproductive biology through a series of mechanisms that include feminization of male progeny, parthenogenesis, male killing, and cytoplasmic incompatibility. These features make Wolbachia an effective agent of controlling insect populations, as previously reported in different mosquito species. Likewise, the bacteria have also shown promising ability to interfere with the ability of mosquitoes to transmit several viral pathogens. This study was conducted to fill an existing knowledge gap on the prevalence of Wolbachia in different tick species …

Effects Of Traditional Processing Techniques On The Nutritional And Microbiological Quality Of Four Edible Insect Species Used For Food And Feed In East Africa, Dorothy N. Nyangena, Christopher Mutungi, Samuel Imathiu, John Kinyuru, Hippolyte Affognon, Sunday Ekesi, Dorothy Nakimbugwe, Komi K.M. Fiaboe

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Edible insects are increasingly being considered as food and feed ingredients because of their rich nutrient content. Already, edible insect farming has taken-off in Africa, but quality and safety concerns call for simple, actionable hazard control mechanisms. We examined the effects of traditional processing techniques—boiling, toasting, solar-drying, oven-drying, boiling + oven-drying, boiling + solar-drying, toasting + oven-drying, toasting + solar-drying—on the proximate composition and microbiological quality of adult Acheta domesticus and Ruspolia differens, the prepupae of Hermetia illucens and 5th instar larvae of Spodoptera littoralis. Boiling, toasting, and drying decreased the dry matter crude fat by 0.8–51% in the order: …

Widespread Army Ant Aversion Among East African Jumping Spiders (Salticidae), Ximena J. Nelson, Samuel Aguilar-Arguello, Robert R. Jackson

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Jumping spiders (Salticidae) typically prey on a variety of arthropods of similar size to themselves, but rarely on ants. Using 28 salticid species from East Africa, we first investigated vision-based aversion to ants by recording latency to enter a transparent sealed chamber flanked by chambers containing living army ants (Dorylus sp.) or tsetse flies (Glossina pallidipes) of comparable size. For all species, entry latency was significantly longer when the stimuli were ants. In another experiment, we used dead ants and tsetse flies mounted in a life-like posture as stimuli; except for Goleba puella, a species with unusual retinal ultrastructure, we …

Mosquito Communities And Insect-Specific Viruses In A Heterogenous, Urban Landscape In Puerto Rico, Nicole Scavo

Master's Theses

The goal of my thesis was to investigate the relationships between mosquito diversity, Aedes aegptyi populations, and socioeconomic factors (SEF) in an urban setting and to characterize the virome of Ae. aegypti in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Mosquitoes were collected in three periods during late 2018 and early 2019 and were identified to the species level. Socioeconomic factors were measured using foot surveys and U.S. Census data. Some Ae. aegypti females were processed for sequencing and sent to Quick Biology for RNA sequencing to identify viruses. Results showed a link between SEF and Ae. aegypti abundance as well as between …

Characterizing Erad And Antioxidant Response In Ixodes Scapularis Ise6 Cells During Borrelia Infection, Latoyia Downs

Master's Theses

Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites that transmit a multitude of diseases to humans. Borrelia burgdorferi (BB) and Borrelia miyamotoi (BM) are both tick-borne pathogens that cause disease in humans and are transmitted by the black-legged tick (Ixodes scapularis). A byproduct of blood digestion generates reactive oxygen species that are toxic and cause oxidative stress which promotes cellular damage and dysfunction. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is especially affected by oxidative stress, resulting in a buildup of improperly folded proteins in the ER lumen called ER stress. To prevent cellular damage, the tick utilizes an antioxidant system to neutralize ROS and mechanisms …

Historical And Contemporary Variables Affecting The Range And Distribution Of Aedes Aegypti, The Yellow Fever Mosquito, In The United States, Nicole Mackey

Master's Theses

Aedes aegypti, the primary mosquito vector of the yellow fever virus, threatens global health by passing on this virus, as well as chikungunya, dengue, and Zika viruses. Through its natural tendency to live in highly urban areas and bite human hosts; understanding the factors that affect the historical and current range of the pest is invaluable (Gubler, 1998). Although these viruses are not normally found in the United States, lack of vaccinations and wide-spread presence of the mosquito could lead to these diseases being reintroduced with potentially devastating effects (Monath, 2001). To determine a partial historical range of A. aegypti …