Entomology Commons^™

Elucidation Of The Microrna Transcriptome In Western Corn Rootworm Reveals Its Dynamic And Evolutionary Complexity, Xiaozeng Yang, Elane Fishilevich, Marcelo A. German, Premchand Gandra, Robert E. Mcewan, André Billion, Eileen Knorr, Andreas Vilcinskas, Kenneth E. Narva

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (western corn rootworm, WCR) is one of the most destructive agricultural insect pests in North America. It is highly adaptive to environmental stimuli and crop protection technologies. However, little is known about the underlying genetic basis of WCR behavior and adaptation. More specifically, the involvement of small RNAs (sRNAs), especially microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of endogenous small non-coding RNAs that regulate various biological processes, has not been examined, and the datasets of putative sRNA sequences have not previously been generated for WCR. To achieve a comprehensive collection of sRNA transcriptomes in WCR, we constructed, sequenced, and analyzed …

A 30-Year History Of Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Ellipsoptera Nevadica Lincolniana (Casey, 1916) (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), Visual Population Estimates, Stephen M. Spomer, Shaun Dunn, Michael I. Fritz

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The federally endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle, Ellipsoptera nevadica lincolniana (Casey, 1916), is found only in the saline wetlands around Lincoln, Nebraska, USA. Low numbers of adults seen in the 1980s prompted a study to estimate adult numbers by visual counts. Population estimates were conducted from 1991 to 2020, and adult estimates ranged from a low of 115 in 1993 to a high of 777 in 2002. The beetle has disappeared from six out of twelve sites and the metapopulation has shrunk from three sites in 1991 to one site in 2020. Supplemental releases of laboratory reared larvae began in …

Does Cover Crop Management Affect Arthropods In The Subsequent Corn And Soybean Crops In The United States? A Systematic Review, Gabriela Inveninato Carmona, Leslie Delserone, Julia Nogueira Duarte Campos, Tauana Ferreira De Almeida, Dânia Vieira Branco Ozório, Juan David Betancurt Cardona, Robert J. Wright, Anthony J. Mcmechan

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Cover crops (CC) support populations of pest and beneficial arthropods. The status of these arthropods in the subsequent cash crop depends on several factors such as CC species, management, biomass production, and weather conditions. A systematic review was performed to identify how CC management influences pest and beneficial arthropods and to identify knowledge gaps for the future research efforts. Eight studies included in this review indicated that CC increase beneficial arthropods or some beneficial arthropods compared with the CC managed fields. A minority of the studies indicated an increase in pest presence when using CC. Cover crop species, termination time …

Importance Of Instream Habitat To Recruitment And Community Structure Of Aquatic Invertebrates, Catherine R. Billé

Master’s Theses

This thesis investigates how mechanisms of colonization by aquatic insects, both by ovipositing adults and or larval drift, operate at either micro-, meso-, or macro-scales to influence larval community assemblage in streams. Our study took place in a forested floodplain stream characterized by uniform soft clay and loose detritus substrate. Within this study reach we built three sets of riffles, with each set comprised of three identical riffles built either 15, 10, or 5 m apart. We examined microscale influences on community assemblage by studying recruitment of egg masses to our constructed riffles. We found that riffle habitat additions were …

Isolation Of Metarhizium Guizhouense And Metarhizium Robertsii Strains From Soil-Exposed Amblyomma Americanum (Acarina: Ixodidae) From Northwest Arkansas, Usa, Allen Szalanski

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.) (Acarina: Ixodidae), is the most abundant tick species found in Arkansas and is involved in the trans-mission of pathogens of medical and veterinary importance. When not feeding, most non-nidicolous tick species shelter in the soil and leaf litter where they may be exposed to and potentially infected with entomopathogenic fungi that reside naturally in the soil. Entomopathogenic fungi in the genus Metarhizium Sorokīn (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae) have shown promise as biological control agents of ticks. Here, the first study to isolate and identify Arkansas-derived isolates of Metarhizium from A. americanum ticks is presented. We …

Confirmation Of New Crapemyrtle Bark Scale (Acanthococcus Lagerstroemiae) Hosts (Spiraea And Callicarpa) Through Dna Barcoding, Allen Szalanski

Entomology and Plant Pathology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Crapemyrtle bark scale (CMBS; Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae Kuwana) is an invasive insect that was first discovered in the United States in 2004. The polyphagous feeding habit of CMBS has allowed it to infest a wide range of plant species beyond its primary host, Lagerstroemia. Using molecular approaches, we studied the genetic relationships between CMBS specimens and their hosts from different geographic locations. Naturally occurring CMBS infestations were confirmed on American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana L.), a native plant species in the United States, and spirea (Spiraea L.). The new infestation of CMBS found on Spiraea raises the alarm that other economically important …

Power Amplification Strategies Across Animals, Rayhan Asif

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Animals use muscles for movement, but some have evolved mechanisms to exceed maximum power used in a motion known as power amplification. In this literature review, I analyzed and compared the evolution of structures capable of power amplification between species. Structures capable of power amplification were broken down into the basic components of the engine, amplifier, and tool. The species analyzed were found to possess necessary structures for power amplification which were relatively similar to each other in morphology, but varied greatly in function. The ease with which these structures evolved was evaluated based on the amount of divergence which …

The Social Behavior Of Pine Sawflies In The Genus Neodiprion, John W. Terbot Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Group living is found across the animal kingdom ranging from temporary mating aggregations to complex, eusocial lifestyles. A particularly common form of group living found among insects are larval or nymphal herds. This lifestyle consists of immature insects living together and results in several proposed costs and benefits. Benefits of this lifestyle include improved ability to regulate a group’s microenvironment, more efficient use of their host, and the ability to engage in collective predator defenses. Offsetting these benefits are costs resulting from living in close proximity to conspecifics which include increased competition, greater visibility to predators, and heightened disease risks. …

A New Species Of Chalepides Casey, 1915 (Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae, Cyclocephalini) From The Pantanal Of Brazil, Brett Ratcliffe, Matthias Seidel

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Chalepides pantanalensis Ratcliffe & Seidel is described as a new species from the Pantanal region in Brazil. A description, diagnosis for distinguishing the species, illustrations, and a distribution map are provided. The new species is morphologically compared with C. howdenorum Joly & Escalona and C. osunai Joly & Escalona.

The genus Chalepides Casey consists of 14 species dis­tributed in South America with one species in the West Indies (Joly and Escalona 2002; Ratcliffe and Cave 2015). Chalepides species are recognized by a usually prolonged prepygidium with a concomitant shortening of the pygidium; presence of long, dense, tawny setae on the …

Honey Bee Foraged Pollen Reveals Temporal Changes In Pollen Protein Content And Changes In Forager Choice For Abundant Versus High Protein Flowers, Gabriela Quinlan, Meghan Milbrath, Clint Otto, Autumn Smart, Deborah D. Iwanowicz, Robert Cornman, Rufus Isaacs

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Protein derived from pollen is an essential component of healthy bee diets. Protein content in honey bee foraged pollen varies temporally and spatially, but the drivers underlying this variation remain poorly characterized. We assessed the temporal and spatial variation in honey bee collected pollen in 12 Michigan apiaries over 3 summers (2015–2017). We simultaneously monitored forage in flowering habitats (uncultivated floristically-rich areas and conservation program land) near these apiaries throughout the growing season. We used these data, along with data from the literature on plant pollen protein content, to determine if honey bees collected a greater proportion of pollen from …

A New Subspecies Of Lon Taxiles (W. H. Edwards, 1861) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) From The Great Plains, Stephen M. Spomer

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

A new subspecies of Lon taxiles (W. H. Edwards, 1861) is described from the Pine Ridge of Nebraska and Black Hills of South Dakota. It is distinguished by the presence of distinct white spots on the VHW of females and darker males than specimens from other parts of its range.

The Taxiles skipper, Lon [formerly Poanes; see Cong et al. (2019)] taxiles (W. H. Edwards, 1861), is a woodland species found in mountainous areas in extreme southeastern Idaho, through Colorado and Utah, south through New Mexico and Arizona, into Mexico. There is also a somewhat disjunct eastern population, ranging from …

Challenges For Adoption Of Integrated Pest Management (Ipm): The Soybean Example, A. F. Bueno, A. R. Panizzi, Thomas E. Hunt, P. M. Dourado, R. M. Pitta, J. Gonçalves

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Soybean is considered one of today’s most important crops. Planted on millions of hectares worldwide, the management of soybean pests usually requires large amounts of chemicals. However, a key component to meet the increasing demand for food due to the rapidly growing global population is protecting crops from pests while maintaining environmental quality through ecologically and economically sound integrated pest management (IPM) practices. Not only can IPM result in more profitable agriculture due to the reduction of pest control costs but also assures equitable, secure, sufficient, and stable flows of both food and ecosystem services. Despite those ecological and economic …

A First Flight In North Carolina—But Not At Kitty Hawk, Robert J. Wright

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The southern corn billbug is a univoltine insect most common in the Coastal Plains region of North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and South Carolina. However, this insect can also be found in the midwestern U.S. (Van Duyn and Wright 1999). Early in the growing season, the adults can be found feeding at the base of corn plants—typically with their head pointed downward (Fig. 1)—by inserting their beak into the base of the plant. They can kill or stunt seedlings or injure the developing leaves inside the plant, causing twisted leaves as they emerge or a series of small holes across the …

Frederick Baxendale (1949–2021), Robert J. Wright, Tiffany Heng-Moss

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Frederick “Fred” Paul Baxendale, 72, of Lincoln, Nebraska, passed away Thursday, 30 September 2021. He was born on 10 April 1949 to Ralph and Inez (Thrasher) Baxendale in Rochester, NY. After graduating from Williamson Central High School, he served in the United States Air Force Air Weather Service from 1969 to 1973. He received an A.S. in Mathematics and Science from Finger Lakes Community College in 1975, and a B.S. in Entomology from Cornell University in 1977. He received both his M.S in Entomology (1980) and his Ph.D. from Texas A&M University in 1983, majoring in Entomology. Fred was a …

Transference Of Citizen Science Program Impacts: A Theory Grounded In Public Participation In Scientific Research, Louise I. Lynch-O’Brien, Wayne A. Babchuk, Jenny M. Dauer, Tiffany Heng-Moss, Doug Golick

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Citizen science is known for increasing the geographic, spatial, and temporal scale from which scientists can gather data. It is championed for its potential to provide experiential learning opportunities to the public. Documentation of educational outcomes and benefits for citizen scientists continues to grow. This study proposes an added benefit of these collaborations: the transference of program impacts to individuals outside of the program. The experiences of fifteen citizen scientists in entomology citizen science programs were analyzed using a constructivist grounded theory methodology. We propose the substantive-level theory of transference to describe the social process by which the educational and …

Development And First Evaluation Of An Attractant Impregnated Adhesive Tape Against Blood-Sucking Flies, Junwei J. Zhu, Gwang-Hyun Roh, Yosuke Asamoto, Kujtim Bizati, Jen-Chieh Liu, Alexander Lehmann, Kyle Harrison, David B. Taylor, Hironao Otake

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Stable flies are one of the most important arthropod pests of livestock that reduce cattle weight gain and milk production leading to annual economic losses in excess of $2 billion to the US cattle industry. The host-seeking behavior is primarily mediated by associated odors from stable fly larval development environments and host animals. The present paper reports the development and evaluation of attractant-impregnated adhesive tapes to reduce stable fly attacks on cattle. Laboratory bioassays showed that only m-cresol impregnated adhesive tapes caught significantly more stable flies (16 ± 1) than the control tape without attractant added (7 ± 1), with …

Patch Utilization And Flower Visitations By Wild Bees In A Honey Bee-Dominated, Grassland Landscape, Clint R. V. Otto, Larissa L. Bailey, Autumn H. Smart

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Understanding habitat needs and patch utilization of wild and managed bees has been identified as a national research priority in the United States. We used occupancy models to investigate patterns of bee use across 1030 transects spanning a gradient of floral resource abundance and richness and distance from apiaries in the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) of the United States. Estimates of transect use by honey bees were nearly 1.0 during our 3.5-month sampling period, suggesting honey bees were nearly ubiquitous across transects. Wild bees more frequently used transects with higher flower richness and more abundant flowers; however, the effect size …

Hitchhiking Or Hang Gliding? Dispersal Strategies Of Two Cereal-Feeding Eriophyoid Mite Species, Agnieszka Majer, Alicja Laska, Gary Hein, Lechosław Kuczyński, Anna Skoracka

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Dispersal shapes the dynamics of populations, their genetic structure and species distribution; therefore, knowledge of an organisms’ dispersal abilities is crucial, especially in economically important and invasive species. In this study, we investigated dispersal strategies of two phytophagous eriophyoid mite species: Aceria tosichella (wheat curl mite, WCM) and Abacarus hystrix (cereal rust mite, CRM). Both species are obligatory plant parasites that infest cereals and are of economic significance. We investigated their dispersal success using different dispersal agents: wind and vectors. We hypothesised that in both mite species the main mode of dispersal is moving via wind, whereas phoretic dispersal is …

The Dynastine Scarab Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) Of Chile, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Ronald D. Cave, José Mondaca

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The eight species of dynastine scarab beetles that occur in Chile are reviewed. Keys, descriptions, geographic distributions, monthly adult activity, notes on natural history, illustrations, and distribution maps are provided for all species. The erroneous records of 16 dynastine species reported from Chile are reviewed and clarified. The monotypic genus Chiliphileurus Endrödi, 1977 is reduced to junior synonymy with Eophileurus Arrow, 1908, and its only species, Chiliphileurus tuberculatus Endrödi, 1977, follows as a new junior synonym of the Asian Eophileurus cingalensis Arrow, 1908.

A New Species Of Hope, 1837 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Oryctini) From Peru, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Jochen-P. Saltin

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Megaceras sarecagem Ratcliffe and Saltin is described as a new species from Oxapampa in the Pasco Region of Peru. A description, diagnosis separating it from similar species, illustrations, and a distribution map are provided.

Solifuge (Camel Spider) Reproductive Biology: An Untapped Taxon For Exploring Sexual Selection, Alfredo V. Peretti, David E. Vrech, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

The exploration of new and diverse animal groups in the study of sexual selection is both necessary and important to help better understand broad patterns and test sexual selection hypotheses regarding the evolutionary origins and maintenance of reproductive tactics and associated traits. Solifuges are, in this matter, an exceptional group and very little explored from the sexual selection point of view. At first glance, mating is apparently quite simple and conserved within this arachnid order, but solifuge reproductive behavior is unique among arachnids and more diverse than previously thought. In particular, these voracious animals appear to exhibit high sexual conflict, …

Spiders (Araneae) Collected As Prey By The Mud-Dauber Wasps Sceliphron Caementarium And Chalybion Californicum (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) In Southeastern Nebraska1, Tyler B. Corey, Earl Agpawa, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Predator diets represent a potential interaction between local prey availability, prey antipredator defenses, and predator foraging behavior. Female spider-specialist muddauber wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) collect spiders and provision them intact, but paralyzed, to their developing larvae, providing a unique means of quantifying the diversity and abundance of prey that they capture. Mud-dauber wasps are hypothesized to be a major source of selection on antipredator defenses in web-building spiders, and the spiny and thickened abdomens of female spiny orb-weaving spiders (Araneae: Araneidae) are hypothesized to function as antiwasp defenses. We inventoried spider prey from nests of the mud-dauber wasps Sceliphron caementarium (Drury) …

Multisensory Integration Supports Configural Learning Of A Home Refuge In The Whip Spider Phrynus Marginemaculatus, Kaylyn A.S. Flanigan, Daniel D. Wiegmann, Eileen Hebets, Verner Peter Bingman

Eileen Hebets Publications

Predator diets represent a potential interaction between local prey availability, prey antipredator defenses, and predator foraging behavior. Female spider-specialist muddauber wasps (Hymenoptera: Sphecidae) collect spiders and provision them intact, but paralyzed, to their developing larvae, providing a unique means of quantifying the diversity and abundance of prey that they capture. Mud-dauber wasps are hypothesized to be a major source of selection on antipredator defenses in web-building spiders, and the spiny and thickened abdomens of female spiny orb-weaving spiders (Araneae: Araneidae) are hypothesized to function as antiwasp defenses. We inventoried spider prey from nests of the mud-dauber wasps Sceliphron caementarium (Drury) …

Visual Control Of Refuge Recognition In The Whip Spider Phrynus Marginemaculatus, Kaylyn A.S. Flanigan, Daniel D. Wiegmann, Patrick Casto, Vincent J. Coppola, Natasha R. Flesher, Eileen Hebets, Verner Peter Bingman

Eileen Hebets Publications

Amblypygids, or whip spiders, are nocturnally active arachnids which live in structurally complex environments. Whip spiders are excellent navigators that can re-locate a home refuge without relying on visual input. Therefore, an open question is whether visual input can control any aspect of whip spider spatial behavior. In the current study, Phrynus marginemaculatus were trained to locate an escape refuge by discriminating between differently oriented black and white stripes placed either on the walls of a testing arena (frontal discrimination) or on the ceiling of the same testing arena (overhead discrimination). Regardless of the placement of the visual stimuli, the …

Identification And Quantification Of 11 Airborne Biochemicals Emitted By The Brown Recluse And Another Primitive Hunting Spider Using Headspace Solid-Phase Microextraction-Gc/Ms, Zachary Foulks, Jennifer Parks, William Stoecker, Charles Kristensen, Eileen A. Hebets, Honglan Shi

Eileen Hebets Publications

Loxosceles reclusa, or brown recluse spider, is a harmful household spider whose habitat extends throughout the Midwest in the USA and other regions in the world. The pheromones and other biomolecules that facilitate signaling for brown recluses and other spider species are poorly understood. A rapid and sensitive method is needed to analyze airborne spider signaling biomolecules to better understand the structure and function of these biochemicals in order to control the population of the spiders. In this study, we developed a novel headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME)-GC/MS method to analyze potential pheromones and biomolecules emitted by the brown recluse …

There’S More Than One Way To Beat The Heat: What Anal Probes Reveal About Thermal Responses In Neotropical Beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)., Emilie I. Dion

Dissertations and Theses

Increasing global temperatures have been linked to shifts in the distributions and preferred microhabitats of terrestrial species. This trend is predicted to impact tropical forest insects, which may already be exposed to conditions that bring them close to their thermal maxima. Tropical microhabitats are linked to vertical stratification, because the canopy is hotter, winder, and less humid than the ground. In ectothermic organisms, such as beetles, thermoregulation is dependent on morphological and behavioral traits. This study investigates woodboring cerambycid beetles, to determine how behavioral thermoregulation through microhabitat selection (vertical stratification) is correlated to morphological attributes (color lightness, size, and pubescence) …

The Influence Of Resting Metabolic Rate And Environment On Tonic Immobility In A Parasitoid Wasp (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), Ryan D. Morris

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The effects of RMR (resting metabolic rate) and environment on tonic immobility were examined in the parasitoid wasp Spalangia cameroni (Order Hymenoptera: Family Pteromalidae). Tonic immobility (TI) is described as a state that an organism enters wherein they fall onto their back or side and become immobile for a period of time when disturbed. This state can last for several seconds to a few hours, depending on the organism in question. The organism may be aware during this period of time but unable to move. Female wasps were subjected to experimental treatments that involved manipulation of their environment, specifically, cold …

The Garden Oasis: Observations In A Southern California Garden, Chris Tankersley

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

A garden can be a special place of relaxation and a corridor from which one can connect with the natural world and observe the complex relationships among the many organisms that make it their home. These organisms include a vast array of insects that contribute to the diversity of even the smallest garden. We purchased an unassuming house in a quiet Southern California suburban neighborhood that included about half an acre of property made up of mostly lawn and a dense menagerie of backyard shrubs and trees on a steep hillside, along with a pond that was in desperate need …

Overview Of The Insect Food And Feed Industry, Daniel J. Seckman

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

The entomophagy field is one that when you immerse yourself in it, you will feel like the entire world is talking about insects as food and feed. Yet, from the outside, the industry is virtually nonexistent. In the United States, the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture (NACIA) is the leading organization dedicated to growing the insect food and feed sector. While the organization has grown extensively in recent years, most individuals in the food, feed, and entomological industry have never heard of the organization. The Wall Street Journal presents the annual Food Forum, which aims to “tackle the critical …

Forensic Entomology: Insect Succession, Northern Colorado, Thomas Nissen

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Forensic entomology is considered a relatively new field of entomology yet insects have been around for millions of years. Insects have been associated with dead animals and humans for centuries. The remains of insects have been recorded from Ancient Egypt to the present time. Recent advancements have been with data presented to the courts that show that there is a specific order to insects arriving on a corpse and that order helps to determine time of death. This study investigates the order of insect succession in the northern front range area of Colorado.