Entomology Commons^™

Comparative Analysis Of Double-Stranded Rna Degradation And Processing In Insects, Indrakant K. Singh, Satnam Singh, Kanakachari Mogilicherla, Jayendra Nath Shukla, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

RNA interference (RNAi) based methods are being developed for pest management. A few products for control of coleopteran pests are expected to be commercialized soon. However, variability in RNAi efficiency among insects is preventing the widespread use of this technology. In this study, we conducted research to identify reasons for variability in RNAi efficiency among thirty-seven (37) insects belonging to five orders. Studies on double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) degradation by dsRNases and processing of labeled dsRNA to siRNA showed that both dsRNA degradation and processing are variable among insects belonging to different orders as well as among different insect species within …

A Molecular Diagnostic Survey Of Pathogens And Parasites Of Honey Bees, Apis Mellifera L., From Arkansas And Oklahoma, Dylan Cleary

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The health and viability of colonies of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, in the United States have fluctuated dramatically over the past decade. This poses a substantial threat to agricultural production in this country. Currently, no single factor has been identified for this decline. Rather, it has been suggested that the interaction between multiple biotic and abiotic stressors may be responsible. Among these factors are pesticides, habitat loss, climate and weather, parasites and pathogens, and colony management techniques. For this reason, it is important to examine the prevalence of honey bee parasite and pathogen infection at the state level in …

Temporal Transcriptomic Profiling Of The Ant-Feeding Assassin Bug Acanthaspis Cincticrus Reveals A Biased Expression Of Genes Associated With Predation In Nymphs, Fei Kou, Hu Li, Shujuan Li, Huaizhu Xun, Yinqiao Zhang, Ziqiang Sun, Xuguo Zhou, Wanzhi Cai

Entomology Faculty Publications

Acanthaspis cincticrus (Stål) is an assassin bug with a specialized camouflaging behavior to ambush ants in the nymphal stages. In this study, we comprehensively sequenced all the life stages of A. cincticrus, including the eggs, five nymph instars, female and male adults using Illumina HiSeq technology. We obtained 176 million clean sequence reads. The assembled 84,055 unigenes were annotated and classified functionally based on protein databases. Among the unigenes, 29.03% were annotated by one or more databases, suggesting their well-conserved functions. Comparison of the gene expression profiles in the egg, nymph and adult stages revealed certain bias. Functional enrichment …

Rna Interference In The Asian Longhorned Beetle: Identification Of Key Rnai Genes And Reference Genes For Rt-Qpcr, Thais B. Rodrigues, Ramesh Kumar Dhandapani, Jian J. Duan, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Anoplophora glabripennis is a serious invasive forest pest in several countries including the United States, Canada, and Europe. RNA interference (RNAi) technology is being developed as a novel method for pest management. Here, we identified the ALB core RNAi genes including those coding for Dicer, Argonaute, and double-stranded RNA-binding proteins (dsRBP) as well as for proteins involved in dsRNA transport and the systemic RNAi. We also compared expression of six potential reference genes that could be used to normalize gene expression and selected gapdh and rpl32 as the most reliable genes among different tissues and stages …

Development Of Rnai Method For Screening Candidate Genes To Control Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus Planipennis, Thais B. Rodrigues, Lynne K. Rieske, Jian J. Duan, Kanakachari Mogilicherla, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

The ingestion of double-strand RNAs (dsRNA) targeting essential genes in an insect could cause mortality. Based on this principle, a new generation of insect control methods using RNA interference (RNAi) are being developed. In this work, we developed a bioassay for oral delivery of dsRNA to an invasive forest and urban tree pest, the emerald ash borer (EAB, Agrilus planipennis). EAB feeds and develops beneath the bark, killing trees rapidly. This behavior, coupled with the lack of a reliable artificial diet for rearing larvae and adults, make them difficult to study. We found that dsRNA is transported and processed …

Creative Nonnatives: Painting Invasive Insects Of The United States, Monica Tynan

Senior Honors Projects

An invasive species is a nonnative organism that may cause damage to an ecosystem. Invasive species cause problems in an environment by outcompeting native organisms for resources or by feeding upon native species. Invasive insects in particular can harm an ecosystem by consuming foliage and decreasing biodiversity. During my experience at the Preisser Lab at the University of Rhode Island, I witnessed rsthand the damage that invasive insects can do to a tree population, and I learned about how ecosystem dynamics can be disrupted by the introduction of a nonnative species.

My project portrays an aesthetically pleasing visualization of several …

Black Bugbane & The Blues: Interactions Between Our Wildflower Of The Year And The Insect World, W. John Hayden

Biology Faculty Publications

No, this article has nothing to do with American Roots music. Black Bugbane is one of several common names for the 2017 VNPS Wildflower of the Year, Actaea racemosa. And Blues refers to a subfamily of lycaenid butterflies, commonly referred to as Blues or Azures. The interactions between Black Bugbane, a.k.a., Black Cohosh, Appalachian Azure butterflies (Celastrina neglectamajor), and ants was recently summarized by VNPS charter member and past president Nicky Staunton (2015). In brief, Black Bugbane is the sole food source for caterpillars of Appalachian Azure butterflies, a situation that, superficially, might seem like any other caterpillar and host …

Teaching Morphological Species Identification To Forensic Science Students: Advantages, Problems And Results, Gregory Nigoghosian, Lauren Weidner, Ludmila Nunes, Trevor Stamper

IMPACT Presentations

Poster presented at the 69th American Academy of Forensic Science Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA. The poster discusses findings of a study of how students identify morphological species.

Susceptibility Of The Southern House Mosquito, Culex Quinquefasciatus, In East Baton Rouge Parish To Larval Insecticides, Nicholas Alexander Delisi

LSU Master's Theses

Mosquito control districts in Louisiana focus their efforts on Culex quinquefasciatus, the primary vector of West Nile virus in the southern United States, with rigorous larvicide treatments. However, the development of resistant populations of Cx. quinquefasciatus in response to extensive insecticide application has been demonstrated repeatedly. Examining changes in insecticide susceptibility and larvicide efficacy in real world scenarios can help inform mosquito control districts as to whether or not their treatments are killing mosquitoes. We hypothesized that frequent larvicide applications for the control of mosquitoes in East Baton Rouge Parish had lowered susceptibility of wild Cx. quinquefasciatus to insecticides, and …

Investigations On The Vampire Moth Genus Calyptra Ochsenheimer, Incorporating Taxonomy, Life History, And Bioinformatics (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Calpinae), Julia L. Snyder

Open Access Theses

The seventeen species and two subspecies described in the genus Calyptra are known to be obligate fruit piercers, with some species being of economic importance. Males within the genus have not only been observed piercing their fruit hosts, but have also been documented to occasionally feed on mammalian blood. The genetic and ecological mechanisms contributing to host preference for either plant or vertebrate hosts in this lineage are unknown. Thus, the focus of this study was to investigate the chemosensory systems between and among Calyptra species exhibiting differential feeding strategies. Before investigating the chemosensory systems within Calyptra, the taxonomy …

Log Of The 2016 William H. Cross Expedition: Lillian E. Smith Center, Rabun County, Georgia, 3-9 June 2016, J. A. Macgown

Midsouth Entomologist

No abstract provided.

Ifly: Code Development For An App To Support Automating Entomological Data Collection, Michael P. Cosentino, Trevor Stamper

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

We are developing a prototype entomological data-collection application called "iFly," which runs on a field-capable iPad device. In this phase, we tackled refining screens and introducing a database manager to streamline operations as info is entered, stored, retrieved and delivered. We used SQLite3 database in Apple's Xcode Integrated Development Environment (IDE). Xcode gives mixed programming results. Apple's iOS environment ensures functional and fairly error-free apps can be built. But the sophisticated Xcode IDE requires specialist developers and valuable project time is spent as new programmers learn key techniques. The iFly prototype was advanced with improved database integration; however, more work …

A Brief History Of Corn: Looking Back To Move Forward, Jon Derek Pruitt

Doctor of Plant Health Program: Dissertations and Student Research

Maize was domesticated from teosinte in Mexico some 7,000 to 10,000 years ago and quickly spread through the Americas. It has become one of the most important crops at a local and global level. Two types, Northern Flint corn and Southern Dent corns provided the basis of the genetic background of modern maize hybrids. The development of hybrids, first double-cross and later single-cross hybrids, along with a transition to high input farming provided huge yield increases, which have continued to improve with improving technology.

Increase in maize production also caused a rise in Western corn Rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera …

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 …

Genetic Variation And Species Distribution Of Subterranean Termites In The Southeastern U.S. Focusing On Family Structure And The Invasive Formosan Subterranean Termite, Mark Allan Janowiecki

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work applies molecular genetic tools to distinguish the identity and understand the biology of termites, particularly Reticulitermes Holmgren and Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in the southeastern U.S. Termites are important economic pests costing billions of dollars annually to Americans but also are important wood decomposers in natural settings. Molecular tools are essential for species identification because of the morphological ambiguities among species. The cryptic nest structure of subterranean termites which prevents adequate sampling makes molecular genetic tools essential to examine an entire colony.

A molecular diagnostic technique was created to differentiate Coptotermes formosanus, an invasive species in the …

Insecticide Resistance In The Bed Bug Comes With A Cost, Jennifer R. Gordon, Michael F. Potter, Kenneth F. Haynes

Entomology Faculty Publications

Adaptation to new environmental stress is often associated with an alteration of one or more life history parameters. Insecticide resistant populations of insects often have reduced fitness relative to susceptible populations in insecticide free environments. Our previous work showed that three populations of bed bugs, Cimex lectularius L., evolved significantly increased levels of resistance to one product containing both β-cyfluthrin and imidacloprid insecticides with only one generation of selection, which gave us an opportunity to explore potential tradeoffs between life history parameters and resistance using susceptible and resistant strains of the same populations. Life history tables were compiled by collecting …

Nutrition Regulation Of Male Accessory Gland Growth And Maturation In Tribolium Castaneum, Jingjing Xu, Ashlee L. Anciro, Subba R. Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

Insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) pathway is known to control growth, development and reproduction. Insulin-like peptide mediated body size plasticity in Drosophila melanogaster has been reported. Here, our studies showed that IIS pathway and nutrition regulate growth and maturation of the male accessory gland (MAG) in the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. The size of MAG increased from day 1 to day 5 post-adult emergence (PAE). This increase in the size of MAG is contributed by an increase in cell size, but not cell number. The growth of MAG was impaired after double-stranded RNA (dsRNA)-mediated knockdown in the expression of genes …

Control Of Agrilus Ruficollis (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) With Insecticides And Identifying Visual Attractants For Use In A Monitoring Trap, Soo-Hoon Kim

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The rednecked cane borer, Agrilus ruficollis (F.), is a pest of cultivated and wild blackberries in the Midwestern and Eastern parts of the United States. Feeding, mating, egg laying and development of A. ruficollis from larvae to adult only occurs on primocane, the first year vegetative growth stage of blackberries, and not on the second year fruiting stage called floricanes that die after fruiting. Damage from this pest is caused by the larva girdling the primocane and tunneling in the pith, causing the formation of a gall. Gall formation on the primocane increases the chance of winter injury and can …

Bemisia Tabaci Q Carrying Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus Strongly Suppresses Host Plant Defenses, Xiaobin Shi, Huipeng Pan, Hongyi Zhang, Xiaoguo Jiao, Wen Xie, Qingjun Wu, Shaoli Wang, Yong Fang, Gong Chen, Xuguo Zhou, Youjun Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

The concurrence of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) with the spread of its vector Bemisia tabaci Q rather than B in China suggests a more mutualistic relationship between TYLCV and Q. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that viruliferous B and Q have different effects on plant defenses. We found the fecundity of nonviruliferous B, nonviruliferous Q, viruliferous Q and viruliferous B was 11.080, 12.060, 10.760, and 11.220 respectively on plants previously attacked by the other biotype, however, on their respective noninfested control leaves fecundity was 12.000, 10.880, 9.760, and 8.020 respectively. Only viruliferous B had higher fecundity on viruliferous …

Development Modeling Of Lucilia Sericata And Phormia Regina (Diptera: Calliphoridae), Amanda L. Roe

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The relationship between insect development and temperature has been well established and has a wide range of uses, including using blow flies for postmortem (PMI) interval estimations in death investigations. To use insects in estimating PMI, we must be able to determine the insect age at the time of discovery and backtrack to time of oviposition. Unfortunately, existing development models of forensically important insects are only linear approximations and do not take into account the curvilinear properties experienced at extreme temperatures. A series of experiments were conducted with two species of forensically important blow flies (Lucilia sericata and Phormia …

Population Variation In And Selection For Resistance To Pyrethroid-Neonicotinoid Insecticides In The Bed Bug, Jennifer R. Gordon, Mark H. Goodman, Michael F. Potter, Kenneth F. Haynes

Entomology Faculty Publications

Pyrethroid resistance in bed bugs, Cimex lectularius, has prompted a change to combination products that include a pyrethroid and a neonicotinoid. Ten populations of bed bugs were challenged with two combination products (Temprid SC and Transport GHP). Susceptibility of these populations varied, with the correlated response of the two products indicating cross resistance. We imposed selection on three populations using label rate Temprid, and then reared progeny from unselected and selected strains. All selected strains were significantly less susceptible to Temprid SC than unselected strains. Temprid selected strains were also less susceptible to Transport. The pyrethroid component of Temprid showed …

Ento 403/803: Management Of Horticultural Crop Pests—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Thomas J. Weissling

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

ENTO 403/803, management of horticultural crop pests, is an important class for many students. It is required by undergraduate horticulture majors at UNL, but because it is offered online, it is also of interest to entomology and horticulture graduate students across the U.S. and globally. I chose this class for the peer review process because I find it challenging due to online course delivery, and the breadth of knowledge of students that are enrolled. I feel I need to take this course to a higher level where I can engage students of all backgrounds, and ensure that each of them …

Ento 401: Insect Physiology—A Peer Review Of Teaching Project Benchmark Portfolio, Nicholas Miller

UNL Faculty Course Portfolios

Insect Physiology (ENTO 401) is a required course for majors in Insect Science. This portfolio documents my efforts to improve the course as I teach it for the second time. My intention was to use the development of a portfolio as a vehicle to modify the course so that the methods I use are better aligned to my overall goals for the course. Consequently, I have produced a portfolio that is directed toward my efforts to develop a more varied approach that improves integrated understanding and scientific thinking and to better document that the development of integrated understanding and scientific …

Taxonomy And Systematics Of New Zealand Faronitae (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae), Jong-Seok Park

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The New Zealand Faronitae was revised at the species level, and a phylogenetic study was performed based on morphological and molecular data. Eight new genera and 143 new species were discovered. Three new genera, “Brounea”, “Ahnea” and “Pseudoexeirarthra” were designated based on the species originally described in the genus Sagola. Five new genera, “Aucklandea”, “Chandlerea”, “Nunnea”, “Leschenea” and “Pseudostenosagola” were designated by new species. Three known genera, Exeirarthra, Stenosagola and Sagola were also revised at species level. Eighty four names were synonymized, two in Exeirarthra, four in Stenosagola and 78 in Sagola. Lectotypes of seven species, Sagola terricola Broun, S. …

Seasonal Photoperiods Alter Developmental Time And Mass Of An Invasive Mosquito, Aedes Albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae), Across Its North-South Range In The United States, Steven A. Juliano, Donald A. Yee, Steven M. Vamosi

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

The Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus (Skuse), is perhaps the most successful invasive mosquito species in contemporary history. In the United States, Ae. albopictus has spread from its introduction point in southern Texas to as far north as New Jersey (i.e., a span of approximate to 14 degrees latitude). This species experiences seasonal constraints in activity because of cold temperatures in winter in the northern United States, but is active year-round in the south. We performed a laboratory experiment to examine how life-history traits of Ae. albopictus from four populations (New Jersey [39.4 degrees N], Virginia [38.6 degrees N], North …

Wing Shape As An Indicator Of Larval Rearing Conditions For Aedes Albopictus And Aedes Aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), C R. Stephens, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Estimating a mosquito's vector competence, or likelihood of transmitting disease, if it takes an infectious bloodmeal, is an important aspect of predicting when and where outbreaks of infectious diseases will occur. Vector competence can be affected by rearing temperature and inter- and intraspecific competition experienced by the individual mosquito during its larval development. This research investigates whether a new morphological indicator of larval rearing conditions, wing shape, can be used to distinguish reliably temperature and competitive conditions experienced during larval stages. Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae were reared in low intraspecific, high intraspecific, or high …

Using Web-Based Key Character And Classification Instruction For Teaching Undergraduate Students Insect Identification, Douglas A. Golick, Tiffany M. Heng-Moss, Allen L. Steckelberg, David W. Brooks, Leon G. Higley, David Fowler

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of the study was to determine whether undergraduate students receiving web-based instruction based on traditional, key character, or classification instruction differed in their performance of insect identification tasks. All groups showed a significant improvement in insect identifications on pre- and post-two-dimensional picture specimen quizzes. The study also determined student performance on insect identification tasks was not as good as for family-level identification as compared to broader insect orders and arthropod classification identification tasks. Finally, students erred significantly more by misidentification than misspelling specimen names on prepared specimen quizzes. Results of this study support that short web-based insect identification …

Establishing Lower Developmental Thresholds For A Common Blowfly: For Use In Estimating Elapsed Time Since Death Using Entomologyical Methods, Gail S. Anderson, Jodie-A. Warren

Faculty Research, Scholarly, and Creative Activity

Forensic entomology is a science used to estimate a post-mortem interval (PMI). Larvae develop at predictable rates and the time interval for this development can be used to estimate the PMI. Environmental temperatures are not constant and fluctuate with the photoperiod. In early and late insect seasons, temperatures can drop to below threshold temperatures where development essentially ceases. Threshold temperatures differ for different species and should be determined by raising insects at the extremely low temperatures. The lower threshold temperature for Protophormia terraenovae for egg hatch is 10.3°C ; for first instar larvae to molt to second instar larvae it …

Environmental Correlates Of Abundances Of Mosquito Species And Stages In Discarded Vehicle Tires, Donald A. Yee, Jamie M. Kneitel, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Discarded vehicle tires are a common habitat for container mosquito larvae, although the environmental factors that may control their presence or abundance within a tire are largely unknown. We sample discarded vehicle tires in six sites located within four counties of central Illinois during the spring and summer of 2006 to determine associations between a suite of environmental factors and community composition of container mosquitoes. Our goal was to find patterns of association between environmental factors and abundances of early and late instars. We hypothesized that environmental factors correlated with early instars would be indicative of oviposition cues, whereas environmental …

No Evolutionary Response To Four Generations Of Laboratory Selection On Antipredator Behavior Of Aedes Albopictus: Potential Implications For Biotic Resistance To Invasion, Banugopan Kesavaraju, Steven A. Juliano

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) is an invasive container-dwelling mosquito and an important disease vector that co-occurs with the native mosquito, Aedes triseriatus (Say), and the predatory midge, Corethrella appandiculata (Grabham). Larval Ae. triseriatus show significantly greater antipredatory responses when compared to larval Ae. albopictus in the presence of predation cues from C. appendiculata. The potential for evolution of antipredatory behavioral responses to C. appendiculata in Ae. albopictus is unknown. We used a controlled laboratory selection experiment to test whether Ae. albopictus could evolve antipredatory behavioral responses to C. appendiculata predation. We subjected replicate Ae. albopictus populations to four generations of predation …