Entomology Commons^™

Drosophila Suzukii Fight Performance Reduced By Starvation But Not Affected By Humidity, Jessica S. Wong, Adam C. Cave, Danielle M. Lightle, Walter F. Mahaffee, Steve E. Naranjo, Nick G. Wilman, J. Megan Woltz, Jana C. Lee

Faculty Scholarship

Drosophila suzukii is widely studied because of its status as a global pest of berries and soft fruits. Environmental conditions and access to food resources impact the physiology and ftness of D. suzukii; these factors could also affect dispersal. Flight mills are a convenient tool for measuring and comparing the fight performance of insects. In this study, two experiments examined the efects of diet and humidity on D. suzukii fight performance using custom-built fight mills, and a third experiment compared the energy reserves of D. suzukii flown or not flown on fight mills. Over all fight assays, the median fight …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna J. Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Revision Of The Genus Monatractides (Parasitengona, Torrenticolidae) Of The United States And Canada: New Species, Re-Descriptions, Phylogenetics, And A Key To Species, Whitney Anne Nelson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The full suite of known Monatractides (Parasitengona, Torrenticolidae) taxa of North America (north of Mexico) are investigated herein using integrative methods. Species hypotheses are supported with morphology, geography, and phylogenetic analysis of the barcoding region of COI for 154 individuals from over 100 localities. Relationships between species are examined with a combined analysis of COI and 28S rDNA for 55 specimens. Previously described species are examined and re-described with color images and updated information, where possible. Our results indicate the need to synonymize two species: M. californica (Marshall, 1943) is a junior synonym of M. geographica (Marshall, 1943). We describe …

Influence Of Loss Of Function Of The Fatty Acid Desaturase 7 Gene On Photosynthetic Activity And Foliar Redox Status, Janithri Savindya Wickramanayake

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Fatty Acid Desaturase7 (FAD7) is a chloroplast-localized enzyme that converts 16 and 18 carbon dienoic fatty acids to trienoic fatty acids. The suppressor of prosystemin-mediated response2 (spr2) mutant in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) and the fad7-1 mutant in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) result in the loss of function of FAD7, which alter the fatty acid profiles of chloroplast membranes and enhance resistance against aphids. This research contributes toward the long-term goal of identifying factors that determine aphid resistance in FAD7 mutants. Previous data suggested constitutive differences between spr2 and WT including increased expression of genes associated with photosynthesis and differences in redox …

Spotted Wing Drosophila (Drosophila Suzukii) In Arkansas: Winter Morphs, Wild Hosts, And Fungal Control, Rosalee Knipp

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), or spotted wing drosophila (SWD), is an invasive fruit fly pest that was first found in the United States in 2008. Unlike native Drosophila, SWD females have a serrated ovipositor that allows them to attack ripening fruit. Since its introduction, it is unclear how and where they overwinter in Arkansas, what local hosts they utilize and what potential alternative tactics can be used to combat this pest. In states north of Arkansas, winter morphs (WM) of SWD are larger, darker pigmented, and can survive colder temperatures than SWD flies found in the summer. These WM were found …

Viral Prevalence Among Social Bees In Different Landscapes, Tugce Karacoban

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Honey bees and wild bees provide important pollination services to numerous crops and native plants. In recent years, declines in bee populations have highlighted the importance of the ecological services they provide and the need for more research into the reasons for their decline. Currently, many conservation efforts to mitigate bee losses include increasing forage and habitat, however, there is growing concern over the role interspecific pathogen transmission plays in bee decline. Viruses commonly found in honey bees may be transmitted and pose a threat to other bee species when bees come together at foraging sites. To elucidate the impact …

The Biological Significance And Utility Of Feeding By Dermestes Maculatus, Braymond Adams

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

With their efficient feeding habits and tolerance to very low moisture and humidity, beetles in the Family Dermestidae are especially adapted to variable environments and habitats. Dermestid cultures have been in use since 1922 in cleaning tissue and flesh from bones, and proven benefit in multiple fields, including zoology, ornithology, and forensics. Dermestid feeding behaviors when coupled with known life stage and insect succession information aids in providing significant entomological evidence. However, the feeding activities of insects, like those of vertebrate scavengers and predators, change remains and may leave artifacts that can be sometimes be difficult to assign to a …

Patterns Of Authorship In Ecology And Evolution: First, Last, And Corresponding Authorship Vary With Gender And Geography, Charles W. Fox, Josiah P. Ritchey, C. E. Timothy Paine

Entomology Faculty Publications

The position of an author on the byline of a paper affects the inferences readers make about their contributions to the research. We examine gender differences in authorship in the ecology literature using two datasets: submissions to six journals between 2010 and 2015 (regardless of whether they were accepted), and manuscripts published by 151 journals between 2009 and 2015. Women were less likely to be last (i.e., “senior”) authors (averaging ~23% across journals, years, and datasets) and sole authors (~24%), but more likely to be first author (~38%), relative to their overall frequency of authorship (~31%). However, the proportion of …

Impact Of Roadside Maintenance Practices On Larinus Minutus (Gyllenhal), A Biological Control Agent Of Spotted Knapweed, Mary Elizabeth Ferguson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spotted knapweed, Centaurea stoebe, is an invasive weed found throughout much of the United States. Spotted knapweed is a rangeland weed where it was originally introduced into western North America in the 1880s.Where spotted knapweed spread to the southeastern U.S., it is found mostly along roadsides. It has been the focus of a biological control program beginning in the 1960s, with 12 insects established, with the final introductions occurring in the 1990s. After the success observed in the western U.S. and Canada with one of these insects, Larinus minutus, this weevil was established in northwestern Arkansas. It is too early …

Evaluation Of Rice Stink Bug, Oebalus Pugnax (F.), Damage And Monitoring Techniques In Rice, Oryza Sativa L., And Grain Sorghum, Sorghum Bicolor (L.), Aaron Joseph Cato

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rice stink bug, Oebalus pugnax (F.), is a serious pest of headed rice, Oryza sativa L. and an occasional pest of heading grain sorghum in the Mid-south. Work from this dissertation focuses on resolving gaps in and knowledge of rice stink bug sampling and management, and attempts to create a basis for rice stink bug damage assessment in future studies.

Field experiments were conducted from 2016-2018 to asses variation in sweep net sampling by observing producers, researchers, extension personnel, consultants and their workers. Large levels of variation were found in sweep lengths between observed sweepers and reliability of smaller sweep …

Toxicity Of Formulated Insecticide Mixtures To Apis And Non-Apis Bees, Joseph Edward Belsky

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This work investigates ecotoxicology of new insecticide mixtures to Apis and non-Apis bees. Previous studies have demonstrated the acute and sub-lethal toxicity of individual active ingredient insecticides to honey bees and to a lesser extent non-Apis bees. However, the contact toxicity of formulated premix insecticides containing multiple active ingredients to bees has not been thoroughly assessed. To address this void, laboratory studies simulating exposure to four premix insecticides under different field-realistic scenarios were conducted for two bee species.

Honey bee, Apis mellifera (Linnaeus) contact exposure was examined by simulating three scenarios: (1) when bees continuously forage in a field and …

Ecological Stoichiometry: What Role Does It Play In The Competition And Spatial Distribution Patterns Of Aedes Albopictus And Aedes Aegypti?, James Deerman

Master's Theses

Ecological stoichiometry is the balance of chemical substances within animal bodies through interactions and processes within their ecosystem. Though relatively underexplored, it provides a wealth of information linking interactions across different levels of organization. Detritus is the base of the food web within the small aquatic ecosystems occupied by the mosquitoes Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti. Nutrient content of detritus varies, but it can have a negative effect on mosquito growth and survival if nutrient thresholds are not met. I investigated nutrient environments and species abundance in cemetery vases in New Orleans, LA to assess detrital heterogeneity and its …

Systems To Attract And Feed Pollinators In Warm-Season Lawns, Michelle Wisdom

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pollinating insects are responsible for the production of many agricultural crops and they require floral resources to fulfill their life-cycle. Ideally, pollinating insects will encounter a diversity of floral resources across their entire season of activity, and those floral resources can include both herbaceous and woody plant species. Managed turfgrass areas have been identified as potential locations for creating pollinator-friendly habitats. In the transition zone, where both warm- and cool-season turfgrass species are present, the persistence of herbaceous plants in warm-season turfgrasses such as bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) and buffalograss (Buchloe dactyloides), may be affected not only by the competitive nature …

Opposite Macroevolutionary Responses To Environmental Changes In Grasses And Insects During The Neogene Grassland Expansion, Gael J. Kergoat, Fabien L. Condamine, Emmanuel F.A. Toussaint, Claire Capdevielle-Dulac, Anne Laure Clamens, Jérôme Barbut, Paul Z. Goldstein, Bruno Le Ru

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The rise of Neogene C4 grasslands is one of the most drastic changes recently experienced by the biosphere. A central - and widely debated - hypothesis posits that Neogene grasslands acted as a major adaptive zone for herbivore lineages. We test this hypothesis with a novel model system, the Sesamiina stemborer moths and their associated host-grasses. Using a comparative phylogenetic framework integrating paleoenvironmental proxies we recover a negative correlation between the evolutionary trajectories of insects and plants. Our results show that paleoenvironmental changes generated opposing macroevolutionary dynamics in this insect-plant system and call into question the role of grasslands as …

Evaluation Of Biorational Insecticides And Dna Barcoding As Tools To Improve Insect Pest Management In Lablab Bean (Lablab Purpureus) In Bangladesh, Margaret R. Douglas, Jan Chang, Kohinoor Begum, Sevgan Subramanian, John F. Tooker, Syed Nurul Alam, Srinivasan Ramasamy

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Lablab bean (Lablab purpureus) is a popular vegetable crop in Bangladesh, but farmers growing this crop experience significant losses to insect pests despite heavy reliance on conventional insecticides. We conducted field studies to improve pest management in lablab bean by testing biorational insecticides as alternatives to conventional insecticides for the control of pod borers (Maruca vitrata) and aphids (Aphis craccivora), and characterizing flower-inhabiting thrips as an emerging pest in this crop. In field experiments, spinosad was the most promising biorational we tested, suppressing pod-boring caterpillars more effectively than thiamethoxam or quinalphos. In contrast, azadirachtin (neem) did not significantly suppress any …

Population Structure Of A Global Agricultural Invasive Pest, Bactrocera Dorsalis (Diptera: Tephritidae), Yu Jia Qin, Matthew N. Krosch, Mark K. Schutze, Yue Zhang, Xiao Xue Wang, Chandra S. Prabhakar, Agus Susanto, Alvin K.W. Hee, Sunday Ekesi, Kemo Badji, Mahfuza Khan, Jia Jiao Wu, Qiao Ling Wang, Ge Yan, Li Huan Zhu, Zi Hua Zhao, Li Jun Liu, Anthony R. Clarke, Zhi Hong Li

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Bactrocera dorsalis, the Oriental fruit fly, is one of the world's most destructive agricultural insect pests and a major impediment to international fresh commodity trade. The genetic structuring of the species across its entire geographic range has never been undertaken, because under a former taxonomy B. dorsalis was divided into four distinct taxonomic entities, each with their own, largely non-overlapping, distributions. Based on the extensive sampling of six a priori groups from 63 locations, genetic and geometric morphometric datasets were generated to detect macrogeographic population structure, and to determine prior and current invasion pathways of this species. Weak population structure …

Consequences Of Shade Management On The Taxonomic Patterns And Functional Diversity Of Termites (Blattodea: Termitidae) In Cocoa Agroforestry Systems, Ambele C. Felicitas, Bisseleua D.B. Hervé, Sunday Ekesi, Komivi S. Akutse, Christian T.C.L. Djuideu, Marie J. Meupia, Olubukola O. Babalola

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Termites have gained importance as major pests in cocoa agroforests. Proper identification of termite species and knowledge on their functional diversity are the first steps in developing environmentally compatible management strategies. We tested the hypothesis that patterns of termite species richness in different cocoa agroforests is related to responses by termite functional groups to changes in shade management. We compared termite assemblages under five cocoa agroforestry systems in Cameroon to assess the impact of shade on termite taxonomic and functional group diversity. Sampling was done using a modified standardized transect method. Two 30 × 30 m quadrates each divided into …

Occurrence, Biology, Natural Enemies And Management Of Tuta Absoluta In Africa, Ramzi Mansour, Thierry Brévault, Anaïs Chailleux, Asma Cherif, Kaouthar Grissa-Lebdi, Khalid Haddi, Samira A. Mohamed, Robert S. Nofemela, Abiola Oke, Serigne Sylla, Henri E.Z. Tonnang, Lucia Zappalà, Marc Kenis, Nicolas Desneux, Antonio Biondi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The South American tomato pinworm, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae), is a devastating invasive pest of tomato crops in several areas around the world including Africa. Here, we comprehensively review and discuss the relevant scientific knowledge on its occurrence, biological and ecological aspects, fortuitous insect natural enemies, and potential advantages and constraints of pest management scenarios adopted against this pest in tomato crops in both Northern and Sub-Saharan Africa. We conclude the manuscript with a comprehensive research agenda providing future priorities towards sustainable control of this important tomato pest.

Investigating The Viral Ecology Of Global Bee Communities With High-Throughput Metagenomics, David A. Galbraith, Zachary L. Fuller, Allyson M. Ray, Axel Brockmann, Maryann Frazier, Mary W. Gikungu, J. Francisco Iturralde Martinez, Karen M. Kapheim, Jeffrey T. Kerby, Sarah D. Kocher, Oleksiy Losyev, Elliud Muli, Harland M. Patch, Cristina Rosa, Joyce M. Sakamoto, Scott Stanley, Anthony D. Vaudo, Christina M. Grozinger

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Bee viral ecology is a fascinating emerging area of research: viruses exert a range of effects on their hosts, exacerbate impacts of other environmental stressors, and, importantly, are readily shared across multiple bee species in a community. However, our understanding of bee viral communities is limited, as it is primarily derived from studies of North American and European Apis mellifera populations. Here, we examined viruses in populations of A. mellifera and 11 other bee species from 9 countries, across 4 continents and Oceania. We developed a novel pipeline to rapidly and inexpensively screen for bee viruses. This pipeline includes purification …

Mastering Mycological Mysteries With Explorations Of Harpellales Associated With Culicidae And Other Dipterans In Idaho, Michael Mccormick

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Presented is the first field survey and laboratory-based study focused on Harpellales gut fungi found in Culicidae (mosquito) larvae collected from various parts of Idaho. Overall, 34 sites were sampled ranging from urban storm drains and irrigation puddles to pristine stream-side puddles. These sites yielded 17 different species of mosquitoes and three previously described species of gut fungi. Three species of mosquitoes were the first recorded observations as hosts of the following gut fungi: Culiseta alaskaensis was infested with Zancudomyces culisetae (from Renwyck Creek), Culex tarsalis with Smittium culicis (from Cottonwood Creek), and Ochleratus sp. with Smittium minutisporum (from Bear …

A Tale Of Two Butterflies: The Effect Of Larval Social Environment And Circadian Rhythms On Mating Behavior In Bicyclus Anynana And Heliconius Hewitsoni, Deonna Nicole Robertson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two key components of mate choice research focus on: 1) who an organism mates with, which may be influenced by any number of factors from sexual ornamentation to male-male competition; and, 2) when an organism courts, be it daily, monthly, or seasonally. Both aspects are especially important for gregarious species as mistakes in either can incur high costs to overall fitness. My research focuses on using butterflies to explore kin recognition from the larval stage and its possible impacts on adult mate choice and if courtship is circadian in Heliconius hewitsoni. My first experiment concerned kin recognition. When inbred, Bicyclus …

A Multiplex Assay For The Sensitive Detection And Quantification Of Male And Female Plasmodium Falciparum Gametocytes, Lisette Meerstein-Kessel, Chiara Andolina, Elvira Carrio, Almahamoudou Mahamar, Patrick Sawa, Halimatou Diawara, Marga Van De Vegte-Bolmer, Will Stone, Katharine A. Collins, Petra Schneider, Alassane Dicko, Chris Drakeley, Ingrid Felger, Till Voss, Kjerstin Lanke, Teun Bousema

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: The transmission of malaria to mosquitoes depends on the presence of gametocytes that circulate in the peripheral blood of infected human hosts. Sensitive estimates of the densities of female gametocytes (FG) and male gametocytes (MG) may allow the prediction of infectivity to mosquitoes and thus a molecular estimate of the human infectious reservoir for transmission. Methods: A novel multiplex qRT-PCR assay with intron-spanning primers was developed for the parallel quantification of FG and MG. CCp4 (PF3D7-0903800) transcripts specific for FG and PfMGET (PF3D7-1469900) transcripts specific for MG were quantified in total nucleic acids. The assay was validated on sex-sorted …

Integrating Repellent And Attractant Semiochemicals Into A Push–Pull Strategy For Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), Christopher T. Werle, Christopher M. Ranger, Peter B. Schultz, Michael E. Reding, Karla M. Addesso, Jason B. Oliver, Blair J. Sampson

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Non‐native ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), especially Xylosandrus compactus (Eichhoff), Xylosandrus crassiusculus (Motschulsky) and Xylosandrus germanus (Blandford), are destructive wood‐boring pests of trees in ornamental nurseries and tree fruit orchards. Previous studies have demonstrated the adults are repelled by verbenone and strongly attracted to ethanol. We tested a “push–pull” semiochemical strategy in Ohio, Virginia and Mississippi using verbenone emitters to “push” beetles away from vulnerable trees and ethanol lures to “pull” them into annihilative traps. Container‐grown trees were flood‐stressed to induce ambrosia beetle attacks and then deployed in the presence or absence of verbenone emitters and a perimeter of ethanol‐baited interception …

Sodalis Glossinidius Presence In Wild Tsetse Is Only Associated With Presence Of Trypanosomes In Complex Interactions With Other Tsetse-Specific Factors 06 Biological Sciences 0604 Genetics, Manun Channumsin, Marc Ciosi, Dan Masiga, C. Michael R. Turner, Barbara K. Mable

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Susceptibility of tsetse flies (Glossina spp.) to trypanosomes of both humans and animals has been associated with the presence of the endosymbiont Sodalis glossinidius. However, intrinsic biological characteristics of the flies and environmental factors can influence the presence of both S. glossinidius and the parasites. It thus remains unclear whether it is the S. glossinidius or other attributes of the flies that explains the apparent association. The objective of this study was to test whether the presence of Trypanosoma vivax, T. congolense and T. brucei are related to the presence of S. glossinidius in tsetse flies when other factors …

Enhancing Vector Refractoriness To Trypanosome Infection: Achievements, Challenges And Perspectives, Henry M. Kariithi, Irene K. Meki, Daniela I. Schneider, Linda De Vooght, Fathiya M. Khamis, Anne Geiger, Guler Demirbaş-Uzel, Just M. Vlak, Ikbal Agah Ince, Sorge Kelm, Flobert Njiokou, Florence N. Wamwiri, Imna I. Malele, Brian L. Weiss, Adly M.M. Abd-Alla

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

With the absence of effective prophylactic vaccines and drugs against African trypanosomosis, control of this group of zoonotic neglected tropical diseases depends the control of the tsetse fly vector. When applied in an area-wide insect pest management approach, the sterile insect technique (SIT) is effective in eliminating single tsetse species from isolated populations. The need to enhance the effectiveness of SIT led to the concept of investigating tsetse-trypanosome interactions by a consortium of researchers in a five-year (2013-2018) Coordinated Research Project (CRP) organized by the Joint Division of FAO/IAEA. The goal of this CRP was to elucidate tsetse-symbiome-pathogen molecular interactions …

Phylogeny And Population Genetic Analyses Reveals Cryptic Speciation In The Bombus Fervidus Species Complex (Hymenoptera: Apidae), Jonathan B. Koch, Juanita Rodriguez, James P. Pitts, James P. Strange

Ecology Center Publications

Bumble bees (Bombus Latrielle) are significant pollinators of flowering plants due to their large body size, abundant setae, and generalist foraging strategies. However, shared setal coloration patterns among closely and distantly related bumble bee species makes identification notoriously difficult. The advent of molecular genetic techniques has increased our understanding of bumble bee evolution and taxonomy, and enables effective conservation policy and management. Individuals belonging to the North American Bombus fervidus species-complex (SC) are homogenous in body structure but exhibit significant body color phenotype variation across their geographic distribution. Given the uncertainty of the genealogical boundaries within the SC, some …

Development Of A Diagnostic Marker For Phlebotomus Papatasi To Initiate A Potential Vector Surveillance Program In North America, Austin Merchant, Tian Yu, Jizhe Shi, Xuguo Zhou

Entomology Faculty Publications

Phlebotomus papatasi, an Old World sand fly species, is primarily responsible for the transmission of leishmaniasis, a highly infectious and potentially lethal disease. International travel, especially military rotations, between domestic locations and P. papatasi-prevalent regions in the Middle East poses an imminent threat to the public health of US citizens. Because of its small size and cryptic morphology, identification of P. papatasi is challenging and labor-intensive. Here, we developed a ribosomal DNA-polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based diagnostic assay that is capable of detecting P. papatasi genomic DNA from mixed samples containing multiple sand flies native to the Americas. Serial …

Wild Bees Of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument: Richness, Abundance, And Spatio-Temporal Beta-Diversity, Olivia Messinger Carril, Terry Griswold, James Haefner, Joseph S. Wilson

All PIRU Publications

Interest in bees has grown dramatically in recent years in light of several studies that have reported widespread declines in bees and other pollinators. Investigating declines in wild bees can be difficult, however, due to the lack of faunal surveys that provide baseline data of bee richness and diversity. Protected lands such as national monuments and national parks can provide unique opportunities to learn about and monitor bee populations dynamics in a natural setting because the opportunity for large-scale changes to the landscape are reduced compared to unprotected lands. Here we report on a 4-year study of bees in Grand …

Developmental Parameters Of A Southern Mountain Pine Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) Population Reveal Potential Source Of Latitudinal Differences In Generation Time, Anne E. Mcmanis, James A. Powell, Barbara J. Bentz

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae, Hopkins) is a major disturbance agent in pine ecosystems of western North America. Adaptation to local climates has resulted in primarily univoltine generation time across a thermally diverse latitudinal gradient. We hypothesized that voltinism patterns have been shaped by selection for slower developmental rates in southern populations inhabiting warmer climates. To investigate traits responsible for latitudinal differences we measured lifestage-specific development of southern mountain pine beetle eggs, larvae and pupae across a range of temperatures. Developmental rate curves were fit using maximum posterior likelihood estimation with a Bayesian prior to improve fit stability. …

South American Leaf-Cutter Bees (Genus Megachile) Of The Subgenera Rhyssomegachile And Zonomegachile, With Two New Subgenera (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae), Víctor H. González, Terry Griswold, Michael S. Engel

All PIRU Publications

Leaf-cutter bees (genus Megachile Latreille) are among the most common and diverse group of bees. However, the identity and taxonomic placement of many species are problematic and species identification is often difficult. Some species are known only from a single specimen or from one of the sexes, and identification keys are not available for many groups. We address these taxonomic issues for the subgenera Rhyssomegachile Mitchell and Zonomegachile Mitchell, two poorly known South American lineages of leaf-cutter bees. We provide comparative diagnoses, redescriptions, illustrated identification keys, new geographical records, and designate needed neotypes for Megachile cara Mitchell, M. gigas Schrottky, …