Buenos Aires, Argentina
Utah State University
Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia
Push-Pull Farming System Helps Insure Smallholder Maize Production Under Climate Change,
2027
Lunds Universitet
Push-Pull Farming System Helps Insure Smallholder Maize Production Under Climate Change, Yann Clough, Wilhelm May, Timothy Luttermoser, Dickens Nyagol, Nikolaos Alexandridis, Frank Chidawanyika, Mattias Jonsson, Charles A.O. Midega, Katja Poveda, Zeyaur R. Khan
All Peer-Reviewed Publications
Agroecological approaches harnessing in-field biodiversity have been highlighted as a sustainable way to reduce yield gaps, but long-term assessments of their ability to buffer production from weather extremes and increasing interannual and intraseasonal climate variability are scarce. Here, we analyze a 12-year dataset from 642 control vs. push-pull maize field pairs in western Kenya, where long-term climate trends include increasing temperatures and intensifying drought and rainfall. In push-pull, maize is intercropped with a fodder legume that improves soil fertility, suppresses weeds, and deters pests, and is bordered with fodder grasses attracting and suppressing the pests. We assess interactions between push-pull …
Sexual Di(Et)Morphism: Using Experimental Evolution To Test Whether Resource Partitioning Promotes Divergence Of The Sexes In Drosophila Melanogaster,
2027
Wilfrid Laurier University
Sexual Di(Et)Morphism: Using Experimental Evolution To Test Whether Resource Partitioning Promotes Divergence Of The Sexes In Drosophila Melanogaster, Owen A. Jamieson
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Sexual dimorphism has been a long-studied phenomenon in the field of evolutionary biology. Usually, these differences in morphology, physiology and/or behaviour between the sexes are studied through the parsimonious lens of sexual selection. However, there are natural history cases where this lens does not seem applicable. Some species show sex specific morphological traits whose presence may not be due to a direct benefit to reproduction, but a difference in how each sex interacts with the environment and differing selective pressures from the environment on either sex. Darwin even brought up examples of this kind of dimorphism and pondered their existence, …
Harnessing Insect-Derived Oils For Enhanced Efficacy Of Plant-Based Repellents Against Disease-Transmitting Mosquitoes,
2026
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Nairobi
Harnessing Insect-Derived Oils For Enhanced Efficacy Of Plant-Based Repellents Against Disease-Transmitting Mosquitoes, John Bwire Ochola, Cynthia M. Mudalungu, Hosea O. Mokaya, Xavier Cheseto, Gilvian N. Onsomu, Subramanian Sevgan, Segenet Kelemu, Baldwyn Torto, Chrysantus M. Tanga
All Peer-Reviewed Publications
Mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, and yellow fever pose a growing global health threat, worsened by resistance to synthetic pesticides. This study evaluated insect oils from Schistocerca gregaria, Ruspolia differens, and Macrotermes spp. as adjuvants in plant-based mosquito repellents. The formulations were tested for complete protection time (CPT) against Anopheles gambiae, Aedes aegypti, and Culex quinquefasciatus, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted from treated volunteers were analyzed. Incorporating insect oils doubled CPT compared to essential oils alone. The most effective blend of Macrotermes oil with Cymbopogon nardus (1:1) achieved CPTs of 3.50 h for An. gambiae, 2.56 …
Beyond Nutrients: Frass Fertilizer Legacy Effects For Sustainable Nematode Management In Potato–African Nightshade Rotation Systems,
2026
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Nairobi
Beyond Nutrients: Frass Fertilizer Legacy Effects For Sustainable Nematode Management In Potato–African Nightshade Rotation Systems, Emmanuel O. Anedo, Dennis Beesigamukama, Benson Mochoge, Nicholas K. Korir, Solveig Haukeland, Xavier Cheseto, Moses Nyongesa, Patrick Pwaipwai, Sevgan Subramanian, Abdou Tenkouano, Chrysantus M. Tanga
All Peer-Reviewed Publications
The utilization of insect frass fertilizer in crop production systems has recently gained significant global interest, but there has been limited evidence of its residual benefits in rotational cropping systems. The legacy effects of black soldier frass fertilizers (BSFFF), conventional organic fertilizer (SAFI), inorganic fertilizer (NPK), synthetic nematicide, and their combinations on potato cyst nematode (PCN) management under potato-African nightshade rotational farming systems were investigated. Eight treatments were evaluated: BSFFF, SAFI, chitin-fortified BSFFF (BSFFF+5chitin), NPK + nematicide, combination of BSFFF and NPK so that each supplies 50% of the nitrogen required by potato (50BSFFF+50NPK), combination of SAFI and NPK so …
Genomic Analysis Reveals New Subspecies Of Cercyonis Scudder, 1875 (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Satyrini),
2026
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Genomic Analysis Reveals New Subspecies Of Cercyonis Scudder, 1875 (Nymphalidae: Satyrinae: Satyrini), Jing Zhang, Qian Cong, Jinhui Shen, Leina Song, Todd L. Stout, Michael S. Fisher, Robb Hannawacker, Nick V. Grishin
The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey
Genomic analysis of Cercyonis (Cercyonis) Scudder, 1875 (Nymphalidae Rafinesque, 1815) partitions the subgenus into three species groups and reveals five new subspecies from the USA (type localities in parentheses): Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala koosharem Stout and Grishin, ssp. n. (Utah, Sevier Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala lasala Grishin, M. Fisher, and Hannawacker ssp. n. (Utah, Grand Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) pegala hortoni Grishin, ssp. n. (Arizona, Gila Co.), Cercyonis (Cercyonis) meadii maculana Grishin, ssp. n. (Colorado, Montezuma Co.), and Cercyonis (Cercyonis) meadii rimana Grishin, ssp. n. (Arizona, Yavapai Co.). A neotype is designated for Satyrus boopis Behr, 1864 (USA, California, Contra Costa Co.). …
Remote Sensing Integrated Modeling Of Fall Armyworm Parasitoid Interactions In Africa Using Fractional Differential Equations,
2026
Zentrum für Entwicklungsforschung
Remote Sensing Integrated Modeling Of Fall Armyworm Parasitoid Interactions In Africa Using Fractional Differential Equations, Marian Adan, Steeven Belvinos Affognon, Henri E.Z. Tonnang, Klaus Greve, Christian Borgemeister, Georg Goergen
All Peer-Reviewed Publications
The invasion of fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda; FAW) into Africa poses a major threat to agricultural systems, particularly maize production, necessitating effective biological control strategies. This study presents an ecological modelling framework that integrates temperature data with fractional differential equations (FDEs) to investigate interactions between FAW and its parasitoid natural enemies. By incorporating temperature-driven effects on life-history traits and ecological memory dynamics, the model captures key features of host–parasitoid interactions under variable environmental conditions. Equilibrium states corresponding to FAW extinction, parasitoid extinction, and coexistence were analytically derived, and sensitivity analysis of the FAW reproduction number highlighted its central role in …
Machine Learning-Enabled Chemical Ecology For Integrated Pest Management: From Volatiles To Field Applications,
2026
International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology Nairobi
Machine Learning-Enabled Chemical Ecology For Integrated Pest Management: From Volatiles To Field Applications, Steve B.S. Baleba, Victor O. Omondi, Pascal Aigbedion-Atalor, Emmanuel Peter, Souleymane Diallo, Komi Mensah Agboka
All Peer-Reviewed Publications
Machine learning is transforming chemical ecology by accelerating the discovery and deployment of semiochemical-based tools for precision pest management. These advances are particularly important in the face of climate change, pesticide resistance, and the growing need for sustainable agricultural intensification. This review synthesizes how machine learning can be applied across the semiochemical discovery and implementation pipeline, from chemical signal detection to field deployment and decision support for integrated pest management. We review major machine learning approaches and demonstrate how they extract biologically relevant information from high-dimensional chemical, electrophysiological, behavioral, sensor, and field datasets. These methods accelerate semiochemical discovery, prioritize candidate …
Organic Pesticides: A General Overview,
2026
Utah State University
Organic Pesticides: A General Overview, Marion Murray, Ann Mull
All Current Publications
Organic pesticides are naturally occurring, nonsynthetic, or minimally processed substances that control unwanted organisms in the environment. Categories include insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and miticides.
Coming Soon To A Cellar Near You: Novel Range Expansion Of A Short-Bodied Cellar Spider, Physocyclus Enaulus (Araneae: Pholcidae), In A Building In Central Illinois, Usa,
2026
Illinois Natural History Survey, Prairie Research Institute, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Coming Soon To A Cellar Near You: Novel Range Expansion Of A Short-Bodied Cellar Spider, Physocyclus Enaulus (Araneae: Pholcidae), In A Building In Central Illinois, Usa, Ricky Gieser, Mark Davis
The Great Lakes Entomologist
A reproductive population of Physocyclus enaulus Crosby, 1926 (Pholcidae: Araneae), a short-bodied cellar spider native to the American southwest and Mexico, is documented for the first time in a single building in Illinois, far outside of their known native range. The means of introduction is unknown but is likely influenced by either accidental hitchhiking spiders or a deliberate introduction to control brown recluse populations. Cellar spiders were purchased and released in the same building to predate on brown recluse spiders, but the first P. enaulus individual was found a year prior to the release. These cellar spiders have a wide-ranging …
New Wisconsin State Records For Predatory Fungus Gnats (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Keroplatidae),
2026
University of Wisconsin
New Wisconsin State Records For Predatory Fungus Gnats (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Keroplatidae), Daniel K. Young
The Great Lakes Entomologist
In Wisconsin, no published literature species records for the keroplatid genera Keroplatus and Proceroplatus exist (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Keroplatidae). New state records are presented for Keroplatus carbonarius Bosc, Keroplatus clausus Coquillett, Keroplatus militaris Johannsen and Proceroplatus elegans (Coquillett). The new records are associated largely with Malaise trap samples from Hemlock Draw (The Nature Conservancy), in the Baraboo Hills of Sauk County, and a Malaise trap at Kemp Natural Resources Station, in Oneida County, Wisconsin. Two specimens of K. clausus and a single specimen of K. militaris discovered within the research collection at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are also reported. The specimens …
First Records Of The Rare Nearctic Water Boatman Palmacorixa Janeae (Hemiptera: Corixidae) In The United States,
2026
University of Wisconsin, Superior
First Records Of The Rare Nearctic Water Boatman Palmacorixa Janeae (Hemiptera: Corixidae) In The United States, Kurt L. Schmude, Gerald Shepard, Adam Frankiewicz
The Great Lakes Entomologist
We report the first record of the rare water boatman, Palmacorixa janeae Brooks (Hemiptera: Corixidae), from the United States. Two hundred and forty specimens were collected in Wisconsin from Chequamegon Bay in Lake Superior. Palmacorixa gillettei Abbott, a similar species known from the area, was also identified among the samples. Most specimens, all of which were adults, were collected at night using a neuston net towed along the surface for approximately 5 minutes. The adults were found in areas that were 34 meters to 4.2 kilometers from the shore that had depths ranging from 1.0 to 5.5 meters. All representatives …
Seasonal Emergence, Egg Gallery Characteristics, And Natural Enemies Of The Eastern Ash Bark Beetle, Hylesinus Aculeatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), In Michigan,
2026
USDA Forest Service
Seasonal Emergence, Egg Gallery Characteristics, And Natural Enemies Of The Eastern Ash Bark Beetle, Hylesinus Aculeatus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), In Michigan, Robert A. Haack
The Great Lakes Entomologist
Hylesinus aculeatus Say (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) commonly infests the trunks and limbs of recently dead, dying, or cut ash (Fraxinus spp.) trees in eastern North America. In the Great Lakes region, H. aculeatus is univoltine, overwinters as adults, breeds in late spring and early summer, and constructs transverse biramous egg galleries. I sampled trunk and branch sections from three small-diameter white ash (F. americana L.) trees that were cut in April 1986 in Ingham County, Michigan, and then naturally infested by H. aculeatus and associates. Bolts cut from these trees and placed in an outdoor rearing cage in …
Phenology Of Ground-Dwelling Beetle Assemblages (Coleoptera: Carabidae, Staphylinidae) From Three Fir Stands Of Southern Québec (Canada), With Comparison Among Selected Species Between 1985 And 2006-2010, Claire Levesque, Gilles-Yvon Levesque
The Great Lakes Entomologist
A total of 5,303 adult epigaeic beetles (Coleoptera) were collected using pitfall traps across three balsam fir (Abies balsamea (Linnaeus) Miller) stands in southern Québec (Canada). Sampling occurred during May–September 1985 in sites representing three distinct understory vegetation types. Three dominant families (Carabidae, Leiodidae and Staphylinidae) together represented at least 93% of catches at each site. Staphylinidae were less abundant than Carabidae at two sites, whereas Carabidae and Staphylinidae were collected in similar numbers at a third stand. Associated with increased abundance and heterogeneity of the understory vegetation, we observed 1) the decrease of specialist forest carabids, often active …
Caddisfly (Trichoptera) Assemblages From The Southern Laurentian Highlands, Québec (Canada),
2026
Hillsdale College
Caddisfly (Trichoptera) Assemblages From The Southern Laurentian Highlands, Québec (Canada), David C. Houghton
The Great Lakes Entomologist
The caddisflies (Trichoptera) represent an important taxon for the natural functioning of aquatic ecosystems and as biological monitoring organisms; however, basic information on their assemblages is still lacking in Canada. In this study, adult caddisflies from 30 lakes and streams in the southern Laurentian Highlands of Québec were sampled during 2023–2025. A total of 186 caddisfly species were determined, including 22 species not previously reported from Québec and eight not previously reported from anywhere in Canada. Two species of Cernotina also represented the first collection of that genus within the province. Using Indicator Species Analysis, six species indicated small rivers, …
Paper Wasp Species Polistes Fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Tracks Urban Lead (Pb) Levels More Than Polistes Dominula,
2026
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
Paper Wasp Species Polistes Fuscatus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Tracks Urban Lead (Pb) Levels More Than Polistes Dominula, Lindsey R. Kemmerling, Anna L. Lovat, Allison A. Hanka, Emilie C. Snell-Rood
The Great Lakes Entomologist
Lead (Pb) is a persistent, toxic pollutant with widespread but inequitably distributed impacts, especially for humans in urban areas. The impacts of lead pollution on other organisms is largely unknown, even as they commonly experience exposure to lead alongside humans. We tested hypotheses regarding the lead concentrations of paper wasps across a gradient of pollution relative to soil and human lead levels, and correlations with wasp body condition. We collected two species of paper wasp across an urban gradient of lead pollution: Polistes fuscatus (Fabricius) (Hymenoptera: Vespidae), native to our study location, and Polistes dominula (Christ), nonnative to our study …
Long-Term Monitoring And Response Of Papaipema Sciata Bird (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) To Prescribed Fire In Michigan (Usa),
2026
Michigan Department of Natural Resources, State Park Stewardship Unit
Long-Term Monitoring And Response Of Papaipema Sciata Bird (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) To Prescribed Fire In Michigan (Usa), Gregory J. Norwood, Logan M. Rowe, Brett A. Degregorio, David L. Cuthrell, Aaron D. Meredith, Steven M. Gray
The Great Lakes Entomologist
The Culver’s root borer moth (Papaipema sciata) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a rare Noctuid that requires Culver’s root (Veronicastrum virginicum) to complete its lifecycle within remnant native grasslands and open woodlands in the midwest and northeast United States. We report on 26 years of monitoring this species’ colonization of Culver’s root stems at Algonac State Park (ASP) in Michigan, where prairies have been maintained by prescribed fire since 1990. P. sciata is considered fire sensitive because eggs spend the dormant season in the combustible prairie litter and duff near host plants. The objectives were to determine the …
Could The European Thanasimus Formicarius Outcompete The North American Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) If Introduced To North America?,
2026
USDA Forest Service
Could The European Thanasimus Formicarius Outcompete The North American Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) If Introduced To North America?, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence
The Great Lakes Entomologist
A federal quarantine was enacted in the United States (US) in the fall of 1992 in response to discovery of the Eurasian pine shoot beetle, Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Scolytinae), in July 1992 in Ohio. The quarantine regulated movement of pine products (e.g., Christmas trees, nursery stock, and logs) at the county level from infested to uninfested US states. A classical biological program was considered for T. piniperda starting in 1995, focusing on the Eurasian clerid beetle Thanasimus formicarius (L.), an important predator of T. piniperda. Concerns were raised in 1996 that if T. formicarius were released in the …
Fecundity Of Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) Rebounds After A Period Of Prey Scarcity,
2026
USDA Forest Service
Fecundity Of Thanasimus Dubius (Coleoptera: Cleridae) Rebounds After A Period Of Prey Scarcity, Robert A. Haack, Robert K. Lawrence
The Great Lakes Entomologist
We field-collected Thanasimus dubius (Fabricius) (Coleoptera: Cleridae) adults during spring, maintained them separately in the laboratory, and initially gave them four bark beetle adults [Ips grandicollis (Eichhoff) or Tomicus piniperda (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)] daily as prey. Using a subset of the female clerids (N = 41), we assigned them to one of four feeding groups that varied in the number of prey provided daily. For the first four weeks of a 12–week study, the four diets were: four prey daily, two prey daily, one prey daily, and one prey every 2 days. After four weeks, all females were …
Distribution And Status Of Silphium Herb Gall Wasps (Cynipoidea: Aulacideini: Antistrophus) And Their Associated Endophytic Communities In Wisconsin,
2026
Research Ecologist (retired), Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Office of Applied Science
Distribution And Status Of Silphium Herb Gall Wasps (Cynipoidea: Aulacideini: Antistrophus) And Their Associated Endophytic Communities In Wisconsin, Richard A. Henderson, Louis F. Nastasi, Jay Watson, Scott Sauer
The Great Lakes Entomologist
At least six described species of the herb gall wasp genus Antistrophus Walsh (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Aulacideini) are dependent on the plant genus Silphium L., a plant group emblematic of now-endangered Midwestern tallgrass prairies. The distribution and conservation status of Antistrophus gall wasps is mostly a mystery, and these insects have only recently been recorded from Wisconsin. We surveyed the state for Antistrophus gall wasps on four Silphium species, whole-leaf rosinweed (S. integrifolium Michx.), compass plant (S. laciniatum L.), cup plant (S. perfoliatum L.), and prairie dock (S. terebinthinaceum Jacq.) to determine their distribution and abundance in Wisconsin. We report new …
Cover Art For Tgle Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2,
2026
Valparaiso University
Cover Art For Tgle Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2
The Great Lakes Entomologist
Cover Art for TGLE Vol. 59 Nos. 1 & 2
