Entomology Commons^™

Phyllobaenus Thomasi And P. Turnbowi, Two New Species From Mexico And Belize (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Hydnocerinae: Hydnocerini), John M. Leavengood, Jr.

Insecta Mundi

The two new species Phyllobaenus thomasi (Campeche, Oaxaca, Quintana Roo and Yucatán, Mexico, and Belize) and P. turnbowi (San Luis Potosi, Mexico), are described (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Hydnocerinae: Hydnocerini). The primary types are photographed and intrageneric relationships of the species are discussed.

Recent nomenclatural and descriptive work by Leavengood (2014), Leavengood and Garner (2014), Barr (2018) and Leavengood and Rifkind (2020) have made changes to the approximately 120 described species of New World Hydnocerini (i.e., Phyllobaenus Dejean, Isohydnocera Chapin and Wolcottia Chapin). Over 100 of these species comprise the genus Phyllobaenus. Mexico and Central America are home to about half …

A New Species Of Euxestoxenus Arrow (Coleoptera: Euxestidae) From Thailand, Adam Ślipiński

Insecta Mundi

A new species of Euxestoxenus Arrow (Coleoptera: Euxestidae), E. thomasi Ślipiński, is described from northern Thailand. The species differs from all Oriental and most of African species of Euxestoxenus by a 10-segmented antenna and glabrous, polished dorsum.

Euxestidae is a small and poorly known family of Coccinelloidea that currently includes 11 genera and about 70 species distributed mostly in the Old-World tropics and subtropics but extending into temperate areas of North America and Australia (Ślipiński 1990). The biology of the Euxestidae is mostly unknown but it appears that all species are fungivores, commonly found in rotten wood, forest litter, in …

Michyrus, A New Genus Of Pleasing Fungus Beetles With Coarsely Faceted Eyes (Coleoptera: Erotylidae), Paul E. Skelley, Héctor Jaime Gasca-Álvarez

Insecta Mundi

Michyrus Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez, new genus, is a Neotropical Tritomini (Coleoptera: Ero­tylidae: Erotylinae) with many unusual characters, whose relationships are unclear. Two new species are described: M. thomasi Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez and M. yvineci Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez.

Resumen. Michyrus Skelley y Gasca-Álvarez, nuevo género, es un Tritomini Neotropical (Coleoptera: Ero­tylidae: Erotylinae: Tritomini) con muchos estados de carácter inusuales, cuyas relaciones no están claras. Se describen dos nuevas especies: M. thomasi Skelley y Gasca-Álvarez y M. yvineci Skelley y Gasca-Álvarez.

A resurgence of publications on foundational faunal works, descriptive and revisionary taxonomy, and nomen­clatural issues within the new …

Aphelocerus Thomasi, A New Species Of Checkered Beetle (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae) From Mexico, Jacques Rifkind

Insecta Mundi

Aphelocerus thomasi Rifkind, new species (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), is described from the state of San Luis Potosí, Mexico. This beetle is named for the late Michael C. Thomas, in recognition of his lifetime of contributions to the study of Coleoptera.

Aphelocerus Kirsch (Coleoptera: Cleridae) is a moderately speciose genus (approx. 66 species) of predaceous beetle, broadly distributed across Mexico, Central America, and South America, that was recently revised by Opitz (2005). The Mexican Aphelocerus fauna includes approximately 25 described species (Opitz 2005), and several undescribed species are known. Endemism appears to be common, particularly in the tropical and subtropical highlands. …

Three New Species Of South American Checkered Beetles (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), Weston Opitz

Insecta Mundi

Three new species of Enoclerus Gahan (Coleoptera: Cleridae) are described and illustrated. They are: Enoclerus minas Opitz from Colombia and Brazil, E. salta Opitz from Argentina, and E. thomasi Opitz from Bolivia.

Corporaal (1950: 14) lists 185 species of Enoclerus Gahan (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae). I know of over 60 undescribed species. It is a daunting task to organize such a high number of species into some sort of taxonomic revision, which cannot be provided at this time. However, some of these new species can be described that will be added to a larger work at a later date. Such descriptive …

Dyslexia, A New Remarkable Genus Of Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae) From The Andes, Paul E. Skelley, Héctor Jaime Gasca-Álvarez

Insecta Mundi

Dyslexia Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez, new genus (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae: Erotylini), is described and illustrated. The genus is comprised of four new species, all described by Skelley and Gasca-Álvarez: D. belamyi, D. dathomirria, D. pulcricolor, and D. tomasi. The unique broad head structures of this genus are characterized and compared with other genera. Problems associated with the taxonomy of Erotylini are discussed.

Resumen. Se describe y se ilustra a Dyslexia Skelley y Gasca-Álvarez, nuevo género (Coleoptera: Erotyli­dae: Erotylinae: Erotylini). El género está formado por cuatro especies nuevas, todas descritas por …

A New Species Of Ataenius Harold (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) From The Southeastern United States, With A Lectotype Designation, Kyle E. Schnepp, Krystal L. Ashman

Insecta Mundi

A new species of Ataenius Harold, Ataenius thomasi Schnepp and Ashman (Coleoptera: Scara­baeidae: Aphodiinae), from Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi, U.S.A. is described. The lectotype for Ataenius brevis Fall is designated.

In the United States and Canada the genus Ataenius Harold (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) contains 46 species (Stebnicka 2007; Smith 2009). The most recent faunal review of this genus in these countries was completed by Cartwright (1974). However, several species in that paper have been moved to other genera or syn­onymized (Stebnicka 2007). Stebnicka and Lago (2005) provide a key and catalog to the Ataenius strigatus group. Specimens of a putative …

Two New Species Of Pharaxonotha Reitter Among The Early-Diverging Lineages, With A Key To The Species Of The Genus (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae), Paul E. Skelley, William Tang

Insecta Mundi

Two species of the early-diverging lineages of Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) are described: Pharaxonotha taylori Skelley and Tang, new species, and Pharaxonotha thomasi Skelley and Tang, new species. A new key to described species of Pharaxonotha, based on previously unused characters, is presented.

In recent phylogenetic analyses of beetle diversity based on a large nuclear data set (McKenna et al. 2019) and on nuclear and mitochondrial legacy loci (Powell, pers. comm. 2020), the New World genus Pharaxonotha Reitter (Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) was shown to be sister to all remaining Erotylidae in a clade comprised of the Erotylidae+Phytophaga, …

Ogre-Faced, Net-Casting Spiders Use Auditory Cues To Detect Airborne Prey, Jay A. Stafstrom, Gil Menda, Eya I. Nitzany, Eileen A. Hebets, Ronald R. Hoy

Eileen Hebets Publications

Prey-capture behavior among spiders varies greatly from passive entrapment in webs to running down prey items on foot. Somewhere in the middle are the ogre-faced, net-casting spiders (Deinopidae: Deinopis) that actively capture prey while being suspended within a frame web. Using a net held between their front four legs, these spiders lunge downward to ensnare prey from off the ground beneath them. This “forward strike” is sensorially mediated by a massive pair of hypersensitive, night-vision eyes. Deinopids can also intercept flying insects with a “backward strike,” a ballistically rapid, overhead back-twist, that seems not to rely on visual cues. Past …

Primer Registro Del Pequeño Escarabajo De La Colmena Aethina Tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) En Colmenas De Abejas Africanizadas En Guatemala, José Francisco García Ochaeta

Insecta Mundi

Se registra por primera vez la presencia del pequeño escarabajo de la colmena (PEC), Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), en colmenas de abejas africanizadas en el departamento de Petén, Guatemala, alimentándose de miel y polen. Se presenta información básica sobre la especie, su distribución conocida actual e ilustraciones para ayudar en su identificación.

The presence of the small hive beetle (SHB), Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), is recorded for the first time in Africanized beehives from Petén department, Guatemala, feeding on honey and pollen. Basic information about the species, including its currently known distribution, and illustrations, are presented to aid …

Two New Species Of Phyllophaga Of The Schizorhina Species Group From Cloud Forests Of Chiapas, México And Guatemala (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), Enio B. Cano

Insecta Mundi

Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) badbunnyi Cano new species, and Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) sechi Cano new species, of the Schizorhina species group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), are described and illustrated from specimens collected at cloud forests between 1300-1750 m elevation of southeastern Chiapas, México and western Guatemala. A key to the Guatemalan and Chiapanecan species of Phyllophaga Harris, group Schizorhina, with dorsal finger-like projections of genital capsule, is provided.

Con base en especímenes colectados en bosques nubosos entre 1300 y 1750 m de altitud del sureste de Chiapas, México y del oeste de Guatemala, se describe y se ilustra a Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) badbunnyi Cano …

A Remarkable New Species Of Nothochodaeus Nikolajev From Sumatra (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ochodaeidae), M. J. Paulsen

Insecta Mundi

Nothochodaeus marsupialis Paulsen, new species (Coleoptera: Ochodaeidae), is described from Aceh Province, Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra. The species possesses deep abdominal cavities behind a shield-like central process, as well as rows of conical tubercles laterally on the second and third ventrites. These structures have not been found in any other members of the genus or family.

Sobre El Estatus Taxonómico De Ectinogonia Darwini Waterhouse, 1913 Y Ectinogonia Angulicollis (Fairmaire Y Germain, 1858) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae): Fijación Del Holotipo Por Monotipia, Designación De Lectotipo Y Descripción De Dos Nuevas De Ectinogonia (Ectinogonia) Spinola Del Norte De Chile, Cristian Pineda, José Mondaca

Insecta Mundi

Los ejemplares tipos de Ectinogonia darwini Waterhouse, 1913 y Psiloptera angulicollis Fairmaire y Germain, 1858 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), fueron localizados, estudiados y establecidos como holotipo por monotipia y lectotipo, respectivamente. Como las descripciones originales son ambiguas e incompletas, ambas especies son redescritas e ilustradas. Basados en estas nominaciones, y en el examen de ejemplares de Ectinogonia Spinola recolectados en el litoral de las provincias de Chañaral (Región de Atacama) y Antofagasta (Región de Antofagasta), y en la zona andina de la Provincia del Tamarugal (Región de Tarapacá), se describen dos nuevas especies del norte de Chile: E. superba Pineda y Mondaca, …

Native And Non-Native Sources Of Carbohydrate Correlate With Abundance Of An Invasive Ant, Lori Lach, Benjamin Hoffmann, Melinda L. Moir

Biosecurity Research Articles

Invasive species threaten many ecological communities and predicting which communities and sites are invasible remains a key goal of invasion ecology. Although invasive ants often reach high abundances in association with plant-based carbohydrate resources, the source and provenance of these resources are rarely investigated. We characterized carbohydrate resources across ten sites with a range of yellow crazy ant abundance in Arnhem Land, Australia and New Caledonia to determine whether yellow crazy ant (Anoplolepis gracilipes) abundance and trophic position correlate with carbohydrate availability, as well as the relative importance of native and non-native sources of carbohydrates to ant diet. …

Reference Gene Selection For Transcriptional Profiling In Cryptocercus Punctulatus, An Evolutionary Link Between Isoptera And Blattodea, Zhen Li, Xiangrui Li, Qingwen Zhang, Ling Yuan, Xuguo Zhou

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

The subsocial life style and wood-feeding capability of Cryptocercus gives us an evolutionary key to unlock some outstanding questions in biology. With the advent of the Genomics Era, there is an unprecedented opportunity to address the evolution of eusociality and the acquisition of lignocellulases at the genetic level. However, to quantify gene expression, an appropriate normalization strategy is warranted to control for the non-specific variations among samples across different experimental conditions. To search for the internal references, 10 housekeeping genes from a gut transcriptome of a wood-feeding cockroach, Cryptocercus punctulatus, were selected as the candidates for the RT-qPCR analysis. The …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

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

Emerald Ash Borer Specific Gene Silencing Has No Effect On Non-Target Organisms, Flavia Pampolini, Lynne K. Rieske

Entomology Faculty Publications

The sequence complementarity of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway allows for targeted suppression of genes essential for insect survival, and enables development of pest management strategies specific to a given species while reducing the likelihood of adversely impacting non-target organisms (NTOs). The feasibility of manipulating the RNAi pathway to cause mortality in the highly invasive emerald ash borer (EAB) has been demonstrated. Here the spectrum of activity of three double stranded RNAs (dsRNAs) targeting the genes hsp, shi, and sn-rnp in EAB was evaluated in model insects representing five functional guilds including herbivore, predator, detritivore, pollinator, parasitoid; …

The Flowering Of Ecology: Maria Sibylla Merian's Caterpillar Book, Kay Etheridge

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

The Flowering of Ecology presents an English translation of Maria Sibylla Merian’s 1679 ‘caterpillar’ book, Der Raupen wunderbare Verwandelung und sonderbare Blumen–Nahrung. Her processes in making the book and an analysis of its scientific content are presented in a historical context. Merian raised insects for five decades, recording the food plants, behavior and ecology of roughly 300 species. Her most influential invention was an 'ecological' composition in which the metamorphic cycles of insects (usually moths and butterflies) were arrayed around plants that served as food for the caterpillars. Kay Etheridge analyzes the 1679 caterpillar book from the viewpoint of …

Nss, The Silencing Suppressor Of Tomato Spotted Wilt Orthotospovirus, Interferes With Ja-Regulated Host Terpenoids Expression To Attract Frankliniella Occidentalis, Jiao Du, Xiaoyu Song, Xiaobin Shi, Xin Tang, Jianbin Chen, Zhanhong Zhang, Gong Chen, Zhuo Zhang, Xuguo Zhou, Yong Liu, Deyong Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) causes serious crop losses worldwide and is transmitted by Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). NSs protein is the silencing suppressor of TSWV and plays an important role in virus infection, cycling, and transmission process. In this research, we investigated the influences of NSs protein on the interaction of TSWV, plants, and F. occidentalis with the transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana. Compared with the wild-type Col-0 plant, F. occidentalis showed an increased number and induced feeding behavior on transgenic Arabidopsis thaliana expressing exogenous NSs. Further analysis showed that NSs reduced the expression of terpenoids synthesis-related genes and …

Nebline, November/December 2020

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Nebraska Extension Celebrates 20 Years of School Enrichment Nutrition Kits!

Recipe of the Month

Fun Winter Gardening Projects

Garden Guide: Things to Do This Month

Be a Master Gardener!

Upcoming Green Industry Conferences

Helping Foster a Growth Mindset in Young Children

Pesticide Applicator Trainings

Landlord/Tenant Lease & Crop Budget Workshops

Extension News

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

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Jodi Gabel

Heart of 4-H Volunteer Award: Sarah Lanik-Frain and Mike Frain

2020 4-H Horse Awards

Extension Calendar

Outgoing 4-H Council Members

Youth Science Day for Homeschooled Youth

Ag Society Annual Election & Meeting

Super …