Entomology Commons^™

Lepidopteran Diversity And Abundance Across Five Different Indigenously Managed Land Use Zones In The Naso-Teribe Territory, Bocas Del Toro Province, Panama, Eli Dotson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Lepidopterans, the order that includes both moths and butterflies, are among the best-known insects taxonomically and ecologically due to the relative ease of monitoring them in comparison to other groups of insects. Their distribution follows that of other insects and forms of life, as around 90% of species have a tropical distribution. This incredibly speciose group of animals fills many vital roles in the ecosystems they inhabit, including herbivores in their larval stages, prey for a variety of predators in all life stages, and pollinators for many plant species as adults. In some circumstances, certain species may also serve as …

Sand Fly–Associated Phlebovirus With Evidence Of Neutralizing Antibodies In Humans, Kenya, David P. Tchouassi, Marco Marklewitz, Edith Chepkorir, Florian Zirkel, Sheila B. Agha, Caroline C. Tigoi, Edith Koskei, Christian Drosten, Christian Borgemeister, Baldwyn Torto, Sandra Junglen, Rosemary Sang

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

We describe a novel virus, designated Ntepes virus (NPV), isolated from sand flies in Kenya. NPV has the characteristic phlebovirus trisegmented genome architecture and is related to, but distinct from, Gabek Forest phlebovirus. Diverse cell cultures derived from wildlife, livestock, and humans were susceptible to NPV, with pronounced permissiveness in swine and rodent cells. NPV infection of newborn mice caused rapid and fatal illness. Permissiveness for NPV replication in sand fly cells, but not mosquito cells, suggests a vector-specific adaptation. Specific neutralizing antibodies were found in 13.9% (26/187) of human serum samples taken at the site of isolation of NPV …

Effects Of Plant Viruses On Vectors And Non-Vector Herbivores In Three Different Pathosystems, Sunil Paudel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Plant viruses are an important component of agro-ecosystems and the knowledge of impacts they can cause on their hosts, and on different vectors and non-vector herbivores associated with the hosts, is very crucial in devising sound management strategies for virus disease and vector control in the landscape. The interactions between these components, however, are difficult to predict and vary according to the system under investigation. In order to understand some of these interrelationships, different sets of experiments were carried out in three different pathosystems to look at the impacts of plant viruses on vector and non-vector herbivores. Firstly, in Sorghum …

Descriptions Of One New Genus And Seven New Species Of Rhinotragini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), James E. Wappes, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Descriptions of a new genus, Giesberticus Wappes and Santos-Silva, and seven new species in the Rhinotragini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae) are included: Oxylymma soniae Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Bolivia; O. surinamensis Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Suriname; O. birai Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Brazil; Paraeclipta albopilosa Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Bolivia; P. vandenberghei Wappes and Santos- Silva, from Nicaragua; Odontocera elllanocarti Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Panama; and Giesberticus longiventris Wappes and Santos-Silva, from Bolivia. In addition, the holotype of Oxylymma gibbicollis Bates, 1873 is figured for the first time, Odontocera argenteolineata Santos-Silva and Bezark, 2016 is newly recorded for Guatemala and the …

Revisión Del Género Microogenius Gutiérrez (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), Con Descripción De Dos Nuevas Especies Altoandinas, José Mondaca

Insecta Mundi

The genus Microogenius Gutiérrez (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini), endemic to the Andean biogeographic region, is revised and now includes six species: Microogenius arrowi (Ohaus) (Bolivia), Microogenius borealis sp. nov. (Peru), Microogenius gutierrezi Martínez (Bolivia), Microogenius lanterii (Soula) (Argentina), Microogenius martinezi Gutiérrez (Bolivia) and Microogenius puna sp. nov. (Bolivia, Chile, Peru). Redescription of the genus, individual diagnoses, identification keys and distribution records for all known species are provided. Additionally, photographs of adults and of diagnostic morphological characters are included. Eremophygus calvus Gutiérrez, based on the female holotype, is synonymized under Microogenius arrowi (Ohaus), based on the male lectotype. The genus Microogenius …

Two New Tiger Beetle Species Of The Genus Calochroa Hope, 1838 (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) From Myanmar. 150. Contribution Towards The Knowledge Of The Cicindelidae, Jürgen Wiesner, Moe Hnin Phyu

Insecta Mundi

Calochroa horii Wiesner and Phyu, new species, and Calochroa fumikoae Wiesner and Phyu, new species (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae) are described from Myanmar. A key to all members of the genus known to occur in Myanmar is provided.

Amphicoma Gandhara, A New Species Of Glaphyridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) From Swat District In Northern Pakistan, Milan Nikodým, Guido Sabatinelli

Insecta Mundi

Amphicoma gandhara Nikodým and Sabatinelli (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Glaphyridae), a new species from Swat District of northern Pakistan, is described and illustrated. The new species is compared with related taxa, in particular with the most similar species, A. schneideri Nikodým, 2005.

Expanded Phenotypic Diagnoses For 24 Recently Named New Taxa Of Hesperiidae (Lepidoptera), Nick V. Grishin

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

Expanded diagnoses by phenotypic characters for the 24 new taxa named in the article "Genomes of skipper butterflies reveal extensive convergence of wing patterns" by Li, W., Cong, Q., Shen, J., Zhang, J., Hallwachs, W., Janzen, D.H. and Grishin, N.V., 2019 and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America on March 15, 2019 are provided and illustrated. More detailed diagnoses will help identifying these phylogenetic groups by their wing patterns and shapes and other morphological characters including the structures of antennae and genitalia using this single publication, instead of obtaining the …

Hemlock Woolly Adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae) Management In Forest, Landscape, And Nursery Production, Elizabeth P. Mccarty, Karla M. Addesso

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae (Annand) (Hemiptera: Adelgidae), has caused significant damage to both eastern [Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carrière] and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana Englemann) (Pinales: Pinaceae) since it was first reported in the eastern United States. This adelgid is particularly damaging to these hemlock species due to a lack of co-evolved plant defenses and natural enemies able to suppress hemlock woolly adelgid populations. Management of hemlock woolly adelgid relies heavily on insecticides to prevent death of vulnerable trees. Biological control programs have released natural enemies of hemlock woolly adelgid to aid in control at the landscape level. …

Predation On Stink Bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) In Cotton And Soybean Agroecosystems, Kacie J. Athey, John R. Ruberson, Dawn M. Olson, James D. Harwood

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Stink bugs (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) are significant pests of cotton and soybeans in the southeastern United States with annual control costs exceeding $14 million in these crops. Three of the most prominent stink bug pests are the southern green (Nezara viridula), brown (Euschistus servus) and green (Chinavia hilaris) stink bugs. To determine trophic linkages between generalist arthropod predators and these pests, species-specific 16S molecular markers were designed and used to detect the presence of prey DNA in predator gut-contents. Over 2700 predators were collected over two growing seasons in cotton and soybean in southern Georgia in 2011 and 2012 and screened …

Mosquito Image Classification Using Convolutional Neural Networks, Sumanth Vissamsetty

LSU Master's Theses

Human life has always been affected by insects, especially mosquitoes, since it's early beginnings. This pesky insect acts as a vector that transmit pathogens through feeding on our blood, spreading life-threatening diseases like Zika Virus, Malaria, Dengue fever, Chikungunya and more. It is important to prevent these mosquitoes from harming humans and one way to do so is to control the mosquito population, or mosquito abatement as it is commonly known. It is important to note that not all mosquitoes are the same and each of them live, reproduce and attack in their own unique way. Hence it is crucial …

Effects Of Dietary Sugars And Sugar Alcohols On Mortality And Thermal Tolerance In Culex Quinquefasciatus And Aedes Aegypti, Madeleine Chura

LSU Master's Theses

Aedes aegypti (L. 1762), the yellow fever mosquito, and Culex quinquefasciatus Say 1823, the southern house mosquito, are prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas worldwide and are responsible for the spread of a number of devastating diseases to humans and livestock. The development of new control methods, as well as continued study of mosquito biology, is vital for improving human health. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of sugar alcohols as a novel means for mosquito control, as well as how sugar alcohols and other factors are involved in thermal tolerance in mosquitoes.

No-choice tests with the sugar alcohols …

Photocatalytic Degradation Of Profenofos And Triazophos Residues In The Chinese Cabbage, Brassica Chinensis, Using Ce-Doped Tio2, Xiangying Liu, You Zhan, Zhongqin Zhang, Lang Pan, Lifeng Hui, Kailin Liu, Xuguo Zhou, Lianyang Bai

Entomology Faculty Publications

Pesticides have revolutionized the modern day of agriculture and substantially reduced crop losses. Synthetic pesticides pose a potential risk to the ecosystem and to the non-target organisms due to their persistency and bioaccumulation in the environment. In recent years, a light-mediated advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) has been adopted to resolve pesticide residue issues in the field. Among the current available semiconductors, titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is one of the most promising photocatalysts. In this study, we investigated the photocatalytic degradation of profenofos and triazophos residues in Chinese cabbage, Brassica chinensis, using a Cerium-doped nano semiconductor TiO₂ (TiO …

The Role Of Temperature In Affecting Carry-Over Effects And Larval Competition In The Globally Invasive Mosquito Aedes Albopictus, Nnaemeka F. Ezeakacha, Donald Yee

Faculty Publications

Background

Ectotherms, like mosquitoes, have evolved specific responses to variation in environmental conditions like temperature, and these responses could confer a fitness benefit or cost when carried-over to different life stages. However, effects of temperature on animals with complex life-cycles often only focus on part of their life-cycle, or only consider how single aspects of life-history may carry over to new stages. Herein we investigated how temperature affects intraspecific larval competition and carry-over effects from larval to adult stages in the widespread invasive Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus.

Methods

For larval competition, larvae were reared at three densities (10, …

The Tripartite Interaction Between Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi, Rice, And Insects, Lina Bernaola Alvarado

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Losses caused by pests remain an important limitation to achieving high rice yields in the United States. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AM fungi) are able to modify plant physiology by increasing plant growth or inducing defense responses against insect herbivores. However, studies of the role of AM fungi in agroecological factors, including natural occurrence, plant resistance, soil dependency, and plant tolerance, with specific regards to pests that feed on rice plants have not been conducted before. A three-year study revealed natural occurring colonization by AM fungi on rice roots sampled in four rice-producing areas in the southern United States. Overall, rice-AM …

Vapor Delivery Of Plant Essential Oils Alters Pyrethroid Efficacy And Detoxification Enzyme Activity In Mosquitoes, Scott T. O'Neal, Ellis J. Johnson, Leslie Catherine Rault, Troy D. Anderson

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The use of synthetic insecticides to limit the spread of mosquito-borne disease faces a number of significant challenges, including insecticide resistance, concerns related to the environmental impact of widespread insecticide use, as well as slowed development of new insecticide chemistries. One important alternative to broadcast insecticides is the use of personal protection strategies to limit contact with vector species, including the use of spatial repellents that can employ synthetic pyrethroids or botanical products to effect control. A currently underexplored area of research involves the investigation of botanical products for their potential to serve as insecticide synergists when delivered as a …

Insecticide Resistance Modifies Mosquito Response To Deet And Natural Repellents, Emilie Deletre, Thibaud Martin, Claire Duménil, Fabrice Chandre

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Pyrethroid and organophosphate resistance in the malaria vector Anopheles gambiae has led to the search for not only alternative insecticides, but also repellent chemical compounds. However, little is known about the potential actions of repellents and the cross-resistance risk between insecticide and repellent compounds. Methods: Here we show the action of permethrin, DEET, geraniol, carvacrol, culminaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde against three A. gambiae strains: 'Kis' (Kisumu susceptible strain), 'KdrKis' (pyrethroid resistant strain) and 'AcerKis' (organophosphate resistant strain), the last two differing from the first by a mutation on the kdr and ace1 genes, respectively. Conclusions: Results from the DEET assays …

Effects Of Rangeland Management On Milkweed Grazing And Monarch Conservation, Brittany Poynor

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Cattle typically avoid consuming milkweed plants that contain high levels of toxic defense compounds, and therefore many people assume cattle avoid all milkweeds. However, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) contains only moderate levels of toxic compounds, and observations suggest that cattle regularly consume common milkweed and may even preferentially graze flowers and leaves of this species. These observations directly relate to efforts to add over one billion stems of milkweed to the central USA for monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) conservation. If cattle intentionally consume common milkweed and other milkweed species, and if certain management practices can reduce …

New State Record For Coniopteryx Tineiformis Curtis (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae), Lawrence Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Coniopteryx tineiformis Curtis (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae) is reported from Pennsylvania for the first time, a new state record. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s collection holdings were reviewed and four specimens from two counties were found. These records fill in a gap in this species’ reported range, despite no records of it from adjacent states.

Field And Laboratory Performance Of False Codling Moth, Thaumatotibia Leucotreta (Lepidoptera: Troticidae) On Orange And Selected Vegetables, Abdullah Mohamed Mkiga, Samira Abuelgasim Mohamed, Hannalene Du Plessis, Fathiya Mbarak Khamis, Sunday Ekesi

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

False codling moth (FCM), Thaumatotibia leucotreta is a key pest of citrus orange and other plants causing fruit loss through larval feeding. Although this pest is native to sub-Saharan Africa little is known on its performance on orange and vegetables in Kenya and Tanzania. Our objective was to assess the incidence, oviposition preference and offspring performance of FCM on orange and vegetables, namely, okra, African eggplant, chili and sweet peppers. A higher percentage of orange with FCM damage symptoms was recorded from the ground than from the tree sampled fruit. However, FCM larval incidence was higher for the latter (tree …