Entomology Commons^™

Concepts In Animal Parasitology: Manuscript Preparation Guidelines, Paul Royster, Sue Ann Gardner, Scott Lyell Gardner

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

Zea Books manuscript preparation guidelines for authors of the Concept in Animal Parasitology free, online textbook.

Sequence Analysis Of The Potato Aphid Macrosiphum Euphorbiae Transcriptome Identified Two New Viruses, Marcella A. Texeira, Noa Sela, Hagop S. Atamian, Ergude Bao, Rita Chaudhury, Jacob Macwilliams, Jiangman He, Sophie Mantelin, Thomas Girke, Isgouhi Kaloshian

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

The potato aphid, Macrosiphum euphorbiae, is an important agricultural pest that causes economic losses to potato and tomato production. To establish the transcriptome for this aphid, RNA-Seq libraries constructed from aphids maintained on tomato plants were used in Illumina sequencing generating 52.6 million 75±105 bp paired-end reads. The reads were assembled using Velvet/Oases software with SEED preprocessing resulting in 22,137 contigs with an N50 value of 2,003bp. After removal of contigs from tomato host origin, 20,254 contigs were annotated using BLASTx searches against the non-redundant protein database from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) as well as IntereProScan. …

Characterizing The Physiological Role Of Inward Rectifier Potassium (Kir) Channels In Tick Salivary Gland Function, Zhilin Li

LSU Master's Theses

The tick salivary gland is a critical tissue that enables blood feeding, maintenance of the ionic gradients, and facilitates pathogen transmission. Therefore, the broad objective of this investigation was to leverage pharmacological approaches to investigate the role of potassium ion channels to salivary gland function of Amblyomma americanum in an effort to identify a tractable target site for therapeutic development.

Data collected in Chapter 2 clearly illustrated that the A. americanum salivary gland is reliant upon inward rectifier potassium (Kir) channels for fluid secretion, which was similar to previous work performed by our laboratory on Drosophila salivary gland. Therefore, the …

Self-Oligomerization Regulates Stability Of Survival Motor Neuron Protein Isoforms By Sequestering An ScfSlmb Degron, Kelsey M. Gray, Kevin A. Kaifer, David Baillat, Ying Wen, Thomas R. Bonacci, Allison D. Ebert, Amanda C. Raimer, Ashlyn M. Spring, Sara Ten Have, Jacqueline J. Glascock, Kushol Gupta, Gregory D. Van Duyne, Michael J. Emanuele, Angus I. Lamond, Eric J. Wagner, Christian L. Lorson, A. Gregory Matera

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by homozygous mutations in human SMN1. Expression of a duplicate gene (SMN2) primarily results in skipping of exon 7 and production of an unstable protein isoform, SMNΔ7. Although SMN2 exon skipping is the principal contributor to SMA severity, mechanisms governing stability of survival motor neuron (SMN) isoforms are poorly understood. We used a Drosophila model system and label-free proteomics to identify the SCF^Slmb ubiquitin E3 ligase complex as a novel SMN binding partner. SCF^Slmb interacts with a phosphor degron embedded within the human and fruitfly SMN YG-box oligomerization domains. …

Identification Of Highly Effective Target Genes For Rnai-Mediated Control Of Emerald Ash Borer, Agrilus Planipennis, Thais B. Rodrigues, Jian J. Duan, Subba Reddy Palli, Lynne K. Rieske

Entomology Faculty Publications

Recent study has shown that RNA interference (RNAi) is efficient in emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis, and that ingestion of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) targeting specific genes causes gene silencing and mortality in neonates. Here, we report on the identification of highly effective target genes for RNAi-mediated control of EAB. We screened 13 candidate genes in neonate larvae and selected the most effective target genes for further investigation, including their effect on EAB adults and on a non-target organism, Tribolium castaneum. The two most efficient target genes selected, hsp (heat shock 70-kDa protein cognate 3) and shi (shibire), …

Reproductive Success Of Mountain Pine Beetle Infesting Cut Bolts Of Great Basin Bristlecone Pine, Limber Pine, And Lodgepole Pine, Barbara J. Bentz, Karen E. Mock, Erika L. Eidson

Browse all Datasets

The preference-performance hypothesis states that ovipositing phytophagous insects will select host plants that are well-suited for their offspring and avoid host plants that do not support offspring performance (survival, development and fitness). The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae), a native insect herbivore in western North America, can successfully attack and reproduce in most species of Pinus throughout its native range. However, mountain pine beetles avoid attacking Great Basin bristlecone pine (Pinus longaeva), despite recent climate-driven increases in mountain pine beetle populations at the high elevations where Great Basin bristlecone pine grows. Low preference for a potential host plant species may …

Nebline, March 2018

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Early Spring Care for Fruit Trees

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Pests & Wildlife

Horticulture

Early Childhood

4-H & Youth

and other extension news and events

2017 Soybean Insect Losses In The United States, F. R. Musser, A. L. Catchot Jr., S. P. Conley, J. A. Davis, C. Difonzo, J. Greene, G. M. Lorenz, D. Owens, T. Reed, D. D. Reisig, P. Roberts, T. Royer, N. J. Seiter, S. D. Stewart, S. Taylor, K. Tilmon, M O. Way

Midsouth Entomologist

Estimated soybean insect costs and losses experienced during 2017 were collected and compiled from 16 states following the 2017 growing season to provide a record of insect pressure and management practices for the year. The estimates have been made annually in some states for up to 14 years, but nine states participated for the first time in 2017. Participating states represented 36% of United States soybean acreage, with near 100% participation in southern states. Overall, the stink bug complex was the most expensive insect pest in soybean followed by corn earworm and soybean looper. Total insect management costs were $19.54 …

Program And Abstracts Of The 64th Annual Conference Of The Mississippi Entomological Association, October 16-17, 2017, Mississippi Entomological Association

Midsouth Entomologist

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Vector Control On The Population Structure Of Tsetse (Glossina Fuscipes Fuscipes) In Western Kenya, Njelembo J. Mbewe, Rajinder K. Saini, Baldwyn Torto, Janet Irungu, Abdullahi A. Yusuf, Christian Pirk

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Displacement rates of tsetse affect performance of targets during vector control. Fly size, one of the indicators of population structure usually obtained from wing measurement, is among the determinants of displacement rates. Although recovery of tsetse in previous intervention areas has been widely reported, the population structure of tsetse that recover is rarely evaluated despite being associated with displacements rates. Previously, intervention trials had reduced tsetse densities by over 90% from >3 flies/trap/day to <1fly/trap/day on Big Chamaunga and Manga islands of Lake Victoria in western Kenya. In this study, we assessed the recovery in densities of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes on the two islands and evaluated the effects vector control might have on the population structure. A before and after intervention study was undertaken on four islands of Lake Victoria in western Kenya; Small and Big Chamaunga, Manga and Rusinga Islands, two of which tsetse control intervention had previously been undertaken. Three years after intervention average G. f. fuscipes catches in biconical traps were estimated on each island. Wing centroid size (CS) (a measurement of fly size) and shape, indicators of the population structure of flies from the four islands were compared using geometric morphometric analyses. CS and shape of available female but not male tsetse wings obtained before the intervention trial on Big and Small Chamaunga islands were compared with those from the same islands after the intervention trial. G. f. fuscipes apparent density on the previous intervention islands were>9 flies/trap/day. Irrespective of sex, wing shape did not isolate tsetse based on their islands of origin. The fly size from Big and Small Chamaunga did …

A Climate-Adapted Push-Pull System Effectively Controls Fall Armyworm, Spodoptera Frugiperda (J E Smith), In Maize In East Africa, Charles A.O. Midega, Jimmy O. Pittchar, John A. Pickett, Girma W. Hailu, Zeyaur R. Khan

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith), an economically important pest native to tropical and sub-tropical America has recently invaded Africa, causing substantial damage to maize and other crops. We evaluated functionality of a companion cropping system, ‘climate-adapted push-pull’, developed for control of cereal stemborers in drier agro-ecologies, as an added tool for the management of fall armyworm. The technology comprises intercropping maize with drought-tolerant greenleaf desmodium, Desmodium intortum (Mill.) Urb., and planting Brachiaria cv Mulato II as a border crop around this intercrop. Protection to maize is provided by semiochemicals that are emitted by the intercrop that repel (push) …

Efficacy Evaluation Of Six Entomopathogenic Nematode Species Against Engorged Females Of Southern Cattle Fever Tick, Rhipicephalus (=Boophilus) Microplus, N. K. Singh, John A. Goolsby, David I. Shapiro-Ilan, R. J. Miller, D. B. Thomas, Guilherme M. Klafke, Jason Tidwell, Alexis Racelis, Parwinder Grewal, Adalberto A. Perez De Leon

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

The southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus microplus Canestrini, is widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, causing huge economic losses to milk and meat production. Application of acaricides is the most widely used control strategy, but because of increasing evidence of resistance to acaricide and environmental concerns, novel strategies are needed. Use of entomopathogenic nematodes is a promising alternative for tick control. Six species of nematodes, Steinernema riobrave Cabanillas, Poinar, and Raulston (355 strain), S. carpocapsae (Weiser) (All strain), S. feltiae Filipjev (SN strain), Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar (VS strain), H. indica Poinar, Karunakar, and David (HOM1 strain), and H. floridensis …

Bmilf And I-Motif Structure Are Involved In Transcriptional Regulation Of Bmpoum2 In Bombyx Mori, Kangkang Niu, Xiaojuan Zhang, Huimin Deng, Feng Wu, Yandong Ren, Hui Xiang, Sichun Zheng, Lin Liu, Lihua Huang, Baojuan Zeng, Sheng Li, Qingyou Xia, Qisheng Song, Subba R. Palli, Qili Feng

Entomology Faculty Publications

Guanine-rich and cytosine-rich DNA can form four-stranded DNA secondary structures called G-quadruplex (G4) and i-motif, respectively. These structures widely exist in genomes and play important roles in transcription, replication, translation and protection of telomeres. In this study, G4 and i-motif structures were identified in the promoter of the transcription factor gene BmPOUM2, which regulates the expression of the wing disc cuticle protein gene (BmWCP4) during metamorphosis. Disruption of the i-motif structure by base mutation, anti-sense oligonucleotides (ASOs) or inhibitory ligands resulted in significant decrease in the activity of the BmPOUM2 promoter. A novel i-motif binding protein (BmILF) …

Improving Rnai In The Brown Marmorated Stink Bug: Identification Of Target Genes And Reference Genes For Rt-Qpcr, Kanakachari Mogilicherla, Jeffrey L. Howell, Subba Reddy Palli

Entomology Faculty Publications

The brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB) is native to Asia and recently invaded the USA. RNA interference (RNAi) is a gene silencing mechanism in which the introduction of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) inhibits gene function by degrading target mRNA. In dsRNA stability assays, the dsRNases present in the hemolymph and salivary gland secretions of BMSB showed lower activity than those in the hemolymph of Heliothis virescens. We evaluated six housekeeping genes (18S rRNA, EF1-α, Actin, Ubiquitin, 60S RP and β-Tubulin) across dsRNA treatments (injection and feeding) in nymphs and adults of BMSB and identified …

Sweet Attraction: Sugarcane Pollen-Associated Volatiles Attract Gravid Anopheles Arabiensis, Betelehem Wondwosen, Göran Birgersson, Habte Tekie, Baldwyn Torto, Rickard Ignell, Sharon R. Hill

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Background: Anopheles arabiensis is a key vector for the transmission of human malaria in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the past 10,000 years, humans have successfully cultivated grasses and altered the landscape, creating An. arabiensis favourable environments that contain excellent habitats for both larvae and adults. Sugarcane is the most expanding agricultural system in sub-Saharan Africa, and is linked to the increased threat of malaria in rural communities. The prolific production and wind dispersal of sugarcane pollen, together with standing pools of water, often provide, as a result of irrigation, a nutrient-rich environment for the offspring of gravid malaria mosquitoes. Results: In …

Arthropod Fauna Associated With Wild And Cultivated Cranberries In Wisconsin, Shawn A. Steffan, Merritt E. Singleton, Michael L. Draney, Elissa M. Chasen, Kyle E. Johnson, Juan E. Zalapa

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Aiton) is an evergreen, trailing shrub native to North American peatlands. It is cultivated commercially in the US and Canada, with major production centers in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Washington, Québec, and British Columbia. Despite the agricultural importance of cranberry in Wisconsin, relatively little is known of its arthropod associates, particularly the arachnid fauna. Here we report preliminary data on the insect and spider communities associated with wild and cultivated cranberries in Wisconsin. We then compare the insect and spider communities of wild cranberry systems to those of cultivated cranberries, indexed by region. Approximately 7,400 …

Leptinotarsa Decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Observed Feeding On Chamaesaracha Sp. In Eastern Colorado., Michael S. Crossley, Benjamin Pélissié, Zachary Cohen, Sean D. Schoville

The Great Lakes Entomologist

Egg, larval, and adult life stages of Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), were observed feeding on or attached to a previously undocumented host plant belonging to the genus Chamaesaracha in eastern Colorado on July 2017. At one site, L. decemlineata were more abundant on Chamaesaracha sp. than the accepted ancestral host plant, Solanum rostratum (Dunal). While future studies should confirm the ancestral status of the observed L. decemlineata and suitability of Chamaesaracha sp. for completion of development, our observations suggest a need for further characterization of the ancestral host range of L. decemlineata.

The Ability Of Specific-Wavelength Led Lights To Attract Night-Flying Insects, Ryan S. Zemel, David Houghton

The Great Lakes Entomologist

This paper describes a portable collecting light, designed by the authors, that weighs 0.3 kg, is powered by 8 AA batteries, and uses 9 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to attract night-flying insects. Five different wavelengths of these LED lights, all within the long-wave ultraviolet spectrum, were compared to each other and to a commercially-available 15w fluorescent ultraviolet tube light for their abilities to collect insects over a series of 5 nights in July 2016. There was no difference in order richness, total specimen abundance, or the specimen abundance of most common orders between any of the wavelengths tested. Most LED wavelengths, …

The Drosophilids Of A Pristine Old-Growth Northern Hardwood Forest, Thomas Werner

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The current study summarizes the results of a species inventory survey for drosophilid flies (family Drosophilidae, order Diptera) in a primeval forest in northern Michigan. The two main goals of the investigation were to list the species inhabiting the Huron Mountain Club and to collect live specimens for the illustrations in the book "Drosophilids of the Midwest and Northeast". From 2014 to 2016, I found 22 drosophilid species, which belong to the two subfamilies Steganinae and Drosophilinae. Future long-term studies are planned to test how the drosophilid populations respond to climate change.

Tgle Vol 50 Nos. 3 & 4 Full Issue

The Great Lakes Entomologist

The Great Lakes Entomologist Volume 50 Numbers 3 & 4 Fall/Winter full issue.