Entomology Commons^™

Teaching Morphological Species Identification To Forensic Science Students: Advantages, Problems And Results, Gregory Nigoghosian, Lauren Weidner, Ludmila Nunes, Trevor Stamper

IMPACT Presentations

Poster presented at the 69th American Academy of Forensic Science Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, USA. The poster discusses findings of a study of how students identify morphological species.

Diversity Of Lepidopteran Stemborers And Their Parasitoids On Maize And Wild Host Plants In The Rain Forest Of Kisangani, Dr Congo, Onésime Mubenga Kankonda, Benjamin Dudu Akaibe, George Otieno Ong’Amo, Bruno Pierre Le Ru

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Lepidopteran stemborers are considered as the most important insect pests of cereal crops in Sub-Saharan Africa. However, limited information exists on stemborers and their parasitoids in the rain forest of the DR Congo. In order to enhance the understanding of the pest ecology, sampling in both cultivated and wild habitats has been recommended as a bottom line to any action aiming at the design of pest management measures. Following this recommendation, a survey was carried out in the rain forest of the DR Congo on maize and wild host plants. We collected eighteen stemborer and one earborer species belonging to …

At Lunch With A Killer: The Effect Of Weaver Ants On Host-Parasitoid Interactions On Mango, Valentina Migani, Sunday Ekesi, Katharina Merkel, Thomas Hoffmeister

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Predator-prey interactions can affect the behaviour of the species involved, with consequences for population distribution and competitive interactions. Under predation pressure, potential prey may adopt evasive strategies. These responses can be costly and could impact population growth. As some prey species may be more affected than others, predation pressure could also alter the dynamics among species within communities. In field cages and small observation cages, we studied the interactions between a generalist predator, the African weaver ant, Oecophylla longinoda, two species of fruit flies that are primary pests of mango fruits, Ceratitis cosyra and Bactrocera dorsalis, and their two exotic …

Selection Of Fungal Isolates For Virulence Against Three Aphid Pest Species Of Crucifers And Okra, W. Bayissa, S. Ekesi, S. A. Mohamed, G. P. Kaaya, J. M. Wagacha, R. Hanna, N. K. Maniania

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Aphids are regarded as important pest problems of vegetable crops worldwide. Most vegetable growers in sub-Saharan Africa heavily rely on synthetic chemical insecticides for aphids’ control. Fungus-based biopesticides are being considered as alternatives to chemical insecticides. This study evaluates virulence of five isolates of Metarhizium anisopliae and three of Beauveria bassiana against Brevicoryne brassicae, Lipaphis pseudobrassicae, and Aphis gossypii, and their thermotolerance and conidial yield as a prerequisite for strain selection. The study also evaluates performance of the best isolate in screenhouse experiment against target aphid species. Three isolates of M. anisopliae ICIPE30, ICIPE62, and ICIPE69 outperformed the others, causing …

Clarifying The Source Of Conicofrontia Sesamoides Hampson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Population In South African Sugarcane Using Morphological Identification And Mitochondrial Dna Analysis, Y. Assefa, M. Goftishu, C. Capdevielle-Dulac, B. Le Ru

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Valid identification of a novel pest species and clarifying its origin are the primary steps in understanding population structure and development of biocontrol programs. In this study geographical populations of Conicofrontia sesamoides Hampson (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) collected during surveys conducted in the years 2009, 2014 and 2015 were morphologically identified and their genetic diversity was analysed by using sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome-c oxidase I (COI) gene in an attempt to examine host plant, or/and altitude associated differences among populations and determine the source of the newly recorded population of this species in the South African sugarcane. The C. sesamoides specimens …

Can Toxicants Used Against Cotton Mealybug Phenacoccus Solenopsis Be Compatible With An Encyrtid Parasitoid Aenasius Bambawalei Under Laboratory Conditions?, Hayat Badshah, Farman Ullah, Paul Andre Calatayud, Hidayat Ullah, Bashir Ahmad

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The cotton mealybug, Phenacoccus solenopsis Tinsley (Sternorrhyncha: Pseudococcidae) is a serious pest of various cultivated plants in Pakistan. Recent reports show that the parasitoid Aenasius bambawalei Hayat (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) is a good biocontrol agent of the pest. Compatibleness is important in any IPM programme, and the insecticide used must have little or no effects on the biological control agent. This study investigated the compatibility of neem treatments and a commercial insecticide, imidacloprid on A. bambawalei. Bioassays were laid out in a completely randomized design (CRD) under laboratory conditions. Results showed that the adult stage of the parasitoid was more susceptible …

Transcriptomic Response Of Wolf Spider, Pardosa Pseudoannulata, To Transgenic Rice Expressing Bacillus Thuringiensis Cry1ab Protein, Juan Wang, Yuande Peng, Kaifu Xiao, Baoyang Wei, Jilin Hu, Zhi Wang, Qisheng Song, Xuguo Zhou

Entomology Faculty Publications

Background: Bacillum thuringiensis (Bt) toxin produced in Cry1-expressing genetically modified rice (Bt rice) is highly effective to control lepidopteran pests, which reduces the needs for synthetic insecticides. Non-target organisms can be exposed to Bt toxins through direct feeding or trophic interactions in the field. The wolf spider Pardosa pseudoannulata, one of the dominant predators in South China, plays a crucial role in the rice agroecosystem. In this study, we investigated transcriptome responses of the 5th instar spiders fed on preys maintained on Bt- and non-Bt rice.

Results: Comparative transcriptome analysis resulted in 136 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) …

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.

Genome Editing Of Wnt-1, A Gene Associated With Segmentation, Via Crispr/Cas9 In The Pine Caterpillar Moth, Dendrolimus Punctatus, Huihui Liu, Qun Liu, Xuguo Zhou, Yongping Huang, Zhen Zhang

Entomology Faculty Publications

The pine caterpillar moth, Dendrolimus punctatus, is a devastating forest pest. Genetic manipulation of this insect pest is limited due to the lack of genomic and functional genomic toolsets. Recently, CRISPR/Cas9 technology has been demonstrated to be a promising approach to modify the genome. To investigate gene functions during the embryogenesis, we introduced CRISPR/Cas9 system in D. punctatus to precisely and effectively manipulate gene expressions inmutant embryos. Compared to controls, knocking out of DpWnt-1, a gene well known for its role in the early body planning, led to high embryonic mortality. Among these mutants, 32.9% of the embryos …

Integrating Kaolin Clay For Ambrosia Beetle Management In Ornamental Crops Of Eastern Redbud, Christopher T. Werle, Karla M. Addesso, Blair J. Sampson, Jason B. Oliver, John J. Adamczyk

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Invasive ambrosia beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) are an important pest problem at ornamental tree nurseries. Available chemical treatments are not completely effective and, due to the length of the beetle dispersal period and insecticide breakdown, repeated treatments can become costly in terms of application expense and nontarget impacts. Additional options are needed to reduce application frequency and to provide an acceptable level of crop protection. Four treatments were tested using ethanol-injected eastern redbud trees at research sites in Mississippi (MS) and Tennessee (TN) over 2 years (2014–15), with the number of new ambrosia beetle galleries compared over time on 1) nontreated …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 29, No. 1, January 2017

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Content: Welcome - Faculty News - Grants - Congratulations - Student News - Blast from the Past - Publications - Condolences (Dr. Kenneth P. Pruess)

Nebline, January 2017

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Extension 2016 Highlights

Food & Health

Farm & Acreage

Horticulture

Pests & Wildlife

4-H & Youth

Early Childhood

and other extension news and events

Bioassessment Of Four Karst Springs At Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area With A Focus On Diving Beetle (Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae) Species Of Concern, Scott Longing, L. A. Mack, Brian E. Haggard

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Four springs were surveyed at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area to provide an initial bioassessment and to determine occurrences of two endemic predaceous diving beetles of concern, Heterosternuta sulphuria and Sanfilippodytes sp. Habitat in the four spring runs were dominated by bedrock and gravel substrate with heavy accumulations of leaf litter. Thirty-three taxa representing 11 orders were collected from the four springs. Non-insect taxa included Oligochaeta, Physidae, and Isopoda, and predominant insect orders included Ephemeroptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, and Trichoptera. The total number of taxa across springs ranged from seven to 19, with total abundances ranging from 39 to 86 individuals. No …

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Fates Of Ovules In Groundplum Milk-Vetch (Astragalus Crassicarpus Nutt.) In South Dakota, Arvid Boe, Paul J. Johnson

Native Plant Focused Publications

Groundplum milk-vetch (Astragalus crassicarpus Nutt.) is a native legume found on gravelly to sandy prairie uplands throughout central North America. The large and fleshy fruits, or pods, of this species were consumed by indigenous people and European settlers, and are cached by rodents. Our previous research on native legumes of the northern Great Plains indicated seed predation by insects, notably bruchid beetles belonging to the genus Acanthoscelides Schilsky, was a dominant factor determining viable seed production in natural and artificial plant assemblages. However, although we have studied the reproductive biology of several species of Astragalus L., none had fleshy pods. …

Increased Insertion Number Leads To Increased Sperm Transfer And Fertilization Success In A Nursery Web Spider, Alissa G. Anderson, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Across animals, a male's fitness is largely dictated by his ability to fertilize eggs; and there exists a plethora of male adaptations associated with increasing fertilization success. In the nursery web spider, Pisaurina mira, males restrain females prior to and during copulation by wrapping them with silk. Previous research demonstrates that copulatory silk wrapping reduces a male's chance of being sexually cannibalized and increases the number of sperm transfer opportunities (termed insertions) that a male can achieve within a mating. While avoiding cannibalism provides an obvious survival benefit to males, the impact of insertion number on male fitness remains …

Importance Of The Antenniform Legs, But Not Vision, For Homing By The Neotropical Whip Spider Paraphrynus Laevifrons, Verner P. Bingman, Jacob M. Graving, Eileen Hebets, Daniel D. Wiegmann

Eileen Hebets Publications

Amblypygids, or whip spiders, are nocturnal, predatory arthropods that display a robust ability to navigate to their home refuge. Prior field observations and displacement studies in amblypygids demonstrated an ability to home from distances as far away as 10 m. In the current study, micro-transmitters were used to take morning position fixes of individual Paraphrynus laevifrons following an experimental displacement of 10 m from their home refuge. The intention was to assess the relative importance of vision compared with sensory input acquired from the antenniform legs for navigation as well as other aspects of their spatial behavior. Displaced individuals were …

Woody Ornamentals For Bee-Friendly Landscapes (Ohio Valley Region), Bernadette Maria Mach, Daniel A. Potter

Entomology Reports

No abstract provided.

Attack And Defense Movements Involved In The Interaction Of Spodoptera Frugiperda And Helicoverpa Zea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), José P. F. Bentivenha, Edson L. L. Baldin, Débora Goulart Montezano, Thomas E. Hunt, Silvana L. Vieira De Paula Moraes

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) and the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) are among the main pests of maize. Both species exhibit cannibalistic behavior and quite often share the same feeding guild in maize (maize ears), which can result in several interspecific and intraspecific interactions. Paired interaction scenarios of intraspecific and interspecific larvae were assessed in arenas in the presence and absence of food to characterize movements resulting from interactions of these insects. There was a difference in the frequency of behavioral movements in all the interactions, except for S. frugiperda in the presence of food. …

The Fourteenth Amithao Thomson, 1878 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Gymnetini): A Remarkable New Species From Ecuador, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Anew species in the Neotropical genus Amithao Thomson, 1878 is described from Ecuador, with supporting illustrations and a diagnosis. A revised key to the 14 species in the genus is provided along with an annotated checklist.