Entomology Commons^™

A Revised Catalog Of The Species Of Stenocrates Burmeister (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini), With Descriptions Of Three New Species From Peru And Brazil And Stenocrates Inpai Ratcliffe, 1978 Placed In Junior Synonymy With Stenocrates Popei Endrödi, 1971, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Three new species of the South American genus Stenocrates Burmeister, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) are described: Stenocrates serendipitus Ratcliffe, new species and Stenocrates mimeomus Ratcliffe, new species, both from Amazonian Peru, and Stenocrates hastatus Ratcliffe, new species from southeastern Brazil. Descriptions, diagnoses, distributions, and illustrations of the parameres of the new species are provided. Stenocrates inpai Ratcliffe, 1978, is placed in new junior synonymy with Stenocrates popei Endrödi, 1971, based upon the examination of additional specimens. A revised, annotated catalog of Stenocrates species is provided.

Determining Optimum Soil Type And Salinity For Rearing The Federally Endangered Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Cicindela (Ellipsoptera) Nevadica Lincolniana Casey (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae), Stephen M. Spomer, Gary J. Brewer, Michael I. Fritz, Robert R. Harms, Kay A. Klatt, Aimee M. Johns, Sarah A. Crosier, Joseph A. Palmer

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Effective rearing methods are needed to recover the federally endangered Salt Creek tiger beetle, Cicindela (Ellipsoptera) nevadica lincolniana Casey, a subspecies that occurs exclusively in saline wetlands and seeps along Little Salt Creek in Lancaster County, Nebraska. Experiments were initiated to determine soil type and salinity concentrations appropriate for stimulating female oviposition in laboratory settings to produce larvae and/or adults for reintroduction to native habitats. In 2013, there were highly significant differences between native soil and a sand/loess soil mixture, but no differences between two salinity levels, 0.354 M and 0.5 M. In 2014, using only a sand/loess soil mixture, …

Biological Control With Trichogramma Pretiosum Increases Organic Maize Productivity By 19.4%, Maria De Lourdes Corrêa Figueiredo, Ivan Cruz, Rafael Braga Da Silva, John E. Foster

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Spodoptera frugiperda is a major pest causing maize yield loss in Brazil. There is therefore a need for control methods, notably for organic farming because classical pesticides are not allowed. A potential solution for organic maize is to apply the biological control agent Trichogramma pretiosum to reduce S. frugiperda populations. Here, we tested the application of one, two, or three releases of T. pretiosum. We measured plant damage ratings, egg masses parasitized, and grain yield. Results show that 79.2% of egg masses were parasited. Maize yields for parasited plots increased of 701 kg/ha versus control plots. This result equals a …

On-Plant Larval Movement And Feeding Behavior Of Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) On Reproductive Corn Stages, Luiz E. R. Pannuti, Edson L. L. Baldin, Thomas E. Hunt, Silvana L. Vieira De Paula Moraes

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Spodoptera frugiperda J.E. Smith (fall armyworm) is considered one of the most destructive pests of corn throughout the Americas. Although this pest has been extensively studied, little is known about its larval movement and feeding behavior on reproductive compared to vegetative corn stages. Thus, we conducted studies with two corn stages (R₁ and R₃) and four corn plant zones (tassel, above ear, ear zone, and below ear) in the field at Concord, NE (USA), and in the field and greenhouse at Botucatu, SP (Brazil), to investigate on-plant larval movement. The effects of different corn tissues (opened tassel, …

Impact Of Spodoptera Frugiperda Neonate Pretreatment Conditions On Vip3aa19 Insecticidal Protein Activity And Laboratory Bioassay Variation, Karen F. Da Silva, Terence A. Spencer, Carolina Camargo Gil, Blair D. Siegfried, Frederick S. Walters

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Variation in response to insecticidal proteins is common upon repetition of insect bioassays. Understanding this variation is a prerequisite to detecting biologically important differences.We tracked neonate Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) susceptibility to Vip3Aa19 over 17 generations using standardized bioassay methods. Five larval pretreatment conditions and one bioassay condition were tested to determine whether susceptibility was affected. These included: storage time; prefeeding; storage at reduced temperature; storage at reduced humidity; colony introgression of field-collected individuals. Extremes of photoperiod during the bioassay itself were also examined.

RESULTS: LC₅₀ values for two strains of S. frugiperda varied 6.6-fold or 8.8-fold over …

The Complexities Of Female Mate Choice And Male Polymorphisms: Elucidating The Role Of Genetics, Age, And Mate-Choice Copying, Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Laura Sullivan-Beckers, Amy M. Runck, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Genetic, life history, and environmental factors dictate patterns of variation in sexual traits within and across populations, and thus the action and outcome of sexual selection. This study explores patterns of inheritance, diet, age, and mate-choice copying on the expression of male sexual signals and associated female mate choice in a phenotypically diverse group of Schizocosa wolf spiders. Focal spiders exhibit one of two male phenotypes: ‘ornamented’ males possess large black brushes on their forelegs, and ‘non-ornamented’ males possess no brushes. Using a quantitative genetics breeding design in a mixed population of ornamented/non-ornamented males, we found a strong genetic basis …

Octopamine Levels Relate To Male Mating Tactic Expression In The Wolf Spider Rabidosa Punctulata, Eileen A. Hebets, Matthew Hansen, Thomas C. Jones, Dustin J. Wilgers

Eileen Hebets Publications

In the wolf spider Rabidosa punctulata, upon encountering a female, males use one of two distinct strategies: (1) they court the female in an attempt to elicit a mating, or (2) they engage in a direct-mount tactic that involves extensive grappling with the female until a mating is achieved. The latter tactic appears more sexually aggressive, and both tactics come with the risk of being cannibalized. We explored the physiological mechanisms underlying this behavioral variation by assessing the relationship between circulating levels of the biogenic amine octopamine (OA), a neuromodulator suggested to play a role in “fight or flight” responses …

Functional Approach To Condition, Dustin J. Wilgers, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Animal signaling is commonly thought to be costly. Signaling costs can arise via a variety of avenues, including energy expenditure, predator attraction, and so on (reviews in Zuk and Kolluru, 1998; Kotiaho, 2001), and are predicted to increase with signal expression (e.g., size, amplitude, and intensity; Johnstone, 1997). Due to these costs, signaler condition, which is hypothesized to be a reflection of a signaler’s genetic quality, is expected to influence the level of signal expression one can afford (Zahavi, 1975), resulting in a positive correlation between signaler condition and signal expression – that is, condition-dependent signaling (Zahavi, 1977; West-Eberhard, 1979; …

Piophilidae Distribution In Consideration Of Forensic Applications, Electra Ragan

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Notes on Decomposition

Decomposition as understood by our ancestors has mystical overtones with foggy roots; the reasons behind the beliefs are not readily understood from a twenty-first-century westerner’s perspective. Gases that built up inside the deceased and oozing fluids from the membranes were explained away as flesh-eating vampires after a night’s feasting (they were bloated and full). Freshly culled meat became a source to maggots and flies as it aged, transferring its “life force” from one being into another (Sachs 2001). A mere century or two ago, Louis Pasteur would be the first westerner to directly link “moulds, mucors and …

Fall Armyworm (Spodoptera Frugiperda) Control By Rnai As A Plausible Component To Integrated Pest Management Practices, Jonathan W. Robeson

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) control through RNAi machinery as a novel mode of action is a weapon sought after by the agricultural community to squelch the growing problem of S. frugiperda resistance to pesticides and transgenic crops. Significant gains in the understanding of RNAi cellular interactions and insect gene silencing are represented to provide opportunities to influence further research of S. frugiperda RNAi. This composition highlights the intracellular action of dsRNA, successful RNAi attempts on insect pests, the biological difficulty of S. frugiperda and how RNAi success against S. frugiperda would be highly advantageous in the quest to …

Butterflies Of The Suusamyr Valley, Kyrgyzstan (Lepidoptera, Diurna), Amadeus Dekastle

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

Abstract: This list of butterflies of the Suusamyr Valley contains 20 species. Each species is listed with the scientific name, common name (if applicable), flight times, elevation, habitat, food plants, and life cycle. In addition to their natural history, each species has an included distribution map.

Introduction: Although the Suusamyr Valley is only 7-8 hours away by car from Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, this region is very poorly studied in regards to its ecology. Information on butterfly distributions in this region is lacking in most currently available resources. As a result, the data presented within provides new information …

The Trichoptera Of Panama. Ii. Ten New Species Of Microcaddisflies (Trichoptera: Hydroptilidae), Steven C. Harris, Brian J. Armitage

Insecta Mundi

In the Republic of Panama, the family Hydroptilidae (Insecta: Trichoptera) is currently represented by 82 species distributed among 14 genera. In this publication we provide descriptions and illustrations for 10 new species of hydroptilids in the subfamily Hydroptilinae: Tribe Leucotrichiini—Zumatrichia teribe and Z. zegla; Tribe Neotrichiini—Neotrichia pamelae and N. parabullata; and, Tribe Ochrotrichiini—Metrichia nowaczyki, M. sencilla, Nothotrichia panama, Ochrotrichia abrelata, O. nimmoi, and O. pulgara. The genus Nothotrichia is recorded from Panama for the first time.

Nueva Técnica De Microscopía Electrónica De Barrido Para El Estudio De Coccoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera), Andrea Saracho Bottero, Lucía E. Claps

Insecta Mundi

Se presenta un protocolo para preparar material de Coccoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera) para realizar observaciones con microscopía electrónica de barrido. Esta técnica consiste en muestras conservadas en alcohol 96°, limpiadas con xilol y acetona y llevadas directamente a la etapa de hidratación y una posterior deshidratación, en alcohol, omitiendo la fi jación en formaldehído gluteraldehído y la posfijación en tetróxido de osmio. Se destaca la importancia de la limpieza del material y la correcta realización de punto crítico, en la etapa de desecación.

A new protocol to prepare material of Coccoidea (Insecta: Hemiptera) for observation with scanning electron microscopy is presented. …

Scale Insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) Found On Dracaena And Ficus Plants (Asparagales: Asparagaceae, Rosales: Moraceae) From Southeastern Asia, Soo-Jung Suh, Khanxay Bombay

Insecta Mundi

A collaborative survey of the scale insects (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) found on dracaena and ficus plants in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam conducted in 2015 identified 49 species of scale insects belonging to 36 genera in six families (25 species on dracaena, 42 species on ficus). Of the species of scale insects that have been reported on dracaena and ficus plants in southeastern Asia in the ScaleNet database (Ben-Dov et al. 2015), 32% and 17% were species collected in this survey, respectively. Twenty-three species (47%) of scale insects have been intercepted at Korean ports of entry on imported dracaena and ficus …

Nueva Especie De Lycomedes Brème, 1844 (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Dynastinae) De Los Andes Colombianos Y Clave Para Identifi Cación De Las Especies, Luis Carlos Pardo- Locarno, Alfonso Villalobos Moreno, Román Stechauner Rohringer

Insecta Mundi

A new scarab species of the genus Lycomedes Brème, 1844 is described, totaling five species of the genus reported for Colombia. Lycomedes salazari was collected in an oak forest at the high Andean region of Santurbán in the municipality of California, Santander Department, Colombia. Besides inhabiting the highest altitude known for the genus, L. salazari has affi nities with L. buckleyi Waterhouse, 1880, but differs on the cephalic, thoracic and leg morphologies. Biological notes and an updated key for the adults of the genus are included.

Una Especie Nueva Del Género Hempelicoccus Kozár Y Konczné Benedicty (Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) En La Argentina, Patricia González, María Begoña Riquelme Virgala, Agustina Ansa

Insecta Mundi

Hempelicoccus alba (Coccoidea: Eriococcidae), a new species for Argentina is described and illustrated. A key to the seven known species of Argentina is provided

An Update Of The Captive Management And Reintroduction Of The Salt Creek Tiger Beetle, Cicindela Nevadica Lincolniana (Coleoptera:Carabidae) At Omaha’S Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium, Sarah Jenkins, Traci Clevenger

Entomology Papers from Other Sources

Tiger beetles are a high speed predator, both as larvae and adults. There are over 2,600 species found worldwide. They are so fast that their eyes can’t gather enough light to process visual information while running and the beetles have to pause during pursuit to regain sight of their target. The fastest known tiger beetle can run up to 8 kilometers per hour (5 mph) which is comparable to a human running 772.5 kph (480 mph) when adjusted for body length (Yong, 2014). The adults are sexually dimorphic, with males possessing short white hairs on the inside of the tarsi …

Spatial And Temporal Dynamics Of Predator-Prey Interactions In Winter Wheat, Katelyn A. Kowles

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) are pests of multiple cropping systems, primarily due to the viruses they vector and direct crop damage that is exacerbated by their rapid population growth. In Kentucky, grain aphids (Rhopalosiphum padi and Sitobion avenae) cause significant yield loss to winter wheat as vectors of Barley Yellow Dwarf virus (BYDV), prompting the routine application of insecticides. Coupled with increasing human populations and decreasing arable land, it is increasingly evident that biological control services provided by natural enemies represent a viable long-term management option. Aphids are preyed upon by a diverse array of predators that can be …

A Revision Of The New World And Select Old World Species Of Cremnops Förster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae), Erika M. Tucker

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Parasitoid wasps are an important group of organisms in need of systematic revision. This dissertation examines the cosmopolitan parasitoid wasp genus Cremnops. It is a compilation of three projects and significantly advances the taxonomic foundation of the genus.

The New World species of the genus Cremnops are revised. Thirty-three species of Cremnops are treated; five are described as new, i.e., C. bertae sp. nov., C. cluttsis sp. nov., C. nymphius sp. nov., C. wileycoyotius sp. nov. and C. witkopegasus sp. nov. Six species are synonymized, i.e., Cremnops caribensis Berta 1998, is synonymized under C. guanicanus Wolcott 1924; C. nigrosternum (Morrison …

The Trichoptera Of Panama I. New Records For Caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) From The Republic Of Panama, Brian J. Armitage, Steven C. Harris, Ralph W. Holzenthal

Insecta Mundi

The Republic of Panama currently has 245 recorded species of Trichoptera distributed among 13 families. Herein we add 32 new country records for Panama, including one new family (Limnephilidae) and one new genus (Limnephilus). We also provide the first collection information for Oxyethira maya Denning for Panama. These results are part of an ongoing effort to characterize the caddisfly fauna of Panama, and to evaluate that country’s major cuencas (water basins).