Entomology Commons^™

Wolbachia Strain Wpip Yields A Pattern Of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Enhancing A Wolbachia-Based Suppression Strategy Against The Disease Vector Aedes Albopictus, Maurizio Calvitti, Riccardo Moretti, Amanda R. Skidmore, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is induced in nature by Wolbachia bacteria, resulting in conditional male sterility. Previous research demonstrated that the two Wolbachia strains (wAlbA and wAlbB) that naturally co-infect the disease vector mosquito Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) can be replaced with the wPip Wolbachia strain from Culex pipiens. Since Wolbachia-based vector control strategies depend upon the strength and consistency of CI, a greater understanding is needed on the CI relationships between wPip, wAlbA and wAlbB Wolbachia in Ae. albopictus.

METHODS: This work consisted of a collaborative series of crosses carried out in Italy and in US to study …

Hexapod Herald - Vol. 24, No. 5, November 2012

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

Contents: Welcome -- Congratulations -- Grants -- Publications -- Faculty News - Meet an Off Campus Student -- Student News -- Calendar of Events

Nebline, November/December 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Co-Parenting For Successful Kids Online Class Has Great Response in First Year

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Cerambycidae In The Hawk Rise Sanctuary, Linden, Nj, Tiffany R. Mauro

Department of Entomology: Distance Master of Science Projects

The family Cerambycidae is a diverse group. These wood borers greatly impact the flora and fauna of the habitat in which they reside. One of the most destructive invasive cerambycids is the Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Anoplophora glabripennis. It has devastated both the urban and forested landscapes in New York, Illinois, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Ohio. It threatens the maple syrup industry, logging, and tourism tied to the fall foliage in New England. In New Jersey thousands of trees were removed and chemically treated due to the ALB infestation. The communities where this infestation occurred were greatly impacted as …

The Cave Mouth Antlions Of Australia (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae), Robert B. Miller, Lionel A. Stange

Insecta Mundi

Abstract. Larvae of thirty one species of antlions (Neuroptera: Myrmeleontidae) belonging to eleven genera live in the protection of cave mouths or large rock overhangs in Australia. New taxa proposed here include the following three new genera: Australeon, Newleon, Speleon. The following twelve new species are described: Froggattisca kakadu; Froggattisca rennerensis; Newleon fragilis; Speleon cavernicolus; Speleon pilliga; Speleon yallingup; Stenoleon xanthopsis; Xantholeon cavernicolus; Xantholeon kakadu; Xantholeon newi; Xantholeon pallens; Xantholeon pentlandensis. Two cave species are transferred into a new genus becoming new combinations …

Additions To The Genus Goera Stephens (Trichoptera, Goeridae) From Southeast Asia, Brian J. Armitage, Tatiana I. Arefina-Armitage

Insecta Mundi

Two new species of Goera, G. zwicki and G. nozakii (Trichoptera, Goeridae), from the Philippines and one new species, G. meyi, from Vietnam are described and illustrated herein. In addition, type specimens of G. disparilis Banks, G. octospina Banks, G. tagalica Banks, and G. uniformis Banks are illustrated. All species of Goera known from both the Philippines and Vietnam are listed.

Dos Especies Nuevas De Acanthococcus Signoret (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) Encontrados En Asteraceae De La Argentina, Patricia González, María C. Granara De Willink

Insecta Mundi

Se describen e ilustran las hembras adultas de dos especies nuevas de Acanthococcus Signoret (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae), Acanthococcus julietae González y Granara de Willink sp. nov. y A. saltensis González y Granara de Willink sp. nov. y los estados ninfales de la última. Se presenta una clave para separar las especies de Eriococcidae reportados sobre Asteraceae de la Argentina.

Two new species of Acanthococcus Signoret (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Eriococcidae) on Asteraceae from Argentina. The adult females of two new species of Acanthococcus Signoret, Acanthococcus julietae González and Granara de Willink and A. saltensis González and Granara de Willink are described and …

A New Species Of Reticulitermes Holmgren, 1913 (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) From The Southeastern United States, Su Yee Lim, Brian T. Forschler

Insecta Mundi

Reticulitermes nelsonae, a new species of subterranean termite (Isoptera, Rhinotermitidae) is described from Sapelo Island, Georgia, United States of America, with specimens also found in North Carolina and Florida. The adult and soldier castes are described and illustrated to distinguish R. nelsonae from the four described Reticulitermes spp. known to occur in the southeastern United States.

Corrigenda To And Validation Of Ozophora Woodruffi Slater 2005 (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), Robert E. Woodruff, James A. Slater (Dec'd)

Insecta Mundi

Important missing specimen data are provided for the original description of Ozophora woodruffi Slater (2005: 245) (Hemiptera: Lygaeidae), along with additional comparative relationships. Because of the missing type information, according to ICZN rules (1999), the species became a nomen nudum. This paper now serves to validate the name, and authorship becomes Slater (2012).

Rediscovery And Status Of Cylindera (S. Str.) Lunalonga (Schaupp, 1884) (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) In The San Joaquin Valley Of California With A Comparison To A Sierra Nevada Population, Mike Kippenhan, C. Barry Knisley, R. Dennis Haines

Insecta Mundi

Surveys for adult Cylindera (s. str.) lunalonga (Schaupp) (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Cicindelinae) were conducted between 2001 and 2011 at over 80 sites throughout the species’ historic range in the San Joaquin Valley and Sierra Nevada Mountains of California. Previously considered extirpated from the Valley, these surveys resulted in finding adults at 18 sites, several with large populations (>50 individuals). As suggested by historic records, our studies confirmed that the Valley populations of Cy. lunalonga occur in what were historically wetland sites, but are now lowland agricultural croplands. Adults were always associated with wet, muddy soil within and along the edges …

A Survey Of Spiders (Arachnida: Araneae) Of Prince Of Wales Island, Alaska; Combining Morphological And Dna Barcode Identification Techniques, Jozef Slowik, Gergin A. Blagoev

Insecta Mundi

Surveys during the summer of 2004 and August 2009 on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, USA resulted in collection of 1064 adult spiders representing 84 species. Barcoding of spiders collected in 2009 resulted in DNA barcode data for 212 specimens representing 63 species. DNA barcode data were then used to facilitate the identification of otherwise unidentifiable juvenile and female specimens as well as to investigate phylogenetically four lineages with large branch lengths between specimens. Using morphological and DNA barcode identifications provided a more complete list of identified specimens than was possible using morphological data alone.

Cloning, Ligand-Binding, And Temporal Expression Of Ecdysteroid Receptors In The Diamondback Moth, Plutella Xylostella, Baozhen Tang, Wei Dong, Pei Liang, Xuguo Zhou, Xiwu Gao

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: The diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), is a devastating pest of cruciferous crops worldwide, and has developed resistance to a wide range of insecticides, including diacylhydrazine-based ecdysone agonists, a highly selective group of molt-accelerating biopesticides targeting the ecdysone receptors.

RESULT: In this study, we cloned and characterized the ecdysone receptors from P. xylostella, including the two isoforms of EcR and a USP. Sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis showed striking conservations among insect ecdysone receptors, especially between P. xylostella and other lepidopterans. The binding affinity of ecdysteroids to in vitro-translated receptor proteins indicated that PxEcRB isoform bound specifically …

Developmental Time, Longevity, And Lifetime Fertility Of Three Introduced Parasitoids Of The Mealybug Paracoccus Marginatus (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae), Kaushalya G. Amarasekare, Catharine M. Mannion, Nancy D. Epsky

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Developmental time, longevity, and lifetime fertility of three previously introduced parasitoids (Acerophagus papayae Noyes and Schauff, Anagyrus loecki Noyes and Menezes, and Pseudleptomastix mexicana Noyes and Schauff) (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) of the mealybug Paracoccus marginatus Williams and Granara de Willink (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) were studied in the laboratory to understand the outcome of their recovery in field studies conducted in the United States. The developmental time of both male and female A. papayae and A. loecki was shorter than the developmental time of male and female P. mexicana. Male parasitoids of all three species had a shorter developmental time than …

On The Identity And Systematic Placement Of Onthophagus Viriditinctus Reitter, 1892 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini), Stefano Ziani

Insecta Mundi

A re-description and new records of Onthophagus viriditinctus Reitter, 1892 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Onthophagini), an uncommon species from Iran, are provided. The taxonomic position and some nomenclatural problems are discussed. The placement in the subgenus Exonthophagus Kabakov, 2006 is proposed. Images of the male, female, aedeagus and drawings of lamella copulatrix of Onthophagus viriditinctus and Onthophagus haroldi Ballion, 1871, the only other species included in the subgenus, are supplied. A key for distinguishing the two species is provided.

Nebline, October 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Make Every Drop Count in the Home

Farm Views

Urban Agriculture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Horticulture

Environmental Focus

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

New Distributional Records Of Great Plains Pseudo Scorpions (Arachnida: Pseudoscorpiones), Paul O. Cooney, James A. Kalisch

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Pseudoscorpions are tiny, oval, brown, flattened arachnids that possess large "pinchers" in front of the body for capturing smaller prey. They generally live in forested habitats in soil litter or beneath loose bark. It has been presumed that pseudoscorpions are scarce in the Great Plains, except for along rivers, due to harsh climatic conditions. However, new records of pseudo scorpions from the Great Plains were derived from identification of specimens obtained from university and college collections, and from specimens collected by the first author. Records provided new revelations about distributions of not only the more commonly known pseudoscorpion species but …

Genetic Characterization Of North American Populations Of The Wheat Curl Mite And Dry Bulb Mite, Gary L. Hein, Roy French, Benjawan Siriwetwiwat, James W. Amrine

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The wheat curl mite, Aceria tosichella Keifer, transmits at least three harmful viruses, wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), high plains virus (HPV), and Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV) to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) throughout the Great Plains. This virus complex is considered to be the most serious disease of winter wheat in the western Great Plains. One component of managing this disease has been developing mite resistance in wheat; however, identification of mite biotypes has complicated deployment and stability of resistance. This biotypic variability in mites and differential virus transmission by different mite populations underscores the need to better understand …

Comparative Mitogenomic Analysis Of Damsel Bugs Representing Three Tribes In The Family Nabidae (Insecta: Hemiptera), Hu Li, Haiyu Liu, Fan Song, Aimin Shi, Xuguo Zhou, Wanzhi Cai

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Nabidae, a family of predatory heteropterans, includes two subfamilies and five tribes. We previously reported the complete mitogenome of Alloeorhynchus bakeri, a representative of the tribe Prostemmatini in the subfamily Prostemmatinae. To gain a better understanding of architecture and evolution of mitogenome in Nabidae, mitogenomes of five species representing two tribes (Gorpini and Nabini) in the subfamily Nabinae were sequenced, and a comparative mitogenomic analysis of three nabid tribes in two subfamilies was carried out.

METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Nabid mitogenomes share a similar nucleotide composition and base bias, except for the control region, where differences are observed at the …

The Role Of Olfactory Cues In The Sequential Radiation Of A Gall-Boring Beetle, Mordellistena Convicta, Bradley Rhodes, Catherine Blair, Mizuki Takahashi, Warren G. Abrahamson Ii

Faculty Journal Articles

1. Herbivorous insects often have close associations with specific host plants, and their preferences for mating and ovipositing on a specific host-plant species can reproductively isolate populations, facilitating ecological speciation. Volatile emissions from host plants can play a major role in assisting herbivores to locate their natal host plants and thus facilitate assortative mating and host-specific oviposition.

2. The present study investigated the role of host-plant volatiles in host fidelity and oviposition preference of the gall-boring, inquiline beetle, Mordellistena convicta LeConte (Coleoptera: Mordellidae), using Y-tube olfactometers. Previous studies suggest that the gall-boring beetle is undergoing sequential host-associated divergence by utilising …

Widespread And Persistent Invasions Of Terrestrial Habitats Coincident With Larval Feeding Behavior Transitions During Snail-Killing Fly Evolution (Diptera: Sciomyzidae), Eric G. Chapman, Andrey A. Przhiboro, James D. Harwood, Benjamin A. Foote, Walter R. Hoeh

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Transitions in habitats and feeding behaviors were fundamental to the diversification of life on Earth. There is ongoing debate regarding the typical directionality of transitions between aquatic and terrestrial habitats and the mechanisms responsible for the preponderance of terrestrial to aquatic transitions. Snail-killing flies (Diptera: Sciomyzidae) represent an excellent model system to study such transitions because their larvae display a range of feeding behaviors, being predators, parasitoids or saprophages of a variety of mollusks in freshwater, shoreline and dry terrestrial habitats. The remarkable genus Tetanocera (Tetanocerini) occupies five larval feeding groups and all of the habitat types mentioned above. …