Entomology Commons^™

Novel Role Of A Cypovirus In Polydnavirus-Parasitoid-Host Relationship, Philip Houtz

Kaleidoscope

No abstract provided.

Aggregation Behavior Of The Southern Chinch Bug (Hemiptera: Blissidae), Karla M. Addesso, Heather J. Mcauslane, Ron Cherry

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

The southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber, forms dense, multigenerational aggregations in St. Augustinegrass lawns leading to grass death from sap feeding. We conducted laboratory bioassays to better understand the signals responsible for the formation and maintenance of southern chinch bug aggregations. In small arena assays, chinch bugs demonstrated a stronger aggregation response over time and aggregated more often on or beneath St. Augustinegrass leaf blades than on or under artificial leaf-like shelters constructed from white or green paper. In Y-tube olfactometer assays, bugs of different age and sex were attracted to volatiles from mixed-sex chinch bug aggregations and showed …

Nebline, August 2012

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: 9 Reasons to Shop at Farmers Markets

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

Nature's Perfect Food, Geoffrey D. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Nature's Perfect Food is an article that describes the history of local beekeeper Jack Hartman and the benefit of local honey bees to agriculture and honey consumers.

Factors Affecting The Distribution And Survival Of Endangered American Burying Beetles, Nicrophorus Americanus Olivier, Jessica Jurzenski

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The disappearance of the federally endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus Olivier) over most of its range is poorly understood, which is why the identification and evaluation of conservation measures is important. The presence and distribution of all carrion beetles in Nebraska was first reported to help understand where American burying beetles (ABBs) occur to aid in creating a habitat suitability model for the Sandhills ecoregion and to locate suitable experiment areas. There are 18 Nebraska counties with records of ABB presence in the last 15 years. The final habitat suitability model performed well with an AUC value above …

Effect Of Distribution And Concentration Of Topically Applied Neonicotinoid Insecticides In Buffalograss, Buchloe Dactyloides, Leaf Tissues On The Differential Mortality Of Blissus Occiduus Under Field Conditions, Mitchell D. Stamm, Tiffany M. Heng-Moss, Frederick P. Baxendale, Blair D. Siegfried, Roch E. Gaussoin, Daniel D. Snow, David A. Cassada

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Background: Neonicotinoid insecticides are generally efficacious against many turfgrass pests, including several important phloem-feeding insects. However, inconsistencies in control of western chinch bugs, Blissus occiduus, have been documented in field efficacy studies. This research investigated the efficacy of three neonicotinoid insecticides (clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam) against B. occiduus in buffalograss under field conditions and detected statistically significant differences in B. occiduus numbers among treatments. A subsequent study documented the relative quantity and degradation rate of these insecticides in buffalograss systemic leaf tissues, using HPLC.

Results: Neonicotinoid insecticides initially provided significant reductions in B. occiduus numbers, but mortality diminished over the …

High-Throughput Transcriptome Sequencing For Snp And Gene Discovery In A Moth, Nicholas J. Miller, Jing Sun, Thomas W. Sappington

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The western bean cutworm, Striacosta albicosta (Smith) (Leptidoptera: Noctuidae) is a pest of corn (Zea mays L.) and dry beans that underwent a dramatic range expansion in North America during the first decade of the 21st century. Research into the population genetics of this species has been hindered by a lack of genetic markers. The transcriptome of adult male S. albicosta was partially sequenced using Illumina sequencing-by-synthesis. Assembly of the sequence reads yielded 16,847 transcript sequences, of which 6,631 could be assigned a putative function. A search for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified 2,487 candidate SNPs distributed among 1,265 …

Seasonal Population Dynamics Of The Potato Psyllid (Hemiptera: Triozidae) And Its Associated Pathogen “Candidatus Liberibacter Solanacearum” In Potatoes In The Southern Great Plains Of North America, John A. Goolsby, John J. Adamczyk Jr., J. M. Crosslin, Noel N. Troxclair, J. R. Ancisco, Gerhard G. Bester, J. D. Bradshaw, Edsel D. Bynum Jr., L. A. Carpio, Don C. Henne, Ankush Joshi, Joseph E. Munyaneza, Pat Porter, Phillip E. Sloderbeck, J. R. Supak, C. M. Rush, F. J. Willett, B. J. Zechmann, B. A. Zens

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Sulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), and its associated pathogen “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum” (Ca. L. solanacearum), the putative causal agent of zebra chip (ZC) disease in potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), were sampled in commercial potato fields and untreated control plots for 3 yr in multiple locations in Texas, Kansas, Nebraska, and Colorado. Populations of the potato psyllid varied across years and across potato growing regions. However, the percentage of potato psyllids infected with Ca. L. solanacearum although variable across years, was consistently highest in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas (LRGV), the reported overwintering …

Trapping And Control Of The Small Hive Beetle, Aethina Tumida, An Invasive Parasite Of Honey Bees, Apis Mellifera, Shannon Peterson

All Theses

The small hive beetle, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), is one of the most recent honey bee pests of economic importance, especially in the southeastern United States. Various in-hive traps have been developed to attempt to control the populations of this invasive pest within honey bee colonies. The first year of my research focused on comparing the effectiveness of three commercially available traps for removing small hive beetles. Thirty-two colonies were established with 0.9-kg package bees with a queen in four apiaries. Eight colonies were placed in each apiary, each colony randomly receiving one of four treatments: the three-chambered Hood …

Chromosomal Patterns In Populations Of The Black Fly Simulium Fibrinflatum Twinn (Diptera: Simuliidae), Kyle Parks

All Theses

Cryptic species are an important component of biodiversity, although most cryptic species have yet to be discovered. Cytogenetic studies of polytene chromosomes offer a unique level of resolution for detecting cryptic species in the family Simuliidae. Simulium fibrinflatum is a black fly morphospecies that is suspected to contain cryptic species because of its broad geographic range and variable pupal gill structure. Populations of Simulium fibrinflatum from the Saugahatchee River, AL; Anthony Shoals, GA; LaHave River, Nova Scotia; Westfield River, MA; Chauga River, SC; and Enoree River, SC, were sampled and cytogenetically analyzed to test for the presence of cryptic species. …

Fluid Uptake By The Lepidopteran Proboscis In Relation To Structure, Karena Kwauk

All Theses

Three species of butterflies--eastern tiger swallowtail (Papilio glaucus L.), monarch (Danaus plexippus L.), and painted lady (Vanessa cardui L.)--were used to investigate the effect that exposing multiple regions of the proboscis to fluid has on feeding rate. Although the lepidopteran proboscis historically has been considered a sealed tube with a specialized region near the tip for fluid uptake, droplets of 1% sucrose solution were shown to enter multiple locations along the proboscis. Feeding experiments were conducted comparing fluid uptake rates of butterflies with their proboscises either fully or partially submerged in 1% or 15% sucrose solutions. Only one significant relationship …

Efficacy Of Precision-Applied In-Furrow Insecticide/Nematicide And Seed Treatments On Populations Of Thrips And Nematodes In Cotton, Ginger Devinney

All Theses

Thrips and nematodes can be serious early-season pests of cotton grown on the highly variable soil types common in the southeastern United States. I examined the effects of precision-applied aldicarb (Temik¨ 15G) and seed treatments (Aeris¨ and Avicta Complete Pak¨) on population dynamics of thrips and nematodes in management zones defined by soil texture as measured by soil electrical conductivity (EC). Research plots were established in cotton fields with variable soil types at the Clemson University Edisto Research and Education Center near Blackville, SC, during May of 2010 and 2011. Research plots were arranged in a three-way factorial design, with …

Ecology And Phylogeny Of The Biting-Midge Genus Culicoides (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), Dustin Swanson

All Dissertations

Flies of the genus Culicoides are small, biting midges in the family Ceratopogonidae. These flies are of medical, veterinary, and economic importance because their blood-feeding behavior can cause stress to hosts and transmit disease agents. Despite the importance of these flies, little is known about their biology, especially the ecology of the immature stages and the phylogenetic relationships among taxa. The objectives of my study were to address these two areas of Culicoides biology.
Larval Culicoides were collected from aquatic habitats in four ecoregions of South Carolina, USA. Eleven ecological variables were recorded for each sample. Larvae were identified by …

Flight Period And Species Composition Of Sirex (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) And Associated Deladenus (Nematoda: Neotylenchidae) Within Arkansas Pine Forests, Danielle Keeler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The European woodwasp, Sirex noctilio F. (Hymenoptera: Siricidae), which is a known destructive pest of pine in the southern hemisphere was recently discovered in the eastern United States. Before we can understand how S. noctilio may affect pine forests throughout the United States, we need a better understanding of native Sirex and the role they play in the ecosystem. The objectives of this research were to 1) determine species composition and flight period for native Sirex; 2) confirm presence of parasitic nematodes, Deladenus (Nematoda: Neotylenchidae), within adult Sirex; 3) investigate Deladenus parasitism rates; 4) verify the number of Deladenus species …

Mass Spectral Determination Of Phenylacetonitrile (Pan) Levels In Body Tissues Of Adult Desert Locust, Schistocerca Gregaria, Peris W. Amwayi, Daniel K. Masiga, Prem Govender, Peter E.A. Teal, Baldwyn Torto

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Wings and legs of the gregarious desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria have been shown to be release sites of phenylacetonitrile (PAN), the major adult male-produced pheromone. However, there is limited information on the distribution of PAN within the locust. Here we show, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS), that PAN occurs in nearly all body parts of both adult males and females of the locust in varying amounts. PAN was 20-fold more concentrated in males than in females. In females, PAN was concentrated more in the tarsal segments. The greatest amounts of PAN were in 2- and 3-week old female and male …

Palaeoenvironmental Shifts Drove The Adaptive Radiation Of A Noctuid Stemborer Tribe (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Apameini) In The Miocene, Emmanuel F.A. Toussaint, Fabien L. Condamine, Gael J. Kergoat, Claire Capdevielle-Dulac, Jérôme Barbut, Jean François Silvain, Bruno P. Le Ru

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Between the late Oligocene and the early Miocene, climatic changes have shattered the faunal and floral communities and drove the apparition of new ecological niches. Grassland biomes began to supplant forestlands, thus favouring a large-scale ecosystem turnover. The independent adaptive radiations of several mammal lineages through the evolution of key innovations are classic examples of these changes. However, little is known concerning the evolutionary history of other herbivorous groups in relation with this modified environment. It is especially the case in phytophagous insect communities, which have been rarely studied in this context despite their ecological importance. Here, we investigate the …

Surveillance Of Mosquitoes For Arthropod-Borne Viruses In El Paso, Tx., Stephanie Coronado, Douglas Watts

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Summer 2012

West Nile encephalitis is the only arthropod-borne virus that causes annual cases of human illness in El Paso, Texas. Cases more commonly affect the young and elderly and the illness may range from a mild febrile disease to fatal encephalitis. The primary vector(s) of West Nile virus are Culex species mosquitoes, including Culex tarsalis and Culex quinquefaciatus. Further, surveillance is needed to determine the relative importance of these and possibly other mosquito species. More recently, cases of dengue fever and fatal hemorrhagic fever have been occurring in communities along the USA-Mexico border. Dengue has been endemic in Mexico since the …

Molecular Identification Of Synanthedonini Members (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae) Using Cytochrome Oxidase I, Jason A. Hansen, William E. Klingeman, J. Kevin Moulton, Jason B. Oliver, Mark T. Windham, Aijun Zhang, Robert N. Trigiano

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Many North American sesiid moths within Synanthodonini have been studied extensively because their feeding activity can cause detrimental economic and esthetic impacts to many commercially important ornamental and native plant species. Recent discoveries of nonnative clearwing moth pest introductions [e.g., Synanthedon myopaeformis (Borkh.)], reinforce the need for reliable and accurate molecular diagnostic tools that can be used by nontaxonomic experts, particularly when juvenile life stages are recovered from infested host-plant tissues. Cytochrome oxidase I (cox I) previously has been used to successfully identify species and resolve species complexes. In this study, the cox I phylogeny inferred from sequences generated from …

A New Species Of Saphonecrus (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea) Associated With Plant Galls On Castanopsis (Fagaceae) In China, Zhiwei Liu, Xiao-Hui Yang, Dao-Hong Zhu, Yi-Yuan He

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

A new cynipid species, Saphonecrus hupingshanensis Liu, Yang, et Zhu, sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini), is described from China. This is the first species of the inquilinous tribe Synergini ever known to have an association with chinquapins (Fagaceae: Castanopsis). The biology and implication to species diversity of Cynipidae in eastern and southeast Asia are discussed.

A New Species Of Saphonecrus (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea) Associated With Plant Galls On Castanopsis (Fagaceae) In China, Zhiwei Liu, Xiao-Hui Yang, Dao-Hong Zhu, Yi-Yuan He

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

A new cynipid species, Saphonecrus hupingshanensis Liu, Yang, et Zhu, sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini), is described from China. This is the first species of the inquilinous tribe Synergini ever known to have an association with chinquapins (Fagaceae: Castanopsis). The biology and implication to species diversity of Cynipidae in eastern and southeast Asia are discussed.