Entomology Commons^™

Identification Of Rnai-Related Genes And Transcriptome Assembly Of Loblolly Pine (Pinus Taeda, L.) Seedlings Exposed To Insect-Specific Dsrna, Zachary Bragg, Lynne K. Rieske

Entomology Faculty Publications

Considerable research has focused on gene silencing in tree-feeding insects, but how trees recognize and process double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) engineered to target plant pests is unknown. We performed transcriptomic assembly, preliminary differential expression analysis, and in silico annotation on loblolly pine (Pinus taeda, L.) seedlings exposed to southern pine beetle-specific dsRNA. This pilot study sought to elucidate the baseline response of seedlings challenged with insect-specific dsRNA. Treated and untreated seedlings were sequenced and following transcriptome assembly 20 RNAi-related proteins (RRPs) were annotated. Differential gene expression analysis conducted using DESeq2 followed by pathway enrichment revealed 7131 differentially expressed transcripts, of which …

Phylogenetics And Biogeography Of Appalachian Trechus (Coleoptera: Carabidae), Patricia Wooden

All Dissertations

Insects have long been used as tools for understanding the health of the natural world and how changes to climate, landscape, and human interaction have affected the communities those environments support. The Appalachian Mountains, located in eastern North America, is the oldest mountain range on the continent, and during its lifespan it has supported an abundance of microhabitats and endemic species to fill them. Conservationists must balance the need to preserve the diversity that is known and continue to explore the region for new taxa, often with limited budget and expertise. A genus of small carabids, Trechus Clairville, may aid …

Ecology And Integrated Pest Management Of Major Insect Pests Of Field Corn, Tim Bryant

All Dissertations

In the southeastern United States, the brown stink bug, Euschistus servus (Say), and the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), are common economic pests of corn, Zea mays L. (Poaceae: Poales). Although commonly found, the corn earworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is generally not an economic pest and is managed with transgenic corn hybrids expressing toxins produced by the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Resistance to Bt toxins is a major thread to the sustainability of Bt crops. Understanding the ecology of stink bugs and corn earworms in field corn can help to effectively implement integrated pest management …

Evolution And Biogeography Of High Appalachian Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae), Adam Haberski

All Dissertations

The southern Appalachian Mountains are a region of great species richness and a center of endemism in many taxa, including flightless arthropods. High elevation refugia have facilitated the persistence of ancient lineages (paleoendemism) and in situ speciation (neoendemism), but their ubiquity, timing, and relative importance is unknown. Congruent patterns among co-distributed, but independent taxa might illuminate common drivers of Appalachian endemism. In this dissertation, I investigated the influence of allopatric speciation, geography, and paleoclimate events on the diversification of endemic species in two genera of rove beetles (Coleoptera, Staphylinidae), Lathrobium Gravenhorst and Ischnosoma Stephens, using an integrative morphological and molecular …

A Best Way Forward To The Organisation Of Entomological Training Courses In Sub-Saharan Africa, Kurt Jordaens, Marc De Meyer, Muriel Van Nuffel, Ashley H. Kirk-Spriggs, Christopher Sabuni, Maulid Mwatawala, Ramadhani Mujabwa, Sija Kabota, Terence Bellingan, Georg Goergen, Mervyn Mansell, Aruna Manrakhan, Antonio Sinzogan, Mark K. Schutze, Arianna Thomas-Cabianca, Robert Copeland, Burgert Muller, Massimiliano Virgilio, Ella Bert, Eva November, John Midgley

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Despite their significant impact on human life in the Afrotropical Region, Diptera remain understudied. For a large part this is due to a lack of Diptera taxonomic experts and collection curators from the Afrotropical Region (except for South Africa perhaps), the difficulties some developing countries face in maintaining collections, and the low number of digitised specimens. This impedes the use of these Diptera collections for identification services, taxonomic and phylogenetic research, and other biological research areas. The dire need for knowledge transfer and training of young and emerging entomologists in the Afrotropical Region has prompted the Royal Museum for Central …

Virus Del Marchitamiento Manchado Del Tomate En Tomates Y Pimientos, Claudia Nischwitz, Mariah Noorlander, Mary Ann Hubbell, Celina Wille

All Current Publications

En Utah, el virus del marchitamiento manchado del tomate (TSWV, por sus siglas en inglés) comúnmente afecta a tomates, pimientos y tomatillos.

Concepts In Animal Parasitology: Master Bibliography, Sue Ann Gardner

Concepts in Animal Parasitology

Master bibliography for the open educational resource/open access textbook Concepts in Animal Parasitology, Scott L. Gardner and Sue Ann Gardner, editors, published by Zea Books, Lincoln, Nebraska, United States, 2024. This includes the references from literature cited and suggested supplemental reading.

Antimicrobial Activity Of Cat Flea (Ctenocephalides Felis) Gut Proteins On Different Days After Blood Feeding, Dhruva K. Karnik

Honors College Theses

Cat fleas (Ctenocephalides felis) are a blood-feeding ectoparasitic insect and a common domestic pest found throughout the world. Because of their reliance on host blood, fleas are exposed to blood-borne pathogens; however, the flea gut lumen is a hostile environment for microbial colonization. For example, the gut epithelia differentially express immune genes in response to feeding. In the present study, we measured the antimicrobial activity of gut proteins from cat fleas at different days after feeding (2, 5, 7, and 14). Dissected flea guts were homogenized, passed through a syringe filter, and measured in a protein assay kit. …

Notes On North American Butterflies, 1, Harry Pavulaan

The Taxonomic Report of the International Lepidoptera Survey

New natural history elements and distribution records of several North American butterflies are reported. Taxonomy is often driven by geographical analyses. Cartography, coupled with internet-based imagery, opens up a promising wealth of information, allowing avocational researchers a tool by which inconvenient visits to institutional collections are no longer necessary for resolving some basic questions. While diversity and distribution of butterflies in North America are commonly believed to be fully known, the findings presented here show that much is yet to be learned of our butterfly fauna.

Metallic Light-Based Bird-Repellent Prototype To Reduce Paddy Yield Loss In Jatinangor, Sumedang Regency, Ai Siti Santriyani, Ichsan Nurul Bari, Wahyu Daradjat Natawigena, Lindung Tri Puspasari, Syifa Nabilah Subakti-Putri

Jurnal Kultivasi

Munia birds (Lonchura spp.) are pests that attack paddy plants during the reproductive phase. The traditional methods of controlling birds are considered less effective because birds can adapt to the tools used. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a metallic light-based bird-repellent prototype to reduce paddy yield loss. The experiment was conducted in Cileles Village paddy fields, Jatinangor Subdistrict, Sumedang Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia. The effectivity of the prototype was tested by measuring the effective distance (m2), counting the frequency of bird visits (number of visits), bird populations, and the level of paddy damage (%), and paddy …

Effects Of Fungal Biopesticide Doses On Mortality In Bumble Bees, Colton Burris

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Agricultural practices often include the use of pesticides to produce meaningful crop yields. While the pesticide may be used to target “pest” insects (e.g. thrips, aphids, whiteflies), it can also have negative effects on important pollinating insects such as bees. Neonicotinoid pesticides have been found responsible for widespread decline in bee biodiversity, and were even banned in Europe (Sgolastra et al. 2020) . Beauveria bassiana, sold as Botanigard, on the other hand, is a fungal biopesticide that is marketed to be a safer alternative for bees, and has been found to have other possibly harmful effects to the inner …

Ordinal-Level Biomass Of Insects Collected On And Off Prairie Dog Colonies, Colby Cook, Chad Zerr, Lorelei E. Patrick

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Ordinal-level Biomass of Insects Collected On and Off Prairie Dog Colonies

Colby Cook, Chad Zerr, and Lorelei Patrick

Recent work has shown that bats in Colorado and Kansas are more active over prairie dog colonies. It is hypothesized that the reason for this is increased abundance and richness of insects found on colonies versus off colonies. Sampling from 2022 indicated that insect biomass was not different between location types, but suggested that the relative abundance of insect orders may differ. Additional insect sampling was conducted in 2023. Light traps were deployed on the same nights, one on a prairie dog …

Examination Of Greenhouse Conditions That Influence Scale Infestation Rates On Begonia, Madeline M. Cusick

Honors College Theses

Scale insects are common pests within greenhouse and agricultural settings. I quantified scale infestation on Begonia x Richmondensis, also known as the Dragon Wing begonia, within the Armstrong Campus Greenhouse from March to November of 2023. Six different treatments accounted for variations in sunlight, humidity, and temperature within the greenhouse with the goal of determining the insect’s preferred environmental conditions. Morphological comparisons were also made between host plant Dragon Wing begonia and other begonias present within the greenhouse. Analysis indicated a significant difference in scale presence on replicate plants by zone and sunlight treatments, with more plants hosting at least …

Preliminary Analysis Of Native Bee Community Adjacent To Sorghum And Wheat Fields In Western Kansas, Katelyn Strack, Sarah Elzay

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

Agricultural practices have significant and often negative effects on native bee populations. It is imperative that we understand how current agricultural practices affect native bees. Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) is cultivated heavily in western Kansas and is grown in rotation with winter wheat. This analysis presents preliminary results from a study conducted in summer 2023 in which pan traps were placed adjacent to two sorghum and two wheat fields in Ellis Co. Kansas. This data is part of a larger study examining the relationship between native bees and sorghum in western Kansas.

Preliminary Analysis of Native Bee Community Adjacent …

The Identification Of The Flower Thrips, Frankliniella Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Intercepted At U. S. Ports Of Entry, Thomas L. Skarlinsky Ii

Insecta Mundi

United States port of entry interception data revealed that Frankliniella Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) was the most frequently intercepted genus of Thripidae. No published identification resource for intercepted Frankliniella is available to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) port of entry entomology identifiers. A morphological review of intercepted species was conducted. A dichotomous key for the identification of intercepted slide mounted adult females was created. Morphological diagnosis, description of each species with their geographic region(s) of origin and frequency of interception is provided.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:403B362E-9A7F-4385-A0F1-9DB87FE09AD2

Predicting The Potential Distribution Of Pseudococcus Longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) In South Korea Using A Climex Model, Su Bin Kim, Soo-Jung Suh

Insecta Mundi

Pseudococcus longispinus (Targioni-Tozzetti) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae) is a widely-distributed pest that feeds on many economically important hosts, particularly tropical fruits and ornamentals. The potential distribution of this mealybug pest in South Korea remains a primary concern because of its high incidence of interceptions screened during inspection. Hence, this species prompted a modelling effort to assess its potential risk of introduction. Potential risk maps were developed for this pest with a CLIMEX model based on occurrence records under environmental data. The potential distribution of these pests in South Korea in the 2020s, 2050s and 2090s was projected based on the RCP 8.5 …

A Taxonomic Review Of The Genus Psephenops Grouvelle Of The Lesser Antilles With Description Of New Species Psephenops Trini, And Reassignment Of Peruvian Species Psephenus Robacki Spangler (Coleoptera: Psephenidae: Psepheninae), Cheryl B. Barr, William D. Shepard

Insecta Mundi

An overview of the genus Psephenops Grouvelle (Coleoptera: Psephenidae: Psepheninae) is provided with geographic distributions of the species. The taxonomic history of Psephenops smithi Grouvelle, the type species from Grenada and St. Vincent, and junior synonym Xexanchorinus latus Grouvelle from Grenada, is discussed, and lectotypes and paralectotypes are designated for both. Photographs of the type series and a non-type specimen with illustrated male genitalia, along with new distributional information for the species, are provided. The male, female, and associated larva of Psephenops trini Barr and Shepard, new species, are described and illustrated, as is the habitat of this species …

The Genus Centris Fabricius In Cuba, With A New Record And The Description Of A New Species (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), Julio A. Genaro, Dayron Breto

Insecta Mundi

Members of the genus Centris Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila) constitute a significant component of the Neotropical (including insular) bee fauna, exhibiting high species richness, a moderate to large body size, and extensive interactions with various important plant groups. Females of most species possess specialized morphology adapted for collecting oils from flowers. This study documents the presence of the genus in Cuba, recognizing six species: C. aethiops Cresson, C. cornuta Cresson, C. fulviventris Cresson, C. poecila Lepeletier, C. taina Genaro and Breto new species, and C. tarsata F. Smith. Detailed information is provided for …

Notes On The Tribe Chlorocorini With The Description Of A New Species Of Chlorocoris Spinola (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) From Panama, Donald B. Thomas

Insecta Mundi

A new species, Chlorocoris charluzae Thomas (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae), is described from Panama. Eludocoris grandis Thomas is reported from Panama for the first time. The distribution of Chlorocoris rufispinus Dallas to include Panama is confirmed. Arawacoris Thomas, described as a subgenus of Chlorocoris Spinola, is elevated to full genus.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:F4E45B6C-5BD8-4B3E-B599-3BB61855B392

Review Of Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) Inhabiting Cones Of The Cycad Zamia L. (Cycadales) In Panama, With Descriptions Of Five New Species, William Tang, Paul E. Skelley, Alberto S. Taylor R., Shayla Salzman

Insecta Mundi

The beetle genus Pharaxonotha Reitter (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Pharaxonothinae) is found in the cones of cycad genera in the New World, including species of Ceratozamia Brongn., Dioon Lindl., Microcycas (Miq.) A.DC, and Zamia L. Its presence and diversity are analyzed for the 17 species of Zamia known to occur in Panama. Nine species are recognized, and five new species are described: Pharaxonotha clarkorum Pakaluk, P. confusa Pakaluk, P. fortunensis Tang, Skelley and Taylor new species, P. holzmani Tang, Skelley and Taylor new species, P. kirschii Reitter, P. manicatae Tang, Skelley and Taylor new species …