Entomology Commons^™

Identifying Olfactory Receptors In The Pole Borer, Neandra Brunnea (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Kayla M. Hefner

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

The behavior of longhorned beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is strongly shaped by volatile compounds, which can dictate the selection of hosts and mates, segregate heterospecifics, and initiate oviposition. These compounds are primarily detected at the molecular level by the protein family of odorant receptors (ORs), which rapidly evolve in response to evolutionary changes such as diet or sociality. Thus, the OR gene family could provide great insight into the ecology and evolution of animals, especially when their chemical ecology is otherwise poorly understood. We are examining the ORs of the pole borer Neandra brunnea (Cerambycidae: Parandrinae), for which the specific role …

Influence Of Seed Mixes On Pollinator Communities Within An Electric Right-Of-Way, Kylee Nissen

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Pollinator communities are amongst species facing dramatic population declines due to anthropogenic changes. These declines are driven by land use changes with agricultural expansion and urbanization. Utility lands must be managed in ways that prevent tall vegetation from encroaching, making them an ideal place to recreate native grasslands. This research aims to assess how different seed mixes used by utility companies impact pollinator community composition. The study site is a 15-acre electric ROW located outside of St. Louis IL. The site was prepared in 2021 and incorporates a randomized mix of turfgrass-seeded plots, native seeded plots, and unseeded plots acting …

An Assessment Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Structure And Function Within The Mill Creek Watershed; Cincinnati, Ohio, Erin Linko

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

The Mill Creek Watershed is an urbanized network of streams that drains through the city of Cincinnati, Ohio. This watershed has had a long history of habitat destruction and pollution due to a variety of anthropogenic factors, namely Cincinnati’s combined sewage overflow (CSO) sanitation system. Through an ongoing biomonitoring project at Xavier University, nine sites along the mainstem Mill Creek and three of its tributaries have been studied since 2014. Through habitat assessments, fecal coliform testing, and aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling, the ecological health of this watershed can be tracked over time. The main objective of this research project was to …

Efficacy Of Biocontrol Against Chrysomelid Pests In Lab Vs Field Studies: Potential Biases Of Setting And Phylogenetic Subgroups, Blake Hudson

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

The beetle family Chrysomelidae is a speciose group of voracious herbivores with a wide number of ecological implications. While some Chrysomelid species have been introduced or augmented as biological control agents of invasive plants, many other species have found success as economically important pests of field crops and stored grains, leading to severe yield losses in cucurbits, legumes, and other systems. Controlling such pests, especially in the field, is particularly difficult due to the timing of their complex life cycles, the fossorial nature of many species’ larvae, and ability to produce multiple generations in a single growing season. This study …

Environmental Factors Shaping A Sawfly-Associated Community Of Parasitoids, Carson Kephart, Robin K. Bagely

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

A major goal of evolutionary biology is to understand the mechanisms that shape biodiversity, especially amongst highly speciose lineages such as parasitic wasps. However, most of these lineages are poorly described, with very little available natural history information. This lack of information limits our ability to uncover the environmental factors that contribute to their patterns of divergence, distribution, and abundance. To that end, here we take advantage of a community of hymenopteran parasites that has an unusually large amount of available information since they attack an economically important pine sawfly species, Neodiprion lecontei. We build upon a set of …

Evolution Of A Genus Of Gall Wasp Kleptoparasites, Guerin E. Brown

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Kleptoparasites do not directly parasitize their hosts but instead steal food and resources, reducing host fitness. Like direct parasites, kleptoparasites can be highly dependent on their hosts such that their evolutionary histories may be linked. Here, we study the evolution of a kleptoparasitic wasp genus, Synergus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Synergini), in relation to their hosts, oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae: Cynipini). Ovipositing oak gall wasps induce the formation of galls on oaks (Fagaceae) that provide food and shelter to one or more developing gall wasps. Galls induced by different gall wasp species are diverse in size, shape, color, and location …

The Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Ant Community Composition In A Temperate Deciduous Forest, Emma Jones

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Prescribed fire is a tool commonly used in land management to decrease wildfire frequency and promote plant diversity. However, the effects of prescribed fire on invertebrate communities, especially those within temperate deciduous forest, are poorly understood. We measured the response of epigeic ant communities in mixed mesophytic forest in Berea, Kentucky following prescribed burning. We used pitfall traps to repeatedly sample epigeic ants in replicate burned and unburned plots for up to 21 months postburn following two separate (2021 and 2022) prescribed fires. Ant species richness was similar between treatments (burn vs. control) and by burn year. Ant community composition …

Pestfacts Wa Issue 01 - April 2023, Cindy L. Webster, Svetlana Micic, Janette Pratt, Jean Galloway, Adam H. Sparks

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA newsletter contents:

• Now is the time bait snails
• Black Portugue Millipedes
• Green bridge surveillance findings
• 2023 autumn winter insecticide spray guide is now available
• Pre-season climate and insect webinars are available online
• Canola blackleg risk forecasts
• Managing Ascochyta blight chickpea at seeding

Pestfacts Wa Issue 02 - April 2023, Cindy L. Webster, Svetlana Micic

PestFacts WA

PestFacts WA Issue 2 - April 2023 contents:

• Mites and lucerne flea have started hatching
• European and native earwigs
• Slugs and snails have started to lay eggs

The Status Of Invasive Dusky Slug (Arion) Species In The Upper Great Lakes: A Molecular Approach, Olivia W. Hall

All NMU Master's Theses

I update the distribution of two cryptic slug species, Arion fuscus and Arion subfuscus, in the Upper Great Lakes of the United States using molecular identification methods. Arion fuscus has not previously been reported in the literature in this region, and Arion subfuscus has previously been reported as abundant. However, all previous distribution studies were determined using visual identification tools, which can result in misidentification between cryptic species. To molecularly re-examine these distribution maps, I used a mitochondrial ribosomal subunit 16S PCR amplification and subsequent SSpI and MfeI restriction enzyme digest to identify slug specimens. I collected slugs in …

Biomorphic Study Of Rhipicephalus Sanguineus (Acari: Ixodidae) Under Laboratory Conditions, Habib Ullah, Atta Ur Rehman, Naimat Ullah, Muhammad Tariq, Umer Farooq, Sonia Bibi, Anila Khan, Muhammad Jamil, Faiqah Ramzan, Muhammad Ayub

Journal of Bioresource Management

Rhipicephalus sanguineus can complete up to four generations per year, depending on factors such as climate and host availability. Biomorphic studies of R. sanguineus were conducted under laboratory conditions. The larval, nymphal and adult ticks were fed on sheep at 25⁰C, 60 % relative humidity (RH) and exposed to daylight. The incubation period was lasted 35 days. The average mean of premoulting and moulting period of larvae was 70 ± 0.91 and 7.4 ± 0.6 days, respectively. The time durations of premoulting and moulting of nymphs were 62 ± 1.66 and 13 ± 6.4 days, respectively. The …

Rearing Of Trilocha Varians (Lepidoptera: Bombycidae) On Ficus Benjamina And Its Parasitization With Trichogramma Chilonis, Hafiz Muhammad Sajid Ali, Amna Batool, Zeeshan Javed, Abdul Ghaffar, Usama Saleem, Mubshar Saleem, Muhammad Kashif, Sajid Abbas Khan, Muhammad Ramzan

Journal of Bioresource Management

Ficus benjamina commonly known as weeping fig is an ornamental that planted alongside the road to increase the aesthetic value. Leaf eating caterpillar, Trilocha varians was observed on Ficus benjamina and many other ornamental plants in the surrounding area of Muhammad Nawaz Shareef University. Large larval population was recorded on fig plants with 100 % defoliation. The rearing of Trilocha varians on F. benjamina was carried out under controlled conditions and parasitism of Trichogramma chilonis on eggs were checked. Incubation period was 5-6 days while single female laid 150-210 eggs in her whole life period. With five larval instars, duration …

Comparative Bioactivity Of Peganum Harmala (Zygophyllaceae) Leaves, Flowers And Seeds Aqueous Extracts On Drosophila Melanogaster (Diptera: Drosophilidae): Mortality And Growth Inhibition Impact, Djamila Elbah, Mohamed Athamnia, Mohamed Laid Ouakid

Journal of Bioresource Management

Many plant essential oil, extracts and phytochemicals are known to possess toxic activity against Drosophila melanogaster. In the current work, the effect of aqueous leaves, flowers and seeds extracts of Peganum harmala on the fruit fly mortality and larval development were determined. The seeds extract was the most effective; 100 % of mortality was recorded for the highest concentrations (200 and 300 μg/ml) with lethal time values (LT₅₀ and LT₅₀) reached 3.72 to 4.47 and 6.61 to 8.51 days, respectively. In the other hand, the 15-day lethal concentrations, LC₅₀ and LC₉₀, were determined …

Tick Infestation, Distribution, Identification, And Risk Factors On Large Ruminants In Southern Regions Of Pakistan, Muhammad Jamil, Muhammad Imran, Mukhtar Ahmad, Fawad Ahmad, Mubarik Ali, Abdul Basit, Atta Ur Rehman, Gul Muhammad, Norina Jabeen

Journal of Bioresource Management

The livestock sector plays fundamental role in Pakistan's economy, and a variety of ruminants (cattle and buffaloes) are raised to meet the rising demand for milk, meat, and hide goods. Ticks are the most common vectors for the transmission of tick-borne disease and several pathogens to animals and people. Ticks are widespread in Pakistan due to the country's favorable subtropical climate, and they parasitize large and small ruminants, causing infestation and mortality, as well as economic losses to herdsmen. Therefore, the study aimed to investigate the tick’s epidemiology in large animals in the selected Southern regions of Pakistan, during the …

Anti-Tick Properties/Repellency Of Neem, Azadirachta Indica On Rhipicephalus Sanguineus (Acarina) Under Laboratory Conditions, Mubarik Ali, Atta Ur Rehman, Naimat Ullah, Muhammad Tariq, Sonia Bibi, Saeed Ullah, Anila Khan, Faiqah Ramzan, Muhammad Ayub, Attia Imam, Muhammad Jamil

Journal of Bioresource Management

Animal production is highly affected due to ticks and diseases caused by ticks. Tick control is critical for the economic well-being of the animal industry. This study focused on anti-tick properties of the Neem, Azadirachta indica extracts against Rhipicephalus sanguineus in vitro conditions. R. sanguineus exhibited a high (P < 0.05) dose revolting reaction to A. indica. There were no significant differences in reaction magnanimity between both sexes. The essence also prominently (p < 0.05) retarded the shedding of 60 % of R. sanguineus engorged nymphs. It resulted in that mortality percentage increasing with an increase in the dose of A. indica. At 20 % of A. indica, 87.76 % of tick …

Collection Of Ground Beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) In Two Types Of Arboreal Terrain In The Natural Park Of Belezma Batna (North-Eastern Algeria), Yougherta Abderrezak Habbari, Naama Frah, Meriem Bouterfa, Larbi Houichi

Journal of Bioresource Management

The inventory of the carabid family at two forest sites in the Belezma national park namely an oak grove site and a cedar site during a period ranging from May 2017 to April 2018, has shown the counting of 27 taxa that have been inventoried by Barber pitfall traps. The results showed that the Quercus ilex site has slightly more species (25 species) compared to the Cedrus atlantica one (23 species). However, the Harpalinae subfamily is quantitatively the better one represented at both sites. The Shannon and Simpson indices report slightly higher figures in the Cedrus atlantica site with respectively …

A Push–Pull Strategy To Suppress Stable Fly (Diptera: Muscidae) Attacks On Pasture Cattle Via A Coconut Oil Fatty Acid Repellent Formulation And Traps With M-Cresol Lures, Alexander T. Lehmann, Gary J. Brewer, David J. Boxler, Junwei J. Zhu, Kathy Hanford, David Taylor, James A. Kenar, Steven C. Cermak, Jerome A. Hogsette

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Stable flies [Stomoxys calcitrans (L.)] are economically important pests of cattle and other livestock. As an alternative to conventional insecticides, we tested a push–pull management strategy using a coconut oil fatty acid repellent formulation and an attractant-added stable fly trap.

RESULTS: In our field trials we found that weekly applications of a push–pull strategy can reduce stable fly populations on cattle as well as a standard insecticide (permethrin). We also found that the efficacy periods of the push–pull and permethrin treatments following on-animal application were equivalent. Traps with an attractant lure used as the pull component of the …

An Annotated Checklist Of The Dung Beetles (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae And Scarabaeidae, Subfamilies Aphodiinae And Scarabaeinae) Of Oaxaca, Mexico, Burt Kohlmann, Alfonsina Arriaga-Jiménez, Eder F. Mora-Aguilar

Insecta Mundi

Abstract. A checklist of the dung beetles (Coleoptera: Geotrupidae; Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae and Scara­baeinae) of Oaxaca, Mexico, is presented for the first time. The checklist contains 252 taxa, 15 Geotrupidae, 77 Aphodiinae, and 160 Scarabaeinae. The state includes 58 genera and 15 tribes, where Onthophagus is the most species-rich genus with 49 taxa, followed by Ataenius with 22, Canthon with 17 and Phanaeus with 15 taxa. Valid names, as well as synonyms, are provided. First records, notes on presently recognized spe­cies, nomenclatural problems, and biodiversity comparisons are included. Phanaeus dionysius Kohlmann, Arriaga-Jiménez and Rös, 2018 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is re-established as …

Taxonomic Placement And Nomenclatural Revisions For Five Species Of Neotropical Buprestidae (Coleoptera), Norman E. Woodley

Insecta Mundi

Autarcontes lopezi Fisher, 1925 (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), is transferred to the genus Agrilus Curtis, 1825 (new combination). Colobogaster bella Kirsch, 1873, is transferred to the genus Chrysobothris Eschscholtz, 1829 (new combination). Ectinogonia isamarae Moore, 1994, is resurrected as the valid name for the species previously called E. obscuripennis Cobos, 1954, as the latter is unavailable as infrasubspecific. Conognatha jakobsoni Obenberger, 1928, is resurrected over C. germaini Théry in Hoscheck, 1934, as the for­mer name has priority. Callimicra lucida Waterhouse, 1889, is resurrected as the valid name over C. hoscheki Obenberger, 1922, which has been used due to …

Nesting Behavior Of The Spider Wasp Calopompilus Pyrrhomelas (Walker) (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Marshal Hedin, Rick C. West

Insecta Mundi

The nesting behavior of the spider wasp Calopompilus pyrrhomelas (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae: Pepsini) is described for the first time based on independent observations and photographic series from Oak­land, Alameda County, CA; Denio, Humboldt County, NV; and Tamalpais-Homestead Valley, Marin County, CA, respectively. The three wasps captured, immobilized, and provisioned the spider’s own burrows with Cal­isoga longitarsis (Simon) (Nemesiidae) and Antrodiaetus montanus (Chamberlin and Ivie) (Antrodiaetidae).

The genus Calopompilus Ashmead is one of the “most primitive” genera in the family Pompilidae as evidenced by its broad hind wings and anal lobe, lack of specialization in wing venation, stout “scolioid” body structure, and …