Spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura), is a major agricultural pest throughout most of the fruit growing regions of the United States, with high reproductive rates and short generation times resulting in exponential population growth in berry crops across the country. Fruit suitability research has been conducted for some small fruit species such as raspberries, strawberries, cherries, and blackberries; however, there is a paucity of data regarding the role of previous injury on host susceptibility and suitability for D. suzukii. This study examined the role of previous fruit injury on adult D. suzukii survival, adult production, and host susceptibility, with injury referring to physiological splitting, disease, and vertebrate feeding. Results indicate that intact raspberries, blueberries, and table grapes are susceptible to oviposition by D. suzukii and the presence of injury increases survival of both male and female flies. When fruit was injured, berry infestation levels increases, but this did not always translate into increased adult populations. We found that the proportions of D. suzukii–infested fruit were significantly higher for injured versus intact fruit. When comparing adult emergence for intact and injured fruit, only table grape and cherry tomato had significantly higher adult counts for injured berries. Overall, adult emergence per injured fruit for raspberries of 19.77 was significantly higher than all other fruit types tested, with 2.87, 3.57, and 3.43 adults for cherry tomatoes, grapes, and blueberries, respectively. Results suggest reducing previous injury in ripe fruit may facilitate more effective management of D. suzukii populations.Abstract
Bagrada
hilaris (Burmeister) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is a serious pest of cruciferous crops, including leafy crucifers grown in enclosed greenhouses in the Central Coast of California. These enclosed greenhouses face season-long risk of feeding injury to plantings of cruciferous crops. Understanding the survival ability of B. hilaris would help develop crop-free periods as a cultural tactic for B. hilaris control. A series of trials was conducted with 2nd–3rd and 4th–5th instar nymphs and male and female adults to determine how well they survive when they had full, partial, or no access to food and water sources. The treatments for the experiment were: (a) soil plus food (a piece of broccoli crown); (b) soil plus water; (c) soil-only; and (d) empty (no soil, water, and food). Bagrada hilaris were individually released into 20-ml ventilated scintillation vials that were deployed outside by burying them in the ground with only the ventilated top exposed for multiple days. Results show that B. hilaris survived between 3 and 6 d after deployment without access to food and water. In all experiments, survival of B. hilaris in the food or water treatments was significantly greater than in the soil-only and empty treatments on final day of the trial. Bagrada hilaris in the soil-only treatment had significantly lower number of live B. hilaris than in the empty treatment on the days before the final day of the experiment. The survival of B. hilaris that had access to food was not significantly different from those that had access to water.Abstract
Previous studies show that pupating in soil is essential for Heortia vitessoides Moore (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) to complete its life cycle. However, little is known of the process. In the present study, we observed soil-burrowing and pupal-chamber construction by prepupae of H. vitessoides in 0.5-cm-wide acrylic plate interlayers. In bioassays, we also investigated pupation behaviors and pupal physiology and morphology in response to soil moistures of 5%, 25%, 45%, and 65% water saturation. Prepupae burrowed significantly deeper in soils with higher levels of soil moisture and constructed larger pupal chambers at 65% water saturation. H. vitessoides pupae also had significantly greater percentage biomass loss and lower body water content when the soil moistures were lower. Interestingly, pupae in 5% saturated soil were smaller and showed a significantly higher surface-to-volume ratio than at other soil moisture levels, which might pose challenges in water conservation.Abstract
Clostera
anastomosis (L.) (Lepidoptera: Notodontidae) is an important leaf-feeding insect of poplars, Populus spp. (Salicaceae) in China. As part of a continuing search for environmentally friendly insecticides for this pest, we compared the in vitro inhibition of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity by 21 insecticides and allelochemicals in C. anastomosis and poplar trees (populous × euramericana ‘NanLin895′). The results showed that three inhibitors (quercetin, phenyl thiourea, and phoxim) can strongly inhibit PPO activity in both C. anastomosis and poplars, but the inhibitory degree with each was significantly different. Our results further showed that three inhibitors had a certain dose relationship with the PPO activity in C. anastomosis and poplars. The I50 values (50% inhibitory concentration) of three chemicals (quercetin, phenyl thiourea, and phoxim) were estimated as 14.17, 0.18, and 127.67 μM for C. anastomosis and as 0.34, 0.15, and 0.21 mM for poplars, respectively. These results will lay foundation for the design of effective, selective PPO inhibitors and the development of novel insecticides.Abstract
Butterfly species can be sensitive to ecosystem disturbance and, therefore, suitable to be used as indicators of habitat quality. We determined species richness and diversity of butterfly species along five tourist trails in the northeast region of Portugal. These trails were in different landscape structures, varying from urban areas to areas extensively managed for agriculture (i.e., vineyards, meadows) to natural areas (i.e., grasslands, rivers, forests). A total of 522 butterflies representing 45 species belonging to 34 genera and 5 families of Lepidoptera were recorded. Of the taxonomic families represented in the survey, the Nymphalidae were most numerous (362 specimens, 22 species) followed by Pieridae (86 specimens, 11 species) and Lycaenidae (58 specimens, 8 species). Four species have a conservation status, an indicator of the risk of extinction they face at present or in the near future [Euphydryas aurinia (Rottemburg, 1775), Phengaris alcon (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775), Hipparchia semele (L., 1758) and Melanargia lachesis (Hübner, 1790)], and these represent 6.9% of the total species identified. Among the five trails, diversity parameters varied with high values of species richness and diversity, low dominance of species, and moderate evenness of distribution. Additionally, butterfly species comparison among the trails revealed that Alvão and Vale do Corgo trails have most of the species in common, especially from Pieridae and Nymphalidae, while the Marão trail has more species associated exclusively to this trail. These results were also supported by hierarchical clustering performed with an average linkage aggregation method using Jaccard distance and by comparison between proportions of butterflies among trails within each family.Abstract
A great number of cell lines from hemipteran, lepidopteran, and dipteran insects have been developed and characterized. Using the advent of new techniques and instruments in molecular biology as well as the advancement in biotechnology, the indigenous cell lines might prove useful in the development of alternatives to conventional chemical pesticides for agriculture and in the creation of vaccines and life-saving pharmaceuticals for human and animal diseases. Cell cultures of insects are used for the generation of vaccines, viral pesticides, and recombinant proteins, and in basic research in virology, endocrinology, molecular biology, genetics, and biochemistry. This paper summarizes information collected regarding the different insect cell lines developed and characterized thus far and also describes different applications in entomological research.Abstract
Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman, are nursery regulatory pests. Currently, immersion of balled-and-burlapped (B&B) and containerized plants grown in pine bark substrates in a chlorpyrifos or bifenthrin solution satisfies the Domestic Japanese Beetle Harmonization Plan (DJHP) for shipping plants to noninfested states. Study objectives were to (a) evaluate individual and combination insecticide treatments for potential as regulatory dips against third-instar P. japonica in 30-cm B&B and no. 3 containers and (b) determine the lowest effective rates. Tests were performed fall and spring from 2007 to 2010. In all B&B tests and most container tests, insecticide treatments had significantly fewer larvae than the untreated check. Treatments also were more effective during spring tests than fall tests. The highest rate of a bifenthrin + imidacloprid combination was the only treatment that consistently met the DJHP regulatory standard of no larvae recovered across multiple tests. During spring tests with B&B and container plants, all rates tested of bifenthrin, bifenthrin + carbaryl, chlorantraniliprole, clothianidin, or dinotefuran met the no-larval-recovery DJHP standard. The lowest effective bifenthrin rate during spring tests was 9× lower than the current DJHP bifenthrin dip rate. Several treatments in this study met DJHP regulatory standards for dipping B&B and containerized plants and during spring timings bifenthrin alone or in combination with carbaryl or imidacloprid was effective at rates lower than currently allowed in the DJHP.Abstract
Many publications report the invertebrate fauna of nests of birds, which provide a seasonally rich source of organic material in a sheltered habitat, thus providing ecological opportunities for a diversity of species. Most studies are on the nests of terrestrial birds (Karasawa and Hijii 2006, Biodivers. Conserv. 15: 4533–4553; Oppliger et al. 1994, Behav. Ecol. 5: 130–134; Saino et al. 2002, Oecologia 133: 139–145), but little information has been published on macroinvertebrates in the nests of aquatic birds (Coulson et al. 2009, Polar Biol. 32: 1041–1046; Tajovsky et al. 2001, Eur. J. Soil Biol. 37: 321–323), which are largely limited
Orocharis saltator Uhler has expanded its distributional range northward during the last 5 decades. In an early account, Blatchley (1920, Pp. 742–743, Orthoptera of Northeastern America with Especial Reference to the Faunas of Indiana and Florida, The Nature Publishing Co., Indianapolis, IN) reported New Jersey as the northern range limit along the eastern seaboard. Walker (1969, Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 62: 752–762) published the first detailed range map, showing that O. saltator reached its northern limit in central New Jersey and central Ohio. Subsequently, Capinera et al. (2004, P. 204, Field Guide to Grasshoppers, Katydids, and
Swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii Kieffer, is an invasive insect pest and is a significant threat to cruciferous vegetables and field crops. Native to Europe and southwestern Asia, C. nasturtii was first detected in Ontario in 2000 and quickly spread through Ontario to Quebec (Chen et al. 2011, J. Econ. Entomol. 104:709-716). In the United States, C. nasturtii was first confirmed in Niagara County, NY, in 2004, although it is likely that it became established several years before being confirmed (Kikkert et al. 2006, J. Econ. Entomol. 99: 1310–1315). It quickly spread across New York
Web-decorating behavior is typical of many orb-weaving spiders worldwide. The decoration consists of a visible structure added to the web, made of materials such as prey remains, plant material, egg sacs, or silk (Herberstein et al. 2000, Biol. Rev. 75: 649–669). However, it is not clear why spiders increase the conspicuousness of their webs. The fact that decorations are typical only to diurnal species suggests a visual function (Scharff and Coddington 1997, Zool. J. Linn. Soc. 120: 355–424). Thus, three hypotheses have been proposed and investigated: (a) increasing prey attraction, (b) protecting against predators, and (c) advertising the presence of
The ham mite, Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank), is a serious pest for a variety of pet foods, stored products, and processed foods (Aygun et al. 2007, J. Food Eng. 78: 878–881; Thind and Clarke 2001, Exp. Appl. Acarol. 25: 203–215; USDA ARS [1991] Insect and Mite Pests in Food, USDA Agri. Handbk. No. 655, Washington, DC). These mites are particularly damaging to cheeses, hams, and sausages, and may lead to closure of production facilities for fumigation with methyl bromide to eliminate the mites (Rentfrow et al. 2008, Univ. Kentucky Ext. Serv. Tech. Rep. No. 867). Currently, there is intense
Thigmotaxis is contact-oriented behavior of organisms (Resh and Cardé 2008 [eds.], Glossary. in Encyclopedia of Insects, Elsevier, 1073–1091.) that is associated with the movement toward or away from a mechanical stimulus (Hutchins et al. 2003 [eds.], Behavior. in Grzimek`s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Gale, Vol 1: 37–43. such as occurs in narrow spaces or borders. The terminology of thigmotaxis has been widely discussed (Lewis 1997, Thrips as crop pests. CAB International, Wallingford, 740 pp.; Hutchins et al. 2003), and includes other related phenomena, such as thigmokinesis as increased locomotion in response to changes in contact with immediate