0000000000214866
AUTHOR
Jorge M. González
Castniidae of the Museum of Natural History of the University of Wrocław: new findings from Friedrich Wilhelm Niepelt's collection with comments on Karl Adolf Georg Lauterbach and August Weberbauer
Further results of our research into the Giant Butterfly-Moths (Castniidae) of the Museum of Natural History (University of Wrocław) are presented. Castniids of the Niepelt collection had previously been reviewed. However, while curating other sections of the Lepidoptera collection, we discovered 18 misplaced specimens belonging to nine taxa of Castniidae, several of them bearing typical labels by Niepelt. Among them, two are of particular interest, insofar as they are associated with the world-class botanists August Weberbauer (1871–1948) and Karl Adolf Georg Lauterbach (1864–1937).
Behavioral responses of the parasitoidMelittobia digitatato volatiles emitted by its natural and laboratory hosts
Responses of macropterous females of the ectoparasitoid Melittobia digitata Dahms (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) to direct and indirect cues emitted by its natural hosts as well as laboratory hosts were investigated using a Y-tube olfactometer. To locate the nest of mud dauber wasps, Trypoxylon politum Say (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae), and one of their inquilines, Anthrax spec., parasitoids exploit volatiles from the freshly built nest mud and the empty cocoon constructed by the wasps, as well as their meconium. However, the parasitoids did not respond to odors emitted by older nest mud or by the host stages that are attacked (T. politum prepupae and Anthrax spec. larvae). Melittobia digitata was …
Castniidae (Lepidoptera) In The Collection Of The Museum And Institute Of Zoology Polish Academy Of Sciences In Warsaw
The material representing 14 species and subspecies belonging to the Castniidae (Lepidoptera) deposited in the Museum and Institute of Zoology Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw was studied. A brief comment on the history of the Museum is provided. General comments on natural history, distribution, and other details are presented for each mentioned species and subspecies.
First report of Melittobia australica Girault in Europe and new record of M. acasta (Walker) for Italy
Melittobia acasta and M. australica are newly recorded from Sicily, Italy, and the second species is reported in Europe for the first time. A short historical background about Melittobia parasitoid wasps, their hosts, and distribution, with emphasis in those two species is presented together with illustrations to facilitate their identification. Brief discussion about the presence and possible distribution of the species in Sicily is also included.
Semiochemical exploitation of host-associated cues by seven Melittobia parasitoid species : Behavioral and phylogenetic implications
Chemical compounds (infochemicals or semiochemicals) play an important role both in intra-specific and inter-specific communication. For example, chemical cues appear to play a key role in the host selection process adopted by insect parasitoids. In recent years significant advances have been made in order to understand the chemical ecology of insect parasitoids. However, little information is available about the evolution of semiochemical use in the host location process of insect parasitoids. Here we investigated the strategy adopted by seven closely related parasitoid species in the genus Melittobia when foraging for four different suitable hosts. By using an integrated approach that com…
Evaluating the quality of the Mexican fruit-fly, Anastrepha ludens, as host for the parasitoid Melittobia digitata
We investigated the presence of Melittobia digitata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and its associations with its natural hosts in Veracruz, Mexico. The parasitoid was confirmed to be present and found to attack prepupae of Trypoxylon and Sceliphron (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae and Sphecidae, respectively) mud daubers as well as pupae of the Mexican fruit fly Anastrepha ludens (Diptera: Tephritidae). Since A. ludens is a very important pest of citrus and mango in Mexico and Central America, we evaluated, in laboratory experiments, the quality of A. ludens as host of M. digitata comparing the development of the parasitoid in another unrelated fly species (Sarcophaga [Neobellieria] bullata) (Diptera: …
Behavioral and Chemical Investigations of Contact Kairomones Released by the Mud Dauber Wasp Trypoxylon politum, a Host of the Parasitoid Melittobia digitata
Contact kairomones from the host mud dauber wasp Trypoxylon politum Say (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) that mediate behavioral responses of its ectoparasitoid Melittobia digitata Dahms (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) were investigated. Chemical residues from host by-products, the cocoon, and the meconium, induced arrestment behavior of macropterous female parasitoids, while those from the host stage attacked, i.e., the prepupa, did not. Melittobia digitata response to polar and apolar extracts of host by-products indicated kairomone(s) solubility mainly in hexane. GC and GC/MS analysis of cocoon and meconium apolar extracts revealed a mixture of linear carboxylic acids from C(6) to C(18), and both ex…
A catalogue of the Castniidae (Lepidoptera) in the California Academy of Sciences, with general and historical comments
A catalogue of the Castniidae (Lepidoptera) in the California Academy of Sciences, with general and historical comments. The material representing 168 specimens with 46 species and subspecies belonging to the Castniidae (Lepidoptera) deposited in the California Academy of Sciences was studied. A brief comment on the history of Academy is provided, as well as general comments on natural history, distribution and other details for each mentioned species and subspecies.
Notes on Two Specimens of the Rare Swallowtail Eurytides iphitas Hübner, [1821] (Papilionidae) from the Friedrich Wilhelm Niepelt Collection in the Museum of Natural History, University of Wrocław, Poland
Eurytides iphitas Hubner, [1821] is a rare swallowtail species endemic to southeast Brazil. Some authors believe that the species is extinct as the last live specimens were seen in 1937. During examination of the Friedrich Wilhelm Niepelt collection in the Museum of Natural History, University of Wroclaw, two specimens of this species were found. One of them has an enigmatic label “Peru Weberbauer S. G.”, which we can certainly attribute to the naturalist Otto Weberbauer, or his son August Weberbauer, the most famous pioneer of Peruvian botany.