Search results for " Entomologia"
showing 10 items of 590 documents
Plant and stink bug interactions at different trophic levels
2017
The interactions between plants and herbivores are among the most important ecological interactions in nature (Johnson 2011). Plants are sessile organisms and cannot run away from potential attackers, which are range from pathogenic microbes to grazing mammals. Among these attackers, arthropods, and in particular insects, comprise the largest and most diverse group of organisms with approximately 1-3 million species feeding on plants (Schoonhoven et al. 2005, Dicke 2009). Host-finding and acceptance or rejection of plants by herbivorous insects depend on their behavioral responses to physical and chemical plant features (Finch and Collier 2000). In this context, the insect-plant interaction…
FIRST RECORD IN ITALY OF PSYLLAEPHAGUS BLITEUS RIEK (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae) PARASITOID OF GLYCASPIS BRIMBLECOMBEI MOORE (Hemiptera Psyllidae)
2011
Psyllaephagus bliteus Riek (Hymenoptera Encyrtidae), parasitoid of the red gum lerp psyllid Glycaspis brimblecombei Moore (Hemiptera Psyllidae), has been recorded for the first time in Italy in September 2011. The arrival of P. bliteus in Sicily is due to an accidental introduction, probably together with its host, as already happened in New Zealand, Brazil, Spain and Morocco.
Risk assessment of non-target effects of Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault) parasitoid of the eucalypt gall maker Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymen…
2015
The pre-release risk assessment, a recommended practice in biological control programmes, was carried out before introducing Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault), a eulophid parasitoid of the eucalypt gall maker Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae), in Sicily, Italy. We evaluated its host specificity in laboratory small arena no-choice tests on six non-target hosts, using O. maskelli as a control species. The non-target species fit with at least one of the following criteria: a) common geographical origin; b) ecological or behavioural affinities with the target host; c) concealed habit of the preimaginal stages; d) taxonomic affinity; e) taxonomic affinity with hosts of cong…
Dispersal rate and parasitism by Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault) after its release in Sicily to control Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera,…
2011
Abstract Spread of the exotic parasitoid Closterocerus chamaeleon (Girault) and its parasitism on the Eucalyptus gall wasp Ophelimus maskelli (Ashmead) (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) were studied in Sicily after C. chamaeleon introduction in May 2006. Parasitoid spread was evaluated by sampling sites at increasing distances from the five release sites. C. chamaeleon quickly established and spread; within 5 months, it caused 62% parasitism at release sites and 38% parasitism at sites 2 km from release sites. One year after its introduction (spring 2007), C. chamaeleon was detected more than 50 km distant from release sites. By winter 2007–08, the parasitoid was recovered throughout Sicily and in …
Parasitoids of Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann (Heteroptera: Coreidae) recovered in western North America and first record of its egg parasitoid …
2012
The parasitoid complex of the western conifer seed bug, Leptoglossus occidentalis, was studied in British Columbia and California on Pinus monticola and P. contorta var. latifolia. Three egg-parasitoid species were identified: Gryon pennsylvanicum (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae), Ooencyrtus johnsoni (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) and Anastatus pearsalli (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae). Leptoglossus occidentalis represents a new host record for O. johnsoni, and California is a new distribution record for G. pennsylvanicum. Gryon pennsylvanicum was the dominant species during the entire oviposition period of the bug, reaching peak parasitization levels in July (25%). Ooencyrtus johnsoni and A. pearsalli e…
Diversity of leaf katydids (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Phaneropterinae) of Dzanga-Ndoki National Park, Central African Republic, with selected record…
2013
Forty-four species of Phaneropterinae are recorded from Dzanga-Ndoki National Park in the Central African Republic. Eight species collected within the park are described as new to science: Phlaurocentrum morettoi n. sp., P. paratuberosum n. sp., P. elegans n. sp., Myllocentrum raggei n. sp., Poreuomena sanghensis n. sp., Cestromoecha longicerca n. sp., C. magnicerca n. sp., and Goetia purpurea n. sp. An additional new species from Guinea is described from specimens preserved in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales of Madrid, Poreuomena huxleyi n. sp. Eurycorypha stylata Stål, 1873 is recorded for the first time from Burkina Faso and Brycoptera lobata Ragge, 1981 from Ivory Coast. The fo…
Thermal stress affects patch time allocation by preventing forgetting in a parasitoid wasp
2015
Learning and memory allow animals to adjust their foraging strategies through experience. Despite the known impact of temperature on many aspects of the behavioral ecology of animals, memory retention in the face of realistic thermal stress has seldom been assessed. In the laboratory, we studied the behavioral expression of an egg parasitoid’s (Trissolcus basalis) memory when exposed to thermal stress that could be encountered in nature. We hypothesized that thermal stress would disrupt memory consolidation and/ or modify the optimality of memory retention, thus affecting patch time allocation strategies. Memory consolidation was resilient to 1 h of thermal stress following an unrewarded ex…
IL CASO STUDIO DI ALCUNE PGM: IMPLICAZIONI PER LE SPECIE DI LEPIDOTTERI NON BERSAGLIO NELLE AREE PROTETTE SICILIANE
2012
La Sicilia è una delle regioni mediterranee con la maggior biodiversità faunistica e floristica la cui conservazione, potrà dipendere anche da un attento piano di valutazione del rischio derivante dall’introduzione di piante geneticamente modificate (PGM) sugli organismi non target. A tal fine sono state scelte due aree rappresentative di differenti habitat siciliani: il SIC “Raffo Rosso, Monte Cuccio e Vallone Sagana (ITA020023) e il SIC “Capo Gallo” (ITA020006). Sono stati individuati 5 habitat: Uliveto, Bosco misto, Ampelodesmeto, Macchia mediterranea e Macchia mediterranea costiera per valutare il potenziale rischio di introduzione di PGM Bt. La maggior parte della bibliografia sugli ef…
New records of gall-inducer and inquiline insects in a few mediterranean countries, with biological notes
2014
An annotated list of some gall-inducing and inquiline insects found on herbaceous plants and trees in Italy and in other few Mediterranean countries is reported. Among the gall-inducer species, Phanacis phoenixopodos (Mayr, 1882) is new for the Italian peninsula, Callirhytis rufescens (Mayr, 1882), Andricus quercusramuli (L., 1761) and Plagiotrochus amenti Kieffer, 1901 (Cynipidae: Hymenoptera) are new for Sicily; the latter was previously cited from Italy without collecting data. Oecocecis guyonella Guenée, 1870 was found in Libya and Amblypalpis olivierella Ragonot, 1886 (Gelechiidae: Lepidoptera) in Jordan, Libya, Northern Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. In addition, Saphonecrus gal…
Nuovi dati sulla distribuzione in Italia di alcuni Ortotteri (Orthoptera, Ensifera, Caelifera)
2018
Orthoptera,Vengono riportati nuovi dati sulla distribuzione in Italia di 10 specie di Ortotteri (5 Tettigoniidae, 2 Gryllidae e 3 acrididae), non segnalate in precedenza per alcune regioni o poco note.