Search results for "Insect Science"

Biology and Behaviour of Cirrospilus diallus and Cirrospilus pictus, Parasitoids of Phyllocnistis citrella

2005

International audience; Studies were carried out on some biological and behavioral aspects of Cirrospilus diallus Walker and Cirrospilus pictus (Nees) (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in relation to their host, the citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). Adults of both species fed with sugar lived on average 4.45 +/- 0.19 days, whereas adults provided with honey survived on average 40.62 +/- 1.97 days. Rates of host mortality due to parasitoid stings without oviposition were as high as 31.25 and 37.73% for C. pictus and C. diallus, respectively. Both species showed arrhenotokous parthenogenesis. Sex ratios of parasitoids emerging from the 2nd and 3rd …

Charipinae (Hymenoptera: Cynipoidea: Figitidae) present in the Museum of Natural History of the University of Wroclaw, with an identification key for…

2020

Charipinae (Cynipoidea: Figitidae) deposited in the Museum of Natural History of Wroclaw University (Poland) have been studied. Seven species are recorded for the first time from Poland: Alloxysta brachyptera (Hartig, 1840), A. castanea (Hartig, 1841), A. citripes (Thomson, 1862), A. consobrina (Zetterstedt, 1838), A. mullensis (Cameron, 1883), A. nottoni Ferrer-Suay & Pujade-Villar, 2015 and Phaenoglyphis heterocera (Hartig, 1841). The presence of previously recorded species is confirmed and new records are specified. A key to all Charipinae species ever recorded in Poland is given.

New Charipinae ( Hymenoptera : Cynipoidea : Figitidae ) records from China

2016

Abstract Charipinae material collected from different provinces of China has been studied. Twenty-one previously described species have been identified: Alloxysta arcuata, A. brevis , A. carinata , A. castanea , A. consobrina , A. fracticornis , A. leunisii , A. macrophadna , A. mullensis , A. obscurata , A. paretasmartinezi , A. pilipennis , A. pilosa , A. postica , A. sawoniewiczi , A. victrix , A. xanthopa , Dilyta subclavata , Phaenoglyphis chinensis , P. heterocera and P. villosa . All species, except for P. chinensis and P. villosa , are here recorded for the first time from China. Diagnosis, material studied and distribution are given for each species. Plates with the diagnostic morp…

Establishing laboratory cultures and performing ecological and evolutionary experiments with the emerging model speciesChironomus riparius

2019

Chironomus riparius is a well‐established model organism in various fields such as ecotoxicology and ecology, and therefore, environmental preferences, ecological interactions and metabolic traits are well‐studied. With the recent publication of a high‐quality draft genome, as well as different population genetic parameters such as mutation and recombination rate, the species can be used as an alternative to the Drosophila models in experimental population genomics or molecular ecology. To facilitate access to this promising experimental model species for a wider range of researchers, we describe experimental methods to first create and sustain long‐term cultures of C. riparius and then use…

The tropical African genus Morgenia (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae, Phaneropterinae) with emphasis on the spur at the mid tibia

2018

The authors revised the genus Morgenia Karsch, 1890 which now consists of eight species, of which three are here newly described (Morgeniaplurimaculata Massa & Moulin, sp. n., M.angustipinnata Massa, sp. n., and M.lehmannorum Heller & Massa, sp. n.). Six of the eight species occur in the Tri National Sangha (TNS) comprising Dzanga-Sangha Special Reserve and Dzanga Ndoki National Park (Central African Republic), whose high biodiversity has been recently highlighted. In particular the genus is characterised by the presence of a more or less long spur at the inner mid tibia, different in each species; in M.modulata, it moved lower down into a new position at about ¼ of tibia, w…

Succession in ant communities (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in deciduous forest clear-cuts - an Eastern European case study

2017

Clear-cutting, the main method of harvesting in many forests in the world, causes a series of dramatic environmental changes to the forest habitat and removes habitat resources for arboreal and epigeal species. It results in considerable changes in the composition of both plant and animal communities. Ants have many critical roles in the maintenance and functioning of forest ecosystems. Therefore, the response of ants to clear-cutting and the time it takes for an ant community to recover after clear-cutting are important indicators of the effect of this harvesting technique on the forest ecosystem. We investigated ground-dwelling ant communities during secondary succession of deciduous fore…

2020

Necrobia rufipes (De Geer) (Coleoptera: Cleridae), also known as the red-legged ham beetle, is a newly emerging pest of pet food stores, causing apprehension among producers worldwide. Concerns about this pest are exacerbated by the lack of information about infestation modalities in pet food, while specific monitoring tools are missing. Considering that adequate pet food packaging could limit N. rufipes infestations, information about the penetration modalities in commonly used pet food packaging is needed. Moreover, the development of appropriate monitoring instruments is urgent to detect pest presence early and to reduce chemical treatments for its control. In this paper, the adults’ and…

Interspecific competition/facilitation among insect parasitoids.

2015

Competition for limited resources is a widespread ecological interaction in animals. In the case of insect parasitoids, species can compete for host resources both at the adult stage as well as at the larval stage. Interspecific competition can play a role in sizing and shaping community structures. In addition of being relevant for basic ecological studies, understanding how interspecific competition between parasitoids affects pest suppression is important for biological control. In this opinion paper we review recent advances in the field of interspecific competition among parasitoids in a biological control perspective. We first discuss adult competition, highlighting which factors are …

Sex pheromone identified after solid phase microextraction from tergal glands of female alates in Cornitermes bequaerti (Isoptera, Nasutitermitinae)

2002

For the first time, a termite sex pheromone secreted by tergal glands has been isolated and identified. In the mandibulate nasute termite Cornitermes bequaerti, pairing of swarming imagoes is mediated by a sex pheromone secreted by females from their tergal glands. These well developed sexual glands located in front of tergites 8, 9, 10 are essentially composed of class 1 and 2 cells, but also of some glandular units of class 3 cells. The major volatile compound of tergal secretion was isolated by solid phase microextraction (SPME) and identified by GC-MS as (3Z, 6Z, 8E)-dodecatrien-1-ol. Sex attraction bioassays with synthetic (3Z, 6Z, 8E)-dodecatrien-1-ol showed that this alcohol was the …

Nutritional symbionts enhance structural defence against predation and fungal infection in a grain pest beetle

2022

ABSTRACT Many insects benefit from bacterial symbionts that provide essential nutrients and thereby extend the hosts’ adaptive potential and their ability to cope with challenging environments. However, the implications of nutritional symbioses for the hosts’ defence against natural enemies remain largely unstudied. Here, we investigated whether the cuticle-enhancing nutritional symbiosis of the saw-toothed grain beetle Oryzaephilus surinamensis confers protection against predation and fungal infection. We exposed age-defined symbiotic and symbiont-depleted (aposymbiotic) beetles to two antagonists that must actively penetrate the cuticle for a successful attack: wolf spiders (Lycosidae) an…