Search results for "Weevil"
showing 6 items of 66 documents
Responses of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus adults to selected synthetic palm esters: electroantennographic studies and trap catches in an urban environme…
2011
The Red Palm Weevil (RPW), Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier, accidentally introduced in the European countries facing the Mediterranean basin, is becoming the most serious pest for ornamental palms in the urban environment. In our work we tested electroantennogram (EAG) and behavioural responses of RPW adults to five selected synthetic palm esters: ethyl propionate, ethyl butyrate, ethyl isobutyrate, ethyl lactate and ethyl acetate. EAG bioassays showed higher sensitivity of female antennae compared to male antennae for test compounds. Differences were also recorded in the EAG responses using different esters and doses. Ethyl propionate was the synthetic ester that elicited the strongest r…
Plant-herbivorous beetle networks : molecular characterization of trophic ecology within a threatened steppic environment
2015
DNA barcoding facilitates many evolutionary and ecological studies, including the examination of the dietary diversity of herbivores. In this study, we present a survey of ecological associations between herbivorous beetles and host plants from seriously threatened European steppic grasslands. We determined host plants for the majority (65%) of steppic leaf beetles (55 species) and weevils (59) known from central Europe using two barcodes (trnL and rbcL) and two sequencing strategies (Sanger for mono/oligophagous species and Illumina for polyphagous taxa). To better understand the ecological associations between steppic beetles and their host plants, we tested the hypothesis that leaf beetl…
Preliminary identification and quantification of steroid hormones in the red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus
2012
In the present preliminary study, we used a gas chromatography–mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) method to identify and quantify steroid hormones, their precursors and metabolites in whole body of red palm weevil (RPW) R. ferrugineus adults. We identified a total of seven steroids by single ion monitoring mode (SIM) analysis and compared them to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) library. The steroids include: dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), estrone, estradiol-17β, testosterone, progesterone, cortisol and cholesterol, whereas pregnenolone, pregnan-20-one-17-hydroxy and corticosterone were not detected. This study shows that some invertebrate groups seem to use partially or tot…
Pactola kuscheli sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), a potential cause for the decline of the threatened New Caledonian conifer, Agathis montana de…
2017
Agathis montana is a conifer endemic to New Caledonia and one of the most threatened (Critically Endangered) plant species of this area. The exact causes of its decline are still unknown. The authors describe the characteristics of A. montana, the history and methodology of populatio nmonitoring, and possible factors causing the decline and habitat degradation. In 2014, some twigs showing symptoms suggesting attack by wood-boring insects were collected. From these, imagines of an unknown weevil species belonging to the genus Pactola Pascoe (Eugnomini)were reared. The new species is described as Pactola kuscheli Mazur sp. nov. Colour photographs of the dorsal habitus, line drawings of taxono…
Notes on the genus Rasilinus Mazur, 2016 (Curculionidae: Curculioninae, Eugnomini), with the description of a new species from New Caledonia
2017
New data on the genus Rasilinus (Curculioninae, Eugnomini) are provided, including the description of a new species—Rasilinus bifasciatus sp. n., from New Caledonia. Illustrations and SEM photographs of male external morphology, terminalia, and a colour habitus of the adult of the new species are provided.
E se il punteruolo affamasse Steinernema carpocapsae?
2023
Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Olivier 1790) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), phytophagus of palms, has been used as a model to deepen the knowledge of the host-entomopathogen relationship. The effects of Steinernema carpocapsae (Nematoda: Steinernematidae) on the growth and immunoactivity of R. ferrugineus larvae were compared with another model insect Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae). Although S. carpocapsae had a negative effect on the weight and mortality of R. ferrugineus, it was not able to replicate in the hemolymph with the same rates found for the moth. In vivo and in vitro effects of S. carpocapsae on the phagocytic responsesof the hemocytes of R. ferrugineus and G. mellone…