Search results for "lepidoptera"

FAMILY PIERIDE (LEPIDOPTERA, PIERIDAE) AND EVOLUTION OVER TIME IN FOREST GROVE SIBIU (SIBIU, ROMANIA)

2015

Transylvania, with its geographic location, flora and fauna is a well defined region, whereby, in addition to many common elements with neighboring areas, there are also some characteristic species, which so far continue to maintain the "endemic" status. The previous decades were very important for the development of Lepidopterological research in Sibiu and Transylvania, in the postwar years. The richness of insect fauna and especially the numerous species of Lepidoptera as of its existing knowledge of this group of insects stimulated the curiosity of many researchers since the middle of the 19th century.

Formation of melanin-based wing patterns is influenced by condition and immune challenge in Pieris brassicae

2005

According to life-history theory, trade-offs emerge because organisms possess a limited amount of resources that they have to allocate between different bodily functions. Here, we tested whether there is a trade-off between melanin-based immune response and dark melanized wing patterning in the large white butterfly, Pieris brassicae L. (Lepidoptera: Pieridae), by activating the immune system of pupae and measuring the wing pigmentation of freshly emerged adults. In contrast to expectations, we did not find any negative associations between immune challenge and wing patterning. Furthermore, implanted and punctured male pupae tended to have larger and darker forewing tips as adults compared …

Missing the rarest: is the positive interspecific abundance–distribution relationship a truly general macroecological pattern?

2009

Lepidopterists have long acknowledged that many uncommon butterfly species can be extremely abundant in suitable locations. If this is generally true, it contradicts the general macroecological pattern of the positive interspecific relationship between abundance and distribution, i.e. locally abundant species are often geographically more widespread than locally rare species. Indeed, a negative abundance–distribution relationship has been documented for butterflies in Finland. Here we show, using the Finnish butterflies as an example, that a positive abundance–distribution relationship results if the geographically restricted species are missed, as may be the case in studies based on random…

Mannose phosphate isomerase isoenzymes in Plutella xylostella support common genetic bases of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in Llpidopt…

2001

ABSTRACT A strong correlation between two mannose phosphate isomerase (MPI) isoenzymes and resistance to Cry1A toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis has been found in a Plutella xylostella population. MPI linkage to Cry1A resistance had previously been reported for a Heliothis virescens population. The fact that the two populations share similar biochemical, genetic, and cross-resistance profiles of resistance suggests the occurrence of homologous resistance loci in both species.

Diet of the insectivorous bat 'Pipistrellus nathusii' during autumn migration and summer residence

2013

Migration is widespread among vertebrates, yet bat migration has received little attention and only in the recent decades has a better understanding of it been gained. Migration can cause significant changes in behaviour and physiology, due to increasing energy demands and aerodynamic constraints. Dietary shifts, for example, have been shown to occur in birds before onset of migration. For bats, it is not known if a change in diet occurs during migration, although breeding season–related dietary preference has been documented. It is known that a diet rich in fats and the accumulation of fat deposits do increase the flight range of migratory bats. Some bat species can be regarded as long-dis…

Characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis ser. balearica (Serotype H48) and ser. navarrensis (serotype H50): two novel serovars isolated in Spain.

2000

The novel strains of Bacillus thuringiensis PM9 and NA69, isolated from soil samples in Spain, were classified and characterized in terms of their crystal proteins, plasmid profile, cry genes content, and their toxicological properties against several species of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. Both strains share morphological and biochemical characteristics with previously described B. thuringiensis strains, although their unique H antigens identify them as two new serotypes. Two new serovar names, B. thuringiensis serovar balearica (H serotype 48) and B. thuringiensis serovar navarrensis (H serotype 50) are proposed for the type strains PM9 and NA69, respectively.

STUDI SUI FATTORI CHE INFLUENZANO L' INFESTAZIONE E I DANNI CAUSATI DA "LOBESIA BOTRANA" (DENNIS & SCHIFFERMULLER) (LEPIDOPTERA: TORTRICIDAE)

2011

Preliminary selection of non-target Lepidoptera species for ecological risk assessment of Bt canola in Sicily

2011

It is essential to assess the environmental risk that Bt canola resistant to Lepidopteran pests may hold and to study its effect on species assemblages that fulfil a variety of ecosystem functions. Environmental risk assessment can be improved through the use of an ecological model which can be applied to a specific environment, so that local species can be classified functionally and prioritized to identify potential test species. Several other Lepidoptera species are also directly exposed to Bt toxin. In this paper an ecological approach was followed for selection of non-target Lepidoptera species for ecological risk assessment of Bt canola in Sicily, using data collected over a one-year …

From non-target risk assessment to Bt resistance management: the example of Bt Brassica sp. and Pieridae

2011

Insecticidal toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been widely used in plant protection in two different ways: 1) by spraying bacterial Bt formulations, 2) by expressing their gene encoding in planta. In the second strategy, only the transgenic plants themselves are protected but insect- resistant plants could spread into natural habitats and/or the gene could be fixed in alternative hosts. It is necessary to estimate the magnitude of the possible effects on naturally occurring herbivorous insects but also on the target species, especially when they have several alternative hosts, as in the case of Pieridae. They are present both in agriculture where they could be considered p…

Influence of a humid zone on entomocoenosis diversity.

2017

The authors studied the insect diversity associated to humid and dry zones in the Caselli Nature Reserve (Pisa, Tuscany) in 2016 by using two Malaise traps. The average number of species and individual captures increased in the humid zone to about 118% for species and to 152% for individuals respectively. This richness increase was observed for some families of Coleoptera and Hymenoptera Aculeata and Apoidea. Surprisingly, a richness decrease of Lepidoptera (to 89% and 66% respectively for species and individuals) and Orthoptera (to 44% and 21% respectively for species and individuals) in the humid zone has been observed.