Mapping the environmental suitability of etiological agent and tick vectors of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.

The Madeira mealybug, Phenacoccus madeirensis Green, is a serious invasive pest that does significant damage to more than 120 genera of host plants from 51 families in more than 81 countries. However, the potential distribution range of this pest is unclear, which could hamper control and eradication efforts. In the current study, MaxEnt models were developed to forecast the current and future distribution of the Madeira mealybug around the world. Moreover, the future potential distribution of this invasive species was projected for the 2050s and 2070s under three different climate change scenarios (HADGEM2-AO, GFDL-CM3, and MIROC5) and two representative concentration pathways (RCP-2.6 and RCP-8.5). The final model indicates that the Madeira mealybug has a highly suitable range for the continents of Asia, Europe, and Africa, as well as South America and North America, where this species has already been recorded. Potential expansions or reductions in distribution were also simulated under different future climatic conditions. Our study also suggested that the mean temperature of the driest quarter (Bio9) was the most important factor and explained 46.9% of the distribution model. The distribution model from the current and future predictions can enhance the strategic planning of agricultural and forestry organization by identifying regions that will need to develop integrated pest management programs to manage Madeira mealybug, especially for some highly suitable areas, such as South Asia and Europe. Moreover, the results of this research will help governments to optimize investment in the control and management of the Madeira mealybug by identifying regions that are or will become suitable for infestations.

https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/10/9/773/pdf

Modeling the Potential Global Distribution of Phenacoccus madeirensis Green under Various Climate Change Scenarios

Bradysia odoriphaga Yang et Zhang, 1985 syn. nov. is proposed as new synonym of Bradysia cellarum Frey 1948, and Lycoriella pleuroti Yang et Zhang, 1987 syn. nov. as new synonym of Lycoriella ingenua (Dufour, 1839). These results were confirmed by cytochrome oxidase I (COI) DNA barcodes, neighbor-joining (NJ) trees, and a revision of their characters. Illustrations of the morphological characteristics of these two species are provided. Former published records of Bradysia difformis Frey 1948 from China accord with Bradysia impatiens (Johannsen, 1912), as also shown by COI NJ tree in this paper.

Review of three black fungus gnat species (Diptera: Sciaridae) from greenhouses in China

A delta class glutathione S-transferase gene (BoGSTd2) is identified from Bradysia odoriphaga for the first time. Developmental expression analysis showed that expression of BoGSTd2 is significantly higher in the fourth instar larval stage and the adult stage. Tissue-specific expression analysis found that BoGSTd2 was expressed predominantly in the midgut and Malpighian tubules in the fourth instar larvae and the abdomen of adults. Expression of BoGSTd2 was significantly upregulated following exposure to chlorpyrifos and clothianidin. In vitro inhibition and metabolic assays indicated that recombinant BoGSTd2 could not directly metabolize chlorpyrifos and clothianidin. Nevertheless, disk diffusion assays indicated that BoGSTd2 plays an important role in protection against oxidative stress. RNAi assays showed that BoGSTd2 participates in the elimination of reactive oxygen species induced by chlorpyrifos and clothianidin. These results strongly suggest that BoGSTd2 plays an important role in chlorpyrifos and clothianidin detoxification in B. odoriphaga by protecting tissues from oxidative stress induced by these insecticides.

Identification and Functional Analysis of a Delta Class Glutathione S -Transferase Gene Associated with Insecticide Detoxification in Bradysia odoriphaga .

Pollinating butterflies are an important asset to agriculture, which still depends on wild resources. Yunnan Province in Southwest China is a region with typical montane agriculture, but this resource is poorly investigated. From literature reference and specimen examination, the present study identified 554 species of pollinating butterflies (50.8% of the total butterflies) from Yunnan, with family Nymphalidae possessing the least number of pollinators (80 species, 16.0%), while the remaining four families are pollinator-rich (>73%). Tropical lowlands and mountain-valley areas possess higher species richness than those with plain terrains. The species richness of pollinating butterflies in Yunnan does not simply decline with the increase of latitude, nor is significantly different between West and East Yunnan. Zonation of pollinating butterflies using the parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) identified nine distribution zones and ten subzones. Most areas of endemism (AOE) are found in lowlands or mountain-valley areas, complexity of terrains, climates, and vegetation types are believed to be the main causes of such endemicity. The potential pollinating service of these butterflies could be great to montane agriculture with expanding areas of cash crops and fruit horticulture. Conservation strategies for pollinating butterflies may consist of preserving habitats and establishing butterfly-friendly agriculture based on local traditions.

/pdf/spatial-distribution-of-pollinating-butterflies-in-yunnan-5brc0jruos.pdf

Spatial Distribution of Pollinating Butterflies in Yunnan Province, Southwest China with Resource Conservation Implications

Three species belonging to the genus Dermacentor (Acari: Ixodidae), D. marginatus, D. nuttalli and D. silvarum are well known as vectors for a great variety of infection pathogens. All three of them are host ticks, which are very similar in morphology characteristics, life cycle, seasonal variation and ecological conditions, making it difficult to distinguish the three species. In the present study, these three species were delimitated based on molecular data and ecological niche. The molecular analysis showed that the three species can be distinguished by COI and ITS2 sequences. We created future potential distribution maps for the three species under climate changes with MaxEnt, which highlighted the different levels of the suitable habitats for each tick species. In addition, niche comparisons among the three species in Dermacentor were conducted, and the analysis suggested that niche overlap was relatively high with D. nuttalli and D. silvarum compared to the other species pairs, which was consistent with the molecular data. Niche equivalency and similarity test confirmed that these Dermacentor species were closely related but distinct species. In conclusion, delimitation of these three species within Dermacentor was supported by molecular phylogeny and quantitative ecological space. This study will provide deep insights into the biology, ecology, and diversification processes within Dermacentor species, and for the development of effective control for ticks.

Species delimitation of the Dermacentor ticks based on phylogenetic clustering and niche modeling.

Ceroplastes cirripediformis Comstock is one of the most destructive invasive pests that have caused various negative impacts to agricultural, ornamental, and greenhouse plants. Since it is time- and labor-consuming to control C. cirripediformis, habitat evaluation of this pest may be the most cost-effective method for predicting its dispersal and avoiding its outbreaks. Here, we evaluated the effects of climatic variables on distribution patterns of C. cirripediformis and produced a global risk map for its outbreak under current and future climate scenarios using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) model. Our results showed that mean temperature of driest quarter (Bio 9), precipitation of coldest quarter (Bio 19), precipitation of warmest quarter (Bio 18), and mean temperature of wettest quarter (Bio 8) were the main factors influencing the current modeled distribution of C. cirripediformis, respectively, contributing 41.9, 29.4, 18.8, and 7.9%. The models predicted that, globally, potential distribution of C. cirripediformis would be across most zoogeographical regions under both current and future climate scenarios. Moreover, in the future, both the total potential distribution region and its area of highly suitable habitat are expected to expand slightly in all representative concentration pathway scenarios. The information generated from this study will contribute to better identify the impacts of climate change upon C. cirripediformis's potential distribution while also providing a scientific basis for forecasting insect pest spread and outbreaks. Furthermore, this study serves an early warning for the regions of potential distribution, predicted as highly suitable habitats for this pest, which could promote its prevention and control.

Potential Distributions of the Invasive Barnacle Scale Ceroplastes cirripediformis (Hemiptera: Coccidae) Under Climate Change and Implications for Its Management.

The identification of areas of endemism (AOEs) has been a major challenge in biogeography. In the present study, parsimony analysis of endemicity (PAE) was used to define the AOEs of scale insect species in China. A total of 11 Chinese scale insect endemic areas, Tianshan mountain (A2-B1), South Tibet (H2-H3), Eastern Qinling Mountain (E12-E13), Dalou mountain (G11-H11), West Yunnan (I9, J9-J10, K9), Hainan Island-South west Guangdong (M13-L14), South Guangdong (K15-K16), South Fujian (J17-J18), Center Zhejiang (H18-H19), Taiwan Island (K19-L19) and association of Henan and Hubei (F15-G16), had been identified based on a distribution database of 506 endemic scale insect species. The Chinese areas of scale insects endemism showed a remarkable mountain effect. Hainan and Taiwan islands showed considerable endemism. Moreover, most of these AOEs were found to be endemic sites for several other plants and animals. These results will provide important information for further studies on scale insects diversity in China.

Areas of endemism for scale insects in China

The amount of Bradysia odoriphaga larval feeding at each developmental stage and the related morphology of salivary glands were investigated in this study. The amount of daily feeding in the third instar was greatest among all the developmental stages while the amount of cumulative feeding in the fourth-instar accounted for 53.56% of the total amount of larval feeding. The daily amount of feeding by B. odoriphaga during the whole larval stage peaked in the 8th and 14th day after hatching. The paired and transparent salivary glands of B. odoriphaga were characterized by two distinct regions: an anterior region and a posterior region. At the fourth-instar and pupal stage, the length of salivary glands decreased significantly compared with that of the third-instar, and the integrity of epithelium cytoplasm in the salivary glands also decreased markedly because of the formation of cytoplasmic vacuoles and degradation of rough endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. We concluded that the decrease of daily feeding amount in the last instar was related to the structural change of salivary gland closely. The function of salivary glands in B. odoriphaga was mainly secretion of silk and cocooning-like materials during the last larval instar.

Fang Wang

Papers

Species delimitation of the Dermacentor ticks based on phylogenetic clustering and niche modeling.

Potential Distributions of the Invasive Barnacle Scale Ceroplastes cirripediformis (Hemiptera: Coccidae) Under Climate Change and Implications for Its Management.

Areas of endemism for scale insects in China

Feeding and related morphology of salivary glands of Bradysia odoriphaga (Diptera: Sciaridae)