Australian Journal of Entomology 

About: Australian Journal of Entomology is an academic journal. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Genus & Population. It has an ISSN identifier of 1326-6756. Over the lifetime, 3068 publications have been published receiving 33637 citations.

Use of RAPD PCR to Distinguish the B Biotype from Other Biotypes of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Abstract: The use of RAPD PCR to identify the B biotype of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci and distinguish it from other biotypes and species of whitefly is described. the technique enables the use of alcohol preserved material instead of live or frozen material as required by allozyme electrophoresis and demonstrates that eggs, juvenile stages and males or females can all be used.

The recognition of nulliparous and parous culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) without dissection

Abstract: A burgundy-red pigment acquired by the tissue lining the abdominal wall during development of the ovarian follicles is invariably present in gravid Culicoides. The pigment persists after oviposition and can be detected in unengorged females with undeveloped ovaries with the aid of a dissecting microscope. The presence or absence of the pigment provides a method for recognition of individual nulliparous and parous empty Culicoides without dissection. It may be applied to living as well as refrigerated or deep frozen material and specimens stored in alcohol or cleared in creosote and mounted in baisam. Using this method conspecific series have been sorted according to sex, the females graded as blood-engorged, gravid, nulliparous empty or parous empty and the numbers counted, at the rate of more than 1000 flies/hr.

The relation between engorgement and dropping of Boophilus microplus (Canestrini) (Ixodidae) to the assessment of tick numbers on cattle

Abstract: A pattern of engorgement and dropping of the female cattle tick Boophilus microplus is described. Partly engorged females, which have grown to a length of 4–6 mm (10–30 mg), undergo rapid final engorgement at night to reach a length of 8–11 mm (150–250 mg) and detach from cattle in the early hours of the morning. The minimum size of females which engorge varies with season. Differences in the engorgement and dropping pattern of ticks on cattle observed in summer and in winter, and on cattle held in open yards and in covered stalls, suggest an influence of the external environment, particularly temperature and light, on tick engorgement and detachment. Counting of ticks 4.5–8 mm in length on one day was shown to provide a reliable estimate of the numbers of engorged ticks dropping the following day and has been adopted for the assessment of tick numbers on cattle.

Taxonomy and biology of Leptocybe invasa gen. & sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), an invasive gall inducer on Eucalyptus

Abstract: Leptocybe invasa Fisher & LaSalle, a new genus and species of Eulophidae, displays thelytokous reproduction, forming typical bump-shaped galls on the leaf midribs, petioles and stems of new growth of several Eucalyptus species. Presently, this wasp occurs in large areas in the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Africa, and is a serious pest in young plantations. Heavy galling prevents further development of the infested growth. Leptocybe invasa is only known from females. Mean length of a gall containing a single wasp is 2.1 mm, leaves of intensively growing trees may carry over 50 galls per leaf. Mean development time from oviposition to emergence is 132.6 d in room temperature. In Israel the wasp produces two or three overlapping generations annually. Mean survival time for wasps fed with honey and water is 6.5 days. Ten species were found to be suitable hosts in Israel: E. botryoides, E. bridgesiana E. camaldulensis, E. globulus. E. gunii. E. grandis, E. robusta, E. saligna, E. tereticornis, and E. viminalis.

Sexual selection and genital evolution

Abstract: Male genitalia show patterns of divergent evolution, and sexual selection is recognised as being responsible for this taxonomically widespread phenomenon. Much of the empirical support for the sexual selection hypothesis comes from studies of insects. Here, I synthesise the literature on insect genital evolution, and use this synthesis to address the debate over the mechanisms of selection most likely to explain observed patterns of macroevolutionary divergence in genital morphology. Studies of seven insect orders provide evidence that non-intromittent genitalia are subject to sexual selection through their effects on mating success, while intromittent genitalia are subject to selection through their effects on fertilisation success. However, studies that use quantitative methods to analyse the form of selection are necessary to identify the mechanisms of sexual selection involved. Phylogenetic analyses from diverse taxonomic groups confirm that divergence in male genital morphology can be predicted from variation in the opportunity for sexual selection. Much debate revolves around the importance of female choice and sexual conflict in the evolution of male genitalia, the resolution of which lies in economic studies of mating interactions and in recognising sexual selection as a continuum between male competition, sexual conflict and female choice. The species isolating lock-and-key hypothesis is frequently dismissed as unimportant in genital evolution because in part of a perceived lack of variation in female genitalia across species. Increasingly, however, studies report species-specific variation in female genital morphology and its coevolutionary divergence with male genital morphology. Contemporary views recognise a continuum between female choice that enforces species isolation and female choice that targets variation in male quality within populations, placing lock-and-key processes into the realm of sexual selection. Distinguishing between species-isolating and directional forms of female choice will require studies that examine both the tempo and mode of divergence, both within and among species.