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Showing papers on "Lepidoptera genitalia published in 2016"


01 Jan 2016
TL;DR: The the lepidoptera form function and diversity is universally compatible with any devices to read and is available in the digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly.
Abstract: Thank you very much for downloading the lepidoptera form function and diversity. As you may know, people have look numerous times for their chosen books like this the lepidoptera form function and diversity, but end up in malicious downloads. Rather than enjoying a good book with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, instead they cope with some harmful bugs inside their desktop computer. the lepidoptera form function and diversity is available in our digital library an online access to it is set as public so you can get it instantly. Our digital library hosts in multiple countries, allowing you to get the most less latency time to download any of our books like this one. Kindly say, the the lepidoptera form function and diversity is universally compatible with any devices to read.

188 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Evidence of high incidence of identical and multiple strains of Wolbachia among butterflies and moths is provided, adding Lepidoptera to the growing body of evidence for common horizontal transmission of Wolachia.
Abstract: Wolbachia is one of the most widespread bacteria on Earth. Previous research on Wolbachia-host interactions indicates that the bacterium is typically transferred vertically, from mother to offspring, through the egg cytoplasm. Although horizontal transmission of Wolbachia from one species to another is reported to be common in arthropods, limited direct ecological evidence is available. In this study, we examine horizontal transmission of Wolbachia using a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) strains dataset and used Wolbachia and Lepidoptera genomes to search for evidence for lateral gene transfer (LGT) in Lepidoptera, one of the most diverse cosmopolitan insect orders. We constructed a phylogeny of arthropod-associated MLST Wolbachia strains and calibrated the age of Wolbachia strains associated with lepidopteran species. Our results reveal inter-specific, inter-generic, inter-familial, and inter-ordinal horizontal transmission of Wolbachia strains, without discernible geographic patterns. We found at least seven probable cases of horizontal transmission among 31 species within Lepidoptera and between Lepidoptera and other arthropod hosts. The divergence time analysis revealed that Wolbachia is recently (22.6–4.7 mya, 95 % HPD) introduced in Lepidoptera. Analysis of nine Lepidoptera genomes (Bombyx mori, Danaus plexippus, Heliconius melpomene, Manduca sexta, Melitaea cinxia, Papilio glaucus, P. polytes, P. xuthus and Plutella xylostella) yielded one possible instance of Wolbachia LGT. Our results provide evidence of high incidence of identical and multiple strains of Wolbachia among butterflies and moths, adding Lepidoptera to the growing body of evidence for common horizontal transmission of Wolbachia. This study demonstrates interesting dynamics of this remarkable and influential microorganism.

105 citations



Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results showed that E. furcellata is an effective predator of both S. litura and P. xylostella, and the growth rate and predation rate were combined to calculate the finitepredation rate.
Abstract: To better understand the predator-prey relationship and to compare predation rates, we studied the life table and predation rate of the predator Eocanthecona furcellata Wolff (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) when reared on two major crucifer pests, Spodoptera litura (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and Plutella xylostella L. (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae). The net reproductive rate, intrinsic rate of increase, finite rate, and net predation rates of E. furcellata reared on P. xylostella were 292.4 offspring, 0.1389 d(-1), 1.1490 d(-1), and 644.1 third instars of P. xylostella, respectively. These values are significantly higher than those reared on S. litura, i.e., 272.3 offspring, 0.1220 d(-1), 1.1298 d(-1), and 863.1 third instars of S. litura. To evaluate the predation potential of E. furcellata fed on P. xylostella and S. litura, we combined both the growth rate and predation rate to calculate the finite predation rate (ω); our results showed that E. furcellata is an effective predator of both S. litura (ω = 1.6029) and P. xylostella (ω = 1.4277).

60 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This is the first record of tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Tanzania worth to report and will help to design sustainable management tactics against this notorious pest of tomato in the country and the neighbouring countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
Abstract: Pest invasion has been a disruptive phenomenon in nature, the consequence being ecological and economical negative effect in natural ecosystem of the area. In agriculture, introduced insect pest has a devastating effect on food production. Such a phenomenon occurred in Ngabobo village, Ngarenanyuki, King’ori, in the Arumeru District of Tanzania, a key tomato production area, when boring Lepidoptera larvae were found on aerial parts of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) plants between 2014 and 2015. Larvae created blotched leaf galleries and superficial mines on fruits. The pest was identified as Tuta absoluta (Meyrick 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) by the leaf and fruit damage symptoms inflicted, the adult morphology as well as using specific pheromone traps (TUA optima lure) against adult male Tuta absoluta. This is the first record of tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta (Meyrick 1917) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) in Tanzania worth to report. This information will help to design sustainable management tactics against this notorious pest of tomato in the country and the neighbouring countries of sub-Saharan Africa.

42 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The B. fusca gut represents an intriguing and unexplored niche for analysing microbial ecology and could provide opportunities for developing new targets for pest management and contribute to understanding the phenomenon of resistance evolution of this species.
Abstract: Busseola fusca (Fuller) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) is a stemborer pest that attacks maize (Zea mays) throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Genetically modified maize has been shown to be effective against B. fusca. However, resistance of B. fusca against Bt-maize has developed and spread throughout South Africa. Previous studies suggested that gut microbiota contribute to mortality across a range of Lepidoptera. To fully assess the role of microbiota within the gut, it is essential to understand the microbiota harboured by natural B. fusca populations. This study aimed to identify the gut-associated bacteria by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. A total of 78 bacterial strains were characterised from the midgut of B. fusca larvae that were collected from 30 sites across the maize producing region of South Africa. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed bacteria affiliated to Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Firmicutes. Taxonomic distribution placed these isolates into 15 different genera representing 20 species. The majority of bacteria identified belong to the genera Bacillus, Enterococcus, and Klebsiella. The B. fusca gut represents an intriguing and unexplored niche for analysing microbial ecology. The study could provide opportunities for developing new targets for pest management and contribute to understanding the phenomenon of resistance evolution of this species.

42 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
10 Oct 2016-Gene
TL;DR: To better understand the diversity and phylogeny of Lepidoptera, the complete mitochondrial genome of Choristoneura longicellana was determined and the well-known relationship of (Nymphalidae+(Riodinidae+Lycaenidae)) is recovered in this paper.

41 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
17 Feb 2016-ZooKeys
TL;DR: This is the first modern study to treat all 41 valid described species of Diatraea Guilding and provides keys for the identification of most species in this genus based on morphology of the male and female genitalia and modern illustrations of male andFemale genitalia.
Abstract: The genus Diatraea Guilding is one of the most economically important groups of moths in the Western Hemisphere. The larvae are stem borers that feed on species of Poaceae, or grasses, such as sugarcane, corn, rice, and sorghum, as well as many other native grasses. Interest in this group has risen considerably since sugarcane and other grasses have been utilized and/or investigated as biofuels. This is the first modern study to treat all 41 valid described species. Most type specimens were examined and we provide a checklist with 19 new synonyms. We provide keys for the identification of most species in this genus based on morphology of the male and female genitalia and modern illustrations of male and female genitalia. We also provide an updated table of species distribution by country.

37 citations


Book Chapter
15 Mar 2016
TL;DR: It is highlighted that four species in particular, Diaphania perspectalis, Cacyreus marshalli, Cameraria ohridella and Paysandisia archon, are the most important current economic threats.

37 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 2016-Heredity
TL;DR: The boundaries between predicted ancient fusions involving B. mori chromosomes 11, 23 and 24 are identified and a significant difference in the lengths of the candidate regions where no functional genes were observed may reflect the evolutionary time after fusion events.
Abstract: A significant feature of the genomes of Lepidoptera, butterflies and moths, is the high conservation of chromosome organization. Recent remarkable progress in genome sequencing of Lepidoptera has revealed that syntenic gene order is extensively conserved across phylogenetically distant species. The ancestral karyotype of Lepidoptera is thought to be n=31; however, that of the most well-studied moth, Bombyx mori, is n=28, and diverse studies suggest that three chromosomal fusion events occurred in this lineage. To identify the boundaries between predicted ancient fusions involving B. mori chromosomes 11, 23 and 24, we constructed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH)-based chromosome maps of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis (n=31). We first determined a 511 Mb genomic sequence of the Asian corn borer, O. furnacalis, a congener of O. nubilalis, and isolated bacterial artificial chromosomes and fosmid clones that were expected to localize in candidate regions for the boundaries using these sequences. Combined with FISH and genetic analysis, we narrowed down the candidate regions to 40 kb-1.5 Mb, in strong agreement with a previous estimate based on the genome of a butterfly, Melitaea cinxia. The significant difference in the lengths of the candidate regions where no functional genes were observed may reflect the evolutionary time after fusion events.

31 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, Wolfram Mey presents a series of line drawings, 25 black and white plates of genitalia photographs, 15 color plates of adult moths, and a series editor Hermann H. Hacker.
Abstract: BASIC PATTERN OF LEPIDOPTERA DIVERSITY IN SOUTHWESTERN AFRICA by Wolfram Mey. 316 pages, ca. 270 line drawings, 25 black and white plates of genitalia photographs, 15 color plates of adult moths. Esperiana, Buchreihe zur Entomologie, Memoir 6, series editor Hermann H. Hacker, ISBN 3-938249-02-4. Hardbound. Copies of Esperiana can be ordered from the homepage at www.esperiana.net. 125 Euro (~ $164). Publication date: December 2011.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study determined population fluctuations of the Heliothinae complex in soybean and chickpea crops using male moths collected in pheromone traps in Tucuman province, and update the geographical distribution of H. armigera in Argentina.
Abstract: The Heliothinae complex in Argentina encompasses Helicoverpa gelotopoeon (Dyar), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner), and Chloridea virescens (Fabricius). In Tucuman, the native species H. gelotopoeon is one of the most voracious soybean pests and also affects cotton and chickpea, even more in soybean-chickpea succession cropping systems. Differentiation of the Heliothinae complex in the egg, larva, and pupa stages is difficult. Therefore, the observation of the adult wing pattern design and male genitalia is useful to differentiate species. The objective of this study was to identify the species of the Heliothinae complex, determine population fluctuations of the Heliothinae complex in soybean and chickpea crops using male moths collected in pheromone traps in Tucuman province, and update the geographical distribution of H. armigera in Argentina. The species found were H. gelotopoeon, H. armigera, H. zea, and C. virescens. Regardless of province, county, crop, and year, the predominant species was H. gelotopoeon Considering the population dynamics of H. gelotopoeon and H. armigera in chickpea and soybean crops, H. gelotopoeon was the most abundant species in both crops, in all years sampled, and the differences registered were significant. On the other hand, according to the Sistema Nacional Argentino de Vigilancia y Monitoreo de Plagas (SINAVIMO) database and our collections, H. armigera was recorded in eight provinces and 20 counties of Argentina, and its larvae were found on soybean, chickpea, sunflower crops and spiny plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides). This is the first report of H. armigera in sunflower and spiny plumeless thistle in Argentina.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Given its low cost, ease of preparation, and wide species’ acceptance, this McMorran diet provides a powerful tool for facilitating Lepidoptera and other insects rearing and research in the laboratory.
Abstract: Research on cutworms led us to explore the use of the McMorran diet to rear lepidopteran species, mainly Noctuidae, under laboratory conditions. We documented the development of 103 lepidopteran species, including 39 species not previously reported in the literature, to be reared on this diet. Given its low cost, ease of preparation, and wide species' acceptance, this diet provides a powerful tool for facilitating Lepidoptera and other insects rearing and research in the laboratory.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Damage evaluation showed that the maize hybrids with the Bt gene insertion were not affected by the fall armyworm as compared with their respective isolines, which were seriously damaged.
Abstract: The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda Smith & Abbot (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), is a key pest of corn, Zea mays L. (Poales: Poaceae), in Mexico. The development of genetically modified (GM) corn hybrids for resistance to this insect, with the inclusion of several genes coding for proteins Cry1Ab, Vip3Aa20, and mCry3A of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) (Bt), offer an alternative to conventional insecticides to control this pest. Resistance to fall armyworms of the GM corn hybrids Agrisure 3000 GT, Agrisure Viptera 3110, and Agrisure Viptera 3111 was evaluated in 4 locations at Sinaloa for a 3 yr period. Damage evaluation showed that the maize hybrids with the Bt gene insertion were not affected by the fall armyworm as compared with their respective isolines, which were seriously damaged. The results reaffirm the insect control benefits provided by this technology and provide a baseline for resistance management.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The consistent efficacy of DAS-81419-2 soybeans across years, locations, and crop stages suggests that it will be a valuable product for management of hard-to-control key lepidopteran pests in South American soybean production.
Abstract: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) event DAS-81419-2 (Conkesta technology) in soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, expresses Cry1F and Cry1Ac proteins to provide protection from feeding by several lepidopteran pests. A total of 27 field experiments across nine locations were conducted from 2011 to 2015 in southern and central Brazil to characterize the efficacy of DAS-81419-2 soybean infested with Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner (Lepidoptera: Erebidae), Chrysodeixis includens (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), Heliothis virescens (F.) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and Spodoptera cosmioides (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) during vegetative (V4) and reproductive (R2 and R4) crop developmental stages. The efficacy of DAS-81419-2 was compared to that of a non-Bt isogenic variety managed with or without applications of commercial foliar insecticides for lepidopteran control. DAS-81419-2 soybean consistently experienced defoliation levels of 0.5% or less (compared with 20.05-56.74% in the non-Bt, nonsprayed treatment) and larval survival of < 0.1% in all four species across the vegetative and reproductive plant stages evaluated. The efficacy of DAS-81419-2 was significantly higher than commercial foliar insecticides applied to the non-Bt variety. DAS-81419-2 soybeans containing two highly effective Bt proteins are expected to be a more robust IRM tool compared to single-trait Bt technologies. The consistent efficacy of DAS-81419-2 soybeans across years, locations, and crop stages suggests that it will be a valuable product for management of hard-to-control key lepidopteran pests in South American soybean production.

Journal ArticleDOI
Zui Tao, Li Cao, Yi Zhang, Yunshou Ye, Richou Han 
TL;DR: Successful artificial rearing of host insect species for O. sinensis under low temperature conditions will allow the cultivation of this important fungus-insect complex to ensure its protection as a bio-resource and for commercial supply.
Abstract: Ophiocordyceps sinensis (Ophiocordycipitaceae) is an entomopathogenic fungus endemic to the Tibetan Plateau, at elevations ranging between 3,000 and 5,000 m. The fungus-insect complex is useful in healthcare but limited in the field, so there is an urgent need to develop an artificial rearing system of both the fungus and its insect hosts. Large-scale artificial rearing of the Thitarodes insect hosts is crucial. This paper reports results of the artificial cultivation and complete life tables of two host species of O. sinensis, Thitarodes armoricanus and Thitarodes jianchuanensis (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae), under low-altitude laboratory conditions. The larvae were reared on carrots in plastic containers at 9–13°C and 50–80% RH. Both experimental insect species had long and unusual life cycle; it took 263–494 and 443–780 d for T. jianchuanensis and T. armoricanus, respectively, to complete a developmental cycle, including egg, larval instars L1-L9, pupa, and adult. The larvae did develop into pupae from the L7, L8, or L9 instar larvae. Although the total survival rates of both insect species were low (12.0% for T. jianchuanensis and 1.6% for T. armoricanus), the experimental populations successfully developed into the next generation owing to high egg production by fertilized females (averages of 703 and 355 eggs per female in the Yunnan and Sichuan species, respectively). Successful artificial rearing of host insect species for O. sinensis under low temperature conditions will allow the cultivation of this important fungus-insect complex to ensure its protection as a bio-resource and for commercial supply.

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Dec 2016-PLOS ONE
TL;DR: Overall, the results from this study indicate that maize might play a role as a source of infestation or a sink of insecticide or Bt protein unselected H. armigera in maize.
Abstract: The corn earworm Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) and the old world bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) are allopatric species and occur in important agricultural crops. In maize, both species tend to infest the ear. The introduction of H. armigera in Brazil has created a new scenario, where these Helicoverpa species might cohabit and interact with one another, affecting the prevalence of each species in the agroecosystem, integrated pest management, and insect resistance management. In this study, larval occurrence and proportion of these species in maize was assessed in three regions of Brazil during three crop seasons. Interaction between the species was evaluated in interspecific and intraspecific scenarios under laboratory and field conditions. Helicoverpa zea was predominant in Rio Grande do Sul and the Planaltina, DF (central Brazil). In western Bahia, H. zea was predominant in the first collection, but approximately equal in number to H armigera in the second crop season. Both species exhibit high cannibalism/predation rates, and larval size was the primary factor for larval survival in the interaction studies. Larva of H. zea had higher survival when interacting with H. armigera, indicating that H. zea has an advantage in intraguild interactions with H. armigera in maize. Overall, the results from this study indicate that maize might play a role as a source of infestation or a sink of insecticide or Bt protein unselected H. armigera populations, depending on the H. zea:H. armigera intraguild competition and adult movement in the landscape.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: One F2 family from Georgia (GA-15) was confirmed to possess a major resistance allele to the Cry2Ab2 protein, and this family demonstrated a significant level of resistance when fed with the same protein incorporated in a meridic diet.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Both moths had high levels of parasitism on their dominant host plant in the rainy season, yet had low levels of Parasitism on sorghum in the dry season, suggesting that host‐associated differentiation is occurring on this novel introduced crop plant.
Abstract: Diatraea lineolata and Diatraea saccharalis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae) are moths with stemboring larvae that feed and develop on economically important grasses. This study investigated whether these moths have diverged from a native host plant, corn, onto introduced crop plants including sorghum, sugarcane, and rice. Diatraea larvae were collected from these four host plants throughout the year in El Salvador and were reared on artificial diet until moths or parasitoids emerged. Adult moths were subsequently identified to species. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) and mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase I (COI) were used to examine whether or not there was genetic divergence of D. lineolata or D. saccharalis populations on the four host plants. Percent parasitism was also determined for each moth on its host plants. D. lineolata was collected from corn in the rainy season and sorghum in the dry season. D. saccharalis was most abundant on sugarcane in the rainy season and sorghum in the dry season. The AFLP analysis found two genetically divergent populations of both D. lineolata and D. saccharalis. Both moths had high levels of parasitism on their dominant host plant in the rainy season, yet had low levels of parasitism on sorghum in the dry season. The presence of two genotypes of both Diatraea spp. on sorghum suggest that host-associated differentiation is occurring on this novel introduced crop plant.

Journal ArticleDOI
08 Jun 2016-ZooKeys
TL;DR: A PCR-based approach still has its place in molecular systematic studies of Lepidoptera, particularly at the intrafamilial level, and a new set of primers now provides a route to generating phylogenomic datasets using traditional methods.
Abstract: We report primer pairs for 30 new gene regions in the nuclear genomes of Lepidoptera that can be amplified using a standard PCR protocol. The new primers were tested across diverse Lepidoptera, including nonditrysians and a wide selection of ditrysians. These new gene regions give a total of 11,043 bp of DNA sequence data and they show similar variability to traditionally used nuclear gene regions in studies of Lepidoptera. We feel that a PCR-based approach still has its place in molecular systematic studies of Lepidoptera, particularly at the intrafamilial level, and our new set of primers now provides a route to generating phylogenomic datasets using traditional methods.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Pupae demonstrated vulnerability to all the isolates irrespective of their origin, however virulence of isolates varied significantly, and a moderately strong relationship was detected between virulence and mycelial growth rate of isolate.
Abstract: Schemmer R., Chládeková P., Medo J., Barta M. (2016): Natural prevalence of entomopathogenic fungi in hibernating pupae of Cameraria ohridella (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) and virulence of selected isolates. Plant Protect. Sci., 52: 199–208. Spontaneous infection of hibernating Cameraria ohridella pupae by entomopathogenic fungi was monitored at two localities of south-western Slovakia and efficacy of selected fungal isolates against the pupae was evaluated in laboratory. Natural prevalence of fungal infection in pupal populations was low (< 7%) and varied depending upon collecting date, locality, year, and pathogen. Ten isolates of three fungal species, Beauveria pseudobassiana, Isaria fumosorosea, and I. farinosa, isolated from the naturally infected pupae and three isolates of non-insect origin of two fungi, B. bassiana and metarhizium anisopliae, were screened for colony growth, conidial production in vitro, and virulence to C. ohridella pupae. A significant variability in the evaluated traits was detected among the isolates. Pupae demonstrated vulnerability to all the isolates irrespective of their origin, however virulence of isolates varied significantly. I. fumosorosea was the most virulent fungus with median lethal concentration of 0.09 × 104 conidia/ml (isolate CO10-IFu) and mean survival time of pupae of 7.14 days (isolate CO8-IFu). No correlation between conidial yield of isolates and fungal virulence was observed, but a moderately strong relationship was detected between virulence and mycelial growth rate of isolates.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A GUIDE to the lepidoptera of Japan by F. Komai and Y. Nasu with English figure captions.
Abstract: A GUIDE TO THE LEPIDOPTERA OF JAPAN by F. Komai, Y. Yoshiyasu, Y. Nasu, and T. Saito (editors); xx + 1308 pages, including 248 color plates, 25.5 x 18 cm. Text in Japanese with English figure captions. Tokai University Press, Hadano, Kanagawa, Japan. Publication date: February 2011. ISBN 978-4-486-01856-8. Price: 40,000 Yen (ca. $473.00 US) including postage (payment: Visa or Master Card, contact E. Ina: inaair@tsc.u-tokai.ac.jp).

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is concluded that C. perspectalis eggs are attractive to various Trichogramma species, and females of T. dendrolimi females were most able to locate host eggs and to oviposit and produce successfully on them.
Abstract: The Box tree pyralid, Cydalima perspectalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is an invasive species in Europe, not yet regulated by natural enemies. It is highly destructive to ornamental and native Buxus due to defoliation by larval feeding. The ability of eight Trichogramma species (T. brassicae Bezdenko, T. bourarachae Pintureau & Babault, T. cacoeciae Marchal, T. cordubensis Vargas & Cabello, T. dendrolimi Matsumura, T. evanescens Westwood, T. nerudai Pintureau & Gerding and T. pintoi Voegele) to parasitise and locate eggs of C. perspectalis was assessed in the laboratory. In direct observation tests, all species started to examine and oviposit into exposed eggs. Resulting egg parasitism was low and ranged between 4% and 20% for most of the parasitoid species after three days of exposure. Only T. dendrolimi parasitised significantly more host eggs with parasitism rates above 40%. On average, two to three progeny emerged from one host egg and the resulting sex ratio was female-biased, indicatin...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is proposed that R. marginatus may be useful as a biocontrol agent against lepidopteran cotton pests and its responses to six species of cotton pests are investigated.
Abstract: . In Indian agro-ecosystems Rhynocoris marginatus (F.) is one of the most abundant predatory arthropods and feeds on a wide range of insect pests. We investigated the responses of R. marginatus to six species of cotton pests: Spodoptera litura (F.), Sylepta derogata (F.), Pericallia ricini (F.), Mylabris indica (Thunberg), Mylabris pustulata (Thunberg) and Dysdercus cingulatus (F.), in terms of its predatory behaviour (approach and handling times), weight gain, macromolecular profile (content of carbohydrates, proteins, free aminoacids and lipids) and haemocytic profile. We also determined the predator's reliance on kairomones from different species of prey. Larvae of the species of Lepidoptera studied were approached and captured more quickly than adults of the two meloid coleopteran and one heteropteran pest and were more beneficial to the predator in terms of weight gain. Predators had a higher total protein content when reared on larvae of the three lepidopteran species, higher lipid content when reared on adults of the two meloid coleopteran species and a higher carbohydrate content when reared on adults of one heteropteran species. The number of haemocytes was greater in predators reared on larvae of the Lepidoptera studied, followed by those reared on adults of the heteropteran and lowest in those reared on adults of the two meloid coleopterans. Response to kairomones was strongest for S. litura followed by S. derogata and M. pustulata. We conclude that the Lepidoptera studied tended to be, for this predator, superior prey, with S. litura being especially beneficial and the prey species for which R. marginatus has the highest kairomonal preference. Moreover, we propose that R. marginatus may be useful as a biocontrol agent against lepidopteran cotton pests.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The search on function of different gut inhabiting bacteria of H. armigera revealed their role in nutrition, detoxification of lethal insecticide molecules, and defensive action against pathogens.
Abstract: Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), a polyphagous agricultural pest of global importance, harbour diverse bacterial communities in its gut. We analysed the composition and diversity of gut bacteria using Illumina Next-Generation Sequencing of 16S ribosomal RNA amplicons. The data set consisted of 864,813 high-quality paired end sequences with mean length of 150 base pairs. Highly diverse bacterial communities were present in the sample containing approximately 2303 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). A total of 17 bacterial phyla, 34 classes, 84 orders, 173 families, 334 genera, and 707 species were identified from the sequence analysis. Actinobacteria was the most dominant groups, followed by Proteobacteria and Firmicutes . The search on function of different gut inhabiting bacteria of H. armigera revealed their role in nutrition, detoxification of lethal insecticide molecules, and defensive action against pathogens. Insecticidal toxin producing bacterial species were also found associated with the H. armigera gut .

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Wing morphometrics can be used as an alternative method to molecular markers to differentiate adults from laboratory-reared populations and wild populations of this pest, particularly in males of this species.
Abstract: Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) represents a pest of economic importance in all Western Hemisphere. This polyphagous species has diverged into two populations that have been mainly recognized with various mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers and named "the rice" and "the corn" strains. In Colombia, both strains have evolved prezygotic and postzygotic isolation. They differ in tolerance to Bacillus thuringiensis (Cry1Ac and Cry1Ab endotoxins) and the insecticides lambda-cyhalothrin and methomyl. In 2014, a wing morphometric analysis made in 159 individuals from a colony showed that both strains significantly differ in wing shape. The species also exhibits sexual dimorphism in the rice strain as in females wing size is larger than in males. Here, we continued this work with another wing morphometric approach in laboratory-reared strains to calculate wing size and shape heritabilities using a full-sib design and in wild populations to determine if this method distinguishes these strains. Our results show that male heritabilities of both traits were higher than female ones. Wild populations were significantly different in wing shape and size. These results suggest that wing morphometrics can be used as an alternative method to molecular markers to differentiate adults from laboratory-reared populations and wild populations of this pest, particularly in males of this species. Finally, Q ST values obtained for wing size and shape further demonstrated that both strains are genetically differentiated in nature.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results indicated that cry1Ab may be considered as a good candidate in transgenic crop production and as an alternative biocontrol agent in controlling stored product moths.


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The results and recommendations presented here will help to implement and improve cost-efficient Lepidoptera schemes to monitor changes in arable landscapes and facing expected changes in agricultural policy and management.
Abstract: Setting up effective survey strategies for biodiversity monitoring in agro-ecosystems is a major task in order to detect adverse effects on biodiversity before negative changes will manifest. Here, we studied the relative costs required for the monitoring of butterflies and selected diurnal moths (Papilionoidea et Hesperioidea; Zygaenoidea: Zygaenidae) in farmland. Analysing data from a well-established Lepidoptera monitoring system in Switzerland, we assessed the influence of inspection periods, inspection frequency and transect length on counts of diurnal Lepidoptera. Furthermore, we estimated the number of transects in relation to sampling effort necessary to detect changes of a given effect size for recorded species number (and abundance). Reducing the counting frequency from seven to four inspections per season still yielded 80–90 % of the species, as long as peak abundances in summer months were included. The variation in observed species number was mostly independent of inspection frequency, but strongly increased when transect length was reduced to less than 1 km. Sedentary Lepidoptera species are especially valuable indicators as their occurrences are directly linked to local effects on biodiversity, and the proportion of recorded sedentary species was not substantially affected by reduced inspection frequency. Transects of 1–1.5 km length were generally the most cost-efficient to detect an effect on total species number of diurnal Lepidoptera in arable landscapes, given that travelling distances between transects were short. Studying effects on rare species or selected species groups would involve higher sampling intensity and costs. Surveying schemes with reduced inspection frequency and transect lengths can detect changes in species richness and total abundance of diurnal Lepidoptera cost-effectively. Facing expected changes in agricultural policy and management, the results and recommendations presented here will help to implement and improve cost-efficient Lepidoptera schemes to monitor changes in arable landscapes.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results reveal that soybean protease inhibitor inhibited S. Litura gut proteinase and it was more effective at lower concentrations, thus, low levels of inhibitor would be enough to affect the growth and development of the target pest for the development of transgenic plants.
Abstract: Spodoptera litura (Fabricius, 1775), a polyphagous defoliator with broad host spectrum, causes significant damage to agriculturally important crops. Serine protease is primarily responsible for most of the proteolytic activity in the larval gut of lepidopteran insects. Second-instar larvae were reared on an artificial diet containing serine trypsin inhibitor partially purified from Glycine max seeds. Different concentrations were amended in the diet, i.e. 25, 50, 100, 200, and 400 μg/mL. The larval development period, total developmental period, longevity, fecundity, larval weight, and mean relative growth rate were decreased at the 100 μg/mL concentration. However, with further increase in concentration, the above parameters were all found to increase. Nutritional indices revealed reduction in efficiency of conversion of digested food and approximate digestibility, whereas increase in efficiency of conversion of ingested food had significant influence on food assimilation. Trypsin activity was suppressed at 100 μg/mL with increase in exposure interval. Results reveal that soybean protease inhibitor inhibited S. Litura gut proteinase and it was more effective at lower concentrations. Thus, low levels of inhibitor would be enough to affect the growth and development of the target pest for the development of transgenic plants.