June 1999, Vol 89
No. 3
Terms and
Conditions
Contents
Cunningham, J.P., Zalucki, M.P. & West,
S.A.
Learning in Helicoverpa armigera
(Lepidoptera: Noctuidae): a new look at the behaviour and control of
a polyphagous pest |
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Abstract Recent
experimental evidence has shown that learning occurs in the host
selection behaviour of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), one
of the world‘s most important agricultural pests. This paper
discusses how the occurrence of learning changes our understanding
of the host selection behaviour of this polyphagous moth. Host
preferences determined from previous laboratory studies may be
vastly different from preferences exhibited by moths in the field,
where the abundance of particular hosts may be more likely to
determine host preference. In support of this prediction, a number
of field studies have shown that the ‘attractiveness’ of different
hosts for H. armigera oviposition may depend on the
relative abundance of these host species. Insect learning may play a
fundamental role in the design and application of present and future
integrated pest management strategies such as the use of host
volatiles, trap crops and resistant crop varieties for monitoring
and controlling this important pest species.
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Baldanza, F., Gaudio, L. & Viggiani, G.
Cytotaxonomic studies of Encarsia Förster
(Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) |
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(181k) |
Abstract A
cytotaxonomic study was carried out on 13 species of
Encarsia Förster, known to parasitize aleyrodids and
diaspidids. The chromosomes varied greatly both in number and
morphology, with E. protransvena Viggiani having the lowest
chromosome number (2n = 6) and E. asterobemisiae Viggiani
& Mazzone the highest (2n = 20). The most common chromosome
number was 2n = 10. C-banding, G-banding and silver staining for
nucleolar organizer regions (NOR) provided the possibility of
distinguishing between karyotypes with the same chromosome number
and morphology and to identify all the pairs of homologues in a
diploid set for advanced cytogenetic studies. The karyotype of
Coccophagus lycimnia (Walker) was also examined. The
chromosome data suggested that in Encarsia, karyotype
differentiation has mainly occurred through a series of centric
fusions, although other rearrangements may also have been
significant. The importance of karyological data in systematic
studies and in the identification of biotypes and cryptic species of
economic interest is outlined.
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Do, M.T., Harp, J.M. & Norris, K.C.
A test of a pattern recognition system for
identification of spiders |
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Abstract Growing
interest in biodiversity and conservation has increased the demand
for accurate and consistent identification of arthropods.
Unfortunately, professional taxonomists are already overburdened and
underfunded and their numbers are not increasing with significant
speed to meet the demand. In an effort to bridge the gap between
professional taxonomists and non-specialists by making the results
of taxonomic research more accessible, we present a partially
automated pattern recognition system utilizing artificial neural
networks (ANNs). Various artificial neural networks were trained to
identify spider species using only digital images of female
genitalia, from which key shape information had been extracted by
wavelet transform. Three different sized networks were evaluated
based on their ability to discriminate a test set of six species to
either the genus or the species level. The species represented three
genera of the wolf spiders (Araneae: Lycosidae). The largest network
achieved the highest accuracy, identifying specimens to the correct
genus 100% of the time and to the correct species an average of 81%
of the time. In addition, the networks were most accurate when
identifying specimens in a hierarchical system, first to genus and
then to species. This test system was surprisingly accurate
considering the small size of our training set.
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Floate, K.D. & Fox, A.S.
Indirect effects of ivermectin residues across
trophic levels: Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) and
Muscidifurax zaraptor (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) |
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Abstract Common house
flies, Musca domestica Linnaeus, were reared to
pupation with exposure to ivermectin, washed, and then exposed to
parasitism by Muscidifurax zaraptor Kogan &
Legner. Pupae exposed to ³0.25 ppm ivermectin
produced 63% fewer parasitoids than did control pupae. Pupae exposed
to 0.01 ppm ivermectin produced 23% more parasitoids. Exposure to
0.10 ppm ivermectin had no detectable effect. Treatments did not
affect the developmental time of male or female F1
parasitoids. Treatments did not affect the
production of adult F2 progeny by F1 females, nor the sex ratios of these offspring. This study
documents an indirect effect of ivermectin residues across trophic
levels. It identifies altered host quality as another mechanism by
which faecal residues of ivermectin may affect insect activity in
dung of treated cattle. The importance of this phenomenon under
field conditions is undetermined.
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Hendrickx, G., Napala, A., Dao, B., Batawui, D., De
Deken, R., Vermeilen, A. & Slingenbergh, J.H.W.
A systematic approach to area-wide tsetse
distribution and abundance maps |
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PDF (308k) |
Abstract A raster or
grid-based Geographic Information System with data on tsetse,
trypanosomosis, animal production, agriculture and land use has
recently been developed in Togo. This paper describes the generation
of area-wide digital tsetse distribution and abundance maps and how
these accord with the local climatic and agro-ecological setting.
Results include: (i) a spatial demarcation of ecologically distinct
areas, producing a seasonal cluster map based on seasonal weather
data and temporal series of satellite derived National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) AVHRR and METEOSAT variables: (ii)
tsetse distribution maps of Glossina tachinoides Westwood,
G. palpalis palpalis (Robineau-Desvoidy), G. morsitans
submorsitans Newstead, G. longipalpis Wiedemann,
G. medicorum Austen and G. fusca fusca (Walker);
and (iii) tsetse abundance or ‘risk’ maps, corrected for within
database seasonal fluctuations, for G. tachinoides and
G. p. palpalis. It is concluded that grid-based sampling is
the ideal method for rapid assessment of the current vector and
disease situation within any country or region, and that remote
sensing has an important role to play in planning such a sampling
system.
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Mun, J.H., Song, Y.H., Heong, K.L. & Roderick,
G.K.
Genetic variation among Asian populations of
rice planthoppers, Nilaparvata lugens and Sogatella
furcifera (Hemiptera: Delphacidae): mitochondrial DNA
sequences |
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PDF (189k) |
Abstract Many species
of insects associated with cultivated rice do not over-winter in
Korea and Japan, but migrate into these areas each year. To
understand better the origins of these immigrations as well as the
geographic structure of rice pests in Asian rice growing regions,
intraspecific variation in two species of delphacid planthoppers,
Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) and Sogatella furcifera
Horvath, was examined. An 850 base pair region of mitochondrial DNA
cytochrome oxidase-I (CO-I) was sequenced from a total of
71 individuals collected from 11 localities in seven countries:
Korea, Philippines, China, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Vietnam and
Thailand. In N. lugens, three haplotypes were found and all
populations sampled shared a dominant haplotype. Localities in Korea
contained two haplotypes and localities in China and the Philippines
contained three. However, in samples from the Indochina peninsula no
variation was detected either within or between populations,
consistent with a hypothesis of regular migration and gene flow.
These populations did not contain some haplotypes found in Korea,
suggesting they were not the source of yearly immigration into Korea
and, by extension, Japan. Populations from China did share
haplotypes with Korea, which was consistent with the hypothesis that
China was the source for yearly immigration into Korea. There was
insufficient resolution to distinguish among populations in China.
For N. lugens, the data suggested that populations south of
the Red River Valley in Vietnam experienced regular mixing and were
distinct from populations to the north which contributed to yearly
immigrations. In S. furcifera, there was less
differentiation among populations. Two haplotypes were found in all
populations except Malaysia. The results for both species were
consistent with seasonal weather data and indicated that more
detailed analysis of DNA sequence data will be fruitful.
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Ndegwa, P.N. & Mihok, S.
Development of odour-baited traps for Glossina
swynnertoni (Diptera: Glossinidae) |
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(153k) |
Abstract Three new
prototype traps, (S1–S3), were developed during studies of the
behavioural ecology of Glossina swynnertoni Austen in Kenya
and Tanzania. The traps were compared in latin square experiments
relative to the regular biconical trap as a standard and a selection
of other conventional tsetse traps. Observations were also made on
fly behaviour in the vicinity of traps using electric nets and
sticky materials. When baited with acetone and 1-octen-3-ol, the S1
trap was 3.5 times as effective in catching G. swynnertoni
in Kenya as the biconical trap. In Tanzania, the relative
performance of the S1 and biconical traps differed; also, both traps
were found to be inferior to an all-black, sticky 1-m2
target. A second prototype (S2) performed slightly better than the
biconical trap, but was still inferior to the black target. The
final prototype (S3) was 2.9 times as effective as the biconical
trap and performed as well as the black target. The potential for
further improvement of traps for capturing G. swynnertoni
and flies of the G. morsitans Westwood group is
discussed.
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Skovgård, H. & Jespersen, J.B.
Activity and relative abundance of hymenopterous parasitoids
that attack puparia of Musca domestica and Stomoxys
calcitrans (Diptera: Muscidae) on confined pig and cattle
farms in Denmark |
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(105k) |
Abstract A survey was
conducted on 84 pig and cattle farms in Denmark between August and
October 1996 and 1997. The aim was to describe the activity and
relative abundance of parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae and
Ichneumonidae) that attack puparia of Musca domestica
Linnaeus and Stomoxys calcitrans (Linnaeus). In total,
seven pteromalid species were recovered: Spalangia cameroni
Perkins, S. nigripes Curtis, S. subpunctata
Förster, Muscidifurax raptor Girault & Sanders,
Pachycrepoideus vindemiae (Rondani), Urolepis
rufipes (Ashmead) and Nasonia vitripennis (Walker), an
ichneumonid Phygadeuon fumator Gravenhorst, a diapriid
Trichopria sp., and a staphylinid Aleochara sp.
This is the first time that U. rufipes has been recorded in
Europe. Spalangia cameroni and M. raptor were the
most frequently recorded species in all regions of the country, and
accounted for the main parasitism of Musca domestica and
Stomoxys calcitrans puparia. The overall rate of parasitism
per farm was low: 12.9% of the total number of fly puparia
collected. Direct ordination, used to assess the habitat
distribution of the parasitoids, showed that Muscidifurax
raptor mainly seeks fly puparia in outdoor manure heaps and
especially in manure from pigs rather than from cattle, whereas
Spalangia cameroni mainly seeks fly puparia indoors,
irrespective of livestock.
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Watson, G.W., Voegtlin, D.J., Murphy, S.T. &
Foottit, R.G.
Biogeography of the Cinara
cupressi complex (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on Cupressaceae, with
description of a pest species introduced into Africa |
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Abstract In recent decades, aphids identified as Cinara
cupressi (Buckton) have seriously damaged commercial and
ornamental plantings and native stands of Cupressus,
Juniperus, Widdringtonia and other Cupressaceae in
Africa, Italy, Jordan, Yemen, Mauritius and Colombia. Aphids
currently identified as Cinara cupressi appear to
belong to a species complex. This work was undertaken to identify
the pest, its likely area of origin and any specific natural
enemies, to facilitate a biological control programme. The
biogeography of the species complex was studied using morphometric
analysis of specimens from all the major regions where they have
been collected, and analysis of host-plant ranges, parasitoid
records and host association information. The cause of tree damage
is shown to be an unnamed species, here described as C.
(Cupressobium) cupressivora Watson & Voegtlin
sp. n., which probably originated on
Cupressus sempervirens in a region from eastern
Greece to just south of the Caspian Sea. The remainder of the
complex, Cinara cupressi sensu lato, apparently
consists of three morphologically similar species (C.
sabinae (Gillette & Palmer) and C. cupressi
(Buckton), probably originating in North America, and an
unidentified species). There is insufficient data available to
separate these taxa, or to determine the status of C.
canadensis Hottes & Bradley, so C. sabinae and
C. canadensis are left in synonymy under C.
cupressi (Buckton). Lachniella tujae del Guercio and
L. juniperi signata del Guercio, thought to be
part of the C. cupressi complex, were found to be junior
synonyms of C. tujafilina (del Guercio); these new
synonymies are proposed and lectotypes of L. tujae and
L. juniperi signata are designated.
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