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Entomological Review

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ISSN (Print) 1555-6689 - ISSN (Online) 0013-8738
Published by Springer-Verlag

[2216 journals]

Lepidoptera (Insecta) of polar deserts
- Abstract: Abstract Four species of Lepidoptera were found on Bolshevik Island, the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago (the Middle-Siberian Arctic sector). The noctuid Xestia aequaeva (Benjamin, 1934) and the geometrid Psychophora cinderella Viidalepp, 2001 are considered residents, while the pickleworm Gesneria centuriella (Denis et Schiffermüller, 1775) and the plutellid Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus, 1758) were brought to the island by air currents. The records of Xestia aequaeva (78°37′N) and Psychophora cinderella (78°56′N) on Severnaya Zemlya are the northernmost for the families Noctuidae and Geometridae in the entire Palaearctic. The European, Middle-Siberian, and Beringian sectors of the Arctic appear to support two sympatric species of the genus Psychophora. The “last” lepidopterans along the heat gradient in the Northern Hemisphere are Psychophora spp. (including P. cinderella) and Gynaephora groenlandica (Wöcke, 1874). Both may serve as indicators in analysis of long-term climate changes in the Far North. The most important adaptations of Lepidoptera, as well as of other arthropod groups, to inhabiting the polar deserts are polyphagy and the capacity for perennial development, with female flight reduced or absent.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
The role of Ixodes trianguliceps tick larvae in circulation of Babesia microti in the Middle Urals
- Abstract: Abstract The nested PCR method with primers flanking a conserved fragment of the Babesia microti ss-rDNA gene was used to examine 834 larvae of Ixodes trianguliceps ticks engorged to a varying degree, taken off 237 hosts of 12 species (rodents and insectivores). The hosts were collected in southern taiga forests in the lowmountain area of the Middle Urals (Chusovoi District, Perm Province) in 2003–2010. Babesia DNA was detected in 89 (10.7%) larvae from 8 species of small mammals. According to the data obtained by PCR and microscopic methods, either B. microti DNA or the parasites themselves were found in the blood of 45.2% of the mammals. The nucleotide sequences of 15 amplicons of Babesia DNA obtained from larvae of I. trianguliceps ticks and their hosts were identical to those of B. microti available in GenBank. In 13 cases, they were similar to B. microti US-type (a human pathogen) and in two cases (those from I. trianguliceps and from the vole Clethrionomys rufocanus from which it was removed), to B. microti of the Munich strain which is not pathogenic to humans. The duration of feeding on small mammals seems to exert the main influence on the infection rate of I. trianguliceps larvae. The fully engorged larvae contained B. microti DNA more often and usually in greater amounts than those collected during the first days of blood-sucking. The latter usually revealed Babesia DNA in the minimum quantity (< 0.064 ng/μl). According to the data obtained, transovarial transmission of Babesia in I. trianguliceps is unlikely. The processes of horizontal and transstadial transmission appear to be of crucial importance for the functioning of the natural foci of babesiosis.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
New data on the systematics of the species of the Dolichopus sublimbatus Becker group (Diptera, Dolichopodidae)
- Abstract: Abstract The holotype of the species Dolichopus sublimbatus Becker, 1917 is redescribed. Illustrations of the hypopygium of this species are given for the first time. A new species, Dolichopus kuznetsovi sp. n., is described from Primorskii Territory. A key to the species of the Dolichopus sublimbatus group is given.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
The auditory system of blood-sucking mosquito females (Diptera, Culicidae): Acoustic perception during flight simulation
- Abstract: Abstract Mosquitoes hear with their plumose antennae which respond to the air movement caused by sound propagation and conduct vibrations to the Johnston’s organ located at the base of each antenna. Each of the two Johnston’s organs contains several tens of thousands mechanosensory cells which detect the displacements of the flagellum and transform them into electric potentials. Hearing plays a very important role in the reproductive behavior of the male mosquitoes. At the same time, our knowledge of hearing in female mosquitoes is very limited and its functional significance is obscure. In this study we measured the auditory sensitivity of female mosquitoes and investigated how the flight conditions affect their hearing. We studied mosquitoes of three species: Anopheles messeae, Aedes excrucians, and Culex pipiens pipiens. The neuronal responses were recorded with a glass microelectrode from the antennal nerve and the deutocerebral interneurons. Stimulation was applied in two modes: (1) the main stimulus against the background of flight simulation (strong vibration with the typical wingbeat frequency of a given mosquito species) and (2) only the main stimulus without the background stimulation. During the flight simulation, females demonstrated an increased sensitivity to frequencies below 200 Hz. The mean auditory receptor threshold at 80–120 Hz was 45 dB, which was 8 dB lower than that without flight simulation. An additional zone of increased sensitivity was also found at frequencies higher than the simulated wingbeat frequency (the so-called image channel). Our analysis of frequency tuning curves measured from the receptors and auditory interneurons shows that mosquito auditory neuronal complex consists of several subsystems which have different frequency tuning parameters, and suggests the possibility of spectral analysis of sounds. Three hypotheses could be proposed on the function of hearing in female mosquitoes: (1) predator avoidance, (2) detection of moving prey, and (3) intraspecific communication. Each of the hypotheses involves the ability to analyze the sound frequency spectrum and subsequent signal recognition.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
On the distribution and synonymy of some indo-malayan species of the chrysomelid genus Pagria Lefèvre, 1884 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae)
- Abstract: Abstract Pagria pseudograta sp. n. from Sri Lanka is described. Pagria flavopustulata and all its synonyms (Nodostoma kanaraense Jac., P. flavopustulata ab. bicolor Wse., P. signata grandis Chûjô, P. signata var. innotata Pic, and P. nodieri Pic) are placed to synonyms of P. grata Baly. Also, Nodostoma fulvipes Baly with the replacement name N. xanthopus Har., P. vignaphila Bry., and P. aeneicollis Lef. are synonymized with this species. Pagria bipunctata Lef. is placed to synonymy with P. signata (Motsch.). Nodostoma concolor Motsch. is transferred to the genus Pagria. Pagria laevifrons Jac., P. aenescens Jac. and P. recticollis Pic are transferred to the genus Cleoporus Lef. Pagria pallidicolor Pic is transferred to the genus Basilepta Baly. The drawings of the aedeagi of P. pseudograta sp. n. and P. ceylonica Pic are given. The distribution of a number of species is clarified.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
A description of the larva and pupa of Trox mandli (Coleoptera, Trogidae) from the Russian Far East
- Abstract: Abstract The previously unknown larvae of Trox mandli Balthasar of the family Trogidae are described and illustrated. The larva of T. mandli Balthasar differs from that of T. sabulosus (Linnaeus) in shape of the setae on abdominal tergite I, and from that of T. scaber (Linnaeus), in the chaetotaxy of the epipharynx. A key to the known larvae of the genus Trox Fabricius from the Russian Far East is given.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
On the insect fauna of the Kichiga River basin, northeastern Kamchatka
- Abstract: Abstract 189 species of insects from 55 families and 9 orders were found in the Kichiga River basin, northeastern Kamchatka Peninsula in 1987–1994: 7 species of Plecoptera, 7 of Odonata, 1 of Orthoptera, 4 of Homoptera, 6 of Heteroptera, 54 of Coleoptera, 73 of Lepidoptera, 15 of Hymenoptera, and 22 species of Diptera. Most of the insect species present in the Kichiga basin have wide ranges: 55 species and subspecies are Holarctic, 52 species have a broad Palaearctic distribution, 10 are Eastern Palaearctic, 8 are Amphi-Pacific, 8 are circumboreal or circumpolar, 4 are Far Eastern or Pacific; 5 species are endemic or subendemic to Kamchatka or some part of the peninsula.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
New data on the larvae of the weevil tribe baridini (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) from Mongolia and Middle Asia
- Abstract: Abstract The larva of Aulacobaris coerulescens is described for the first time; descriptions of Baris convexicollis and Ulobaris loricata are supplemented. The larvae differ in the structure of the endocarina, front, labrum, and prelabium and in the chaetotaxy of the head, epipharynx, lacinia, and abdominal segment IX. A key to four species of the genus Aulacobaris is provided.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
First records of the western conifer seed bug Leptoglossus occidentalis Heid. (Heteroptera, Coreidae) from Russia and Ukraine, regularities in its distribution and possibilities of its range expansion in the palaearctic region
- Abstract: Abstract The paper presents the first records of the western conifer seed bug Leptoglossus occidentalis Heidemann, 1910 for the fauna of Russia (Rostov Province) and Ukraine (Crimea and Zaporizhia Province). The dependence of the spread of this species on positive and negative temperatures and the availability of food plants is considered. The forecast of further expansion of its range in the Palaearctic Region is given.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
The ovipositor musculature of Carpomya schineri (Loew) (Diptera, Tephritidae)
- Abstract: Abstract The structure of the ovipositor sclerites and musculature was studied in the tephritid fly Carpomya schineri (Loew) whose larvae develop in the fruits of Rosa. The structural characters of the ovipositor of this species facilitating laying eggs into such fruits are discussed. The ovipositor musculature and functioning in Carpomya are very similar to those in Ceratitis and Bactrocera; species of all these genera lay eggs in fruits. In the details of the ovipositor musculature, Carpomya is more similar to Ceratitis than to Bactrocera. The genera Carpomya, Ceratitis and Bactrocera are phylogenetically close but Ceratitis and Bactrocera belong to sister tribes within one subfamily, Dacinae. Thus, morpho-functional similarity of the ovipositor structure may not only reflect close relationship but also result from common adaptive transformations.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
A new subgenus and a new species of the planthopper family lophopidae (Homoptera, Fulgoroidea) from Papua New Guinea
- Abstract: Abstract A new subgenus, Acarnana subgen. n. with the type species Acarna karnyi Baker, is established in Acarna Stål. Acarna fulgoroides sp. n. from Papua New Guinea is described in the nominotypical subgenus. The subfamily Acarninae is downgraded to a tribe, its limits are extended.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
Seven new monotypic genera of African Lasiocampidae (Lepidoptera)
- Abstract: Abstract New monotypic genera are established for African Lasiocampidae: Hecata gen. n. (type species Megasoma splendens Druce, 1887), Selena gen. n. (type species Megasoma vesta Druce, 1887), Tragoptyssa gen. n. (type species Streblote flavimaculata Tams, 1929), Ammacosola gen. n. (type species Beralade pygmula Strand, 1911), Scythropa gen. n. (type species Pseudometa schultzei Aurivillius, 1905), and Cryptopacha gen. n. (type species Metanastria porphyria Holland, 1893), as well as Pellecebra gen. n. for the new species Pellecebra superba sp. n. (type locality is the Democratic Republic of the Congo). New species combinations are also introduced, and new synonymy is established: Pseudometa schultzei Aurivillius, 1905 = Pseudometa scythropa Hering, 1928, syn. n.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
Morpho-ecological characteristics of the xylobiont larvae of the genus Phaonia Robineau-Desvoidy, 1830 (Diptera, Muscidae) with a description of the larva of Ph. canescens Stein, 1916
- Abstract: Abstract The first data on the biology and morphology of the larva and puparium of Phaonia canescens Stein, with additional data on Ph. exoleta (Meig.) and Ph. cincta (Zett.), are given. Keys to the larvae and puparia of the three species studied are compiled.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
Hormonal influence on antimicrobial peptide synthesis by fat body cells of a blowfly, Calliphora vicina R.-D. (Diptera, Calliphoridae)
- Abstract: Abstract The mechanism of septic induction of antimicrobial peptide synthesis in insects is well reported in current papers. On the contrary, there is little data on aseptic, particularly hormonal, regulation of immune defense. Insect neuroendocrinology traditionally considers hormones as regulators of development and reproduction, focusing less attention on their role in regulation of defense reactions. In the present study, the direct influence of ecdysones, adipokinetic hormone, and biogenic amines on antimicrobial peptide synthesis in isolated fat body cells of Calliphora vicina was studied. According to the results, low concentrations of α- and β-ecdysones and high doses of adipokinetic hormone and octopamine can stimulate the fat body activity in vitro. Thus, these hormones are key mediators of the adaptive syndrome, hormonal activation of endogenic antibiotic synthesis which probably takes place in response to extreme stimuli.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
A description of a new species of the cockroach genus Prosoplecta saussure, 1864 (Dictyoptera, Ectobiidae) from South Vietnam
- Abstract: Abstract A new species of the genus Prosoplecta Saussure, 1864 (Dictyoptera, Ectobiidae), P. (Areolaria) vietnamensis sp. n., is described from South Vietnam. Areolaria Brunner von Wattenwyl, 1865 is tentatively considered a subgenus of the genus Prosoplecta. A detailed morphological description of the new species is provided.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
Chalcidoid wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea)—coccid-inhabiting parasites in Vietnam: XII. A new genus and a new species Neoanabrolepis valentinae gen. et sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae)
- Abstract: Abstract A new genus, Neoanabrolepis gen. n. with the type species N. valentinae sp. n., parasitoid of the soft scale Asterolecanium sp. on bamboo in Vietnam, is described in the tribe Habrolepidini Hoffer.
  PubDate: 2013-04-01
A study of the mosquito Culex pipiens (Diptera, Culicidae) population structure in the transcaucasia using molecular identification methods
- Abstract: Abstract The mosquito species Culex pipiens consists of two forms, or ecotypes: the typical pipiens form and the molestus form. These forms are similar morphologically but have significant ecophysiological differences. The Cx. pipiens population structure was studied in open and underground habitats (house basements) in several localities in Abkhazia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. The pipiens and molestus forms were identified by a molecular method, namely by restriction analysis of the amplification products with HaeIII endonuclease. Altogether, 90 individuals from 10 local populations were studied. The pipiens form was found only in surface water bodies (8 cases); in two cases both forms were found in one habitat. Homogeneous molestus populations were recorded in two underground habitats. Analysis of the Cx. pipiens population structure by the molecular method agrees with the results of biological and ecological studies of this mosquito in Georgia by Sh. Sichinava (1974, 1978, 1989). Thus, molecular diagnostics of intraspecific forms in Cx. pipiens populations is doubtlessly reliable.
  PubDate: 2013-03-01
The effect of population density of the lime leafminer Phyllonorycter issikii Kumata (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) on the ratio of intrapopulation forms
- Abstract: Abstract Dependence of the lime moth Phyllonorycter issikii Kumata (Lepidoptera, Gracillariidae) population polymorphism on infestation density of Tilia cordata Mill. was studied for the first time in 2001–2005 at three sites in the city of Izhevsk. The growth of the infestation rate results in an increase in the fraction of the dark morph of the moth significantly differing in the longer wings and higher fecundity.
  PubDate: 2013-03-01
Karyotypic features of Chironomus entis and Chironomus borokensis (Diptera, Chironomidae) from Lake Kotokel (Lake Baikal Basin)
- Abstract: Abstract Karyotypes and chromosomal polymorphism of sympatric sibling species Chironomus entis and Chironomus borokensis from Lake Kotokel were studied. Five inversion banding sequences were found in C. entis, including p’entA16, p’entB9, and p’entF6 that are new for the species; in C. borokensis, four inversion banding sequences were revealed, borA4 being new for the species. The level of chromosome polymorphism in C. entis and C. borokensis can be considered similar: 54.2 and 53.8% heterozygosity, 0.67 and 0.73 inversions per individual, respectively. The new data are compared with those on C. entis population from Lake Kotokel obtained in 1981 and those of C. borokensis from Lake Dukhovoe (Lake Baikal basin) obtained in 1983.
  PubDate: 2013-03-01
Photo-thermal regulation of diapause in Trichogramma piceum Djur. (Hymenoptera, Trichogrammatidae)
- Abstract: Abstract Interaction of the photoperiodic conditions of development of maternal females (day lengths of 2 to 22 h at 20°C) with the thermal regime of development of their progeny (temperature of 12 to 15°C at day length of 12 h) in determination of prepupal diapause in Trichogramma piceum was studied under laboratory conditions. At 15°C the diapause was practically absent. At lower temperatures, the proportion of diapausing prepupae was maximal (25% of larvae at 14°C, 70% of larvae at 13°, and 80% of larvae at 12°C) if the maternal females developed under short day conditions (10–12 h). When maternal females developed at day lengths of 18–20 h, diapause was rarely recorded at all temperatures, while ultra-short (less than 8–10 h) days also caused a decrease in the proportion of diapausing progeny. The right (ecologically important) threshold of this maternal long-day photoperiodic response was about 14–15 h independently of the temperature during the progeny development. These results make it possible to clarify the mechanism of the “maternal photoperiodic correction of the progeny thermal response.” Although the impact of the maternal photoperiodic response can be revealed only within a very narrow thermal range, the relative strength of the diapause-inducing effect of different day lengths is independent of the temperature regimen of the progeny development.
  PubDate: 2013-03-01