Combining a biotin-enrichment protocol and 454GS-FLX titanium pyrosequencing technology, we characterised 22 polymorphic microsatellite loci from the parasitic wasp, Habrobracon hebetor (Say) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), a cosmopolitan species commonly used in biological control against a wide range of both major lepidopterous pests of stored products and field crops in different parts of the world. Three multiplex PCR sets were optimised and characterised across 46 H. hebetor specimens from two samples collected from millet fields in Niger. Two to 11 alleles were found per locus and observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.289 to 0.826. Polymorphism was detected in both samples with a similar level of observed heterozygosity (0.482 vs. 0.502) and number of alleles (4.1 vs. 3.6). Deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium was detected at the same five loci in both samples and five or seven more loci in each sample but was not associated with heterozygote deficiencies. Even though evidence for linkage disequilibrium was found between a few alleles, these new loci segregated independently. The variability of the 22 loci will enable estimates of genetic diversity and structure patterns, as well as gene flow between H. hebetor populations at different spatial scales. Cross-species amplifications were successful among the six Bracon spp. tested and nine loci will be particularly appropriate for population genetic studies in B. brevicornis., Madougou Garba, Anne Loiseau, Laure Benoit, Nathalie Gauthier., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Insights can be gained by analysing the feeding decisions of animals in terms of nutrient demands at a species or community level. Using carbohydrate and protein food baits, resource use and food preferences of Formica (Serviformica) lemani were determined at nine locations situated at different altitudes (1875 to 2400 m a.s.l.) in the alpine grassland belt above the tree line in Austria and northern Italy. F. lemani is the most common species of ant in this habitat. Sucrose baits placed around ant colonies were visited by significantly (3.9 times) more workers than protein baits. This indicates that sources of sugar (carbohydrate) are in short supply in the alpine zone, whereas availability of prey items appears to be less constraining. Overall, we recorded a decrease in the incidence of visits to baits from low (31.9% baits attracting ants at least once) to high altitudes (16.7%). Foraging ants never visited 51.5% of the baits exposed for periods of 75 min. This indicates that with increasing altitude competition for food among ant colonies becomes less intense in alpine grassland ant communities., Elia Guariento, Jan Martini, Konrad Fiedler., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Dinocampus coccinellae is a parasitoid wasp usually parasitizing ladybird beetles of the tribe Coccinellini. A field survey conducted between March and November 2016 revealed three hosts of this parasitoid in the Srinagar district of the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir: two members of the Coccinellini (Oenopia conglobata and Coccinella undecimpunctata) and one of the Chilocorini (Priscibrumus uropygialis). Proportion of the latter (atypical) host that were parasitized was 0.09 and intermediate between that recorded for C. undecimpunctata (0.06) and O. conglobata (0.14). A series of laboratory experiments revealed that while a member of Coccinellini (O. conglobata) was more often attacked by D. coccinellae than a member of Chilocorini (P. uropygialis), the proportions of each species from which parasitoids emerged did not differ significantly. There were no significant differences between D. coccinellae females bred from O. conglobata and P. uropygialis, with respect to selection of the two host species and their suitability for the development of the parasitoid. However, members of the Chilocorini other than P. uropygialis (Chilocorus infernalis and Simmondsius pakistanensis) were rarely attacked by D. coccinellae and parasitoid larvae did not emerge from any of those attacked. The results of our experiments indicate that in Kashmir Himalayas D. coccinellae is adapted to parasitize hosts belonging to both Coccinellini and Chilocorini., Amir Maqbool, Imtiaz Ahmed, Piotr Kiełtyk, Piotr Ceryngier., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Dryocosmus kuriphilus (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), also known as the Asian chestnut gall wasp, is a non-native invasive species that has recently appeared in many regions of Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula. This species is an important pest of chestnut trees in several regions and is of concern for foresters in these areas. The results of this research revealed 14 different hotspots of infestation of D. kuriphilus and resulted in the development of models that predict the distribution of D. kuriphilus in Spain over the next 37 years (2019-2055). These results indicate a rapid spread in all Spanish chestnut forests and identify areas that are theoretically highly suitable and susceptible to colonization by this cynipid based on predictions of three different niche models. Although D. kuriphilus is able to induce galls on all chestnut trees, the models indicate that there are differences in the suitability of the different regions for this species. This differential suitability results in some areas having better environmental conditions than others for D. kuriphilus, which is a factor that should be taken into account in its management and biological control. This study of the current distribution, patterns of dispersal using GIS and potentially suitable areas for D. kuriphilus, using niche models will assist in the management and control of this pest in Spain., Diego Gil-Tapetado, José F. Gómez, Francisco J. Cabrero-Sañudo, José L. Nieves-Aldrey., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Invasive species disrupt the organization and functioning of many ant communities. Little is known about ant assemblages formerly in areas invaded by the little fire ant. In this study, we surveyed the same areas and compared the ant communities there when an invasive species first colonized the areas and 10 years later, using the same methodology (quadrat and baiting). A total of 83,299 worker ants from 17 species or morphospecies, in 4 subfamilies and 10 genera were recorded in the two periods sampled. Seven ant species were found to co-occur with W. auropunctata while 12 species were collected in the same area 10 years later, with no W. auropunctata recorded in any of the traps. In the absence of W. auropunctata, the number and diversity of ant species increased and the ant communities were dominated by the African big-headed ant, Pheidole megacephala. Our findings indicate that the disappearance of W. auropunctata is probably related to population increases in P. megacephala associated with dramatic changes in landscape. Further studies at other invaded locations should be carried out in order to reveal the generality of these patterns throughout this country.
Ant-aphid mutualism is considered to be a beneficial association for the individuals concerned. The population and fitness of aphids affected by ant attendance and the outcome of this relationship affects the host plant of the aphid. The main hypothesis of the current study is that ant tending decreases aphid developmental time and/or increases reproduction per capita, which seriously reduces host plant fitness. The effect of attendance by the ant Tapinoma erraticum (Latreille, 1798) (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on population growth and duration of different developmental stages of Aphis gossypii Glover (Hemiptera: Aphididae) were determined along with the consequences for the fitness of the host plant of the aphid, Vicia faba L., in greenhouse conditions. The initial aphid density was manipulated in order to study aphid performance due to density-dependent changes in ant attendance. The population growth rate of ant attended aphids was more than that of unattended aphids. However, the ratio of 1st-2nd nymphs to adults in aphid populations attended by ants was lower. The yields of bean plants on which the aphids were attended by ants were significantly greater than those of unattended plants. This study indicates that ants not only increase aphid fitness in terms of their population growth rate, but also benefit the host plant., Afsane Hosseini, Mojtaba Hosseini, Noboru Katayama, Mohsen Mehrparvar., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Diachasmimorpha longicaudata is the most widely used endoparasitoid in biocontrol programmes against various species of tephritids and is continuously mass-reared under laboratory conditions at a constant temperature; however, little is known about how varying the temperature might affect the effectiveness of the mass rearing of immature D. longicaudata. This study aimed to determine the optimum temperature for the development of larvae D. longicaudata the larvae of its host, Bactrocera dorsalis. Third-instar B. dorsalis were exposed for 4 h to five pairs of parasitoids, and then they were kept at one of six temperatures ranging from 19°C to 34°C. The activities of three major antioxidant enzymes (CAT, POX, SOD) were individually measured 4, 24, 48 and 72 h after exposure to each of the six temperatures. The results were as follows: for CAT the highest CAT activities were recorded at 25°C (intervals 5-24 h and 25-48 h), at 28°C (interval 0-4 h) and at 31°C (interval 49-72 h), and for POX and SOD identically at 25°C (intervals 0-4 h, 5-24 h) and at 31°C (intervals 25-48 h, 49-72 h), respectively. Subsequently, the effects keeping the parasitized larvae at these different temperatures on the biological attributes of D. longicaudata reared under laboratory conditions were investigated. The percentage of their eggs that hatched, percentage of adults that emerged, pupal weight and longevity were significantly greater than that recorded for the control when the parasitized host larvae were kept at 28°C for 4 h, 25°C for 5 and 48 h and 31°C for 49 and 72 h.
We investigated the effect of the feeding behaviour of young larvae of Pieris rapae crucivora Boisduval (Pieridae) on parasitism by the parasitoid wasp, Cotesia glomerata (L.) (Braconidae). Young, 1st-3rd instar larvae used approximately three sites for feeding each day. When not feeding, they moved a short distance away from the feeding sites (= feeding marks) and rested. For first, second and third instar larvae, the distances from the new mark, made within 24 h, to larva at rest were, respectively, about 3.5 mm, 5 mm and more than 10 mm. To resume feeding, they moved back to one of the former feeding sites or a new site. The percentage of the feeding marks older than 24 h that attracted parasitoids was less than 50%. Time spent searching for hosts by a parasitoid was short. Larvae placed 5 mm or more from a feeding mark were less parasitized than the larvae placed near a mark. The number of feeding marks affected parasitism. When comparing single-marked and triple-marked leaves, the percentage parasitism of the larvae on the latter was significantly lower than that of the larvae on the former. On triple-marked leaves, parasitoids visited each mark unevenly. Accordingly, the time spent searching each mark differed significantly among the marks. Because of this confusing effect, hosts are considered to be reducing the risk of parasitism. Our results demonstrate that the feeding habits of young larvae of P. rapae crucivora are adaptive in terms of reducing the risk of parasitism by C. glomerata., Aya Nakayama, Keiji Nakamura, Jun Tagawa., and Obsahuje bibliografii
The function and structure of the ovipositor in Hymenoptera have been studied intensively, although there is a lack of information on the external sheaths. We provide here a contribution on the structure of the external sheaths of the ovipositor of the parasitic wasp Aphidius ervi, in particular the secretory structure is described for the first time. These glands are made up of a large epithelial structure that consists a single layer of large secretory cells that occupy most of the lumen of the valve and belong to gland cell class 1. Based on the different features of the glands, a lubricating and/or host marking function is hypothesized and discussed., Sara Ruschioni, Paola Riolo, Roberto Romani, Donatella Battaglia, Nunzio Isidoro., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Brazilian native meliponines are currently threatened by increased human impacts. The assessment of their genetic variation by microsatellite DNA markers can assist in the conservation of populations and help in the planning and establishment of efficient management strategies. The purpose of this study was to develop the first set of microsatellite markers for Melipona fasciculata, selected from partial genome assembly of Illumina paired-end reads. Primer pairs were designed for each detected locus at their flanking regions. Bee samples were genotyped from two different populations of Northeastern Brazil for marker characterization and validation. A total of 17 microsatellite loci displayed polymorphism. Mean HE and HO heterozygosities were 0.453 and 0.536, respectively. PIC across all loci ranged from 0.108 to 0.714. A genetic diversity analysis revealed high values for population differentiation estimates (FST = 0.194, RST = 0.230, and Dest = 0.162) within the investigated region. PCoA and Bayesian clustering showed a separation of the species into two distinct clusters. These microsatellite markers have demonstrated strong potential for population-level genetic studies. Moreover, the preliminary analysis of the genetic diversity in M. fasciculata provides provisional evidence of significant population differentiation between the two studied populations., Geice Ribeiro Da Silva, Isis Gomes De Brito Souza, Fabia De Mello Pereira, Bruno De Almeida Souza, Maria Teresa Do Rego Lopes, Paul Bentzen, Fabio Mendonça Diniz., and Obsahuje bibliografii