Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae), the kudzu bug, is a soybean pest in the southeastern United States. Accidentally introduced into Georgia in 2009 from Asia, kudzu bug can reduce up to 60% of soybean yield when left uncontrolled. There is limited information on the life history of this invasive pest in soybean. The main goals of this research were to investigate the daily flight activity pattern and intra-plant distribution of kudzu bug adults in soybean. This was accomplished through experiments in two locations in North Carolina during 2013 in which dispersing adult kudzu bugs captured on white sticky cards between 0900–1700 h were counted hourly, and adults on plants were visually sampled between 0900–1200 h from soybean maturity group IV to VII plants. Adult captures on sticky cards were higher from 1300 to 1500 h across sampling dates, suggesting that dispersal or flight activity peaks during this interval. When soybean plants were visually inspected, most of the adults formed aggregations on the main stem, with aggregations most common in the middle section of plants. The number of aggregations per plant, the number of adults per plant, and the male-to-female ratio were not influenced by maturity group. Soybean plant height did not affect adult densities per plant. However, densities varied depending on the date of sampling. Implications of this research on kudzu bug biology are discussed.

Paratelenomus saccharalis (Dodd) (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) is an egg parasitoid of Megacopta cribraria (F.) (Hemiptera: Plataspidae). Although the parasitoid has been previously reported in parts of Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia, it was first reported in North America in 2013 on M. cribraria that was introduced from Asia into North America in 2009. Field observations showed that P. saccharalis females readily parasitize eggs of M. cribraria. However, the cues used by the parasitoid for host location have not been investigated. It was hypothesized that P. saccharalis uses olfactory cues to locate M. cribraria. The objective of this study was to test the attraction of P. saccharalis to host-associated cues in Y-tube olfactometer bioassays. Compared to the control of no host plant or eggs, female P. saccharalis showed significantly greater attraction to M. cribraria-damaged soybean, M. cribraria eggs only, and damaged soybean plus M. cribraria eggs, in separate bioassays. However, the parasitoid did not show significant attraction to undamaged soybean. The results suggest that host location by P. saccharalis is mediated by olfactory cues from the soybean host and M. cribraria eggs. This is the first behavioral study to demonstrate the response of P. saccharalis to induced soybean volatiles.

Confocal scanning microscopy is widely used in the biological sciences—from tissue protein expression to the study of fossil amber inclusions. However, it is rarely used in insect taxonomy despite its unique feature for the examination of structural detail in small samples. In this study, we use confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to image certain poorly studied male secondary sexual organs, namely androconial scales, in a group of riodinid butterflies (Lepidoptera: Riodinidae). This group shows cryptic and mimetic morphology, so pheromones are thought to play an important role in mate choice. We found significant interspecific structural differences in androconial patches. The use of CLSM provides a simple, nondestructive and highly effective method to examine complex morphological characters, which could be applied to other structures and taxa across Lepidoptera and other insects.

There is heightened interest in the effects that the provenance of plants in the landscape has on animals inhabiting them. This topic is of great interest for designers of urban ornamental landscapes, which tend to be mosaics of native and exotic plants. Although there is a substantial body of research on insect herbivores, less attention has been paid to arthropod natural enemies. Many commonly grown exotic woody plants were missing from eastern North America for millions of years prior to the arrival of Europeans. Due to the lack of a recent co-evolutionary history with these exotic plants, native natural enemies may be less well able to use the resources provided by them—architectural features and nutritional supplements—than they will those of native plants. Hence, natural enemies will be less numerous and diverse in landscapes dominated by exotic plants. To test this hypothesis, we designed a replicated experiment comprising 0.08-hectare plots planted to congeneric pairs of 16 genera of woody plants from either Eurasia or North America. Spiders attending egg masses of the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) emplaced on leaves of a subset of plant species known to be attacked by this pest, were statistically less abundant in the exotic plots, thus supporting the hypothesis.

Bioassays were conducted to examine the pathogenicity of the fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Ascomycota: Hypocreales), strain NI8, against Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) and its impact on beneficial arthropods including Apis mellifera L., Crysoperla rufrilabris Burmeister, Orius insidiosus Say, Hippodamia convergens Guérin-Méneville, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas), Coleomegilla maculata De Geer, and field-collected Aranea spiders Salticidae and Thomisidae. Insects were treated with four concentrations of NI8 (3.9 × 10⁴, 2.3 × 10⁵, 4.2 × 10⁶, and 1.5 × 10⁷ spores/ml) directly via topical spray. Median lethal concentration (LC₅₀), sporulation response, and resistance ratio were estimated for all species except for the two groups of spiders. No significant differences in mortality (10 d after application) were observed among L. lineolaris, A. mellifera, and C. rufilabris, and all three species were highly affected when exposed to the highest concentrations of B. bassiana with 99.0, 98.2, and 90.0% mortality, respectively. Between 35 and 45% of the tested populations of O. insidiosus, H. convergens, field-collected crab spiders, and C. maculata were killed at 1.5 × 10⁷ spores/ml; whereas only 22 and 27%, respectively, of the field-collected jumping spiders and H. axyridis were killed at 10 d with the same concentration. No significant differences were found between the LC₅₀s measured for L. lineolaris and C. rufilabris 10 d after application. Results suggested that C. rufilabris would be highly affected by the NI8 strain of B. bassiana when applied for control of L. lineolaris. In contrast, B. bassiana appeared to have lower effects on the other beneficial arthropods assayed at the concentrations targeted for L. lineolaris control.

The effect of chlorpromazine (CPZ) on the larval length and width of Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis (Fallén) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) was investigated under laboratory conditions for possible implications for forensic investigations. Fresh beef was treated with one of four concentrations of CPZ (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 μg per g of beef) to simulate postmortem concentrations in CPZ-dosed corpses. Ten replicates of 50 S. haemorrhoidalis eggs each were placed on the treated beef and maintained at 27°C. The length and width of 2 d old and 4 d old larvae were measured for all treatments and replicates, and the presence of CPZ in the treated meats was qualitatively verified using liquid chromatography–mass spectrophotometry coupled with electrospray ionization. Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient revealed significant correlations of CPZ concentration with both larval length and width at the two larval ages (P < 0.001). However, the mean length and width of larvae fed on CPZ-treated beef did not differ significantly from the length and width of larvae fed on untreated control meat, except with larvae fed on 1.5 μg CPZ per g meat (P < 0.001). We conclude from these laboratory assays that S. haemorrhoidalis larvae may prove to be a reliable model to use in the estimation of the minimum postmortem interval in corpses that contain CPZ <1.5 μg/g.

The antennal morphology and sensilla of the banana corm borer, Cosmopolites sordidus Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), were examined. The antennae of C. sordidus were composed of eight antennomeres, a scape, a pedicel, and a flagellum composed of six flagellomeres. The use of scanning electron microscopy facilitated the recognition of five different sensilla types on the antennae of C. sordidus, including sensilla trichodea, sensilla chaetica type 1 and 2, sensilla basiconica, and sensilla furcatea; cuticular plates were also found on the antennae of both males and females. These results provide necessary background information for our ongoing study on electrophysiology and chemical ecology of C. sordidus.

Antimicrobial activity of eggs and the wax covering of eggs has been observed in several tick (Acari) species, but any antimicrobial activity associated with ixodid (Acari: Ixodidae) tick eggs is unknown. The antimicrobial activity associated with eggs, wax extracts from eggs, and eggs from which wax was removed of the ixodids Haemaphysalis longicornis Neumann (parthenogenetic and bisexual populations), Haemaphysalis doenitzi Warburton et Nuttal, Dermacentor silvarum Olenev, and Hyalomma asiaticum Schulze and Schlottke was assessed using an in vitro agar diffusion assay. Eggs of D. silvarum and Hy. asiaticum placed on the agar culture inhibited the growth of gram-negative bacteria but had no activity against gram-positive bacteria. Eggs of H. longicornis (parthenogenesis and bisexual population) and H. doenitzi inhibited the growth of gram-positive bacteria, but not gram-negative bacteria. All eggs from which the wax had been extracted had no activity against either gram-positive or gram-negative bacteria. Organic (chloroform/methanol, 2:1) and aqueous extracts of wax from D. silvarum and Hy. asiaticum eggs inhibited the growth of gram-positive bacteria but had no inhibitory activity against gram-negative bacteria. Organic and aqueous extracts of wax from H. longicornis (parthenogenesis and bisexual population) and H. doenitzi eggs inhibited the growth of gram-negative bacteria, but not gram-positive bacteria. The diverse antimicrobial activities of the eggs and the wax extracted from the eggs of these tick species provide a basis for further study in the identification of novel therapeutic biomolecules.

The pepper weevil, Anthonomus eugenii Cano (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is the most economically important insect pest of peppers. Management studies for A. eugenii require a large and readily available supply of the insects. Our objective was to develop a rearing method for A. eugenii in the laboratory using 1.5-cm diameter glass balls covered with pepper leaves and Parafilm^® M (American National Can, Greenwich, CT). Adults collected from either field or laboratory colonies were equally suitable for initiating colonies or for use in experiments. Glass balls with a layer of pepper leaves covered with parafilm provided an effective substrate for obtaining eggs and larvae when maintained at 26 ± 2°C, 60 ± 20% relative humidity, and at a 14:10 h (L:D) photoperiod. Under these conditions, the highest egg production from colonies using leaf balls and supplemental nourishment was obtained from mature, untreated pepper leaves. Mean (± SE) durations of the pre-oviposition, oviposition, and post-oviposition periods were 2.9 (± 1.2) d, 32.3 (± 4.3) d, and 34.0 (± 11.6) d, respectively. Females produced 54.3 ± 4.3 eggs over their adult lifespan of 59.8 ± 4.9 d; male adult longevity was 80.3 ± 5.9 d. Maximum numbers of eggs or larvae were removed from the leaf balls 4–12 d after adults were introduced. Either a small brush or a sieve with water proved to be equally effective for separating A. eugenii eggs from the leaf balls. We also successfully reared A. eugenii on a diet originally developed for boll weevils, Anthonomus grandis Boheman.

The adaptation to novel host plants is an important factor that facilitates spread of tephritid fruit flies and formation of new biotypes. Bactrocera tau (Walker) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a significant pest and member of the Tephritidae family that has expanded its normal host range from Cucurbitaceae to many other plant families. The objective of this study was to monitor the impact of novel host plants on genetic variation in B. tau. In this study, under laboratory conditions, we examined genetic variation based on microsatellite molecular markers of B. tau when development occurred on one novel host (banana) and two traditional hosts (pumpkin and cucumber) for 15 continuous generations. Analysis of molecular variance showed that the genetic difference (10.39%) among populations feeding on the various hosts was significant, but not among populations from different generations. It appears that host food, more than population generations, played a critical role in genetic variation of B. tau. The effect of hosts on genetic variation of B. tau was greater on the novel host compared with the traditional Cucurbitaceae hosts. The significant genetic variation of the banana-feeding populations was reflected in difficulties of balancing in frequency of gene and genotype, reduced genetic diversity, and more divergent genetic difference.

Field-based research conducted in 2016 in Iran resulted in the collection of ground beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae). Three species—Brachinus (Brachinus) alexandri (F. Battoni, 1984), Sinechostictus (Sinechostictus) lederi (Reitter, 1888), and Amblystomus metallescens (Dejean, 1829)—are reported from Iran for the first time. In addition, Calomera sturmi (Ménétriés, 1832), Bembidion (Nepha) menetriesii (Kolenati, 1845), Bembidion (Peryphus) obscurellum turanicum (Csiki, 1928), and Lionychus (Lionychus) orientalis (K.Daniel, 1901) are reported from the Alburz Province for the first time. Microlestes plagiatus (Duftschmid, 1812) is reported from the Mazandarn Province for the first time and Myriochila (Myriochila) semicircumcincta (Mandl, 1959) is reported from Hormozgan Province for the first time.

A new species of a hematophagous midge, Lasiohelea tianmushana Yu & Yang (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), is described based on morphological features. Specimens were collected in April 2016 with light traps at Western Tianmu Mountain in the Lin'an area in Zhejiang province, China. There are now 67 known species of Lasiohelea from the Palearctic and Oriental regions in China and, to our knowledge, this is the first record of the genus at Western Tianmu Mountain.

Raoiella indica Hirst (Acari: Tenuipalpidae) is recognized as a major global pest of coconut palm, Cocos nucifera L., and also impacts the date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.), other palm species including Elaeis guineensis Jacquin (Carrillo et al. 2014, Florida Entomol. 97: 256–261), banana trees (Musa paradisiaca L.), heliconia (Heliconiaceae spp.), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), and others (Carrillo et al. 2014). The mites damage plants by piercing leaf cells and subsequently sucking on the cellular contents, thus causing tissue chlorosis and eventually necrosis. Large populations on stressed or young plants can even cause plant death (Rodríguez et al. 2007, Rev. Protección Veg. 22: 142–153).