The main objective was to develop an artificial diet for two flat-headed borers, Capnodis tenebrionis L. and C. carbonaria Klug. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), which are severe pests of stonefruit plantations in the Mediterranean basin. The effect of proteins from various sources, percentage of cortex tissue in the diet and diet structure on larval growth and survival were investigated. The most successful diet contained 2.8% casein and 4.6% dry brewer's yeast as the protein source. For complete larval development and successful pupation it is essential to include cortex tissue from the host plant in the diet. Mean larval development time was shortened by 10-12 days when reared on a diet containing 20% cortex tissue compared with rearing on diet containing 10% cortex tissue. Two different diet structures were required, a viscous matrix for the first and second instar larvae and drier crumbly diet, which allows the larvae to move within the diet, for older larvae. At 28°C on the artificial diet C. tenebrionis and C. carbonaria completed their development in 2-2.5 months compared to the 6-11 months recorded in Israeli orchards. C. tenebrionis successfully completed two generations on the artificial diet.
Ecological studies on the buprestid beetle Capnodis tenebrionis (Linnaeus, 1767) were carried out in the laboratory and the field. In particular, attention focussed on the effects of seven different temperatures at different times during the day on the movement and feeding activity of this beetle. Field experiments in an apricot orchard recorded the flight activity of C. tenebrionis, with particular reference to the effect of temperature and wind. The experiments highlighted the marked response of movement, feeding and flight activity to increase in temperature. The optimal temperature for feeding, movement and flight was 30°C and above with negative effects occurring at 45°C. Flight generally occurred in the middle of the day. Wind had a negative effect on flight activity. Wind speeds in excess of 4 m/s prevented the insect from taking off. The spread of this phytophagous beetle from one orchard to another is unquestionably influenced by the daily activity and flight behaviour of the adult.
This paper reports a non-native Agrilus wood-boring jewel beetle reared from a stressed and non-native European beech (Fagus sylvatica) tree growing in New York City, USA. Results of two analyses using 759 DNA barcodes of Agrilus corroborate the morphology-based interpretation that this is the first North American record of an unnamed species from the A. roscidus species-group native to the Western Palaearctic. Taxonomy of the entire species-group requires revision, therefore we postpone formal description of the new species and refer to it as Agrilus sp. 9895. This is the 12th non-native Agrilus established in North America. Prior to our study, members of the A. roscidus species-group were not known to develop in Fagus, therefore we hypothesise whether our record is a host plant shift linked to the human-mediated transatlantic dispersal, or a case of an elusive beetle escaping detection in Fagus in its unknown native range. All 759 herein analysed DNA barcodes of Agrilus (including, when present, specimen images and georeferences) are available online at dx.doi.org/10.5883/DS-VGDS010.
We deployed branch traps in an ash (Fraxinus) plantation to investigate how Agrilus planipennis behavior is associated with Fraxinus pennsylvanica condition and dispersal patterns. Data were collected from traps with or without the presence of beetle visual decoys, and from a yearly survey of exit holes. The traps were placed on trees that were either clearly declining, with most foliage arising from epicormic sprouting, or on apparently healthy trees, with little evidence of damage or decline. We calculated correlations of exit holes among neighboring tree rings and also between exit holes and male trap captures. The damaged trees the traps were hung upon had more cumulative exit holes observed than the corresponding healthy trees. However, there was otherwise no evidence that the experiment was biased by differences in exit hole patterns of the surrounding trees. Male captures were greater on decoy-baited traps than controls and this decoy effect was most clearly apparent late in the season when traps were placed on healthy trees. There were also patterns of correlations between male captures and exit hole numbers that may be indicative of short-range mate finding-and dispersal behaviors. Female captures were sparser, but were positively affected by decoys on healthy and declining trees early in the season. Thus, the results suggest that the placement of such traps on healthier trees will maximize detection, and the branch traps also show promise for further use in dispersal studies., Michael J. Domingue, Jennifer Berkebile, Kim Steiner, Loyal P. Hall, Kevin R. Cloonan, David Lance, Thomas C. Baker., and Obsahuje bibliografii
This paper describes previously unreported lateral cuticle splits occurring during the moulting of larvae of the leaf-miners Pachyschelus laevigatus (Say, 1839) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) and Cameraria sp. (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae). In these species the cuticle does not split dorsally during the larval/larval moults as in most insects, but laterally, thus permitting the larva to leave its exuviae sideways rather than vertically. This previously overlooked phenomenon is hypothesized to have evolved independently in both taxa and is an adaptation to life in the vertically limited space of their mines and, therefore, might be found in other organisms confined to similar conditions. The exuvial split in the larva to pupa moult of Cameraria sp. taking place inside a relatively tick and firm cocoon is, however, of the regular dorso-medial type, and, therefore, two different successive types of moult occur within a single ontogenesis. For comparative purposes the common dorsal exuvial split is described and illustrated for the leaf-mining larvae of Profenusa alumna (Hymenoptera: Tenthredinidae), Sumitrosis rosea (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) and the free-living Satonius fui (Coleoptera: Torridincolidae)., Vasily V. Grebennikov., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
V příspěvku je popsán objev larvy jednoho z nejtajemnějších krasců Austrálie – Julodimorpha saundersii. Díky objevu larvy bylo vyjasněno taxonomické postavení rodu na základě srovnávací, larvální morfologie. Nehledě na morfologickou podobnost dospělců rodů Julodimorpha a Julodis (podčeleď Julodinae) bylo na základě larválních znaků potvrzeno, že rod Julodimorpha je samostatným primitivním tribem podčeledi Buprestinae. Objev larvy tohoto rodu je typickým příkladem náhody, která je někdy nutná i při vědeckém zkoumání. Další příklad takové výjimečné náhody je ilustrován na objevu larvy dalšího krasce, Coomaniella violaceipennis z Thajska, jehož larvy se vyvíjejí v korunových liánách pralesních velikánů., The discovery of the larva of one of the most enigmatic Australian Buprestid beetles, Julodimorpha saundersii, is briefly discussed. The taxonomic position of the genus has been clarified using comparative larval morphology. Regardless of the morphological similarity of the adults with the genus Julodis (subfamily Julodinae), the larval characteristics of the genus Julodimorpha confirmed its placement as an independent, primitive tribe of the subfamily Buprestinae. Another example of good luck in scientific research is described, concerning buprestid beetle Coomaniella violaceipennis from Thailand, larvae of which are borers in the canopy climbers., and Svatopluk Bílý.
The species of Lampetis (Spinthoptera) Casey, 1909 of Central America, North America and the West Indies are revised and 31 species are recognized. Six species from the West Indies [L. aurata (Saunders, 1871), L. aurifera (Olivier, 1790), L. bahamica (Fisher, 1925), L. guildini (Laporte & Gory, 1836), L. straba (Chevrolat, 1867), and L. torquata (Dalman, 1823)], eight species from Mexico [L. auropunctata (Kerremans, 1893) (new record for the USA), L. chalconota (Waterhouse, 1882), L. christophi Théry, 1923, L. dilaticollis (Waterhouse, 1882), L. geniculata (Waterhouse, 1889), L. granulifera (Laporte & Gory, 1837), L. mexicana Théry, 1923, and L. obscura Thomson, 1879], three species from Mexico and Central America [L. cortesi (Laporte & Gory, 1837), L. monilis (Chevrolat, 1834), L. simplex (Waterhouse, 1882)], and three from Central America [L. hirtomaculata (Herbst, 1801) = L. insularis (Casey, 1909) syn. n.; L. lesnei (Kerremans, 1910); and L. srdinkoana (Obenberger, 1924)] are redescribed. Seven new species (L. chamela sp. n., L. colima sp. n., L. cyanitarsis sp. n., L. hondurensis sp. n., L. tigrina sp. n., L. viridicolor sp. n., and L. viridimarginalis sp. n.) are described. Three species from Mexico and the United States [L. cupreopunctata (Schaeffer, 1905), L. drummondi (Laporte & Gory, 1836), and L. webbii (LeConte, 1858)], and one species from Mexico (L. chiapaneca Corona, 2004) are not described here, because they were (re)described recently. The diagnosis, distribution, host plants and phenology data of L. chiapaneca, L. cupreopunctata, L. drummondi, and L. webbii are given. Lampetis famula Chevrolat, 1838 and L. variolosa (Fabricius, 1801) are not recognized herein as Mexican species, because they are from South America according to the literature and specimens studied. Information on variation, distribution, and host plants are given for each species. Photographs of dorsal habitus and male genitalia are included.
Environmental degradation caused by climate change greatly affects the forest ecosystems of the Mediterranean region, in particular the sclerophyllous Quercus forests typical of central and southern Spain. An important pest that damages oak trees in this area is Coraebus florentinus (Herbst), a heliophilous and thermophilous insect whose survival could be favoured by the temperature increase associated with climate change. The main objective of this paper was to determine the effect of temperature on the duration and percentage survival of the preimaginal stage of C. florentinus and provide data for determining more precisely when to control for this pest by applying silvicultural techniques. The experiment included six treatments, with 25 branches infested with C. florentinus in each of the treatments, which were kept at different temperatures over the range 15–28°C. The results clearly support the hypothesis that higher temperatures affect the post-larval development of C. florentinus by increasing the percentage survival and shortening the developmental time. In fact, partial correlations confirm that the highest percentages of emergence and survival were recorded when the developmental times were shortest, which occurred at the highest temperatures used. Despite the clear influence of temperature on the development of the preimaginal stage of C. florentinus, additional trials are required to accurately determine future trends in C. florentinus populations. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop monitoring programs in zones affected by C. florentinus and to apply scheduled management techniques that ensure the control of this species., Ana M. Cárdenas, Patricia Gallardo., and Obsahuje seznam literatury