The Orthocladiinae (Diptera: Chironomidae) of India genus Cricotopus van der Wulp

This is the eleventh part of our series of studies on Orthocladiinae from India. Two new species of the genus Cricotopus, C. albipes and C. tenuisetosus are described in this paper.     

烟草潜叶蛾的过冷却点测定

为了明确烟草潜叶蛾的抗寒能力,对烟草潜叶蛾三龄幼虫、四龄幼虫、蛹的过冷却点进行了测定,并初步明确了不同龄期、不同寄主植物、冷驯化等因素对其过冷却点的影响。结果表明：不同龄期下过冷却点由低到高排列顺序为蛹、三龄幼虫、四龄幼虫,其中蛹的过冷却点显著低于三龄、四龄幼虫的过冷却点。以烟草和马铃薯为寄主的蛹和四龄幼虫的过冷却点没有显著差异。经过冷驯化处理的四龄幼虫过冷却点低于未经冷驯化的对照组,但差异不显著;经过冷驯化的蛹的过冷却点高于对照组。本研究有助于了解烟草潜叶蛾的抗寒性及其越冬分布区域。     

Role of Caterpillar Silk Thread in Location of Host Pupae by the Parasitoid <Emphasis Type="Italic">Diadromus pulchellus</Emphasis>

Diadromus pulchellus is a solitary ichneumonid parasitoid. Its only known host is the pupa of Acrolepiopsis assectella, a specialist herbivore of Allium species. D. pulchellus females parasitize A. assectella pupae within 48 h after the caterpillars spin their cocoon and begin to pupate. Having observed that the cocoon produced by the leek moth caterpillar stimulates parasitoid egg-laying and that caterpillar leaves a silk thread, we studied the hypothesis that silk thread might be involved in host-finding by the parasitoid. Behavioral tests showed that when D. pulchellus females encounter a host silk thread, they change directions, follow the thread, and quickly locate the host. These findings show that pupal parasitoids can use signals produced by their hosts at the developmental instar preceding the one that they parasitize.     

二点委夜蛾形态特征的初步观察

对二点委夜蛾Athelis lepigone(Moschler)各虫态的外部结构和细微特征进行了系统观察。区分了成虫、蛹的雌雄特征,对成虫足、翅脉结构、幼虫头部、腹足等做了详细描述。该虫成虫和幼虫的主要鉴别特征:翅灰褐色,前翅3条黑褐色的横线呈波浪状,中剑纹为黑色三角形或菱形斑,肾形斑由黑点组成边缘,外侧中凹有白点;幼虫颅侧区有倒"八"字形暗褐色斑纹。腹背具"V"字纹,亚背线深褐色具灰白色边缘。     

沈阳地区室内常见尸食性蚤蝇幼期识别

利用尸食性蝇类发育生物学推断死后间隔时间的前提是对其幼期种属的准确鉴定。本文对沈阳地区室内常见的4种尸食性蚤蝇幼期的主要形态特征进行了描述。结果表明：根据其口器、体壁突起、气门和呼吸角等特征不仅可以区分虫龄,还可以鉴别4种蚤蝇。     

Chemical control of Western Flower Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis Pergande)

Fifty-one pesticides currently registered for use in the UK were tested in the laboratory against Western Flower Thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) maintained on chrysanthemum leaf discs. In an initial screening trial of the pesticides against larval thrips, 14 caused more than 75% mortality three days after exposure. These were tested further against adults and pupae and retested against larvae. A series of glasshouse trials were conducted using the most efficacious pesticides evaluated earlier. Granular and systemic compounds were included in the glasshouse trials since these could not be evaluated satisfactorily in the laboratory. Malathion proved to be the most potent chemical currently registered for control of thrips on a wide range of horticultural crops.     

Mosquito control in Dar es Salaam.

Abstract. In preparation for a trial of polystyrene beads and pyriproxyfen for the control of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, surveys of their breeding were carried out in two contrasting areas of Dar es Salaam, Mikocheni and Ilala, during the dry season.
Sanitation structures (latrines, soakage pits, septic tanks and cess pits) were the most prolific breeding places, totalling 780 in Mikocheni and 1544 in Ilala. Those in Mikocheni were estimated to contain about 1.4 times more mosquito pupae, per site, than in such structures in Ilala. This was both because a higher proportion of sites contained visible water and because sites with water were more likely to contain pupae in Mikocheni. The relative importance of the different types of structure, in terms of productivity, was the same in both areas. Although septic tanks and cess pits made up only 10.5% of the on-site sanitation structures in Ilala, they contained 53% of the total number of pupae in enclosed sites; they were therefore particularly important targets for treatment with polystyrene beads. A survey during the rainy season of sites in Ilala revealed little change in the proportion that were wet, or in the frequency of breeding in those with visible water.
The number, type and area of open breeding sites varied greatly between the two study areas. In Mikocheni the area of open breeding sites was 100 times greater than in Ilala, with 97% of the 13 ,000 m² being flooded grassland. In Ilala all but four of the sixty-six open breeding sites were puddles of sullage water derived from bathrooms. Different strategies for control in open breeding sites are required in the two areas of Dar es Salaam.     

Cold resistance in all life stages of two blowfly species (Diptera, Calliphoridae)

1. Freezing was lethal in the eggs, larvae, pupae and adults of the blowflies Calliphora vicina R-D. and Calliphora vomitoria (L.), but varying degrees of supercooling were found. 2. Cold resistance (as determined by their supercooling capacity) was greatest in eggs (to c. -25 degrees C), and moderate in other life stages (range -7 to -13 degrees C), which was evident from the distributions of their supercooling points. 3. Water contents of all life stages varied from 63% to 77% of fresh weight; pupae of C. vomitoria contain the smallest proportion of water. No relationship between the amount of body water and supercooling ability was detected. 4. Glucose was the major compound in all life stages of C. vicina, with a maximum concentration of 8.22 micrograms mg-1 fresh weight in the adults. In addition, five other potential cryoprotectants occurred in concentrations greater than 0.1% of fresh weight. No correlation between solute concentration and supercooling was observed. 5. Both C. vicina and C. vomitoria have sufficient cold hardiness to avoid lethal freezing in sheltered habitats in southern Britain, which may render diapause unnecessary in both species.     

人促红细胞生成素基因在家蚕体中的高效表达

人促红细胞生成素(EPO)是一种调控红系干细胞增殖、分化和成熟的糖蛋白激素。将合成的EPO cDNA插入杆状病毒转移载体pBlueBacⅢ,使其置于Ph基因强启动子控制之下,获得了转移载体pBlueBacEPO。将pBlueBacEPO DNA与野生型BmNPV DNA共转染BmN细胞,经空斑纯化,获插入EPO cDNA的重组病毒rBmNPVEPO。经Sonthern杂交和PCR扩增鉴定证明人EPO基因已正确组建于BmNPV的预定位置。将重组病毒rBmNPVEPO穿刺接种5龄幼虫和蛹,收集感染第3～5d的幼虫血淋巴和3～6.5d蛹血淋巴。用ELISA检测幼虫血淋巴中EPO表达量高达62800u/mL,蛹血淋巴中表达量达74000u/mL。Western blot结果显示幼虫血淋巴和蛹血淋巴均有一条明显的免疫杂交带,分子量均约为26kD。用TF1细胞对幼虫表达产物进行了生物活性测定,每毫升血淋巴中EPO活性约为63000u。     

Immature stages of Curculionoidea — the weevils of The Snares islands,New Zealand

Abstract

The following weevil species are known from The Snares islands: Anthribidae — Cacephatus aucklandicus, Lichenobius littoralis; Curculionidae — Exeiratus laqueorum, Pentarthrum spadiceum, Notacalles planidorsis, Lyperobius sp., Hadramphus stilbocarpae, Phrynixus laqueorum, Gromilus laqueorum, Nestrius laqueorum, Catoptes brevicornis australis, Oclandius vestitus. The larvae and pupae are described and figured, and keys for their separation are given.     

Ant and silkworm pupae as convenient diets for the development and reproduction of big-eyed bug Geocoris ochropterus (Hemiptera: Geocoridae)

We investigated the influence of convenient diets on big-eyed bug Geocoris ochropterus. Development and reproduction of G. ochropterus fed on convenient diets of ant pupae Oecophylla smaragdina and silkworm pupae Bombyx mori were examined using aphids Aphis gossypii as the control diet. Results showed that Geocoris ochropterus nymphs completed development to adults on all diets. Total average development period was 35.1 days fed on ant pupae, 35.9 days fed on silkworm pupae, and 36.0 days fed on aphids. Head width, body length, forewing length, and fresh body weight of adults were not affected by diets, except for females reared on ant pupae that were significantly heavier than those fed on aphids. There was no significant difference in offspring sex ratio. Total number of eggs deposited per female fed on ant pupae was significantly larger than when fed on aphids, while eggs laid by females fed on silkworm pupae were significantly longer than eggs laid by females fed on aphids. Results suggest that ant pupae and silkworm pupae could be effectively used for mass rearing of G. ochropterus.     

Natural mortality of currant clearwing,Synanthedon salmachus (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae), in New Zealand

Abstract

In a wide-ranging survey of 11 blackcurrant blocks, mortality of currant clearwing, Synanthedon salmachus (L.), was found to range from 1.3% to 9.7% for larvae and from 5.3% to 23.0% for pupae. At least 51% of the mortality was caused by the fungal pathogens Beauveria bassiana, Paecilomyces farinosus, and Verticillium lecanii. One unidentified predatory carabid larvae was collected, and two parasites—Xanthocryptus novozealandicus and Diadegma sp.—were reared from clearwing larvae.     

Early stages and the classification of the milkweed butterflies (Lepidoptera: Danainae)

The Danainae, or milkweed butterflies, are a moderate-sized group of around 150 species that are of considerable ecological, physiological and behavioural interest. There are two currently accepted classifications for the subfamily and the aim of this study was to try to resolve this conflict using characters derived from the eggs, larvae and pupae. The 130 new characters (of which 85 are illustrated) are analysed by both phenetic methods (average linkage cluster analysis and principal coordinate analysis) and by cladistic techniques (Wagner tree, character compatibility analysis and manually derived cladograms). Overall, the results corroborate the more recent classification of the Danainae. However, some points of difference are found and, after component analysis, an alternative classification is presented in accordance with the conventions for constructing annotated Linnaean hierarchies.     

Development and survival of immature Culex annulirostris mosquitoes in southeast Queensland

Abstract. The rates of development and survival of the immature stages of Culex annulirostris were studied in three different breeding sites in the Brisbane area of southeast Queensland: a temporary rain-filled pool (TP), a semi-permanent pool (SPP), and an area of flooded grassland (FG) arising from the overflow of a permanent pond. Parallel observations were made on larvae and pupae either exposed to predation or in predator-free cages for 12 and 15 consecutive days respectively. Development was fastest and survival highest in the warmer TP. Average daily mortality of larvae (L) and pupae (P) was TP: L 8.3%, P 9.5%; SPP: L 25.2%, P 34.6%; FG: L 18.8%, P 35.4%. From life-tables and survivorship curves, survival from first instar to adult was TP 34.8%, SPP 2.0% and FG 4.2%. Mortality from predation was TP 43.2%, SPP 68.7% and FG 69.1 %. Predator density was TP 0.32, SPP 1.48 and FG 1.76 per 300ml sample.