A reappraisal of Athoracophorus bitentaculatus,with comments on the validity of genus Reflectopallium (Gastropoda: Athoracophoridae)

Abstract

The slug Athoracophorus bitentaculatus (Quoy & Gaimard, 1832) is redescribed from material collected in the northern third of the North Island of New Zealand. Its anatomy is described and figured, local variation in the condition of the lateral grooves and mantle is figured, and supplementary information on its biology and distribution is given. Its identity and taxonomy are discussed in the context of earlier work on the species. Evidence is presented for the reduction of Reflectopallium Burton, 1963 to synonymy with Athoracophorus Gould, 1852. A revised key to New Zealand and subantarctic genera of Athoracophoridae is given.     

Comparative Biological Efficacy of Hirsutella thompsonii and Neoseiulus teke for Cassava Mite (Mononychellus tanajoa) Suppression

The biological control potential of Hirsutella thompsonii Fisher (Deuteromycetes: Monilianes) was compared with that of Neoseiulus teke Pritchard and Baker (Acari: Phytoseiidae) for cassava mite, Mononychellus tanajoa (Acari:Tetranychidae), suppression. Mite infestation levels (egg and mite motile counts and damage rating) were lower on H. thompsonii- and N. teke- treated plants than on plants sprayed with water. N. teke reduced the pest attack to a comparable level to that of H. thompsonii . In the field, applications of aqueous suspensions of H. thompsonii at concentrations of 1.2 1011 conidia/ha (CPH) and 6.0 1010 CPH significantly lowered mite infestation on a number of recording dates. As rainfall levels increased, mite infestation and the number of cadavers on the leaves declined. The study showed that H. thompsonii has promise for controlling M. tanajoa when the fungus is applied in harmony with other natural mortality factors.     

Threat-sensitive anti-intraguild predation behaviour: maternal strategies to reduce offspring predation risk in mites

Predation is a major selective force for the evolution of behavioural characteristics of prey. Predation among consumers competing for food is termed intraguild predation (IGP). From the perspective of individual prey, IGP differs from classical predation in the likelihood of occurrence because IG prey is usually more rarely encountered and less profitable because it is more difficult to handle than classical prey. It is not known whether IGP is a sufficiently strong force to evolve interspecific threat sensitivity in antipredation behaviours, as is known from classical predation, and if so whether such behaviours are innate or learned. We examined interspecific threat sensitivity in antipredation in a guild of predatory mite species differing in adaptation to the shared spider mite prey (i.e. Phytoseiulus persimilis, Neoseiulus californicus and Amblyseius andersoni). We first ranked the players in this guild according to the IGP risk posed to each other: A. andersoni was the strongest IG predator; P. persimilis was the weakest. Then, we assessed the influence of relative IGP risk and experience on maternal strategies to reduce offspring IGP risk: A. andersoni was insensitive to IGP risk. Threat sensitivity in oviposition site selection was induced by experience in P. persimilis but occurred independently of experience in N. californicus. Irrespective of experience, P. persimilis laid fewer eggs in choice situations with the high- rather than low-risk IG predator. Our study suggests that, similar to classical predation, IGP may select for sophisticated innate and learned interspecific threat-sensitive antipredation responses. We argue that such responses may promote the coexistence of IG predators and prey.     

巴氏新小绥螨对柑桔全爪螨处理的枳橙叶片挥发物的行为反应

【目的】研究巴氏新小绥螨Neoseiulus barkeri对柑桔全爪螨Panonychus citri及刺吸式昆虫为害柑桔叶片释放的挥发物的行为反应,揭示巴氏新小绥螨的嗅觉反应特点。【方法】采用GC-MS顶空进样法对枳橙叶片常见挥发性化合物、针刺枳橙叶片及其柑桔全爪螨雌成螨取食枳橙叶片挥发物进行定性分析,确定每类化合物的相对保留指数,构建枳橙叶片常见及受害挥发性化合物特征谱库。利用嗅觉测定技术分析巴氏新小绥螨对枳橙叶片挥发物的行为反应。【结果】针刺处理和柑桔全爪螨取食影响枳橙叶片挥发物的组成和含量。两种方法处理时枳橙叶片释放的主要物质为α-蒎烯、水芹烯、4-异丙基甲苯。随着处理加重,增量释放的物质为:cis-π-罗勒烯、月桂烯、柠檬烯、异松油烯,减量表达的物质为2-乙基-1-乙醇和十一烷。在10~(-2)、10~(-4)、10~(-6)和10~(-8)g/m L浓度下,正己醛、正壬醛、乙酸辛酯和正庚醛对巴氏新小绥螨有强烈的引诱作用(P>0.05);月桂烯在10~(-2)、10~(-4)和10~(-6)g/m L浓度下对巴氏新小绥螨有强烈的引诱作用(P>0.05);正壬醇和正辛醇随着浓度增加,对巴氏新小绥螨的引诱作用降低;苯甲醛对巴氏新小绥螨的引诱作用较弱。【结论】巴氏新小绥螨对柑桔全爪螨及刺吸式口器昆虫为害柑桔叶片释放出的挥发物各组分具有不同的行为反应,柑桔及其刺吸式害虫生境中的嗅觉线索在巴氏新小绥螨的寄主定位和生境选择中起着重要作用。     

短时高温暴露处理对双尾新小绥螨Neoseiulus bicaudus Wainstein生长发育的影响

【目的】明确新疆本地种捕食螨双尾新小绥螨Neoseiulus bicaudus Wainstein在遇到短时极端高温胁迫后,对其生长发育和种群发展的影响。【方法】利用短时极端高温处理试验,研究双尾新小绥螨卵和成螨分别在38℃、42℃和46℃下,处理2、4和6 h后的孵化率、存活率以及对其未成熟阶段发育历期和生命参数的影响。【结果】卵经过不同时间高温处理后,随着处理温度的升高,处理时间的延长,卵的孵化率逐渐降低,46℃处理2 h的孵化率仅为42.02%,且在46℃处理超过4 h,其卵不能孵化;其各未成熟阶段发育历期有先缩短后延长的趋势,当在38℃处理2 h时,其发育历期最短为4.82 d。雌成螨经过不同时间高温处理后,雌成螨的产卵量、产卵期和寿命随着处理温度的升高、处理时间的延长有逐渐下降和缩短的趋势;42℃,2 h处理下每雌产卵量最低为19.33粒,其产卵期也是最短为10.09 d;38℃,6 h处理下寿命最短为14.68 d。【结论】短时极端高温处理主要影响双尾新小绥螨卵的孵化率、存活率降低和未成熟阶段的发育历期;影响其雌成螨的产卵量和寿命。     

Factors affecting ambulatory dispersal in the predaceous mite Neoseiulus californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Experiments conducted in the laboratory showed that different biotic and abiotic factors affected the ambulatory dispersal behaviour of Neoseiulus californicus. The experimental set-up comprised dwarf alfalfa (Medicago polymorpha) infested or unifested by Tetranychus urticae. Temperatures were measured with thermocouples. Trials were performed at three temperatures, three prey densities, three light intensities, two relative humidities (RHs) and two vegetative states of alfalfa plants, turgid and withered. Deutonymphs were the most dispersive followed by young ovipositional females. High temperatures (35°C), high light intensities (40 000 lux) and drought-stressed alfalfa increased the dispersal of N. californicus. The availability of food in the environment and high moisture (80% RH) slowed down dispersion. The main factors which seem to elicit dispersal behaviour are the deprivation of food and high temperatures which result in an increase in the walking speed of the mite. In addition, other factors tested either increase or reduce the ambulatory dispersal of N. californicus. According to our results, individuals could move from ground cover into apple trees before spring. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

Long‐term preservation of a collection of Rhizoctonia solani using cryogenic storage

Rhizoctonia solani is an important plant pathogen for a number of crops and maintaining an extensive collection of reference isolates is important in understanding relationships of this pathogen with multiple hosts. Current long‐term storage methods typically call for frequent transfer increasing the risk of changes in morphological, physiological or virulence characteristics. Cryopreservation using storage in liquid nitrogen (LN) was evaluated to examine the potential for storage of a R. solani culture collection containing 106 isolates (primarily from sugar beet). Cultures were stored on autoclaved barley grains in the vapour phase of LN. After 60 days, 5 years and 10 years in storage, all isolates were tested for viability by calculating the percentage of barley grains from which R. solani mycelia grew. Five years after initial storage, all isolates except one had no change in viability. After 10 years in storage, 67 of 106 isolates had no significant decrease in viability, 39 of 106 isolates had a significant decrease in viability but only 9 isolates had less than 10% growth, with 4 having no growth. A subset of isolates stored for 10 years were tested for pathogenicity on a susceptible (FC901) and resistant (FC703) sugar beet germplasm. All isolates tested maintained approximately the same level of virulence that they had prior to storage on both germplasms. This indicates that cryogenic methods are suitable for the preservation or storage of R. solani culture collections, although efficacy may vary with individual isolates.     

Functional responses of Iphiseius degenerans and Neoseiulus teke (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to changes in the density of the cassava green mite, Mononychellus tanajoa (Acari: Tetranychidae)

The functional responses of protonymph and adult female Iphiseius degenerans and Neoseiulus teke to increasing density of three stages of their prey, the cassava green mite (CGM), Mononychellus tanajoa, were studied on excised cassava leaf discs under laboratory conditions. The responses obtained were predominantly sigmoid type III curves with the highest plateau when both stages of I. degenerans and N. teke were preying on CGM eggs. In all cases, the predation rate of the former species exceeded that of the latter. The empirical data were fitted by four different models. From the models, the attack coefficient (a) and handling time (T _h) were estimated. For a given predator stage (protonymph or adult female), the predator's attack coefficient declines and handling time increases as the prey gets larger. For a given prey stage, the predator's attack coefficient increases and handling time decreases as the predator stage becomes larger.     

Absorption and cannibalism: do phytoseiids conserve egg resources when prey densities decline rapidly?

The number of eggs oviposited or left in the opisthosomas of dead mites (total eggs) was assessed for Metaseiulus occidentalis (Nesbitt), Neoseiulus fallacis (Garman), Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten or Amblyseius andersoni Chant when each was caged with either (1) no Tetranychus urticae Koch, (2) only odours of T. urticae, (3) ten eggs of M. occidentalis or (4) ten nymphs of M. occidentalis (T. pyri for M. occidentalis). The total eggs for the no prey versus odour tests did not differ within species; the levels were the greatest for N. fallacis > T. pyri > A. andersoni > M. occidentalis. Among treatments, egg means did not differ for M. occidentalis but they did for N. fallacis and T. pyri and similar trends were seen for A. andersoni. Egg means were usually less for mites held with ten predator nymphs than mites held with ten predator eggs or with no prey. Were adult females with nymphs absorbing rather than ovipositing their eggs or dying with them in their opisthosomas? Activity levels (walking) for adult females were no more for mites held with nymphs versus no food. The data indicated that interference by nymphs was not increasing the energy use of females and thus reducing egg levels. However, tests with ten nymphs, one egg and no adult female had egg losses from nymphal predation that could account for fewer eggs in cage tests. Overall, no evidence for absorption was found. If it occurs, it must be among younger eggs or mites exposed to less rapid prey losses than were the mites tested here; in addition, other stimuli may cause absorption. The total eggs in sticky-tape tests were greatest for N. fallacis > M. occidentalis > T. pyri > A. andersoni. Cage versus stick-tape data differed most for M. occidentalis because of cannibalism. All four mites cannibalized eggs but M. occidentalis did most rapidly and extensively. When starved, it laid all of its eggs before the other three species did. Such behaviours may enhance survival of M. occidentalis when prey become scarce.     

Response of Neoseiulus fallacis Garmen and Galendromus occidentalis Nesbitt (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)-Damaged Hop Humulus lupulus (L.) (Urticales: Cannabaceae)

Abstract 1 The response of Neoseiulus fallacis Garmen and Galendromus occidentalis (Acari: Phytoseiidae) to Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae)‐damaged and undamaged hop, Humulus lupulus (L.), plants was tested using a Y‐tube olfactometer. 2 Neoseiulus fallacis but not G. occidentalis was attracted to volatiles from T. urticae‐damaged hop plants when paired with undamaged plants. 3 The response of N. fallacis to these volatiles was stronger for plants severed at the soil surface than for intact plants. 4 There was no difference in the response of N. fallacis to severed or intact hop plants that had no spider mite damage, indicating that artificial wounding by severing alone does not elicit the production of attractive volatiles detectable to N. fallacis. These results are consistent with the existence of cross‐talk between signalling pathways initiated by feeding damage and artificial wounding that result in elevated levels of predator‐attracting volatiles.