Comparative effects of insecticides with different mechanisms of action on Chrysoperla externa （Neuroptera＂ Chrysopidae）＂ Lethal,sublethal and dose-response effects

The comprehensive knowledge that the delayed systemic and reproduction side effects can be even more deleterious than acute toxicity, has caused a shift in focus toward sublethal effects assessment on physiology and behavior of beneficial insects. In this study, we assessed the risks posed by some insecticides with different mode of action through lethal and delayed systemic sublethal effects on the pupation, adult emergence, and repro- duction of the chrysopid Chrysoperla externa （Hagen, 1861; Neuroptera： Chrysopidae）, an important predator in pest biological control. The maximum field recommended dose （MFRD） and twice （2xMFRD） for chlorantraniliprole, tebufenozide, and pyriproxyfen were harmless to C. externa. In contrast, all the tested chitin synthesis inhibitors （CSIs） were highly detrimental to the predator, despite of their lack of acute lethal toxicity. There- fore, the safety assumed by using IGRs toward beneficial insects is not valid for chrysopids. Dose-response data showed that although all CSIs have a similar mechanism of action, the relative extent of toxicity may differ （novaluron 〉 lufenuron 〉 teflubenzuron）. For CSIs, the delayed systemic effects became obvious at adult emergence, where the predicted no observable effect dose （NOED） was 1/2 048 of the MFRD for novaluron （0.085 ng/insect）, and 1/256 of the MFRD for both lufenuron （0.25 ng/insect） and teflubenzuron （0.6 ng/insect）. Finally, this work emphasized the significance of performing toxicity risk assessments with an adequate posttreatment period to avoid underestimating the toxicities of insecticides, as the acute lethal toxicity assays may not provide accurate information regarding the long-range effects of hazardous compounds.     

A large-scale gene discovery for the red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus （Coleoptera： Curculionidae）

The red palm weevil （RPW; Rhynchophorusferrugineus） is a devastating pest of palms, prevalent in the Middle East as well as many other regions of the world. Here, we report a large-scale de novo complementary DNA （cDNA） sequencing effort that acquired ~5 million reads and assembled them into 26 765 contigs from 12 libraries made from samples of different RPW developmental stages based on the Roche/454 GS FLX platform. We annotated these contigs based on the publically available known insect genes and the Tribolium castaneum genome assembly. We find that over 80% of coding sequences （CDS） from the RPW contigs have high-identity homologs to known proteins with complete CDS. Gene expression analysis shows that the pupa and larval stages have the highest and lowest expression levels, respectively. In addition, we also identified more than 60 000 single nucleotide polymorphisms and 1 200 simple sequence repeat markers. This study provides the first large-scale eDNA dataset for RPW, a much-needed resource for future molecular studies.     

Water Striders:The Biomechanics of Water Locomotion and Functional Morphology of the Hydrophobic Surface(Insecta:Hemiptera-Heteroptera)

Water striders are insects living on the water surface, over which they can move very quickly and rarely get wetted. We measured the force of free walking in water striders, using a hair attached to their backs and a 3D strain gauge. The error was calculated by comparing force and data derived from geometry and was estimated as 13%. Females on average were stronger (1.32 mN) than males (0.87 mN), however, the ratio of force to weight was not significantly different. Compared with other lighter species, Aquarius paludum seems stronger, but the ratio of force to weight is actually lower. A. paludum applies about 0.3 mN·cm-1 to 0.4 mN·cm-1 with its mid-legs, thus avoiding penetrating the surface tension layer while propelling itself rapidly over the water surface.We also investigated the external morphology with SEM. The body is covered by effectively two layers of macro-and micro-hairs, which renders them hydrophobic. The setae are long (40 um-60 um) and stiff, being responsible for waterproofing, and the microtrichia are much smaller (<10 um), slender, and flexible, holding a bubble over the body when submerged.     

完全树构建中的关键领域:rRNA 序列与超级树

20年来,分子系统学在理论和实践方面都有飞速的发展.随着可用分子标记和所涉及阶元数量的增多和范围的扩大,以及计算能力的进步,人们对完全树(universal tree)将地球上所有物种囊括在内、描述其间的亲缘关系的系统发育树的憧憬正在逐步成为现实.由于rDNA/rRNA是惟一作为所有细胞生命形式所共有的分子标记,其在构建完全树的过程中具有不可替代的作用.近5年,超级树(supertree)的技术逐步完善,已经在若干类群中有良好的应用,形成了系统发育与进化生物学领域的研究前沿之一,为最终获得完全树奠定了坚实的基础.     

茼蒿素类似物对菜粉蝶幼虫的生物活性及作用机理研究(英文)

以菜粉蝶幼虫为对象对茼蒿素类似物进行了拒食活性筛选,结果表明,12号和20号化合物的活性最高。生测结果表明,在非选择性条件下,12号和20号化合物对菜粉蝶3龄幼虫处理后24h后的AFC50分别为370.00μg/mL和226.93 μg/ml;在选择性条件下,对菜粉蝶4龄幼虫处理后24h后的AFC50分别为398.88?g/ml和280.54?g/ml。20号化合物能明显延迟菜粉蝶卵的孵化,降低菜粉蝶幼虫血淋巴及其蛋白质的含量。盆栽试验结果表明,20号化合物具有较好的保叶效果并对菜粉蝶幼虫具有较好的防效。     

薇甘菊精油化学成分及其对小菜蛾的驱避及产卵抑制作用(英文)

用四臂嗅觉仪测定了小菜蛾对薇甘菊挥发油、芋烯、α-松油烯、里哪醇、β-石竹烯、马鞭草烯酮6种挥发物嗅觉反应,在网室,比较了挥发油及5种挥发物对小菜蛾雌虫产卵的驱避效果。结果表明:薇甘菊挥发油不仅对小菜蛾成虫有明显的驱避作用,而且能显著地减少其成虫在寄主植物上的产卵量。薇甘菊挥发油所含的5种挥发性化合物中芋烯、α-松油烯和里哪醇表现出较强的驱避效果(流量为100-180mL/min)和产卵抑制作用(剂量为10-20μL/株),而小菜蛾对马鞭草烯酮和β-石竹烯的嗅觉反应以及小菜蛾在这两种化合物处理的寄主植物上的产卵量与对照相比无显著差异。     

柄天牛属八种(亚种)雌性生殖器的比较研究(鞘翅目,天牛科,天牛亚科)

记述了柄天牛属8个种(亚种)的雌性生殖器,比较研究了该属雌性生殖器的结构特点.结果表明:柄天牛属雌性生殖器在骨杆形状、受精囊管长短等方面存在不同程度的差异;通过雌性生殖器特征对比,黄颈柄天牛、暗胸柄天牛、红腹柄天牛三者虽然存在一定差异,是否应作为同一种依据不足,故仍保留亚种地位.     

The mitochondrial genome of the plant bug Apolygus lucorum （Hemiptera： Miridae）＂ Presently known as the smallest in Heteroptera

The complete mitochondrial （mt） genome of the plant bug, Apolygus lucorum, an important cotton pest, has been sequenced and annotated in this study. The entire circular genome is 14 768 bp in size and represents the smallest in presently known heteropteran mt genomes. The mt genome is encoding for two ribosomal RNA （rRNA） genes, 22 transfer RNA （tRNA） genes, 13 protein coding genes and a control region, and the order, content, codon usage and base organization show similarity to a great extent to the hypothetical ancestral model. All protein coding genes use standard initiation codons ATN. Conventional stop codons TAA and TAG have been assigned to the most protein coding genes; however, COIII, ND4 and ND5 genes show incomplete terminator signal （T）. All tRNA genes possess the typical clover leaf structure, but the dihydrouridine arm of tRNAser（A6N） only forms a simple loop. Secondary structure models of rRNA genes are generally in accordance with the former models, although some differences exist in certain parts. Three intergenic spacers have never been found in sequenced mt genomes of Heteroptera. The phylogenetic study based on protein coding genes is largely congruent with previous phylogenetic work. Both Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses highly support the sister relationship ofA. lucorum and Lygus lineolaris, and Miridae presents a sister position to Anthocoridae.     

The current and future potential geographic range of West Indian fruit fly,Anastrepha obliqua （Diptera： Tephritidae）

The West Indian fruit fly, Anastrepha obliqua （Macquart）, is one of the most important pests throughout the Americas. CLIMEX 3.0 and ArcGIS 9.3 were used to model the current and future potential geographical distribution of this pest. Under current climatic conditions, A. obliqua is predicted to be able to establish throughout much of the tropics and subtropics, including not only North and South America, where it has been reported, but also southern Asia, northeastern Australia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The main factors limiting the pest＇s range expansion may be cold stress. Climate change expands the potential distribution of A. obliqua poleward as cold stress boundaries recede, but the predicted distribution in northwestern Australia and northern parts of Sub-Saharan Africa will decrease because of heat stress. Considering the widely suitable range for A. obliqua globally and in China, enhanced quarantine and monitoring measures should be implemented in areas that are projected to be suitable for the establishment of the pest under current and future climatic conditions.