Nutritional composition of black soldier fly larvae feeding on agro-industrial by-products

Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae, Hermetia illucens L. (Diptera: Stratiomyidae), bio-convert organic side streams into high-quality biomass, the composition of which largely depends on the side stream used. In the present study, BSF larvae were reared on feed substrates composed of dried brewers’ spent grains, each supplemented with either water, waste brewer’s yeast, or a mixture of waste brewer’s yeast and cane molasses to obtain 12 different substrates: barley/water, barley/yeast, barley/yeast/molasses, malted barley/water, malted barley/yeast, malted barley/yeast/molasses, malted corn/water, malted corn/yeast, malted corn/yeast/molasses, sorghum-barley/water, sorghum-barley/yeast, and sorghum-barley/yeast/molasses. The crude protein, fat, ash, and mineral contents of the BSF larvae fed each feed substrate were quantified by chemical analyses. The effect of substrate, supplementation, and their interaction on crude protein, fat, and ash contents of BSF larval body composition was significant. Calcium, phosphorus, and potassium were the most abundant macrominerals in the larvae and their concentrations differed significantly among substrates. These findings provide important information to support the use of BSF larval meal as potential new source of nutrient-rich and sustainable animal feed ingredients to substitute expensive and scarce protein sources such as fishmeal and soya bean meal.     

Rapid and repeatable host plant shifts drive reproductive isolation following a recent human-mediated introduction of the apple maggot fly,Rhagoletis pomonella

Ecological speciation via host-shifting is often invoked as a mechanism for insect diversification, but the relative importance of this process is poorly understood. The shift of Rhagoletis pomonella in the 1850s from the native downy hawthorn, Crataegus mollis, to introduced apple, Malus pumila, is a classic example of sympatric host race formation, a hypothesized early stage of ecological speciation. The accidental human-mediated introduction of R. pomonella into the Pacific Northwest (PNW) in the late 1970s allows us to investigate how novel ecological opportunities may trigger divergent adaptation and host race formation on a rapid timescale. Since the introduction, the fly has spread in the PNW, where in addition to apple, it now infests native black hawthorn, Crataegus douglasii, and introduced ornamental hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna. We use this “natural experiment” to test for genetic differentiation among apple, black, and ornamental hawthorn flies co-occurring at three sympatric sites. We report evidence that populations of all three host-associations are genetically differentiated at the local level, indicating that partial reproductive isolation has evolved in this novel habitat. Our results suggest that conditions suitable for initiating host-associated divergence may be common in nature, allowing for the rapid evolution of new host races when ecological opportunity arises.     

Character displacement drives floral variation in Pelargonium (Geraniaceae) communities

Interactions between plant community members are an underexplored driver of angiosperm floral variation. We investigate character displacement as a potential contributor to floral variation in Pelargonium communities. Pelargoniums all place pollen on the ventral sides of their pollinators, potentially leading to interspecific pollen transfer (IPT) in sympatry. We show that the positions of pollen placement and receipt are determined by anther and style exsertion lengths. Using field experiments, we demonstrate that heterospecific species experience higher IPT if they have similar style lengths than when they have greater style length differences. Using crosses, we show that IPT has negative consequences on seed set. In combination, these results suggest that character displacement in style length is likely to reduce IPT and increase female fitness in sympatry. Patterns of style length variation across 29 different Pelargonium communities suggest that character displacement has occurred in multiple communities. Furthermore, analyses using a wide-ranging species pair show that style lengths are more different between sympatric populations than they are between allopatric populations. In addition to pollinators as agents of floral divergence, this study suggests that variation in Pelargonium community structure has driven style length variation through character displacement.     

Molecular detection of Leishmania infection in sand flies in border line of Iran–Turkmenistan: Restricted and permissive vectors

A molecular study was carried out to incriminate sand fly vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) in rural areas of Sarakhs district, Khorassane-Razavi Province, northeastern Iran, in 2011. Sand flies of Sergentomyia with three species and Phlebotomus with six species respectively comprised 73.3% and 26.7% of the specimens. Phlebotomus papatasi was the most common Phlebotomine species in outdoor and indoor resting places. Leishmania infection was found at least in 17 (22%) specimens including Ph. papatasi (n = 9 pool samples), Phlebotomus caucasicus (n = 6), Phlebotomus alexandri (n = 1), and Sergentomyia sintoni (n = 1). The parasites were found comprised Leishmania major (n = 5), Leishmania turanica (n = 10), and Leishmania gerbilli (n = 4). Infection of Ph. papatasi with both L. major and L. turanica supporting the new suggestion indicating that it is not restricted only with L. major. Circulation of L. major by Ph. alexandri, and both L. gerbilli and L. turanica by Ph. caucasicus, in addition to previous data indicating the ability of Ph. alexandri to circulate Leishmania infantum and Leishmania donovani, and Ph. caucasicus to circulate L. major, suggests that these two species can be permissive vectors. The results suggest that Ph. papatasi and Ph. alexandri are the primary and secondary vectors of CL where circulating L. major between human and reservoirs, whereas Ph. caucasicus is circulating L. turanica and L. gerbilli between the rodents in the region.     

Toxicity of baited spinosad formulations to Ceratitis capitata: from the laboratory to the application

GF‐120, a fruit fly bait designed to attract and kill adult fruit flies, was tested in the laboratory and outdoors to determine effects of pre‐treatment diet and bait aging on mortality of Mediterranean fruit fly, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann) (Diptera: Tephritidae). Two spinosad‐based compounds, GF‐120 and Tracer^® Ultra, had generated two distinctive dose–mortality responds, with LC⁸⁰, LC⁹⁰, and LC⁹⁹ values of 2.4, 2.8, and 4.1 p.p.m., and 255, 479, and 1 143 p.p.m., respectively. The residues of GF‐120 drops, after feeding to the flies, generated 14.3% mortality. The droplet size of the baited spray plays an important role. The toxicity of large drops lasted more than that of small droplets. In the field, exposure to the sun further deteriorates the compound, which lost 50% of its toxicity within 6 days. Disappearance of the compound in the field, due to consumption by various insects, also played a role as 50% of the GF‐120 drops disappeared within 7 days. As mortality was directly related to the amount of insecticide eaten, the effect of GF‐120 depended on the feeding status of the flies: well‐fed flies were almost unaffected compared with starved ones.     

The role of biogeography in shaping diversity of the intestinal microbiota in house mice

The microbial communities inhabiting the mammalian intestinal tract play an important role in diverse aspects of host biology. However, little is known regarding the forces shaping variation in these communities and their influence on host fitness. To shed light on the contributions of host genetics, transmission and geography to diversity in microbial communities between individuals, we performed a survey of intestinal microbial communities in a panel of 121 house mice derived from eight locations across Western Europe using pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene. The host factors studied included population structure estimated by microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA, genetic distance and geography. To determine whether host tissue (mucosa)‐associated communities display properties distinct from those of the lumen, both the caecal mucosa and contents were examined. We identified Bacteroides, Robinsoniella and Helicobacter as the most abundant genera in both the caecal content and mucosa‐associated communities of wild house mice. Overall, we found geography to be the most significant factor explaining patterns of diversity in the intestinal microbiota, with a comparatively weaker influence of host population structure and genetic distance. Furthermore, the influence of host genetic distance was limited to the mucosa communities, consistent with this environment being more intimately coupled to the host.     

三种昆虫的营养成分测定

黄粉虫、蝇蛆和大麦虫是市场上最常见的饲用昆虫.本试验采用或借鉴饲料营养成分测定的国家标准方法,测定了3种昆虫的常规营养成分、矿物元素、氨基酸和中长链脂肪酸的含量.结果表明,黄粉虫、蝇蛆和大麦虫的粗蛋白含量(％)依次为50.20、45.62和45.08,粗脂肪含量(％)依次为28.96、30.10和41.71,总能含量(KJ/g)依次为26.16、25.95和28.66;蝇蛆中钙、磷、铁和锰的含量(mg/100 g)最高,依次为500.0、885.7、1.17和3.06,黄粉虫中铜和锌的含量(mg/100 g)最高,分别为1.49和10.51;黄粉虫中支链氨基酸、直链氨基酸、必需氨基酸和总氨基酸的含量(％)均最高,依次为8.51、5.71、16.76和39.88,蝇蛆中苯丙氨酸、谷氨酸和赖氨酸的含量(％)较高,依次为2.71、6.29和3.19;黄粉虫中C14∶0和顺C18∶2的相对含量较高,分别为6.15％和33.17％,蝇蛆中C16∶0和C16∶1的相对含量较高,分别为39.62％和4.08％,大麦虫中C18∶0和顺C18∶1的相对含量较高,依次为23.33％和43.54％.上述结果表明,三种昆虫均具有较高的营养价值,可用于养殖业中蛋白质饲料原料的开发.     

临海柑橘园橘小实蝇种群数量消长规律

【背景】近年来,随着种植结构的改变以及南方携虫水果的频繁调运,橘小实蝇逐渐向北扩散危害,对水果生产造成严重威胁。【方法】2008～2010年应用性诱剂的监测方法对柑橘园橘小实蝇种群数量进行了定点、系统的跟踪监测;并结合气象资料和田间调查情况,通过对当旬成虫数量与当旬及其前延逐句气象要素的筛选来建模,进而确定影响橘小实蝇种群数量的主要气象因子。【结果】临海柑橘园橘小实蝇种群数量时序变化呈单峰型曲线,其性诱成虫初见期在6月下旬至8月初,高峰期在9月上旬至11月上旬,11月中旬后成虫数量逐渐下降,到12月下旬未诱集到成虫。气象因子筛选和建模结果表明,柑橘园橘小实蝇成虫种群数量年度变动以旬平均温度为决定要素,季节性变化以旬降雨量为决定要素。【结论与意义】临海柑橘园橘小实蝇种群数量随温度和土壤湿度的增大而增长。本研究对提高橘小实蝇监测预警水平、有效控制橘小实蝇危害具有重要意义。     

Syntheses of Four Methyl-branched Secondary Acetates and a Methyl-branched Ketone as Possible Candidates for the Female Pheromone of the Screwworm Fly,Cochliomyia hominivorax

6-Acetoxy-19-methylnonacosane (1), 7-acetoxy-19-methylnonacosane (2), 8-acetoxy-19-methylnonacosane (3), 7-acetoxy-15-methylnonacosane (4), and 21-methyl-7-hentriacontanone (5) were synthesized as racemic and diastereomeric mixtures. These are new compounds isolated from an HPLC fraction of the female hexane extract which elicited mating responses in the male screwworm fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax.