Encystment of the ciliate Boveria teredinidi in the tissues of the molluscan woodborer Bankia gouldi in Barnegat Bay,New Jersey

Histological sections of Bankia gouldi from several stations in Barnegat Bay, New Jersey, were found to contain encysted Boveria teredinidi. The process of encapsulation appeared to be of the leukocytic type, and there was usually considerable leukocytic infiltration into the tissues in the areas of the cysts. No cysts were observed in tissues of Teredo navalis, T. furcifera, or T. bartschi, although ciliates were observed on the gill surfaces of these species. This report is believed to be the first of encystment in B. gouldi.     

Native and introduced range surveys for egg parasitoids of Agrilus auroguttatus,an invasive pest of native oaks in California

The invasive goldspotted oak borer, Agrilus auroguttatus Schaeffer (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), has caused extensive mortality to indigenous oaks in southern California. This woodborer is native to southern Arizona where low population densities may, in part, be due to the presence of co-evolved natural enemies. Surveys were conducted in Arizona and California from June to August 2013 by deploying sentinel egg masses in an attempt to attract, collect and identify potential egg parasitoids of this beetle that could be used for a classical biological control programme in California. In total, 18,052 A. auroguttatus eggs were deployed throughout the native and introduced range. Parasitoids did not attack any eggs deployed in Arizona or California. The inability to detect egg parasitoids could be explained by the following: (1) host-specific egg parasitoids of A. auroguttatus do not exist, (2) surveying time did not coincide with peak activity of egg parasitoids or (3) surveying methods were insufficient at detecting egg parasitoids.     

寄生钻蛀害虫的瘦角姬蜂属(膜翅目,姬蜂科)二新种及中国已知种检索表

报道寄生天牛的瘦角姬蜂属Ischnoceros Gravenhorst,1829 2新种:天牛瘦角姬蜂I.eutetraphae sp.nov.,寄生直脊天牛Eutetrapha sedecimpunctata(Motschulsky) ;松瘦角姬蜂I.laricinus sp.nov.,寄生云杉花墨天牛Monochamus saltuarius Gebler。编制了中国已知种检索表。天牛瘦角姬蜂,新种Ischnocero s eutetraphae sp.nov.(图1 ~3)新种与北海道瘦角姬蜂I.sapporensis Uchida,1928 ,相近,可通过下列特征区别:并胸腹节基区与中区由横脊分隔,侧突高为触角第2鞭节直径的1.5 ~1.6倍;腹部第2节背板具横细纹;翅基片褐色;中足基节大部分为红褐色;中足腿节红褐色或主要为红色。北海道瘦角姬蜂:并胸腹节基区与中区合并,无横脊分隔,侧突高约等于触角第2鞭节直径;腹部第2节背板具刻点;翅基片褐黑色;中足基节和中足腿节黑色。正模♀,辽宁新宾, 546m, 2005-08-20 ,盛茂领。副模: 1♀,辽宁新宾, 546m, 2005-06-09 ,盛茂领; 1 ♂,吉林伊通, 336m,2005-05-17 ,盛茂领。寄主:直脊天牛Eutetrapha sedecimpunctata(Motschulsky)。寄主植物:紫椴Tilia amurensis Rupr.。松瘦角姬蜂,新种Ischnoceros laricinus sp.nov.(图4 ~7)本种与三峡瘦角姬蜂I.sanxiaensis Wang,1997相近,可通过下列特征区别:并胸腹节第1侧区具清晰的斜纵皱;腹部第3 ~6节背板具横细纹;产卵器鞘长为后足胫节长的1.4~1.6倍;产卵器腹瓣端部,在脊的内侧具1粗糙区。三峡瘦角姬蜂:并胸腹节第1侧区具清晰的刻点;腹部第3 ~6节背板具稠密的刻点;产卵器鞘长约为后足胫节长的1.1倍;产卵器腹瓣端部无粗糙区。正模♀,吉林大兴沟, 586m, 2005-07-02 ,盛茂领。副模: 1♀,1 ♂,吉林大兴沟, 586m, 2005-07-01 ~03 ,盛茂领; 1 ♂,辽宁新宾, 546m, 2005-06-10 ,盛茂领; 1♀,3 ♂♂,辽宁本溪, 418m, 2006-06-20 ,盛茂领。寄主:云杉花墨天牛Monochamus saltuarius Gebler。寄主植物:兴安落叶松Larix gmelinii(Rupr.)Rupr.。瘦角姬蜂属中国已知种检索表1.额具稠密的横皱……………………………………………………2额无皱………………………………………………………………32.并胸腹节基部中央具1半圆形深凹,基区两侧的纵脊平行;产卵器腹瓣端部,在纵脊的内侧具1段粗糙的纵带;后足腿节黑色……………………………暗足瘦角姬蜂I.pedipullus Sheng并胸腹节基部中央无半圆形凹,基区两侧的纵脊向前强烈分散;产卵器腹瓣光滑,无粗糙的纵带;后足腿节红色赤足瘦角姬蜂I.rusticus(Geoffroy)…………………………………………3.腹部第3 ~6节背板具稠密的刻点三峡瘦角姬蜂I.sanxiaensisWang………………………………………………………………腹部第3 ~6节背板具稠密的细横线纹…………………………44.产卵器腹瓣端部,在纵脊的内侧具1段粗糙的纵带松瘦角姬蜂,新种I.laricinus sp.nov.……………………………………产卵器腹瓣光滑,无粗糙的纵带…………………………………55.腹部第1节背板的中纵脊至少伸抵气门;第2节背板具清晰的横线纹;基节具较大的红褐斑;中足腿节红褐色或主要为红色天牛瘦角姬蜂,新种I.eutetraphae sp.nov.………………………腹部第1节背板的中纵脊至多伸达基部至气门的一半;第2节背板无横线纹;基节黑色;中足腿节黑色………………………………………北海道瘦角姬蜂I.sapporensis Uchida     

Host selection behavior mediated by differential landing rates of the walnut twig beetle,Pityophthorus juglandis,and associated subcortical insect species,on two western North American walnut species,Juglans californica and J. major

The walnut twig beetle, Pityophthorus juglandis Blackman (Coleoptera: Scolytidae), vectors a phytopathogenic fungus, Geosmithia morbida Kolařík et al. (Hypocreales), which causes thousand cankers disease (TCD) in walnut (Juglans sp.) and wingnut (Pterocarya sp., both Juglandaceae) trees. We investigated an early point in disease inception in two walnut species – Juglans californica S. Wats. and Juglans major (Torr. ex Sitsgr.) Heller – native to riparian forests of the western USA by comparing P. juglandis flight and landing responses to small-diameter branch sections. Twenty unbaited branch sections (10 each of J. californica and J. major) were presented in a completely randomized design to populations of P. juglandis at the USDA Agricultural Research Service, National Clonal Germplasm Repository (NCGR) Juglans collection located at Wolfskill Experimental Orchards (Winters, CA, USA) and at the California State University, Chico, Agricultural Teaching and Research Center (ATRC, Chico, CA). These assays were carried out within a 4- to 6-year period when weekly flight surveys with aggregation pheromone-baited multiple funnel traps revealed that P. juglandis flight activity–abundance was higher at the NCGR than at the ATRC. For the landing rate assays, adhesive-coated acetate sheets were wrapped around the branch sections and exchanged weekly. Three assays were completed at the NCGR (assays 1–3), whereas one assay was completed at the ATRC (assay 4). Landing rates on these traps were compared between J. californica and J. major. Two additional assays (5 and 6) were completed at the NCGR to compare responses to branch sections of J. californica and to similarly sized cardboard tubes (negative control). All six assays were completed over a 4-year span during the 4- to 6-year weekly flight survey period. Pooled landing rates of male and female P. juglandis (assays 1–4) demonstrated a preference by both sexes for J. californica over J. major. In assay 5 there was no preference by males or females for J. californica over the negative control, perhaps due to the low flight activity–abundance of P. juglandis during the assay. When repeated at a time of higher flight activity–abundance (assay 6), male and female landing rates on J. californica exceeded those on the negative control. Females of the invasive fruit-tree pinhole borer (an ambrosia beetle), Xyleborinus saxeseni (Ratzeburg), and an invasive bark beetle, Hypothenemus eruditus Westwood (both Coleoptera: Scolytidae), showed relatively higher flight responses than either sex of P. juglandis during most assays, suggesting higher population densities of these two other invasive species at the two orchards or a greater sensitivity to host volatiles. Xyleborinus saxeseni and H. eruditus preferred to land on J. major over J. californica and on J. californica over the negative control. Similarly, an invasive longhorned beetle, Nathrius brevipennis (Mulsant) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), showed a significant preference for J. major over J. californica, but not for J. californica over the negative control. More male N. brevipennis were trapped than females at both study sites [sex ratio ranged from 5:1 (assay 6) to 39:1 (assay 4)], and flight occurred only in the spring and early summer months. Another ambrosia beetle trapped at the NCGR and ATRC, Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff, represented the first records of this species from western North America. In summary, flight responses recorded in some of our assays for P. juglandis and several other subcortical insects on Juglans indicate that host preference by these insects may be determined by long-range olfactory cues that do not involve pheromones.     

Screening known Cerambycidae pheromones for activity with the Peruvian fauna

1. Semiochemicals are powerful tools for the surveillance and suppression of forest insects. Although the literature on the chemical ecology of and use of semiochemicals to manage the Cerambycidae is growing, little is known about the chemical ecology of Cerambycidae fauna in Peru.
2. Trapping studies that screen known attractants in off-shore mitigation programs can provide valuable baseline knowledge to inform management of species introduced outside their native range.
3. Known Cerambycidae pheromones were screened for activity in a year-long field study in Peru to look for activity in the local Cerambycidae fauna.
4. The most frequently captured species were Megacyllene andesiana (Casey), Oreodera bituberculata Bates, Aegomorphus longitarsis (Bates) and Discopus eques Bates.
5. The activity period of A. longitarsis, O. bituberculata and D. eques occurred in mid-September 2020 and for M. andesiana occurred in early October 2020.
6. Responses to anti-2,3-hexanediol, fuscumol and fuscumol acetate by M. andesiana, O. bituberculata and D. eques were observed.
7. We observed antagonism of the responses of M. andesiana, O. bituberculata and D. eques when anti-2,3-hexanediol, fuscumol and fuscumol acetate were tested in blends.

     

Protein self-marking by emerald ash borer: an evaluation of efficacy and persistence

Understanding the dispersal ability of invasive insects provides useful insights for developing effective management strategies. Historically, methods for marking insects for dispersal studies have been expensive, time-consuming, labor-intensive, and oftentimes ineffective, especially for woodboring beetles. Also, capturing or rearing insects requires human handling, which can alter behavior. Protein immunomarking is a well-established technique for studying the dispersal of insects; however, it has not been applied to woodborers. This study evaluates the potential for using protein immunomarkers applied directly to woodborer-infested trees to mark emerging beetles. Specifically, in the first experiment, we sprayed varying concentrations of ovalbumin (egg white) solution directly onto logs infested with emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coleoptera: Buprestidae, Agrilini). In turn, an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the presence of protein on emerged beetles. To test the persistence of the mark, we applied varying concentrations of albumin to freeze-killed beetles, mounted them on pins, and placed them over various time intervals in an exposed location outdoors. Adult EAB self-marked as they emerged from protein-treated trees, with higher protein concentrations persisting for longer on the cuticle. This technique offers a convenient, inexpensive, and durable means of marking woodborers and circumvents the need for human handling, allowing for more natural behavior and more realistic estimates of dispersal. Protein self-marking may find application in studies of woodborer dispersal within natural forest environments.