A new green lacewing species of the extinct subfamily Limaiinae (Insecta: Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) from the mid-Cretaceous of Myanmar

Green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) are predators commonly found in coffee plantations in Brazil that can serve as important biological control agents against insect pests such as the coffee leaf miner, Leucoptera coffeella (Lepidoptera: Lyonetiidae). However, the efficacy of different lacewing species in controlling L. coffeella needs to be evaluated before they are used in augmentative biological control programs. Here, laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of the L. coffeella developmental stage on the functional response of 3 species of green lacewings: Chrysoperla externa, Ceraeochrysa cincta, and Ceraeochrysa cornuta. The attack rate, handling time, and the number of prey attacked during 24 h with different densities (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 individuals) of either L. coffeella larvae or pupae were recorded for each of the 3 lacewing species. Based on logistic regression models, all 3 predators showed a Type II functional response when consuming both larvae and pupae of L. coffeella. All 3 species also had similar attack rates (0.0091 larva/h and 0.0095 pupa/h), handling times (3.5 and 3.7 h for larvae and pupae, respectively), and estimated number of prey attacked during the observation period (6.9 larvae and 6.6 pupae) for L. coffeella larvae and pupae. Therefore, our laboratory studies show that the 3 green lacewings Ch. externa, Ce. cincta, and Ce. cornuta have potential for the biological control of L. coffeella, although these results need to be confirmed under field conditions. These findings have implications for the selection of lacewings for augmentative L. coffeella biocontrol.

Coffea canephora (Conilon coffee) has great economic importance for the state of Acre, in northern Brazil. The use of insecticides in this crop has increased considerably in recent years. In order to find species of green lacewing (Chrysopidae, Neuroptera) with potential for use in biological pest control in coffee plantations, we sampled green lacewings during one year in an experimental plantation of Conilon coffee in Acre, in order to assess the diversity, abundance and seasonal occurrence of Chrysopidae species. Samplings were carried out weekly using an entomological net. Overall, 1079 specimens of seven green lacewing species were collected: Ceraeochrysa cincta, Ceraeochrysa claveri, Ceraeochrysa cubana, Ceraeochrysa everes, Chrysoperla externa, Leucochrysa (Nodita) cruentata and Leucochrysa (Nodita) marquezi. Ceraeochrysa cubana was the dominant and constant species, comprising 97% of the sampled specimens and occurring in 82% of the weekly samples. The abundance and constant presence of C. cubana, which preys upon several agricultural pests and has shown resistance to various insecticides, make this species a potential candidate for future programs of biological control in Conilon coffee plantations in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon region.

Elevational diversity patterns can reflect the responses of biodiversity to climate change spatially. We investigate the species diversity patterns of green lacewings (an important predatory group of insects) along the gradient of elevation from the Shaluli Mountains (Mts. Shaluli), which belong to the Hengduan Mountains in southwestern China, one of the important hotspots of global biodiversity. We combined multiple approaches, including Automatic Barcode Gap Discovery (ABGD), Assemble Species by Automatic Partitioning analysis (ASAP), General Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC), Poisson tree processes (bPTP), multi-rate Poisson tree processes (mPTP), to delimit the green lacewings species based on the standard barcoding region of cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). The α-diversity and β-diversity patterns of green lacewings from the Mts. Shaluli along the gradient of elevation were analyzed, with further exploration on how the temperature effect elevational-diversity pattern on broad-scale (county scale) elevational gradients. The DNA barcoding reference library consisted of 40 green lacewing species from the Mts. Shaluli. The α-diversity of green lacewings decreased with the increasing elevation. The temperature was found to have a significant effect on the abundance and Shannon-Wiener diversity index but not on the species richness. Nestedness replaced turnover as the main component of Sørensen’s dissimilarity with the increasing elevation, and greater nestedness occurred at low temperature areas. The combination of a reliable DNA barcoding database could improve the accuracy and efficiency to investigate the species diversity patterns of green lacewings. Temperature, resource, and resultant interspecific competitions may have important roles in explaining the species diversity patterns of green lacewings from the Mts. Shaluli. Priority of conservation should be given to the species at low elevation, middle elevation, and relatively high temperature regions under the background of global climate warming.

Many insects, including green lacewings, migrate seasonally to exploit suitable breeding and winter habitats. Green lacewings are important natural enemies of insect pests worldwide. Here, four dominant green lacewing species, Chrysoperla nipponensis (Okamoto), Chrysopa pallens (Rambur), Chrysoperla furcifera (Okamoto), and Chrysopa formosa Brauer, were investigated for their ability to migrate between northern and northeastern China across the Bohai Strait from late May to late October each year. Furthermore, there were significant interannual and seasonal differences in the number of migratory green lacewings collected. The number of green lacewings in spring was significantly lower than that in summer and autumn, and the highest average number of green lacewings occurred in June. In addition, there were differences in the sex ratio of migrating green lacewings between months, with a greater proportion of females than males. Finally, the seasonal migration trajectories simulated by the HYSPLIT model revealed that the green lacewings captured on Beihuang Island primarily originated from Shandong Province. Accordingly, these findings contribute to our understanding of green lacewing migration in eastern Asia and aid its incorporation within integrated pest management (IPM) packages for several crop pests. Furthermore, long-term tracking of migrant insect populations can reveal ecosystem services and trophic dynamic processes at the macroscale.

Common green lacewings (Chrysoperla carnea complex) form a group of generalist predators important for biological control. Several reports show attraction of these insects to plant volatiles, and a highly attractive ternary compound floral bait has been developed. With aphids being a preferred prey of larvae, one might expect these lacewings to be attracted to aphid semiochemicals, for instance, to aphid sex pheromones, as found for several other green lacewing species. However, in a previous study, we found that traps containing aphid sex pheromone compounds (1R,4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol (NEPOH), (4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactone (NEPONE), and a ternary floral bait attracted fewer individuals than those containing the ternary floral bait alone. In the present study, possible causes for this effect of NEPOH and NEPONE on trap capture were studied. We established that C. carnea complex catches in traps with a ternary floral lure were not influenced by the presence of Chrysopa formosa individuals in traps (attracted by NEPOH and NEPONE) or by synthetic skatole (a characteristic component of Chrysopa defense secretion). A direct negative effect of NEPOH and NEPONE on attraction of C. carneacomplex was found, suggesting active avoidance of these aphid sex pheromone components. This finding is surprising as the larvae of these lacewings prey preferentially on aphids. Possible mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are discussed.

We report here for the first time, the predation of coffee berry borer (CBB) Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) by a green lacewing species, Chrysoperla externa (Hagen). We showed in laboratory the predator ability to access CBB galleries, remove pest immature stages, and prey on them. We also observed predation by third instar larvae on CBB adults. With this note, we add a new predator to the reported list of species still little explored of CBB control.

Green lacewings (Chrysopidae) are predators of soft-bodied pest insects and are among the most important biological control agents in crop protection. Chrysopa spp. are of special importance since, unlike most green lacewing species, adults are also predatory. The current study was undertaken in search of Chrysopa formosa compounds with semiochemical activity. Using coupled gas chromatography-electroantennography (GC-EAG), head and thorax extracts of C. formosa elicited EAG responses to a compound subsequently identified by coupled GC/mass spectrometry, microchemistry, chemical synthesis and GC peak enhancement as (Z)-4-tridecene. In field experiments, this compound decreased attraction of adult C. formosa to (1R,4aS,7S,7aR)-nepetalactol and that of Chrysoperla carnea species-complex to a ternary floral lure, with the inhibitory effect found to be dose-dependent. Our results suggest that (Z)-4-tridecene may serve as a general warning signal among multiple green lacewing species. Perspectives for potential practical applications are discussed.

New species of green lacewings (Insecta, Neuroptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of China

BackgroundBacterial symbionts transmitted from mothers to offspring are found in the majority of arthropods. Numerous studies have illustrated their wide impact on host biology, such as reproduction, behavior, and physiology One of the most common inherited symbionts is Rickettsia spp. (Alphaproteobacteria, Rickettsiales), which are found in about one-quarter of terrestrial arthropods, as well as in other invertebrates. In insect populations, Rickettsia spp. have been reported to cause reproductive modifications and fecundity-enhancing effects. Here, we investigated the incidence and genetic diversity of Rickettsia symbionts in green lacewings (Neuroptera, Chrysopidae), which are best known for their use as biological control agents against crop pests.ResultsWe screened 18 species of green lacewings and allies for Rickettsia and found the symbiont in 10 species, infecting 20–100% of sampled individuals. Strain characterization based on multiple bacterial loci revealed an unprecedented diversity of Rickettsia associated with lacewings, suggesting multiple independent acquisitions. Further, the detected Rickettsia lineages are restricted to a specific lineage (i.e., species or genus) of investigated lacewings, and these associations are stable across multiple sampled locations and points in time.ConclusionsWe conclude that Rickettsia-lacewing symbioses are common and evolutionarily stable. The role of these symbionts remains to be identified, but is potentially important to optimizing their use in biological pest control.

A review of the present knowledge on the taxonomy and distribution of the green lacewings (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae) from Pakistan is presented. So far, 19 species are known to occur in Pakistan including three species newly recorded, i.e., Italochrysa aequalis (Walker, 1853), Italochrysa everetti (van der Weele, 1909), and Tumeochrysa indica Needham, 1909. In addition, there are five undetermined species of Apertochrysa Tjeder, 1966 not determined in this paper. We here describe/re-describe 16 species of the 24 Pakistani green lacewing species. Two new combinations are proposed: Apertochrysa murreensis (Tjeder, 1963) comb. nov., and Apertochrysa vartianorum (Hlzel, 1973) comb. nov. The genus Tumeochrysa Needham, 1909 is recorded for the first time in Pakistan. Identification keys are provided to all known genera and species that occur in Pakistan. Additionally, for each species, taxonomic notes, diagnosis, a complete list of synonyms, and distribution maps are provided.

The family Chrysopidae (green lacewings) is a highly diverse group of Neuroptera, with rich fossil records. The Cenozoic fossils of green lacewings currently comprise 21 genera and 42 species. Here we describe two new green lacewing species of the tribe Chrysopini, tentatively placed in the genus Chrysopa Leach, 1815, namely Chrysopa? extensa sp. nov. and Chrysopa? prominenta sp. nov. from Eocene Baltic amber and Miocene Mexican amber, respectively. These species represent the second chrysopid occurrence and the first record of the tribe Chrysopini from Baltic amber, and the first occurrence of Chrysopidae from Mexican amber, respectively. Both new species are assigned to Chrysopini based on the following characters: the intramedian cell eutriangular without crossvein, and the basal-most RP branch origins distal to the intramedian cell in the forewing.

Evaluation of herbivore-induced plant volatiles for monitoring green lacewings in Washington apple orchards

The adult and third instar of a new genus and new species of leucochrysine green lacewings, Santocellus atlanticis gen. et sp. nov., are described from BrazilOs Atlantic Forest. The Þrst instar of Santocellus riodoce (Tauber) comb. nov. (formerly Leucochrysa riodoce) also is described. These two species share a distinguishing suite of adult and larval features: wings with dark (sometimes pustulate) markings; male with an elongate, cylindrical mediuncus and stiff membrane below; female with round, doughnut-shaped spermatheca having a shallow invagination and a sail-shaped velum that extends anteriorly; larvae with discrete, longitudinal head markings, short mandibles, broad labial palpi, and short, stubby, ventrally projecting terminal palpomeres. With this new genus (Santocellus gen. nov.), the number of genera in the tribe Leucochrysini increases to seven; Santocellus gen. nov. includes three described species: S. atlanticis sp. nov. and S. riodoce comb. nov., both from Brazil, and Santocellus bullata (Tauber) comb. nov., from Peru. RESUMO O adulto e a larva de terceiro instar de novo genero e nova especie de crisopo´deo leucocriso´neo da Mata Atlantica do Brasil, Santocellus atlanticis gen. et sp. nov., sao descritos. O primeiro instar de Santocellus riodoce (Tauber) comb. nov. (anteriormente Leucochrysa riodoce) tambemedescrito. Estas duas especies compartilham um conjunto distintivo de caractero´sticas tanto do adulto como da larva: asas com manchas escuras (algumas vezes pustulosas); macho com mediuncus cilo´ndrico, alongado, com membrana ro´gida ventralmente; femea com espermateca arredondada, em forma de rosca, com uma invaginacao rasa e com o velum grande, em forma de vela, estendendo-se anteriormente; larvas com manchas cefalicas separadas, alongadas longitudinalmente mando´bulas curtas, palpos labiais largos com palpomeros terminais curtos, grossos, projetando-se ventralmente. Com este novo genero (Santocellus gen. nov.), o numero de generos da tribo Leucochrysini aumenta para sete; Santocellus gen. nov. inclui tres especies descritas: S. atlanticis sp. nov. e S. riodoce comb. nov., ambas do Brasil, e Santocellus bullata (Tauber) comb. nov., do Peru.

A new genus and species of green lacewings from Brazil (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae: Leucochrysini) (project)

Many lacewing species (Insecta: Neuroptera) are important predators of pests with great potential in biological control. So far, there is no chromosome‐level published genome available for Neuroptera. Here we report a high‐quality chromosome‐level reference genome for a green lacewing species Chrysopa pallens (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), which is one of the most important insect natural enemies used in pest biocontrol. The genome was sequenced using a combination of PacBio and Hi‐C technologies and assembled into seven chromosomes with a total size of 517.21 Mb, occupying 96.07% of the genome sequence. A total of 12,840 protein‐coding genes were identified and approximately 206.21 Mb of repeated sequences were annotated. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that C. pallens diverged from its common ancestor with Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera) approximately 300 million years ago. The gene families involved in digestion, detoxification, chemoreception, carbohydrate metabolism, immunity, nerves and development were significantly expanded, revealing the potential genomic basis for the polyphagia of C. pallens and its role as an excellent biocontrol agent. This high‐quality genome of C. pallens will provide an important genomic resource for future population genetics, evolutionary and phylogenetic investigations of Chrysopidae as well as comparative genomic studies of Neuropterida and other insects.