Biology and Host Preference of Atheta coriaria (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), an Egg Predator of Nitidulidae and Muscidae1

Data are presented on the development, fecundity, survival, and host preference of Zeteticontus utilis Noyes, a solitary internal parasite of Carpophilus spp. larvae. In the laboratory, successful parasite development occurred in Carpophilus hemipterus (L.) and in C. mutilatus Erichson, but not in two other nitidulids, C. humeralis (F.) and Haptoncus luteolus (Erichson). The male parasite developed significantly faster than the female. The values for the developmental threshold and the thermal constant were 10.4°C and 345 day-degrees for the male and 10.2°C and 370 day-degrees for the female. The mean number of progeny per female was 78.6. Oviposition lasted for an average of 9.5 days, whereas the life span was 12.6 days. Survival of adults was maximal (9.2 days) when fed on 10% honey solution, and minimal when only water, date extract, or no food was supplied (3.2–3.8 days). Even at moderate temperatures (20–;32°C), adult survival was greatly reduced by low RH; this was particularly pronounced at extremely high temperatures. The female parasite showed no ovipositional preference for either C. hemipterus or C. mutilatus, and parasite development in both species was the same (19.0 days). Although development was somewhat faster in large (6–;7 mm) than in small (2–;3 mm) larvae, both sizes were suitable for parasite development. Percent parasitism was similar in all group sizes of larvae. The parasite female was capable of locating its host even when completely hidden inside the food.

The apparent site of aggregation pheromone production in the sap beetle Carpophilus freemani Dobson is described. Small (≈100 μm diameter) disks associated with the tracheal system in the abdomen contain the pheromone in this insect. These structures appeared to be single cells with large nuclei. Similar structures were found in Carpophilus hemipterus (L.), C. lugubris Murray, C. antiquus Melsheimer, C. (Urophorus) humeralis (F.), Stelidota geminata Say, Haptoncus luteolus (Erichson), and Glischrochilus quadrisignatus (Say), suggesting that these structures are a common source of pheromones in sap beetles.

Four predominant species of nitidulid beetles infest dates in the Coachella Valley—Carpophilus dimidiatus (Fabricius), C. hemipterus (Linnaeus), Haptoncus luteolus (Erichson), and Urophorus humeralis (Fabricius). From 1947 to 1951 inclusive, it was found that during the season dates ripen 75 to 90 per cent of the insects present in dates examined were C. dimidiatus, C. hemipterus being second most abundant. Catches by traps baited with fermenting dried peaches from March to July inclusive were predominantly C. dimidiatus, while H. luteolus ranked second. To develop from egg to adult at 80° F, it required: 11.9 days for Haptoncus luteolus; 15.8 days for Carpophilus hemipterus; 20.6 days for Urophorus humeralis; 20.7 days for C. dimidiatus. At 90° F it required: 9.6 days for H. luteolus; 12.4 days for C. hemipterus; 14.7 days for C. dimidiatus; 16.5 days for U. humeralis. It required a longer exposure to kill the larvae of Urophorus humeralis, at 109° and 115° F at 10, 50, and 90 per cent relative humidities, than it did to kill the adults of Carpophilus hemipterus, C. dimidiatus, and U. humeralis. At 120° F this trend was not apparent. Of the adults, U. humeralis was the most susceptible to exposure to high temperatures regardless of humidity. At 109° F it required a longer exposure to kill the adults of C. hemipterus, C. dimidiatus, U. humeralis, and larvae of U. humeralis at 90 per cent relative humidity than it did at 10 per cent. At 120° F the reverse was true. Ethylene chlorobromide and ethylene dibromide appear to be more effective than methyl bromide as fumigants of eggs of Urophorus humeralis. Under similar conditions it required six times as much methyl bromide as ethylene dibromide or ethylene chlorobromide to kill 100 per cent of U. humeralis eggs. Ethylene dibromide proved a more effective fumigant against nitidulid larvae than either ethylene chlorobromide or methyl bromide. Ethylene dibromide is as effective to adults of all four species as ethylene chlorobromide or methyl bromide, or even more so. It required a longer period after fumigation with ethylene chlorobromide and ethylene dibromide for the insects to die than with methyl bromide. Seven days after treatment, dates still contained 80 to 85 per cent of the total bromide initially absorbed from methyl bromide fumigation, 44 to 54 per cent of that from ethylene dibromide fumigation. In laboratory and field experiments it was found that lindane, chlordane, aldrin, dieldrin, heptachlor, parathion, and malathon not only had high initial toxicity to the various species but also an effective residual toxicity. Chlordane and lindane applied as dusts occasionally imparted an off-flavor to dates. Extensive field experiments indicate that a 5 per cent malathon dust applied 3 to 4 weeks before picking is very effective in reducing live beetles and infested dates in the bunch. Benzene hexachloride, dieldrin, and chlordane, at rates of 1½ to 2 pounds per acre dusted onto the surface of the soil and raked in, prevented a high percentage of the beetles from emerging from the treated soil. Indications are that some of these soil treatments may remain effective as long as 1 to 2 months under Coachella Valley conditions.

Natal host and learning as factors in host preference by Spalangia cameroni Perkins (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

A total of 528 samples totaling 37,639 house fly and 11,447 stable fly pupae were collected from 34 confined bovine feedlots and dairies in eastern Nebraska and examined for pteromalid parasites. Parasitism averaged 14.2% for house flies and 7.9% for stable flies. Levels of parasitism were consistent from feedlot to feedlot but were higher on the dairies. Seven parasite species were identified: Muscidifurax spp. made up 56%, Spalangia cameroni 11%, S. nigroaenea 31%, S. nigra 1%, and others 1% of the 5,881 parasites attacking house flies; Muscidifurax spp. made up 25%, S. cameroni 26%, S. nigroaenea 44%, S. nigra 4%, and others 1% of the 979 parasites attacking stable flies. Muscidifurax spp. were recovered significantly ( P = 0.01) more often from house flies, and S. nigra were recovered significantly ( P = 0.01) more often from stable flies. Parasite activity was initially observed during the first week in June and increased to a mean of 20.9% during October. The activity and the species of parasites attacking fly pupae were influenced by the habitat in which the hosts were found

The aggregation pheromone of Carpophilus hemipterus (L.), previously isolated and identified using wind-tunnel bioassays, was field tested in California. A 4-d preliminary study in plantings of figs and stone fruits was followed by long-term studies in a date garden (12 mo) and a stone fruit orchard (11 wk). The pheromone was most effective in combination with host-related coattractants such as fermenting whole wheat bread dough or fermenting fig juice. In the date garden, for example, traps baited with pheromone plus bread dough caught an overall mean of 1,152 C. hemipterus, but those baited with only the pheromone or dough caught only 23 and 3 per trap, respectively. A semisynthetic volatile mixture of methanol, methyl butyrate, propanal, and apple cider vinegar was nearly as effective as fermenting dough as a coattractant and is a practical, longer-lasting alternative to dough. The pheromone was formulated on rubber septa, which were replaced every 2 wk. There was a 45% decrease in trap catch due to aging of septa from wk 1 to wk 2, but the septa retained activity into the second week despite daily maximum temperatures <40°C. In the date garden, peak response to the traps occurred during June (65% of the total catch), although temperatures were favorable for beetle flight throughout most of the year. In all experiments, both sexes responded similarly. Four other nitidulid species responded significantly to the pheromone of C. hemipterus: C. mutilatus Erichson, C. lugubris Murray, C. obsoletus Erichson, and C. (Urophorus) humeralis (F.). Two other nitidulid species in the study plots, C. freemani Dobson and Haptoncus luteolus (Erichson), responded poorly or not at all to the pheromone.

The effect of different aggregation pheromones on attraction of Carpophilus hemipterus (L.), C. mutilatus Erichson, and C. humeralis (F.) was demonstrated in olfactometer and field trials in Israel. Aggregation pheromones act as synergists to attract Carpophilus spp. to host volatiles. Captures in traps baited with the pheromone–host volatiles combinations were higher than in traps baited with host volatiles alone. Carpophilus spp. aggregation pheromones are not entirely species-specific, and pheromones belonging to one species may also enhance attraction of other species. This cross-attraction is not surprising because congeners do have pheromone components in common. Thus, pheromones of C. lugubris Murray and C. freemani Dobson enhanced attraction of C. hemipterus to host volatiles, whereas C. humeralis attraction to host volatiles was enhanced by the pheromones of C. hemipterus and C. lugubris . C. mutilatus exhibited a high degree of activity to its own pheromone. Aggregation pheromones of Carpophilus spp. do not have any effect on Haptoncus luteolus (Erichson). The possibility of using host volatiles–pheromone combinations for monitoring and perhaps even for control of these pests (by mass-trapping or disruption of egg laying and mating) appears very promising.

The host choice and sex allocation decisions of a foraging female parasitoid will have an enormous influence on the life-history characteristics of her offspring. The pteromalid Pachycrepoideus vindemiae is a generalist idiobiont pupal parasitoid of many species of cyclorrhaphous Diptera. Wasps reared in Musca domestica were larger, had higher attack rates and greater male mating success than those reared in Drosophila melanogaster. In no-choice situations, naive female P. vindemiae took significantly less time to accept hosts conspecific with their natal host. Parasitoids that emerged from M. domestica pupae spent similar amounts of time ovipositing in both D. melanogaster and M. domestica. Those parasitoids that had emerged from D. melanogaster spent significantly longer attacking M. domestica pupae. The host choice behaviour of female P. vindemiae was influenced by an interaction between natal host and experience. Female P. vindemiae reared in M. domestica only showed a preference among hosts when allowed to gain experience attacking M. domestica, preferentially attacking that species. Similarly, female parasitoids reared on D. melanogaster only showed a preference among hosts when allowed to gain experience attacking D. melanogaster, again preferentially attacking that species. Wasp natal host also influenced sex allocation behaviour. While wasps from both hosts oviposited more females in the larger host, M. domestica, wasps that emerged from M. domestica had significantly more male-biased offspring sex ratios. These results indicate the importance of learning and natal host size in determining P. vindemiae attack rates, mating success, host preference and sex allocation behaviour, all critical components of parasitoid fitness.

Synanthropic flies are members of order Diptera and considered as medical and veterinary pests. In this study, parasitoid wasps were determined and their natural host preferences in order to select a suitable agent for biological control of flies. The pupae of three species of flies; Musca domestica, Lucilia sericata and Sarcophaga haemorrhoidalis were used as hosts for natural parasitoids. For this issue, as much as 50 pupae of each fly species put in three separate dishes with covered top by a net. These dishes were placed in the field to attract parasitoid wasps. The most parasitic rate was related to N. vitripennis (%17.2). Host preferences of N. vitripennis on M. domestica pupae were higher than observed parasitism on L. sericata and S. haemorrhoidalis. The emerging rate of two parasitoids; P. vindemmiae and S. nigroaenea were one per host pupae. According to the result, N. vitripennis can be an appropriate candidate for use as natural enemy which expected to be effective in controlling various species of synanthropic flies. Therefore, S. nigroaenea was more suitable to biological control of housefly populations.

Oviposition behavior was used to determine if handling time was a reliable indicator of host suitability for oviposition by the ectoparasitic wasps, Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) and Muscidifurax zaraptor Kogan & Legner, on pupae of Sarcophaga bullata Parker, the black blow fly, Phormia regina (Meigen), and the house fly, Musca domestica L. Oviposition behavior of both parasitoids was composed of a series of stereotypic and interdependent events or phases. The duration of behavioral events preceding puparium penetration was influenced by host species, indicating that host recognition depends on some external cue associated with the fly puparium. Total handling time was stereotypic regardless of host species or the number of eggs laid on a host, suggesting that the amount of time invested by N. vitripennis and M. zaraptor in oviposition does not predict clutch size or host preference. When N. vitripennis and M. zaraptor were held together at low host densities, females of N. vitripennis reacted aggressively and interfered with all oviposition attempts by M. zaraptor . Aggression by N. vitripennis toward M. zaraptor subsided when host density was increased, presumably because this was a less competitive situation.

The nitidulid species, Carpophilus mutilatus Erichson, C. hemipterus (L.), C. freemani Dobson, and C. obsoletus Erichson, responded to their aggregation pheromones during a 17-mo study in a California date garden. The pheromones were dramatically synergized by volatiles from fermenting whole-wheat bread dough; pheromones alone attracted only 1.0–29% as many beetles as the combinations with dough, and dough alone attracted only 0–2.9% as many as the combinations. Unbaited controls caught no Carpophilus. C. mutilatus was the most abundant species, and individual trap catches were as high as 63,500 per week. Cross attraction was significant in some cases, especially for C. mutilatus responding to the pheromones of C. hemipterus and C. obsoletus but was minimal compared with responses to the species’ own pheromones. The pheromone of C. lugubris Murray was also tested, but no C. lugubris were detected in the date garden. Two additional nitidulid species were caught consistently: C. (Urophorus) humeralis ( F .) and Haptoncus luteolus (Erichson). C. humeralis responded significantly to all of the pheromones but especially to those for C. hemipterus , C. lugubris, and C. obsoletus in combination with dough. H. luteolus was attracted only to the dough. Adult beetles were present in the dates on the ground throughout the year, but flight activity, as measured by trap catch, occurred erratically. All species had an intense period of flight activity in April and May, following a winter with favorable rains and an abundant food supply. This flight terminated abruptly when dates spilled to the ground during harvest and were hydrated bya rain storm. Flights of C. freemani , C. obsoletus , C. humeralis , and H. luteolus were more frequent in summer than for C. mutilatus or C. hemipterus. Flight activity during December and January was low for all species, but there was great variability in patterns of flight activity. The use of these pheromones is discussed in relation to pest management.

The entry of drug-resistant Salmonella enterica into the food supply is a challenge to public health and food safety. One emerging concern is the role of synanthropic insects for moving microbial pathogens throughout poultry production systems, where insects commonly thrive. We investigated the presence and phenotypic antimicrobial susceptibility of S. enterica from insect and environmental samples from broiler farms. Insects were collected throughout the broiler house and adjacent compost barn. Environmental samples (poultry feed, drinking water, fresh litter, and feces) were collected simultaneously (n=80). Insect gastrointestinal tracts were dissected and pooled (n=57). Recovered Salmonella isolates were serotyped and subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing against 14 medically important antimicrobials. Overall, six isolates were recovered from 137 total samples (4.4%): 3.5% (2/57) from adult house flies (Musca domestica), 15% (3/20) from poultry feed, and 4.8% (1/21) from litter. Salmonella Montevideo (16.7%; 1/6), Typhimurium (33.3%; 2/6), and Kentucky (50%, 3/6) were identified. All but one Salmonella isolate (83.3%; 5/6) demonstrated resistance to at least one antimicrobial. Further research should investigate movement patterns between broiler operations and food processing facilities to establish efficient biosecurity measures to prevent any instances of foodborne pathogen transmission into human food systems.

The goal of this research was to study how the red abdomen Argyrodes（Argyrodes miniaceus）select their two hosts Nephila pilipes and Leucauge magnifica by conducting: (1) field survey: to investigate host preference and to monitor the numbers of A. miniaceus; (2) selection experiments: to test whether A. miniaceus would search and select webs by olfaction or by following their silks; (3) Introduction test 1: to test whether host species or host existence would affect remaining time of A. miniaceus on webs; and (4) Introduction test 2: to test whether different level of food availability and density of A. miniaceus would affect remaining time of A. miniaceus. Over 90% A. miniaceus were found on the webs of N. pilipes, and web monitoring revealed that immigration rate was greater than emigration rate. Selection experiments indicated that A. miniaceus preferred walking along silks, but did not show preference for any kinds of silks. When A. miniaceus was introduced to the web of two hosts, L. magnifica showed intensive expelling behavior until A. miniaceus left, whereas N. pilipes hardly showed such behavior. Therefore host response may be an important factor of host preference. Furthermore, the remaining time that A. miniaceus stayed on webs of L. magnifica without host was significantly shorter than that on webs of N. pilipes without host, suggesting that A. miniaceus may able to actively differentiate host. The higher level of food supply on webs, the longer A. miniaceus would stay, and there was a significant positive correlation between forging time of A. miniaceus and their remaining time, suggesting that food intake may affect the remaining time of A. miniaceus. Based on the results, this research concluded that the following factors: (1) response of hosts, (2) active selection of A. miniaceus on the web, and (3) food availability are the most possible reasons why A. miniaceus prefer the webs of Nephila pilipes.

The genus Placobdella (Glossiphoniidae) has a centre of species concentration in North America. The type species P. costata is the only representative in the Palaearctic region. American Placobdella which feed on turtles are represented predominantly by two common species, P. parasitica and P. rugosa, which geographically overlap in eastern USA and southern Canada. The latter species is morphologically indistinguishable from P. multilineata of southeast USA. These two tuberculated forms are recognised herein as a clade and treated as a single ‘species’ for comparative purposes. Both P. parasitica and P. rugosa clade commonly coexist and feed on the same turtle species without host preference. This paper addresses morphological differences between them. An unexpected finding is that hatchlings of both species are very difficult to distinguish. A morphologically significant observation is that developmental divergence results in tubercle prominence in P. rugosa clade, but tubercle suppression in P. parasitica, the first example of character displacement in the Hirudinea. Morphological differences are interpreted as reflecting interspecific competition, a phenomenon not found in their Palaearctic counterpart. Why do the two American turtle leech species coexist rather than reduce competition by partitioning their food supply?

To understand community and stakeholder perceptions of food supply chains in regional and remote Western Australia (WA). This qualitative study used 19 focus groups with 61 food system stakeholders and 31 community members to understand barriers to and enablers of food supply and perspectives of what good food supply chains look like. A thematic analysis of focus group transcripts was conducted. Barriers included regulatory hurdles, lack of local facilities, limited food delivery, high food costs and lack of skill-sharing. Enablers included employment options, individual food processing skills, quality local food, local food awareness and emergency food relief. Participants envisioned a sustainable, affordable, adaptable and efficient food supply chain with local food access, food literacy, home food growing, culturally appropriate food, strong food supply actor relationships, waste management and food supply chain career opportunities. Recommendations include establishing Food Action Groups (also known as Food Policy Councils)in WA, to facilitate more opportunities for regionally-produced food to be sold within regional WA communities to increase food availability, quality and reduce price;and enhance food literacy in schools, workplaces and communities using evidence-based programs. SO WHAT?: This article provides lived experience perspectives of regional and remote food supply, illuminating key issues across each step of the food supply chain.