Factors attracting the sheep headfly, Hydrotaea irritans (Fallén) (Diptera:Muscidae), with a note on the evaluation of repellents

Oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis Hendel. captures were higher on yellow and white than on orange, red, light green, dark green, blue, and black spheres hung in guava ( Psidium guajava L.) trees. Captures were greater on 4-cm than on 2-cm yellow spheres. During a series of four l-wk study periods, mean numbers of D. dorsalis captured on yellow and white spheres were 4.4 and 6.3 flies per sphere, respectively. Four species of D. dorsalis parasitoids were also captured on 4-cm yellow and white spheres: Biosteres arisanus (Sonan), Psyttalia incise (Silvestri), Biosteres vandenboschi (Fullaway), and Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead). These species constituted 84.1, 5.3, 5.3, and 5.3%, respectively, of the total braconid parasitoids captured on yellow spheres and 83.3, 10.5,3.1, and 3.1%, respectively, of the total parasitoids captured on white spheres. Mean numbers of B. arisanus , the most abundant opiine parasitoid, were 1.6 wasps per yellow sphere and 0.8 wasp per white sphere. This research indicates yellow or white spheres would be useful devices for monitoring D. dorsalis and parasitoid populations simultaneously.

Similar to that of other Rhagoletis species, color response of the walnut husk fly, R. completa Cresson, varies with the shape of an object. Yellow was the preferred color when combined with a rectangular trap shape. Green rectangles were also quite attractive. When given a choice of yellow, green, red, and blue spheres, husk flies preferred green spheres, especially those whose reflectance pattern matched that of the walnut husk. Yellow spheres were as attractive as green spheres but only during the first weeks of fly emergence when reproductive activity was still low. The response of R. completa to green spheres can be explained in relation to its reproductive behavior. Green spheres apparently mimic the nuts, which are the mating as well as the oviposition site for the husk fly. No difference was detected in color response between male and female husk flies. Ammonia odor, generally considered a feeding-type olfactory stimulus, enhanced the response to yellow rectangles and green spheres several fold but at a loss of selectivity. This research supports the use of yellow rectangles and green spheres for monitoring.

This study aimed to quantify effects of the host plant on oogenesis in the walnut‐husk‐infesting fly, Rhagoletis juglandis Cresson (Diptera: Tephritidae), and to assess the role of physical cues in those effects.In laboratory assays, the presence of fruit was manipulated independently of the presence of foliage for newly emerged females. After eight days, in each of two trials, females with fruit were found to have significantly higher egg loads than females without fruit. Foliage presence had little effect.In a second experiment, females held with fruit or a fruit model (plastic yellow sphere of a size similar to fruit) had significantly higher egg loads than females held with neither fruit nor model. Egg loads of females with fruit were not significantly different from those of females with models.In a third experiment, females were held with spheres of various colours or no sphere at all. Females with yellow or green spheres (similar to the colour of walnut fruit) had significantly higher egg loads than females with black, blue or red spheres of other colours or females without spheres.In a fourth experiment, females held with spheres had significantly higher egg loads than females held with cubes of equivalent surface area or females held without a model.Finally, cohorts of newly emerged females held with yellow spheres or without spheres were sampled periodically. In the sphere treatment, mean egg load increased sharply from negligible levels between days 8 and 10. The pattern was similar in the no‐sphere treatment, although the increase in egg load appeared to occur a day later.From these experiments, we conclude that physical host fruit stimuli known to be important in host selection in Rhagoletis flies, including colour and shape, also enhance oogenesis in the first egg maturation cycle, and that enhancement of oogenesis via these stimuli requires neither nutritional input from the fruit nor prior egg deposition.

Sticky red spheres can be used to capture western cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis indifferens Curran (Diptera: Tephritidae), but red spheres have not been definitively shown to be more attractive than yellow traps. The objective of this study was to compare fly captures on ammonia-baited red spheres and yellow spheres and panels so that sensitive detection traps for fly management can be identified. Nontarget insects could interfere with fly captures, so weights of nontarget insects on traps were also determined. Yellow spheres and panels generally caught more flies than red spheres. More males than females were caught on nearly all red and yellow traps. Saffron Thread, Marigold, Sunny Summer, and Yam Yellow spheres and panels were bright yellow and generally caught more flies, especially females, than Cherry Cobbler Red or Tartar Red spheres. Twenty Carat Yellow and Glorious Gold spheres and panels were less bright and caught fewer flies than bright yellow traps and similar numbers of flies as Tartar Red spheres, respectively. Dry weights of nontarget insects on at least one yellow trap type were greater than on red spheres in only 4 of 10 tests. Results show that bright yellow spheres and panels capture more R. indifferens than red spheres and do not consistently capture greater amounts of nontarget insects than red spheres, suggesting that they should be used instead of red spheres for detecting this fly.

<p>Global warming and population growth increase the need for better management of freshwater resources, in particular in arid and semi-arid regions. Due to increased rainfall variability,  reservoirs became a vital management tool that stores the water during rainfall, thus decrease flood risks and supply water during drought periods. However, large amounts of water are lost by evaporation, which markedly affects reservoirs’ function of ensuring water availability. In Egypt, about 20.0% of the country's Nile share (12.1 to 15.4 billion m<sup>3</sup>) are lost annually by evaporation from Lake Nasser. The floating covers, i.e. spheres, shade the water surface and act as a physical barrier that decreases energy flux into the water, thus decrease evaporation. Studies that compare the evaporation suppression efficiency of the floating covers, over different climatic conditions, while considering its impact on the water ecology are limited.</p><p>A field experiment in an outdoor setting (class A-pan) was conducted for nine months (March to November) in two locations that vary in their climatic conditions, i.e. Aswan and Damanhur, representing northern and southern Egypt, respectively. The water surface was covered by white, black, or multicolor spheres, in addition to the control. Daily evaporation rate (ER), water temperature (WT), evaporation suppression efficiency (ESE), were determined. Moreover, the microalgae growth was measured as an indicator of water ecology.  </p><p>Obtained results revealed massive evaporation losses from the uncovered water surface (control) in Aswan location, in which the nine-month average was 2.25 times higher than in Damanhour location. The floating spheres reduced ER in both locations, in particular the white spheres. The ESE in Aswan was less than in Damanhour location. The ESE in Damanhour was 63.38, 58.13, and 54.8%, while in Aswan was 48., 42.5, and 41.6% for white, multicolor and black spheres, respectively. Floating spheres decreased WT in the morning and mid-day, while in the evening the control treatment was the coldest, indicating partial isolation of covered water surface. Irrespective of the spheres’ color, the spheres had no detrimental effect on microalgae growth, indicating enough light penetration and gas exchange through the gaps between spheres.</p><p>In conclusion, the floating spheres is an effective mean for evaporation suppression and its efficiency is dependent on the climate and spheres’ color. The ESE of spheres is lower in environments with lower relative humidity. The white spheres are recommended for evaporation suppression without negative impacts on microalgae growth which could be a viable indicator for the ecology of the water ecosystem. Further studies on larger water reservoirs are needed while considering several aquatic organisms.</p>

The Effectiveness of Malaise Traps, H-Traps, and Sticky Traps for Collecting Horseflies (Diptera: Tabanidae)

Twenty-four trap types representing all combinations of 4 colors, 3 shapes and 2 sizes were evaluated for visual attractiveness to irradiated, laboratory-reared Mexican fruit flies, Anastrepha ludens (Loew), released into a grapefruit orchard when 1-3 days old. Spheres and vertically oriented rectangular panels were not significantly different in attractiveness summed over spring, summer and autumn seasons. Horizontally oriented rectangles were much less attractive than spheres and vertical rectangles. Larger rectangles (13 by 18 cm) and spheres (13 cm diam.) were more attractive than smaller rectangles (10 by 13 cm) and spheres (8 cm diam.). Yellow, green and red were equally attractive summed over trap shapes, sizes and seasons. Red was less attractive than green in spring and summer but more attractive in autumn. Relative attractiveness of yellow compared to green was less affected by season. Overall, vertical rectangles were more attractive than spheres in spring while spheres were more attractive in autumn. In spring, red spheres were more attractive than vertical red rectangles while yellow and white rectangles were more attractive than yellow and white spheres. Traps in trees with mature grapefruit generally captured more flies than those in trees with only small, immature fruit. Small spheres were more attractive than small vertical rectangles to females in trees with small, immature fruit but were less attractive than small vertical rectangles in trees with mature fruit. Overall, the best traps were the large sizes of the 6 combinations of yellow, green and red spheres and vertical rectangles that captured 8 times as many flies as the least attractive traps.

The attractiveness of colored spheres was compared in the field for several tabanid species. Black and red spheres were highly attractive to all the species. Tabanus illotus was attracted nearly equally to black, gray, and white silhouettes. The attractiveness of gray and white spheres for the other species decreased rapidly with increasing reflectance. Green and yellow spheres were unattractive for all species. Two-dimensional black silhouettes attracted only a small number of tabanids. Three-dimensional black silhouettes with plane surfaces attracted larger numbers of flies. Glossy black silhouettes with convex curvature in the vertical plane were much more attractive than other silhouettes. Interpretations of these results are presented.

Dispersal of immature male and female Queensland fruit fly, Bactrocera tryoni (Froggatt) (Diptera: Tephritidae), was assessed over a period of 1 week from a single release point on three separate occasions using an array of Lynfield traps baited with cue‐lure and odouriferous yellow or black sticky spheres baited with food lure (protein autolysate). Lynfield traps recaptured males; yellow or black spheres recaptured both sexes in approximately equal proportions, although at a much lower rate. As a percentage of the recapture rate for males by Lynfield traps, the mean recapture rate for yellow spheres ranged from 1.0% to 7.5% for males and 0.7% to 4.0% for females, whereas the recapture rates for black spheres ranged from 0.4% to 3.6% and 0.6% to 1.8%, respectively. The rate of recapture of sterile male flies was greater than that of unsterilised flies; this may have been due to a faster maturation rate in sterile males or because a greater proportion of them remained within the trap array rather than dispersing. There was no significant trend in recapture rate with distance from the release point to the edge of the array (88 m), except in the case of females on sticky traps where no trend was detected between 19 and 88 m. These results lend support to assumptions made about the distribution of males and females with respect to the minimum breeding density of fruit fly propagules invading a fly‐free zone, and the method chosen to distribute sterile B. tryoni for the sterile insect technique.

The West Indian fruit fly, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart), is considered one of the most important pests of several fruit crops in Latin America. Studies on the sensorial ecology of A. obliqua may contribute to the improvement of a trapping system for monitoring this fruit fly species. In this study, we investigated the responses of both sexes of A. obliqua to different visual cues and to the combination of visual and chemical cues in field cages tests. Both sexes were more attracted to lime-green, orange, and yellow spheres than to red, black, or white spheres. Flies were more attracted to three-dimensional models than to flat models. A. obliqua was more attracted to 8-, 10-, and 12-cm-diameter spheres than to 4- and 6-cm-diameter spheres. Flies were more attracted to lime-green spheres baited with mombin fruit odor, Spondias mombin L., than to spheres offering either visual or cues alone.

1. Yolk of a egg was fixed with 10% acrolein-0.05M phoshate buffer (pH 7.4) of LUFT11) by keeping in a cold dark place for 5-7 days and frazen sections of 3-7μ thickness, usually of 5μ, were prepared. Some of the sections were stained for lipid with Sudan IV or Sudan Black B-55% ethanol solution, 1% Nile Blue A solution, or BAKER'S acid hematein. Other sections were post-fixed with the HELLY solution and stained with Azan or extracted with pyridine and submitted to the SCHIFF reaction (acrolein-SCHIFF reaction).Experimental hens were given diet mixed with Sudan IV or Sudan Black B, or given intravenous injection of dye colloid solution, and the time the yolk spheres were formed was presumed from the striations of the dye formed inside the yolk.The shape of striped patteren of the dye in the yolk seemed to suggest that there might be a kind of potential flow in the growing yolk and a test was made with an electrical model. For the circuit, a KOHLRAUSCH bridge used in hydrodynamics was employed. A brass ring was provided with insulators corresponding to the blastodisc and a highresistance part corresponding to the periphery of the blastodisc, and 10% sodium chloride solution was filled inside the brass frame. An electrode was placed in the center of the ring, and a weak alternating current was passed to such a degree that there would not be any heat generation. Resistance in the high-resistance part was varied to obtain isopotential curves.2. White yolk spheres are distributed in latebra, neck of latebra, nucleus of Pander, and yolk surface layer around the blastodisc, and only yellow yolk spheres were observed in other parts. Yolk spheres in the surface layer of the yolk were medium to small yellow yolk spheres except around the blastodisc. Primordial yolk spheres were distributed from the center of latebra to the part adjacent to the blastodisc, becoming smaller as they approached the blastodisc and forming a vacuole in the inclusion and finally formed a mass of foams.3. White yolk spheres were varied in shape; from a primordial yolk sphere of 3-25μ diameter containing one drop-like inclusion to that of around 40μ containing numerous fine droplet inclusions. The inclusion substance tended to become smaller and more numberous with increase in the diameter of the spheres. On the other hand, yellow yolk spheres were 30-150μ in diameter and contained numerous fine granular inclusions, which were sometimes more coarse.There was no difference in the stainability of the inclusions of these two kinds of yolk spheres, and the staining indicated that the main component was a protein, with a small amount of phospholipid. Stainability of the matrix was also similar in the two spheres and indicated the presence of a large amount of fats besides the protein. Numerous fat drolets showing the characteristic of a neutral fat were observed but they were very fluid and their localization could not be clarified.The greatest difference between these two kinds of yolk spheres lies in the concentration of phospholipid in the matrix. While the matrix of white yolk sphere was almost negative or weakly positive to acid hematein, that of yellow yolk sphere was strongly positive to it.4. Layered structure was invariably seen in the latebra in which primordial yolk spheres and slightly large yolk spheres were arranged alternately. As a whole, the structure resembled the form of yellow yolk spheres nearer the outer layer. The layer of yellow yolk spheres in the outer side of the latebra showed layered changes in the degree of stainability but majority of hen eggs showed approximately uniform structure, irrespective of yellow or white yolk layer.5. The continuous phase between yolk spheres was fairly marked in the site where primordial yolk spheres were present and extremely small in the site with the other yolk spheres. Its staining characteristics indicated the presence of a small amount of protein.

Lithium oxy-thiophosphates isostructural with Li10GeP2S12 (LGPS) were synthesized by a liquid-phase process using 2-propanol as the solvent and Li2S and P2S5 as the starting materials. The XRD and 31P NMR results indicate that the synthesized compound has a slightly shrieked LGPS-type crystal structure where sulfur in PS43- is partially replaced by oxygen. The sample synthesized from the nominal composition of Li2S : P2S5 = 2.5 : 1 and at the annealing temperature of 300 °C exhibited the ionic conductivity of 1.6 × 10-4 S cm-1 at 25 °C. The synthesized solid electrolyte was found to be electrochemically stable in the potential range of 0-5 V, and also relatively stable under air with low relative humidity.

Squids (Lolliguncula) learn readily to come to feed when a horizontal rectangle is shown, but to avoid a vertical rectangle. They retain the discrimination over a period of 9 days without showing of the figures. A squid can also learn to discriminate between white and black spheres. A white horizontal rectangle is distinguished from a white sphere.

Experiments were conducted to determine the response of female oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel), and 2 fruit fly parasitoids, Fopius arisanus (Sonan) and Diachasmimorpha longicaudata (Ashmead), to the color, shape, and size of visual sticky traps. Numbers of females captured on yellow spheres increased as sphere size increased with diameters of 5–11 cm. Preference of females for yellow spheres over green and red spheres was positively correlated with sphere size. Yellow-colored spheres and rectangular blocks of equivalent surface area were equally attractive to females; however, females were more attracted to red spheres than to red blocks of equivalent surface area. The influence of background colors on the attractiveness of spheres was investigated by comparing the response of flies to 8 color combinations of the panels and spheres of Ladd traps. Standard Ladd traps, with red spheres attached to the center of yellow panels, captured more females than any other trap tested and could be used to monitor populations of oriental fruit flies in orchards. Female oriental fruit flies may be attracted to standard Ladd traps because of the visual contrast of red spheres against a light background.

Journal Article Visual Responses of South American Fruit Flies, Anastrepha fraterculus , and Mediterranean Fruit Flies, Ceratitis capitata , to Colored Rectangles and Spheres Get access Michael Cytrynowicz, Michael Cytrynowicz 3 Departmento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de Sāo Paulo, SP., Brasil 3 Present adress: Programa de Pós-Graduaçāo em Ecologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Biologia, UNICAMP, CAMPINAS, SP, 13100—BRASIL. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Joāo S. Morgante, Joāo S. Morgante Departmento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de Sāo Paulo, SP., Brasil Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Hebe M. L. De Souza Hebe M. L. De Souza 4 Departmento de Biologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade de Sāo Paulo, SP., Brasil 4 Departamento de Genética e Evoluçāo, Instituto de Biologia, UNICAMP, CAMPINAS, SP, 13100—BRASIL. Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic PubMed Google Scholar Environmental Entomology, Volume 11, Issue 6, 1 December 1982, Pages 1202–1210, https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/11.6.1202 Published: 01 December 1982 Article history Received: 08 June 1981 Published: 01 December 1982