The current laboratory study investigates the effect of low doses of gamma irradiation range of (5-50 Gy) cesium cell- 137 on the different developmental stages eggs, 1st, 2nd , 3rd instars larvae and pupae of peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata. In addition to that the evaluation of phytosanitary irradiation dose on 3rd instar larvae and their effects on the biochemical quality of guava fruits were proven. The findings indicate that irradiation of eggs with dose 25Gy prevents adult emergence, while the dose 45Gy prevents pupation and the dose 50Gy prevents the hatchability of eggs. Moreover, exposure of larvae with the dose 50 Gy resulted in 98.5, 91 and 86 % mortality for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd instars larvae, respectively. No adult emergence was reported in 1st, 2nd and 3rd instars at the dose level 30, 35 and 45 Gy, respectively. The 3rd instar larvae appeared to be the most tolerant stage to radiation treatment than the 2nd and 1st larval instars. When adult emergence was used as a criterion for determination of the effective irradiation dose, 50 Gy was adopted for phytosanitary irradiation dose for B. zonata. Large scale confirmatory tests were applied to 25,000 3rd instar larvae of B. zonata in guava fruits resulting in non- F1 adults’ production with a confidence level of 91.8%. In conclusion, the irradiation dose of 50 Gy induces the inhibition of adult emergence of 3rd instar larvae and is suggested as a possible minimum dose for phytosanitary treatment of B. zonata fruit fly without causing significant effect (p ≤ 0.05) on some biochemical characteristics of guava fruits.

Among insects orders, Blattodea and Orthoptera are characteristic with their high significance to human habitation, as posing medical and agricultural problems. Representatives of Blattodea have an important role as carriers of a number of infectious diseases in humans and animals, and are directly related to human life and activities. On the other hand Orthoptera are very significant as agricultural pests that cause great damage to plants. The study of the mechanisms of immune defense and the processes related to the response against pathogenic infections in these two orders is of interest in order to more fully clarify the possibilities for management and control of their populations. This review summarizes the information on the defense mechanisms (hemocytes, antimicrobial peptides, pathogen recognition, signaling patways, immune and antiviral responses) studied in representatives of these two orders. The list includes 30 species of cockroaches and termites and 59 orthopteran species, and focuses on species with medical significance (Periplaneta americana, Blattella germanica) and insect pests for agriculture such as Locusta migratoria and Schistocerca gregaria.

Examination of an old collection of adult biting midges of the genus Forcipomyia Meigen, 1818 from Afghanistan revealed six species, placed within four subgenera: Forcipomyia (3 species), Microhelea (1 species), Synthridomyia (1 species) and Thyridomyia (1 species). Five species are new records, Forcipomyia (Forcipomyia) szadziewskii n. sp. is described as a new member of this genus from this country.

Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758 is one of the most economically valuable insects which plays significant role in human medicine, nutrition and crop pollination. The morphometric variations of honeybee from different locations of the southern guinea and northern guinea savannah ecological zone of Nigeria were studied. Fifteen morphological traits were measured for variation on six hundred (600) worker honeybee samples purposively collected from ten different locations within the ecological zone. Data collected were subjected to one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), SNK test (α=0.05) and Pearson correlation between morphometric characters were determined. At the same time a dendrogram of morphological proximity based on the fifteen morphological features was constructed. Results showed that morphometry variation (p<0.05) existed within the honeybee population in the guinea savannah agro-ecological zone of Nigeria, high morphological similarities were observed in the tibia length of the hind leg and the thorax length. The honeybee samples were classified into two distinct morphoclusters (A and B). Honeybee samples within morphocluster A were closely related in terms of the examined morphometric features and geographic distance (CV=1.65). In contrast, within cluster B, honeybee samples were closely related despite the vast geographical distance (CV=3.30, p<0.05). The body length was significantly positively correlated with the leg size, while hind wing length was positively associated with the proboscis, abdominal, thoracic, body length and hooks. Morphometric variations found in A. mellifera of guinea agro-ecological zone could significantly impact conservation and future bee breeding programmes of Nigeria.

Dry seeds of cowpea, an important food, and cash crop to farmers, are heavily infested by Callosobruchus maculatus (Fabricius, 1775) during storage, causing huge economic loss. As a result, farmers spray pesticides on their harvest to control the pest attack with little consideration for the consequences of their actions. Due to health and environmental concerns associated with pesticide applications, farmers, marketers, and end-users are seeking alternative safer routes to handling this infestation problem. Thus, this study investigated the response of mated female C. maculatus to odour cues from different bean types using two-arm and four-arm olfactometers. The volatile organic compounds from the preferred beans (Borno brown and black-eyed beans-cultivars of Vigna unguiculata Walper, 1843 and adzuki bean – Vigna angularis (Willdenow) Ohwi & Ohashi, 1969), were analysed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GCMS) techniques and headspace volatile organic compounds were tested in 2-arm olfactometer with the view to identifying possible attractants or deterrents that could be used in effective control of storage pest. The results indicated that (a) the female C. maculatus responded discriminatorily to odour stimuli from the bean types tested, (b) eighteen volatile compounds were present in the bean types tested and (c) the volatile compounds identified varied in abundance profile. These suggest that host location and selection behaviours by female C. maculatus are moulded by the types and concentrations of the volatile compounds present in the beans.

A new monospecific genus of flatid planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Flatidae), Makaya gen. nov., is described for Makaya volontany sp. nov. (type species) from the island of Madagascar. Habitus, male and female external and internal genital structures of the new species are illustrated and compared with related taxa. Makaya volontany is endemic to Madagascar where it is currently known from different types of dry forests in the western part of the island.

Since various kind of receptors in insects are mainly located on their legs. We estimate the influence of ultraviolet-C on the leg morphology and trichoid sensilla of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797) (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae), zero-day-old pupae were irradiated with UV-C at a distance of 35 cm for 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 min. Changes in leg morphologies and trichoid sensilla were determined using light and scanning electron microscopes. UV-C radiation caused the abnormalities of an adult’s legs that were classified into three levels; mild, moderate, and strong. Legs of the resulting adults were developed into malformed structures that lacked clear segmental identity. The severity of leg abnormalities was recorded in a dose-dependent manner. UV-C significantly decreased the length and width of the femur, tibia, and tarsus. In the strongly affected level, the femur was reduced in size while the tibia and tarsus were completely deleted, and there was no evidence of claws. Scanning electron microscopy showed the wrinkled cuticle on the leg segment, and the sensilla of the resulting adults appeared less in number. After UV-C radiation, the trichoid sensilla on the femur became longer and wider, but the trichoid sensilla on the tibia were shorter and narrower. Taken together, UV-C irradiation during pupal stage interfered development of legs and brought about specific malformation features.

We aimed at investigating the insecticidal activity of Pyrus communis L. against the malarial vector, Anopheles pharoensis Theobald, 1901 and its phytochemical constituents. Leaves were collected and the crude extracts were prepared using hexane (PCH) and methanol (PCM). Tested PCH and PCM possess larvicidal activity against A. pharoensis with LC50 and LC90 values of 179.9, 41.2 and 314.1, 68.9 ppm, respectively. A significant reduction in the number of eggs laid by females A. pharoensis that developed from larvae treated with PCH and PCM was noticed. Also, PCH treatment showed highest repellent activity compared with PCM. GC/MS analysis of the PCH revealed the presence of 55 identified compounds subdivided into 2 major classes viz. phenyl alkanes (38.65 %) and oxygenated sesquiterpenoids (36.41 %). LC/MS of PCM had led to the identification of 37 compounds, mainly flavonoids, chalcones, phenolic acids and tannins. The results demonstrate the insecticidal potential of leaves methanol and hexane extracts from P. communis as green insecticidal agents for the control of malarial vector, A. pharoensis.

The sand fly, Phlebotomus papatasi (Scopoli, 1786) (Diptera: Psychodidae), is the main vector of Leishmania major Yakimoff and Schokhor, 1914, the causative agent of zoonotic cutaneous leishmaniasis North Africa, the Middle East, and North Sinai. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of fungi on P. papatasi larvae, pupae, and adults using light microscopic analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM), and histopathological studies. Specifically, larvae, pupae, and adult P. papatasi were infected with the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae. Scanning electron microscope and histopathological methods were used to investigate the destructive impact of the fungi on the external and internal structures of P. papatasi. The results revealed propagation of the conidia on the cuticles of all P. papatasi life stages, including on the compound eyes, leg setae, thorax, wings, and abdomen of the adults. Histological sections of the control and treated larvae, pupae, and adults showed many alterations and malformations in the body and tissues of all life stages after 72 h. These results demonstrated that B. bassiana was more effective than M. anisopliae as a biological control of phlebotomine sand flies. Further studies to determine the best methods for delivery and application in the diverse ecological settings of the various leishmaniasis vectors are recommended.

Recently Dactylopius opuntiae Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell, 1896) (Hemiptera: Dactylopiidae) has caused enormous damage in several production areas of cactus in Morocco. The spread of infestation by this scale pest is fast and unpredictable, and consequently, the destruction of large areas planted with cactus in several regions of the Kingdom. In aim to discover natural enemies that have the capacity and potential to be used as mealybug predators, a team of researchers have conducted surveys in cactus production areas. In January 2020 two unidentified Coleoptera species were observed associated to D. opuntiae in an infested cactus crop in El-Gharbia locality. The observed species were identified as Orsodacne altra (Ahrens, 1810) and Cyrtosus cyanipennis (Erichson, 1840). The current study represents the first register of these two genera associated to cactus mealybug in Morocco.