Apterous Forms Research Articles

Comparative Efficacy of Organic Based Management Modules against Different Stages of Myzus persicae Suzler on Capsicum under Polyhouse Condition in Kashmir Valley, India

To evaluate the comparative efficacy of organic based management modules were carried out against different stages of green peach aphid, Myzus persicae Sulzer on capsicum crop under polyhouse condition. The nymphal population reduction was highest as compared to the three forms of aphids, the alate population reduction was showed lowest by all treatments Similarly, in case of apterous form, the reduction was quite low as compared to nymphal population but higher than the apterous population of M. persicae. With the concerned of organic based management module, the highest reduction of total aphid population was observed against Azadirachtin @ 0.03% followed by Neem Seed Kernel Extract (NSKE) @ 5 % as compared to standard check (Thiacloprid 21.7 SC) @ 0.4ml/L. As a result, the azadirachtin @ 0.03% being an organic product is considered safe to the environment and be recommended for management of vegetable pests as an important component of eco-friendly management.

Cucumber mosaic virus epidemiology in pepper: Aphid dispersal, transmission efficiency and vector pressure

AbstractCucumber mosaic virus (CMV) causes significant damage and yield losses in peppers. The objective of this study is to determine the efficiency of prevalent aphid species occurring in pepper fields to transmit this virus within pepper plants and to identify their vector pressure in order to target the critical species implicated in CMV epidemics spread. Alatae and apterae were monitored in an experimental pepper field in northern Tunisia for 3 years. Sixty‐eight species were captured in winged form in yellow water traps. The most abundant species were Myzus persicae, Aphis gossypii, Aphis fabae, Aphis spiraecola, Acyrthosiphon pisum, Metopolophium dirhodum, Rhopalosiphum maidis, Aphis craccivora, Aphis nerii, Hyalopterus pruni, Sitobion avenae and Rhopalosiphum padi constituting 90% of aphid populations in the field. Their temporal dynamic showed a high period of flight activity from April to June and a second peak in September was registered. Two of these species, M. persicae and A. gossypii were also found in their wingless form on pepper leaves with a prevalence of 99.5% and 0.5%, respectively. The 12 most abundant aphid species were tested for their transmission efficiency of CMV (CMV‐pepp2 isolate) with A. gossypii as a reference vector. All aphids tested, including colonizing and non‐colonizing species on pepper, were verified to be vectors of this isolate. However, significant differences in the transmission efficiency were found between the aphid species (p < .001, SE = 7.29). M. persicae (60%) scored the highest transmission efficiency rate. Additionally, A. fabae solanella (50%) had higher transmission efficiency than the reference vector, A. gossypii (40%). H. pruni (16.67%) was documented as a new CMV vector to pepper. The single‐aphid transmission probabilities ranged from 0.7% to 16.7%. The calculated mean Vector Pressure Index (VPI) for these 12 species showed a stronger relationship with the specific aphid population variance (R = 0.89, p < .01) than the variation of the specific single‐aphid transmission probabilities (R = 0.62, p < .05). Indeed, for alate non‐colonizer vectors, A. spiraecola has recorded the highest mean VPI (27.5), despite its moderate transmission efficiency (23.33%). Nevertheless, for colonizer vectors in both winged and wingless forms, M. persicae had the highest mean VPI (49.26) of all vector species and was mostly present in its apterous form. The 12 vector species contributed to a total mean VPI of 133.48 during the surveyed periods. This research determined key features of CMV epidemiology in pepper crops that might be helpful for CMV disease management at an early stage.

Authentic report of the emesine bug Gardena melinarthrum Dohrn, 1860 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Reduviidae) from India

An emesine bug, Gardena melinarthrum Dohrn, 1860, is reported from two areas in India—Kerala and Assam. Both, macropterous and apterous forms are found in India. This is the first illustrated report of this assassin bug from India.

A new species of emMicrovelia/em Westwood, 1834 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Veliidae) from southeastern Brazil.

Microvelia joceliae Magalhães Moreira, sp. nov. is described and illustrated based on material from Parque Natural Municipal das Andorinhas, Minas Gerais State, in southeastern Brazil. The new species can be distinguished from congeners occurring in the region by the pronotum of the apterous form covering almost the entire thorax dorsally, proepisternum with black denticles, male abdominal segments V-VII ventrally depressed, shape of the asymmetrical parameres, and female abdominal laterotergites reflected over the mediotergites and almost touching over segments V-VII.

A new species of Tenagogonus Stål (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Gerridae) and first records of eight species of aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera from India.

Aquatic and semi-aquatic Heteroptera from lentic and lotic freshwater bodies were surveyed from all the districts of Meghalaya. Tenagogonus aruli sp. nov. (Gerromorpha: Gerridae) is described and can be identified by the presence of a very long connexival process in the female, medium sized connexival process in the male, an irregular longitudinal black stripe on the sublateral region of the abdominal sternum in the apterous form, and a median longitudinal depression on the eighth abdominal sternum of the male. In addition, eight species of the infraorders Nepomorpha and Gerromorpha are recorded for the first time from India: Ranatra libera Zettel, 1999, Hydrometra jaczewskii Lundblad, 1933, H. longicapitis Torre-Bueno, 1927, Strongylovelia balteiformis Ye, Chen Bu, 2015, S. hainanensis Ye, Chen Bu, 2015, Gerris (Gerris) lobatus Andersen Chen, 1993, Tenagogonus kuiterti Hungerford Matsuda, 1958, and Rheumatogonus vietnamensis Zettel Chen, 1996. Detailed illustrations of the new species and habitus images and distribution maps of all the species recorded for the first time from India are provided.

Merothrips meridionalis sp.n. (Thysanoptera: Merothripidae), a new fungivorous species from subtropical South America.

We here describe Merothrips meridionalis sp.n. based on specimens originally treated by J.D. Hood as an apterous form of M. mirus. The available data on the distribution of this new species suggest that it is widespread through Brazil, living in sympatry with M. floridensis, M. mirus and M. tympanis. However, the distribution of this new species is possibly further south than other Merothripidae species recorded from South America.

High Morphological Variability of Gerris Argentatus Schummel 1832 (Gerridae) and Probably Europe’S Smallest Gerrids, in the Danube Delta (Romania)

ABSTRACT On a field trip to the Busurca Canal, near Sulina, in the Danube Delta, an apterous Gerris argentatus male was captured. It measured only 5.1 mm from the tip of the head to the end of the last abdominal segment, and was the smallest adult pond skater recorded in Europe. This specimen was also the first to be describe as an apterous form of G. argentatus, the species previously being known as either macropterous or micropterous. A large macropterous male, measuring 6.77 mm, was also collected in the same habitat, its size exceeding the known measurement for the species. Five G. argentatus females were taken from two sites on the Busurca Canal, each one measuring under the 7.5 mm length documented as a minimum for females of the species, with the smallest sample being only 6.59 mm in length.

A new species of Trichogramma (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) parasitic on eggs of the alderfly Sialis melania (Neuroptera: Sialidae) from Japan, with comments on its phylogeny and male wing polymorphism

AbstractA new species of Trichogramma that parasitizes Sialis melania eggs is described as Trichogramma tajimaense Yashiro, Hirose and Honda, sp. nov. from Japan. Its phylogenetic position is based on a DNA‐based analysis, and data regarding its male wing polymorphism are also presented. The view that T. tajimaense is closely related to T. semblidis, another parasitoid of Sialis eggs, is supported by the results of a phylogenetic analysis, as well as by the biological and morphological similarities between both species. Trichogramma tajimaense is also similar in male wing polymorphism to T. kurosuae, a gregarious egg parasitoid of the lepidopteran Ivela auripes, as both Trichogramma species exhibit male wing trimorphism (fully alate, brachypterous and apterous forms) in contrast to the male wing dimorphism (fully alate and apterous forms) of T. semblidis. However, no phylogenetic analysis reveals a close relationship between T. tajimaense and T. kurosuae, and a difference exists between these two species in the mean percentage of flightless (brachypterous and apterous) males that emerge from a host egg mass; 96% of T. tajimaense males are incapable of flight, whereas about 50% of T. kurosuae males are flightless. Because all or almost all males of T. semblidis parasitizing Sialis eggs are apterous, T. tajimaense is more similar to T. semblidis than to T. kurosuae in the proportion of flightless males. In addition, male wing polymorphisms of Trichogramma in relation to mating systems could also show a similarity between T. tajimaense and T. semblidis when considering both species as quasi‐gregarious parasitoids of Sialis eggs.

Extraction From Soil of Apterous Pemphigus populitransversus (Hemiptera: Pemphigidae) Feeding on Cruciferous Vegetable Roots

The poplar petiolegall aphid, Pemphigus populitransversus Riley (Hemiptera: Pemphigidae), is a gall-forming aphid attacking leaf petioles of Populus spp., its primary hosts. Its secondary hosts are the roots of cruciferous (Brassicaceae) plants, where it is also commonly known as the "cabbage root aphid." The apterous forms are destructive pests of cruciferous vegetables in many parts of the world. In our experiments, the root-feeding apterous forms were extracted from the soil using a Berlese funnel, which drives the aphids downward by using light and heat. The results show that a majority of apterous aphids (96.9%) were extracted from the soil in 2 h by using a 15-W light bulb in the Berlese funnels, whereas only 18.2% of aphids were extracted using a 25-W light bulb in a similar time period. The 25-W light bulb in the funnel generated too much heat (40-44 degrees C), which dried the soil too fast so that the aphids were unable to crawl downward to the collecting jars or killed the aphids directly. The advantages of using a Berlese funnel equipped with a 15-W light bulb as the light and heat source for sampling and extraction of the root feeding aphids include a uniform handling of each sample, less time spent, extraction of many samples at the same time, and storage of the aphids in containers for later counting in the laboratory. This technique seems to also be useful for extracting other mobile, small soil-dwelling arthropods.

Report on the palm aphid, Cerataphis brasiliensis on ‘Kalparaksha’ coconut cultivar

Aggregations of palm aphid Cerataphis brasiliensis (Hempel) (Aphididae: Hemiptera) on the unfurled spindle leaf of ‘Kalparaksha’ variety of coconut, a selection from Malayan Green Dwarf, is reported for the first time. C. brasiliensis has not yet been observed from other coconut varieties, viz., West Coast Tall, Chowghat Orange Dwarf, Chowghat Green Dwarf, and Dwarf x Tall hybrids planted in the research farm of Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, Kayangulam, Kerala, India. Only the apterous form of the palm aphid was noticed in the semi-tall variety and a variety-induced emergence of C. brasiliensis is indicated under natural conditions. Due to the presence of two phoretic ant species, no natural predator was observed in the aphid colonies. Two sprays of dimethoate (0.05%) at an interval of 15–20 days were effective in suppression of the pest on Kalparaksha.

Population Dynamics of Two Species ofGreenidea(Hemiptera: Aphididae) and Their Natural Enemies onPsidium guajava(Myrtaceae) andFicus benjamina(Moraceae) in Central Mexico

Greenidea psiidi van der Goot and Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Aphididae), are Asiatic species that feed on guava, Psidium guajava and Ficus spp.; both of these aphids were reported as exotic pests in Florida in 2002 and in Mexico in 2003. The present study characterized the population dynamics of both aphid species and their natural enemies on guava and ornamental figs in the Bajio region of Central Mexico. This report represents the first record of G. psiidi on Ficus sp. in Mexico and the first report of the presence of both species in the state of Guanajuato. Greenidea psiidi and G. ficicola were detected on guava in Mar 2007 and on fig trees during the same year in Apr near Irapauto, Guanajuato. Populations of both alate and apterous forms of G. psiidi in Apr were greater on guava than on fig trees (W = 119.0; P = 0.0122), which coincided with new vegetative growth after leaf loss in winter on guava. In Apr populations of apterous forms of both species were significantly greater than winged forms on both guava and figs. No correlation was found between temperature changes and population densities of aphids. The indigenous predators, Chrysoperla comanche Banks, Chrysoperla exotera (Navás) and Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae), fed readily on the aphids and were found on both guava and fig trees, although densities of all 3 species were in greater numbers on Ficus. The combined population densities of the 3 predators had a positive correlation with that of G. ficicola (r = 0.74), with a best fit found with a quadratic model of simple regression: y (densities of Chrysoperla spp.) = 1.2479x2 4.3073x 9.6493, and R2= 0.703. Nine species of coccinelid beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) were identified, the most common being of the genus Scymnus. Results suggest that non-deciduous ornamental fig trees may serve as reservoirs of beneficial insects for deciduous guava trees. Results from the present study provide basic biological data to aid in management of these 2 exotic species of Greenidea on guava in central Mexico.

Spatial patterns ofAphis gossypii(Sternorrhyncha: Aphididae) populations feeding on milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)

Aphid populations feeding on common milkweed ( Asclepias syriaca L.) were investigated in seven different sand associations in Hungary during the spring of three years: 2005, 2007 and 2008. In each year the populations of Aphis gossypii colonized on the host plant. The experimental fields were selected on the following habitats: an orchard, a locust forest, a semi-natural grassland, an open sand grassland, a plough-land, poplar- and pine-grove clearings. In each year we surveyed the parameters of plant individuals and infestation of plants by aphids. The number of plants did not differ significantly, but the number of aphids showed a considerable difference. The colonies preferred the peak of shoots, the upper levels of plants and adaxial leaf surfaces. The host plant preference of aphids was tested by Spearman’s rank correlation and a Mann-Whitney test. In 2008 there was a heavy infestation on the apical parts of milkweed shoots on the plough-land, therefore many aphids moved to the abaxial leaf surfaces. The apterous forms usually dominated the aphid colonies except two areas of the 2008 year, where the high density of aphids generated alate production. Aphid colonies were attended by different ant species, therefore the aphid-ant mutualism was investigated in each sites.

Wing structure and polymorphism in minute scavenger beetles (Coleoptera, Latridiidae)

The main structural elements of the hind wing in 56 species of the family Latridiidae (Coleoptera) are analyzed. In macropterous forms, wing venation is reduced to 3 modified veins. 10 areas of sclerotization of the wing membrane are distinguished. Three forms with different degrees of wing reduction are revealed: the brachypterous, the micropterous, and the apterous form. Among 56 species examined, 40 are represented only by the macropterous form; 2, 3, 5, and 6 species, by macropterous and brachypterous, macropterous and micropterous, micropterous, and apterous forms, respectively.

Resistance of Apple Cultivars to <I>Dysaphis plantaginea</I> (Hemiptera: Aphididae): Role of Tree Phenology in Infestation Avoidance

To test the importance of flowering phenology in damage caused to apple cultivars by rosy apple aphid, Dysaphis plantaginea (Passerini) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), susceptibility of 16 cultivars was compared in greenhouse conditions after infestation with aptera and in the field after natural tree colonization. Flowering phenology was recorded in the field for all the cultivars. In both greenhouse and field trials, there were differences among cultivars with respect to aphid infestation and damage. However, damage in the greenhouse and field was not significantly correlated. Flowering phenology was also different among cultivars. Flowering order among cultivars was significantly negatively correlated with aphid infestation and damage in field, i.e., early leafing cultivars showed higher infestation and damage than late-leafing cultivars. If egg hatching occurs before bud bursting, neonate larvae will suffer a high mortality because they cannot feed on these late cultivars. A later recolonization of these trees is hampered because (1) winged aphids cannot live on apple but only on the secondary host, (2) apterous forms have a limited dispersal capability, and (3) aphid predators progressively increase in the orchard. Therefore, synchronization between egg hatching and bud bursting is of critical importance in the success or failure of infestation.

Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae), a new aphid in Brazil

Greenidea ficicola Takahashi (Hemiptera: Greenideidae) is recorded in the Neotropical Region. G. ficicola was collected in the municipality of São Carlos, São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil. The specimens are apterous forms collected on Ficus microcarpa L. (Moraceae) leaves in September 2003 and September 2004.

New Psocoptera (Insecta) from the lowermost Eocene amber of olse, France

Synopsis The Eocene psocopteran fauna from the amber of Oise is shown to be very diverse, with 10 recorded families, 11 species and four new genera. Psyllipsocus eocenicus sp. nov. is the oldest accurate representative of Psyllipsocus and, maybe, of the family, as the family attributions of the Cretaceous Khatangia inclusa Vishniakova, 1975 and ?Psyllipsocus banksi Cockerell, 1916 remain debatable. Thylacella eocenica sp. nov. is the oldest record of the Lepidopsocidae. The Recent representatives of this genus are known from the Afrotropical region and Central and North America. Its discovery in the lowermost Eocene of France shows that its biogeographical range differed in the past. The apterous form of the liposcelidid Embidopsocus eocenicus Nel et al., 2004 is described. The empheriid Eoempheria intermedia gen. et sp. nov. seems to be more similar to Baltic amber taxa than to the Spanish Cretaceous genera. Eorhyopsocus magnificus gen. et sp. nov. is the first described fossil Psoquillidae. As ?Psylloneura perantiqua Cockerell, 1919 is not a Pachytroctidae but an incertae sedis stat. nov., Tapinella eocenica sp. nov. is the only valid representative of this family in the fossil record. Tapinella is now known from Africa, Madagascar, India, China, Japan and Oceania. Its presence in the Early Cenozoic of western Europe suggests that it was more widely distributed in the past. The manicapsocid Eomanicapsocus melaniae gen. et sp. nov. is closely similar to the Recent genus Manicapsocus Smithers, 1967 (Rhodesia). Despite its similarities to the Recent Mexican genus Proctroctopsocus Mockford, 1967 (Troctopsocidae), we provisionally include Eopro‐troctopsocus celinea gen. et sp. nov. in the Manicapsocidae. The lachesillid Eolachesilla eocenica sp. nov. is closely related to the Recent Chilean species Eolachesilla chilensis Badonnel, 1967b. We describe a fossil that we cannot separate from Archipsocus puber Hagen, 1882, previously known from Eocene Baltic amber. It is the oldest record of the family Archipsocidae and the first known insect species present in both the French and Baltic ambers. The amphientomid Amphientomum parisiensis sp. nov. is very similar to the Baltic amber species A. colpolepis Enderlein, 1905.

THE GENUS GREENIDEA (RHYNCHOTA: APHIDIDAE) IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract Two species of the Asian genus Greenidea have been introduced into the United States, Greenidea ficicola Takahashi and Greenidea psidii van der Goot. Synonymy confusion between Greenidea formosana (Maki) and G. psidii is resolved in favor of G. psidii. Both species colonize Ficus spp., and G. psidii colonizes a few other plants, mostly in Myrtaceae. The two species can be distinguished by the ornamentation on the siphunculi on the apterous forms, and usually also by the arrangement of rhinaria on antennal segment III of the alate forms.

Transgenic Bt maize and Rhopalosiphum padi (Hom., Aphididae) performance

Abstract. 1. The population abundance and age structure of Rhopalosiphum padi, one of the most common maize aphid species, on transgenic Bt (expressing the Cry1Ab protein) and non‐Bt isogenic maize was studied in commercial plots during three crop seasons.2. A higher density of aphids, particularly alates and young nymphs, occurred in Bt plots at very young maize development stages, corresponding to the settlement period, in the 3 years studied. Possible causes are discussed. After this period, there were no differences between Bt and non‐Bt maize.3. Mortality, development, and reproduction of the offspring of alate forms of R. padi and the offspring of different generations of apterous forms fed with Bt maize were evaluated in the laboratory under controlled conditions.4. The developmental and pre‐reproductive times of the offspring of the first generation of alatae were shorter and the intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) higher when aphids fed on Bt maize. The opposite occurs with the offspring of the first generation of apterous mothers, which have lower nymphal and adult mortality, shorter developmental and pre‐reproductive times, a higher effective fecundity rate, and greater rm, when fed on non‐Bt maize. The differences in aphid development on the two cultivars may be linked to changes in host‐plant quality due to pleiotropic effects of the genetic modification.5. No differences on aphid mortality, developmental and pre‐reproductive times, fecundity, and rm were found between the offspring of apterous aphids maintained on Bt or non‐Bt maize for several generations.

Comparison of Some Life History Parameters between Alate and Apterous Forms of Turnip Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) on Cabbage under Constant Temperatures

Development, longevity, survivorship and fecundity of the alate and apterous forms of the turnip aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach), were studied on cabbage under constant temperatures in the laboratory. The developmental durations for alate nymphs were 15.8, 9.5, 8.0 and 5.4 d at 15, 20, 25 and 30°C, respectively, and those for apterous nymphs were 13.9, 6.8, 6.1 and 5.0 d. Alate nymphs developed 1.9-3.0 d longer at 15, 20 and 25°C than the apterous nymphs, but the developmental durations between the alate and apterous forms were not significantly different at 30°C. The longevities of alate adults were 12.6, 17.7, 17.6, and 17.2 d at 15, 20, 25, and 30°C, respectively, compared with 25.3, 21.3, 17.5 and 11.7 d, respectively, for apterous aphids under the corresponding temperature regimes. Fecundity was also significantly less for alate adults than for apterous adults. Alate adults produced an average of 7.9, 37.9, 39.0, and 11.9 nymphs in their lifespan at 15, 20, 25 and 30°C, respectively, compared with 52.5, 90.8, 83, and 29.7 nymphs per apterous adult at the same temperature regimes.

Effects of a juvenile hormone analog, pyriproxyfen, on the apterous form of Lipaphis erysimi

AbstractEffects of a juvenile hormone analog, pyriproxyfen, on various developmental stadia of the apterous form of the turnip aphid, Lipaphis erysimi (Kaltenbach), were bioassayed at three concentrations (50, 100, and 150 mg [AI]/l) in the laboratory. Supernumerary‐molted nymphs with 1‐3 extra molts were found when the first three nymphal instars were treated, and all these nymphs died prematurely. In contrast, all treated fourth instar nymphs molted normally to adults. The longevity of all pyriproxyfen‐treated L. erysimi nymphs and adults and the fecundity of treated adults were reduced by ≈50%. Higher concentrations of pyriproxyfen (100 and 150 mg [AI]/l) caused sterility in adults from treated fourth instars; whereas the lowest concentration (50 mg [AI]/l) did not cause any adult sterility. A majority of adults from treated fourth instars and treated adults produced normal nymphs, and some adults produced dead nymphs with normal appendages or dead and deformed nymphs without any appendages. Normal nymphs produced by the adults from treated adults or treated at fourth instars developed more slowly from first instar to adult than the water‐treated nymphs, and all adults in the new generation apparently reproduced normally. The potential role of pyriproxyfen in a vegetable aphid IPM program was discussed.