Insect Material Research Articles

Studies on the formation of 4-aminocarminic acid

Dried bodies of the female insect Dactylopius coccus Costa were extracted using various extraction solvents. Whereas the amount of extracted carminic acid was between 4 and 24 % of insect material, 4-aminocarminic acid was detected in the extracts in only in low amounts of about 0.1 % of insect material. Compared to ratios of 4-aminocarminic acid to carminic acid, which had been reported to be present in some food additive and beverage samples, ratios in the insect extracts were very low (between 1:211 and 1:154, w/w). However, mixing carminic acid and ammonium hydroxide resulted in formation of significant amounts of 4-aminocarminic acid. Depending on the molar ratio of carminic acid to ammonia, the ratio of 4-aminocarminic acid to carminic acid was up to 1:1.2 (w/w). Spontaneous formation of 4-aminocarminic acid leading to a false positive result was also observed for the analysis of a ketchup sample when ammonia was used during sample preparation.

The Psylloidea (Hemiptera) of Israel

The psyllids or jumping plant-lice of Israel are reviewed from literature records and collected insect material. Eighteen species are reported from Israel for the first time, bringing the total to 94 species from 35 genera, in five families. Three species are described as new: Caillardia springatei Spodek & Burckhardt, Craspedolepta merzi Spodek & Burckhardt and Eremopsylloides vicinus Spodek & Burckhardt, and one new combination is proposed: Crastina heslopharrisoni (Samy, 1972), comb. nov. from Craspedolepta. Six additional unidentified species are recorded from the genera Bactericera (2 species), Cacopsylla, Craspedolepta, Eryngiofaga and Pachypsylloides. We list new taxa for Israel, update the taxonomy and indicate the known geographic distribution for each species. Host plants and economically important psyllids are discussed. A key to adult psyllids is provided.

Mass production of Diglyphus isaea (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), a biological control agent of a Korean population of potato leaf miner Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard) (Diptera: Agromyzidae)

AbstractThe potato leaf miner, Liriomyza huidobrensis (Blanchard), is an important pest of potato throughout the world, including Korea. A method was developed for mass rearing the parasitoid Diglyphus isaea (Walker) using faba bean, Vicia faba L. (Fabaceae), as the host‐plant and L. huidobrensis as the insect host. Faba bean plants were planted in pots and maintained in a greenhouse for about 15 d. Pots were then exposed to adult leaf miners in oviposition cages for 4 h. Plants containing late second to early third instar larvae were exposed to adult D. isaea in parasitoid cages for 24 h. The leaf area per pot after 15 d was 597.9 cm2, which produced 103.33 larvae per pot. The number of adult parasitoids emerging per pot was 72.5; about 41% of these were female. The daily cost of parasitoid production was USD20.95 per 1000 individual parasitoids. The methodology developed for D. isaea could be used to rear other ectoparasitoids such as Hemiptarsenus spp. and Pnigalio sp. with different insect hosts like L. trifolii. This is why this mass‐rearing information is important for securing test insect materials for ecological and biological study of Liriomyza species, and also for developing a biological control for Liriomyza species other than L. huidobrensis by mass production of associated natural enemies. We are facing rapid agro‐ecosystem changes including pest systems. Continuous monitoring of Liriomyza in solanaceous crops is needed.

Light microscopy with differential staining techniques for the characterisation and discrimination of insects versus marine arthropods processed animal proteins

ABSTRACTThe aim of this study was to evaluate the use of light microscopy with differential staining techniques for the discrimination of insect material from marine arthropods – classified as fishmeal. Specifically, three samples of single-species insect material, Hermetia illucens (HI), Bombyx mori (BM) and Tenebrio molitor (TM), and two samples of marine arthropods, shrimp material and krill, were analysed and compared after staining by two reagents to enhance fragment identification. Alizarin Red (AR) and Chlorazol Black (CB), which react respectively with calcium salts and chitin, were tested for their potential efficacy in distinguishing between insect and marine materials. Results indicated that AR failed to stain HI, BM and TM materials. By contrast, the three insect species materials tested were stained by CB. When shrimp fragments and krill were considered, AR and CB stained marine materials reddish-pink and light blue to black, respectively. By combining these results, it can be suggested that CB staining may efficiently be used to mark insect materials; AR does stain shrimp fragments but does not stain the tested insect material, indicating a possible approach for discriminating between insects and marine arthropods. However, since the present study was performed on pure materials and a small set of samples, possible implementation of this technique still needs to be confirmed in complex matrices such as compound feed.

Molecular Evidence of Chlamydia-Like Organisms in the Feces of Myotis daubentonii Bats.

Several pathogenic viruses are known to colonize bats, and recent analyses indicate that bats are also reservoir hosts for bacterial genera. Chlamydia-like organisms (CLOs) have been detected in several animal species. CLOs have high 16S rRNA sequence similarity to Chlamydiaceae and exhibit similar intracellular lifestyles and biphasic developmental cycles. Our study describes the frequent occurrence of CLO DNA in bat feces, suggesting an expanding host species spectrum for the Chlamydiales As bats can acquire various infectious agents through their diet, prey insects were also studied. We identified CLO sequences in bats that matched best with sequences in prey insects but also CLO sequences not detected in prey insects. This suggests that a portion of CLO DNA present in bat feces is not prey borne. Furthermore, some sequences from bat droppings not originating from their diet might well represent novel, previously unidentified members of the Chlamydiales order.

The pathogenicity and reproduction capability of four entomopathogenic nematode strains on house cricket (Acheta domesticus) in the laboratory condition

It is first time in Vietnam the pathogenicity evaluation and reproduction capacity of four indigenous strains of entomopathogenic nematodes, viz. S-PQ16, S-QTr, H-KT3987 and H-CB3452 on house cricket (Acheta domesticus) were conducted in the labolatory condition. The lethal concentrations for the mortality 50% insect host (LC50) of S-PQ16, S-QTr, H-KT3987 and H-CB3452 strains were 99, 116, 124 and 100 IJs per one cricket, respectively. These lethal concentrations might be relative low and small LC50 values meaning that the high virulence of the epn strains to house cricket. The reproduction capacity of four epn strains in Acheta domesticus was also with high mortality in comparison with other epn strains in Vietnam and in the world. Of these two Heterorhabditis strains, e.g. H-KT3987 and H-CB3452 128.3×103 IJs and two Heterorhabditis strains with 119.6×103 IJs that were higher in comparison with their yields on Galleria mellonella and on some other insect pests. With low lethal concentration and high reproduction capacity these four epn strains to be adapted potential agents for biocontrol of house cricket. In addition, with the high reproduction capacity of epn strain house cricket can used as insect material for epn culturing in vivo in order to restore the toxic actives of the epn strains. In addition, with the available resources and cheap price, the house crickets would be used as a good alternative option for of G. mellonella in maintaining of epn strains for biocontrol of insect pests in Vietnam. Citation: Do Tuan Anh, Nguyen Ngoc Chau, 2017. The pathogenicity and reproduction capability of four entomopathogenic nematode strains on house cricket (Acheta domesticus) in the laboratory condition. Tap chi Sinh hoc, 39(1): 24-31. DOI: 10.15625/0866-7160/v39n1.8336. *Corresponding author: nguyengochau.iebr@gmail.com. Received 16 May 2016, accepted 20 March 2017

General biology ofEldana saccharina(Lepidoptera: Pyralidae): A Target for the Sterile Insect Technique

Eldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Gallerinae) occurs on many graminaceous crops and several wild grasses and sedges throughout Africa. It has been reared at the South African Sugarcane Research Institute (SASRI) since the 1970s to study its biology and behavior, as a host for natural enemies and to provide insect material for the plant breeding program. Studies were completed on laboratory-reared E. saccharina of South African origin to assess fecundity, fertility and male and female mating frequencies. Mean fecundity of E. saccharina was 518 ± 27.5 (mean ± SE) eggs per female, up to a maximum of 798 eggs. Mean egg hatch (fertility) of E. saccharina was 63.2 ± 4.2%. In the laboratory, 56.7% of E. saccharina females mated only once but on average females mated 1.5 ± 0.1 times (maximum of 3). Males mated with a maximum of 6 females per male but on average males mated 3.3 ± 0.7 females. Most matings (93%) occurred on the first and second nights after male emergence, and the females oviposited most of their eggs (49.9 ± 3.9%) on the second night after emergence. Eldana saccharina’s high fecundity confirmed its potential as a crop pest. This study has, for the first time, confirmed that male and female E. saccharina were able to mate more than once under controlled laboratory conditions. This has important implications for calculating required release rates of sterilized males to obtain adequate sterile to wild male over-flooding ratios in area-wide integrated pest management programs that have a SIT component. ResumenEldana saccharina Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Gallerinae) se presenta en muchos cultivos graminosos y varias hierbas y juncias silvestres en toda Africa. Se ha criado esta especie en el Instituto de Investigacion de la Cana de Azucar de Sudafrica (SASRI) desde la decada de 1970 para estudiar su biologia y comportamiento, como un hospedero para enemigos naturales y para proveer material de insectos para el programa de fitomejoramiento. Se realizaron los estudios sobre especimenes de E. saccharina de origen sudafricano criadas en el laboratorio para evaluar la fecundidad, fertilidad y frecuencia de apareamiento de los machos y hembras. El promedio de la fecundidad de E. saccharina fue de 518 ± 27.5 (promedio ± DE) huevos por hembra, hasta un maximo de 798 huevos. El promedio de la eclosion de los huevos (fertilidad) de E. saccharina fue de 63.2 ± 4.2%. En el laboratorio, el 56.7% de las hembras de E. saccharina se aparearon solo una vez, pero por lo general las hembras se aparearon 1.5 ± 0.1 veces (maximo de 3). Los machos se aparearon con un maximo de 6 hembras por macho, pero por lo general los machos se aparearon con 3.3 ± 0.7 hembras. La mayoria de los apareamientos (93%) sucedieron en la primera y segunda noches despues de la emergencia de los machos, y las hembras ovipositaron la mayoria de sus huevos (49.9 ± 3.9%) en la segunda noche despues de la emergencia. La alta fecundidad de Eldana saccharina confirmo su potencial como plaga de cultivos. Por primera vez, este estudio ha confirmado que los machos y hembras de E. saccharina pueden aparearse mas de una vez en condiciones de laboratorio controladas. Esto tiene implicaciones importantes para el calculo requerido de la tasa de liberacion de machos esterilizados para obtener la proporcion adecuada en exceso de la inundacion de machos esteriles a machos salvajes en los programas de manejo integrado de plagas en toda una zona que tienen un componente de la TIE. View this article in BioOne

Radiocarbon Dating and Stable Isotopic Analysis of Insect Chitin from the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits, Southern California

AbstractThis paper presents the first successful methods for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) dating of asphalt-impregnated insect chitin from the Rancho La Brea Tar Pits in southern California. A persistent problem with stratigraphic correlation at this site is that asphalt flows are characteristically intermittent and are really discontinuous, which can result in mixing fossils of quite different ages. Direct14C dating of specimens circumvents this difficulty but requires a pretreatment method that can produce dates from relatively small samples (<10 mg) of insect cuticle, while successfully removing residual asphalt and sample preparation solvents as well as soil carbon contamination.14C dating accuracy was verified by comparing dates on insect chitin with ages for seeds and twigs compacted during a rapid entrapment event within a separately dated skull of the Western Camel,Camelops hesternusLeidy. All dates fell within a relatively narrow range of ~40,000–44,00014C yr BP, suggesting that such methods can be used with confidence on other insect material from this site. Insects are often superior paleoenvironmental indicators for establishing precise data points for climate fluctuations. This is because their lifecycles and present-day climate-restricted geographic distributions are well documented, and unlike migrating mammals and birds, insects offer crucial information about the local environment. Our results are therefore potentially significant for studies of paleoecological and paleoclimatic change within the Los Angeles Basin and coastal southern California, as well as reconstruction of entrapment events at Rancho La Brea.

Influential entomology: a short review of the scientific, societal, economic and educational services provided by entomology

1. Entomology as a written science probably originated with the ancient Greeks; Aristotle being regarded as the first published entomologist. It was, however, not until the Renaissance and the invention of the microscope that any further advances were made. The formation of national entomological societies in the early and mid‐19th century heralded the blossoming of entomology as a scientific discipline.2. The role of entomology in the development of ecology as a science is often overlooked, but important concepts in ecology such as the role and types of mimicry, the theoretical development of population dynamics and island biogeography all have their roots in the pioneering work of entomologists.3. Insect products have long played a part in the economies of human civilizations stretching back several thousand years from the development of the silk industry in China to modern day uses of the excretory products of Hemiptera such as cochineal and shellac.4. The study of entomology has had indirect applications in human medicine and genetics, such as the development of cryostorage techniques based on an understanding of the freeze‐avoidance strategies of Antarctic insects to the direct use of Dipteran larvae in maggot debridement therapy.5. Insects and their products have been used as sources of food by humans since before written records existed, the use of honey for example, being recorded in pre‐historic cave drawings. Insects as recognisable entities such as lepidopteran larvae and adult locusts, play a significant role in the diets of some cultures, but increasingly, the idea that processed insect material can be used as mainstream human and livestock food is gaining ground with a number of commercial enterprises being formed.6. Culturally insects have long inspired humans, from ancient Egypt and their veneration of scarab beetles, portrayal of insects in ancient Mesoamerican art, in European painting from the medieval period onwards and in literature, poetry, and the performing arts including cinema and music. Although the depiction of insects has not always been positive, it is undeniable that they have had a marked influence on human culture.7. Insects have also influenced engineers, with their form and function inspiring the development of airless tyres, desert water collection devices and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Differential metabolic responses of Beauveria bassiana cultured in pupae extracts, root exudates and its interactions with insect and plant

Beauveria bassiana is a kind of world-wide entomopathogenic fungus and can also colonize plant rhizosphere. Previous researches showed differential expression of genes when entomopathogenic fungi are cultured in insect or plant materials. However, so far there is no report on metabolic alterations of B. bassiana in the environments of insect or plant. The purpose of this paper is to address this problem. Herein, we first provide the metabolomic analysis of B. bassiana cultured in insect pupae extracts (derived from Euproctis pseudoconspersa and Bombyx mori, EPP and BMP), plant root exudates (derived from asparagus and carrot, ARE and CRE), distilled water and minimal media (MM), respectively. Principal components analysis (PCA) shows that mycelia cultured in pupae extracts and root exudates are evidently separated and individually separated from MM, which indicates that fungus accommodates to insect and plant environments by different metabolic regulation mechanisms. Subsequently, orthogonal projection on latent structure–discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) identifies differential metabolites in fungus under three environments relative to MM. Hierarchical clustering analysis (HCA) is performed to cluster compounds based on biochemical relationships, showing that sphingolipids are increased in BMP but are decreased in EPP. This observation further implies that sphingolipid metabolism may be involved in the adaptation of fungus to different hosts. In the meantime, sphingolipids are significantly decreased in root exudates but they are not decreased in distilled water, suggesting that some components of the root exudates can suppress sphingolipid to down-regulate sphingolipid metabolism. Pathway analysis finds that fatty acid metabolism is maintained at high level but non-ribosomal peptides (NRP) synthesis is unaffected in mycelia cultured in pupae extracts. In contrast, fatty acid metabolism is not changed but NRP synthesis is high in mycelia cultured in root exudates and distilled water. This indicates that fungal fatty acid metabolism is enhanced when contacting insect, but when in the absence of insect hosts NRP synthesis is increased. Ornithine, arginine and GABA are decreased in mycelia cultured in pupae extracts and root exudates but remain unchanged in distilled water, which suggests that they may be associated with fungal cross-talk with insects and plants. Trehalose and mannitol are decreased while adenine is increased in three conditions, signifying carbon shortage in cells. Together, these results unveil that B. bassiana has differential metabolic responses in pupae extracts and root exudates, and metabolic similarity in root exudates and distilled water is possibly due to the lack of insect components.

A Parasitic Craft: Taxidermy in the Art of Tessa Farmer

This essay focuses on the installation Little Savages by artist Tessa Farmer, exhibited at the Natural History Museum, London, in 2007. A taxidermied fox, other natural materials, and tiny malevolent fairies made by the artist out of insect and plant material, create narratives concerning ecology. The materials used by Farmer lead us to reflect upon the history of taxidermy, its impact on fashion and its position as a domestic handicraft. Farmer, a vegetarian, is using references to taxidermy, fairies, and social insects in order to question the authority of the institution in which she is exhibiting. She is not creating a nostalgic vision of craft. Instead, her work represents an alliance between handicraft and recent technologies in the age of the Internet. Natural materials and electronic mass media are interrelated in Farmer's work, driven by curiosity about the material at hand, be it tangible or ephemeral. The audience is reminded that neither materials nor nature can be frozen and preserved for eternity, but instead are subject to processes of decay, death, and evolution.

Short history of scale insect (Hemiptera: Coccoidea) research in Latvia with notes on historical records ofParthenolecanium pomeranicum(Kawecki, 1954) and species described by Biruta Rasiņa

Although yew scale insects Parthenolecanium pomeranicum (Kawecki, 1954) have been known in the fauna of Latvia for more than 35 years already, this species has been recently reported as the first record for Estonia and Latvia. Historically, P. pomeranicum was first recorded in Latvia in 1972 by Amands Rupais. As there are no reasons for not trusting Rupais, this article presents a comprehensive bibliographical list of P. pomeranicum in the fauna of Latvia. To date, P. pomeranicum is confirmed for Latvia from two sites – Salaspils and Saulkrasti. Other literature data on P. pomeranicum in Latvia are general, without exact information on its distribution. Additionally, the history of scale insect research in Latvia is reviewed and the destiny of scale insect material including the species described by Biruta Rasiņa is discussed.

Effect of Fruit Scarcity on Use of Spatial Memory in a Seed Predator, White-faced Saki (Pithecia pithecia)

Many studies have shown that primates use spatial memory to travel efficiently between important resources such as trees with ripe fruit or water holes. White-faced sakis (Pithecia pithecia) have shown strong evidence of spatial memory as they travel efficiently to feed on the seeds of highly productive fruit trees and the ripe fruit of a highly preferred tree species and to drink from natural cisterns in trees. Researchers theorize that primates rely less on memory when they feed on more evenly dispersed food. Here we examine the use of spatial memory in a group of wild white-faced sakis during a month of fruit scarcity when they foraged for desiccated seeds, leaves, insect material, and flowers. We used logistic regression and three computer models (the geometric model, the step model, and the change point model) to analyze their movement patterns. We find that the focal group does not demonstrate the use of memory. These results are in contrast to results from a study of spatial memory with the same focal group in the two immediately preceding months. The results conform to theories on the role of nutritionally dense and patchy foods in driving the use of memory during travel between feeding sites. They demonstrate that, within a short time, a group of primates can vary from a strong reliance on spatial memory to no demonstrable use of spatial memory.

Ancient pests: the season of the Santorini Minoan volcanic eruption and a date from insect chitin

Attributing a season and a date to the volcanic eruption of Santorini in the Aegean has become possible by using preserved remains of the bean weevil, Bruchus rufipes, pests of pulses, from the storage jars of the West House, in the Bronze Age settlement at Akrotiri. We have applied an improved pre-treatment methodology for dating the charred insects, and this provides a date of 1744-1538 BC. This date is within the range of others obtained from pulses from the same context and confirms the utility of chitin as a dating material. Based on the nature of the insect material and the life cycle of the species involved, we argue for a summer eruption, which took place after harvest, shortly after this material was transported into the West House storeroom.

Correction technique for Raman water vapor lidar signal-dependent bias and suitability for water vapor trend monitoring in the upper troposphere

Abstract. The MOHAVE-2009 campaign brought together diverse instrumentation for measuring atmospheric water vapor. We report on the participation of the ALVICE (Atmospheric Laboratory for Validation, Interagency Collaboration and Education) mobile laboratory in the MOHAVE-2009 campaign. In appendices we also report on the performance of the corrected Vaisala RS92 radiosonde measurements during the campaign, on a new radiosonde based calibration algorithm that reduces the influence of atmospheric variability on the derived calibration constant, and on other results of the ALVICE deployment. The MOHAVE-2009 campaign permitted the Raman lidar systems participating to discover and address measurement biases in the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere. The ALVICE lidar system was found to possess a wet bias which was attributed to fluorescence of insect material that was deposited on the telescope early in the mission. Other sources of wet biases are discussed and data from other Raman lidar systems are investigated, revealing that wet biases in upper tropospheric (UT) and lower stratospheric (LS) water vapor measurements appear to be quite common in Raman lidar systems. Lower stratospheric climatology of water vapor is investigated both as a means to check for the existence of these wet biases in Raman lidar data and as a source of correction for the bias. A correction technique is derived and applied to the ALVICE lidar water vapor profiles. Good agreement is found between corrected ALVICE lidar measurments and those of RS92, frost point hygrometer and total column water. The correction is offered as a general method to both quality control Raman water vapor lidar data and to correct those data that have signal-dependent bias. The influence of the correction is shown to be small at regions in the upper troposphere where recent work indicates detection of trends in atmospheric water vapor may be most robust. The correction shown here holds promise for permitting useful upper tropospheric water vapor profiles to be consistently measured by Raman lidar within NDACC (Network for the Detection of Atmospheric Composition Change) and elsewhere, despite the prevalence of instrumental and atmospheric effects that can contaminate the very low signal to noise measurements in the UT.

Bringing collections out of the dark.

Bringing collections out of the dark.

Lectins as possible candidates towards anti-microbial defense in silkworm, Bombyx mori L

Unlike vertebrates, insects do not have acquired immunity and therefore rely totally on innate immunity towards defense against invading microorganisms. Insect innate immunity consists of cellular and humoral reactions and both reactions work in concert in preventing insects acquiring infections. The most likely candidates for recognizing foreign material in insects are the lectins, which have already been shown to be important in mammalian innate immunity. Several reports of endogenous serum lectins having opsonic activity for invading pathogens have been circumstantiated in several insect specimens and therefore have been continuously explored for binding to wide range of microorganisms, obviating the necessity of antibodies in these animals. Silkworm, Bombyx mori L. is an important economic insect with unparalleled significance to the prosperity of weaker sections of the society and also has been promoted as a powerful laboratory model involving basic research in biology. It therefore merits immediate attention towards proper understanding of host-pathogen interactions, defensive mechanisms evolved in the host body in response to infection, anti-defensive molecules released by pathogen to suppress host immunity before reflecting on aspects of disease control. In this regard, lectins have been implicated as pattern recognition molecules serving as biosensors for detecting carbohydrate components on the microbial cells, thus triggering signaling cascade for immune activation. Understanding of such silkworm agglutinins, most specifically their binding specificities and pattern of recognition with identifiable gene families have been discussed towards establishment of its candidate role as immune defense molecules. Key words : Bombyx mori , lectins, innate immunity, carbohydrate-binding domains.

Inulinase production by Geotrichum candidum OC-7 using migratory locusts as a new substrate and optimization process with Taguchi DOE

Utilization of migratory locusts (Locusta migratoria) as a main substrate due to its high protein content for inulinase (2,1-β-d-fructan fructanohydrolase) production by Geotrichum candidum OC-7 was investigated in this study. To optimize fermentation conditions, four influential factors (locust powder (LP) concentration, sucrose concentration, pH and fermentation time) at three levels were investigated using Taguchi orthogonal array (OA) design of experiment (DOE). Inulinase yield obtained from the designed experiments with regard to Taguchi L9 OA was processed with Minitab 15 software at 'larger is better' as quality character. The results showed that optimal fermentation conditions determined as LP 30g/l, sucrose 20g/l, pH 6.0 and time 48h. Maximum inulinase activity was recorded as 30.12U/ml, which was closer to the predicted value (30.56U/ml). To verify the results, analysis of variance test was employed. LP had the greatest contribution (71.96%) among the other factors. Sucrose had lower contribution (13.96%) than LP. This result demonstrated that LP had a strong effect on inulinase activity and can be used for enzyme production. Taguchi DOE application enhanced enzyme activity to about 3.05-fold versus unoptimized condition and 2.34-fold versus control medium. Consequently, higher inulinase production can be achieved by the utilization of an edible insect material as an alternative substrate and Taguchi DOE presents suitable optimization method for biotechnological process.

Gut Content Analysis of Southern and Tawny Mole Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae:Scapertiscus)

Two introduced species of mole crickets, Scapteriscus borellii Giglio-Tos, the southern mole cricket and S. vicinus Scudder, the tawny mole cricket cause economic damage to turfgrass in North Carolina and throughout the southeastern U.S. Previous studies indicate that Scapteriscus borellii primarily feed on insect material and Scapteriscus vicinus feed on plant material (Ulagaraj 1975; Taylor 1979; Matheny 1981; Fowler et al. 1985). There have been no additional research efforts to examine the gut content of these 2 pests as their range has expanded over the past 25 years to their northern-most habitat (North Carolina) with changes in ecology, host range, or diet. This research was conducted to determine the current feeding preferences of North and South Carolina populations of these 2 mole cricket species. Nymph and adult S. borellii and S. vicinus were collected during the spring and summer of 2009 with soapy water flushing (Short & Koehler 1979) and individual crickets were immediately preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol. Scapteriscus borellii nymphs were collected from Belvedere Country Club (Pender Co., NC, 34.3675, 77.710833) on 15 Sep and adults were collected from Olde Fort Golf Course (Brunswick Co., NC, 34.0857, 78.0536) on 5 May. Scapteriscus vicinus nymphs were collected from Scotch Meadows Country Club (Scotland Co., NC, 34.4553, 79.2813) on 8 Oct and adults were collected from High Tech Turf (Horry Co., SC, 33.5097, 79.322) on 6 May and 12 May. All collected individuals were examined for species characteristics to ensure proper identification (Potter 1998). The alimentary canals (crop, proventriculous, and hindgut) of 25 late instars (large nymphs) and 25 adults for each species were removed and examined. Each cricket was placed in a petri dish (8.89 cm diameter, Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA) ventral side up, and an X-Acto knife (x3201, Elmer’s Products Inc., Columbus, OH) was used to remove the sterna to expose the alimentary canal. A pair of forceps was used to remove the alimentary canal. The cricket body cavity was placed into a plastic vial filled with 70% ethyl alcohol and labeled to identify each specimen. The alimentary canal remaining in the petri dish was covered with 70% ethyl alcohol to prevent desiccation. Forceps were used to tease open the crop, proventriculous, and hindgut. All gut content was noted for each cricket. The content was examined under a binocular microscope used in the 7X-30X power range and the contents were categorized as presence of plant material only, presence of insect material only, or presence of plant and insect material. Content was determined to be plant material if it was fibrous, green, or light brown in color and if it had a blade-like appearance (Castner & Fowler 1984). Content was determined to be animal material if it was dark brown or black, obviously sclerotized, or if they were a recognizable structure such as, tarsi, antennae, legs, etc (Castner & Fowler 1984). The gut content was thoroughly examined and analyzed until all pieces were identified and categorized. The contents were then removed from the petri dish with a bulb-pipette and placed in the vial with the cricket from which it was extracted. Data were analyzed by Chi-square analysis through use of Statistical Analysis System version 9.1 program (SAS Institute 2003). Of the 25 S. borellii nymph alimentary canals examined 28% ± 0.46% contained only plant material, 4% ± 0.20% contained only insect material, and 68% ± 0.48% contained plant material and insect material (Fig. 1). Of the 25 S. borellii adult alimentary canals examined 56% ± 0.51% contained only plant material, 20% ± 0.41% contained only insect material, and 24% ± 0.44% contained plant material and insect material (Fig. 1). There is significant difference in the overall gut contents between S. borellii nymphs and S. borellii adults (Chi-square = 10.2609, P = 0.0059). Of the 25 S. vicinus nymph alimentary canals examined 60% ± 0.5% contained only plant material, 4% ± 0.2% contained only insect material and 36% ± 0.49% contained plant material and insect material (Fig. 1). Of the 25 S. vicinus adult alimentary canals examined, 96% ± 0.2% contained only plant material, 0% contained only insect material, and 4% ± 0.2% contained plant material and insect material (Fig. 1). There is significant difference in the overall gut content between adult S. vicinus and nymph S. vicinus (Chi-square = 9.4769, P = 0.0088). There is

The Semiaquatic Nematoceran Fly Assemblages of Three Wetland Habitats and Concordance with Plant Species Composition, a Case Study from Subalpine Fennoscandia

Semiaquatic flies (Diptera, Nematocera) are an ecologically important and species rich group of insects within the boreal and arctic biomes. Community structure, species richness and abundance of semiaquatic flies were studied in three habitat types (aapa mires, springs and headwater streams), totaling 19 study sites, within the subalpine ecoregion of northern boreal Finland. Concordance of semiaquatic fly species composition with plant assemblages (higher plants and mosses), and geographical and environmental distance matrices were also studied. The collected insect material consisted of 94 species and 9038 specimens. According to non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination (visual inspection), multi-response permutation procedure and analysis of similarity tests, fly assemblages of aapa mires were clearly different from those of springs and headwater streams, but no differences were found between spring and headwater stream assemblages. The cumulative number of species was highest in headwater streams. Alpha diversity varied within the habitat types but was generally highest among headwater streams. Semiaquatic fly communities of headwater streams were the most abundant (number of specimens) and their rank-abundance distributions were relatively skewed; assemblages of aapa mires were less abundant and rather even. Community composition of combined plant material (219 taxa), higher plants (116 taxa) and mosses (103 taxa) were all in concordance with the flies; the strongest matrix correlation was found between higher plants and flies (Mantel test). The influence of geographical distance of the study sites to species composition was statistically significant but rather weak; instead, much stronger concordance was noted with environmental variables (Mantel test). Plants, especially higher plants, may be potential surrogates for semiaquatic fly assemblage composition. However, more studies of community concordance in a larger geographic area and within one habitat type are needed.