Psychodidae Research Articles

High rate nitrifying trickling filters

A two year pilot plant study has been performed in order to evaluate a nitrifying trickling filter (NTF) process within an upgrading project for increased nutrient removal. The operation of the filters was very stable without upsets due to predators. The filter microfauna was dominated by worms and the presence of filter fly larvae was limited. Suggested predator control methods like flooding or varying the flushing intensity did not affect the identified microfauna. By operating the filters in a two stage alternating series filtration mode, higher nitrification rates and lower effluent ammonia concentrations could be reached simultaneously in comparison to operating the filters in a single stage filtration mode.

174 USING FERAL AND COMMERCIAL BUMBLE BEES FOR POLLINATION OF CRANBERRIES AND PEARS

The pollination of cranberries and pears by honey bees is often inadequate. The pollination efficacy of feral (Bombus spp.) and/or commercial bumble bees was evaluated for these crops. Preliminary evaluation of commercial B. vosnesenskii and B. occidentalis hives indicated poor forage activity on pears, but good activity on cranberries. Hive stocking densities of B. occidentalis on cranberries required to match feral Bombus populations was 8-10 hive/ha. Hives required 1-2 weeks in the field prior to full bloom to achieve suitable forage density during bloom. Parasitism of commercial hives by wax moth and bumble bee brood fly was common. Commercial colonies did not appear to be cost effective at this time. Only short-tongued feral Bombus species foraged on cranberries. Acceptance of artificial domiciles by these species was poor. Enhancing feral populations required provision of supplemental food sources and improved nesting habitat. Management of alternative food resources for feral bumble bees will be discussed.

Auditory influences on the flight behaviour of moths in a Nearctic site. II. Flight times, heights, and erraticism

While moths that possess ears protect themselves from bats by listening for their echolocation calls, earless species presumably use different defences. Tent-caterpillar moths (Lasiocampidae) are earless and emerge in very large numbers at our Nearctic site. One species, Malacosoma americanum, has a nightly peak emergence time mismatched to the peak activity times of certain sympatric bats, while that of another, M. disstria, is more coincident with that of the bats. These data suggest that while both species swamp bats with their large numbers, M. americanum gains additional protection by temporally separating itself from bats. Empirical flight observations and sticky-trap captures indicate that earless moths fly closer to the ground and more erratically than eared moths, although exceptions exist (e.g., high-flying sphingids and erratic geometrids). The foraging habits of most sympatric bats predict that small moths, in particular, will benefit from this behaviour. We suggest that low-altitude erratic flight in moths is a protean insurance defence against bats, as it should reduce the chance of their being detected by these predators.

Relationships of phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera).

The status of phlebotomine sand flies in relationship to the family Psychodidae (Diptera) is reviewed. It is concluded that sand flies should be given familial recognition as Phlebotomidae, divided into the subfamilies Phlebotominae and Bruchomyiinae. A comparison is made between the evolution of Psychodidae and Phlebotomidae, and it is concluded that the two families represent contrasting evolutionary experiments at an early stage of the diversification of Diptera.

Distribution and relative density of phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) in Rome, Italy

Cinq cent cinquante trois phlebotomes, dont 72,04% mâles, ont ete captures pendant une enquete entomologique utilisant les pieges adhesifs dans des zones urbaines et periurbaines de Rome. L'enquete a ete effectuee par trois ans de suite, de 1987 a 1989, pendant les mois chauds de juin a octobre. Cinq especes ont ete identifiees. Quatre appartenant au genre Phlebotomes et une au genre Sergentomya P. perniciosus (87.80%) a ete l'espece la plus abondante suivie par S. minuta (8,82%), P. perfiliewi (2,82%), P. mascittii (0,38%) et P. paptasi (0,18%). La presence des differentes especes de phlebotomes a ete consideree par rapport a l'heterogeneite des conditions de developpement urbain des zones prospectees

Database management system for monitoring and warning of codling moth ( Cydia pomonella) and carrot fly ( Psila rosae)

A relational database management system for monitoring and control recommendations at farm level for codling moth ( Cydia pomonella) and carrot fly ( Psila rosae) has been in use since 1988. The system has been developed using INFORMIX-SQL RDBMS Version 2.10.06 and implemented on an IBM Personal Computer XT Model 286 under PC-DOS Version 3.30. Growers monitored the insects and sent the field data or inspect traps to the Research Centre. The data were keyed into the system and a summary of the pest status was generated and sent to the extension advisors. Advisors recommended the growers on the control procedures for codling moth. In the case of carrot fly, individual recommendations were sent directly to growers. Monitoring was limited to the relevant periods of flight activity during the growing period and all data correspondence was through mail or telefax.

Pheromone-modulated optomotor response in male gypsy moths, Lymantria dispar L.: Directionally selective visual interneurons in the ventral nerve cord

In response female pheromone the male gypsy moth flies a zigzagging path upwind to locate the source of odor. He determines wind direction visually. To learn more about the mechanism underlying this behavior, we studied descending interneurons with dye-filled micro-electrodes. We studied the interneuronal responses to combinations of pheromone and visual stimuli. 1. We recorded 5 neurons whose directionally selective visual responses to wide field pattern movement were amplified by pheromone (Figs. 2–6). 2. The activity of the above neurons was more closely correlated with the position of the moving pattern than with its velocity (Fig. 4). 3. One neuron showed no clearly directional visual response and no response to pheromone. Yet in the presence of pheromone it showed directionally selective visual responses (Fig. 6). 4. We recorded 4 neurons whose directionally selective visual responses were not modulated by pheromone (Fig. 7), ruling out the possibility that the effect of the pheromone was simply to raise the activity of all visual neurons. 5. Our results suggest that female pheromone amplifies some neural pathways mediating male optomotor responses, especially the directionally selective responses to the transverse movement of the image, both below and above the animal.

Distribution, Life History, and Host Plant Relationships of Mahogany Webworm, Macalla thyrsisalis (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

The life history and host plant relationships of the mahogany webworm, Macalla thyrsisalis Walker (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae: Epipaschiinae), were investigated in Florida and the distribution of this species in the Americas was determined by examining museum specimens in the U.S. National Museum of Natural History. Macalla thyrsisalis is distributed throughout the natural range of American mahoganies, Swietenia spp., and some localities where mahoganies have been introduced. In Florida, natural infestations have been observed only on native West Indies mahogany, S. mahagoni Jacquin, but larvae feed on leaves of some close relatives of this species if placed on them. Honduras mahogany (S. macrophylla King) and Spanish-cedar (Cedrela odorata L.) are suspected to be hosts in Central and South America. In Florida, the adult moths fly in early spring. Larvae spin webs and feed on mahogany leaves during the ca. 5-week period of the spring flush, then leave the trees to pupate. Larval populations greatly diminish by early summer due to unknown factors. Parasitoids include Lespesia n. sp. (Diptera: Tachinidae), reared from 8.8% of 25 mahogany webworms, and two species of Braconidae: Habrobracon sp. near hebetor Say and Apanteles sp. Apparent relationships between mahogany webworm populations, spring leaf flush of mahoganies and photoperiodic and climatic factors are discussed.

Control of sewage filter flies using Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis—I. Acute toxicity tests and pilot scale trial

The possible use of the entomopathogenic bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis ( Bti) to control fly nuisance associated with sewage filter beds was investigated. Acute toxicity tests using Teknar ®, a commercial formulation of Bti, showed it to be toxic to the nuisance species Limnophyes minimus, Metriocnemus hygropetricus, Psychoda severini and Sylvicola fenestralis. Twenty-four h LC 90 values for these species ranged from 1.1 × 10 5 to 5.5 × 10 7 spores cm −2. The application of Bti (Teknar ®) to pilot scale filter beds to give a theoretical concentration of 1.4 × 10 9 spores cm −2 of medium in the top 15 cm of each treated bed successfully killed almost all M. hygropetricus and P. severini larvae present without seriously reducing the efficiency of sewage treatment. The non-target organisms—Microturbellaria, Nematoda, Naididae, Lumbricidae, Collembola and Acari—were unaffected.

Adaptation of antennal neurons in moths is associated with cessation of pheromone-mediated upwind flight.

A wind-borne plume of sex pheromone from a female moth or a synthetic source has a fine, filamentous structure that creates steep and rapid fluctuations in concentration for a male moth flying up the plume's axis. The firing rates from single antennal neurons on Agrotis segetum antennae decreased to nearly zero within seconds after the antennae were placed in a pheromone plume 70 cm downwind of a high-concentration source known from previous studies to cause in-flight arrestment of upwind progress. In a separate experiment, the fluctuating output from chilled neurons on Grapholita molesta antennae became attenuated in response to repetitive, experimentally delivered pheromone pulses. The attenuation was correlated with a previously reported higher percentage of in-flight arrestment exhibited by moths flying at cooler compared to warmer temperatures. These results indicate that two peripheral processes related to excessive concentration, complete adaptation of antennal neurons, or merely the attenuation of fluctuations in burst frequency, are important determinants of when upwind progress by a moth flying in a pheromone plume stops and changes to station keeping. Also, adaptation and attenuation may affect the sensation of blend quality by preferentially affecting cells sensitive to the most abundant components in airborne pheromone blends.

Heterozygous Heterochromatin in Giemsa C-Banded Chromosomes ofClogmia Albipunctata(Telmatoscopus Albipunctatus) (Diptera: Psychodidae)

SUMMARYThe mitotic and meiotic chromosomes of the moth fly Cloynia albipunctata were analyzed using the Giemsa C-banding technique. Heterozygous centrometric bands were observed in four pairs of chromosomes, two of which seem to be exclusive of the male sex, showing the same heterozygous condition at the male meiosis. They are probably carrying the sex determining factors in a complex system of sex chromosome determination. This system is different from the one found in the polytene chromosomes of a Brazilian strain of the same species both in type and in location of the sex determining factors.

Flight Behavior of Normal and Anocellate Cabbage Loopers (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

The influence of the ocelli on the regulation of flight and initiation intensity was studies in cabbage loopers, Trichoplusia ni Hubner. Control, sham, and anocellate female moths fly most intensely at sunset; males fly most intensely in the middle of the night. Female activity was lower than that of males. Control and sham males flew significantly more than anocellate males. Because of females' lower flight activity, the flight intensities of control, sham, and anocellate females did not differ significantly. Control and sham males can adjust to changes in the time of sunset better than anocellate male moths.

Cutaneous leishmaniasis in kenya—III. The breeding and resting sites of Phlebotomus pedifer (Diptera: Phlebotomidae) in Mt Elgon focus, Kenya

Les sites de reproduction et la biologie de P.p. ont ete etudies dans les caves, dans un foyer de leishmaniose cutanee. On constate qu'il se repose principalement dans les parties sombres des caves, sur le toit, sur le plancher des caves, en dessous des objets, et dans les fissures et crevasses a l'interieur des caves. On a trouve egalement des mouches en abondance dans les fissures et crevasses a l'exterieur des caves ou les rongeurs se reposent

オオチョウバエによる尿ハエ症の 1 例

オオチョウバエによる尿ハエ症の 1 例

Flight of Winter Moths Near 0°C

Some noctuid winter moths fly at near 0 degrees C by maintaining an elevated(30 degrees to 35 degrees C) thoracic muscle temperature. Geometrid winter moths sustain themselves in free flight at subzero muscle temperatures. However, the temperature characteristics of citrate synthase and pyruvate kinase from both of these different kinds of moths and from a sphinx moth that flies with a muscles temperature of 40 degrees C are nearly identical. Furthermore, mass-specific rates of energy expenditure of both kinds of winter moths are also similar at given thoracic temperature (near 0 degrees C). The geometrids that are able to fly with a thoracic temperature near 0 degrees C do so largely because of unusually low wing-loading, which permits a low energetic cost of flight.

Use of a Massive Volume Air Sampler to Collect Fly Ash for Biological Characterization

The report describes the modification of a massive volume air sampler (MVAS) to collect fly ash emissions from the stack mouth of an experimental fluidized bed combustor. High volume filter fly ash samples and laboratory size cascade impactor samples were simultaneously obtained to verify the operation of the MVAS. Due to the large quantity of size-classified fly ash it was possible to characterize its physicochemical and biological properties as a function of particle size. Results show that the bulk density of the FBC fly ash was independent of the particle size. Although the MVAS collects fly ash fractions with considerable overlap, the trend toward higher mutagenic activity in the smaller size fraction noted in previous studies of fly ash was present. As the MVAS does have a large capacity, relatively large quantities of ash can be collected within reasonable sampling times. With appropriate dilution even hot gas streams can be sampled at near ambient temperatures.

Feeding of Underyearling Walleye Surfperch, Hyperprosopon argenteum, in a Northern California Bay

A study of the feeding of underyearling walleye surfperch (Hyperprosopon argenteum) was based on fish collected in seven areas of Humboldt Bay, California, during September and October 1969. Crustaceans were found in all stomachs containing food, but the type of major food consumed varied with distance from the entrance channel. Amphipods were universally consumed, with cypris stages more important in areas with high tidal exchange, and terrestrial moth flies (Psychoda spp.) and harpacticoid copepods more important in backwater areas. Collections indicate daylight feeding and probably limited diurnal movements of underyearling walleye surfperch, a different pattern of feeding behavior than walleye surfperch of inshore waters of southern California.

The Consequences of Herbivory: A Mixed Blessing for Jurinea mollis (Asteraceae)

The thistle Jurinea mollis Ascherson is eaten by three types of herbivores, which the plant responds to in different ways. Multiple rosettes are produced on a single root after lepidopteran larvae eat the central part of a basal rosette, and each of these rosettes eventually produces a flower stalk. Plants with multiple stalks can produce up to three times as many seeds as those without multiple stalks. Up to 50% of flowering plants in a study site were found to have multiple stalks. Some plants lose their terminal flower heads to herbivores, probably small mammals. They respond by developing axillary flower heads, which are much less successful than terminal flower heads at producing seeds. Damage caused by moth and tephritid fly larvae to the receptacles of flower heads interrupts the development of seeds, but there is no apparent response by the plant, which may not produce any viable seed. This variety of types of herbivory, with their strikingly different consequences, serves to emphasize the importance of careful consideration of responses of plants to herbivory.

Descripción de la hembra de Lutzomya Scaffi (Damasceno & Arouck, 1956) (Diptera, Psychodidae)

The female of Lutzomyio scaffi (Diptera, Psychodidae) is described and an ilustrated key for the identification of the females of four species belonging to the Shannoni group and present in Colombia, is proposed. These species are: Lu. abonnenci, Lu. dendrophylo, Lu. scaffi and Lu. shonnoni.

The Interactions of Stabilized Scrubber Sludge and Fly Ash with the Marine Environment

Abstract Scrubber filter cake (sludge) and fly ash have been stabilized into blocks. These blocks have been submerged in an estuarine environment on the north shore of Long Island, N.Y. for nearly two years and have maintained their structural integrity. The blocks were colonized by a diverse aquatic community of marine plants and animals. The uptake of trace metals from the coal waste blocks by the marine organisms was not greater than that found on concrete reference blocks placed nearby. The initial colonization of the coal waste blocks proceeded somewhat differently at first when compared to the concrete blocks; however, by the end of the first year of submersion both materials supported an almost identical community. Little or no physical abrasion or erosion was observed but biological erosion by the boring clam Barnea truncata was observed to occur. The results indicate that ocean disposal of stabilized scrubber filter cake and fly ash in block form appears to be compatible with the marine environment.