Austral Entomology最新文献

Among the Aleocharinae rove beetles, the tribe Athetini is one of the most diverse and morphologically poorly delimited, obviously non-monophyletic groups, with approximately 4000 described species. Despite overlapping morphological diagnoses of Athetini and other tribes such as Oxypodini, as well as many poorly delimited genera in Athetini, this study describes Daimophyllon gen. nov. with two new species, Daimophyllon ozzyosbournei gen. et. sp. nov. and Daimophyllon dio gen. et. sp. nov. from southeastern Brazil, placed in this tribe. The new genus has some morphological characters shared with the satisfactorily delimited genus Seeversiella Ashe, 1986, but several distinct characters set both genera apart. Notable diagnostic characters for Daimophyllon gen. nov. include the three-processed spinose tergite III, the distinctive occipital suture, and additional morphological divergences described herein. These new taxa expand the morphological diversity of Athetini in Latin America, especially in Brazil, and stress the continuing need for the taxonomic exploration of this group. The establishment of Daimophyllon gen. nov. highlights the importance of morphological delimitation within hyperdiverse groups such as Aleocharinae.

Rhopalosomatidae (Hymenoptera, Vespoidea) are rare ectoparasitoid wasps that parasitize crickets (Grylloidea), with few records documented in the literature, which originate from the Nearctic and Australian regions. Here, we report the first record of Rhopalosomatidae larvae parasitizing crickets of the family Phalangopsidae in the Neotropics. Specimens of Ubiquepuella telytokous Fernandes, 2015 were collected in Minas Gerais (cave) and in Rio de Janeiro (tree trunks in Atlantic Forest fragments), Brazil, harbouring rhopalosomatid larvae. Parasitized specimens of Eidmanacris Chopard, 1956 were also observed in caves in Minas Gerais. This new host-parasitoid association provides insights into the diversity and ecological interactions of these wasps in the Neotropics, where knowledge remains scarce. Additionally, we highlight the potential of citizen science platforms, such as iNaturalist, for expanding the documentation of parasitoid-host relationships, as online records revealed other possible cases of parasitism in Brazil and Costa Rica. Our findings emphasise the need for further research on Rhopalosomatidae in the Neotropical region, particularly regarding their host specificity, life cycle and parasitoid–host relationships.

Taxonomy is a fundamental discipline for biology, especially for the effective conservation of biodiversity. Here, we performed a review of Petrocerus Callaghan, 1979, an endangered and hitherto monotypic butterfly genus endemic to the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. Museomics revealed a new, overlooked and potentially endangered species from southern Brazil (Santa Catarina), Petrocerus kaingang Dias, Dolibaina & Kaminski sp. nov., while field work conducted on hilltops and genomic data revealed a new species from southeastern and northeastern Brazil (Espírito Santo and Bahia), Petrocerus ardilosa Dias, Dolibaina & Kaminski sp. nov. Additionally, a lectotype is designated for Calydna catiena Hewitson, 1875. Genomic data confirm the classification of Petrocerus in Theopina (Nymphidiini), a subtribe that includes species that live in symbiosis with ants. The presence of greasy wings, an annual life cycle and an apparent association of adults with bamboo patches (in P. catiena and P. ardilosa sp. nov.) suggest that these butterflies have complex life cycles with ants and trophobionts, as observed in one species of the sister genus Pseudotinea Hall & Callaghan, 2003. Unravelling these aspects of the natural history of Petrocerus is the next step towards the conservation of this rare group of butterflies.

The spread of novel pesticide resistances in arthropod pests poses a growing threat to agricultural industries worldwide. In this study, we developed a framework to assess the risk of novel pesticide resistance incursions into Australia, using the grains industry as a case study. By integrating data on overseas pest resistance patterns and international trade volumes, we identified key pathways and countries that pose significant biosecurity risks to Australia. To validate our generalised approach, we estimated propagule pressures for green peach aphids (Myzus persicae) using Australian border interception data from 2010 to 2017. Our analysis identified 20 arthropod species with novel resistances occurring overseas that have the potential to spread to Australia. We estimated the greatest risk of resistance incursion is associated with the trade of live plant material, particularly cut flowers and fresh produce, due to both high import volumes and the suitability of these commodities as hosts for many important pest species. Among the countries analysed, China poses the highest risk due to its substantial trade volumes of suitable host material imported to Australia, as well as the large number of pest species with novel resistances in that country. Our framework provides a valuable tool for guiding biosecurity efforts aimed at minimising the entry of novel pesticide resistances, with potential applications beyond the grains industry. The entry and spread of pesticide-resistant biotypes present a significant and growing threat to Australian agriculture, particularly for industries that rely heavily on chemicals for pest control.

Stygnids represent one of the most diverse harvestman families, with many endemic species in the Area of Endemism of Pernambuco, a pattern increasingly evident by intensified sampling in the region over the years. The area is also recognised for hosting a group of understudied minute leaf-litter dwellers stygnids, represented by the following monotypic genera: Gaibulus Roewer, 1943; Iguarassua Roewer, 1943; and Kaapora Pinto-da-Rocha, 1997. In this study, we describe a male specimen of Iguarassua schubarti Roewer, 1943; describe two new Iguarassua species, Iguarassua brejoensis sp. nov. and Iguarassua villarreali sp. nov.; examine the type series of Kaapora minutissimus (Roewer, 1943); and discuss the overall relationships of the leaf-litter Stygnidae in the Northern Atlantic Forest. We propose K. minutissimus syn. nov. to be a junior synonym of I. schubarti, thereby synonymising Kaapora syn. nov. under Iguarassua, and identify key diagnostic characters related to pedipalp setae curvature and penis morphology, indicating that all current Atlantic Forest leaf-litter stygnids, including Gaibulus, are possibly monophyletic, likely placed in Stygninae and are most closely related to Pickeliana Mello-Leitão, 1932.

Bucerocaputis Souza-Gonçalves & Lopes-Andrade, gen. nov., a new genus with two species, Bucerocaputis kapinawa Souza-Gonçalves & Lopes-Andrade, gen. et sp. nov. from the Caatinga biome and Bucerocaputis timbira Souza-Gonçalves & Lopes-Andrade, gen. et sp. nov. from the Cerrado biome, is described based on individuals collected in the states of Bahia, Maranhão, Pernambuco and Rio Grande do Norte, Northeast Region of Brazil. The genus shares some morphological affinities with members of Acanthocis Miyatake, 1954, Falsocis Pic, 1916, Plesiocis Casey, 1898, Porculus Lawrence, 1987 and Pseudeuxestocis Lawrence 2016; however, it can be distinguished mainly by the combination of the following features: the robust body; single pronotal and elytral punctation; antennae with 10 antennomeres; apical maxillary palpomere inflated with a large circular sensory area at the apex; prosternum biconcave with a relatively broad, strongly curved prosternal process, projecting below the plane of the prosternum disc; and male anterocephalic and anterior pronotal edge quadridentate. We also provide information on its host fungi and briefly discuss its geographical distribution.

Diamides are an important class of insecticides for control of insect pests in Australian farming systems. Their favourable toxicological and environmental profiles have led to broad registration across multiple pest species and crop types. However, widespread use is known to compromise insecticidal efficacy due to resistance, and concerns have been raised about the sustainability of these insecticides in Australian agriculture, particularly since the incursion of Spodoptera frugiperda in 2020. As a first step in pre-emptive management of S. frugiperda, baseline susceptibility to cyantraniliprole was determined in larval bioassays performed on 16 field populations collected from maize and sweet corn between 2020 and 2021 during the initial period of establishment in Australia. There was a narrow (2.1-fold) range of intra-specific variation in cyantraniliprole susceptibility amongst field populations. The average median lethal concentration was 0.088 mg L⁻¹, which was significantly higher than in Helicoverpa armigera (LC₅₀ = 0.037 mg L⁻¹). An analysis of relative diamide toxicity showed that while the median concentration of chlorantraniliprole was significantly higher than cyantraniliprole in S. frugiperda, there was no significant difference between the toxicity of chlorantraniliprole and cyantraniliprole at the LC_99.9 level. Using the dose–response data generated from these bioassays and taking into account empirical survival, a concentration of 2 mg L⁻¹ of cyantraniliprole was determined to be a suitable dose for discriminating between cyantraniliprole-susceptible and cyantraniliprole-insensitive phenotypes of S. frugiperda.

For about the past 120 years, Apiomorpha crispa (Fuller, 1896) has been considered to be a junior synonym of A. strombylosa (Tepper, 1893). Although some morphological variation among specimens of A. strombylosa has been recognised across its range, geographic separation and different host associations led to coccidologists treating the variation as belonging to two forms rather than there being distinct species. Here, we use allozyme electrophoresis and DNA sequencing of mitochondrial and nuclear genes to test the hypothesis that A. strombylosa, as currently treated, is a single biological species. We find that the ‘eastern’ and ‘western’ forms of A. strombylosa sens. lat. are distinct species with no evidence of recent gene flow despite both forms sometimes being in close geographic proximity. The two species are morphologically distinct and induce galls on different Sections of Eucalyptus L'Herit. We hereby resurrect Brachyscelis (=Apiomorpha) crispa (Fuller, 1896) reinst. stat. from synonymy with Brachyscelis (=Apiomorpha) strombylosa (Tepper, 1893) and provide a revised description of the species.

A new assassin bug species in the genus Rasahus Amyot & Serville, 1843, R. ellipticus sp. nov., is described based on specimens from Mexico and Argentina. Morphological comparations between the new species and its related species, R. biguttatus (Say, 1832) and R. hamatus (Fabricius, 1781) are provided together with illustrations of habitus and male genitalia of all three species. Rasahus bifurcatus Champion, 1899 was described initially based on submacropterous specimens, and the macropterous male of this species is reported for the first time in the present study. Rasahus sipolisii Fallou, 1887 reinst. stat., which was synonymized with R. hamatus by Bergroth in 1892, is confirmed to be a valid species, and R. angulatus Coscarón, 1986 syn. nov. should be treated as its junior synonym. Lectotypes of Lestomerus varipes Fallou, 1891, Pirates concisus Walker, 1873, R. bifurcatus Champion, 1899 and R. sipolisii Fallou, 1887 are designated.

The large genus Campylocheta Rondani, 1859, comprising 48 species, occurs in all major biogeographical regions of the world, except Antarctica. Homohypochaeta Townsend, 1927 and Hypochaetopsis Townsend, 1915 are two Neotropical genera similar to Campylocheta, with only two and one species respectively. No additional information is known about these genera apart from their original descriptions. These two poorly known genera are herein treated as junior synonyms of Campylocheta based on the study of the holotypes of the type species and additional specimens from Ecuador. This research produced the following new combinations: Campylocheta reclinata (Townsend, 1927) comb. nov., Campylocheta ucayali (Townsend, 1929) comb. nov., and Campylocheta chaetosa (Townsend, 1915) comb. nov. Moreover, the following three new species are described: one from Ecuador, Campylocheta auripilosa sp. nov., and two from Brazil, C. papaveroi sp. nov. and C. memphisphaga sp. nov. In addition, a new host record of the genus Campylocheta is reported from the Neotropical Region. Illustrations and detailed descriptions and redescriptions are provided for C. reclinata, C. chaetosa, C. auripilosa sp. nov., C. papaveroi sp. nov and C. memphisphaga sp. nov. The male and female terminalia of C. reclinata comb. nov. are also described for the first time. Finally, an identification key is provided for the Neotropical Campylochetini genera and all Campylocheta species that occur in the Neotropical Region.