Austral Entomology最新文献

Apulvillasilus gen. nov. is proposed as a new monotypic Asilinae genus from Argentina, based on Apulvillasilus boharti sp. nov. The new genus is separated from other Asilinae genera mainly by the absence of empodia and pulvilli. Its placement in the Myaptex group is proposed. Description, diagnosis, images of the habitus, male and female terminalia, a distribution map, and an updated key for the genera of the Myaptex group are provided.

Filicicapsus smaragdus gen. et sp. nov. (Orthotylinae) is described from the Biak Island, Papua Province of Indonesia. The position of the new taxon has been tested using Bayesian and IQ-TREE analyses based on the sequences of four fragments of mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and nuclear (18S, 28S) DNA. The taxonomic position of the new genus within the Zanchius genus group is discussed. Also provided are a diagnosis, photographs of habitus and selected structures, illustrations of male and female genitalia, scanning electron micrographs of diagnostic characters, and host information.

No abstract is available for this article.

Ovaustra aurantia Tetley, Glatz & Fagan-Jeffries, gen. et sp. nov. (Mesostoinae) is described from Kangaroo Island. South Australia, Australia, and is a solitary, koinobiont, egg-larval parasitoid of the enigma moth, Aenigmatinea glatzella Kristensen & Edwards, 2015, in the monotypic family Aenigmatineidae Kristensen & Edwards, 2015 (Lepidoptera). Female parasitoids oviposit into the eggs of A. glatzella soon after female moths place them beneath minute adpressed leaves at the growing foliar tips of the larval host plant Callitris gracilis R.T. Baker (Cupressaceae). Adult parasitoids emerge from A. glatzella larval chambers located directly beneath the bark of small branches, some way from the growing tip. Adults can be seen on or near foliage of C. gracillis primarily during October and coinciding with the presence of adult host moths. Morphological and preliminary molecular evidence place Ovaustra Glatz, Fagan-Jeffries & Tetley, gen. nov. within Mesostoinae s.l. and indicate that its closest relatives are likely to reside within a group of genera from Australia and New Zealand whose hosts and biology are not well defined but are apparently quite broad, including lepidopteran, coleopteran and dipteran larvae, as well as primary plant gall induction.

Although tachinids parasitise a wide variety of insects, two-winged flies are not commonly recorded as hosts. Of the host records from Diptera, most are from larvae of Tabanidae and Tipulidae, with a few occasional records in other families. We present here the first record of parasitism in soldier flies by tachinids and the first record of a dipteran host in the Neotropical Region. Lixophaga stratiophaga Gudin, sp. nov. (Diptera: Tachinidae: Blondeliini) is described and illustrated from pupae of Ptecticus testaceus (Fabricius) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae: Sarginae), collected in fallen fruit of Casearia combaymensis Tul. (Salicaceae) in a reserve of Amazon rainforest in Manaus, state of Amazonas, Brazil. We include notes about its host and discuss the most relevant diagnostic characters for New World species of Lixophaga. An updated and annotated catalogue of dipteran hosts of Tachinidae is also provided, with an overview of host use and oviposition strategies of their respective parasitoids.

Understanding the effects of environmental conditions on biodiversity may provide cues regarding the resilience of ecological communities facing human activities in tropical forests. Under this scenario, harvestmen are among the most ideal models for understanding the ecological dynamics associated with shifts in environmental conditions. In this study, we evaluated how changes in attributes related to environmental conditions shape harvestmen assemblages in the Atlantic Forest. We assessed the effect of environmental transformation in four forest fragments with different proportions of native forest cover based on their environmental attributes (temperature, humidity, leaf litter depth and cover, and herbaceous vegetation cover) on harvestmen species richness, abundance, and composition. Overall, 865 harvestmen individuals belonging to six families and 41 species were sampled. The effects of environmental conditions on harvestmen assemblages were context-dependent. In the most conserved fragment, there was an increase in harvestmen richness and abundance with increasing temperature. Furthermore, herbaceous vegetation cover negatively affected harvestmen richness and abundance. Species turnover was the main driver of harvestmen beta diversity in all forest fragments. With the results presented herein, we demonstrate that harvestmen species richness and abundance are modulated by landscape modifications and subsequent alterations in the environment resulting from human-induced disturbance. Our results highlight the importance of considering environmental transformations at a large spatial scale (i.e., landscape) and local scale (i.e., environmental attributes) to design appropriate conservation strategies for Brazilian Atlantic Forest.

The identification of the Gonipterus scutellatus complex species, known as the eucalyptus snout beetle, remained confusing for several years worldwide. Currently, the species Gonipterus platensis and Gonipterus pulverulentus are cited as present in Brazil. However, precise Gonipterus species identification, geographic distribution and economic importance in Brazil are unknown. Thus, our objectives were (i) to confirm the identification of Gonipterus species from different localities in Brazil using the sequencing of COI gene fragment, (ii) design a specific multiplex PCR marker for rapid molecular identification of Gonipterus species present in Brazil and (iii) apply a phylogeographic approach to assess the genetic diversity, demographic parameters and genetic structure of G. platensis population in Brazil. We confirmed the presence of G. platensis and G. pulverulentus in Brazilian territory. The species show different distribution, where G. platensis is widely distributed and G. pulverulentus is restricted to the south region. Gonipterus platensis populations are in spatial expansion, probably associated with the growth of Eucalyptus-cultivated areas in Brazilian territory. Significant regional genetic population structure reinforces that the long dispersion processes of G. platensis within Brazilian territory is mediated by human activities. Thus, quarantine practices must be maintained and implemented to prevent new domestic and international introductions of Gonipterus specimens in Eucalyptus fields in Brazil.

The relationship between herbivorous insects and plants is an example of an ‘evolutionary arms race’. Understanding the relationship between insects and their host plants makes it possible to determine critical points in the bioecology of these herbivores. In this relationship, insects and plants use strategies to overcome, avoid and mitigate the actions of the other. Insect-induced galls are one of the great examples of this ‘arms race’. Psyllids (Hemiptera: Psylloidea) are among the most important gall-inducing insects. The psyllid Triozoida limbata (Triozidae) is an important pest of guava (Psidium guajava) in the Neotropics. Thus, this work aimed to determine the morphological, anatomical, and biochemical changes in guava leaves caused by T. limbata to study the ‘arms race’ between these two organisms. Therefore, the process of gall formation on guava leaves during the psyllid life cycle was described. A comparative study of the anatomy and levels of phytohormones in leaves attacked and not attacked by the psyllid was carried out. It was found that the psyllid attack triggered the plant's defence by increasing the jasmonic acid content in the leaves. The psyllid attack caused anatomical changes in the leaves (such as cell non-differentiation), allowing the insect to survive feeding on the plant. In addition, the psyllid-induced galls provided shelter for the psyllid.

Details of feeding behaviour of Australian sawfly species on eucalypt hosts are not well known. In this study, we report new findings on two pergid sawflies, Lophyrotoma interrupta and an unidentified species of Lophyrotoma, after observing larvae feed. We confirmed both daily and nightly feeding regimes, with L. interrupta and Lophyrotoma sp. engaged in feeding-related activities 92.2% and 67.0% of the time, respectively. A colony sometimes splits into subcolonies as a leaf depletes; individuals leave singly and explore surrounding leaves before joining the rest of the colony feeding on the new leaf. As a specific feeding behaviour, the larvae of both species cut midveins on surrounding leaves in one of several ways before and during feeding. Larvae used pre-processed cut leaves at a ratio ranging from 0.64 to 0.88 of the whole leaves eaten. Of the leaves cut prior to feeding, approximately half were not consumed, whereas the remaining were consumed 2 days after cutting (median time). We observed a decreasing trend of further cuttings when the proportion of damaged leaves in the surrounding area was increased. Feeding of Lophyrotoma sp. followed a clear pattern: Usually, the last individual remaining on the leaf severed the leaf petiole as it left. This petiole snipping occurred in over half the leaves that larvae had used; however, this behaviour was not observed in L. interrupta.